The audio CD with this edition of Much Ado About Nothing contains a series of unique recordings to illustrate how different actors place their own interpretation on the play. Hear Sir John Gielgud as Benedick and Dame Peggy Ashcroft as Beatrice in a 1950 production. Compare that to a contemporary version from 2003. There are also superb performances from Alan Ayckbourn, Amanda Root and Samuel West. The text is illustrated throughout with photographs from notable productions, including Kenneth Branagh's 1993 film and RSC productions featuring Harriet Walter, Judi Dench, Helen Mirren and Janet Suzman. The book also takes you behind the scenes with reproductions of set drawings, costume designs and scene edits, including costume renderings from the 1958 production at the Shakespeare Memorial Theater. As well as the playtext, there are articles covering a range of topics including 'In Production: Much Ado About Nothing through the Years' by Jeffrey Kahan, 'Much Ado About Nothing in Popular Culture' by Douglas Lanier, 'A Voice Coach's Perspective on Speaking Shakespeare' by Andrew Wade and 'In the Age of Shakespeare' by Thomas Garvey. The Sourcebooks Shakespeare Much Ado About Nothing is an invaluable tool for students of all ages from GCSE to A Level and beyond.

 

This book is part of a book series called Sourcebooks Shakespeare .

This book is aimed at the following children: secondary school , university .

There are 416 pages in this book. This book was published 2007 by Bloomsbury Publishing PLC .

Rene Weis is Professor of English at University College London and a distinguished editor and biographer of Shakespeare. David Bevington is the Phyllis Fay Horton Distinguished Service Professor in the Humanities at the University of Chicago. Peter Holland is the McMeel Family Chair in Shakespeare Studies at the University of Notre Dame.