At Home He Feels Like A Tourist

Category: Shakespeare

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  A Very English Murder

  Arden of Faversham: A deep dive into an essential drama

  May 20, 2026
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  What’s the Big Idea

  A list of thinkers whose ideas do most to inform this blog.

  May 20, 2026
• Ancient History Anxiety Architecture Britain Culture Drama England Identity Jacobean Nationhood Parody Problem Play Renaissance Shakespeare Theatre Wales

  

  Cymbeline: Shakespeare and the Search for National Identity

  A diversion in which we examine Shakespeare’s Cymbeline and its commentary on the conception of British nationhood.

  April 21, 2026
• Acting Adventure Age Beauty Charity Classics Comedy Concert Culture Film Italy London Narcissism Opera Passion Physical Theatre Politics Power Shakespeare Technology Theatre Tragedy

  Catching up (Part 4)

  January 2021 to April 2021 The novelty of digital entertainment by now very much worn off but, fortunately, there were plenty of other worthwhile distractions (the return of birdwatching after four decades perhaps the most surprising) for the Tourist to mask the lack of live cultural stimulation. (And travel, which…

  November 10, 2021
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  Catching up (Part 3)

  April 2020 to December 2020 In which the Tourist condenses down 2020, in and out of lockdown, mostly watching stuff on a screen. Don’t worry he also took walks, saw punters when permitted and growled at the state of his disappointing nation, but it is only now he is back…

  November 5, 2021
• Culture Film Shakespeare Theatre

  My favourite lockdown theatre so far and to look forward to

  If you are, like me, a well-to-do theatre nut, missing the real thing, trying, unlike me, to fit in the panicking, worrying, exercising, zooming, reading, binge watching, baking, eating, on-line shopping, goal-satisfying, caring, and maybe working, then you have probably already been overwhelmed by the streaming opportunities already served up…

  May 13, 2020
• Comedy Culture Gender London Love Shakespeare Stratford upon Avon Theatre

  As You Like It at the Barbican Theatre review ***

  As You Like It Barbican Theatre, 15th January 2020 As You Like It? Not really like this. Mind you I have yet to see a production of the play that really bowled me over. The NT production from 2016 directed by Polly Findlay looked great, office chairs becoming the Forest…

  March 1, 2020
• Culture Justice London Morality Power Sexuality Shakespeare Theatre Vienna

  Measure for Measure at the Barbican Theatre review ****

  Measure for Measure Barbican Theatre, 8th January 2020 I like Measure for Measure. I find the weird cocktail of morality play and satirical “comedy” fascinating. No one comes out of it well, not even the ostensibly virtuous Isabella who goes into bat to save brother Claudio from death, but is…

  February 25, 2020
• Acting Agency Culture Gender London Patriarchy Power Shakespeare Theatre

  The Taming of the Shrew at the Barbican review ***

  The Taming of the Shrew Barbican Theatre, 2nd January 2020 What to do with Taming of the Shrew. Pretend the framing device with Sly deceived by Milord gets you off the hook. Not sure audiences buy that. Mine the text very carefully and add detail through direction which undermines the…

  February 9, 2020
• Comedy Culture Gender London Love Patriarchy Shakespeare Theatre

  Much Ado About Nothing at Wiltons Music Hall review ****

  Much Ado About Nothing Wilton’s Music Hall, 19th November 2019 The Tourist has been very much taken with previous Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory productions, Othello and Henry V, both here and on home turf in Bristol. This latest, MAAN, directed by Elizabeth Freestone, as was Henry V, and who…

  December 16, 2019