Robin Lloyd Jones
A WELCOME BREATH OF FRESH AIR
By Robin Lloyd-Jones on 18 July 2015
Shakespeare in Cambridge celebrates the annual open-air Cambridge Shakespeare Festival.
In his introduction to his book Andrew Muir says that this festival has challenged
and refocused his views on Shakespeare’s plays and reinvigorated his appreciation
of them. Muir’s brilliant book will do the same for anyone who reads it. Even if
you have almost no interest in Shakespeare it will grab you by the arm and lead you
to a Shakespeare performance. And, if you are already a Shakespeare lover, Shakespeare
in Cambridge will further fuel your enthusiasm and considerably increase your understanding
and knowledge of the Bard’s plays as dramatic art. Andrew Muir has done a vast amount
of research, including interviews with those most involved with live theatre – the
directors, actors and members of the audience. One would expect a serious and scholarly
book about Shakespeare to be rather academic and dry, but Shakespeare in Cambridge
is the very opposite of this and extremely readable. For all those who were put off
Shakespeare at school this is the perfect antidote. Over the years much has been
written about Shakespeare. With the publication of this new book on the subject Andrew
Muir brings a welcome breath of fresh outdoor air to the oeuvre.
Home