by Annette Rubery | Dec 1, 2023 | Theatre History
I am still reeling from the news that Robert D. Hume, the American theatre historian, died last week. I debated whether to write anything about him here because I was not a colleague or friend and did not know him very well – beyond the exchange of a few emails....
by Annette Rubery | Nov 25, 2023 | Shakespeare
King Lear, Wyndham's Theatre, London, 2023. I was excited to finally see Kenneth Branagh in King Lear at Wyndham’s Theatre last night, having booked months ago. I last saw him live in a Shakespeare play (Hamlet) in 1992, so was nostalgic about his return to the...
by Annette Rubery | Oct 15, 2023 | Shakespeare
Macbeth, Royal Shakespeare Company, directed by Wils Wilson (2023). On Friday we saw Macbeth at the RSC (the Wils Wilson production with a completely Scottish cast). I liked some things about it and disliked others: it was a mixed bag, but an enjoyable evening...
by Annette Rubery | May 28, 2023 | Events
Peg Woffington: The Female Rake. 27th May 2023, 11am, Bromley House Library, Nottingham. I had a great time visiting Bromley House Library in Nottingham (a hidden gem) to give a talk on Peg Woffington. This beautiful subscription library moved to Bromley House in...
by Annette Rubery | Jan 6, 2023 | Theatre History, Woffington
Figure 1: Peg Woffington by John Lewis, oil on canvas, feigned oval 1753. National Portrait Gallery, London. On January 29th 1753 at Smock Alley playhouse in Dublin, Peg Woffington performed in drag as Lothario in Nicholas Rowe’s tragedy The Fair Penitent (Greene...