The Bite Magazine - Autumn/Winter 2019 - Issue 26

bite theatre level of empathy for his love for her; he was always at hand to de- cipher speeches through BSL (British Sign Language), and yet all much to her disdain. The actor, Anthony Byrne, played both Duke Senior and Freder- ick, though a punk pushed up hairstyle and sheepskin coat helped to distinguished the former from the latter. It took a little moment to understand that this was the case whilst watching. I much pre- ferred Senior’s character. The play was peppered by witty nuances and ad-lib quips, and it was especially amusing when a line regarding ‘horned beasts’ was repetitively directed to the production team sitting right up front of the auditorium. This is a fun story and you could see the cast enjoy performing it which drew us audience in to enjoy it also. The magical thing about RSC productions is that although performed in Shakespear- ean-speech, you kind of don’t notice this much as their acting is the main focus of the performance and becomes the aspect you’re ‘listening’ to, so to speak, and thus accessible, as mentioned above. The diverse set of actors also adds to the enrichment of the perfor- mance and allows for unspoken respect for the company given the light of today. RSC plays are definitely not to be shy of and I, per- sonally, cannot wait to see what RSC production is next to witness and impress. Seeing as this play was one of three plays transferred from Stratford-Upon-Avon’s summer season, I might just book myself to watch the other two plays which are The Taming of the Shrew directed by Justin Audibert running from 5 November 2019 – 18 January 2020 and Measure for Measure directed by Gregory Doran running from 12 November 2019 – 16 January 2020. The Royal Shakespeare Company’s winter season includes: #WEAREARRESTED in London: 13th November - 7th December 2019 As You Like It at Barbican Theatre, London until 18th Janu- ary 2020 Timon of Athens in the USA: 11th January - 22nd March 2020 Kunene and the King in London: 24th January - 28th March 2020 As You Like It in Canterbury, Plymouth, Nottingham, New- castle, and Blackpool: 29th January - 4th April 2020 (see website for particular dates of each) The Boy in a Dress at Stratford-upon-Avon until March 2020 Tartuffe at Birmingham Repertory Theatre: 20th March - 4th April 2020 John King at Stratford-upon-Avon until 21st March 2020 Measure for Measure at various London venues until 4th April 2020 To book any of these or check what’s on, please visit https:// www.rsc.org.uk/whats-on/ Or visit The Barbican Centre’s website to book shows, films, and events. https://www.barbican.org.uk/whats-on Lucy Phelps and David Ajao