Directors take centre stage

The imaginative vision of those behind the scenes brings out the best acting in Shakespeare and Chekhov revivals

Michael Billington

AT my age—85, if you must know—I am often asked how theatre has changed in my lifetime. I usually answer that we have moved from an actor’s theatre to a writer’s theatre and now to a director’s theatre. It is an over-simplification, but the truth of it is borne out by a quartet of classic revivals, three of which are dominated by a strong directorial vision. There is no question that Rupert Goold is the animating force behind the new production of Hamlet at Stratford’s Royal Shakespeare Theatre. It was his decision to set the action on board a ship, Elsinore, on the same day in April 1912 that Titanic sank. The immediate advantage is that it makes for visual excitement. Es Devlin’s superb set presents us with a ship’s…

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Country Life (Digital) - 1 Issue, March 19, 2025

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