"Ay, Every Inch a King"

The restoration of the RSC's reputation continues apace - last Saturday's 4-hour matinee proved to be a mindbogglingly glorious success. Sometimes you can tell instinctively from the very first lines that an entire production will capture the mood and pitch of a play just so. An absolute joy. And while Hamlet remains my favorite Shakespearean character, Lear works so much more powerfully as an ensemble, with its host of magnificently drawn personalities. In this performance, Kent and Edmund seemed to shine the brightest in captivating style.

But above all, I treasure Act 4, Scene VI - when the blinded Gloucester crosses paths with a maddened Lear. "When we are born, we cry that we are come/ To this great stage of fools". I look forward to the day when Kenneth Branaugh grows old enough to tackle this colossus.