CALLING ALL SHAKESPEARE LOVERS AND THOSE WHO WANT TO BE! I know. Shakespeare can certainly be intimidating. I was there. However, once one begins to understand the brilliantly nuanced writing of Shakespeare and the timeless plot lines, a need for more surfaces. Having studied at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre personally, I was completely swept up in this magnificent interview between Judi Dench and Brendan O'Hea as they reminisced their countless productions of Shakespeare's plays. What a beautiful tribute to his works, productions, relevancy, and language!!!

"Shakespeare: the Man who Pays the Rent" is an interview with Judi Dench and Brendan O'Hea as the interviewer. There are 39 chapters with each devoted to a particular play and Judi's experiences with it. Some chapters cover rehearsals, failures, ramblings, critics, language, advice, and the future of Shakespeare.
Incredible quotes from Judi Dench:
-"Shakespeare will always be relevant because he reflects the times we are living in."
-"Shakespeare's words will continue to exist because he is part of our everyday language. How often do we unwittingly quote him? 'As luck would have it', 'what's done is done', 'fair play', 'eaten me out of house and home' are just some of the phrases which Shakespeare coined. As are the words: 'majestic', 'assassination', 'rant', 'suspicious', obscene', 'lonely'...... oh so many - he invented over seventeen hundred of them".
-"There's something for everybody in Shakespeare. Everything you have felt or are yet to feel is all in there in his plays:oppression, ambition, loneliness, remorse, everything."
-"And his iambic pentameter - the rhythm of it is so to do with...the rhythm of life, the beating of your heart."
-"Shakespeare is an international language, a beacon for humanity, and a bridge across cultures. His writing encompasses the minutiae of everyday life".
- "Verse is there to support you, and if you go with the rhythm and trust it, it's like surfing a wave."

I HIGHLY ENCOURAGE THE AUDIO VERSION OF THIS BOOK. It is THE WAY to experience it - to truly understand HER experiences. I was smitten with it! It brought Shakespeare back to life for me. Walking through the memories of Judi Dench refreshed all of my own memories with Shakespeare and I adored the candor of both both of these iconic actors.

Many thanks to MacMillan Audio, Judi Dench, Brandon O'Hea, and NetGalley for this audio ARC in exchange for my elated review.

This is a Best Audio Book of the Year, Decade, Century. What could be better than Dame Judi Dench sitting down and talking with fellow thespian Brendan O'Hea about each and every important Shakespeare production she's been in over the years? I loved each offering so much that I had to listen to one at a time. She spouts out quotes by memory, and, as O'Hea notes, her personality takes on the role of each famous female she played, as she discusses them. True thespians, they discuss theme and costuming and set and back-stage comradery. This book is a shining example of why Shakespeare still matters. It is an Ode to the power of the spoken word. Incredible.

I wish I could give it to every one of my fellow thespians, to all my writer friends, and to all the English/theater teachers still out there making a difference, every day. I wish I could give it to every politician who has defunded arts in education, and to every philanthropist who could still make a huge difference by continuing the funding that is so critical for the arts.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher and audiobook producer for the early listen. Truly heart-stopping.

This book consists of conversations between Dame Judi Dench and her friend and fellow Shakespearean actor and director Brendan O’Hea about each role that she’s played in Shakespeare’s plays. I enjoyed listening to Judi’s stories, commentary, and interpretations of the characters and plots. Brendan also had some insightful questions and comments, and it was fun to listen to these two banter. Judi’s personality and her mischievous sense of humor really come through.

I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Shakespeare’s plays or is curious about Judi Dench and her work. I particularly recommend the audiobook, which is well produced and a joy to listen to. Brendan O’Hea narrates his own dialog, while the talented Barbara Flynn narrates most of Judi Dench’s dialog. The narration was so natural, and Flynn manages to sound so much like Dench, that I sometimes forgot that I wasn’t simply listening in to a live conversation between two old friends. As a special treat, Dench recites some lines from Shakespeare between chapters.

I received a free advanced review copy of the audiobook through NetGalley. I volunteered to provide an honest review.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for my copy of Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent by Judi Dench; Brendan O'Hea Narrated by Barbara Flynn; Brendan O'Hea; Judi Dench in exchange for an honest review. It publishes April 23, 2024.
Wow! What a treasure of a book, especially the audiobook! If you have a chance to listen to this book, I highly, highly recommend doing so. Listening to Judi's recitation of Shakespeare was inspiring and honestly, this was just so well done.
This book was utterly conversational, and it was a joy to be a "fly on the wall", (was that Shakespeare?). I truly felt like I was there, listening in and gleaning from these meaningful conversations. As someone who isn't super familiar with most of Shakespeare's plays, aside from the few we did in school, I was able to soak in and learn so much about the Bard.
If you have any small amount of interest in Shakespeare, I would highly recommend this one!

Please, do yourself a favor and get the audiobook for this one.

I am so glad Judi Dench and Brendan decided to publish this as a book instead of just donating the tapes. This is a huge treat for people who love Shakespeare. I learned soo much about the characters and the way you can interpret the motivation of different characters differently. I love that this was interspersed with Judi's life.

I got so emotional when she was talking about Stratford-Upon-Avon because it is one of the nicest places I ever visited, I was lucky to be able to visit it every week during my MA and I knew it! I was listening to this while I drank my tea from my RSC mug following all her steps.

Spellbinding and mesmerizing, this collection of conversations with Dame Judy Dench pulls back the curtain on the bard and his works from the perspective of one of the greatest actresses of our time. Summarizing the plots of each of her stage roles by the playwright, Dench interjects with her thoughts on characters, her relationships with her fellow actors, and her insights on the words and the wisdom of the bard. I was transported!

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio and St Martin’s Press for my copy. These opinions are my own.

I got both the audio and ebook of this one. My review is that I very much enjoyed the audio and was just so so on the ebook. Nothing against the content, I just got a little lost. The book is basically a string of interviewing with Dame Judi about her road to fame via the Shakespeare theatre. I learned things about Shakespeare plays that I never knew about, and enjoyed it. The narrators are excellent, easy to understand and engaging.

I do think that this book would be a great starting point for someone wanting to know a bit about Shakespeare and also how Dame Dench chose her way of acting in these plays.

I truly enjoyed listening to this book which is done is interview format between Brendan O'Hea and Judi Dench. In the audio book, Barbara Flynn narrates Judi Dench's parts. Her voice is very similar to Dench's, making for a good listening experience. This book may have a niche audience made up of fans of Shakespeare and British film and TV but these fans will be thrilled with the behind-the-scenes stories and the insights into Shakespeare's plays from Dame Judi herself and also from her co-creator Brendan O'Hea. If you are traveling to any Shakespeare Festivals this year, make this book your travel companion.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

This was WONDERFUL. As a theatre and Shakespeare nerd, this was everything I wanted and MORE.

Judi Dench is an icon, a behemoth in the industry. She has had such an amazing career and getting to hear first hand about her experiences, her thoughts as she has brought so many iconic characters to life was just breathtaking. I loved every second of this book - it felt like a masterclass in Shakespeare but remained completely accessible.

I will most definitely be revisiting this one over and over - I am sure there will be something new to learn each time. I can't recommend his highly enough!

Just when I think I couldn’t love someone more, Dame Judi Dench comes out with a stunning memoir about one of my favourite playwrights.

The book chronicles all Dench’s Shakespearian roles (Cleopatra, Ophelia, Lady Macbeth, etc.), discussing the specific productions and her thought process when crafting the characters.

The audiobook was especially wonderful as Dench recited parts of these roles. It gave me goosebumps.

I’d encourage anyone who thinks they can’t understand Shakespeare to listen to Dame Judi’s narration. Her phrasing and intonation will fill in any gaps of comprehension.

Thanks to NetGalley, St Martin’s Press, and Macmillan Audio for this dramatic ARC.

I enjoyed hearing about the theater escapades of Judi Dench in the interview-type format of this audiobook. There was frequent of use of the f-word, so I couldn't listen to this with my children around. DNF.

I received this audiobook from NetGalley. Opinions are my own.

4.5 stars

This book started as a series of interviews between actor/director Brendan O'Hea and Dame Judi Dench, about the many Shakespeare parts Dench has played. O'Hea's plan was to donate the tapes to the archives department at Shakespeare's Globe. O'Hea's chats with Dench were so entertaining that he decided to condense them into a book. I had access to both the written book and the audiobook (which is delightful)!

Dame Judi Dench, born in 1934, is considered one of Britain's greatest actresses. Dench's talent and versatility led to appearances on stage, in films, and on television, but she's most revered for her roles in Shakespeare's plays. The plays discussed, and Judi's roles, are: Macbeth (Lady Macbeth); A Midsummer Night's Dream (Titania, Hermia, First Fairy); Twelfth Night (Viola, Maria); The Merchant of Venice (Portia); Hamlet (Ophelia, Gertrude); Coriolanus (Volumnia); As You Like It (Phebe); Measure For Measure (Isabella); Much Ado About Nothing (Beatrice); King Lear (Regan, Cordelia, Goneril); The Comedy of Errors (Adriana); Richard II (Queen Isabel); Antony and Cleopatra (Cleopatra); Cymbeline (Imogen); All's Well That Ends Well (Countess of Roussillon); Henry V (Katherine, Hostess); The Merry Wives of Windsor (Mistress Quickly, Anne Page); Richard III (Duchess of York); The Winter's Tale (Hermione, Perdita, Paulina, Time); and Romeo and Juliet (Juliet). Quite a resume!!

Interspersed with discussions about specific plays are miscellaneous chapters, including: Stratford-Upon-Avon; Play; Company; Fireside Ramblings; Rose Theatre; Failure; Rehearsal; Critics; Shakespeare's Language; Audience; Changing Times; Future of Shakespeare; and Advice. In addition the audiobook concludes with a fun 'off the cuff' talk between O'Hea and Dench.

Though I've seen some Shakespeare productions, I'll admit I looked up synopses of the plays being discussed, to familiarize myself with the plots and characters. Thus the book was a twofer for me - Judi Dench's memoir and a bit of a primer on Shakespeare. Prompted by O'Hea, Dench discusses the plays' plots, language, staging, costumes, cast, directors, relevance, mishaps, and more, and Judi is knowledgeable, fun, introspective, philosophical, practical, honest....all kinds of good things. Dench also gives us a glimpse of her personal life, with anecdotes about her parents; her husband Michael (Mikey) Williams, her daughter Finty, and people she's met and worked with during her long career.

I'll give examples of the chitchat, to provide a feel for the book.

Macbeth

Speaking about Lady Macbeth, Dench opines: "Macbeth needs a push, and with the help of the spirits his wife is the one to do it. She is the spur that pricks him on....She's not interested [in being the Queen]....She does it for him....towards what she believes to be his due."

On a light note, thinking about doing the play in Africa, and acting outside in the heat, Judi recalls, "I remember seeing vultures sitting in the trees and I said to the actors, 'For God's sake, twitch when you're dead, they're waiting to eat us."

Stratford-Upon-Avon

Asked about Stratford-Upon-Avon, Dench observes, "In all the memories I have, that's where my heart is. It's where I feel centered. So much of what Shakespeare talks about in his plays can be referenced to the countryside around Stratford....We (Judi and her husband Michael) lived there for ten years and Fint (Judi's daughter Finty) grew up there. And Michael is buried in the grounds of the little church."

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Thinking about the play, Dench says, "Titania and Oberon are so randy. They're at it like knives. You never see that in productions, do you? All the fairies should be humping each other throughout." LOL

Company

Dench loves being in a production company. Speaking about the Old Vic, Judi says, "It was thrilling being able to have a walk-on part in one production, play a character in another, understudy in something else. I loved being a cog in this great big community."

Much Ado About Nothing

Talking about the Bard, Dench observes "There's something for everybody in Shakespeare. Everything you have felt or are yet to feel is all there in his plays: oppression, ambition, loneliness, remorse, [jealousy, love] everything."

For instance, in Much Ado About Nothing, the character Beatrice doesn't want to get married. Dench observes, "She's down on her knees every night praying it'll never happen. Who needs a man? Who wants to be accountable to a 'clod of wayward marl'? After the passion of the wooing and the solemnity of the wedding, it's all downhill. She has such a bleak view of matrimony."

King Lear

Dench has been in King Lear three times, at the Old Vic, the Royal Shakespeare Company, and on the radio. She remembers, "John Gielgud was Lear in the radio version and we were recording it to celebrate his ninetieth birthday." When asked if Gielgud was good as King Lear, Judi says, "I've no idea. With radio, you only ever tend to record your own scenes....and I never heard the full production when it was aired. But I adored him so much, he could have played Bo Peep and I would have thought it was superlative."

The Comedy of Errors

A scene in this play reminds Dench of an incident in her own life. She observes, "[My husband] Mikey and I had some friends over for lunch at our house. He took a few of them down the pub for a drink, while the rest of us stayed home and cooked. I told Mikey to be back by two and when they didn't turn up on time we locked the doors and started eating. They did eventually appear....and we took absolutely no notice. They had to get a ladder and climb in through the bedroom window."

Critics

Talking about critics, Dench notes, "Caryl Brahms never liked anything I did. She was vitriolic, and clearly allergic to me....[she] always had the knife in me - never once gave me a good notice." Judi goes on, "In the early days I used to read every word of my reviews, but I don't have any truck with them any more....If you read something negative, you start worrying and get self-conscious...And a positive review can bring its own problems....The audience comes with very high expectations and you're under pressure to live up to them."

Richard III

In Richard III, Dench plays Richard's mother, the Duchess of York. Asked how she got the part, Judi says, "I was at the Hay Festival being interviewed by Richard Eyre. Ben Cumberbatch was sitting in the front row and when it came to the audience asking questions, he put up his hand and said, 'Will you play my mother in Richard III?' And I said, 'Oh yeah, I expect so.'....so the way to get me to do something is to shout it out in front of a big crowd!"

In the play, Richard murders his way to the throne, and Dench (as his mother) demonstrates her horror in the following speech:

O ill-dispersing wind of misery.

O my accursed womb, the bed of death.

A cockatrice hast though hatched to the world,

Whose unavoided eye is murderous.

Dench observes, "You don't half tell a story in that speech. It's four lines of enormous information - and extreme alarm."

Future of Shakespeare

Dench believes Shakespeare will always be relevant. She says "Shakespeare's words will continue to exist because he's part of our everyday language. How often do we unwittingly quote him?" 'As good luck would have it; what's done is done; fair play; eaten me out of house and home', and more.

Judi hopes people will still be performing Shakespeare's plays in fifty years. She says, "What we need are teachers, directors, and actors to ignite the pilot light....Shakespeare is an international language, a beacon for humanity, and a bridge across cultures."

*****

I learned a good bit about Shakespeare's plays, as well as Judi Dench's career, from this book. You don't need to be a Shakespeare expert, or even a Shakespeare fan to enjoy the narrative because O'Hea and Dench are interesting and fun in and of themselves. Highly recommended.

Thanks to Netgalley, Brendan O'Hea, Judi Dench, and St. Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio for copies of the book.

Thank you to the publisher for my copy. All thoughts are my own.

I love Shakespeare. I love actors talking about their art. I love discovering new things in old stories. So, when I saw this book come through my inbox, I had to read it. It was such a wonderful, joyful celebration of classical theatre and our modern outlook on plays that have been produced for centuries. I love the history, the speculation, the interpretation. It makes me so happy and really gets my brain moving. I had a blast reading this book and if you’re a Shakespeare nerd or just someone who loves theatre, I highly recommend it!

Synopsis:

“Discover the work of the greatest writer in the English language as you’ve never encountered it before by preordering Judi Dench’s Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent – one legendary actress’ inspiring, moving and brilliant journey through the plays of William Shakespeare.Taking a curtain call with a live snake in her wig...Cavorting naked through the Warwickshire countryside painted green...Acting opposite a child with a pumpkin on his head...These are just a few of the things Dame Judi Dench has done in the name of Shakespeare.For the very first time, Judi opens up about every Shakespearean role she has played throughout her seven-decade career, from Lady Macbeth and Titania to Ophelia and Cleopatra. In a series of intimate conversations with actor & director Brendan O'Hea, she guides us through Shakespeare's plays with incisive clarity, revealing the secrets of her rehearsal process and inviting us to share in her triumphs, disasters, and backstage shenanigans.Interspersed with vignettes on audiences, critics, company spirit and rehearsal room etiquette, she serves up priceless revelations on everything from the craft of speaking in verse to her personal interpretations of some of Shakespeare's most famous scenes, all brightened by her mischievous sense of humour, striking level of honesty and a peppering of hilarious anecdotes, many of which have remained under lock and key until now.Instructive and witty, provocative and inspiring, this is ultimately Judi's love letter to Shakespeare, or rather, The Man Who Pays The Rent.” —NetGalley

What I Liked:

The Personal Nature of the Writing—I loved how close Judi was the characters she played. I loved how she delved into moments of her personal life and where she was, physically and mentally, while working on these characters. Her relationships with directors and famous companies! It was so wonderful. Informative and personal.

An Acting Masterclass—My favorite part of hearing from my favorite actors is getting insight into how their brains see the text. I learned so much that I can’t wait to apply to my own work.

Conversational, Entertaining Structure—This is an easy book to read and enjoy, whether you are a Shakespeare fan or not. It’s such a joyful listen, if you can get the audiobook. It feels conversational and Judi’s giggle is so precious.

What Didn’t Work For Me:

Nothing, I loved this book so much. It was a pure joy to read and reignited a love for Shakespeare and, acting in general, that I’ve let fall to the wayside.

Character Authenticity: N/A Spice Rating: N/A Overall Rating: 5/5

Content Warnings:

anything mentioned in Shakespeare’s plays that could be tough for you!

“Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent" is an enjoyable conversation between actor and director Brendan O'Hea and Dame Judi Dench. Part memoir, part literary and dramatic analysis, Dench and O'Hea guide readers through each of the many parts portrayed by Dench over the course of her career. As they review her oeuvre d'art, large parts and famous productions are reviewed alongside less well-known plays, parts, and productions. As they discuss the playwright, directors, texts, characters, and colleagues, they also recall events in their lives, particularly Dench's. Anyone who is interested in the theater history would also enjoy the anecdotes about renowned actors and plays through the decades. The book manages to be both existential and laugh-out-loud funny, a rare combination. Although they do overview the plays, I imagine that some knowledge of or interest in the Bard's plays would be necessary to enjoy "Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent."

A caveat: I loved listening to the audiobook, narrated by Dench and O'Hea. It was like being invited to an incredibly interesting and informal tea. Unless the book is very different, however, I cannot imagine that this dialogue would be even a little engaging in print. I'd imagine it would be like reading someone else's text conversation, lacking in context and investment.

Rating:
4.5 stars as audio
2 stars as text given the many interesting details
averaged to 3 stars

"Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent" will be released in the U.S. on April 23, 2024. Thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for this audio ARC given in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Kenneth Branagh's quote on the cover says, "A magical love letter to Shakespeare," and he couldn't have said it better. Dench's career in Shakespeare spans decades and includes most of the major female roles. The book is divided up by play/role, and Dench and O'Hea discuss everything from theories about the play itself, the language, and her memories of the run of the play. Her recall for Shakespeare's words is remarkable, and it's palpable throughout the book that she adores the plays and the work. Her many anecdotes and asides were incredibly entertaining, and I have no idea she had a raunchy sense of humor.

The audiobook is absolutely the way to go here. Dench doesn't read it because she's blind now, but the narrator who reads her parts captures her voice really well. There's also a bonus recorded conversation between Dench and O'Hea at the end of the audiobook that's too delightful to miss.

This book is definitely a favorite nonfiction read for me now. It's a must-read for Shakespeare lovers, theater nerds, and actors. Anyone who wants to hear someone speak passionately about their calling would enjoy this book.

I found this to be a very interesting listen! I have always loved Judi Dench, and after listening to this, I love her even more. She is outstandingly knowledgeable about Shakespeare's work! She knows so much of it by heart and has a deep understanding of the characters. I was swept away by her passion for embodying the characters she played.
The narrator was amazing as well. It was so easy to imagine that it was truly Judi Dench having a conversation with the interviewer.
Highly recommend for fans of Judi Dench and lovers of Shakespeare!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.75
You MUST do the audiobook of this. What an absolute treat to hear one of the greatest performers of Shakespeare, Dame Judi Dench, go into detail discussing what she enjoys about the prose, portraying different parts in the same plays at different points in her life, varying portrayals of the material, directing notes that changed her viewpoint, and the importance of the audience. She discusses the legendary directors she learned under and the fabulous actors she shared the stage with. And sprinkled between each interview style anecdote, she blesses us with readings of various Shakespeare passages. This is the cheapest theatre ticket I’ll ever buy. Witty, humorous, insightful and vulnerable, this is a gem of a memoir.

What an absolute treat!! I adore Judi Dench and was so excited to read this memoir! I listened to the audio version and it was great.

It’s done in a very relaxed, conversational interview with Brendan O’Hea asking the questions and Judi answering. The questioning is about Judi’s lifelong love of Shakespeare and her experiences. Barbara Flynn narrates most of Judi’s part with Judi jumping in for some magnificent Shakespeare from memory.

I loved learning about Judi’s childhood, her theatre shenanigans and thrills! So much behind the scenes that I would have never known about without this gem of a book!

Judi is such a special person and I especially loved the additional audio at the end where she and Brendan reminisce, as old friends do!

5 golden ⭐️’s, all the way!!!

Many thanks to Macmillian Audio for the ARC via NetGalley.

I really enjoyed this book. It is always great to hear interpretations of Shakespeare. How this was so intertwined with her life was great to hear. Would recommend to any Dan of Judi Dench or Shakespeare

Two things to acknowledge up front:

1. I am beyond grateful this book even exists. I can’t believe there’s an audience for this book beyond me. Whoever else is giving this book 5 stars, call me immediately, we are now best friends.
2. Dame Judi Dench does not narrate the audiobook. In the foreword, biographer and interviewer Brendan O’Hea makes an off-handed remark about Dench’s failing eyesight. A small amount of critical thinking applied then can lead you to understand why she’s not the narrator. But Dench starts most chapters by reciting lines of Shakespeare that she has memorized, and it is breath-taking. Additionally, the narrator for Dench, Barbara Flynn, knocks it out of the park. She PLAYS Dench, which perhaps shouldn’t be surprising. She’s got a wicked laugh and I could have listened to her forever.

This is 9 hours of Judi Dench talking about Shakespeare. It is not an academic study, but a play-by-play conversation about the roles she’s played, how she played them, how she’d play them now, memories from the shows, and what they meant to her. She defends certain interpretations (“should this character be played jealous? Angry?” “Is this scene serious, or a lark?”) and offers insights.

This is, from the bottom of my heart, all I’ve ever wanted. All I’ve ever wanted was to listen to an expert on Shakespeare talk about the different ways you can stage and interpret and play different characters and plays. Does Ophelia lose her mind? What happened between Benedick and Beatrice? Is Isabella’s fate in Measure for Measure satisfactory or tragic? Dench is insightful and razor-sharp. Occasionally O’Hea will push back on her, and more often than not she doubles down, argues him into submission! But I loved the dialogue between the two, which is imbued with love and friendship.

If you’re looking for tea, you’re not really going to get it. She name drops a few famous friends — Kenneth Branagh, obviously, but also Ian McKellen, Daniel-Day Lewis, Maggie Smith, and adorably, ‘Benny’ Cumberbatch — but she treats them like exactly that: friends. They played parts opposite her. She has a few funny stories, and a few poignant ones.

This was so good I cried when we reached the epilogue, because I could have listened to this forever. What a treasure: both this book, and Judi Dench.

“Shakespeare belongs to everybody, and we must allow who we are as individuals to color our interpretation of his words. Everybody’s upbringing and life experiences are different, and that needs celebrating, and bringing to the plays. You’ve got to find out what his words mean for you.”