Playing Shakespeare   Starring: John Barton, Peggy Ashcroft, Judi Dench, Sheila Hancock, Ben Kingsley, Ian McKellen, Donald Sinden, Patrick Stewart, David Suchet and Michael Williams Acorn Media UK RRP: £24.99 AV9777 Certificate: E Available 21 June 2010

In 1982, John Barton, Associate Director of the Royal Shakespeare Company, gathered many of the finest British actors of their generation in one rehearsal room. Their aim was to grapple with the work of Shakespeare - to wrestle with its meaning, its poetry, its language. To examine the way that sentences are constructed so as to guide the actor. The way in which the drama of the written word is best conveyed to an audience. The results were broadcast on television to great acclaim, and to this day it makes for a gripping, insightful and powerful work of theatre in its own right...

Playing Shakespeare was originally broadcast in the early eighties and, if you can get past the ridiculous fashion gaffs of the day, makes for interesting viewing.

However, as Barton himself admits, there is no right or wrong way to play Shakespeare. So, you could argue, what is the point of this series. I suppose it's more a jumping off point for intelligent debate about how to approach the Great Bard's work.

Personally, I am no fan of Shakespeare's work. I've made my views known in numerous reviews where his work raises its head and don't wish to repeat myself here. But what I did find interesting in this release was the thought process and the breaking down of how to hold an audiences attention and how to be mindful of not only your own character's feelings and lines, but also of all of the other characters in a play. For that alone, this is more a series that looks at how to act in general, just using Shakespeare as the example from which to draw upon.

The series harnesses the expertise of Barton, the master of Shakespeare’s work, at the height of his craft, inviting the viewer into this intimate and exposing space as he works with the living instruments that will bring these works to life. The results are unforgettable. And whether you are an actor or a member of the audience, the lessons to be learned will change the way you practice or experience Shakespeare’s work.

Featured actors include Peggy Ashcroft, Tony Church, Sinéad Cusack, Judi Dench, Susan Fleetwood, Mike Gwilym, Sheila Hancock, Lisa Harrow, Alan Howard, Ben Kingsley, Jane Lapotaire, Barbara Leigh-Hunt, Ian McKellen, Richard Pasco, Michael Pennington, Roger Rees, Norman Rodway, Donald Sinden, Patrick Stewart, David Suchet and Michael Williams.

Extras (all text based) include a glossary for Playing Shakespeare; a History of the Royal Shakespeare Company; a John Barton Biography and Selected Cast Biographies.

For those studying or playing Shakespeare, this is an invaluable source of reference.

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Darren Rea