audio nonfiction / interview with Judi Dench about Shakespeare's plays (12+ hours best heard at original 1.0 speed; Judi is portrayed by the skilled and accomplished British actor Barbara Flynn, who sounds a lot like her, but with all Judi's numerous swear words edited out to make it more palatable for British fans; Judi voices the preface and provides recorded excerpts of her parts in the various plays plus about 45min. of bonus conversation at the end of the audiobook; the co-author and interviewer, and fellow actor/director, Brendan O'Hea voices his own parts)

I am only passively familiar with Shakespeare's plays (for which O'Hea provides summary notes to help throughout as needed), but enjoyed listening in on these conversations. Dame Dench displays her sharp sense of humor as well as her astuteness on matters of theater. Would be fun to listen to this while taking a course on Shakespeare, but if your attention span tends to stray as mine does, it can also serve as a cozy read--something pleasant to listen to while your attention wanders in and out. ( )

Shakespeare:The Man Who Pays the Rent - Dench/O’Hea
Audible performance by Barabara Flynn, Brenden O’Hea, Judi Dench
5 stars

Generally speaking, I do not like celebrity memoirs. I’m not interested in name-dropping and gossip. However, I’m a good audience. I’m very interested in the creative process, the preparation, and the hard work involved with stage and film production. I had the audiobook and the text of this one. It gave me exactly what I wanted and held my interest from beginning to end.

This book evolved from recorded conversations between Judi Dench and Brenden O’Hea. Play by play, Dench speaks in detail about every Shakespearean role that she has played during her long career. She gives an analysis of each character, describes how she created her roles, and if she played a character more than once she discussed how her interpretation changed over time. I was fascinated. It felt like a master class.

There is, of course, some theater history. She’s very funny about backstage shenanigans and performance disasters. There is some good humored backstage gossip, lots of nostalgia and a few bits of heart breaking pathos for the creative people who are gone. There were almost no negative comments. When she did have something damning to say, no names were mentioned.

The audiobook is read by Barbara Flynn as if she is Dench and in conversation with O’Hea. She was so natural it was easy to forget that it wasn’t Judi Dench. However, Dench fills in the recording with occasional recitations from the plays that are featured. There’s also a recording of a conversation between Dench and O’Hea as an author’s afterword to the audio edition. ( )

On the one hand, this is a light read. The chapters are short. The format is that of an interview between two professional theater folk. No long walls of text, but conversations back and forth.

As a memoir, this is delightful and lively. Her co-author on this, Brendan O’Hea, interviewed her across a four-year span, encouraging her to comment on and analyze her roles in Shakespeare’s plays. The book opens with her discussion of MacBeth when she played Lady Macbeth against Ian MacKellan in the title role. That gets followed by her reminiscing over the various parts she played in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. She was the First Fairy as well as Titania. There are chapters devoted to 19 of Shakespeare’s plays, the obvious and easily accessible ones as well as those one has to dig a little to find on screen. I have never seen Coriolanus, but the discussion of female characters in that play sent me off to see what I might find on YouTube. I don’t need a discussion of Ophelia in Hamlet but I benefit enormously from Dench’s insights into Volumnia. (Honestly, I’ve never seen OR read this particular Shakespearean tragedy but I may well have been missing something extraordinary!) That’s one of the selling-points of this book; you find yourself learning from this actress’ insights gleaned from working with different companies on multiple stages.

The other impression one takes away from this is what a good-natured and fun woman this Dame of the British Empire has proven to be. (Who would have thought she could crack up Ian McKellan in the midst of a performance?)

Honestly recommended, regardless of any reader’s familiarity with the Bard!!! ( )

Dame Judi Dench made her professional theater debut in 1957 and never stopped, appearing in a wide variety of roles on both stage and screen. Shakespeare’s plays were a significant part of her repertoire, and in this book she reveals intimate details from her experience and provides insights into each play and its characters.

In dialogue with director Brendan O’Hea, Dench describes her roles in 19 of Shakespeare’s plays. She appeared in some plays multiple times, for example Henry V, where Dench first played Henry’s wife-to-be Katherine, and later played the Hostess. For each play she provides insight on the characters and the way she chose to interpret them on stage. She talks about directors she worked with, and how their style influenced the production. Dench also shares anecdotes about other actors as well as some funny stories about theatrical mishaps.

I have seen and read a few of Shakespeare’s plays but am by no means an expert. Dench brought his work to life and helped me appreciate nuance that I missed, and her candor and wit added to my enjoyment. ( )