Description: King John is pitted against the united powers of France, Brittany, Austria, and the Papacy. As alliances are made, broken, and remade, the paranoid and erratic John reveals his weakness and reliance on those around him. Will England be destroyed by his fatal indecision? Performed by Michael Feast, Eileen Atkins, and the Arkangel cast.
Brief description:
William Shakespeare (1564-1616), English poet and dramatist of the Elizabethan and early Jacobean period, is the most widely known author in all of English literature and often considered the greatest. He was an active member of a theater company for at least twenty years, during which time he wrote many great plays. Plays were not prized as literature at the time and Shakespeare was not widely read until the middle of the eighteenth century, when a great upsurge of interest in his works began that continues today.
Review Quotes:
"Straightforward, noncontroversial interpretations...It pays off richly with less familiar works like King John, an early history that dramatizes the indecisive king's attempt to settle an alliance with France. The chief merits of this production are Michael Maloney's performance as the scheming bastard son of Richard I and the intrigues surrounding the death of young Arthur, claimant to the throne."
-- "AudioFile"