William Shakespeare (I)

The lovers were the great success of this production. I have never seen them more delightfully done.

John Cleese, Petruchio in BBC2's Taming Of The Shrew, has never played in Shakespeare before and hardly has the voice for it now. Instead of competing with trained actors he lowers his voice, speaks softer, whispers, murmurs and though this is odd for Petruchio, it is rather good for television.

This series of Shakespeare has disheartened me deeply by being quite nice. Measure for Measure is a notch below the best yet, As You Like It, having like that a fine leading actress in Kate Nelligan. Seen suddenly, standing in a doorway, she shines like candlelight. The lighting of the play is, throughout, important and impressive.

The BBC's version was charming with that element of strangeness about it which gives beauty its thorns. One felt there was more to the princesses' nightly dancing than was ever explained. Their dances had a shiver of witchery about them, stepping in slow motion among the stars or whirling in a mad night light.