Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent

 Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent by Judi Dench and Brendan O'Hea, 400 pages

This book started as a series of interviews between theater director Brendan O'Hea and actress Judi Dench, originally intended for a theater company's archives. O'Hea soon realized this work was something a whole lot of people would want to read, and decided to turn it into a book instead. However, especially in audiobook form, this book retains the feel of an intimate conversation between old friends. Although Dench read only small portions of the audiobook, the actress they got to read her part sounded so similar I couldn't always tell when they switched.

The book covers the dozens of Shakespeare roles Judi Dench has played in her decades-spanning career, as well as collecting a whole lot of general thoughts about performing Shakespeare and working in theater. I was very impressed how the book managed to twist together biography, funny anecdotes, and very solid Shakespeare analysis into something that felt so cohesive. Judi Dench is riotously funny, and it was a pleasure to feel as if you were in her living room listening to her chat with an old friend. I would strongly recommend this to anyone with an interest in Shakespeare, performing live theater, or Judi Dench. 

Making It So

Making It So: A Memoir by Sir Patrick Stewart  469 pp.

In his own words, Stewart tells his life story from his early days in Mirfield, West Yorkshire, England to the present. Born just after the start of World War II, he was raised by his mother while his father served in the army. The family struggled financially and suffered domestic abuse at the hands of his father. He caught the acting bug while quite young, playing in local amateur theatres and eventually attended the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School on a grant with his friend, actor Brian Blessed. He played small parts in different repertory theatres before becoming a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1966. From there his career grew to performing onstage and in minor film roles internationally. While in Los Angeles he received a request to audition for his most famous role, that of Captain Jean-Luc Picard on the reboot of Star Trek. Since then he has returned to his first love, the stage in a number of productions as well as playing Professor Charles Xavier in the X-men franchise with his good friend Ian McKellan. Stewart has done a majority of his work after age 60 and now at 83 he does not plan on slowing down. I was surprised that he doesn't say much about his activism in the cause of domestic violence. I listened to the audiobook narrated by Stewart and his familiar voice was like listening to an old friend.