Quotes from Reviews subsequent to the Leaflet

Further London seasons

The incomparable Michael Pennington... his rich grave of a voice is an instrument you could never tire of hearing... all will find plenty to admire in this assured tour of the Shakespearean estate... Michael Pennington has done Sweet William proud.

-Quentin Letts, Daily Mail

A fastidious, illuminating piece, performed with tremendous charm. Pennington’s ideas - original and refreshing - are gracefully plaited to the little we know of Shakespeare’s life. The show is a tonic. To see or not to see? Go, if you possibly can.

-Kate Kellaway, The Observer

An intimate, enriching encounter with one of our most eloquent classical actors... personal, original, and softly scholarly... his perceptions are fascinating, his verse-speaking a pleasure... as expert at suggesting the wiliness of Cleopatra as the authenticity of Flute the bellows-mender.

-Georgina Brown, Mail on Sunday

A delightful and illuminating show from one of our finest actors. He speaks the verse beautifully, with an understanding that illuminates even the knottiest passages, savouring its richness and variety but also showing how it works... What a superb and constantly stimulating guide Pennington proves... warm, wise and illuminating.

-Charles Spencer, Daily Telegraph

Superb... the perfect combination of erudition and practical experience... the depths of the actor’s insights and the originality of his choices.. could have an inspirational effect.

-Jane Edwardes, Time Out

US seasons

Guthrie Theatre Minneapolis

Celebrates the ethereal highs of Shakespeare and its earthly lows, a range of humanity that rings down the centuries. And he does so with a voice and cadence that cradles each phrase with delicious inflection and meaning.

-Graydon Royce, Minneapolis Star Tribune

Gratifying, edifying and altogether enjoyable... he knows his subject matter three miles deep... instantly and entirely believably twists himself into the hump backed schemer Richard III... a terrific crib sheet to understanding the plays.

-Dominic Papatola, Pioneer Press

Chicago Shakespeare Theater (2009)

A one man tour de force... absolutely compelling tale... Even though many of the past generation of giants of Shakespearean stage (Laurence Olivier, John Gielgud and Ralph Richardson), have passed, you can still experience a working giant of Shakespearean stage... inspiring.

-217 Magazine

Michael Pennington brilliantly summons the spirit of Shakespeare onstage... a lovely, often revelatory tapestry... wide-ranging snapshots from Shakespeare’s canon, with especially touching portrayals of several of Shakespeare’s child characters and women. It is the intriguingly detailed chronicle of the world through which Shakespeare walked that in many ways is the most fascinating aspect of this show... the diversity, the tensions, even its smells... and he gives us the most exquisite rendering of the country justice, Robert Shallow, recounting his mischievous salad days despite an awareness of age and mortality.

-Sun Times

Michael Pennington, a world-renowned Shakespearean whose every breath is a master class in acting

-Centerstage

A captivating evening... his quick-change act impresses as he drops suddenly in and out of character, and several of his sketches are deeply affecting

-Time Out

For full reviews, click here

It was entertaining, insightful, scholarly yet accessible, and beautifully spoken. But above all it was drenched in love and respect.

-Lesley Bates, Salisbury Journal