John Barrymore, Shakespearean Actor

Tracing the Victorian and Edwardian antecedents of Shakespearean performance, this 1997 book situates Barrymore's distinctive contribution in light of past and ensuing tradition.

Michael A. Morrison (Author)

9780521620284, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 28 September 1997

418 pages
22.9 x 15.2 x 2.4 cm, 0.73 kg

'Immensely detailed, magnificently illustrated and hugely readable.' The Stage

John Barrymore's Richard III and Hamlet, first seen in New York during the 1919–20 and 1922–3 seasons, stand as high-water marks of twentieth-century Shakespearean interpretation. Many of the conventions of modern practice can be traced to Barrymore's performances: he was the first actor to bring the vocal and physical manner of a post-War gentleman to Shakespeare's tragic protagonists; he was the first to reinterpret time-honored roles in light of modern psychological theory. Michael Morrison reconstructs these historic performances through analysis of the production preparation, audience response, reviews, and memoirs. Tracing the Victorian and Edwardian antecedents of Shakespearean performance, this book, first published in 1997, situates Barrymore's distinctive contribution in light of past and ensuing tradition. It also provides a biographical sketch of one of the most revered and tragic actors of the twentieth century.

Preface and acknowledgements
Part I. Setting the Stage: Prologue: Legacies: 1. The education of an actor, 1882–1919
Part II. The Productions: 2. Richard III, 1920
3. Hamlet, 1922–4
4. The London Hamlet, 1925
Part III. Aftermath: 5. Shakespeare in Hollywood, 1925–42
Epilogue
Appendix A. The casts
Appendix B. The texts.

Subject Areas: Theatre studies [AN]