"No country for old men"? Shakespeare, the Public Sphere and the Gerontological Turn in Theatre. (2nd January 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Mangan, Michael
• Is Part Of: Shakespeare. Volume 14:Number 1(2018)
• Page Start: 38
• Page End: 50
• Publication Date: 2018-01-02
• Subjects: Ageing -- Romeo and Juliet -- Much Ado About Nothing -- casting -- Habermas; Periodicals; 822.33
• DOI: 10.1080/17450918.2018.1439090
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1745-0918

Abstract

ABSTRACT: It has long been recognised that each age reinvents Shakespeare according to its own needs and obsessions, and in doing so co-opts him and his plays into ongoing dialogues on public issues. This article will look at ways in which, during the past decade, Shakespeare's plays have been used as a lens through which to explore one of the most important of these issues: the implications of an ageing population. It will focus on a particular production of Much Ado About Nothing (Mark Rylance, Old Vic, 2013) and its reception. The article attempts to address two main issues: (a) to uncover otherwise hidden prejudices about the representation of old age both on-stage and off, and (b) to suggest how relative artistic freedoms might be in exploring taboo topics – here, the casting of actors of advanced years as Benedict and Beatrice. By dwelling on its first press notices from 2013, there is also an illustration of how set our relationship with old age is, and how open to radical alternatives it might be.