Adrian Noble

If it weren't for Adrian Noble's poor eyesight, Southern Californians might not be gaining new insights into William Shakespeare this summer. As a lad growing up in Chichester, England, Noble, the future artistic director of the Royal Shakespeare Company, was afflicted with myopia. One day when his optician was "poking about in my eye," he told Noble about his improbable plan to start a world-class theater festival right there in Chichester, featuring some of Britain's best actors.

There are as many ways to reanimate Shakespeare onstage as there are methods of interpreting him on the page. Adrian Noble, artistic director of the Old Globe's Shakespeare Festival and the former artistic director and chief executive of the Royal Shakespeare Company, seems to favor directorial strategies of a holistic nature. Which is to say that there are no distracting concepts imposed on his production of "As You Like It" or Lindsay Posner's staging of "Richard III," the two Shakespeare offerings in the Old Globe's annual outdoor festival.

In a strange land, it's best to play along. That's exactly what Adrian Noble, artistic director of the Royal Shakespeare Company, did recently, what with his proper English manners and his years of training as an actor. He was attending a reopening celebration of the Geary Theater, the earthquake-damaged home of the American Conservatory Theater. Problem was, he hadn't a clue what, exactly, was going on. "I sang 'The Star-Spangled Banner.'

— Conjuring up a brave new world out of magic isn't for amateurs or, as we say today, Muggles. That applies not only to practicing wizards like Prospero in Shakespeare's "The Tempest," but to stage directors in charge of creating theatrical legerdemain that will enthrall an audience and illuminate a 400-year-old text. In his dreamy, elegant production of Shakespeare's storm-tossed romance at the Old Globe, director Adrian Noble pulls a number of clever ideas out of his hat: introducing Japanese-style bunraku puppets; refashioning several of the play's verse-chants as songs that vaguely evoke British New Wave electronic pop. ("Coming up next on MTV we've got Ariel and the Ethereals with their fab new hit, 'Full Fathom Five!

There are as many ways to reanimate Shakespeare onstage as there are methods of interpreting him on the page. Adrian Noble, artistic director of the Old Globe's Shakespeare Festival and the former artistic director and chief executive of the Royal Shakespeare Company, seems to favor directorial strategies of a holistic nature. Which is to say that there are no distracting concepts imposed on his production of "As You Like It" or Lindsay Posner's staging of "Richard III," the two Shakespeare offerings in the Old Globe's annual outdoor festival.

Last month, a British national newspaper carried a provocative article about the dissent and deep-seated policy differences tearing apart the Royal Shakespeare Company. The headline on the article, from Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream," read: "Lord, What Fools These Mortals Be!" The phrase seemed to have the ring of prophecy last week as Adrian Noble, RSC's artistic director for the last 12 years, announced his resignation, thus sending the company into turmoil.

— Conjuring up a brave new world out of magic isn't for amateurs or, as we say today, Muggles. That applies not only to practicing wizards like Prospero in Shakespeare's "The Tempest," but to stage directors in charge of creating theatrical legerdemain that will enthrall an audience and illuminate a 400-year-old text. In his dreamy, elegant production of Shakespeare's storm-tossed romance at the Old Globe, director Adrian Noble pulls a number of clever ideas out of his hat: introducing Japanese-style bunraku puppets; refashioning several of the play's verse-chants as songs that vaguely evoke British New Wave electronic pop. ("Coming up next on MTV we've got Ariel and the Ethereals with their fab new hit, 'Full Fathom Five!

Noble Gets the Nod: Adrian Noble, the 39-year-old director whose credits range from Shakespeare to Cole Porter, was named the next artistic director of Great Britain's Royal Shakespeare Company on Wednesday. Noble will assume his post April 1 as artistic director-elect. He takes over fully in July, 1991, when current artistic director Terry Hands steps down after 25 years with the company.

Judi Dench returns to the Royal Shakespeare Company in December as part of the troupe's ambitious new season under artistic director Michael Boyd. Dench, the classical theater actress who in recent years has become a film star, will start performances Dec. 3 in Stratford, England, in "All's Well That Ends Well," one of the less frequently seen Shakespeare plays.

'Richard III," due out Friday, is one of at least six films based on Shakespeare plays currently in various stages of production or release. Castle Rock's production of "Othello," with Laurence Fishburne in the title role, Kenneth Branagh playing Iago and Irene Jacob as Desdemona, shot this past summer in Italy, opened two weeks ago.

If it weren't for Adrian Noble's poor eyesight, Southern Californians might not be gaining new insights into William Shakespeare this summer. As a lad growing up in Chichester, England, Noble, the future artistic director of the Royal Shakespeare Company, was afflicted with myopia. One day when his optician was "poking about in my eye," he told Noble about his improbable plan to start a world-class theater festival right there in Chichester, featuring some of Britain's best actors.

Last month, a British national newspaper carried a provocative article about the dissent and deep-seated policy differences tearing apart the Royal Shakespeare Company. The headline on the article, from Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream," read: "Lord, What Fools These Mortals Be!" The phrase seemed to have the ring of prophecy last week as Adrian Noble, RSC's artistic director for the last 12 years, announced his resignation, thus sending the company into turmoil.

In a strange land, it's best to play along. That's exactly what Adrian Noble, artistic director of the Royal Shakespeare Company, did recently, what with his proper English manners and his years of training as an actor. He was attending a reopening celebration of the Geary Theater, the earthquake-damaged home of the American Conservatory Theater. Problem was, he hadn't a clue what, exactly, was going on. "I sang 'The Star-Spangled Banner.'

"The King's Speech"will end its West End reign early. The play, which was slated to run at Wyndham's Theatre through July 21, will wrap May 12. The play has suffered poor ticket sales, and producers claim that the staged version came too close to the 2011 Oscar-winning film of the same name, starring Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush. Producers said in a statement that, "Two years ago, originating producer Michael Alden was ready to put the play on and the film came along and blocked its path.