Springboard Shakespeare: King Lear [Paperback]

King Learis a towering drama of personal and national tragedy. This accessible introduction offers a springboard into the play, taking a hands-on, performance-based approach, exploring the challenges and the rewards it presents to actors, audiences and students.

Springboard Shakespeare: King Learhas a three-part structure: whether you're watching or reading, Ben Crystal takes you through exactly what you need to know Before, During and After the play. He combines a genuine passion and understanding of Shakespeare with his experience as an actor, giving the reader a clear route to thinking about, understanding and enjoyingKing Lear.

Ben Crystal is an actor and author. His books include The Shakespeare Miscellany, Shakespeare's Words and Shakespeare on Toast.

Having Crystal as a companion through the stickier parts of Hamlet and Macbeth is like going to the theatre with an intelligent friend. The Independent

How different it might have been if we'd had Ben Crystal's sparky little books to introduce us. My Shakespearean epiphany would have come much sooner...[the books] lead newcomers into the play in question in a gentle, upbeat, unpretentious way. Fresh and slim, they're about as far as could be from dusty, dry study guides relating to school exams...much better than the average theatre programme...I'd like to see them on sale in theatre bookshops, and/or wherever there's a production of one of these plays...I'd also recommend them for classroom use. Susan Elkin,The Independent on Sunday

A highly worthwhile series, which should prove to be valuable for directors, actors and students&This formula really works. As an experiment, your dedicated reviewer tried out Macbeth in preparation for and following on from the Eve Best production of the GloblCk