Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent - Judi Dench, Brendan O’Hea Audiobook Free

Written by Judi Dench, Brendan O’Hea
Read by Barbara Flynn, Brendan O’Hea, Judi Dench
Format: MP3
Bitrate: 64 Kbps
Unabridged

Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Release date: April 23, 2024
Duration: 12:05:09

Taking a curtain call with a live snake in her wig…
Cavorting naked through the Warwickshire countryside painted green…
Acting opposite a child with a pumpkin on his head…

These are just a few of the things Dame Judi Dench has done in the name of Shakespeare.
For the very first time, Judi opens up about every Shakespearean role she has played throughout her seven-decade career, from Lady Macbeth and Titania to Ophelia and Cleopatra. In a series of intimate conversations with actor & director Brendan O’Hea, she guides us through Shakespeare’s plays with incisive clarity, revealing the secrets of her rehearsal process and inviting us to share in her triumphs, disasters, and backstage shenanigans.

Interspersed with vignettes on audiences, critics, company spirit and rehearsal room etiquette, she serves up priceless revelations on everything from the craft of speaking in verse to her personal interpretations of some of Shakespeare’s most famous scenes, all brightened by her mischievous sense of humour, striking level of honesty and a peppering of hilarious anecdotes, many of which have remained under lock and key until now.
Instructive and witty, provocative and inspiring, this is ultimately Judi’s love letter to Shakespeare, or rather, The Man Who Pays The Rent.

“In Q&A format, actor Brendan O’Hea asks intriguing questions of world-famous actor/director Judi Dench. The result is absolutely delicious. O’Hea recorded four years of interviews with Dench, but due to her failing eyesight, the audiobook is co-narrated by Barbara Flynn. In a remarkable performance, Flynn laughs, jokes, and calls O’Hea to task when he’s wrong–all sounding very much like the famous Dench. With sprinkled salty language, Dench opens up about her seven-decade career, her photographic memory, and her Shakespearean roles. Each chapter thoroughly explores a play and Dench’s role in it. Her wit and impish nature will have listeners in stitches. The final segment has Dench (in her own voice) and O’Hea engaged in friendly, very funny, and squabbling. Informative, educational and altogether brilliant listening!”—Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award