What is it? Shakespeare Uncovered, Season 2, six hour-long episodes on two discs from PBS
How much? $34.99
When? Now
What is it about the Bard that's uncovered? Mostly, the inspirations and motivations behind his works.
This is the second season for the series that features well-known actors exploring the backgrounds and meanings behind some of Shakespeare's most famous plays.
Each one has played a role in the particular play and they share their approaches to their roles, their thoughts and feelings about the material. There are also interviews with historians, scholars, directors and other actors about their interpretations and experiences with the work in question.
Episodes also include clips from films, filmed stage productions and rehearsals.
This time around, we get The Taming of the Shrew with Morgan Freeman, A Midsummer Night's Dream with Hugh Bonneville, King Lear with Christopher Plummer, Othello with David Harewood, Antony and Cleopatra with Kim Cattrall and Romeo and Juliet with Joseph Fiennes.
Sounds like a college Shakespeare class. It is. In the best way possible.
For people whose familiarity with Shakespeare is limited to reading Macbeth in high school and then taking a tortuously difficult exam, Shakespeare may seem intimidating. Dull. Traumatic.
What this program does is open it up and, through clips of skilled performances and the enthusiastic contributions of the hosts and interview subjects, make these 400-year-old plays feel vibrant and exciting.
It also helps with full understanding, particularly with plays like Shrew, which, at first glance, can be difficult to stomach for modern audiences. The experts put a different spin on the seemingly misogynistic story. Or with Dream, where host Bonneville shares a story that adds new meaning to a seemingly simple line and also explains the careful construction and balancing act at work in what may seem ridiculous and too fantastic.
Putting the plays in the proper historical context certainly helps, too, as do visits to key locations in England.
Naturally, a one-hour program can't go as deep as a regular lecture and discussion course, but it's an informative, entertaining overview that does manage to give some keen insights into the plays and its author.
One might even walk away with a greater appreciation and a desire to seek out some filmed Shakespeare productions. Or start speaking in verse.
Extras? None.
New this week: The Donna Reed Show, Season 2; Mr. Bean, 25th Anniversary Collection; Mystery Science Theater 3000, XXXII.
Next week: Lovejoy , Season 5; Miss Marple, Volume 2; Silicon Valley, Season 1; Veep, Season 3.
Style on 03/22/2015