This Scepter'd Aisle

Britain's Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) has lately been having a hard time living up to its reputation as the world's foremost interpreter of the Bard. It has seen competitors, particularly the Royal National Theatre, pick up prizes and plaudits for Shakespearean triumphs. But Shakespeare is the RSC's middle name and, keen to show that it's still the best, the company has mounted the Everest of Shakespearean projects: the entire history cycle from Richard II to Richard III. The eight plays tell the story of English politics and dynastic intrigue during a period when kingdoms could be won and lost in a...