Shakespeare on the line

The RSC’s Complete Works Festival

‘Completism’ has become a bit of a mania in the arts world, but there’s no question that Michael Boyd has left a distinguished mark on the RSC with his Complete Works Festival. It began a year ago with Romeo and Juliet and concludes with Ian McKellen in the title role of Trevor Nunn’s staging of King Lear. The bloggers are raving, but plaudits from professional scribblers will have to wait until the end of May. As the world knows, Goneril fell off her bike and the RSC won’t expose Lear to the press until she’s back on it again. Jolly tough on the valiant understudy, but who needs ‘notices’ when the show’s already a sell-out? The curtain on the Festival will officially be rung down on Sunday, 29 April. There’s to be a grand Open Day in Stratford-upon-Avon celebrating Shakespeare’s 443rd birthday and bidding farewell to 75 years of performances in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre.