Shakespeare Electronic Conference, Vol. 1, No. 5. Sunday, 29 Jul 1990. Date: 28 July 1990, 07:21:25 EDT From: FLANNAGA at OUACCVMB Following Willard and Ken, I think modernizing Shakespeare should depend on what works. I first saw *Lear* in a Canadian production in Eskimo dress, and it worked very well--furs on Lear emphasizing his massiveness and slit tunics on Goneril and Regan emphazising their evil sexuality. I had the pleasure of interviewing Jonathan Miller this last spring, and he still has no problems with *Merchant of Venice* in 19th c. dress or with Bob Hoskins as a cockney Iago (Miller quoted Hoskins as saying "Well, oim a villain, ain't I?"). Miller did feel that there were extremes of bad taste represented in some productions. One fictionalized production in a forgettable movie cast Richard III as an offensively gay king, but I can imagine a well-done version of the same general idea, with Richard's relationship with Buckingham being emphasized, as well as his disgust with Anne. Roy Flannagan
