Classic Plays

Arguably the greatest love story ever told, Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet continues to touch modern audiences with its passionate depiction of the tragic romance between two young lovers. With a bitter feud between their respective families, Romeo and Juliet’s love is troubled from the start, and through their relationship, Shakespeare shows the fine line between love, hatred, comedy and tragedy.

Richard III completes the cycle of plays covering the Wars of the Roses. It’s the story of Richard, duke of Gloucester’s villainous plan to take the throne. It is a tale of jealousy, manipulation and deceit based on Sir Thomas More's unfinished - and largely untrue - History of King Richard III....

King Henry VIII listens to Cardinal Wolsey too much and gives him power, which the cardinal uses to convict a duke of treason. Henry meets Anne Boleyn, divorces his wife, Katharine, and marries Anne. Anne gives birth to Princess Elizabeth, who the archbishop prophesies will become great.

After York's claims to the throne, Henry changes the succession and makes York his heir, disinheriting his own son. Henry's queen kills York, and York's son Edward seizes the throne. Henry is imprisoned several times and eventually killed by King Edward's brother, Richard.

Against the wishes of the nobles, King Henry marries the penniless Margaret, who plots against him with her lover. As tensions between York and Lancaster build, the duke of York gathers supporters for his claim to the throne. York secretly leads a rebellion, his supporters proclaim him king and Henry is forced to flee.

After Henry V's death and while Henry VI is young, nobles rule England and fight the French, including Joan of Arc. As Henry VI becomes king, the noble houses begin to divide and take sides between York and Lancaster. The war with France winds down, and the nobles try to find Henry a wife and disagree about who Henry chooses.

Roman General Coriolanus makes his name defeating an enemy army and defending Rome. The Senate nominates him as consul, but he cannot win the people's vote, so he is banished from Rome and allies with his old enemy. He comes to attack Rome, his mother persuades him not to and his new-found ally kills him for the betrayal.

Forced into exile in the Forest of Arden, lovers Rosalind and Orlando become entangled in a beguiling game of love, lust and mistaken identity. Rosalind and her cousin escape into the forest and find Orlando, Rosalind's love. Disguised as a boy shepherd, Rosalind has Orlando woo her under the guise of 'curing' him of his love for Rosalind. Rosalind reveals she is a girl and marries Orlando during a group wedding at the end of the play.

Mark Antony, one of three rulers of Rome, is in love with Cleopatra, queen of Egypt. Antony is summoned back to Rome, where he clashes with another ruler, Octavius, before returning to Cleopatra in Egypt. Now in battle with Octavius, Antony and Cleopatra suffer losses and miscommunication and both eventually commit suicide.

A Dama do Cachorrinho é uma obra de Anton Tchekhov que narra a história de um breve, mas intenso, caso de amor entre Dmitri Gurov, um homem casado e insatisfeito com sua vida, e Anna Sergeyevna, uma jovem mulher que ele conhece durante suas férias em Yalta. Anna é conhecida como "a dama do cachorrinho" porque sempre é vista acompanhada de seu pequeno cachorro. A princípio, o relacionamento é visto por Gurov como uma aventura passageira, mas, à medida que eles se conhecem mais profundamente, ele percebe que seus sentimentos por Anna são mais profundos do que esperava.

"A Queda da Casa de Usher" de Edgar Allan Poe narra a visita de um homem à sombria mansão de seu amigo de infância, Roderick Usher. Envolto em mistério e melancolia, o protagonista testemunha os efeitos devastadores de uma maldição familiar, culminando na trágica destruição da casa e dos últimos Usher.

Sir Michael Morpurgo retells two of Shakespeare’s best-loved plays, The Winter’s Tale and The Tempest, in this stunning audio collection in association with the RSC, featuring readings by members of the Royal Shakespeare Company and Michael himself. Translating these iconic plays into thrilling prose, the nation’s favourite storyteller preserves all the imaginative genius and spark of the originals, while bringing a contemporary and vibrant voice to their retelling.

Zhizn' puritanskoj sem'i amerikanskih kolonistov menjaetsja pod natiskom vojny za nezavisimost'. Nekotorye chleny sem'i eshhe pytajutsja zhit' po obychnym normam svoego sushhestvovanija, no politika uzhe vmeshalas' i vtjanula glavnogo geroja v paradoksal'nuju situaciju. No final jetoj istorii budet samym neozhidannym.

P'esa rasskazyvaet o zhizni Vassy Zheleznovoj, bogatoj sudovladelicy. Razmerennoe techenie zhizni Vassy narushaet neozhidannyj priezd iz-za granicy nevestki Rashel'. Syn Vassy, Fjodor, tjazhelo bolen i umiraet za granicej. Rashel' priehala zabrat' syna Nikolaja, kotoryj zhivjot s Vassoj. Vnuk Kolja - nadezhda Vassy, ejo osnovnoj naslednik, imenno emu ona sobiraetsja peredat' kompaniju.

Eto poslednee avtobiograficheskoe proizvedenie pisatelja. Proza Osipa Mandel'shtama otnositsja k vershinam russkoj izjashhnoj slovesnosti. Malen'kij chelovek v vodovorote revoljucii. Intelligent - malen'kij, robkij, bednyj pytaetsja ostanovit' letom 1917 goda samosud ozverevshej revoljucionnoj tolpy nad karmannikom. Strashno, no nikuda ne det'sja - sovest'... Etot shedevr jarkoj intellektual'noj prozy razvivaet klassicheskuju temu pushkinskogo i gogolevskogo Peterburga.

«Mertvaja hvatka» postroena na ostrom konflikte mezhdu predstaviteljami anglijskoj aristokratii i krupnoj burzhuazii. Golsuorsi othodit ot prisushhego emu jepicheskogo stilja, satiricheski razoblachaet grjaznoe deljachestvo i korystoljubie.

William Shakespeare, long hailed as the history's greatest dramatic writer, has been lauded for his mastery of poetic expression, his insight into the human condition and his deep exploration into the psyche and motivations of his characters. These skills are perhaps best encapsulated in the monologues he gives his various protagonists, villains, and bit players.

"Decoding Julius Caesar" takes the listener into the Shakespearean play with the intention of revealing all its key aspects. Understand the intricate historical backdrop of the Roman Republic's final days, dominated by key figures like Julius Caesar, Brutus, Cassius, Mark Antony, and Octavius Caesar. Follow their character development, revealing personal dilemmas, political machinations, and pivotal transformations.

Count Claudio falls in love with Hero, the daughter of his host. Hero's cousin Beatrice (a confirmed spinster) and Benedict (an eternal bachelor) are each duped into believing the other is in love with them. Claudio is deceived by a malicious plot and denounces Hero as unchaste before they marry. She faints and is believed dead but recovers to be proved innocent by a chance discovery. Benedict wins Beatrice’s love defending her cousin’s honour, and to his surprise, Claudio is reunited with Hero, who he believed dead.

Shakespeare's King John is a rarely performed history which tells the story of John's turbulent reign from 1199 to 1216. King John goes to war against the French after claims that his nephew should be king instead. John has conflict with the church, orders his nephew's death and turns the nobles against himself. In the end, John dies from poison, the French retreat and his son becomes king.