April marks the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare’s death – a milestone no self-respecting literature festival could pass without a suitable amount of fanfare
Among the commemorative events hosted in Dubai is a grandstand one-man play celebrating "the best of the worst" – a mixtape of The Bard's baddies performed by Steven Berkoff. The actor is renowned for playing movie villains, including General Orlov in the James Bond film Octopussy; Col Podovsky in Rambo: First Blood Part II; and Victor Maitland in Beverly Hills Cop. But he's also a renowned thespian with more than five decades of stage experience – so expect a mean Iago.
• Shakespeare’s Villains is on March 12 at 6.30pm at The Cultural & Scientific Association, Al Mamzar; Dh200
The Bard's resonance with the Arab world will be examined at a panel discussion featuring Sulayman Al Bassam, who adapted Richard III and Hamlet in Arabic; Abdulla Al Dabbagh, author of Shakespeare, the Orient, and the Critics; and historian John Julius Norwich, who examined the historical plays in his book Shakespeare's Kings.
• Shakespeare in the Original Arabic! takes place on March 9 at The InterContinental Dubai Festival City 8pm; Dh70
English actor, author and Shakespeare revivalist Ben Crystal will appear at a series of three sessions dedicated to The Bard. Inspired by his eponymous book, solo show Shakespeare on Toast is an inclusive talk that aims to challenge preconceptions that Shakespeare's plays can only be enjoyed by the elite. The following day, Crystal will appear alongside his father, David Crystal – the family team behind the Oxford Illustrated Shakespeare Dictionary – for an interactive session using pictures to illuminate Shakespeare's rich language.
• Shakespeare on Toast takes place on March 10 at The InterContinental Dubai Festival City, 4pm; Dh70. Shakespeare Illustrated: The Language of the Bard Unlocked, is on March 11 at The InterContinental Dubai Festival City at 9.30pm; Dh70. On March 12 at 3.30pm, Ben Crystal will join Geek Girl author Holly Smale and children's writer Marcia Williams for a talk reflecting on the influence of Shakespeare on their work and life, entitled Breaking Bard
rgarratt@thenational.ae
