SHAKESPEARE: THE MAN WHO PAYS THE RENT

by Judi Dench
and Brendan O’Hea

Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays The Rent was a perfect recommendation that I received from a long-time subscriber to L&L! Listening to the audiobook not only got me through packing up our house to move, it also made my heart extremely happy. Even if you are not a big audiobook fan, I highly recommend making an exception for The Man Who Pays The Rent, because it is essentially a conversation between two charming and brilliant theatre practitioners.

Judi Dench needs no introduction as she is one of the most celebrated actors of her generation, not only in film and TV, but in her lengthy career playing almost every Shakespeare role available to her. Brendan O’Hea is likewise an experienced Shakespearean actor, but is also a director and associate artist at the Globe Theatre in London. It was O’Hea’s idea to sit down with his old friend Dench and record an interview in which they discuss all of Shakespeare’s plays through the lens of the parts she has played. Originally, this was just going to be offered to the Globe archive for posterity, but in the end they recorded 120 hours of material and decided to turn it into a book.

The Man Who Pays The Rent is still in interview format and is a delightful back and forth conversation between Dench and O'Hea with many digressions and hilarious anecdotes about Dench’s backstage shenanigans. But they also offer some serious, in-depth analysis of Shakespeare’s plays and the characters Dench has played. They do a fantastic job of relating the plot of each play, so that even if you aren’t a Shakespeare buff, or are a bit hazy on the ins and outs of The Merry Wives of Windsor, you can follow along easily and really learn a lot while smiling the entire time. This is certainly my favorite audiobook I have ever listened to and an early contender for my favorite book of the year! (Lily)