Nov 15, 2023
A much-loved actor pays tribute to the Bard in this companionable but compelling memoir
Of the numerous showbiz myths that have attached themselves toย Judi Dench, the most improbable is surely the account of when, as a young actor, she played the title role in Franco Zeffirelliโs production of Romeo and Juliet at the Old Vic. Legend has it when her parents came to see the play, her line โWhere is my father and mother, nurse?โ prompted her proud father to call out โHere we are darling, in Row H.โ One of the many delights of this new book chronicling Denchโs lifelong love affair with Shakespeare is to learn that it actually occurred. โNo one ever believes me when I tell that story, but I swear to God itโs true,โ she says.
