Classic Plays

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 Richard II rules England in a wasteful and short-sighted way, spending money unwisely and selecting his counsellors foolishly. His manner ostracises him from his people and his country and it’s not long before both commoners and noblemen feel Richard has gone too far. When Richard seizes land that rightfully belongs to his cousin Henry Bolingbroke, Bolingbroke retaliates by invading England while Richard is at war in Ireland. More popular with the commoners, Henry is eventually crowned King Henry IV.

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.

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.

From the Mercutio to Rosaline, AudioLearn is your complete study guide to Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. With its convenient format, AudioLearn fits your busy lifestyle, enabling you to study anywhere, anytime.

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.

The duke leaves Angelo in charge of Vienna, where he quickly condemns Claudio to death for immoral behaviour. Angelo offers to pardon Claudio if his sister, Isabella, sleeps with him. Isabella agrees but has Angelo's fiancée switch places with her. The duke returns to spare Claudio, punish Angelo and propose to Isabella.

Depicting a once-great ruler's descent into madness, King Lear is one of the most powerful tragedies ever staged. King Lear divides his kingdom among the two daughters who flatter him and banishes the third one who loves him. His eldest daughters both then reject him at their homes, so Lear goes mad and wanders through a storm. His banished daughter returns with an army, but they lose the battle and Lear, all his daughters and more, die.

This adaptation of Charles Dickens's beloved novella, A Christmas Carol, attempts to convey this wonderful story of a covetous old sinner's redemption into a two hour long performance. In its narration, some slight liberties have been taken to make accessible obscure words and references that some modern listeners may find challenging. The retained dialogues and dialects are those of Charles Dickens and remain faithful to his writing.

An unassuming woman wanders around the landscape of hell accompanied by a dammed priest and a '60s styles teenage demon activist. The trio is sometimes helped and sometimes hindered by a god-like being with dysfunctional split personalities. All You Can Eat contains the following episodes:

Greybeards at Play is a short collection of humorous poetry by celebrated British writer and social commentator, Gilbert Keith Chesterton (1874-1936). Published in 1900, it was Chesterton's first publication. These rhymes and sketches spin witty lyrics around themes such as aestheticism, the philosopher's love of nature, and ill-directed altruism, in true Chestertonian style.