Richly entertaining . . . His love of language is contagious . . . the storytelling segues into scholarship with extraordinary skill from the off as he ricochets the modern world with a 400-year-old text * * The Times * *
Taking in sandblown refugee camps, the hallucinatory effects of performing with chronic food poisoning in Mexico City and the politically-charged atmosphere of an auditorium in Ukraine on an election's eve, it is an entertaining, moving and informative read * * Evening Standard * *
Dromgoole's witty account offers insight about the play and its enduring appeal * * New York Times, 100 Notable Books of 2017 * *
Full of life lessons . . . Erudite and fascinating . . . There's a real sense of the camaraderie and sheer fun of assembling a company and, quite literally, putting the show on wherever they can . . . The universal themes explored in the play take on a new and thrilling resonance, as the actors learn as much from their audiences as vice versa . . . Truly compelling * * Observer * *
A delightfully idiosyncratic account of the Globe's vagabond mission to perform
Hamlet in every country in the world . . . the joy of the book is Dromgoole's gusto . . . the way he meanders from personal anecdote to wider textual or cultural significance makes his book feel like a shaggy-dog documentary that you just don't want to end **** * * Daily Telegraph * *
Compulsively readable * * New York Times * *
Delivers sharp insights into a play Dromgoole has spent a lifetime turning over in his mind * * Guardian * *
This deeply humane, consistently enthralling account of a theatrical odyssey encompasses travelogue and literary criticism, theatre history and introspective narrative, political commentary and philosophical reflection with beguiling readability -- Sir Stanley Wells
Dominic Dromgoole's recounting of the Globe Theatre's exhausting global tour of Hamlet is exhilarating. The playing company's intrepid journey around the world - performing Hamlet's own troubled journey - succeeds in making the familiar unfamiliar and enables in turn a deeply illuminating journey into the play itself.
-- James Shapiro, author of 1599 and 1606
An epic journey which explores how a 400-year-old play can help to make sense of the modern world * * Sunday Post * *
Fascinating * * Spectator * *
Dromgoole and his company belong in the ancient tradition of strolling players - quick-witted and wise, generous, hard-drinking and open. His book is written in that spirit. It is bold and excited, hopeful, dashing . . . By the time we reach the final show back on London's Southbank, it is a wrench to part his company * * Financial Times * *
Irresistible . . . a comic epic -- Gary Taylor * * Washington Post * *
The tireless Dromgoole goes on a journey that would kill most of us, and connects our greatest poet to every corner of the human experience. Utterly extraordinary -- Emma Thompson
This is an amazing story about a bold and eye-popping journey. I loved it. Dominic Dromgoole writes about Shakespeare and touring the globe the way he ran The Globe - with passion, insight, relish and irresistible humour
-- Sir Nicholas Hytner, The Artistic Director of London's National Theatre
Compelling . . . proving, as Dromgoole had hoped, that this powerful tragedy not only has the ability to transcend time but to cross borders as well * * National Geographic * *
In Dromgoole's breakneck journey from a retractable-roof theater in Poland to a crammed cream-and-gold palace in Peru to a sweltering, bat-infested auditorium in Cambodia, the narrative covers an astonishing swath of world-girdling geography . . . No chronicle ever gave more compelling meaning to Shakespeare's conviction that 'all the world's a stage' * * Booklist * *
[A] thoroughly enjoyable and charming story . . . Besides detailing the two-year tour itself, it's a story of the play, its themes and language, famous past players, and how it has been performed and received over the years . . . Sly, witty, and delightful - a glorious Shakespearean romp * * Kirkus Reviews (starred review) * *
Dromgoole is wise and witty; thoughtful, self-assured, even cocky . . . But he is never dull. His mission was to bring
Hamlet to the world to show that
Hamlet is the world, and he succeeded admirably. A wide readership, not just Shakespeare buffs and scholars, can enjoy this book * * Publishers Weekly * *
Praise for WILL AND ME:
'An absolute delight . . . utterly original and relishable'
* * Sunday Times * *
Friendly, inclusive, I warmed to it immediately . . . A terrific book * * Evening Standard * *
Superb . . . thrillingly entertaining . . . throbs with vigour, honesty and passion * * Daily Telegraph * *
Dromgoole is to the bard what Nick Hornby is to football * * Sunday Telegraph * *
A record of a lifelong obsession - articulate, intelligent and passionately set down . . . Dromgoole's enthusiasm has a sincerity and warmth that are infectious * * Observer * *
Irresistibly seductive * * Independent on Sunday * *
