Voltaire's verdict on Shakespeare's plays as "un fumier énorme" (an enormous dungheap) has been laughingly disproved by the enduring popularity of the Bard, whose insights into the human condition – indecisive, uncertain, flawed – are as pertinent today as they were in the 16th century. In her book Shakespeare for Every day of the Year, Allie Esiri imparts fascinating facts about the period and draws links with today's world crises. How could we talk about Brexit without his phrase "neither rhyme nor reason"? Anti-semitism and racism in general are as controversial today as they were in The Merchant of Venice, and in this topsy-turvy year, Titania's tirade in A Midsummer's Night's Dream is as relevant to the climate emergency as it was to the altering of the seasons in the forest caused by Oberon's outburst.
Diana Quick and Paapa Essiedu read excerpts from familiar and less familiar plays and sonnets with such powerful expression that applause from the audience grew louder and more frequent, but Allie Esiri, who eloquently introduced each reading, brought the memorable event to a close exactly on time, leaving everyone wanting more.