plays

Book Review: The Man Born to be King

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The Man Born to Be King by Dorothy L. Sayers

The Man Born to Be King: A Play-Cycle on the Life of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ
by Dorothy L. Sayers

5 out of 5 stars

This collection of radio plays follows the birth, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It tells the history of Christ from the perspective of the ordinary people around Him. The Three Wise Kings visit Bethlehem, John the Baptist preaches in the wilderness, and the twelve disciples are called to follow Jesus. Christ begins his ministry, performing miracles and healing people. Gradually Judas Iscariot is tempted into betraying Jesus. Caiaphas and Pilate and King Herod all try to manipulate the political situation at Jesus’ trial, ending with His crucifixion. The women find His tomb empty on the third day and Jesus visits his disciples after His resurrection.

These plays really capture the completely extraordinary experience of meeting God Himself in human form and shows how ordinary people were drawn to Christ. It’s really interesting to imagine more details around the actual history in the Bible. Some of the dialogue is straight from Scripture, and some of it is imagined or paraphrased.

Continue reading →

Book Review: Henry VIII

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Henry VIII
Henry VIII by William Shakespeare

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I enjoyed this play so much! It had a tight plot and delightfully interesting characters. I was especially intrigued with the changes that some characters went through, or the way some of them reacted under extreme circumstances.
This is the story of how Henry VIII got rid of his wife, Katherine, and fell in love with Anne Boleyn, married her instead, and had a daughter, Elizabeth. Of course, there’s a ton of political intrigue going on, and people being accused as traitors right and left. The Duke of Buckingham goes on trial as a traitor in the first scene, even though he’s innocent. Along with a bunch of corrupt Bishops and Cardinals, Cromwell is lurking in the background.
There are some really tense and emotional scenes with really powerful dialogue! Continue reading →

Book Review: Richard III

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Richard III
Richard III by William Shakespeare

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I enjoyed this last play in the War of the Roses series. There’s tons of action and plotting and intrigue. It certainly does not get boring! It’s not my favorite, since I was unable to really connect with any of the characters, but the plot moves along very quickly.

Most of this play is just people getting murdered. Wow. So many murders! So many. Continue reading →