John Barrymore's Richard III and Hamlet, first seen in New York during the 1919-20 and 1922-3 seasons, stand as high-water marks of 20th-century Shakespearean interpretation. In this 1997 book, Morrison reconstructs these historic performances through analysis of production preparation, audience response, reviews, and memoirs.
Tracing the Victorian and Edwardian antecedents of Shakespearean performance, this 1997 book situates Barrymore's distinctive contribution in light of past and ensuing tradition.