The Guardian's Shakespeare Solos series continues apace with
its second suite of videos now released on their website and this time they're much more of a mixed bag. There's strong work from a duffle coat-clad David Threlfall as
The Tempest's Prospero , mightily bearded and bedraggled but achingly eloquent too with all the heaving sorrow of revels ending. And Samuel West is an excellent Henry V, pacing the South Bank with the Houses of Parliament in full view as he experiences a restless night before launching into war.
An unexpected delight is Sacha Dhawan taking on the role of a would-be pickup artist in a King's Cross cocktail bar to deliver Parolles' speech about virginity from
All's Well That Ends Well. Dhawan is a highly charismatic performer but inhabits this role perfectly, not bad for a Shakespearean screen debut. And there's striking work from Camille O'Sullivan as
King John's grief-stricken Constance, director Dan Susman capturing much of the intensity that made her
Rape of Lucrece so memorable.