Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent by Judi Dench

BOOK REVIEW

For our non-fiction in book club this month we tackled Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent, by Dame Judi Dench; unconventional not really fitting into any genre, not really a memoir or biography or if it is then it is the Bard’s.

This book offers readers a vivid, personal, and delightfully candid account of Dench’s lifelong engagement with Shakespeare’s works.

It is compiled through a series of conversations with actor and director Brendan O’Hea – it is part theatre history, and part love letter to the Bard.

It is not an academic study nor a conventional autobiography, but rather a conversation in print, filled with warmth, humour, and the unfiltered reflections of one of Britain’s greatest actors and the greatest playwright who ever lived.

The title itself captures Dench’s playful attitude: Shakespeare has been the backbone of her career, the foundation that ensured she could keep working steadily on stage and screen.

Yet, what elevates this book beyond theatrical reminiscence is the intimacy of Dench’s voice as she speaks as though the reader is in the rehearsal room with her, listening to her muse on forgotten lines, mischievous castmates, costume disasters, and the challenge of bringing Shakespeare’s words to life night after night.

One of the book’s greatest strengths lies in Dench’s ability to demystify Shakespeare.

For many, his plays can feel intimidating or overly academic.

Dench strips away the scholarly varnish, speaking instead of rhythm, breath and emotional truth.

She describes the music of the verse, the physical demands of the language and how she found her own path into roles such as Lady Macbeth, Titania, Cleopatra, and Viola.

Her anecdotes are funny, poignant and mischievous and again make Shakespeare accessible, showing how the plays live through performance rather than staying trapped on the page.

The conversational format also gives the book a refreshing spontaneity, with clever questions sparking digressions into her long career at the Royal Shakespeare Company, her collaborations with legendary directors like Peter Hall and Trevor Nunn, and her experiences working alongside some of the greatest actors of the twentieth century.

The result is not a polished narrative but a lively collage of memories that often reveal as much about Judi Dench the person as they do about Shakespeare.

There is also an undercurrent of vulnerability that makes the book deeply moving.

Dench admits to her own insecurities, her struggles with memory, and her fears of not being good enough.

These confessions are striking coming from such a celebrated figure and give the book an authenticity that fans will cherish.

Her reflections on ageing and sight loss, and on how these affect her ability to perform, are particularly poignant, underscoring her resilience and passion for theatre.

For lovers of Shakespeare, theatre enthusiasts, or anyone captivated by Judi Dench’s extraordinary career, this book is a treasure: witty, illuminating, and profoundly human.

Julie Chessman