Simon Williams

In an isolated house on the cliffs of north Cornwall the sibling rivalry between identical twins Max and Ashley Hennessy is coming to a murderous climax. They both know one of them must die, but, trapped in his wheelchair, Ashley knows the odds are now against him and he is in mortal danger - but does DI Fergus believe him? And can he trust Nurse Malahide, who has been employed to protect him? Poor Lalla, the twins' aunt, is torn between the two boys: which of them is the victim and which is the psychopath? Perhaps they have done it once again - pulled off the final 'switch'.

As anyone familiar with Simon Williams' previous play "Nobody's Perfect" will know, the popular romantic novelist, Myrtle Banbury is none other than divorced, male, statistician Lenny. In this sequel, Letitia Butters, presenter of the hit TV show "Mind Your Own Business", wants to interview Myrtle Banbury in her own home and Lenny has a problem - how can he conduct the interview without having to appear to the great British public in drag? Aided and occasionally hindered by his father, Gus (who develops more than a soft spot for Letitia) and daughter Dee Dee (who is about to become a single parent herself), Lenny and Myrtle complete the interview thanks to some improvised technology and more than a dash of luck! An additional complication arrives in the form of Fran, Lenny's ex-wife, but circumstances - and Myrtle's sense and sensitivity - lead Lenny's and Fran's story towards a romantic and surprising conclusion.

This is an illustrated history of the performance and reception of Shakespeare’s plays on the German stage from the English Comedians in the late sixteenth century to the First World War. Simon Williams argues that the vision of Shakespeare first articulated by critics of Sturm und Drang and romanticism was only realised in practice with the productions of Max Reinhardt in the early twentieth century. The book focuses on the classical period of German literature and theatre, when Shakespeare’s plays were first staged in Germany in a relatively complete form, and when they had a potent influence on the writings of German drama and dramatic criticism. Important contributions to the critical reception of Shakespeare in the late eighteenth century are discussed. Professor Williams describes the steady increase in productions of Shakespeare’s plays during the nineteenth century, paying attention to textual adaptation, actors’ interpretations of leading roles and, in the latter part of the book, to the influence of the rise of the director on Shakespearean performance. A subsequent volume by Wilhelm Hortmann discusses Shakespeare production in Germany from the early twentieth century to the present day.

Few major artists have aroused the ire and adulation of successive generations as persistently as Richard Wagner. He was the centre of controversy during his lifetime and yet, when he died, he was the most idolized man in Germany. The situation has not changed much since then. Simon Williams explores the reasons for this adulation and antipathy by examining an aspect that may be a fundamental cause for this radical division in the reception of Wagner’s work, the phenomenon of heroism. Williams analyses this heroism as a function of Wagner’s theatre and music, beginning with a definition and examination of the concept of the heroic. The book also discusses all thirteen stage works by Wagner and the phenomenon of heroism and Wagner’s adaptation of the figure of the Romantic hero. Williams offers a theatrical, musical, and cultural reevaluation of one of the most enduring figures in the arts.

Actress Zoe Lang attends a most unusual improvisational workshop and finds herself auditioning to be the bait for a real-life serial killer known as "The Surgeon". As Zoe and the police home in on their target, they soon discover that the target has never been that far away from them...

On her 70th birthday ex-actress Margot Buchanan is visited by Sadie Croft, an actress having an affair with her ex-husband Leo, who wants advice on playing Juliet. Leo arrives on the scene and promptly dies of a heart attack. His ghost then appears, anxious to sort matters out between his women.

Love Is All Round is a feminist publishing house where Harriet Copeland is running a competition to find new romantic fiction; their motto is 'For Women By Women'. To avoid this gender bias, Leonard Loftus is forced to submit his novel under a female pseudonym. So when Lulabelle Latiffa wins the first prize, Leonard begins to have a major problem. He is a bashful statistician lumbered with a spectacular alter ago.-2 women, 2 men

In contrast to most books on Richard Wagner, this biography focuses primarily on Wagner as an important figure in the development of the theatre. While his contribution to music history has been exhaustively documented and analyzed, his theatrical ventures, in particular the founding of the Bayreuth Festival, have not been the object of much research by English-speaking theatre historians. Nevertheless, the Festival was a crucial event in the development of the European theatre: while Bayreuth established the paradigm for all modern theatre and music festivals, the Festival Theatre itself has provided the most widely imitated architectural configuration in twentieth-century theatre building.

In contrast to most books on Richard Wagner, this biography focuses primarily on Wagner as an important figure in the development of the theatre. While his contribution to music history has been exhaustively documented and analyzed, his theatrical ventures, in particular the founding of the Bayreuth Festival, have not been the object of much research by English-speaking theatre historians. Nevertheless, the Festival was a crucial event in the development of the European theatre: while Bayreuth established the paradigm for all modern theatre and music festivals, the Festival Theatre itself has provided the most widely imitated architectural configuration in twentieth-century theatre building.