I think the first season is especially accessible because Hamlet is pretty well-known, even if you've never seen it or read the play.
'Selfless'
Buffista Movies 6: lies and videotape
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And Aims, I hope you're not feeling piled on. We just want to share the love.
A couple of years ago the Milwaukee Symphony, Ballet, and one of the theatre companies teamed up and did Midsummer Night's Dream. John DeLancie directed, and t memfault Red Foreman was Bottom. It was crazy cool.
And Aims, I hope you're not feeling piled on. We just want to share the love.
Oh gosh no!! I know you guys only want what's best for me!!
Red Foreman was Bottom.
Kurtwood Smith. I'm trying to picture that, and not succeeding. I've seen him play any number of character types, but I don't think I've ever seen him do goofy before. Then again, I never would have pictured James Cagney in that role until I saw him in that movie version.
Boston does Shakespeare on the Common every year. Last year, they did The Taming of the Shrew, and although they had to cut it a lot to make it a comfortable length, they also played up the physical comedy and wordplay and it was delightful (while still being unbelieveably irritating in its final treatment of Katharine).
Turns out this year's is going on now! (Ending this weekend, in fact.) It's A Midsummer Night's Dream, which I've seen done several times, and is definitely one that makes no sense unless you see it live/on film, because the comedy depends largely on confusion and stupidity. Which just isn't nearly as funny on the page.
Red Foreman was Bottom.
I would SOOO LOVE to see Kurtwood hamming it up as Bottom playing Pyramus. I think he'd be out-of-breath HI-larious.
Which just isn't nearly as funny on the page.
Yes this. Shakespeare's text contains no stage directions or out of character descriptions (things like that are coded in the dialog).
Reading the final scenes of Midsummer would be frustrating and unfunny, which is exactly the opposite of what they are.
I adore Shakespeare but can't stand Dream. Or most of the comedies, actually. My tolerance for mistaken-identity-woods-running-about is pretty low.
And this conversation reminds me that I need to reread Lear before I can watch S&A S3.
I found I had no problem reading Shakespeare once I read it aloud. After you read it aloud a couple of times, you get used to how it actually sounds, and you can play it in your head that way.