Much Ado About Nothing

[Recidiva]

Not just a thread title, but a Shakespeare play. My favorite Shakespeare play. I've seen many productions, but my favorite was seeing the RSC perform it on Broadway, Derek Jacobi and Sinead Cusack. They understood and performed every line with beauty and grace.

Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson did a lovely version, but they stunk the thing up by having Keanu Reeves as Don John. Why would you do that?

Joss Whedon's version was fun. However, they moved the story around a bit and cut out a lot. Why...WHY...W H Y would you take out my favorite line of Dogberry's? I'm going to have to do it here.

LEONATO: Neighbours, you are tedious.

DOGBERRY: It pleases your worship to say so, but we are the poor duke's officers; but truly, for mine own part, if I were as tedious as a king, I could find it in my heart to bestow it all of your worship.

LEONATO: All thy tediousness on me, ah?

WHY WOULD YOU CUT THAT OUT?

I don't get it.

Good movie though. Even though the RSC kicked their ass in delivery. "Civil as an orange" should be pronounced Seville as an orange to make the wordplay make sense. ALSO...Nathan Fillion clearly did not know what "go to" meant.

C'mon Americans, study up.

 

[Busybody]

I blame Obama

 

[Recidiva]

I blame Obama

Of course you do!

Go to! Go to!

 

[Busybody]

I'm predictable.......I learned from the best
I

 

[oggbashan]

Not just a thread title, but a Shakespeare play. My favorite Shakespeare play. I've seen many productions, but my favorite was seeing the RSC perform it on Broadway, Derek Jacobi and Sinead Cusack. They understood and performed every line with beauty and grace.

...
C'mon Americans, study up.

The Globe's production was fantastic: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkmSIy8PayY

 

[Recidiva]

I'm predictable.......I learned from the best
I

You learned from William Shakespeare?!

Good for you!

 

[Busybody]

You learned from William Shakespeare?!

Good for you!

Not from Shakey.......even More of an. . XXX spurt

 

[Recidiva]

The Globe's production was fantastic: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkmSIy8PayY

Great clip. As an American it is terribly stultifying to watch people strip all the humor and meaning out of the words and perform it as "serious history" which is entirely missing the point of all the fun to be had.

It's so nice to see actors having fun and utilizing the theater and the audience the right way.

She had to upstage herself a few times there, but that's what happens in a theater of the half-round.

 

[Recidiva]

Not from Shakey.......even More of an. . XXX spurt

What is your favorite Shakespeare play?

You can't say anything about Obama. But you might go for Othello. When you say Othello I'll know you mean Obama.

 

[Recidiva]

Probably my worst Shakespeare experience was Kevin Kline in his production of Hamlet. It was...bad...

The only person who gave him a standing ovation was his wife, which I thought was sweet.

 

[oggbashan]

What is your favorite Shakespeare play?

You can't say anything about Obama. But you might go for Othello. When you say Othello I'll know you mean Obama.

I saw The National Theatre's production of Othello on Thursday evening. The production downplayed Othello's colour, even if the insults were still there. Othello was played as a man who trusted too much. His racial difference was minimised and that, to me, made his tragedy greater.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyoCIwJn9Ic&list=PL2EA3E6D8CD00588D

 

[Recidiva]

I saw The National Theatre's production of Othello on Thursday evening. The production downplayed Othello's colour, even if the insults were still there. Othello was played as a man who trusted too much. His racial difference was minimised and that, to me, made his tragedy greater.

I saw Christopher Plummer as Iago and James Earl Jones as Othello.

They did an amazing job. They didn't downplay a thing. It was visceral and hateful and harsh and all those words that it is difficult to do without overplaying it and turning it into farce.

So it was like having the nerves stripped off your spine alternating in excruciating millimeters at a time or just...gone.

 

[Recidiva]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyoCIwJn9Ic&list=PL2EA3E6D8CD00588D

I love Adrian Lester! He does great work. "Love's Labours Lost" was fun with Kenneth Branagh. If I recall he sang and danced. Matthew Lillard was also fun in that.

 

[geronimo_appleby]

A Midsummer Night's Dream - at the Globe.

Henry V - on DVD, Sir Kenneth Branagh

 

[Recidiva]

A Midsummer Night's Dream - at the Globe.

Henry V - on DVD, Sir Kenneth Branagh

I'd like to see the Globe production. I've seen several productions of Midsummer's and I think my favorite was with Bess Armstrong...though now I don't remember much of the rest of the cast.

The movie version was...I dunno. I'm not a huge fan of it. I do love Stanley Tucci, but...eh. I have yet to see a really good Oberon instead of an arrogant, pretty Oberon.

I love the Henry V version by Kenneth Branagh, what an incredible cast. And look, the little kid next to Falstaff (I mean Hagrid) is gonna be Batman some day!

 

[Recidiva]

Kenneth Branagh had Patrick Doyle for his productions, and in that way was entirely superior.

Joss Whedon did his own music and his own version of "Sigh No More" but I'm sorry, Patrick wins.

I have "Non Nobis" on my cloud player. Beautiful piece of music.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

A Midsummer Night's Dream - at the Globe.

Henry V - on DVD, Sir Kenneth Branagh

^^^^goes to see the boys in tights.

 

[Recidiva]

^^^^goes to see the boys in tights.

Troll!

 

[Recidiva]

^^^^goes to see the boys in tights.

Kick in something Shakespearey or thou art banished. (ba-nih-shed)

 

[Recidiva]

I also got to see Ian McKellan perform "Acting Shakespeare" in Princeton and got to go up on stage with him.

He put his hand on my shoulder!

Permagrin for a week.

 

[4est_4est_Gump]

I do not understand how you think that you are going to get a discussion when a lot of the country thinks that the language of the Constitution is too archaic and stilted to be understood...

It is not even Iambic Pentameter.

 

[4est_4est_Gump]

I also got to see Ian McKellan perform "Acting Shakespeare" in Princeton and got to go up on stage with him.

He put his hand on my shoulder!

Permagrin for a week.

Good lord, what if it had been your ass?












(and by ass, I do not mean U_D )

 

[Recidiva]

I do not understand how you think that you are going to get a discussion when a lot of the country thinks that the language of the Constitution is too archaic and stilted to be understood...

It is not even Iambic Pentameter.

Do you bite your thumb at us, sir?

Look, if Star Trek fans can learn Klingon, Americans can pick up on the language. It's not that hard! And it's worth it.

 

[Recidiva]

Good lord, what if it had been your ass?

(and by ass, I do not mean U_D )

Pretty sure he wouldn't be interested.

I got to be a French shoulder fallen in battle as he extemporized about what to do when you forget your lines.

Now, most actors know to say "I am amazed and know not what to say" when they've forgotten their lines in Shakespeare, so that your fellow actors can get you back on track.

But in this scene he was trying to "remember" the names of French houses fallen on the battlefield and was talking about the noble houses of...Beaujolais.

For anybody who has ever been onstage and forgotten their lines (guilty!) it is funny.

 

[4est_4est_Gump]

Do you bite your thumb at us, sir?

Look, if Star Trek fans can learn Klingon, Americans can pick up on the language. It's not that hard! And it's worth it.

It amazes me that Klingon is now an official language in Illinois.

For what, I forget...

let me see...


Oh, yeah, and this, trust me, is the hilarious part...

..., for filling out your unemployment benefits form.

The two seem to go hand-in-hand!