Much Ado...

[sharplittleteeth]

Shakespeare's hard, isn't it?

Went to see an outdoor performance of Much Ado About Nothing last night at the Collingwood Children's Farm. It was fun, in a strictly amateur dramatics way.

But the big problem with Shakespeare, especially the comedies, is Shakespeare.

There's four hundred years of linguistic change between the audience and the words. And you hear every one of them in the forced laughter at yet another incomprehensible pun. Mightier thespians than the Fenestra Theatre Productions have challenged that vast chasm, and failed.

Still... A night outdoors, with the donkeys and the farmhouses and the peacock poo.

We even came home inspired with the rather romantic notion that we should hold the occasional play reading at our house. The notion was quickly killed when A* discovered I read Shakespeare like a nancy.

Comments

[greylock.livejournal.com]

I concurr that "the big problem with Shakespeare ... is Shakespeare", but I've always found the next problem on the problem totem is the isolation in which Mr Spear is performed.

If forced to endure large chunks of the Bard's work at High School, one grasps a certain rudimentary understanding of the language which, in later life, might come in handy if one is confronted with the Bard, but otherwise languishes in the depths of the brain.

Movies often give enough context you can follow the action. Plays and performances do not.

Plus, I tend to think he's over-rated.

[sharplittlteeth.livejournal.com]

When he's good, he's revelatory. When he's bad, he's tedious.

[morgan303.livejournal.com]

Have you seen the movie version of Much Ado? Branagh and Co. make it altogether an enjoyable experience, and bridge the dialectic gap in such a way as to surprise you with quite how much things *haven't* changed. I hate the way Shakespeare's usually performed - as if it was a foreign language none of the actors really understand, and they're just making the sounds they've learned in the correct order.

But I, for one, quite like the idea of you reading Shakespeare like a nancy.:)
And I'm cheered beyond words by the fact that I have friends who decide they need more play-readings at their house. That rocks.:)

[sharplittlteeth.livejournal.com]

Well, if we ever actually hold a reading, you're invited.

I've seen the Branagh film, and enjoyed it. I'm not a total curmudgeon. But from memory, there's still a few scenes where Ken and Emma ham it to tell the audience this is supposed to be funny!

Maybe I am a curmudgeon. I haven't exactly been all praise and joy in my reviews lately, have I?

[morgan303.livejournal.com]

Ooh, thanks! I'd love to come!

You're right, Much Ado gets a little hammy sometimes, but then Shakespeare wrote it a little hammy. Mind you, I think the sun shines out of Kenneth Branagh (apart from Hamlet) so I might be a little biased.:)

And your glowing remarks on the subject of All Things Buffy have saved you from curmudgeondom. What did you think of the last episode, just out of interest? I seem to remember everyone was being rather reserved in their comment for fear of spoilage at the time.

BTW: have you seen an anime called Witch Hunter Robin yet? I think it might be up your alley. Once we've finished with it here I could lend it to you if you like.

[sharplittlteeth.livejournal.com]

What did you think of the last episode, just out of interest?

From memory, it was a valiant effort on Joss Whedon's behalf to save a season that was lost and directionless. And he did a good job. But one hour couldn't quite repair the damage done by the preceeding 21 episodes.


have you seen an anime called Witch Hunter Robin yet?

Not yet. I'd definately be interested at a look. Just not right now. I still haven't watched the last DVDs Tom lent me, and he's threatening me with Neon Genesis.

[morgan303.livejournal.com]

Good point. I hadn't seen the preceeding episodes - or only snatches of them, because I'd stopped watching at about the time the nerd triumvirate showed up and very much gave the impression that now Buffy had gotten mainstream success, it was spitting on its original audience.
I had the Event Horizon experience with the last episode, though, being that I was stunned and flabberghasted by the enormity of what I thought they were going to do - and then they went and did something really crap instead. I had to forcibly remind myself how good the series *used* to be, afterwards.

he's threatening me with Neon Genesis.
That's a mighty threat. But one definitely worth taking him up on. WHR will wait.:)