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neadodsThe B&B may be a long walk from city center but right now I'm not only eating a light lunch of cereal, yogurt, OJ, and chocolate poundcake supplied for free, my clothes are in the wash. @ 26 may not have the mega gourmet breakfasts Aspidistra used to give, but the amenities are well worth the walk. (And you can go right by the chocolate stores on your way back and pop 'em right into the fridge so they don't melt.)
Anyway.
NEXT PART CONTAINS AN OPENING SCENE SPOILER FOR CAMELOT. IF YOU DON'T WANT TO BE SPOILED FOR THE FIRST 5 MINUTES OF THE SHOW, SKIP DOWN.
Mo came back burbling that she'd seen The. Best. Warning. Sign. Ever. You know how theaters put up the signs: Warning, this play contains strobe, this play contains gunfire, etc. Camelot's reads "This play contains mist, smoke, [blah blah], birds of prey."
"Ha, ha," says Mo to herself. "That's cute."
But even having read it, she wasn't expecting the play to start with Merlin calling a live hawk to his arm.
SPOILER END
In a little bit I have my first play, Merry Wives of Windsor. I adored it and considered it my favorite Shakespeare play when I first saw it in Regent's Park.
... in 1984.
So we'll see how it plays out now. Then tonight, it's The Misanthrope, with a break for fish and chips and chocolate tour sundaes between.
This morning was a Meet thevegetables Festival* with Seana McKenna & her husband/director Miles Potter. (*So called behind the scenes) Highlights:
On doing a one-woman play: SEANA: "The cast parties aren't as fun... but you never miss a cue."
On costuming: SEANA: "I wear two corsets this season. One pushes everything up; the other pushes everything down." She also discussed how she did Richard (no platforms or bindings lest she hurt herself over the run, and building up the costume over the "strong" arm to look masculine, while her own arm would look much weaker in comparison.)
On "Shakespeare's Will" MILES: "It may be a play about an unhappy marriage, but the strains of an acting marriage? Oh, yeah, we could relate."
On a female Richard:
SEANA: Richard's always an other anyway. I'm just taking that one step further.
MILES: He's always compared to animals - the toad, the hog. I think she's doing a bird of prey. (SEANA: "Skree!")
MILES: He's pretending throughout. The gender is one more pretense
SEANA: Although one guy didn't get it. He was complaining that Richard was too effeminate.
on the seduction scene: SEANA: "In Shakespeare's time it was a man to a boy; we're just flipping that dynamic. Also, what does he tell her? 'I did terrible things, but I love you, I won't do them anymore, and you're the only one who can change me.'" (Nods as women in the audience laugh appreciatively.)
Would you believe that I haven't seen any swans yet? I've been by the river.
R
Anyway.
NEXT PART CONTAINS AN OPENING SCENE SPOILER FOR CAMELOT. IF YOU DON'T WANT TO BE SPOILED FOR THE FIRST 5 MINUTES OF THE SHOW, SKIP DOWN.
Mo came back burbling that she'd seen The. Best. Warning. Sign. Ever. You know how theaters put up the signs: Warning, this play contains strobe, this play contains gunfire, etc. Camelot's reads "This play contains mist, smoke, [blah blah], birds of prey."
"Ha, ha," says Mo to herself. "That's cute."
But even having read it, she wasn't expecting the play to start with Merlin calling a live hawk to his arm.
SPOILER END
In a little bit I have my first play, Merry Wives of Windsor. I adored it and considered it my favorite Shakespeare play when I first saw it in Regent's Park.
... in 1984.
So we'll see how it plays out now. Then tonight, it's The Misanthrope, with a break for fish and chips and chocolate tour sundaes between.
This morning was a Meet the
On doing a one-woman play: SEANA: "The cast parties aren't as fun... but you never miss a cue."
On costuming: SEANA: "I wear two corsets this season. One pushes everything up; the other pushes everything down." She also discussed how she did Richard (no platforms or bindings lest she hurt herself over the run, and building up the costume over the "strong" arm to look masculine, while her own arm would look much weaker in comparison.)
On "Shakespeare's Will" MILES: "It may be a play about an unhappy marriage, but the strains of an acting marriage? Oh, yeah, we could relate."
On a female Richard:
SEANA: Richard's always an other anyway. I'm just taking that one step further.
MILES: He's always compared to animals - the toad, the hog. I think she's doing a bird of prey. (SEANA: "Skree!")
MILES: He's pretending throughout. The gender is one more pretense
SEANA: Although one guy didn't get it. He was complaining that Richard was too effeminate.
on the seduction scene: SEANA: "In Shakespeare's time it was a man to a boy; we're just flipping that dynamic. Also, what does he tell her? 'I did terrible things, but I love you, I won't do them anymore, and you're the only one who can change me.'" (Nods as women in the audience laugh appreciatively.)
Would you believe that I haven't seen any swans yet? I've been by the river.
R
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no subject
Date: 2011-08-05 11:45 pm (UTC)FLAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIILLLLL. "Wart! Get down here before I let this thing peck your panicky eyes out!"
I want to see that Camelot so, so much. Please tell me it is awesome. It will make me that much more angsty that I cannot go, but I want it to be anyway.
no subject
Date: 2011-08-06 01:38 am (UTC)Ger as Wart
Date: 2011-08-09 06:09 pm (UTC)Ger spends a lot of time climbing on trees this season, as there's a big tree center stage for his entrance scene for Camelot (he's in the tree, and Guenevere is under it, praying loudly to St. Genevieve), and a *different* tree that he climbs on during Merry Wives. Ger is much more restrained as Arthur than as Falstaff - the "his favorite dish is the scenery" comment came after seeing Merry Wives, although his humor is well on display in both.
He does the more-or-less standard "spoken song" thing for Arthur's songs, although we know he can actually sing (I still have his "Bar Talk" CD!). Certainly he doesn't have the magnificent pipes that Jonathan Winsby (Lancelot) has, but he brings that lovely musical Welsh lilt to his lines and songs. Sigh.
It's a total fantasy Camelot, with brightly-colored stretch-velvet costumes and a wonderful green and gold celtic knotwork-design stage - quite lush eye candy!
Brent Carver is, of course, wonderful as Merlin (on stage far too little) and Pellinore. Pelly really has some of the best lines!
What else do you want to know? I should get into the habit that Nea has, of posting her impressions/reviews immediately, while they're still fresh in her mind. It's five days later, and now I'm trying to remember if there was anything else I wanted to say about the show...
Re: Ger as Wart
Date: 2011-08-09 06:11 pm (UTC)Pelly has a LOT of the best lines.
Re: Ger as Wart
Date: 2011-08-09 06:22 pm (UTC)