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filkertomIt's believed that William Shakespeare was born on this date in 1564. There is debate to this day over exactly what he wrote, and when -- but, when it comes down to it, the body of work attributed to his name is the most influential in all literature. And a number of his plays are considered the greatest ever written.
What are your Shakespearean faves, and also your favorite Shakespearean reinterpretations or parodies? I can't imagine life without:
What are your Shakespearean faves, and also your favorite Shakespearean reinterpretations or parodies? I can't imagine life without:
- Hamlet (the text, and almost any film version -- yes, even Mel's)
- Henry V and The "War of the Roses" plays (Henry VI, Parts 1, 2, and 3, and Richard III)
- Coriolanus
- Antony and Cleopatra
- King Lear (we saw the Christopher Plummer production at Stratford a few years ago -- pure magic)
- West Side Story
- Romeo + Juliet (with Claire Danes, Leonardo DiCaprio, and John Leguizamo as Tybalt)
- "Atomic Shakespeare", the Moonlighting episode that riffed on The Taming of the Shrew
- Forbidden Planet
- Return to the Forbidden Planet (no, not a movie, but a truly beautiful thing: Remembering that Forbidden Planet is basically The Tempest in outer space, Return... is The Tempest in outer space -- that is, a pastiche of Shakespearean characters, plot, and dialogue, in the Forbidden Planet universe... and tied it together with classic rock covers [e.g., when Captain Tempest first sees Prospero's daughter Miranda, he sings, "I'm pickin' up good vibrations...."])
- The Reduced Shakespeare Company
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(no subject)
Date: 2006-04-23 09:41 pm (UTC)Which makes the crappy teen movie version of it painful to even think about.
(no subject)
Date: 2006-04-23 09:50 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-04-23 09:54 pm (UTC)I'm sure there are more, but those spring to mind easily.
(no subject)
Date: 2006-04-23 11:11 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-04-23 11:44 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-04-23 09:55 pm (UTC)My favorites are Hamlet, Henry IV-2, the Scottish play, Romeo & Juliet, Twelfth Night. I did lights in college for a wonderful Hamlet, better than Branagh's or Olivier's or the BBC version with Derek Jacoby as Hamlet.
And I might as well spread my challenges here, since it's reputedly the Bard's birthday. I'm giving $100 each to the first person who lives/works in a state with high-stakes testing for at least the last five years (and specifically this means giving monetary rewards to schools or taking funding away based on test scores) where either test-prep has taken over the curriculum so much that more than four times as many junior-high or high-school kids crack bad test-prep booklets as Shakespeare plays this year, or where there's a school living under those conditions where there are more kids cracking Shakespeare this year than test-prep booklets. More details at the relevant professional blog entry.
(no subject)
Date: 2006-04-23 10:35 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-04-23 10:36 pm (UTC)Tom Stoppard rules.
Actually also, A Night in Elsinore which is Hamlet as done by famous comedians/comedy troops (well, ok, as done by people impersonating famous comedians/comedy troops). Because The Ghost is so much more fun as played by Harpo.
There's another one I'm blanking on the title of that take the position that Othello and Romeo and Juliet could both be turned into comedies with the addition of a Fool (who doesn't die) and does and it's very silly and kinda fun. I did props for that one. It's surprisingly difficult to find a good Lute. Also a turtle which can be ripped in half repeatedly... umm.. yeah.
And... I was a theater major. I'm pretty sure I'm contractually obligated to love all of Shakespeare, even the not so great ones. (Though even I think that there's no excuse now a days for doing a production of Henry VIII unless you're doing ALLLLLL of Shakespeare.)
(no subject)
Date: 2006-04-24 03:51 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-04-23 10:39 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-04-23 10:41 pm (UTC)MacBeth (original version, and Kurosawa's version)
Ian McKellen's version of Richard III was pretty good.
The 1960s version of Romeo and Juliet (with Olivia Hussey) was excellent; the recent remake with John Leguizamo and Claire Danes was pretty good. Tromeo and Juliet was good, too (heh)
Olivier's Hamlet was great, too (it's Olivier, so you know it's gonna be great)
(no subject)
Date: 2006-04-23 10:48 pm (UTC)And Tromeo and Juliet was just... weird. I think I like it, though -- at least enough to still have it on the DVD shelf.
(no subject)
Date: 2006-04-23 10:56 pm (UTC)Sound and Fury. They mostly do ren faires and if I find they're going to be anywhere near here I'll have to try to drag you. They're newest show I know about is; Canned Hamlet.
MacHomer. Which I completely laughed my butt off through, evenly with a massively outdated knowledge of the Simpsions universe. (Hrm... maybe I should mention that to Luke sometime because I bet he hasn't seen it)
The new last year Al Pachino version of The Merchant of Venice. Wow. And if you've never seen this I'll loan you the DVD.
There was also a version of something John showed me that had been set in WWII (I think), but I've forgotten which play it was.
Also for the first time I'll get to see Julius Caesar, Anthony & Cleopatra and The Tempest when the Royal Shakespere company comes to Ann Arbor next fall with Patrick Stewart in tow.
And finally...
"This show is a disgrace to pigs everwhere. You'll be hearing from my friends on No Man."
"No Man?? What is No Man??"
"No Man is an island."
(no subject)
Date: 2006-04-24 12:13 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-04-23 11:16 pm (UTC)The War of the Roses plays, especially Henry IV (which I saw with Kline playing Falstaff - you live in NYC and eventually you get to see him or someone that big do the whole set).
West Side Story
Forbidden Planet
Othello, as perfromed by Orson Welles, by LAurence Fishburne (opposite Branagh) and by Keith David (opposite Liev Schrieber).
The versions of MacBeth and the Fairy Court as seen on Gargoyles.
(no subject)
Date: 2006-04-23 11:36 pm (UTC)Tempest has always been my favorite, I've always wanted to direct it.
(no subject)
Date: 2006-04-24 12:17 am (UTC)The Oregon Shakespeare Festival; I've been there most summers for (ahem) 30-odd years now, and it's always amazing. The very first show I ever saw was Twelfth Night in 1974, on one of those "on" nights when the audience and the cast were building off each other's energy and making sheer theatrical magic.
Hamlet: The Text Adventure; very silly but ingenious.
A short extract from an oddity called "Scooby Hamlet", for which I don't have a link at hand. It may be Googlable (is that a word?).
A short slice of a mirror-universe Merchant of Venice from Diane Duane's Star Trek novel, Dark Mirror. It takes moxie to attempt that kind of pastiche, and it takes talent to pull it off.
(no subject)
Date: 2006-04-24 12:19 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-04-24 12:32 am (UTC)Weather has just turned glorious, life is otherwise fairly quiet. Am presently wrestling progress reports for OryCon and trying to multitask writing projects of various shapes and sizes, mostly on spec (danrit).
(no subject)
Date: 2006-04-24 12:30 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-04-24 12:31 am (UTC)And if you can find the performance of "The Comedy of Errors" as performed by the Flying Karamazov Brothers available on DVD (or any other digital format, let me know, and I will happily pay for it.
(no subject)
Date: 2006-04-24 03:28 am (UTC)Taming of the Shrew is not generally among my favorites, but the BBC version with John Cleese as Petruchio rocked.
There was also an innovative Midsummer Night's Dream a few years back, set in pre-WWI Italy. Kevin Kline was Bottom, and Stanley Tucci was Puck. Yummy!
(no subject)
Date: 2006-04-24 12:34 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-04-24 12:41 am (UTC)Yes, the Danes/DiCaprio version of Romeo and Juliet is brilliant. DiCaprio was far and away the weakest actor in it, and that's saying a lot - because I think he's at least competent. Either that or he was way way underplaying Romeo. And the setting and integration with modern-day Los Angeles was just great.
Several folks here allude to Kurasawa's Hamlet. The title is 'Throne of Blood.' Kurasawa pulls the basic story firmly into Japanese history and legend; the film is worth the price for the scenes with the 'three witches' alone. Imagine a kabuki theatre doing a horror flick, and you've got those scenes.
One Shakespeare play that never worked for me was 'Much Ado About Nothing.' The Branaugh version mostly changed my opinion, making the jokes come alive and the inherent silliness of much of the actions come thru. The plot still has little to recommend it, but it's largely a structure off of which to hang one-liners. Sort of a Shakespearian sitcom. Horrors! But still big fun. Michael Keaton should have gotton an Oscar for Dogberry.
(no subject)
Date: 2006-04-24 12:57 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-04-24 01:00 am (UTC)As far as film and TV versions.
Ian McKellen's "Richard the III" ROCKS, completely and utterly. Can't tell you how much any Shakespeare fan MUST see this. Perhaps we need a local movie day.
Baz Luhrmann's "Romeo+Juliet" also brilliant.
I'm with Steve that Branaugh's version of "Much Ado About Nothing" is the only watchable version. Denzel Washington as the Prince rocks. And having seen many fine actors, including Brian Bedford, play Dogberry, I can honestly say NO ONE has ever pulled off the character.. except for Michael Keaton.
Branaugh's "Hamlet" is.. okay. Its has brilliant moments and scenes, but just doesn't work for me over all. And the less said about the Mel Gibson version the better.
But the JEWEL of televised Shakespeare is "The Flying Karamazov Brother's Comedy of Errors" is unbelievable. I have a copy on tape, and am converting it to DVD, but its been stepped on too many times and it very glitchy. And for the record, I've spoken at length with my cousin who is a PBS producer, and had him cruise the PBS libary for this (it was show as part of the "Live from Lincoln Center" show. It isn't in the cataloge. It was pulled. I supect there is some licencing non-sense going on. Once I get it cleaned up, I will see about making copies.
(no subject)
Date: 2006-04-24 02:48 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-04-24 01:01 am (UTC)How about the Mr. Magoo "Midsummer Night's Dream". I think that was the first Shakespeare I ever saw. :-)
And finally, how about the musical production of Hamlet in "Gilligan's Island" with Gilligan as Hamlet? "What to be, or not to be, that is the question that I ask of me!"
What about the serious stuff, you ask? I remember being very impressed with Laurence Oliver in "The Merchant of Venice."
(no subject)
Date: 2006-04-24 01:39 am (UTC)Do not forget, stay out of debt
Think twice, and take this good advice from me:
Guard that old solvency!
There's just one other thing you ought to do
To thine own self be true! o/~
Thanks for reminding me!
(no subject)
Date: 2006-04-24 02:55 am (UTC)Cleopatra's favorite cat
Got his hands on Caesar's spats
The heat was on as you could see
So he front 'em to Mark Antony.
Said, "My girlfriend's cat is smarter than me."
Brutus had an eye for clothes
He saw them spats and said, "I like those."
Caesar had no thing to say, except,
"Jesu Christi Domine,
Et tu, Brute,
Jesu Christi Domine,
Et tu, Brute."
The senate tried to sympathize
It was the cat they should despise
Informant told his whereabouts
Centurions to seek him out
Centurions! There go the centurions.
Brutus had to turn his head
When this cat done went and said,
"If he's got this thing for shoes,
He just might be ambitious, too.
They got holidays all in his name,
And all a tyrant needs is fame.
Those fascists don't play pretty games
Egypt is the place to be...
But Rome is a democracy.
Rome!"
Caesar never got them back
'Cause they killed his ass in the second act.
Brutus spoke, then Antony:
Said, "My girlfriend's cat is smarter than me.
Friends, Romans, can't you see
My girlfriend's cat is smarter than me
Egypt's biggest rivalry:
Cleopatra's cat and me."
(no subject)
Date: 2006-04-24 03:22 am (UTC)Hamlet
Date: 2006-04-24 04:40 am (UTC)I like Richard III as well, with the 1995 Ian McKellen version particularly well done.
As for Romeo and Juliet I really do like the DiCaprio film, especially Harold Perrineau's (Michael on Lost) Mercutio, but I can generally take it or leave it.
Re: Hamlet
Date: 2006-04-24 05:12 am (UTC)Of course, there is "Veronaville": a great community that is in the Sims2 game. All of the major Shakespeare characters are remade for modern audiences, including Romeo and Juliet. So, you can remake their story, or make it less tragic, or flat-out comedic. Up to you.
(no subject)
Date: 2006-04-24 05:20 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-04-24 05:53 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-04-24 12:18 pm (UTC)Rosencrantz and Guildenstern does indeed rock, but if we're casting the net that wide we might as well include Shakespeare In Love, which is also excellent.
(no subject)
Date: 2006-04-24 02:22 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-04-24 03:52 pm (UTC)Some classmates and I got to see the Reduced Shakespeare Company on a trip to England. We laughed so hard we spent our emergency money to go and see them again the next day. I recently got to see a production of the show here in Cincy, and the line "Thou smiling, damned, election stealing Dane!" alone was worth the price of admission. I told my mom, "They're either gonna get applauded or lynched!"
(no subject)
Date: 2006-04-24 05:44 pm (UTC)I saw this as a play in London about 15 years ago. It was different, funny, and I went in clueless. (I really should backup the tape of it I purchased then too...)
Harold S.
(no subject)
Date: 2006-04-24 08:25 pm (UTC)I'm rather fond of the local Shakespeare in the Park productions, and seen nine of the last ten years. Causes some interesting things when your take Hyperactive Lad though.
Juliet: "Romeo, Romeo, where for at thou, Romeo?"
Hyperactive Lad: "He's in 'da bushes!"
Parents exunt.
(no subject)
Date: 2006-04-26 12:34 am (UTC)On the other hand, we know what the bard himself thought when in his cups ...
... any mutt can write
plays for this london public
says bill if he puts enough
murder in them what they want
is kings talking like kings
never had sense enough to talk
and stabbings and stranglings
and fat men making love
and clown basting each
other with clubs and cheap puns
and off color allusions to all
the smut of the day oh i know
what the low brows want
and i give it to them (http://www.donmarquis.com/readingroom/archybooks/shakespeare.html)