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Twelfth Night: Act 2, Scene 4 (part 2)

July 7, 2016, 9:00 am
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THE STORY SO FAR: In her disguise as Cesario, Viola has gone to woo Olivia for her master, Orsino (with whom Viola is secretly in love). Olivia says she can't love Orsino, but Orsino is kind of a jerk and won't take no for an answer. For some reason, Viola still loves him. 

The "Patience on a monument" monologue is another one of Viola's famous speeches. If you didn't make it through the whole episode of Playing Shakespeare that I shared with you on Tuesday, here it is again, so you can hear Dame Judi's take on it (around the 48-minute mark).

I'm not even joking when I say I watching bits of the Playing Shakespeare series when I'm feeling down. I enjoy it so much. 

Dramatis Personae | 1.1 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 1.5, part 1 | 1.5, part 2 | 1.5, part 3 | 2.1 | 2.2 | 2.3, part 1 | 2.3, part 2 | 2.4, part 1 | 2.4, part 2

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Twelfth Night: Act 2, Scene 5 (part 1)

July 11, 2016, 9:00 pm
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THE COMIC SUBPLOT SO FAR: In order to get revenge on Malvolio for being a stuck-up and pretentious jerk, Maria plans to drop a fake love letter from Olivia somewhere where he will find it...

Don't ask me who Fabian is. He is introduced purely to be a third wheel in the Malvolio subplot, substituting in a way for Feste, who disappears from these scenes until the dark room bit much later on. Fabian is fairly extraneous, but he also has one of my all-time favorite groan-worthy punchlines, which we'll get to later. 

Dramatis Personae | 1.1 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 1.5, part 1 | 1.5, part 2 | 1.5, part 3 | 2.1 | 2.2 | 2.3, part 1 | 2.3, part 2 | 2.4, part 1 | 2.4, part 2 | 2.5, part 1

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REVIEW: "Breath of Kings" at the Stratford Festival

July 13, 2016, 1:15 pm
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Here is my review of the Stratford Festival's productions of Breath of Kings: Rebellion and Breath of Kings: Redemption. They're essentially two halves of the same production, so I'm lumping them together. This is what the general story is:

And here's what I thought of it:

EXTRA THOUGHTS (because I can't fit them all into a comic):

I have been deeply immersed in Shakespeare's history plays for decades now, so I am completely incapable of figuring out how accessible and understandable this production is to people unfamiliar with the plays and the history behind it. I thought that Abbey's adaptation was very clear in highlighting the important beats of the story as it unfolded, but at this point I could see these plays in an entirely foreign language and still know what was going on. If you saw this production and weren't that familiar with the history plays, please leave me a comment and let me know what you thought!

There are lots of great performances in these plays, particularly Tom Rooney as Richard II (bringing Richard's wry, self-deprecating, and theatrical sense of humor to the forefront), and Geraint Wyn Davies as Falstaff (one of those casting notices where you nod your head and say "Yep. That was the right choice.") However, I just wanted to give a special mention to Carly Street, who plays a handful of characters including Thomas Mowbray, Lady Percy, the Douglas, and the Archbishop of York, and was unspeakably badass as all of them. A good subtitle for these plays would be "Carly Street Yelling At Men And Showing Them How To Behave", and it's all glorious. 

The set probably deserves a mention. For Rebellion, the stage is covered in a brown mulch that looks like earth, which is progressively scarred, disturbed, and tossed around as Richard's reign decays, revealing an interlocking stone floor beneath it. In Redemption, large chunks of the this stone floor are physically uprooted throughout the action, until, after the battle of Agincourt, the stage resembles the aftermath of an earthquake. It was a bit fussy at times, but very visually striking. 

It is (understandably) very rare to be able to see all four of these plays performed in the same season with the same cast, which is a pity as they are inextricably linked together. The Breath of Kings adaptation is a great way to see them all placed within their proper context, without having to sit through twelve straight hours of history plays. While obviously a lot of text has been removed, it has been by and large done in a very elegant and rational way, and the resulting plays are well worth watching. 

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Twelfth Night: Act 2, Scene 5 (part 2)

July 13, 2016, 9:00 pm
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Twelfth Night: Act 3, Scene 1 (part 1)

July 18, 2016, 9:00 pm
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With all the excitement over Malvolio's letter last week, you'd be forgiven for forgetting the "main" plot of Twelfth Night is about this girl dressed as a boy who is wooing a woman who is in love with him/her on behalf of the man who she/he secretly loves.

Got it? 

Poor Sir Andrew just can't win. 

Dramatis Personae | 1.1 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 1.5, part 1 | 1.5, part 2 | 1.5, part 3 |2.1 | 2.2 | 2.3, part 1 | 2.3, part 2 | 2.4, part 1 | 2.4, part 2 | 2.5, part 1 | 2.5, part 2 | 3.1, part 1

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Twelfth Night: Act 3, Scene 1 (part 2)

July 20, 2016, 9:00 pm
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THE STORY SO FAR: Olivia has fallen in love with Cesario, who is actually Viola dressed as a boy. Viola is in love with Orsino, who is in love with Olivia, who refuses to take "no" for an answer, and everyone is just really confused.

Oh Olivia. You're adorable. 

Dramatis Personae | 1.1 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 1.5, part 1 | 1.5, part 2 | 1.5, part 3 |2.1 | 2.2 | 2.3, part 1 | 2.3, part 2 | 2.4, part 1 | 2.4, part 2 | 2.5, part 1 | 2.5, part 2 | 3.1, part 1 | 3.1, part 2

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The Ohio Light Opera 2016 Season in 3 Panels Each

July 25, 2016, 9:00 pm
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We take a break from our regularly scheduled romp through Twelfth Night for a musical interlude!

OK, OK, I'm a big Shakespeare person. Shakespeare Shakespeare Shakespeare. But honestly, if you excavate the layers of my theatrical soul, the bedrock and very foundation of it is operetta, and nothing fulfills my operetta yearnings quite so much as a week at the Ohio Light Opera. As of tomorrow, all seven of their shows, ranging from operetta to early American musical, will be open, and I will be traipsing down there with my family next week to SEE ALL THE SHOWS. 

"But what shows are these?" I hear you ask. Well.. let me tell you...

Our first show is one that will be familiar to most Shakespeare fans. With lyrics and music by Cole Porter, Kiss Me Kate is a wonderful blend of Shakespearean send-up and back-stage antics. One of my favorite musicals.

SAMPLE SONG: Brush Up Your Shakespeare.

I've never actually seen Annie Get Your Gun (with lyrics and music by the marvelous Irving Berlin) but I know at least half the songs already and can do a terrible Ethel Merman impression whilst singing them.

SAMPLE SONG: Anything You Can Do.

OK, let's get this out of the way: I am a person of Asian extraction who loves Gilbert and Sullivan's The Mikado. Yes, a Victorian comic opera set in Japan is problematic. I see both sides of the issue, but, at the end of the day, I grew up with this music and I love it. Gilbert and Sullivan is in my blood. 

SAMPLE SONG: Brightly Dawns Our Wedding Day.

Have a Heart is one of several collaborations between composer Jerome Kern and lyricist (and general literary wit) P.G. Wodehouse. It debuted in 1917, is hardly ever performed nowadays, and, as far as I can tell, has an incredibly stupid plot typical of this era of musicals.

SAMPLE SONG: Couldn't find one on YouTube, which is a pity. There's a song called Napoleon which sounds wonderfully stupid. 

Ah! Now this one I have seen. La Vie Parisienne, with music by Jacques Offenbach, has (wait for it) an incredibly stupid plot. I've seen it before at least twice (once at the Ohio Light Opera and once on film) and the only thing I remember is that some guy sings about being from Brazil and another guy's coat splits down the back when he bows over.

I have a Sadler's Wells English recording and it has a song with the immortal lyrics "Her petticoats go frou frou frou, her little feet go tok tok tok, her petticoats go frou frou frou frou frou frou frou frou frou frou frou." Which tells you all you need to know about Offenbach, really.

SAMPLE SONG: Votre Habit à Craqué Dans le Dos (Your Coat is Splitting Down the Back). 

This here is classic, self-indulgent, melodramatic light opera plot stuff here. I'm looking forward to it mainly because it's by Welsh songwriter and (later) movie star Ivor Novello, whom you may recall was played with great panache by Jeremy Northam in Gosford Park. I mostly know Novello from his famous World War I song Keep the Home Fires Burning.

SAMPLE SONG: I Can Give You The Starlight.

I have to say, one of my favorite operetta composers is hipster's choice Emmerich Kalman. His Countess Maritza remains one of my favorite operettas of all time. You can always count on Kalman to have a spirited gypsy csardas somewhere in his work. I know absolutely nothing about The Little Dutch Girl except it sounds like such a typical operetta plot and I'm assuming there will be gypsies involved somehow.

SAMPLE SONG: I have no idea! 

And that's the Ohio Light Opera's 2016 season! If you're at OLO, keep an eye out for me and come say hello! I'll be there throughout the symposium week, soaking up all the light opera goodness.

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Twelfth Night: Act 3, Scene 2

July 27, 2016, 9:00 pm
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THE PLOT SO FAR: Olivia is busy mooning over Cesario, which has upset Sir Andrew, who is only hanging out and drinking with Sir Toby because Sir Toby has convinced him that he can successfully woo Olivia. He can't, because he's an idiot, but nobody wants to tell him this. 

Let's be honest... Sir Andrew is one of those people who would look up if you told the someone had written "gullible" on the ceiling.

Dramatis Personae | 1.1 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 1.5, part 1 | 1.5, part 2 | 1.5, part 3|2.1 | 2.2 | 2.3, part 1 | 2.3, part 2 | 2.4, part 1 | 2.4, part 2 | 2.5, part 1 | 2.5, part 2 | 3.1, part 1 | 3.1, part 2 | 3.2

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Twelfth Night: Act 3, Scene 3

August 1, 2016, 9:00 pm
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OK, we've spent a lot of time with Viola/Cesario, so let's take a quick moment to check in with her totally-not-drowned identical twin brother, who is roaming around. 

YOU'D BETTER TELL HIM AGAIN, ANTONIO. I DON'T THINK HE HEARD YOU.

Seriously, Sebastian is totally leading Antonio on. Poor old Antonio. 

Dramatis Personae | 1.1 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 1.5, part 1 | 1.5, part 2 | 1.5, part 3|2.1 | 2.2 | 2.3, part 1 | 2.3, part 2 | 2.4, part 1 | 2.4, part 2 | 2.5, part 1 | 2.5, part 2 | 3.1, part 1 | 3.1, part 2 | 3.2 | 3.3

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Twelfth Night: Act 3, Scene 4 (part 1)

August 3, 2016, 9:00 pm
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OK, so, Act 3 Scene 4 of Twelfth Night  is a monster. It just keeps going on and on and on and all the plots get tangled up in it. So it's going to take me a while to get through it. Bear with me, and let's start with seeing how Malvolio's ill-advised wooing of Olivia goes...

CHECK OUT THAT GLORIOUS TECHNICOLOR ON MALVOLIO'S STOCKINGS. IS THAT ART OR WHAT?

....don't answer that. 

Dramatis Personae | 1.1 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 1.5, part 1 | 1.5, part 2 | 1.5, part 3|2.1 | 2.2 | 2.3, part 1 | 2.3, part 2 | 2.4, part 1 | 2.4, part 2 | 2.5, part 1 | 2.5, part 2 | 3.1, part 1 | 3.1, part 2 | 3.2 | 3.3 | 3.4, part 1

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Twelfth Night: Act 3, Scene 4 (part 2)

August 8, 2016, 9:00 pm
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Let's keep plugging away at The Scene That Never Ends! When we last left our heroes, Malvolio was busy making a fool of himself in front of Olivia...

OK, he might be lurking in the background like some sort of third wheel, but Fabian is my Most Valuable Player in this scene. First of all, he's got the great meta-theatrical line: "If this were played upon a stage now, I could condemn it as an improbably fiction." It's basically a giant, knowing wink to the audience that screams "SEE WHAT I DID THERE?"

He also has one of my all-time favorite bad puns: "Is't so saucy?" This never gets as big a laugh in performance as I want it to get. I love an unapologetic bad pun, and Fabian is the master here.

Dramatis Personae | 1.1 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 1.5, part 1 | 1.5, part 2 | 1.5, part 3|2.1 | 2.2 | 2.3, part 1 | 2.3, part 2 | 2.4, part 1 | 2.4, part 2 | 2.5, part 1 | 2.5, part 2 | 3.1, part 1 | 3.1, part 2 | 3.2 | 3.3 | 3.4, part 1 | 3.4, part 2

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Twelfth Night: Act 3, Scene 4 (part 3)

August 10, 2016, 9:00 pm
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*sings* This is the scene that never ends, yes it goes on and on my friends....

Hey, people who have played Sir Toby... leave me a note explaining what Sir Toby's motivation is for messing with people, because from where I'm sitting it just looks like Sir Toby is a jerk. 

Dramatis Personae | 1.1 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 1.5, part 1 | 1.5, part 2 | 1.5, part 3|2.1 | 2.2 | 2.3, part 1 | 2.3, part 2 | 2.4, part 1 | 2.4, part 2 | 2.5, part 1 | 2.5, part 2 | 3.1, part 1 | 3.1, part 2 | 3.2 | 3.3 | 3.4, part 1 | 3.4, part 2 | 3.4, part 3

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Hamleton: Wait For It

August 15, 2016, 9:00 pm
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OK, so I'm over a year late to get on the Hamilton bandwagon. I've been geeking out about it from afar but only recently made the time to actually sit down and listen properly to the whole thing. 

It's hardly revolutionary (SEE WHAT I DID THERE?) to make a connection between Hamilton and Hamlet. Hamilton's creator, Lin-Manuel Miranda, got the ball rolling with this recorded encounter:

Well, I've never met a musical number that I haven't wanted to at least try to parody, so I thought I'd take a song from Hamilton and rework it a bit... into Hamleton. It was not easy, as Miranda's lyrics are very dense and intricate, and I'm not entirely sure I've succeeded, but here it is anyways. Many thanks to Dan Beaulieu of the Seven Stages Shakespeare Company and No Holds Bard Podcast for acting as Lyrical Dramaturge on this effort. 

(Here's the song in question, if you've somehow managed not to listen to Hamilton yet.)

Write here...

COMING SOON* TO A WEBCOMIC NEAR YOU: Cordelia... Goneril... and Regan... the Le-ar Sisters!

*may or may not be coming soon

If you like Shakespeare/musical theatre mash-ups, be sure to check out The Sound of Hamlet and Into the (Shakespearean) Woods. 

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Twelfth Night: Act 3, Scene 4 (part 4)

August 17, 2016, 9:00 pm
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OK, so just to sum up... in this mega-scene from Twelfth Night the following things have happened so far:

  1. Malvolio turned up dressed in yellow stockings and made kissy faces at Olivia, who assumed he had gone mad.
  2. Olivia placed Malvolio in the care of Sir Toby and his cronies, who arranged for him to be locked in a dark room.
  3. Sir Andrew wrote a letter challenging Viola/Cesario to a duel, egged on by Sir Toby and Fabian.
  4. Viola/Cesario repelled another onslaught of affection from Olivia and attempted to leave the premises, but was stopped by Sir Toby.

Got all that? OK, let's continue...

The sword fight between Viola and Sir Andrew is often made into an extended comedic set-piece, as neither of them (a) wants to fight, nor (b) are very good at fighting. 

Tune in again on Thursday, when we finally wrap this behemoth of a scene up!

Dramatis Personae | 1.1 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 1.5, part 1 | 1.5, part 2 | 1.5, part 3|2.1 | 2.2 | 2.3, part 1 | 2.3, part 2 | 2.4, part 1 | 2.4, part 2 | 2.5, part 1 | 2.5, part 2 | 3.1, part 1 | 3.1, part 2 | 3.2 | 3.3 | 3.4, part 1 | 3.4, part 2 | 3.4, part 3 | 3.4, part 4

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Twelfth Night: Act 3, Scene 4 (part 5)

August 22, 2016, 9:00 pm
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We've finally made it to the last part of this gargantuan, never-ending scene! Phew!

Having received a hint that her brother Sebastian is alive, Viola now instantly runs after Antonio to get the full story from him!

Ha ha ha, no, I'm just kidding. She goes back to Orsino and everything remains hopelessly confused for the time being, ha ha ha.

Dramatis Personae | 1.1 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 1.5, part 1 | 1.5, part 2 | 1.5, part 3|2.1 | 2.2 | 2.3, part 1 | 2.3, part 2 | 2.4, part 1 | 2.4, part 2 | 2.5, part 1 | 2.5, part 2 | 3.1, part 1 | 3.1, part 2 | 3.2 | 3.3 | 3.4, part 1 | 3.4, part 2 | 3.4, part 3 | 3.4, part 4 | 3.4, part 5

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Twelfth Night: Act 4, Scene 1

August 24, 2016, 9:00 pm
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OK. Back to Twelfth Night. Are you ready for this?

THE STORY SO FAR: ...oh gosh, do I really have to do this? OK, fine... Viola, disguised as Cesario, with whom the lady Olivia is infatuated, is challenged to a duel by Sir Andrew, who has been egged on to do so by Sir Toby, who is a jerk. However, the duel is never fought because Antonio, the rugged seaman who is besotted with Viola's missing twin brother, Sebastian, mistakes Cesario for Sebastian and intervenes. He's then arrested and Viola goes back to Orsino's court. Unbeknownst to anyone, Sebastian is happily wandering around Elyria, totally ignorant of all these goings-on.

GOT IT? I hope so, because I'm not repeating it. 

"Are all the people mad here?" is probably one of my favorite underrated comedic lines from this play. It pretty much sums up what a lot of the audience is thinking at this point as well.

I'm not sure how I feel about Sebastian. Surely a true gentleman would have said something like "I'll go with you, but you may or may not be mistaking me for somebody else and I've never seen you before" before accepting a strange woman's clearly romantic invitation. 

But then, all the people are mad here. 

Dramatis Personae | 1.1 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 1.5, part 1 | 1.5, part 2 | 1.5, part 3|2.1 | 2.2 | 2.3, part 1 | 2.3, part 2 | 2.4, part 1 | 2.4, part 2 | 2.5, part 1 | 2.5, part 2 | 3.1, part 1 | 3.1, part 2 | 3.2 | 3.3 | 3.4, part 1 | 3.4, part 2 | 3.4, part 3 | 3.4, part 4 | 3.4, part 5 | 4.1

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Twelfth Night: Act 4, Scene 2

August 29, 2016, 9:00 pm
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THE STORY SO FAR: Sir Toby and his crew have contrived to get Malvolio locked up for acting strangely due to the forged letter Maria wrote to him. Everyone acts like a jerk.

This is one of the least funny "funny" scenes ever and generally succeeds in making everyone feel sorry for Malvolio.

Did I mention that I think Sir Toby is a jerk?

Dramatis Personae | 1.1 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 1.5, part 1 | 1.5, part 2 | 1.5, part 3|2.1 | 2.2 | 2.3, part 1 | 2.3, part 2 | 2.4, part 1 | 2.4, part 2 | 2.5, part 1 | 2.5, part 2 | 3.1, part 1 | 3.1, part 2 | 3.2 | 3.3 | 3.4, part 1 | 3.4, part 2 | 3.4, part 3 | 3.4, part 4 | 3.4, part 5 | 4.1 | 4.2

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Twelfth Night: Act 4, Scene 3

August 31, 2016, 9:00 pm
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SO. When we last left Sebastian, he had just been assaulted FOR NO DISCERNIBLE REASON by Sir Andrew and Sir Toby, and had just been whisked away to a loving tryst FOR NO DISCERNIBLE REASON by Olivia.

He's having a surreal day.

What do you do when you find yourself swept up in a loving embrace by a wealth, landed noblewoman who calls you by the wrong name and wants to marry you? Obviously, you marry her. That's not dodgy at all. 

Dramatis Personae | 1.1 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 1.5, part 1 | 1.5, part 2 | 1.5, part 3|2.1 | 2.2 | 2.3, part 1 | 2.3, part 2 | 2.4, part 1 | 2.4, part 2 | 2.5, part 1 | 2.5, part 2 | 3.1, part 1 | 3.1, part 2 | 3.2 | 3.3 | 3.4, part 1 | 3.4, part 2 | 3.4, part 3 | 3.4, part 4 | 3.4, part 5 | 4.1 | 4.2 | 4.3

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Twelfth Night: Act 5, Scene 1 (part 1)

September 5, 2016, 9:00 pm
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All right, we've made it to Act 5 and you know what that means! Yes, it's Wrapping Up All The Disparate Plot Threads time! Let's do this!

Viola here misses another opportunity to ask "HEY can you tell me more about this person whom you saved from drowning who happens to look just like me when I'm dressing up like my twin brother whom I lost at sea?"

Also, I love the phrase "notable pirate". Try using it in your everyday conversation. It's a lot of fun.

Dramatis Personae | 1.1 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 1.5, part 1 | 1.5, part 2 | 1.5, part 3|2.1 | 2.2 | 2.3, part 1 | 2.3, part 2 | 2.4, part 1 | 2.4, part 2 | 2.5, part 1 | 2.5, part 2 | 3.1, part 1 | 3.1, part 2 | 3.2 | 3.3 | 3.4, part 1 | 3.4, part 2 | 3.4, part 3 | 3.4, part 4 | 3.4, part 5 | 4.1 | 4.2 | 4.3

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Twelfth Night: Act 5, Scene 1 (part 2)

September 7, 2016, 9:00 pm
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Let's continue wrapping up those plot threads!

It'd be nice to think that Orsino is just being melodramatic when he threatens to kill Cesario (or, depending on how you read it, Olivia). But the guy has not shown himself to be particularly steady and rational up to now, so... yeah... 

Dramatis Personae | 1.1 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 1.5, part 1 | 1.5, part 2 | 1.5, part 3|2.1 | 2.2 | 2.3, part 1 | 2.3, part 2 | 2.4, part 1 | 2.4, part 2 | 2.5, part 1 | 2.5, part 2 | 3.1, part 1 | 3.1, part 2 | 3.2 | 3.3 | 3.4, part 1 | 3.4, part 2 | 3.4, part 3 | 3.4, part 4 | 3.4, part 5 | 4.1 | 4.2 | 4.3 | 5.1, part 1 | 5.1, part 2

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