Monday, October 17, 2011

There's always a special feeling about a week during which we've finished a play. It's a feeling of accomplishment but also of waiting – to read the various analyses, to see the film versions, to write my own text, to move on to the next play. Satisfaction, anticipation, nervousness, impatience. That's the kind of week it's been.

But let me stick to the formula and get to all this in the listings at the end.

• Shakespeare sightings –
  • More from Children of the French Revolution by Robert Gildea: about Kean playing Othello at Covent Garden and “the black American actor Ira Aldridge playing Othello and Lear” in St. Petersburg in the 1800's.
  • In the novel Pharmakon by Dirk Wittenborn the character went fishing with a fly rod called Shakespeare – I kid you not.
  • In the novel Ruby Red by Linzi Glass, the main character, a high school girl, gets the assignment to write an essay on the subject “Is love inherently tragic?” using Shakespeare's works.
  • Now this one is important, so pay attention! In “Pirates of the Caribbean 4” (you know I only watch highbrow intellectual movies!) Captain Jack Straw says, describing the mutiny he's convincing his downtrodden shipmates to commit, “Mutiny most foul.” OK, this is another contest. What's the real quote and from which play is it? There were no takers on the last context in spite of the brilliant prize offered (a gold star), so here's another chance! Most important, however, is that here finally is the connection, albeit tenuous, between Shakespeare and Johnny Depp. I've been waiting and waiting. Next step, for Johnny to actually do a Shakespeare play. I've been giving it a lot of thought and have finally come up with the perfect role – Richard III. In this role Johnny can play his gorgeous seducer á la “Don Juan Demarco”, his sad and vulnerable murderous psychopath á la “Sweeney Todd”, his zany sweet braggart á la the aforementioned Jack Straw and finally he could really show his dramatic skills in Richard's “I am a villain” soliloquy. Of course I've also chosen the perfect director of this movie, who else but Kenneth Branagh? So OK, Johnny and Ken, are you listening? Let me know when you've gotten started. I'd be happy to give more expert advice.
• Finished reading aloud with Hal: Love's Labour's Lost.
• Movie seen: Love's Labour's Lost, BBC version.
• Movie to be watched this evening: Love's Labour's Lost, Kenneth Branagh version.
• Rough draft scribbled: “Finding...some things in Love's Labour's Lost.”
• Book being read: Beginning by Kenneth Branagh.
• Text posted on blog: None.