Quote #038

"O Rosalind! these trees shall be my books,
And in their barks my thoughts I'll character,
That every eye which in this forest looks
Shall see thy virtue witness'd every where."

Orlando - 'As You Like It', Act III Scene 2

-

Benedict Cumberbatch - The Seven Ages Of Man

One of my current fav actors...

Swifter Than the Moon's Sphere

The landing of the Mars probe last week reminded me of the Bard’s own contribution to our Solar System – the moons of Uranus.

The first moons ‘discovered’ were named by John Herschal, whose father first discovered the planet itself. Instead of using names from mythology Herschal named them after Shakespearean characters Oberon and Titania and the spirits Ariel and Umbriel from Alexander Pope’s ‘Rape of the Lock’.

In total Uranius has 27 moons and all are named for characters from either Pope or Shakespeare.

The Bardy-bunch are-

Cordelia

Ophelia

Bianca

Cressida

Desdemona

Juliet

Portia

Rosalind

Cupid

Perdita

Puck

Mab

Miranda

Titania

Oberon

Francisco

Caliban

Stephano

Trinculo

Sycorax

Margaret

Prospero

Setebos

Ferdinand

-

The 'Brilliant Bard Channel'

When I started this 'Challenge' (which far more of a pleasure than a hardship) I was mindful that everyone was talking about Dickens while I was going on about Shakespeare. So I am very glad that everyone else has now caught up with me! Particularly the BBC. Their Cultural Olympiad inspired season 'Shakespeare Uncovered' is a marvellous companion for my Journey.

I was already dipping into the excellent back catalogue of BBC Shakespeare productions which I remember watching in the 70's-80's. But Now there is so much more on offer on both radio and TV that I can hardly keep up. Highlights in the documentary stakes have been 'Simon Shama's Shakespeare' and the titular 'Shakespeare Uncovered' programmes. It was worth watching the Joely Richardson episode alone to see the amazing shots of snow falling in the Globe Theatre. There have also been screenings of some of the better film adaptations, but best of all new re-workings by the BBC themselves.

Unfortunately I'm more than a little anal and have told myself not to watch a performance of a play until I've re-read it. Hence I missed the RSC's Julius Caesar with an African setting and Kenneth Branagh's film of 'As You Like It' as this hit the screen a little too soon. But with with the relevant Histories under my sword-belt I am revelling in the 'The Hollow Crown' series which runs through the plays 'Richard II' to 'Henry V' with a stellar cast. 

The first play, Richard II, had a phenomenal performance from Ben Whishaw in the title role and Rory Kinnear as Bolingbroke and not forgetting a stand-out 'John of Gaunt' portrayed by Sir Patrick Stewart. Now I can't wait to the watch the rest of the series and in particular to see another Shakespearean stalwart Simon Russell Beale, in the part of Falstaff, along with Tom Hiddleston playing Hal / Henry V (who as Loki stole the show in The Avengers movie). Here's just hoping the French don't have a Hulk! ("Puny Plantagenet!")


-

Quote #019

"The more pity that fools may not speak wisely what wise men do foolishly"

Touchstone - 'As You Like It', Act I Scene 2

-

19 - As You Like It

Now this is just what was needed to mark the halfway point in my Bard loving challenge - an affable tale of love and wrestling!

Back in the Nineties I saw a production by the ‘Check by Jowl’ company which used an an all male cast. It  began with the whole cast on stage, dressed simply in white shirt and black trousers, while Jacques gave the start of the "All the worlds a stage" speech. At the mention of "all the men and women" the cast split so that all the male characters moved to one side and the two due to play the female leads moved to the other. 

Adrian Lester (centre) and Tom Hollander (right)

It was only when thinking again of this production that I remembered that these two were Tom Hollander (of 'Rev' and 'Pirates of the Caribbean' fame) as Celia and Adrian Lester (from among other things TV's 'Hustle') as Rosalind. The first gave a wonderful performance as a woman and the latter expertly played a woman playing a man who's in love with a man, whom she tells to love her as if she were the woman he loved, which she in fact is, even though she’s a man (which of course she isn’t!!!)

People often think of the melancholic Jacques as having the best lines in the play but my favourite character is Touchstone - but then I’m a sucker for a good fool. His talk of wit, wisdom, women and the world is well worth a reread of the play in itself. He reminds me slightly of the rakish 'Top-Banana' Raymond Paine from the movie 'The Night They Raided Minsky's'. 

Raymond (played by Jason Robards) is another comedian full of wit who uses his power of words to control those more weak willed than himself. In one incredible scene he manages to seduce a woman in a restaurant, snake his way out of a beating when her husband shows up then finally leave them with eyes only for each other and all without anyone but Raymond speaking a single word!

And Finally – Given the amount of songs this must also have been Shaky’s first attempt at a musical, long before the conception of ‘Kiss me Kate’, ‘West Side Story’ or ‘Dirty Dick’! (Only lovers of forgotten movie ‘The Tall Guy’ will know about that last one and it’s show stopping tune “I’ve Got a Hunch I’m Going to be King!”)

-

It's All Rather Confusing Really...

-