fanmix: we are torchwood [torchwood, alice/emily]

[vanitashaze]

1. So, last Saturday I saw the Shakespeare Free-For-All production of Hamlet with my cohorts. Despite the fact that - in typical Wash D.C. fashion - it poured most of the day and was disgustingly hot the rest of it, it was actually a rather pleasant experience. Most of the time was spent sniggering over the Hamlet/Horatio. It was an unusually

Comments

[ticketsonmyself]

Was the Free For All good? I'm a little sad I didn't remember to check for performance dates until it was already over-I saw their last performance of Hamlet a few years ago and enjoyed it. I can't recall the actors' names, but Ophelia impressed me; I especially liked the way Laertes and Ophelia mouthed the words and made amusing faces/gestures behind Polonius's back during the "This above all: to thine own self be true" speech. And their production of Pericles was gorgeous

[vanitashaze]

It was pretty good, actually. As I mentioned before, the actor playing Hamlet tended to flail about a lot - in the more dramatic scenes he actually flopped, twirled, and groveled into the floor - which was, okay, interesting, but kind of annoying after a while. He had a funny voice, too. Like a cross between a British butler and an audiobook narrator. Ophelia this time 'round was... eh. I liked her in the first thru third acts, but when she went crazy, she went NUTS, like Carlson would were he on speed. Between the two of them (and the overdramatic death scenes), it was a very energetic, intense performance; you could tell the entire cast was having fun. It did get kind of wearing after a while, though. My favorite actor was probably Patrick Page, who played Claudius. While he obviously got the "yes, this character is a bad guy" thing, the way he did it encompassed both the good and bad of the man, the "mafia boss slick" and the inner turmoil over killing... well, everybody. Dunno if he would have stood out as much in a more sedate

[ticketsonmyself]

Like a cross between a British butler and an audiobook narrator.

Wow, that in itself sounds weird enough. It's good when you can tell the cast is rocking out, though-for their sakes at least, given that it tends to be so hot at the Free For All, they're practically melting out of their clothes.

While he obviously got the "yes, this character is a bad guy" thing, the way he did it encompassed both the good and bad of the man, the "mafia boss slick" and the inner turmoil over killing... well, everybody. Dunno if he would have stood out as much in a more sedate cast, but when everyone else was like, LA LA LA LA CRAAAAAZZZYY he was very cool

[vanitashaze]

Claudius as a mob boss! That's a connection I've never made before, but it does work well.
Though the whole "revenge" theme is still very relevant in this day and age, I kind of thought that the whole struggle over kingship was a little outdated (or maybe I'm just spoiled, living in the US of A?) A friend actually suggested that someone do a modern adaption of Hamlet with them crazy Columbian drug lords instead of kings. I totally agree, though one might run into problems with all the references to 'kings' and such.

It's funny: the stereotypical way for a Bad Guy to become such is to kill his father/brother/lover for the throne, but people ignore the fact that a lot of the kings and rulers we hail as pretty cool actually did commit patri- or matri- or fratri-cide to get the throne (and if they're really cool, they committed all three). Yes, he was a little of a ruthless bastard, but I agree with you in that Claudius would have done a MUCH better job as king

[likewinning]

I'm taking the songs I don't already have; thanks! Also, you are awesome for the link to the graphic novels - I can't believe I haven't heard of those before.

[vanitashaze]

It was certainly a pleasant surprise for me. (In fact, I almost bought one, but didn't have enough funds thanks to the buying of a t-shirt. For twenty bucks. I suppose it was more of a Shakespeare, Free For All Who Don't Buy Merchandise.)

[likewinning]

Ouch. That always happens to me. I am ridiculously cheap for the most part, but when it comes to shows I will willingly allow myself to be robbed. I think I spent twenty-five on a t-shirt once (I know, right?), and I definitely gave up $40 for a hoodie.

[vanitashaze]

This, I think, was a great example of one of the enduring concepts of entertainment: If you sell it, they will come and buy it. Because garments that are... eh, dodgy in a department store look great under the stagelights. It's just one of those Things.

[skypipe]

Ha! I remember last year, we watched the movie version of Hamlet in English class and me and my two friends kept laughing at the Hamlet/Horatio. And ooh. Shakespeare graphic novels? Cool.

And I love the fanmix! Definitely downloading it. That's a really neat pairing.

[vanitashaze]

Personally, I think schools should require students to read the graphic version instead of the text. Because, hey - same words, but with pictures! And built-in dorky cool.