you may see it at Smithfield all the fair-time; 'tis the butt-end of the nation

[angevin2]

I'm making a brief reference in my Shakespeare chapter to Nahum Tate's 1681 adaptation of Richard II, and since I had to look up this bit I thought I'd share it with you, as it is rather interesting (the adaptation itself is crappy, but as Restoration Shakespeare fascinating in a headdesky sort of way, as this stuff generally is

Comments

[angevin2]

Nahum Tate: bastardizing plays about deposed kings since 1681!

[angevin2]

*falls over*

Come, friendly plague, and fall on Tate -- DAMMIT WHY DOES THE COMPLETE THE OFFICE DVD SET NOT HAVE THAT POEM ON IT? THE REGULAR DVD SET DOES

[kd5mdk]

I watched Richard II at Winedale this Sunday!

I'm not sure if it was intentional or not that in divvying up the parts in a group of actors split 50/50 men and women, Richard and all his supporters were the girls, whereas Bolingbroke and most (but not all) of his side were the guys.

[angevin2]

Heh. That happened when DSP did it, too, pretty much entirely by accident.

[angevin2]

*flails* I didn't mean it as one! "Sicilian pizza" just = deep-dish! At least at some restaurants! :o

Besides, Nahum "They might as well be on the moon" Tate started it! (NB: the names he gives the characters in the "Sicilian" version range from Faux Pastoral to Suspiciously English.)

[reconditarmonia]

During the early part of the French Revolution there was a play called Nicodeme dans la lune that was about some guy who goes to the moon and teaches the emperor of the moon to be a constitutional monarch. So yes, it's been done. Oddly enough, this is the second time in about three days it has come up.