More celebrity death

[gillo]

Four hundred years ago this weekend a man died. Other celebrity deaths were an issue then, too - Cervantes died the same year. But the man who died and whose anniversary we celebrate this weekend gave us something little short of a miracle. He embellished the language, he ennobled the stage, and he gave the world the best plays and poetry ever

Comments

[dieastra]

Believe it or not, I was thinking about writing "yet another celibrity death" but then didn't dare as I did not want to mock people who are really upset.

If he only knew that we still are reading and playing him 400 years later. Nobody in their humblest dreams can expect this?

I'm wondering if the woman that was Julia on the balkony is the Ophelia from David Tennant's Hamlet. I can't find her name in any official post, but the face and especially the chin look quite familiar to me.

I'll have to look at your links tomorrow though, I really should be in bed for two hours already.

I wish David and Catherine would have done the MAAN scene, that would have been the icing on the cake for me. They were so great together and they helped me to my very first London trip in 2011.

I also loved when Charles joined them on stage - that was a great surprise!

[gillo]

Yes, that was Mariah Gale who was his Ophelia.

Yes, it would have been nice to see them as B&B, though the best scenes are the two in which each overhears the rest f the group, and those are harder to stage.

The multiple Hamlets scene was my favourite, I admit.

[velvetwhip]

There is no life without Shakespeare.

Gabrielle

[gillo]

You are so right.

[bluegerl]

To have missed this gathering on the BBC... oh I could SHOOT someone - cos I can't get BBC here. (not allowed to have a dish on my roof bit!) But to have watched that emission - gaaahhh.
Do you think it'll appear on Youtube? or would it appear on the irepeats on BBC PC?

Thanks so MUCH for this wonderful post. Darling old Shakepeare who has delighted us all for SOOOO Long.. (even to drawing joyful stickfigures!) And Voltaire's 'dunghill' - oh teehee. Oh can't you just SEE these people going all cheesy about the Great Works...hahahah oh I LOVED this post, and how super to see so many younger folk as enthusiastic as the 'oldie'!!!

Super lot of links too. You are a wonder, seriously. I'm going to watch a French production at twenty to one tonight !!! of Romeo and Juliet.

Oh HELL, wish I could have watched last night. LOOK WHO I MISSED all loving the Bard... damn damn damn!!!

And Iplayer refuses to let me see it - I'm not in the UK! ROTTEN B******S

[gillo]

This bit is on YouTube at least:

Voltaire always annoys me - so bloody clueless about anything outside the Racine tradition. So odd that such a groundbreaking thinker was so hidebound about theatre.

I hope the R&J was worth it!

[bluegerl]

The R & J is on this THIS night/morning! Still to come! I've seen so many versions... so in French it'll be another to add. I STILL think the Zeffirelli's Film way back in 1968 was the most classic. Every shot was a renaissance picture and in a way it was so 'formal

[gillo]

It's nice to see Charles join in like that. I have quite a high opinion of him.

The wonderful thing about blank verse is the way you can vary the stresses and thus subtly change the meaning. Old Will knew what he was doing.

[kathyh]

We watched Shakespeare Live too. I'm usually hugely allergic to this sort of compilation show but I really enjoyed it. I was very impressed with Paapa Essiedu being able to switch from the lighthearted silliness of the Hamlet sketch to doing it for real without a pause. Great to see such huge young talent holding their own with Dame Judi and Sir Ian.

[gillo]

Yes indeed - I'm going to see Essedieu's Hamlet in June, and very much looking forward to it.

[trepkos]

I especially enjoyed Ian McKellen's Thomas More speech.

[gillo]

He is always brilliant, and there was real intensity in that speech.