Events clog my blog like arteries in a cheeseburger

You go one day without posting, and what happens? Stuff piles up. Stuff like

1. Macbeth at Cal Shakes in Orinda: My friend marshlady is surprised to hear me say that this is probably the best Macbeth production I've ever seen. Not a high bar, most Macbeths bite; they make the Witches into lead characters, they strip away the ethical edge of the show, it turns into a Jay-Cee Halloween Haunted House (check the Polanski film for a sad example). CalShakes' did the opposite (and correct imo) tack by contrasting the crimes of the lead couple with other characters who choose to behave decently, even in the face of great danger. I usually don't care for cobbling together the minor characters to make new minor characters, but this worked beautifully (didn't hurt that they had Delia MacDougal, James Carpenter, Stacy Ross & Jud Williford in the cast). The Malcom/Macduff scene still stank, though. Why don't Shakespeare directors ever listen to be about that scene?
2. In the Wound by Shotgun Players, Dottie Hinkle Park: Highly recommended on style alone -- Shotgun does everything they do with panache and brio. Is "brio" French or Italian? I prefer to couple adjectives from different languages. Uh... back to the play itself, a Trojan War souffle that managed to be repetitive and cryptic at the same time. I've breathed the Trojan War since I was 6 (and yes of course I hated the Brad Pitt movie), so if I can't figure out what's supposed to be going on, who could?
3. the Clash of the Titans remake in glorious 2-D Blu-Ray: I wasn't expecting to like it, given the reviews; after the scene in the Argos court I was thinkin' "if it stays on this level, we got a camp classic," but it settled down to be entertaining fun, a bit too serious but enjoyable. Scott was surprised I liked it as much as I did. What he didn't know was I'd just watched Galaxy of Terror on the DVD, so nearly anything would be a step up.
4. Galaxy of Terror on the DVD: Uh... I watched the shit out of it. It was totally a movie.
5. Sorting through boxes of financial papers in my squalor-filled TV room while watching Galaxy of Terror: I was looking for the papers I need to file my 2008 and 2009 taxes (yeah baby), but I also found some Amazon.com gift receipts from a CoinStar run, a check for 8 bucks from my Dentist from a few years back, and (gulp) a $125 check from when I was Warm Body #5 in the Lafayette Town Hall Theatre production of Miracle on 34th Street. Aw, heck, well, if I can't cash it I can frame it. Proof that somebody was willing to pay me money to act.

Off to SF Shakespeare Festival for their take on Shakespeare's worst comedy. I will bring my own food.

Events clog my blog like arteries in a cheeseburger

You go one day without posting, and what happens? Stuff piles up. Stuff like

1. Macbeth at Cal Shakes in Orinda: My friend marshlady is surprised to hear me say that this is probably the best Macbeth production I've ever seen. Not a high bar, most Macbeths bite; they make the Witches into lead characters, they strip away the ethical edge of the show, it turns into a Jay-Cee Halloween Haunted House (check the Polanski film for a sad example). CalShakes' did the opposite (and correct imo) tack by contrasting the crimes of the lead couple with other characters who choose to behave decently, even in the face of great danger. I usually don't care for cobbling together the minor characters to make new minor characters, but this worked beautifully (didn't hurt that they had Delia MacDougal, James Carpenter, Stacy Ross & Jud Williford in the cast). The Malcom/Macduff scene still stank, though. Why don't Shakespeare directors ever listen to be about that scene?
2. In the Wound by Shotgun Players, Dottie Hinkle Park: Highly recommended on style alone -- Shotgun does everything they do with panache and brio. Is "brio" French or Italian? I prefer to couple adjectives from different languages. Uh... back to the play itself, a Trojan War souffle that managed to be repetitive and cryptic at the same time. I've breathed the Trojan War since I was 6 (and yes of course I hated the Brad Pitt movie), so if I can't figure out what's supposed to be going on, who could?
3. the Clash of the Titans remake in glorious 2-D Blu-Ray: I wasn't expecting to like it, given the reviews; after the scene in the Argos court I was thinkin' "if it stays on this level, we got a camp classic," but it settled down to be entertaining fun, a bit too serious but enjoyable. Scott was surprised I liked it as much as I did. What he didn't know was I'd just watched Galaxy of Terror on the DVD, so nearly anything would be a step up.
4. Galaxy of Terror on the DVD: Uh... I watched the shit out of it. It was totally a movie.
5. Sorting through boxes of financial papers in my squalor-filled TV room while watching Galaxy of Terror: I was looking for the papers I need to file my 2008 and 2009 taxes (yeah baby), but I also found some Amazon.com gift receipts from a CoinStar run, a check for 8 bucks from my Dentist from a few years back, and (gulp) a $125 check from when I was Warm Body #5 in the Lafayette Town Hall Theatre production of Miracle on 34th Street. Aw, heck, well, if I can't cash it I can frame it. Proof that somebody was willing to pay me money to act.

Off to SF Shakespeare Festival for their take on Shakespeare's worst comedy. I will bring my own food.