Friday, February 27, 2009

Act 3, Scene 1.

Our hapless comic relief attempts to rehearse their play and Bottom is transformed. Titiania, under the influence of a Puckish substance, falls in love with him. This scene was a good example of why it was a good idea to listen to the Royal Shakespeare company as we go along. After Bottom is transformed and his fellow actors flee in terror, Bottom sings to himself as he wanders the forest. Listening the the recording, Matt noticed that Bottom was scared to be by himself, something neither of us noticed on our read-through.

This is also the point where I remembered how much I enjoy Bottom's character, with his incredible formal manners when meeting the fairies.

Friday, February 20, 2009

Act 2, Scene 2

Here's where the drug use starts.
The majority of the characters appear in one scene.
For a devious fellow, Robin's not too bright. The trickster usually knows what's going on. Although he might not really care what's going on.
Our version of the faerie song was much better than that of the Royal Shakespeare Company and Sentinel agreed (he digs humans singing).
Hermia's speech to Lysander about why they should sleep in different places could be used in role plays for abstinence education. (Reading ahead, Matt wonders how they would use the scene between Bottom and Titania. Matt's sure he can find similar videos on the Internet.)
Patricia spotted another famous line: "Who will not change a raven for a dove?"
Patricia also wants to begin using "Night and silence!" as an exclamation. As in, "Night and silence! Matt is certainly inappropriate."
An ounce is the same thing as a lynx. Who knew? Some of Matt's friends in high school were talking about wild cats.

Sunday, February 8, 2009

Sentinel pix











JoJo came over on Friday and took some pix with his amazing camera.

Act I, Scene 2

All right, the comic relief.
Bottom thinks he can play all the parts. A true Enneagram 7.
What a shift over history. When Matt was in theater in college, there would always be one or two male parts that were played by women. Pretty consistently.

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Post-Bush predictions

Hey, one night in April 2008 I asked people what they thought the biggest difference in the world after Bush was out of office would be.
Here's what they said:
Matt: nuclear will be pronounced noo-klee-urr (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/metathesis)
CJ: deficit reduction
Mitchell: bumper stickers reduction
Ben: Black guy in office
Andrea: other countries will stop laughing
Nicole: no more rain
Ramon: zero will start with "z" no longer
Mary: turn into a socialist nation
Chris: formal signing of surrender paper to "terror" (as opposed to terrorists)
Matt: along with its allies "anxiety" and "despair"
Patricia: adoption of metric system
Pat: nothing

Were you right?

Sunday, February 1, 2009

Bird's Eye View


Hey,
I found this on Live Search Maps (Windows).
It's our land, but without the house! It's just a vacant lot.

Act 1, Scene 1 brushed up.

Our observations:

Hermia is the Michael Scott of the play. "Oh! If I tell the guy I like who likes my best friend what her secret plans to run off secretly and marry that other guy, then the guy I like who likes my best friend will like me better."

Matt observed Theseus having to best his fiancee in order to marry her and found that interesting. Some people want a sparring partner for a life partner.

He also thinks Lysander has the funniest line, "Her dad likes you, Demetrius, why don't you marry him?"

Patricia also noticed that Theseus is not that interested in Egeus' problems. "I must confess that I have heard so much, and with Demetrius thought to have spoke therof; But, being overfull of self-affairs, my mind did lose it..." (Matt says he's a flake)

Also, Matt identified with Lysander's list of why love doesn't work out. "Or else misgraffe'd in respect of years--" Then Hermia says, "O spite! Too old to be engaged to young." After all, Matt is four (three and 2/3) years younger! He would like me to type that he is five years more mature, which I am doing, but which I am also adding that he identified with Jim on The Office being 12 and playing ping pong just yesterday.

Patricia liked these lines.
Tomorrow night when Phoebe doth behold
Her silver visage in the wat'ry glass,
Decking with liquid pearl the bladed glass

We also have our first famous line, "The course of true love never did run smooth."

Next week: Act I, Scene II.