The Bard

Yes, I know, it's not a very good photo but it was high up and I had to bend back and annoy a whole bunch of people to take it, it's just that Alex and I both thought it looked like someone we know and love. Who happens to teach English. And actually it looks even more like his dad.

Enough! We went to the Bard on the Beach presentation of 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'. At first I thought it was a bit of a curate's egg, some bits utterly superb, other bits nyeaah...so so. But it improved. I have to say that Puck was the MOST Puckish Puck I have ever seen. I'm sure if Will really does keep an eye on all productions of his works from on high - which is what I'd do if I were he - he'd be thinking,
'Yes!!! Yes, see,' (pointing) 'THAT'S what I meant with Puck, that's it!' only of course with a load of 'marries' and 'softs' in there.

Bottom was also excellent, the actor who played this part did it straightforwardly with an RP English accent, and perfectly well he did it too, but the comedy was non-stop, in fact all of the 'rude mechanicals' were well done. The fairies - mmm not sure, they were not very faery-like, more like clowns than fairies. They did play it comically too and I was half thinking, 'yeah, this is funny,' and half thinking, 'yeah, see proper faeries are more creepy, and I like that.'
Titania and Oberon were also good. Oberon had the most killer long coat I have ever seen. It was just beautiful. I want it.
Helena and Hermia were lame, which is a shame, and I was thinking to myself, so is this because the characters are lame or is it the actors? But then their opposite male numbers, Lysander and Demetrius are just as lame as characters but were well done in the play. It just needed to be taken outside the box a bit more.

The thing about the play itself though, is the worrying little tug-of-war between the faerie king and queen over the changeling child. I mean honestly - that's just bad-way creepy. That's so ... Michael Jackson. And then Oberon isn't punished for his mis-treatment of Titania. Why is that?

In contrast, if I haven't already sent you this link in an e-mail, please, please go and listen to Joss Wheedon's speech at this link. He keeps repeating the one question that journos always ask him,
'Why do you write such strong women characters?' and he keeps answering over and over giving ever more compelling reasons. He just tells it like it is and he just rocks.

On one of my other favourite blogs, 'Go fug yourself', sadly the ladies are not in agreement with me over the brilliance of 'Rockstar'. I on the other hand, am totally in agreement with them about Brooke Burke's stupid dress sense. Go figure. How can you be that beautiful and yet dress so fugly? Defies just about everything.