Misc. Thoughts: "Hell Week Before Exams Week" editon

[thehefner]

1.) It's offical: I am going to be playing the role of Gayev in THE CHERRY ORCHARD. The director, Professor Maloney (TM to us cool kids), is considered utterly brilliant by most students, and I, who have never taken an actual acting class with him, have only had conflict with the man. The good news is that his vision of the play, a play I normally rather hate, understand, actually sounds interesting. The bad news is, I read the play, and his interpretation is in direct contradition with the actual script!!! What's it say when he spends a half hour singing the praises of Chekhov and then goes ahead and rewrites the ending (well, not really, but he sees it as having a happy ending... yeah, you heard me, a happy ending for THE CHERRY ORCHARD).

Regardless, this play has an all-star WAC cast of brilliant actors. Matty B, Rachel Loose, Siobhan, Liam Daley (Maurice, Helen, Anne, and Freddie from GOOD), Andrew Yanek and Sarah Curnoles (from Blue Surge and Cuckoo's Nest), and my own VIGIL co-star Michelle Disney, who'll be eight months pregnant by that point.

THE CHERRY ORCHARD goes up the 18th and 19th of January to those that are interested.

2.) In similar news, I just auditioned for MACBETH. Because I'm tired as hell, I didn't put my entire heart into it. Or maybe it's because, as much as I still want that role, I'm sooohoohoo tiiiihiiierrred... but if I do get in, that goes up two weeks after CHERRY ORCHARD. So we'll see.

3.) Those of you who are itchin' like hell to see the Frank Miller's SIN CITY movie need to check this out: It's an abso-fuckin-lutely gorgeous fan film based on Miller's short SIN CITY yarn, "Rats." If the actual movie's anything like that, I'll be so damn happy. It certainly doesn't hurt that it boasts one of the best casts ever. I might do a LJ post on the movies with the best casts ever, just because I think of things like that.

4.) There's a rumor going around of Farscape's Ben Browder being courted to star in a GREEN LANTERN movie. Man, don't ya just HATE those rumors that are absolutely too good to be true? Of course it's impossible, I've heard word none about this film being in development. But even still, a man can dream. Besides, the ideal Hal Jordan- Bruce Campbell- is already too old.

5.) GARGOYLES is coming out on DVD! FUCK YEAH! For those who don't remember, Gargoyles was the only show to have Jonathan Frakes play a Lex Luthor rip-off, Marina Sirtis as the villainess Demona, Brent Spiner as Puck, John Rhys-Davies as Macbeth, and David Keith as a total badass. Oh wait, he always is (well, except in REQUIEM FOR A DREAM, there he was just creepy)!

6.) Paris Hilton and movies like SON OF THE MASK are, I think, what Ra's al Ghul would see as validation for why humanity needs to be wiped off the face of the Earth and started over.

Comments

Go.

[fishymcb.livejournal.com]

Don't sweat TM too much. You're in good company with that cast, and the Timster has always marched to his own beat. Keep this in mind: He placed all of the blame in Blue Surge on Curt, and said that Curt and Sandy were just using each other. He also claimed that it couldn't be a love story because it ends unhappily. Dale, of course, played Good Cop, or rather, went ballistic on TM, citing Romeo and Juliet, of course. Wow, that was a lot of commas.

Re: Go.

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

The Blue Surge debate is one of the few experiences I've had with the man, along with Playwrighting I, Prof's Night, and post-mortem, and all of them have served to create the opinion I have of the man now. I am in such staunch disagreement with TM on Blue Surge that now, along with his ideas for Cherry Orchard, I really feel like I'm in a minority here who just doesn't appreciate him. It doesn't help that there's just never been a connection made between us; what does it say when the person I'm closest to in the drama dept. is Jason frickin' Rubin?

[dame-ratcliffe.livejournal.com]

Really 8 months pregnant in January...you could not tell at all during Vigil!!!

I remember Gargoyles the cartoon...is that what you're talking about? I'm trying to remember the voices. I used to like that show.

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that's the one! Sooo many Shakespeare reffences... great show. Once you get past the cornier stuff, it's brilliant.

[findingjuliet.livejournal.com]

why only two shows?? seems like a lot of work (i mean, chekhov is not easy to tackle) for only two shows?

when's MacB?

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

What do you mean, "only two shows"? Should I be doing more? Doing major roles in two shows that go up two weeks apart from one another, that seems like an awful lotta work to me. Mac would be the first weekend in March, the 4th and 5th, if I'm not mistaken. That's if I get in, which is pretty damn likely if someone better for the role doesn't show up, and this college is really chicken about doing Shakespeare.

[findingjuliet.livejournal.com]

all i'm spraying here is that it seems like a short run. kinda like waiting in line for five hours to ride the 30 second rollar coaster. we used to do eight shows in a run at Rhodes. It's just nice to get a feel for the process during performance. How you change and adapt to different audiences, etc. just curious.

so you could conceivably be in two different MacBeths this year? That'd be cool.

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

Well, as for the two Macs stuff, not really, since they're going up kinda closing to each other. Or at least, the rehearsals are.

And yeah, as for short runs, it's a college production. They're all one weekend shows, with usually no more than a month and a half (at the very most, five weeks is the typical space here) of rehearsal from start to finish. Five nights a week usually. A hell of a lot of work, I agree, but I'm required to do Cherry Orchard, and I *want* to do Mac, so I'm kinda screwed.

[findingjuliet.livejournal.com]

yeah, i feel ya. i wanted to be in every show too in college. it's the only time in your life you'll get to play roles you may or may not be cast as in the real world. it's such great experience it's hard to say no.

for what it's worth...i love the cherry orchard and depending on my schedule (I know I have a commitment the 19th) and a ride I'd love to try and make it.

If not, maybe I'll hold out for MacB. Sorry to hear your won't be doing it with the Rudes. I always assumed you were...shows what an ass I am...tee hee.

[ortugatay.livejournal.com]

Hey I remember Gargoyles! I used to love that show a lot, as I recall. I don't remember any Shakespeare references though, so I wasn't even sure if we were talking about the cartoon. But we are, right?

And just because you and I both need it lately, ::BIG GIANT HUG::

Please don't kill yourself with all of this stuff this semester. We are all quite fond of you. :-)

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

You mean you don't remember the Weird Sisters, Puck, Oberon, Titania, Macbeth, or Demona?

And yes, hugs gooood.

[ortugatay.livejournal.com]

I really just remember there being gargoyles. And they flew around and did...gargoyley things. :-D

Hugs very very gooooood

[tazira.livejournal.com]

You know, believe it or not, Chekhov would have agreed with the happy ending. It was one of the endless debates he had with Stanislavski; Chekhov thought he was writing a comedy.

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

I know, as did Rostand, but with Cyrano I can totally see his point. The end of Cherry Orchard, where TM says the characters are joyous, bittersweet, and happy, has written in the bloody script "they weep in despair." Despair ain't a happy emotion, or even a bittersweet one, last I recalled.

Speaking of Stan the Man: if you don't already know about him, remind me to tell you about Edward Gordon Craig. I just did a huge report on him. He was Ellen Terry's son, one of the great innovators of the importance of light, sound, and movement; imagine if Doctor Octopus were a theatre designer, that kind of arrogance.

[findingjuliet.livejournal.com]

"The end of Cherry Orchard, where TM says the characters are joyous, bittersweet, and happy, has written in the bloody script "they weep in despair." Despair ain't a happy emotion, or even a bittersweet one, last I recalled"

even so, stage directions, character description, all that stuff is generally written in by the first stage manager. you can't ever trust it. i do recall hearing that chekhov thought he was hilarious. so did ibsen by the way...which, well, he is, if it's done right.

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

Unless, of course, you're like Eugene O'Neill, who wrote novel-like descriptions in his script for plays he never wanted to see performed in his lifetime.

In any case, this professor's philosophy is to cross out virtually all stage directions in a script. Which, personally, I think can get one into a whole messy gray area.

[findingjuliet.livejournal.com]

yeah, i was thinking how O'Neill was an exception to that rule when I was writing it.

your professor's philosophy is similiar to the way of thought at studio. they believe that every action and reaction is in the text. already there. but i can see how stage directions can be helpful, maybe not for line readings but definitely to give an idea of character and setting.

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

I also see it as (assuming the stage manager didn't write it) every bit part of the author's original intention as the dialogue. Sure, authors can have foolish ideas that I'd like to see completely changed or ignored in the face of an otherwise brilliant script (case in point, the last fifteen minutes of HOUSE OF SAND AND FOG), but I do fear a line is being crossed there, one that may be necessary to cross every now and again but I cannot feel totally comfortable with the idea.