The Songs of Johnny Go

Hmph. Looks like I missed my chance to see RICHARD II at the Shakespeare Theatre. The last show is sold out. Did anyone see it? cisic, perhaps? emma_elicit? tompurdue? Anyone?

Perhaps it's just as well that I missed it. I wanted to take Henchgirl, to introduce her to one of my very favorite Shakespeare plays (and one of my dream roles to perform... also my most intimidating). But then, I remember when I took Bloo to see the original Chicago production of Stacy Keach's KING LEAR, which was perhaps the second worst LEAR I've ever seen. It still kills me that that was Bloo's introduction to my very favorite play. Kills me.

Now, you may be wondering, "Gee, Heffie, what was the absolute worst KING LEAR you've ever seen?" That would be the Shakespeare Theatre production directed by Michael Kahn. Y'know, the same company and director who directed the RICHARD II that I'm missing. So yeah, I wouldn't want for Henchgirl's introduction to RICHARD II being a bad one.

Because good lord does RICHARD II have the potential to be a horrible production in the wrong hands. It's a play with virtually zero action of any sort happening, largely devoted to wangst and wallowing self-pity. And yet, by some miracle of Shakespeare's poetry and performers like Derek "Man-God" Jacobi, it can be one of the most moving plays I've ever seen.

The heart of this is how, for reasons I still don't entirely understand, Richard goes from being a self-absorbed, nasty little twit to somehow gaining more and more humanity the more power he loses. But some reviews I've read of Kaaaaaaaaahn's RICHARD II say that this production does away with that.

DC Theatre Scene--and the reviewer there said he never say anything in the text to support that Richard regains his humanity--says they just keep Richard a pompous self-absorbed ass up to the moment of his (spoiler alert!) murder. They reviewer said, "It's a bold choice, and it works." I'm skeptically curious. That choice seems to undercut the very thing which gives RICHARD II it's unlikely poignancy and power.

And I'm not saying it couldn't work, and I haven't seen a Michael Kaaaaaaaaaaahn production in many years, but from what I recall of the man's work, he's not the one to pull it off.

In the end, I'm sad only for my own eduction and experience that I'm missing RICHARD II. It's so rarely produced that I feel like I can only learn from any production, especially a bad one, which I have yet to see. But in the end, I'd rather introduce Henchgirl to it via either Derek Jacobi...





(cue to 7:50 onward)

.. or Mark Rylance:




(Dreamy sigh)


I saw that production live, at the Globe, with a class in London. I was the only one in the class who actually went and saw it a second time, I loved it so much. Apparently they filmed the whole thing and aired it on the BBC? DAMN IT, I WANTS IT ON THE DVDS!

Can anyone get it for me? And if so, can you also get the CRIME AND PUNISHMENT movie with John Simm and Ian McDiarmid? And the Paul Scofield KING LEAR? Damn it, should I just spring for a region-free DVD player and be done with it?

So Al Pacino will be doing a film of KING LEAR. This could either go really well or really, really badly. It's by the guy who did the MERCHANT OF VENICE film, was that any good?

Me, I still desperately need Peter Brook's 1971 KING LEAR on DVD. It's available in the UK, which is a single-handed argument for me getting a region-free player. It's one of the greatest Shakespeare movies ever made, and Paul Scofield is the greatest Lear I've ever seen. He underplays it more than any other Lear (who's usually played all fire and brimstone and trilling "r"s*), and the result is...

... well, here, Shakespeare fans, you owe this to yourselves. Just look at him. Look at this motherfuckin' King Lear.

I seriously don't think there's been a more powerful version of this curse:



Nor a more horrifying version of the eye-gouging (did the cameo by Patrick Magee, actor of A CLOCKWORK ORANGE, TALES FROM THE CRYPT, and MARAT/SADE!):



Nor a more badass (and insanely short!) duel between Edgar and Edmund. With fucking axes.



You may have noticed that this is a pretty truncated version of LEAR. Purists might be appalled to find beautiful soliloquies and speeches reduced to one or two lines, but somehow, it absolutely works in the sparse, stark, and bleak (Bergmanesque?) context of Brook's vision.

I originally was going to write a whole LJ post about why I love KING LEAR above all other Shakespeare plays, why I feel it's sorely underappreciated, and all the "troublesome" (i.e.: "often if not outright shitty") versions I've seen of it since, even with greats like Olivier, Ian Holm, and Stacy Keach. But I figured most of y'all would just gloss over that, and would have just preferred to show you guys these clips.

There are more on YouTube, including the awesome ten-minute long scene where Lear realizes his daughters' betrayal, all well worth watching until they finally put it out on DVD.

Okay, seriously, off to NYCC now.



*God, Larry Olivier, I love and defend you, but your Lear hurt my soul. "Oh RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRREASON NOT THE NEEEEEEEED!!!

... till he be eas'd with being nothing."

It's amazing what one can find on YouTube these days.

RICHARD II, starring Derek Jacobi with John Gielgud as John of Gaunt. One of the two or three genuinely brilliant productions from the BBC's complete Shakespeare series.



EDIT: Blast, I thought they posted the whole thing on there. Here, instead of the first scene, have the last one, to contrast with the Rylance one below.

It's available on DVD, so one way or another, this is an absolute must-see. Jacobi's performance moves me to tears, especially with his "NO!!!" But my first introduction to this little-seen play came when I saw Mark Rylance's production at the Globe in London.

And why oh why oh why did I not know the BBC filmed the Globe production?!



It's only on YouTube in excerpts. Where the hell can I get a full recording?! It's not often you can have a filmed version of one of the greatest Shakespearean theatrical experiences of your life.

God, RICHARD II. I cannot imagine a Shakespeare play that could possibly be more punishing to read yet rewarding to see live (and done well). It's a whole play entirely devoid of action and filled with long, long speeches of self-pity. But what self-pity. In the hands of Jacobi and Rylance, self-pity becomes heartwrenching, saintly, even angelic, which is all the more remarkable coming from a character who started off the play as a petulant jerkass, not unlike my version of King John. Yet the more power he loses, he more dignity and grace he gains.

Man, I need to get full versions of both productions. Like, yesterday.

EDIT AGAIN: There was a TV production in 1970 of Ian McKellen as Richard?! Egad, it must be mine!

Anatomy of a Supervillain: an excellent essay that explores the questions, "Why do we see so many rehashings of old villains and why do we rarely see any new bad guys? And why are the new ones so often shunted aside and forgotten?"

All mainstream superhero writers should pay heed to this essay. It brings up excellent and timeless points throughout.



I really should know better than to read Newsarama's message boards, but when the subject is the upcoming Harvey Dent origin mini-series TWO-FACE YEAR ONE, of course I had to. What really took my notice is how the majority of comments seem to be "Ugh, we don't need another Two-Face origin! We have THE LONG HALLOWEEN!"

There are so many reasons why this makes me want to *headdesk* and rage*, it's like they all come rushing up at once and get jammed--Three Stooges style--in the doorway of my brain. I can go into them all in the comments, if anyone actually cares and wants to discus.

For now, it's certainly clear that a large contingent of comic fans are closed-minded and adverse to new ideas (in the form of reinterpretations, in this case). But then, maybe I shouldn't read too much into this, as Newsarama's boards are truly the internet's vilest hive of scum and fucktardery.



And finally, Itchy and Scratchy do TITUS ANDRONICUS: the only truly worthwhile example of the whole "Simpsons do Shakespeare" comic. Are there still Shakespeare snobs out there who look down on TITUS?



*ENTIRELY besides the fact that I'm writing one. Honestly, I swear, I have more reasons!

Heads up, fans of Hamlet and/or metal.

For those who don't watch METALOCALYPSE, there's an episode where Nathan Explosion, lead singer of the metal band (and twelfth largest economy in the world) Dethklok records the Complete Works of William Shakespeare. His aim to make Shakespeare metal.

In the actual episode, we didn't see too much of the actual performance. However--and I am very peeved that no one has told me about this--in the DVD, this here video is a special feature.


Online Videos by Veoh.com

(Erm, just ignore this link, the video above is all I'm posting here)

Holy. Bejabbers. I'm dying here.

I haven't had the time to watch the whole thing yet, but that easily joins the ranks of Arnold Schwarzenegger's HAMLET:



And, of course, the still-brillaint South Park (Canadian) HAMLET: