LONELYPOND PRESENTS

Haven’t talked Shakespeare in a bit, but the calls about Merchant of Venice (#merven) auditions are already starting so it’s moving back into the mull over space in my brain. And my holdover obsession from my last reading is RINGS. Three of them: Portia’s, Nerissa’s and Shylock’s.

Shylock has a ring, you say, I missed that. If you did, go back, because I can’t get the thought out of my head that it is THE pivotal moment for his character. As Shylock is having a meltdown over his daughter’s disappearance with his goods, having only just paused that to finish his meltdown over the unfair treatment of Jews and moneylenders, his fellow moneylender Tubal reports he saw a ring Jessica traded for a monkey. Shylock’s wife had given him that particular turquoise ring before their bethrothal. Tubal’s revelation comes at the end of a scene mixing Shylock’s rage and thirst for revenge over his daughter’s betrayal with Antonio’s ill fortune and the opportunity it affords Shylock to settle a lifetime of grievances (III i) This scene changes the whole tone of the play and Shylock’s interaction with the world around him. And Shakespeare tosses in this moment of sentiment/personal history/real emotion(?) after Shylock’s totally over the top, playing to the balcony seats, possibly staged and well rehearsed rant*. So we come to the make or break scene, but while most seem to focus on the big dramatic “Hath a Jew not eyes” speech, I find myself focusing on what Shylock says after, when left alone with his only peer in the play and discussing the trigger of his raging sorrow (Jessica’s betrayal). Taming of The Shrew (#tamingshakespeare) taught me to only pay as much attention to the “BIG” speeches as the play actually requires so what I find myself wondering is not does Shylock bleed but does he shed a turquoise tear over wife’s loss and daughter’s treason.

And now to the shredding. Well, it’s going to take an exceptional actress to convince me that Portia’s not just a bubbling fountain of egocentric, self important, smart ass cruelty. What she does to Shylock could be justified as over protectiveness of Bassiano but then I stumble over the cruel trick she and Nerissa play on their newlywed husbands. First, they give Bassiano and Graziano rings and make them swear never to take them off, give them away, etc. Then, Portia and Nerissa, disguised as learned doctor of laws and his clerk, demand the men give them the rings as payment. Later in the final act, Portia and Nerissa claim to have lain with the doctor and the clerk by virtue of their possession of said rings. Oy. I must say the men show remarkable forbearance. Almost (only almost) more than finding a Portia, I worry about finding a Bassiano who can make Portia seem lovable. And Portia never bothers to explain that it might be a response to some of Bassiano’s protests of his loyalty to Antonio during the trial. Shakespeare often leaves a kick in the teeth for directors in Act V (if he hasn’t earlier aka Act I, sc ii of The Tempest, which should just be a prequel titled The Duke Of Milan).

So while many people focus on the three caskets, gold, silver and lead, that challenge Portia’s suitors, I find myself obsessed with three rings.

*I admit to pre prepping the occasional rant while pacing in my office/backyard/empty theatre; haven’t you?

Howdy…

Can you guess the character?

Haiti: such a terrible week. Fortunately, most of the world is acting in a compassionate fashion. We donated through Episcopal Relief and Development, which has a strong ground presence through the Diocese of Haiti, and will continue to do so after the immediate crisis is over. I hope you will consider donating if you haven’t yet.

Saturn picture.

Stefan Stern on underappreciated management thinker Russ Ackoff; next time I hit the library, I’ll track down Management f-Laws.

Do The Chump, yes do The Chump, chump (amusing myself, no offense intended)…my friends @TheWebFiles interviewed Jeremy Redleaf of Odd Job Nation last week so I checked out his show and darn funny. Watched all three episodes and by the time they were doing The Chump at the end, I wanted more.

James Altucher, yes James Altucher has not disappeared; he has immigrated from the FT to a column for the New York Post, Huffington Post and various other venues. You can also find him on Twitter.

And I’m in the middle of a conversation about Shakespeare with new Twitter friend @feignedmischief who reviews plays and other fancies here.

So, this’ll have to cover you for a bit…TV reviews later. The Big Bang Theory both hits and misses (or should I say fumbles) and has iCarly lost all of its charms in a cloud of mean mischief and shouting. You’ll want to know. Stay tuned.

Because that’s what you’re here for, right?

Robots: my friend @kristynburtt, the creator and host half of my friends @TheWebFiles (@SPWrite the director + producer half) is in Texas at the Texas State Fair running across robot + bird sculptures. So, of course, someone helped her solve the mystery + we have a link to The Traveling Man.

Shakespeare + Sarah Hemming, because those two names seem to go together, here and in The Financial Times. This past weekend she interviewed Mark Rylance, director, actor and theatre extraordinaire type. The interview made me nostalgic for The Tempest, which I swore I would never direct again (just read Act I, scene ii and you’ll know why — Shakespeare should have just written a prequel titled The Duke of Milan instead of that scene.) The actress playing Biondello this summer told Gayle she wanted us to do it + now I’m getting the urge again. We far exceeded our reach for the second year of a program + I got to put magic tricks in — remind me to tell you sometime about a half ton trunk, small children dressed as dogs and why they should never be combined in the same scene. Or about the 15′ tall mast that was magnetically attracted to swimming pools or the producer who had to hold down half our set by clinging to a rope thrown down from the stage…The Tempest seems conducive to epic stories, as the Rylance article reminded me. Hmmmm……

This afternoon’s alternate office discovery (thanks to Wired magazine): How about The Elements — yes, of the Table of Perodic fame. Theodore Gray has written a book about them and it looks great.

And @flyingmonkeyair linked to the site he did for Mizna, the Arab American arts journal/events promoter, where I found a book I must track down, The Night Counter.

What else…Great Vanessa Friedman article about fashion, Rio, Paris runways, no more one liner designs and everything else.

That should keep you busy for a bit. Bon soir.

I now have a favorite Pixar movie…Ratatouille. Watched it on the Disney Channel last night + was very impressed with the animation, the story, the directing, the authenticity of the characters, the way everything moved. Wow. And none of the usual Pixar tinge of maudlin to interfere. Great animation — there were so many scenes that relied on action rather than words (I could tell because Flash came in and stared at the screen since no one was talking). Great stuff. It’s on my list of DVD purchases to watch again and study the how to features. Oh, and Peter O’Toole continues amazing.

Bandslam — yes, I went to Bandslam on opening day…me and a paltry 100,000 or so other people. And I’m going to go again, because I think there’s chunks of story in the music that goes along with the story + I need to hear it again. I found myself disappointed at the end + I’m not sure why. The movie needed a rock star doing that final number. I think Vanessa Hudgens is an excellent actress, nay, I will go so far as to say a MOVIE STAR, and Aly Michalka rocks out and I think that was part of the trap. I kept switching them in my mind; it happens once you start directing things — you think you can do better…But then I continued thinking about it. Part of the problem was each one of the three main characters goes through major issues/changes — and the narrator’s seemed like the least interesting of the story arcs (gee, two hot girls want to hang out with me, I’m a freaky musical genius, but shock, dark Dad secret). So we spend the most time hearing the voice of the character I was least interested in. I loved the band they made up; it’s going on my list of favorite fictional bands: Dusted Bunnies, Josie and the Pussycats (also the cartoon), 5 Leo Rise, No Man’s Land and now I Can’t Go On I’ll Go On — I’m pretty sure there’s another couple and when I remember them I’ll do a favorite fictional band entry (suggest yours in the comments)…

I suggest seeing Bandslam because there are excellent parts in the middle, it made me laugh, it made me care, you want to see Aly Michalka fronting the band, Vanessa Hudgens can dominate a scene seemingly effortlessly and Lisa Kudrow does an excellent job at being a mom, a cool mom, a funny mom, a big sister groupie and then back to a mom.

Aly and AJ have changed the name of their band to 78violet and have an album coming out this fall. You can still get in on the design the 78violet logo contest (until 8/30).

Yes, with no show + nothing scheduled, I zinged through my FT Weekend yesterday. Here’s some fun links for you.

Vanessa Friedman on Twitter as a communication accessory — I like the analogy, Twitter goes with everything I own.

From the House and Home section, an article on 12th century design and redecorating the medieval stone keep at Dover Castle.

Sarah Hemming (yes, at it again) profiles Brian Friel…oddly enough, I recently had a Friel conversation with a friend looking for a play to direct. I would love to see a good production of Translations; I’ve always been fascinated by how the language issues would play out on stage.

Harry Eyres ponders Galileo, his telescopes and the reach of science.

And today, an update on robots assisting with care of the elderly in Japan.

Watching the weather radar and this song in my head.

Two articles in the local papers about Taming of the Shrew and Theatre Under the Trees. The Dispatch’s does a great job of giving you a sense of what the Theatre Under The Trees experience is like and the Record’s article is a fairly lively overview of the play.

Newest internet finds:

Have been having fun with Shirt.Woot — a new t-shirt for $10 posted each night at 12:01 a.m. They have a Derby every week with new designs — this week’s theme was Tatoo (finalists); it’s a fun and relaxing way to get a look at (and vote for) some cool art. @apelad tipped me to it and his was the Monday shirt.

The Cabonauts starting following me — new web series — and I got to thinking that I might want to find out more about what’s out there. And then The Web Files starting following me, I caught their trailer, I’m a sucker for a good hat and a trenchcoat, I followed back, watched their first interview with Tay Zonday, liked the questions and thought this is a good way to get to know what’s out there…They’re up to 3 episodes so far — Safety Geeks SVI looks like a fun and funny show.

A flash of enthusiasm/inspiration visited and I decided it might be fun to put host Kristyn Burtt in a Blink Kitty Love episode and we exchanged a few e-mails. They are hoping to cover animation at some point, they’re just not sure how. I don’t think Blink Kitty Love is ready for the big time yet, but I am mulling over how to increase your favorite crazy crushing band’s fan base (as well as redesign their website) and it was nice to be taken seriously. So best of luck to The Web Files…I’m looking forward to picking up some tips from your future episodes. And maybe Ms. Burtt and Tammy can go out in their hats + trenchcoats for cupcakes and coffee (yes, in the next episode, Tammy puts on the hat + trenchcoat disguise to find out more about Ty’s girlfriend –TY HAS A GIRLFRIEND??????? Don’t worry, you’ll find out more about it after #tamingshakespeare’s over. Until then, check out your favorite episodes –and drop some redesign comments PLEASE — on the Blink Kitty Love site. Tomorrow (Friday), we do a special Guess or Sneak the 80’s Sax Solos.

And I really enjoyed the Apollo 11 rebroadcast. Thanks and props to John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum for the experience. And NASA for joining in on Twitter.

And the Fourth Plinth is still happening. I pop in a couple of times a day — random bits of weirdness and/or mopping. Right now, very energetic guy with a guitar who just turned in his doctoral thesis.

Miss The Big Bang Theory, haven’t really had a chance to watch Eureka — although S.A.R.A.H. is tweeting about TIRDS?, still looking forward to the Wizards movie but can’t catch the first half of the vampire saga as we have SHOWS (very exciting; see articles above), haven’t see the newest Harry Potter yet, annoyed that (500) Days of Summer isn’t in town, a little excited about G.I. Joe, and tired. Don’t forget to pick up your Middleman DVDs next week and take care! I’ll miss you, but SHOWS! Taming of The Shrew rocks a park maybe not near you, but you’ll hear the laughter.

Have a great afternoon — and wish me nice weather.

Vanessa Friedman on what Emma Watson as a fashion icon represents — I’ve been noticing the Burberry ads, but after seeing Kristen Stewart as Joan Jett photos, I know what Friedman means. Stewart is one of those chameleons who takes on a role with such force that it burns itself into your mind, even in a photo. And no, I still can’t convince myself to watch Twilight…if only I’d actually been able to finish the book. I might rent Adventureland though. And The Runaways is now on my calendar. And on a tangent, the New Moon trailer will run exclusively before Bandslam, the rocking summer movie I’ve been looking forward to, opening August 14th.

Stella McCartney introducing a touch of Disney into her winter fashions advertising campaign…I’m not sure if that means cute is coming back or we’re taking aim at Bambi with a rifle scope. Actually, it does kind of look like Disney meets Stewart so McCartney’s probably doing something right.

And what, you wonder, is tech rehearsal for Theatre Under the Trees like…well, we borrow someone’s backyard, unload three carloads worth of stuff, put up the set, put on costumes, run the show, take off costumes, eat things you cook on a grill, put costumes back on, run the show again, break everything down, and reload it into three cars. Then I come home, notice I don’t have anything fun and semi-healthy to eat that can be dipped in milk, watch Flash friendly TV, and then Gayle goes to bed, I put on last.fm’s Radio FlashCatFlash and transfer pictures from my camera so I can e-mail them as promised to the York Dispatch’s Entertainment Editor. For the finish, I write a tersely worded costume notes e-mail to my costumer, who was the most disappointing part of the day.

It’s sad when the professional lets you down…no costumer at tech (and I asked politely aka begged) and thousands of questions. Gayle has been so busy coping with set, prop and spillover costume questions when I’m dealing with other questions that there really hasn’t been time for music. So we have two more rehearsals to see if we can work incidental music in, we’re ditching the keyboard and Gayle’s going to see if she can get enough up to speed on her clarinet that audiences will be able to hear “I Wish I Could Shimmy Like My Sister Kate.”

Grump…but it was mostly a fun day in beautiful weather and lines flowed better the second time through. Costumes that were present and fit looked great. The 8-9 yr old troublemakers actually policed their own behavior after a glitch caused by overexcitement due to beach ball. I think that bodes well for the future (the self policing).

And I really need a producer + a stage manager + a full sized truck, but I have from the beginning. We will manage. It’s what you do when you tour. And Friday, we open and I find myself thinking I might start looking forward to it.

Oh, and wonder of wonders, I have cracked the big horrible awful Kate speech. You see, the thing is, it’s not a polemic about marriage or a declaration about the rights of womenkind. It’s notoriously tempermental Katherina ticking off her annoying little sister and Hortensio’s smug, witchy new wife. And with Bianca and the Widow’s reactions, you just get drawn into the scene instead of hurrying off your small children or thinking, gee philosophy of life is happening. And I am very happy about that.

And here’s a picture to commemorate the day — Petruchio, Kate and Grumio, after the wedding:

After the Wedding