Just seen Caesar in the pub. Slightly surreal quick chat. Yeah, I wouldn’t start here for your first live Shakespeare, though my description might have made it seem more avant-garde than it really is. When I see a play here which totally hits the spot I’ll let you know.
A Town Called Malice on Sky. Brilliant gangster drama set in the 80’s with a brilliant soundtrack from the time that will bring back some great memories. Far better than any poncy Shakespeare stuff that the bourgeoisie watch for entertainment. 10/10
It's mental on every level. They tried to recreate the summer of love, instead it turned into an orgy of violence....****ing insane
Severance on Apple TV. An intriguing Sci-Fi series directed by Ben Stiller about workers at a company so secret that its employees have to volunteer for a brain implant that causes them to forget their outside life when they report for work and forget their work life when they leave. Seen three so far and it's far better than my description makes it sound. Suspension of disbelief required in massive chunks, but it's hugely enjoyable.
Learnt a new word today - paraskevidekatriaphobia....thanks to the guys at Inside No. 9. New series, this episode about someone who is afraid of Friday 13th. Checked it out and between 17 to 21 million Americans suffer from paraskevidekatriaphobia and another four to five million in the United Kingdom - WTF!
Third and final series of Guilt on iPlayer - superb. Excellent storyline again, some great twists and a banging soundtrack. It's supposed to be in Edinburgh and Leith, but some of the scenes were filmed locally to me out on the west coast. If you've not caught any of this I'd recommend it - 4 hour long episodes per season so no big time-investment
I know how much my reviews on Shakespeare plays are enjoyed by all so here’s another one. Just back from Cymbeline at the RSC. It’s the last play Shakespeare wrote and is the last one to be directed by Gregory Doran, who was artistic director of the RSC for ten years. Cymbeline is a bonkers play. I knew nothing about it before a quick look on wiki this afternoon. It’s very long (over 3 hours) and is almost like a greatest hits compilation - has bits of Romeo and Juliet (fake death of heroine), Twelfth Night (cross dressing), King Lear (bonkers King), Macbeth (evil Queen) and I’m sure others chucked in. All set in Wales and Rome. The last act is truly nuts where Jupiter has to descend from the heavens to try and provide a way for the whole thing to be finished. Honestly not Will’s greatest effort, probably why it’s not put on as often as many others. But this is a great production. Everybody seemed to be having great fun with it, lots of laughs. All the performances were good and assured - could see the difference in level of direction from the other plays we’ve seen recently (and enjoyed) - this was a step above. Direction and performances like this make the complexity of the language a non issue, convoluted plot was easy to follow. I wish I had the chance to have seen Doran’s treatment of one of the great plays, particularly one featuring his late husband Antony Sher. Too late now. Great set design and traditionalists will appreciate everyone wore period costume - ranging from Renaissance clobber, to Roman armour and blue faced British warriors, no women in men’s roles. All in all a hoot. But again, not one I’d recommend as a first Shakespeare experience.
At Stansted waiting to fly to Portugal. Why would anyone volunteer to put themselves through this ****?
Well, after a few hours discomfort you end up in Portugal for a week or more. Decent trade in my book, cheer up!
Air travel is ****. Took me nearly 6 hours, door to door, flying back from Aberdeen Wednesday night, with only a little over an hour of it actual flying time.
