jurious: (Oberon)
Ah Halloween. I can make this an excuse to draw Oberon + Puck. Watch me...


Happy Halloween
by ~darth-jurious on deviantART

There, see? :)

(Sorta kinda based on the Shakespeare characters as portrayed in the production of MSND by the Studio Theatre Club. The Halloween stuff has nothing to do with anything really!)
jurious: (Default)
I've seen two Shakespeare plays in the past week as part of my late birthday celebrations, each starring two big names in both film and theatre: I saw "The Tempest" in London starring Ralph Fiennes last Thursday, and on Monday evening saw (what I now realise was the final performance of) "The Merchant of Venice" starring Patrick Stewart in Stratford upon Avon.

The Tempest vs The Merchant of Venice )

So, all in all: don't go see "The Tempest" unless you like slow song-n-dancy Shakespeare, or absolutely adore Ralph Fiennes. I wouldn't say it was worth it. I *would* recommend you go and see "The Merchant of Venice" but, alas, it has now closed so... maybe just keep an eye on the RSC and do, if you can, try to see something on that awesome stage of theirs. They could do interesting things with a layout like that. (Plus they have an awesome gift shop which I could spend a fortune in if I only had some money to spare...)

I have no money right now owing to ridiculous car repair bills and a rather large phone bill - oops - so no more plays until December when my theatre-friend Bec and I will be going to see some more amdram - the Grantham Dramatic Society, to be precise, and their production of the Discworld adaptation of "Going Postal". I've also asked my mum if she will buy me for Christmas tickets for "The Lion in Winter" which is the next play to run at the Haymarket. I love the movie of that play and would love to actually see it on-stage so fingers crossed for that one! :)
jurious: (MSND)
I be going to London in a couple of days! W00t! Going to stay with my twin and see "The Tempest" starring Ralph Fiennes and do other touristy stuff. :3 Fun times ahead! It's a late post-birthday celebration for the two of us and I'm very much looking forward to it. I've been a bit up-and-down with my moods recently so I figure I need a holiday. The Phoenix-man is, meanwhile, going into kennels for a few days whilst I'm down south, then I'll pick him up on Sunday and have a few more days to do stuff before returning to work.

As another part of my late birthday celebrations, I'll be off to see another big name on-stage in Stratford on Monday - Patrick Stewart in what looks like an absolutely mental production of "The Merchant of Venice". Managed to get a ticket by stumbling onto the RSC website at the right time because they were originally sold out when I first checked. :) I'm looking forward to seeing him and having a gander at this production. I'm not sure it'll quite float my boat but one never knows. Reviews are mixed so we'll see. But it's Patrick Stewart and Shakespeare so, hey, that'll do me just fine! And Stratford will be a mini-adventure - never been before.

I also have to share the fact that I've discovered the joys of setting my Facebook language to English (Pirate). I was literally in tears from laughing so hard when I first changed it in honour of "Talk Like A Pirate Day" yesterday - which shows that it's the little things that make me happy. I think it was the poke from someone that did it - the "You've Been Poked" window became "Ye Bin Skewered!". Well I say...! *guffaws*

--x-posted to http://jurious.livejournal.com/
jurious: (Oberon)
Blimey, I've realised that I spent more time driving yesterday than sleeping - sleep came in at under 4 hours, driving came in at at least 5! Whoops! Also, dinner was sacrificed and no foods were had between midday and midnight. Double whoops! This is what a flying trip to Abingdon following a day at work does to one!

But it's always worth it. :) The play my friend and I went to see by the Studio Theatre Club this time was "The Hollow", an Agatha Christie story. Christie adapted it herself from her own novel of the same name, and made several changes, notably the removal of Poirot - which is no loss. The play certainly doesn't suffer without him.

Last night was a full house - absolutely packed, which contrasted a lot to the half-full-ness of "The Man Who Was Thursday" last May (more of you should have come to see that - it was cool). All the action centred around one room in the country house known as "The Hollow", with various characters to-ing and fro-ing during a weekend when the house owners had family and friends down to visit. As per usual, all the cast were excellent -- my friend Bec and I were particularly tickled by how many characteristics Bec actually shares with the delightfully dotty character, Lady Angkatell (played by Kath Leighton). It was rather amusing! The story was engaging and, both during and after the murder, red herrings were flung all over the shop to attempt to to keep you guessing and counter-guessing at who may have committed the crime. (There was actually a red lobster in the play at one point, but I digress...) Thankfully we didn't end with everyone sat in the room whilst the sleuth explains every bit of the plot, but with a satisfyingly tidy resolution and just desserts came to the culprit. It really was very enjoyable - an excellent lil production and well worth the drive down south to see.

Now I really must catch up on my sleep. Seeing the play has cheered me up, at least - been in very good spirits today despite fatigue. Always nice to be cheerful. :) There's now not another STC play until February - which will be Shakespeare's "Comedy of Errors"! Yay! - so I'll have to fill my time with a few other lil trips -- including "Going Postal", which the Grantham Dramatic Society are putting on this December!

--x-posted to http://jurious.livejournal.com/
jurious: (MSND)
Well... this is unheard of, I think... thus far this year theatre and film are drawing on my tally. :) I've been to the theatre three times and I've been to the cinema three times. I doubt that this has ever happened before. And it is entirely possible that, by the year out, theatre might win. Who knows?

As it stands:

TheatreCinema
A Midsummer Night's Dream (January 2011)
Studio Theatre Club, Abingdon
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1 (January 2011)
The Man Who Was Thursday (May 2011)
Studio Theatre Club, Abingdon
X-Men: First Class (June 2011)
Richard III (July 2011)
At the Old Vic, London
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2 (July 2011)


I haven't spoken much about theatre before so, hell, why not?

Ramble... )

I'm not going to ramble about cinema. Why should I? Yes it's moving and beautiful and gives one a bit of escapism but... it's not the same. It's not *personal*. I have a philosophy that we all see a different film when we watch the same one, but at the same time, we're all watching the same footage. It's not so intricately personal as theatre where a slightly different play is performed on each night that it runs, and, even if you and some friends go to the same night, depending on where you're sat and how you interpret things, you each arguably see a different play. In fact, there's potentially an infinite amount of different plays to be seen even on one night.

Anyways, to wrap up this ramble, speaking for myself, 2011 may well be the year that theatre gives cinema the first beating in my life. I know that my sister and I are going to see Fiennes in "The Tempest" in September. That still leaves time for another film to match the tally, if there is indeed anything else worth seeing this year. But then I'm sure I could fit in another play or two and maybe, come new year's eve, be able to say that "I've seen more theatre than film this year!" and revel in how much more geeky a person that makes me. ;) (I certainly want to see Grantham Dramatic Society's "Going Postal" at the end of November/start of December - a Discworld play just a few minutes down the A1? Yes, I think so!)

With visitng the cinema often costing more than at least the amdram performances, I don't see why I shouldn't choose to see a play rather than a movie, the latter which will no doubt be on DVD in 8 weeks anyway... ;)

--x-posted to http://jurious.livejournal.com/

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