Last Days in Stratford-upon-Avon

Hello everyone!

Due to being slightly under the weather, I haven't been able to post the last couple days. However, they have been interesting nonetheless. On Wednesday, we participated in a stage combat class, which was something that I've never done before. We partnered up and essentially played with swords for about three hours. It takes a ridiculously long time to learn a routine, much less perform it on stage. Additionally, the swords that McKinley and I bravely volunteered for, were extremely heavy. We learned a few techniques and the fight sequence from Macbeth between Macduff and Macbeth. It was a very nice afternoon doing something that I've never done before.

Last night, we saw our final production of the program at the Royal Swan Theatre. Sadly, it was not Shakespeare but Philip Massinger's The City Madam. The story is set in the early 1600s in London and is mainly about social climbing. The main character, Luke Frugal, is a poor merchant who gains control of his brother's land. Once becoming rich, he creates havoc among the other characters in the play and claims that "those with money, have no conscience". The play involved quite a few interesting characters and I think the majority of the group liked it overall. However, watching a different play other than Shakespeare, reminds me of how good Shakespeare is with language. Shakespeare's characters, plots and lines are all more intense than a lot of the other plays I've seen. He often has many plots going on at once with many themes to be applied at the end. After this program, I can safely declare that Shakespeare is the greatest playwright that ever lived. He may also be the best overall writer as well.

After completing the play part of the program, we all talked about which plays were our favorites. Mine are as follows:

1.       Richard III-Kevin Spacey's performance was unmatched

2.       The Merchant of Venice

3.       Much Ado About Nothing-Loved David Tennant

4.       The City Madam

5.       All's Well That Ends Well

6.       Macbeth

Tomorrow, we have our final project where we will act out the wedding scene from Much Ado About Nothing. I'm playing Hero in this particular assignment. Tomorrow is unfortunately, our last day in Stratford-upon-Avon and the United Kingdom in general.

AL

The Merchant of Venice

Hello everyone!

Ok, so last night we saw The Merchant of Venice at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre here in Stratford-Upon-Avon. I have to say that I was VERY impressed by it! Professor Collins saw it last week and said that we would probably think it was quite interesting. For one thing, they relocated from Venice to Las Vegas for the setting. It worked quite well because the characters in the play are all forced to be something that they are not-much like Las Vegas. There were quite a few changes that are worthy of note. Portia was transformed into a Southern Belle stuck in Las Vegas to do a reality TV show. This was her way of eventually selecting Basantio, who is not entirely into her. In fact, I quite thought that he was reluctant in choosing her as his wife. This is partly due to the fact that the director suggested that there was some type of sexual relationship going on between Antonio and Basantio. For one thing, if Basantio chooses Portia, he will have the money to help Antonio pay his debt to Shylock and if he doesn't, then he doesn't get married.

Patrick Stewart played Shylock in a magnificent performance. He was frightful when need be, yet gained sympathy as a Jew. The anti-Semitism in this play is astounding, but there were other stereotypes that were played up as well. The Prince of Morocco was portrayed as a black boxer and had bananas thrown at him. Additionally, the Prince of Aragon, was portrayed first as a janitor, which was quite offensive. However, none are persecuted more than Shylock who is eventually forced to convert to Christianity. In short, the play is much nastier than it is when it is read. However, that was what the director was hoping for. I quite thought it worked well.

This morning, we spoke with Scott Handy, who played Antonio. He gave us a lot of insights from the director , who really was going for a shock factor. He did tell us that he thinks that Basantio and Antonio do have some type of sexual feelings for one another. All that is up for interpretation, but he does think that Basantio's sexuality affects Portia's opinion of him as a husband. It was all quite interesting. This post is a bit all over the place, but I must run to class now! We are having a class on stage combat in about twenty minutes!!

AL

Macbeth

Hello everyone!

Last night, we saw Macbeth at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon. I was quite looking forward to it because Macbeth is one of my favorite plays. However, this particular version of the production was quite interesting, and not in a good way. The first thing I noticed, was that the play began with the written version of Act I, Scene II where the audience finds out that the Thane of Cawdor was a traitor. Instead of the traditional opening scene with the Three Weird Sisters, they opted for that twist. Once the Weird Sisters appeared, we realized that the witches had been traded for children. I was quite disappointed to see that because, I think that removing the weird sisters, also removes the supernatural aspect. The play then becomes more of a psychological battle for Macbeth than a prophecy that will determine his actions. Additionally, the actor that the director chose for Macbeth, came off as a very weak character. It was difficult to believe that he had been a strong and devoted warrior, and as such, it was difficult to recognize the transformation from man to tyrant. Macbeth's friend Banquo, however, comes off as a very strong character that haunts Macbeth throughout the entire play.

The director was obviously attempting to create a very sinister atmosphere. The decision to murder MacDuff's children on stage was a particularly interesting decision. The murderers even took it a step further by killing two of the children and their mother, and escorting the young girl off stage. To our group, this suggested that the young girl must have been raped before being killed, which, is nowhere to be found in written version of the play. The feeling of doom for Macbeth and his characters heightened as the play went on. After each character was killed, the Porter (who also combined to play Satan as well) would open a door at the back of the stage for the character to walk through. This suggested that the doorway was some type of doorway to hell or damnation. Certainly, it led nowhere good. The play ended with Macbeth going through that door as a symbol that his tyranny had ended. Overall, I think the play was taken a bit too far and missed certain lines such as the all-time famous "Double, double, toil and trouble, fire burn and cauldron bubble". The switch of the Weird Sisters for children was ultimately what disappointed me the most. However, Macbeth is not an easy show to direct or act, so that factor should be accounted for. Nonetheless, it was a nice evening with the group.

This morning, we spoke with the actor who plays the doctor in Macbeth. He examines Lady Macbeth when she develops sleep walking. He essentially confirmed our ideas on the sinister nature of the play and didn't really give us anything we hadn't already figured out but it was quite nice to speak with him. We have class in about an hour on The Merchant of Venice, which we see tonight at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre. Looking forward to it!!!

AL

Stratford-upon-Avon

Hello from Stratford-upon-Avon!

The bed and breakfast we are staying at has no Internet so my posts may be a bit sporadic. Do not fear though because I will continue posting as often as possible! We arrived in Stratford yesterday and had little trouble finding our bed and breakfast. Sadly, McKinley and I are not rooming together on this portion of the trip because we both got stuck with the two singles. This morning, we had class on Macbeth, which is one of my favorite plays. Macbeth is regarded as one of the greatest plays ever written, but it is also one of the bloodiest. Nonetheless, it is interesting to see the transformation of Macbeth from a faithful soldier, to a person bound for the crown. I recognize a distinct comparison between Macbeth and Othello because they are both regarded as strong figures, yet they are both manipulated and influenced. Would Macbeth have actually gone on with his horrible deed if his wife had not influenced him? If Iago had remained silent, would Othello have killed Desdemona? It really forces the reader to ponder how evil these characters truly are. It should be interesting to see how the witches are portrayed because they, obviously, are supposed to be of the supernatural. I will have to wait and see tonight when we see Macbeth!

After class, we took a bit to walk around and observe Stratford. Shakespeare is everywhere here! The names of his plays can be seen in the hotels and cafes surrounding the town. After that, we visited Shakespeare's birthplace which holds the copies of some of the original play documents. It also shows where he lived and what his day-to-day life might have looked like. Needless to say, life in the late 1500s-early 1600s was very difficult, but Shakespeare's family was relatively wealthy, so it probably wasn't as bad for them. We also saw the place where Shakespeare is buried in the Holy Trinity Church, which is just up the street from our bed-and-breakfast. Here is a rundown of the program in Stratford-upon-Avon:

Monday

Class on Macbeth

Visit to Shakespeare's Birthplace and grave

Performance of Macbeth

Tuesday

Post-performance discussion of Macbeth

Q&A on Macbeth with the actors

Class on The Merchant of Venice

Performance of The Merchant of Venice

Wednesday

Post-performance discussion on The Merchant of Venice

Q&A on The Merchant of Venice with the actors

Shakespeare Stage Combat Class

Thursday

Class on The City Madam

Visit Anne Hathaway's Cottage in Shottery

Performance of The City Madam

Friday

Post-performance discussion on The City Madam

Group session led by Professor Barnett

Saturday

Group session led by Professor Barnett

Sunday

Unfortunately, it is time to return to the United States with fond memories of the United Kingdom

I shall leave you with one of Macbeth's most famous soliloquy

"There would have been a time for such a word.

   Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow

   Creeps in this petty pace from day to day

   To the last syllable of recorded time;

   And all our yesterdays have light fools the way to dusty death

   Out, out brief candle!

  Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player, That struts and frets his hour upon the stage

  And then is heard no more. It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,

  Signifying nothing"

AL

All's Well That Ends Well

Hello Everyone!

Ok, so yesterday, we saw All's Well That Ends Well at the Globe Theatre. For those of you that read my previous post about the Globe, you know that the theatre tries to keep everything as original as possible. Even though the seating was uncomfortable, the acting was quite good. All's Well That Ends Well is generally classified as one of Shakespeare's problems plays and for good reason. Is it a comedy or a tragedy? The play is the story of a young girl named Helena, who is hopelessly in love with a man who is considered to be above her. Her infatuation with young Bertram, motivates her to travel to Paris where he resides after being called by the King. After curing the King of an illness, she is given the option of marrying anyone in the Kingdom. Unsurprisingly, she chooses Bertram, who is horrified at the choice. He declares that he will not recognize her as a wife until she gets the ring from his finger and has a child by him. Through a series of hilarious twists and turns, Helena tricks Bertram and fulfills his challenge to her. In the end, he recognizes her as his wife. All is well that ends well, but is it? To me, it seems that the entire audience misses the fact that the play ends badly. Helena has to convince her husband to be with her and Bertram is successfully cowardly throughout the whole play. It also goes against the natural order of marriage where the man convinces the woman to be with him. Instead, Helena comes off as a pathetic, desperate woman. However, if you compare it to real life, I suppose people do crazy things when they are in love. If you go by that theme, the message of the play works quite well.

After the play, we got a chance to talk with some of the actors from the production. The actress who played Helena and the actor who played Lavatch (Countess' Clown) came to give us their take on the play. This version of All's Well That Ends Well was very different from the one that I saw in November. For one thing, the director obviously instructed the actor who played Bertram to portray him in a sympathetic way. Bertram is played as though he is a mixed up individual who partly wants to be with Helena. The director accomplished this by having Helena and Bertram kiss before he goes off to war, halfway through the play instead of at the end. Additionally, Helena is played more as a pathetic individual instead of a strong woman on a mission. Regardless, she accomplishes her goal and eventually wins Bertram. However, it is a play that will keep me thinking for years to come. All's Well That Ends Well joins the Merry Wives of Windsor as the only two plays where it seems that the women have won which makes it especially unique.

After the play, we said goodbye to Professor Collins and Professor Booth , who unfortunately will not be joining us in Stratford-upon-Avon. Later that night, we all went out for a night on the town in Leister Square and mingled with the British folk. It was a lot of fun and a night that I will remember for awhile. Today, me and McKinley Cooper (my roommate) went shopping in Notting Hill at the Portobello Road Market. I found a few little things and got something for the youngest member of the family (Meredith). It was a very nice way to end my time in London ,which is unfortunately over. Hopefully, I will be able to return here many times because this city is incredible. The rhythm is awesome and it is the perfect place for someone my age. Tomorrow, we go to Stratford-upon-Avon for the final week of the program. We will see Macbeth, The Merchant of Venice, and The City Madam. More details to come!!!

AL

Richard III

Ok, so last night, we saw Richard III at the Old Vic Theatre. The star was Kevin Spacey, who starred as Richard and was absolutely phenomenal. The mark of a good actor is his ability to be versatile and Kevin Spacey is all those things and more. Richard III is a tragedy about a man who decides to cause destruction simply because he seems bored. However, he declares his desire for the throne after becoming jealous of his brother's prosperity. Through many moves of political manipulation and murder, Richard is crowned king. However, his victory is short-lived and he is soon overthrown by the Earl of Richmond. The Earl of Richmond is eventually crowned King Henry VII and begins the famous Tudor line. Richard III is most famous for locking his two young nephews in the Tower of London and having them murdered.

Putting history aside, the show itself was awesome. The actors clearly thought about all of their lines, especially the ghost of Queen Margaret. The show was funny when it was supposed to be and serious and terrifying when it was supposed to be. In a moment of political manipulation, the director used a TV screen during the political rally for Richard to highlight his physical strengths. I found this tactic extremely effective and helped the audience engage with the actors. I highly recommend this play to all history majors or fans interested in action plays. Overall, the best play I've seen so far, EVER!

Today, we go to the Globe to see All's Well that Ends Well, which is generally considered one of Shakespeare's "Problem Plays". It is classified this way because no one really can agree on whether or not it is a comedy or a tragedy. More about that later!!!!

Loving this city and theatre life.

AL