Comments on: Now Am I Dead? Now Am I Fled? http://www.twas-brillig.com/2008/05/15/now-am-i-dead-now-am-i-fled/ Thu, 20 Nov 2008 15:24:36 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.2.1 By: Pregnancy Blog http://www.twas-brillig.com/2008/05/15/now-am-i-dead-now-am-i-fled/#comment-17696 Pregnancy Blog Fri, 29 Aug 2008 15:32:29 +0000 http://www.twas-brillig.com/2008/05/15/now-am-i-dead-now-am-i-fled/#comment-17696 I really enjoyed reading this! Thank you for sharing your thoughts into this matter. I’m forwarding this URL to my 2 brothers who would love to read this. Cheers Pregnancy Blogs last blog post..<a href="http://www.earlymotherhood.com/slow-breathing-and-relaxing-music-benefits.html" rel="nofollow">Slow Breathing And Relaxing Music Benefits</a> I really enjoyed reading this! Thank you for sharing your thoughts into this matter. I’m forwarding this URL to my 2 brothers who would love to read this. Cheers

Pregnancy Blogs last blog post..Slow Breathing And Relaxing Music Benefits

]]> By: Wealth and Success http://www.twas-brillig.com/2008/05/15/now-am-i-dead-now-am-i-fled/#comment-17387 Wealth and Success Mon, 11 Aug 2008 03:56:28 +0000 http://www.twas-brillig.com/2008/05/15/now-am-i-dead-now-am-i-fled/#comment-17387 Great information! Thanks for writing this. It is an honor to participate in the discussion. Great information! Thanks for writing this. It is an honor to participate in the discussion.

]]> By: AR, Insurance Planner http://www.twas-brillig.com/2008/05/15/now-am-i-dead-now-am-i-fled/#comment-16321 AR, Insurance Planner Fri, 23 May 2008 12:43:49 +0000 http://www.twas-brillig.com/2008/05/15/now-am-i-dead-now-am-i-fled/#comment-16321 Midsummer is always a good choice for students, since it has many good roles, not depending on any single one for success. An exception is Bottom, of course; if he is not funny, the mechanicals' scenes fall flat, and the rest of the play with them. Bottom is a character like Con Melody, someone who wants to play big, gallant roles in contrast to his all-too-ordinary self. Again as with Con, this is precisely the kind of role that the traditional realistically-trained American actor finds problematic. How do you play a ham when your teachers and directors have been squeezing all the hamminess out of you for years? Well, at Juilliard, they do not teach acting by having you replicate your everyday behavior; you play the character, not yourself. The result here was the hilarious turn by Francois Battiste, a young black actor who last year won the school's John Houseman Prize for exceptional ability in classical theatre. His version of Bottom, dressed in gang-banger gear, spoke jive talk at first but when performing switched to an Olivier-style British intonation, which was so funny that I had to fight not to laugh too much, because I did not want to miss a word. After Bottom's death as Pyramus in the final scene, Battiste leapt about the stage like Baryshnikov, crying "Now am I dead, / Now am I fled; / My soul is in the sky," etc., until Nick Westrate, playing Peter Quince, came out and began to strangle him! Ever since Jan Kott's famous book Shakespeare Our Contemporary came out in the sixties, the tendency has been to play Midsummer as a depressing treatise on pathological behavior; I was delighted that Dowling and Battiste decided instead to play it for what it is, one of the funniest plays ever written. Thus, if you are in New York and are feeling sticker shock at the hundred-dollar theatre tickets, check out the Juilliard website. The Drama Division is putting on plays regularly, and, as noted, they are free. You do need a reservation, however. Also, I am afraid that if too many people start to take advantage of their shows, they may close them to outsiders. Let us keep this hidden treasure to ourselves. Midsummer is always a good choice for students, since it has many good roles, not depending on any single one for success. An exception is Bottom, of course; if he is not funny, the mechanicals’ scenes fall flat, and the rest of the play with them. Bottom is a character like Con Melody, someone who wants to play big, gallant roles in contrast to his all-too-ordinary self. Again as with Con, this is precisely the kind of role that the traditional realistically-trained American actor finds problematic. How do you play a ham when your teachers and directors have been squeezing all the hamminess out of you for years? Well, at Juilliard, they do not teach acting by having you replicate your everyday behavior; you play the character, not yourself. The result here was the hilarious turn by Francois Battiste, a young black actor who last year won the school’s John Houseman Prize for exceptional ability in classical theatre. His version of Bottom, dressed in gang-banger gear, spoke jive talk at first but when performing switched to an Olivier-style British intonation, which was so funny that I had to fight not to laugh too much, because I did not want to miss a word. After Bottom’s death as Pyramus in the final scene, Battiste leapt about the stage like Baryshnikov, crying “Now am I dead, / Now am I fled; / My soul is in the sky,” etc., until Nick Westrate, playing Peter Quince, came out and began to strangle him! Ever since Jan Kott’s famous book Shakespeare Our Contemporary came out in the sixties, the tendency has been to play Midsummer as a depressing treatise on pathological behavior; I was delighted that Dowling and Battiste decided instead to play it for what it is, one of the funniest plays ever written.

Thus, if you are in New York and are feeling sticker shock at the hundred-dollar theatre tickets, check out the Juilliard website. The Drama Division is putting on plays regularly, and, as noted, they are free. You do need a reservation, however. Also, I am afraid that if too many people start to take advantage of their shows, they may close them to outsiders. Let us keep this hidden treasure to ourselves.

]]> By: Novembrance http://www.twas-brillig.com/2008/05/15/now-am-i-dead-now-am-i-fled/#comment-16303 Novembrance Thu, 22 May 2008 14:10:04 +0000 http://www.twas-brillig.com/2008/05/15/now-am-i-dead-now-am-i-fled/#comment-16303 Sounds like just another day in the life of an uber-literate mom. Brava, my dear. There was a fantastic production of A Midsummer Night's Dream at our local Shakespeare festival last summer. See what you are missing by not living next door? Sounds like just another day in the life of an uber-literate mom. Brava, my dear.

There was a fantastic production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream at our local Shakespeare festival last summer. See what you are missing by not living next door?

]]> By: Hubby http://www.twas-brillig.com/2008/05/15/now-am-i-dead-now-am-i-fled/#comment-16294 Hubby Wed, 21 May 2008 02:57:24 +0000 http://www.twas-brillig.com/2008/05/15/now-am-i-dead-now-am-i-fled/#comment-16294 Wow - you've never taken the boring path. Nicely done! Truly brilligant, truly. Loving you a whole heck-of-a. Wow - you’ve never taken the boring path. Nicely done! Truly brilligant, truly.

Loving you a whole heck-of-a.

]]> By: jenn in holland http://www.twas-brillig.com/2008/05/15/now-am-i-dead-now-am-i-fled/#comment-16285 jenn in holland Sat, 17 May 2008 20:34:24 +0000 http://www.twas-brillig.com/2008/05/15/now-am-i-dead-now-am-i-fled/#comment-16285 A sonnet, indeed. And no need to point out your damn brilliance, it intimidates on it's own. I love your PYRAMUS-raculous self all the way to the BOTTOM and back, babe. I am thinking of you (in full Winnie the Pooh fashion: think-think-think) and for the record, I miss you. Bad. A sonnet, indeed. And no need to point out your damn brilliance, it intimidates on it’s own.
I love your PYRAMUS-raculous self all the way to the BOTTOM and back, babe.
I am thinking of you (in full Winnie the Pooh fashion: think-think-think) and for the record, I miss you. Bad.

]]> By: Wholly Burble http://www.twas-brillig.com/2008/05/15/now-am-i-dead-now-am-i-fled/#comment-16284 Wholly Burble Sat, 17 May 2008 19:03:11 +0000 http://www.twas-brillig.com/2008/05/15/now-am-i-dead-now-am-i-fled/#comment-16284 I am impressed--with sonnet delivered so perfectly! I am impressed--that with all that's going on in your life right now, you had time and creativity to WRITE a sonnet--and it made sense LOL! You're a wonder--I know I wonder about you with every post ;-) I am impressed–with sonnet delivered so perfectly!

I am impressed–that with all that’s going on in your life right now, you had time and creativity to WRITE a sonnet–and it made sense LOL!

You’re a wonder–I know I wonder about you with every post ;-)

]]> By: Jo Beaufoix http://www.twas-brillig.com/2008/05/15/now-am-i-dead-now-am-i-fled/#comment-16283 Jo Beaufoix Sat, 17 May 2008 10:23:00 +0000 http://www.twas-brillig.com/2008/05/15/now-am-i-dead-now-am-i-fled/#comment-16283 Brillig my sweet, that was fabulous. I hope the limbo doth bu**er off soon. :D Brillig my sweet, that was fabulous. I hope the limbo doth bu**er off soon. :D

]]> By: last minute reise http://www.twas-brillig.com/2008/05/15/now-am-i-dead-now-am-i-fled/#comment-16282 last minute reise Sat, 17 May 2008 09:38:38 +0000 http://www.twas-brillig.com/2008/05/15/now-am-i-dead-now-am-i-fled/#comment-16282 Thanks for sharing this nice sonnet.I like sonnet very much. Thanks for sharing this nice sonnet.I like sonnet very much.

]]> By: Shellie http://www.twas-brillig.com/2008/05/15/now-am-i-dead-now-am-i-fled/#comment-16278 Shellie Sat, 17 May 2008 06:03:51 +0000 http://www.twas-brillig.com/2008/05/15/now-am-i-dead-now-am-i-fled/#comment-16278 Yes, being frazzled will bring out the best in all of us, I did notice! That was absolutely brilliant and I wish I know what the vomit thing is, it's going on at my house too. Yes, being frazzled will bring out the best in all of us, I did notice! That was absolutely brilliant and I wish I know what the vomit thing is, it’s going on at my house too.

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