Topic: THE ENERGIZED ME (Read 16472 times)

bk · « **on:** July 15, 2004, 12:00:11 AM »

Well, you've read the notes, you've been energized by the notes, the notes have been energized by you and now it is time for you to post until the energized cows come home. To it, I say.

Panni · « **Reply #1 on:** July 15, 2004, 12:12:30 AM »

I've read the energized notes and frankly they've exhausted me. So I'm going to bed. And if I can manage to breathe through my stuffed up nose, I might even go to sleep. Shakespeare tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow.

Jay · « **Reply #2 on:** July 15, 2004, 12:16:57 AM »

So many wonderful speeches! For me, it's a tie between Lady MacBeth's Sleepwalking Scene and Shylock's "Hath not a Jew eyes?" speech from The Merchant of Venice.

Jay · « **Reply #3 on:** July 15, 2004, 12:18:12 AM »

Quote from: Panni on July 15, 2004, 12:12:30 AM

...I might even go to sleep.

To sleep. Perchance to dream...

Charles Pogue · « **Reply #4 on:** July 15, 2004, 12:40:44 AM »

Favourite Shakespeare Plays:

Richard III
Richard II
Anthony & Cleopatra
Much Ado About Nothing
Tempest

I'm also fond of most of the history plays, find Troilus & Cressida interesting, and need to explore Coriolanius more as it's quite intriquing. Comedy of Errors can be very funny when done well.

Fav speeches:

Gloucester's (or Gloster's...later Richard III) in Henry VI, part III

MacBeth dagger speech

Enobarus' speech "Age cannot wither her speech" in Anthony & Cleopatra

Richard II's abdication speech

Richard III's "was ever woman wooed" speech

Currently watching HEARTS OF THE WEST. A wonderful, wonderful movie.

Jrand73 · « **Reply #5 on:** July 15, 2004, 12:45:24 AM »

Isn't amazing that as much work as working on a show can be - that is can also be energizing. DRPENNYO was writing about it in a post yesterday as well.

Shakespeare....only four posts and some of my favorites have already been chosen.

I will say my favorites include (there are none I don't like):

A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM
TWELFTH NIGHT
THE TEMPEST

And if I must choose one speech:

The St. Crispin's Day speech given by Henry V in the play of the same name:

"...This story shall the good man teach his son:
And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by,
From this day to the ending of the world
But we in it shall be remembered.

"We few..we happy few....we band of brothers.
For he today that sheds his blood with me shall be my brother....

"And gentlemen in England now abed
Shall think themselves accursed they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's Day."

HAMLET
HENRY V
JULIUS CAESAR
ROMEO AND JULIET

Tomovoz · « **Reply #6 on:** July 15, 2004, 12:48:10 AM »

Plays: Richard III, MacBeth, Merchant Of Venice

Favourite speech: Portia's "Quality Of Mercy"
Favourite CD: "Shakespeare On Broadway" of course.

George · « **Reply #7 on:** July 15, 2004, 01:22:39 AM »

I don't know any specific monologues, but my absolute favorite Shakespeare show is A Rock 'n' Roll Twelfth Night that was written by two brothers for Harlequin Productions, here in Olympia, WA!

Sigerson Holmes · « **Reply #8 on:** July 15, 2004, 01:26:37 AM »

Hey, what about my favorite line in the Crispin's Day speech:

"Now, set the teeth and stretch the nostril wide . . ."

I've always thought if there were a musical version of "Henry V," the hit song would have to be "Stretch the Nostril Wide!"

The title of the musical?

"Nostril!"

Legend has it that when Christopher Plummer was touring as Henry V, his understudy was a young William Shatner. One night, somewhere in Ireland, I believe, Shatner was forced to go on as Henry somewhat unprepared. His struggle to remember the text as he spoke it supposedly gave birth to his trademark punctuated manner of speech, and his . . . thoughtful use . . . of . . . dramatic . . . PAUSES!

One reviewer in attendance was very impressed with the performance, particularly with an apparent improvised bit of stage business in which Shatner compassionately embraced one of the other players and whispered something in his ear.

Shatner later admitted what he'd been whispering:

"What's the line? What's the LINE?!"

Shatner's Shakespeare readings on his "Transformed Man" album always make me smile.

Elan · « **Reply #9 on:** July 15, 2004, 05:35:59 AM »

To use a somewhat obscure one: I'm an outspoken Cymbeline fan, after the theater that I volunteered for (The Pearl) did a magnificent production several years back, and their arrangement of "Fear no More" (dare I say it) kicks the Sondheim version from here into next week, at least in context.

Having performed it in "The Compleat Works of Wllm Shkspr (Abridged)," I will never stop loving "What a piece of work is man" from Hamlet. There's also a great mustache-twirling-type monologue in "Titus Andronicus" where Aaron goes on about

Quote

Tut, I have done a thousand dreadful things
As willingly as one would kill a fly,
And nothing grieves me heartily indeed
But that I cannot do ten thousand more.

If only high schools would have the guts to go through those plays (or show good productions of Tempest or Midsummer Night's Dream), dear Will would have a mob of teenage fans to this day.

td · « **Reply #10 on:** July 15, 2004, 05:53:36 AM »

I feel that it is up to me to provide some fodded to the Shakespeare discussion, and say that my favorite Shakespeare Speech comes from Terrance McNally's ...AND THINGS THAT GO BUMP IN THE NIGHT. In the times that I am at home today - not much- I'll see if I can find a copy to post. In the meantime, Clarence's final lines in that speech deal with "Shakespeare, Florence and someone in the park."

HENRY V's "St. Crispian's (sp?) Day" speech to his soldiers is my favorite one written by Bill, though.

Ben · « **Reply #11 on:** July 15, 2004, 05:59:02 AM »

There are so many to choose from. I don't have my list of classical monolouges here at the office or I would be able to give more specifics. I haven't auditioned in over 13 years but when I was performing I had a crop of both regular and classical pieces for auditions. I found some wonderful moments from King John and Troilus and Cressida. I also found a great short piece (those damned "bring in a one-minute classical monolouge" auditions) from Two Noble Kinsmen. I also did "My mistress with a monster is in love" (Puck from Midsummer). That was probably the best known. I tried to stay away from the well known pieces to avoid the "Oh, sh*t, not another Hamlet" response. The History plays are full of great moments. I had a piece from Henry 3, Part 2 that got me some work in the past.

Like DR CP, I am fond of the history plays. Next time we are in London (couldn't make it this trip) we will make it to Sam Wanamaker's dream, the reconstructed Globe Theatre.

Ben · « **Reply #12 on:** July 15, 2004, 06:03:50 AM »

From the AP wire:

"Angels in America," the surreal HBO miniseries adapted from a Pulitzer Prize-winning play about New Yorkers affected by the AIDS crisis in the 1980s, received a leading 21 Emmy nominations Thursday

Dan-in-Toronto · « **Reply #13 on:** July 15, 2004, 06:11:53 AM »

From The Tempest, Prospero's epilogue is perhaps my favorite:

Now my charms are all o'erthrown,
And what strength I have's mine own,
Which is most faint: now, 'tis true,
I must be here confined by you,
Or sent to Naples. Let me not,
Since I have my dukedom got
And pardon'd the deceiver, dwell
In this bare island by your spell;
But release me from my bands
With the help of your good hands:
Gentle breath of yours my sails
Must fill, or else my project fails,
Which was to please. Now I want
Spirits to enforce, art to enchant,
And my ending is despair,
Unless I be relieved by prayer,
Which pierces so that it assaults
Mercy itself and frees all faults.
As you from crimes would pardon'd be,
Let your indulgence set me free.

William E. Lurie · « **Reply #14 on:** July 15, 2004, 06:23:44 AM »

I admit it: as much as I love theatre I'm not much of a Shakespeare fan. Maybe it's because I've seen so many bad productions and so few good productions.

Ben · « **Reply #15 on:** July 15, 2004, 06:25:25 AM »

OMG, Dan-in-Toronto, you just reminded me of that piece from The Tempest. It can reduce me to tears. A friend in college wrote a one-man show for me and included that monolouge. Ahh, who cares who wrote it (Shakespeare, Bacon, an unnamed woman)

It exists! It's one of the most beautiful pieces in the Shakespeare canon.

Matt H. · « **Reply #16 on:** July 15, 2004, 06:45:05 AM »

Favorite tragedy: MACBETH (don't think it's necessarily the best; it's just my favorite)

Favorite comedy: MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING

Favorite history: HENRY V (but RICHARD III is very close to being the favorite)

Favorite speech: Hamlet's advice to the players.

Being an English major, I had to read all of the plays, and I have to say there are some that I think are pretty awful, frankly. There are many very good plays and some very great ones, but then you have things like TITUS ANDRONICUS that are abysmal.

Matt H. · « **Reply #17 on:** July 15, 2004, 06:47:34 AM »

I also think Kenneth Branagh's MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING is the best film version of Shakespeare. His HAMLET and HENRY V are very special as well.

All of Olivier's films are superb. I guess I like his HAMELT the best of his film versions.

That remake of A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM is sitting on my to-watch DVD shelf, and I just never seem to get to it.

Matt H. · « **Reply #18 on:** July 15, 2004, 06:53:24 AM »

Surprises in the Emmy nominations:

JOAN OF ARCADIA getting a Best Drama Series nomination over NIP/TUCK, WITHOUT A TRACE, THE SHIELD, COLD CASE, DEADWOOD, or LAW & ORDER.

No Best Comedy Series nominations for FRASIER or FRIENDS.

WILL & GRACE getting a Best Comedy Series nomination but neither Will nor Grace receiving acting nominations

EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND getting a Best Comedy Series nomination but Raymond (Ray Romano) not getting nominated.

Not saying any of these were deserving of nominations. I'm just saying I was surprised.

Elan · « **Reply #19 on:** July 15, 2004, 06:57:58 AM »

Dan: LOVE the Tempest finale. I always wonder if that's where the "clap if you believe in fairy tales" bit in Peter Pan came from ("with the help of your good hands"... or is a direct appeal for applause a classic gimmick?)

Matt: well, you can at least be comforted that ol' Will probably didn't write most of Titus (although I always got a big kick out of reading it, I've never seen a production, and can't imagine how you could keep a straight face through it).

Dan-in-Toronto · « **Reply #20 on:** July 15, 2004, 07:13:00 AM »

Last night I had a dream about my friend Clifford, who had introduced me to my partner, Gord. I told Gord about the dream this morning. Minutes later we heard that Clifford had had a heart attack on Tuesday. Fortunately, it was a minor one, and Clifford should be home tomorrow. (The dream: We were all living together; Clifford (who doesn't drive) had a new job. He had to be in the office at 7:15 a.m., and I would be taking him to work.)

Matt H. · « **Reply #21 on:** July 15, 2004, 07:17:17 AM »

DR JRand, thanks for the hilarious Jack Benny stories you posted last night after I signed off. Yep, he was THE MASTER, and I'm glad there are other fans of his here.

MBarnum · « **Reply #22 on:** July 15, 2004, 07:24:01 AM »

Now a season 1, 2, 3, etc of Jack Benny would sure be a welcome DVD! I do enjoy my PD Benny DVDs but I want more!

As for Shakespeare, I am sorry to say that I don't have a favorite. I was never really a fan. I am sure it is all quite good and I have read several of his plays, but just couldn't get into them...of course that was when I was a teenager...and things change...so who knows what I would think of them now.

Jennifer · « **Reply #23 on:** July 15, 2004, 08:05:35 AM »

I think it was DR MBarnum who mentioned watching Big Brother (sorry I read it yesterday). Have you checked out this cool link.

http://jam.canoe.ca/JamBigBrother5/home.html

(click on the "here" link at the top and then "today's transcript". It is so much more interesting to watch the show when you read what actually goes on in the house!)

Stuart · « **Reply #24 on:** July 15, 2004, 08:10:52 AM »

I know it's cliche, but I am a sucker for "What light through yonder window breaks...," and R&J in general. And then basically some of the classics: Henry IV, Hamlet, Twelfth Night.

And thank you all for your updates on the Bottoms yesterday. I especially liked your pool story, DR Panni.

elmore3003 · « **Reply #25 on:** July 15, 2004, 08:25:43 AM »

Good morning! I'm late today, after going through over an hour of aggravation about payment on a job.

Shakespeare: la! the Bird of Avon! The plays are great but so are the sonnets. The TOD however is the dramatic oeuvre, so here goes:

Faves: TWELFTH NIGHT
KING LEAR

Runners up: MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING (don't like the Branagh film, prefer the old Shakespeare Festival Sam Waterston DVD)
MERCHANT OF VENICE (when I saw at Drama Book Shop I took an order once for THE MERCHANT OF VENUS; DRMBarnum might enjoy that, especially if ZsaZsa played Portia)
THE WINTER'S TALE
HENRY V
THE TEMPEST (does DRMBarnum know this is the FORBIDDEN PLANET source? Sorry to pick on you, DRMBarnum!)

Monologues: The "I to the World" speech in COMEDY OF ERRORS is too short to call a monologue, but it's beautiful.
Julia's monologue with the letter in TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA is really fun
The St Crispin's Day speech is wonderful in HENRY V

A plethora!

Jennifer · « **Reply #26 on:** July 15, 2004, 08:29:51 AM »

Did something I'd never done before last night. Went to hotdogs and movies in the park. All free. They were showing "Thirteen Going on 30". And for some reason I thought I'd seen it. I guess seeing all those promos can sometimes do that to you (although this is the first time it has happened to me).

It was sort of fun. It was actually in a part of the city WAY WAY west that I had never been (I live on the west island, and it was WAY more west than that in Pincourt). It was sort of fun driving there. And I actually didn't get lost and arrived first.

We ate our free hotdogs. And set up our chairs. And then I volunteered to watch 3 of the 4 and 5 yr olds at the park (which was harder than i thought, since they all run around).

And even though they were all playing on the same playset, it was still a challenge.

Dan-in-Toronto · « **Reply #27 on:** July 15, 2004, 08:33:48 AM »

Quote from: elmore3003 on July 15, 2004, 08:25:43 AM

Good morning! I'm late today, after going through over an hour of aggravation about payment on a job.

DR Elmore,

Hope you got it resolved, and that you're doing better than I am with similar aggravation:

Client: Our records show the check was prepared May 30.
Me: Then when should it have been sent?
Client: First week in June.
Me: Could you verify that? I haven't received it.
Client: Hold on ...
Client: It has not been sent.
Me: When will it be sent?
Client: I'll e-mail Nancy.
Me: Who's Nancy?
Client: My boss. She's in daily e-mail contact with Louie. Louie signs the checks.

Jennifer · « **Reply #28 on:** July 15, 2004, 08:36:22 AM »

They had the thing set up kind of weird. There were 3 lines, one for hotdogs, one for bottles of snapple and one for ice cream. And you have to line up in EACH line to get the item.

Now this was okay since we were so many (started at 15 people for the dinner part).

So I took my sis (and 5 of the kids) and we got the drinks. Then we switched to where the parents were in the hotdog line.

No ice cream for us, since by the line was too long.

Movie was supposed to start at 9pm, but they started it earlier, so I missed the first part. Then when I got back to my seat all our chairs were filled. So I had some little kid sit on my lap.

It was interesting watching a movie in lawn chairs at night.

And I had brought a set of 6/$1 glow in the dark bracelets. So they put those on.

My sister's niece kept putting off opening them. I think she wanted to keep them all for herself (since I opened them up and showed them to her, she claimed them as hers). And since I have no relation to anyone but her I guess she didn't want me buying any other little kids presents.

But it was a perfect occasion to try them. And I told her I would get her more (since they were 6 for $1). I just have to remember to that.

Jennifer · « **Reply #29 on:** July 15, 2004, 08:40:05 AM »

BK, glad the revue is shaping up so nicely. I wish I lived in LA. Cause I would LOVE to see this. I know everyone here at HHW probably feels the same way.

News:

Author Topic: THE ENERGIZED ME (Read 16472 times)

Ben

Ben

Ben

MBarnum