National Theater At Home

The National Theater in London started the National Theater Live program to broadcast performances internationally. You might have seen National Theater Live advertised through Fathom Events before movies, back when you went to movie theaters.

This summer they're making proshot performances available for one week at a time. Last week was a fantastic Treasure Island starring Arthur Davrill, and if I'd watched it earlier in the week, I would've shared it.

This week is Twelfth Night (the Shakespeare play) starring Tamsin Greig. I can't wait to watch!



As for what comes after that ...

We’re excited to announce two new titles for #NationalTheatreAtHome.

#Frankenstein is on 30 Apr and 1 May. Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller alternate the roles of Frankenstein and his creature.

#AntonyAndCleopatra, with Ralph Fiennes and Sophie Okonedo, is on 7 May.

https://twitter.com/nationaltheatre/status/1253217039864520704

I appreciate all these theater, musical, and opera organizations making staying at home a more appealing prospect. I am thrilled at the amazing performances I've been able to see.

You can donate through their YouTube channel or the other places listed here.

Watch The Globe #AtHome

Adetomiwa Edun in conversation with my class

Shakespeare's Globe is making a number of productions available online. These include full productions, and actors performing some of the greatest love poetry from their own homes. There are also more performances available to buy.

You can see a full schedule here. Please consider a donation to help Shakespeare's Globe continue their work in Shakespeare scholarship and performance.

The current play, Romeo and Juliet (2009) is a special one for me because I saw this cast perform it live while I studied in the UK, and my class was able to do a special Q&A with a few of the actors. You might recognize the stars. Ellie Kendrick (Juliet) appeared on Game of Thrones and Adetomiwa Edun (Romeo) appeared in FIFA 17/18/19.

This stream is available through May 3rd.

As You Like It @ Alley Theatre

As You Like It is my favorite Shakespeare play, and until this past Tuesday it had been almost five years since I'd seen a performance of it.  When I saw it was being performed at the Alley Theatre, I had to see it.  And picking a Tuesday was a no-brainer, since they had both bargain tickets and a TalkBack with the cast and crew.

Press release
Houston Press article
Interview with Elizabeth Bunch

Buy tickets

Now, it wasn't the best As You Like It I've ever seen.  That honor still belongs to the 2010 version at the Globe, which starred Naomi Frederick as Rosalind (link to DVD).

It was, however, the second-best I've ever seen.  (Even if they did cut the priest scene, which I love.)

As You Like It lives and dies by its Rosalind, and Elizabeth Bunch puts on a physically comedic, near manic performance.  She's quite the overwhelming force.  Emily Trask makes her Alley debut as Rosalind's cousin Celia and proves to have talents for comedy, song, and dance.  She and Elizabeth bounce off of each other beautifully.  As for Chris Hutchinson as Orlando ... he gets to deliver some good lines.  I felt like he was at max intensity all the time, perhaps in an attempt to match Rosalind and hide that he was too old for the part.

The other parts were quite well done, especially Jay Sullivan (Le Beau; Silveus), Melissa Pritchett (Phebe), Nicole Rodenburg (Audrey), and James Black as Jacques.  At the TalkBack the cast said they weren't aiming for a naturalistic style, but I found that they fell into it sometimes.  It does happen in As You Like It, which makes far more use of prose than most of Shakespeare's plays (especially for Rosalind).  As for one decision I really liked, they made Audrey a bit of a fool-apprentice to Touchstone at the end, which takes some of the sting out of him duping her into marriage to take her virginity.

The set design, music, and choreography were all fantastic.  There are a lot of big entrances, a Brechtian half curtain, booming percussion, song interludes, and movement that fits each character.  The costumes for the court are amazing - black, white, and silver dresses, doublets, and hose evoking 1599 Spain.  The costumes for the Forest of Arden are more that of a modern hipster, which instantly shows the divide between the two settings.  I did feel that Rosalind's costume as Ganymede was a bit baffling.  I loved that she removed layers, scene by scene, as she came closer to unveiling her disguise.  But I was bemused that every single piece seemed to be of feminine cut.

There are, of course, scenes cut to fit the play into a two-hour running time.  There is also some rearrangement of scenes so that all of the Arden scenes come after the court scenes.  There was one move that bothered me, because I think it messed with the directorial vision that the play is dark until Rosalind enters the forest.  But I do think it probably made the play easier to follow for those in the audience unfamiliar with the story.

If you're looking for a humorous and romantic night on the town in Houston, look no farther than As You Like It at the Alley Theatre, featuring their resident company.  It runs through February 22nd.

Review: Anyone But You

Book Three in the Twisted Lit series
By Kim Askew and Amy Helmes
Available now from Merit Press (F+W Media)
Review copy
Read my reviews of Tempestuous and Exposure
Read my interview with the authors

First off: don't worry about the fact that this is the third book in a series.  All that connects the books is the authors and the fact that they're all based on Shakespearean plays.  You can read them in any order.

ANYONE BUT YOU is Kim Askew and Amy Helmes' take on Romeo and Juliet.  In this case, Roman and Gigi are the heirs to competing Italian restaurants.  The book switches back in forth through time, telling the story of Gigi and Roman's romance as well as the history of their families' feud, which started with two boys (Nick and Benny) and a girl (Stella).

Honestly, Romeo and Juliet is not my favorite play by any stretch of the imagination.  And I was never fully into the romance.  There's nothing wrong with Gigi and Roman, but they meet, find each other cute, start dating.  It doesn't span that much more time than the original either.

On the other hand, I love love loved the flashback story.  You've got the World's Fair, two best friends sticking by each other no matter what, ambition, love, jealousy, war . . . I'd have happily read an entire book just about Nick, Benny, and Stella.  I particularly liked how my sympathies shifted throughout as more became clear about the characters and their actions.  It was also so tense since the future parts were there and thus it clearly has to go terribly awry at some point.  (And, oh, how it did.)

ANYONE BUT YOU doesn't reinvent the forbidden-romance wheel, but it does keep it rolling along nicely.  While I am enjoying the Twisted Lit series, the past parts do bode well for when Askew and Helmes venture out into other projects.

Anyone But You Cover Reveal and Giveaway

I'm a little late posting this; please forgive me. 

I am a fan of Amy Helmes and Kim Askew's Twisted Lit series, in which they modernize Shakespeare in very loose adaptations.  First came TEMPESTUOUS, a take on The Tempest, and then EXPOSURE, a take on Macbeth.

When I interviewed Kim and Amy in December, this is what they had to say about the series:
"We didn’t want to do a paint-by-numbers retelling of the plays, where we followed the story to the letter, only reworked it into a modern setting. As writers, that didn’t appeal to us. Instead, we use the Bard’s works as a springboard of sorts and let the story take its own trajectory while still incorporating each play’s iconic themes, symbols, characters and major plot twists. We allow ourselves a lot of freedom in that sense."

Here's the cover and blurb of ANYONE BUT YOU, coming out in January 18, 2014 and currently available to preorder:

Two Italian restaurants, both alike in dignity, in Chicago’s Little Italy where we lay our scene... After her family’s struggling eatery, Cap’s, falls prey to another of the Monte clan’s vicious and destructive pranks, sixteen-year-old Gigi Caputo finds herself courting danger during a clandestine encounter with Roman Monte, the very boy whose relatives have brought her family such grief. When the daughter and son of these two warring factions fall for each other, their quest to mend this bitter family feud turns out to be a recipe for disaster. Their story is irrevocably linked to the summer of 1933, when two twelve-year-olds, Benny and Nick, hop the turnstile at the Chicago World’s Fair. While enjoying some of the fair’s legendary amusements, Nick has a “love at first sight” encounter with Stella, a young girl who unintentionally causes a lasting rift between the two boyhood pals. Deftly winding its way through past and present day, this modern take on Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet has much to do with hate — but more with love.

 

I have one signed copy of EXPOSURE to giveaway.  Since I'm late, this will be a quickie contest.  First person with a U.S. address to comment on this post gets it.  Please leave an email address so that I can reach you to get you your prize.

William Shakespeare's Star Wars

Verily, A New Hope
By Ian Doescher
Illustrations by Nicolas Delort
Available now from Quirk Books (with permission from Lucas Books)
Review copy

Ian Doescher had a great idea.  I can't imagine how many people wish they had it first.  Star Wars, that nerdy yet mainstream cultural touchstone, uses classic structure to tell of space battles.  Why not push it even farther?

(If they can do it with Pulp Fiction . . . )

Ian Doescher does a great job of telling Star Wars in the style of William Shakespeare.  He has the benefit of having seen all the movies to add a bit more weight to lines that foreshadow what's to come.  (He also gets to references fan fervor over whether Han shot first.) He alludes to a large number of Shakespeare's most famous lines, including both my favorite lines from Macbeth and Julius Caesar.  He also matched the characters well to Shakespearean counterparts.  I particularly loved R2-D2 as a Shakespearean fool, tricking the pretentious C-3PO.  The pastiche continues to the very end, when a parody of Prospero's 'Our revels are now ended' (The Tempest) directs readers to extras on the Quirk Books' website.

The greatest weakness is Doescher's reliance on a Chorus.  Yes, it's a theatrical technique, but not one Shakespeare much used.  I can understand Doescher wanting to reference the movie's famous visuals, but it seems like some of the lines could have been folded into the dialogue.  I think Doescher didn't want to stray too far from the original script, although he does give many characters speeches that reveal more of their internal turmoil.  (That being a good theatrical change, of course.)

I wish I could see WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE'S STAR WARS performed, instead of just reading it.  It is a stage play, after all, and performance always gives the words new life.  There are, fortunately, twenty scratchboard illustrations by the fantastic Nicolas Delort in the book.  They're appropriately old fashioned and manage to reference famous iconography from both sources.  I particularly liked the way he drew Chewbacca.

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE'S STAR WARS is a good pick for Star Wars fans.  It's a novelty, sure, but one that is done with great style.  I can also see English teachers picking it up for use in the classroom.  It's not only a good introduction to iambic pentameter, but also a way to teach the meaning of pastiche.

Guest Post: Kim Askew and Amy Helmes Offering Tuckerization!

In honor of William Shakespeare’s birthday (celebrated on April 23), authors Kim Askew and Amy Helmes, have dropped by with a guest blog post to announce a special contest!

Get A “Twisted Lit” Character Named After You!

We reimagined William Shakespeare’s “The Tempest” and “Macbeth,” with our “compulsively readable” YA books, Tempestuous (my review) and Exposure (my review). Ever since the novels were published a few months ago through Merit Press we’ve encountered a frequent question: Which of Shakespeare’s plays will inspire your next books in the Twisted Lit series?

While we’re currently hard at work putting our own spin on the Bard’s “Romeo and Juliet” we thought we’d look to you, the readers, to help us pick the fourth Shakespeare play that will inspire our next book in the series. Got a hankering for a new spin on “Hamlet?” Love to see “King Lear” get a YA update? Would you make much ado over our take on “Much Ado About Nothing?”

Go to our Facebook page (Facebook.com/Twistedlitnovels) and write on our wall to weigh in on which Shakespeare play you’d like us to revamp next. In doing so, you’ll be entered to have your very own name mentioned in one of our upcoming books (either as a character or some other fun reference). If you’ve always wanted to see your name in print — in a YA novel, no less — now’s your chance! The winner will also receive autographed copies of our first two novels, Tempestuous and Exposure.

We’re looking forward to hearing your suggestions! (And don’t forget to follow us on twitter at @kaskew and @amyhelmes.)

* Winner will not be compensated for use of his or her name, and publication is not guaranteed. Details of plot and character used in connection with the name as it appears in the book are up to the sole discretion of the authors. Contest ends June 1.

Kim & Amy

--

Personally, I vote for As You Like It!  It's my favorite Shakespeare play.  For more information on the Twisted Lit series, check out my interview with Kim and Amy.

Review: Tempestuous

Book One of the Twisted Lit series
By Kim Askew and Amy Helmes
Available now from Merit Press
Review copy

TEMPESTUOUS is the first book in the Twisted Lit series, modern interpretations of Shakespeare's plays by young adult debut authors Kim Askew and Amy Helmes, edited by bestseller Jacquelyn Mitchard.  TEMPESTUOUS is a very loose re-imagining of The Tempest.  There is a character named Miranda, in a sort of exile, and one named Ariel, sort of trapped by her guardian, and the characters are removed from civilization due to a storm.  But in TEMPESTUOUS they're stuck in the mall by a fierce blizzard.

(And yes, I did believe the mall would be open.  Mostly because I've worked in a mall during a tropical storm.  The store's only concession to the inclement weather was putting more umbrellas and galoshes on the floor since they were more likely to be sold.)

Miranda is working at the name-changed-for-fiction Hot Dog on a Stick in order to earn back the money she owes her fancy private school due to a tutoring scheme that went horribly awry.  Unfortunately the snow traps her with her ex-boyfriend and ex-friends as well as her coworkers.  She likes some of them, like Ariel, a sweet, goofy girl who happens to be celebrating her birthday.  Others, like sarcastic Caleb, she isn't too big on.  She and him just too alike to immediately become friends.

That would be enough set up for drama, but Askew and Helmes throw another wrench in the works.  The teens are trapped in the mall with an armed robber.  I kind of liked that it took awhile for the danger to sink in.  Everyone assumes the guy already left, plus there's an entire mall to play with!  It's not until someone gets hurt that Miranda turns her full attention to catching the thief.

I thought TEMPESTUOUS was a great deal of fun.  It's a short novel, less than two hundred pages, so there isn't a lot of padding.  I liked how the mystery and romance were balanced - there's enough flirting and interaction to make it believable, but it's the mystery that drives the plot and takes most of the characters' focus.  I also liked that Askew and Helmes managed a great deal of characterization - even mean girls Britney and Whitney get some vulnerable moments.  Miranda herself can be overbearing and too quick to resort to manipulation, but she can come up with a good plan on the fly and she has a knack for leadership.

TEMPESTUOUS may not be Shakespeare, but that's not a bad thing.  (Don't worry Shakespeare geeks, there are plenty of allusions to keep you engaged with the Bard.)  What it is is a quick, appealing read full of teen drama, a bit of action, a hint of danger, a dash of romance, and a couple of epic pranks.  I liked it so much that I started reading EXPOSURE, the second Twisted Lit title, as soon as I finished.

Review: When You Were Mine

By Rebecca Serle
Available now from Simon Pulse (Simon & Schuster)
Review copy

WHEN YOU WERE MINE wasn't what I was expecting from the summary and reviews.  As you probably know, WHEN YOU WERE MINE is a modern adaptation of William Shakespeare's ROMEO AND JULIET through the point-of-view of the jilted Rosaline.  I had this imagine in my head of a crazy passionate romance between Rosaline and Rob, suddenly interrupted by her sociopathic cousin Juliet.  It would then go into thriller territory, with Rosaline trying to save Rob's life.  That's not quite how the book goes.

Rosaline and Rob have been best friends forever.  When they come back to school as seniors, Rob finally makes a move and asks Rosie out.  She's over the moon that they're finally going to go out together.  But their first date is surprisingly awkward, aside from a great kiss at the end.   Before they can make their relationship official, Juliet moves back to town and the two fall in love fast and hard.

Now, Juliet might have moved on Rob just because he was hot.  But something happened between their families years ago, and Rosie hasn't seen her cousin since one disastrous Christmas.  Juliet, however, seems to know what caused the split.  (Unlike in Shakespeare's play, Rosaline's family is aligned with Rob's rather than Juliet's.)  I loved that Juliet wasn't a straight-up crazy, evil character.  She's just a teenage girl with an unhappy home life, a need for revenge, and an unexpected passion.  Debut author Rebecca Serle gives Juliet moments of true emotion, not allowing Rosie to see her as just a villain.

Serle wisely keeps WHEN YOU WERE MINE from focusing too much on the updated versions of the famous lovers.  Their story has been told and she's doing something new.  Instead, the book introduces new characters: Rosie's best friends, Charlie and Olivia, and her biology partner Len.  Charlie and Olivia contribute to 2012's reputation as a great year for female friendships in YA.  Len, meanwhile, is a terrific diversion from the milquetoast Rob.  He's a pianist and much smarter and more dedicated than Rosie expected before she started spending time with him.  I thought the non-Shakespearean elements of WHEN YOU WERE MINE eclipsed the derivative material.

But really, what makes WHEN YOU WERE MINE a successful book is Rosaline's voice.  That's good, considering the book is supposed to be her version of ROMEO AND JULIET.  She's a normal high school girl.  She's loyal to her friends, worried about college, not as confident in her looks as she should be, a bit preoccupied with popularity, and prone to fits of pique.  I liked that she doesn't put up with the way Rob treats her.  He throws her over for Juliet, and she doesn't pretend that she's okay with that and they can still be friends.  He hurt her feelings and she's not going to let him get close again.  She has her moments of weakness, but she doesn't make a fool of herself trying to get him back.  Maybe it's just my opinion, but I can't stand stories about girls doing crazy things to reunite with their exes.  I'm so happy that isn't what WHEN YOU WERE MINE is about.

WHEN YOU WERE MINE made me cry in the way ROMEO AND JULIET never has.  It's a very human retelling of the famous drama, the old story enlivened by the trappings and distractions of high school life.  And, of course, it is anchored by a strong voice.  Serle has made a terrific debut on the YA scene.

Movie Monday: Top Five Teen Movie Shakespeare Adaptations

People love making movies of Shakespeare's works.  I love most of those movies, especially when they use the bare bones of the plot to make a teen movie.  There is always something delightful about a teen movie based on Shakespeare.  Here's my top five:

5.  Get Over It

This will probably be my most contentious pick, because I don't think Get Over It has many fans.  This comedy not only has A Midsummer Night's Dream-inspired love triangle shenanigans, it also has a musical version of the play!  The talented ensemble includes Kirsten Dunst, Colin Hanks, Martin Short, and Swoosie Kurtz.  But the real reason to see this one is Shane West's performance as Striker, an egocentric and shallow pop star.  And honestly, I enjoy Get Over It far more than I should.  For fans of silly comedies and strange musical numbers.

4.  She's the Man

She's the Man, based on Twelfth Night, is both Amanda Bynes' best movie and the film that brought us Channing Tatum.  How you take that statement depends on how you feel about Channing Tatum.  This is a light, enjoyable comedy full of unconvincing crossdressing and unsubtle gender politics.  I admit to being a little disappointed the first time I saw this one, but I like it more every time I see it.  I think my expectations were too high originally, because She's the Man does have many fans.  For fans of mistaken identity, soccer, and boarding school settings.

3.  "O"

"O" is the first, but not the last, tragedy on this list.  It is also not the last to star Julia Stiles.  "O" moves the story of Othello to a modern private school where Odin (Mekhi Phifer) is a basketball star.  This one is far more faithful to the story than Get Over It or She's the Man, but no less accessible.  "O" is a touch dated.  The presence of Josh Hartnett alone marks this a a turn of the millenium movie.  For fans of unhappy endings, basketball, and messages of non-violence.

4.  Romeo + Juliet

Baz Luhrmann has a lot of haters.  I can see where they come from - his style is hyper-kinetic, overproduced, and generally designed to induce sensory overload.  But I love it and the man even has me looking forward to a movie version of THE GREAT GATSBY.  When Luhrmann set Romeo and Juliet in modern California but kept the language, he knew what he was doing.  Claire Danes' scansion is perfect and Leonardo DiCaprio is at the height of his days as a teen heartthrob.  For fans of romance and tragedy who don't have epilepsy.

5.  10 Things I Hate About You

Romeo + Juliet fought for this spot, but it can't beat the movie that made Heath Ledger a star.  Even if you haven't seen 10 Things I Hate About You, you've probably heard someone quote it.  You should watch it just to know what they're talking about.  (And to see wee little Joseph Gordon-Levitt.)  The Taming of the Shrew is one of my least favorite Shakespeare plays, but I still love this movie.  Long live the king of teen Shakespeare adaptations!  For fans of witty repartee, Heath Ledger, and awesome women.

Distractions of the World: School Books

I thought that ya'll might like to know what I've been up to, since I clearly haven't been updating In Bed With Books much. First, here are books I'm currently reading for school:



HAMLET by William Shakespeare
(I am actually reading an anthology copy, but if I were to buy a separate text I would choose the Arden edition linked above.)

I've read HAMLET before, but rereading it brings back all the things I've forgotten. It's easy to remember the tragic elements, but I forgot how funny and sexy the play is. It isn't my favorite Shakespeare play - it's not even my favorite tragedy - but it is one of the most fun to subject to literary analysis. The puns! They multiply.



ENGLISH, AUGUST: An Indian Story by Upamanyu Chatterjee

I get to read all sorts of fun things for this class. This 1988 novel is about a Bengali stoner in the Indian Administrative Service who is extremely westernized. He speaks English better than any Indian language and listens to Chopin as often as Tagore. I'm not very far into the novel, but so far it's quite funny. I'm not sure it will defeat Vikram Seth's THE GOLDEN GATE as my favorite novel of the class, although it might be close.



THE BOOK OF TEA by Okakura Kakuzo

Actually, I'm starting to read this one as soon as I finish this blog post. This 1906 book defends Japanese and Asian culture, published almost simultaneously with the beginning of the Japanese folk art and folk lore movements. These movements were part of the backlash against the Westernization of the Meiji period. THE BOOK OF TEA discusses the history, philosophy, and aesthetics of the Japanese tea ceremony and is available in the public domain.