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Post by shaxper on Apr 27, 2002 18:47:13 GMT -5
What's the best stage production you've ever seen of a Renaissance play?
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Post by shaxper on May 24, 2002 16:04:45 GMT -5
I haven't seen enough of them yet, but I hope to correct that fault when living in Europe next year. Here are my favorites from what I've seen:
The Tempest (Broadway, 1996): Not a fantastic translation of the play, but Patrick Stewart was the perfect Prospero. I can no longer read the play without seeing his performance in my mind.
Much Ado About Nothing (Cambridge festival, 2000): Absolutely perfect interpretation of the play with very strong acting. Made me see the comedy in a very different light, especially with how Bennedick was played as a jester and Don John was played comically.
King Lear (Cambridge festival 2000): Exactly how I would have chosen to direct the play, but with poor acting. Unfortunate combination. I REALLY respected the decision to have the same actress play Cordelia and the fool.
Romeo and Juliet (RSC 2000): Decent acting, but incredible direction. Mercutio and Tybalt stood above and watched the play after their deaths, looking very angry and seeming to haunt the events that transpired. On the particular night I saw it, the apothocary had called in sick at the last moment and so Tybalt read his lines from above and dropped the poisen to Romeo. What an accidental, but amazing choice! The ending was amazing too. I'd never truly understood that R&J were damned at the end until seeing this production. It makes the tragedy so much greater. They will spend eternity together, but they will be in hell.
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Post by Harry on Jul 8, 2002 19:41:18 GMT -5
The best performance of a Shakespeare play I ever saw was a bunch of traveling college students doing Midsummer's Night's Dream in a park. They had little more than a stage and a backdrop. No lighting so they had to be done before dark. They had some sort of sound system because they used rock music for the scenes with the fairies. The fairies were costumed as rockers with Titania overweight and dressed in layers of filmy stuff. Her three attendents were androgynous refugees from Sgt. Pepper.
Despite all that, the performance worked.
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