Went to see Macbeth last night. I'm not a fan of Shakespeare, he's 'alright' - but I get pissed off with people going on and on about 'the immortal bard' etc and refusing to accept that anyone else EVER did anything of any value. It wasn't bad - I'm glad I was able to see it - it was a live stream event to my local cinema from Manchester. The cast were starry (The Branagh, Alex Kingston etc ) and the camerawork was good, if a little cinematic at times. Some of the fight scenes seemed a bit 'dainty' - without lots of swirling and spinning about. As an 'idea' ( set in a deconsecrated church, soil on the floor, rain etc ) it worked well. I expect Wardrobe spent a lot of time scrubbing mud out of hems. The three witches were a bit shrill and overdone, couldn't really make out what they were saying most of the time. The woman next to me was following with the text in front of her and tutted loudly several times, I presume when they deviated. I had read that the audience were warned about the mud and rain, and asked to wear dark clothing - this would have also rendered them invisible and helped with the screening, so surprised at how many brilliant white T Shirts there were on the front row, very distracting. The cinema was full. When I was leaving, I overheard one woman say to another "oh, he was wonderful - he always is, and do you know - I actually understood what was going on!" Reminded me of that part in 'Abigail's party' where the husband is showing off a Readers Digest edition of the works of Shakespeare "of course, you can't actually read it".
I am always interested in how much common speech today is seemingly pulled from Shakespeare - people use that as a proof of his supposed genius, but we don't really know that he just pulled that all out of the air, it could have been already out there - one of the reasons I get so angry with people putting him onto a pedestal is that the only see him through modern eyes and ears - a contemporary reading would be very different - see this video to get an idea of how much difference the sounds make. (It's worth watching, it's actually a revelation)
Last week - when I was at the Pinter Theatre watching 'Merrily' - there were two aged American men next to me - shorts, Plaid, every cliche. They both appeared to be stone deaf and were using the loop readers to follow the show, their hearing aids crackling and whistling. Half way through the mobile phone of the one next to me rang ( vibrating like washing machine ) - he answered it and spent about a minute explaining that he was 'in the theatre, I can't talk to you now' - but then kept talking. He came close to being thrown off the balcony. Last night, to be fair - the audience were absolutely silent for 2 hours ( except the tutting woman )
It's just been on the radio that tomorrow will hit 34/93 - I'm not working, I may spend the day lying on the floor in the front room.
I spent the whole of yesterday 'coming down' from my day holiday. I was very tired and the sense of anticlimax and disappointment was overwhelming. I didn't even bother unpacking my bag and fell asleep in the afternoon.
I don't have any strong feelings about Mel Smith, but I can't stand Griff Rhys Jones.
I listened to a piece on Radio 4 about Alan Turing and the possibility, now almost a certainty, that he will be given a posthumous pardon. Rather pointless, and pretty hollow if you don't extend the courtesy to everyone else who was condemned for the same thing. Listening to Baroness Trumpington wax lyrical about her own Bletchly Park career was galling - she's a nasty, homophobic old bag.
I put a note through next door's letterbox yesterday - letting them know that they should take as many cherries from my tree as possible - it overhangs their property, and that it will be cut back properly next year. I'm waiting to see what happens - she's nice enough and would probably be delighted. He has the look of a man who would prevent her - in case I'd poisoned them.
It's Pirate day in Hastings. 30,000 people dressed up as Long John Silver - thousands of women who thing 'pirate' means push-up bras and unlaced corsets. I'll give it a miss, I don't like crowds, or small children with swords and too many fizzy drinks inside them.
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