You heard me right!

This weekend marks what may have been Shakespeare’s 447th birthday, and Classical 105.9 FM WQXR – the #1 classical music station in the country – is celebrating with MOVIES ON THE RADIO. Shakespeare’s dramas have been adapted to film many times, and an impressive range of composers have contributed to those movies.

This Saturday at 9pm, WQXR host David Garland will present a selection of Shakespearean film scores in honor of the great Bard of Avon.

Featured pieces include:

·         Romeo and Juliet by Nina Rota

·         King Lear by Dimitri Shostakovich

·         Much Ado About Nothing by Patrick Doyle

·         Kiss Me Kate (based on “The Taming of the Shrew”) by Cole Porter

·         …and more.

Tune in at 105.9 FM or www.wqxr.org to join host David Garland for “Shakespeare at the Movies.” For full program details, visit http://www.wqxr.org/programs/movies/2011/apr/23/.

I’m not a big classical music guy myself, but surely there are folks reading that would enjoy this. Once upon a time I would have worried about radio reception, so it’s nice to see that they’ll be streaming it over the net as well.

Just a sad reminder that with Shakespeare Day coming on a weekend this year, not to mention the Easter holiday weekend, I will be away from the computer and busy with family obligations and thus have no celebrations planned. I am relying on all of you, my dedicated Geeks, to carry the torch and spread the good words. If you get a chance, please send me links and stories and I’ll try to post a recap when I can. I almost certainly can’t send anybody any traffic during the big day, but it’d be nice to have a summary of all the good stuff that went on while I was off collecting colored eggs.
Happy Shakespeare’s Day Eve, Everyone!

So, there’s a group performing Much Ado About Nothing on Facebook next week. I’m not quite sure what this means, although I am sure that I do not have time to follow 30 fictional characters and then watch the proceedings go by on my Wall. Still, though, it’s a curious idea. Is this really a performance of the play, or is this another one of those “walk through the story with a modern twist” things that last year’s mediocre Such Tweet Sorrow gave us when they promised Romeo and Juliet on Twitter?
Took a brief look at the chatter going on pre-show, and it appears to mostly be the latter. This stuff may appeal to a generation younger than mine who live and breathe Facebook status updates, but I’m just not feeling it.

What happens when you put an Oscar-nominated Shakespearean in charge of the next movie in the Marvel comics franchise? Apparently you get a pretty awesome movie.
We all know the name Kenneth Branagh, whether you love him for his Hamlet, his Henry or even his Much Ado or Othello. But comic book movies? That’s a switch. And, it seems, a good one.

“He has said there are elements in it that are like The Tempest or Twelfth Night,” he said. “Thor is certainly not a typical Kenneth Branagh film — but you can see how he has brought his experience to bear.“All the inhabitants of Asgard, the fantasy land in the film, speak with clipped drama school accents which Branagh has obviously coached them in.

…

“He’s definitely about character, which is the quintessential trait you have to have to understand the Marvel characters,” he said. “It’s not just big hammers and capes and things like that. It’s about what makes the character tick.”

Personally I’ve never been a big fan of the Thor comic – I don’t even really fully understand the backstory. I mean, is he a super hero or a god? My daughter studied mythology in school and whenever she connected Thor the god with Thor the superhero she was all, “Oh come on, Daddy, he’s a *god*, how can he not be the most powerful one of them all??” I always liked the interpretation that he’s a somewhat less-than-sane mortal who just thinks that he’s Thor. Given that Anthony Hopkins plays Odin in the movie, I don’t think that’s the interpretation they’re going with.
What do you think? Will a heavy dose of character development improve the latest comic movie offering? Or will an emphasis on character over action kill it for the summer blockbuster fans? How much Shakespeare do you think Branagh really brought to it?

I’m sure I’ve posted about this before, but sometimes it’s fun to dust off the old stuff. How many of you find yourself responding to random daily events in Shakespeare quotes? I’ll often spring the title quote on my wife when accused of something.
“And whose empty Diet Coke can is this sitting on the table?”
“Shake not thy gory locks at me, woman! Thou canst not say I did it!”
My kids have grown up with this, of course. They know to just roll their eyes and move on. Although I still think that morning last month where the milk was expiring on March 15 and I bid them beware the Ides of Milk is still one of my greatest puns to date. 🙂