anarchist_nomad | Entries tagged with shakespeare

Last night, my beloved

cheshcat and I made our first visit to London's Donmar Warehouse theatre to see a production of Coriolanus.

This production was special for us in a couple of ways and, actually, we were quite lucky to get tickets. All the seats for the two month run of this production sold out within half an hour. Tis only because I was at the ready, keyboard in hand, at the moment that they went on sale to the general public.

Part of the reason for the quick sellout is that the Donmar Warehouse is a rather small venue, with only 250 seats. The other part, which I did not realise when buying tickets months ago, is that the title role is played by Tom Hiddleston -- best known for portraying the recurring villain Loki in Marvel's cinematic universe. Indeed, it wasn't until after reading this NY Times review of Thor: The Dark World, that I became aware that we would be seeing "Loki" on stage.

Hiddleston was very good and, in a true testament to his ability as an actor, he played a character very different than Loki. The production was good, although I must confess that this is not one of my favourite Shakespeare plays. Indeed, I would say that it is my least favourite of the four Roman plays; Coriolanus is too flat of a character, lacking the depth of a Brutus, an Anthony, or a Caesar. To say nothing of a comparison with the brilliance of Titus Andronicus

At the end of the performance, I turned to

cheshcat and said: "That's it. We've done it." The woman next to me -- who had flown over from Ireland[*] to see Tom Hiddleston -- overheard and, being curious, asked what we had done. I explained to her that we have now seen every one of Shakespeare's extant plays performed live on stage. This one, Coriolanus, was the last of the lot. After nearly eight years of living in Merry Olde England, we have seen a live production of every single one of the Bard's thirty-eight plays.

Accomplishing this goal took a fair bit of hunting! As noted in this comment, I had seen 23 of the 38 after living here for two years and a bit. It then took over five more years to track down the remaining 15! After all, tis easy to find a Hamlet or a Midsummer Night's Dream or a Richard III or a Twelfth Night or a Henry V. Much more challenging to find a Timon of Athens or a Two Noble Kinsmen or a Cymbeline. Or a Coriolanus.

So, yes, it took time. And effort. Living in Oxford -- an hour's drive from Stratford-upon-Avon and two hours from London -- helped a lot. So did this page, which was a tremendous resource. It took work, but we did it. Every single one of the Bard's plays, live on stage. Mission accomplished. To be honest, that was even more of a treat than seeing Tom Hiddleston up close, from our third row seats.

Speaking of which, Hiddleston's performance continues a recent trend of seeing some Big Name Actors^TM tread the boards.

In October, we saw David Tennant perform the title role in Richard II at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre. It was the first time that we have seen him on stage since 2008 and, quite frankly, he did much better at Richard than he did then in either Hamlet or Love's Labours Lost. In both of those shows, he was basically playing David Tennant, which didn't work so well -- particularly as Hamlet.[**] This time around, he only lapsed into himself once or twice; his Richard II was a suitably tragic king.

We then continue the trend next week in New York City, when we will be seeing Sir Patrick Stewart and Sir Ian McKellen in Pinter's No Man's Land. I've seen each of these amazing actors on stage multiple times, but only once before have I seen them together. That was nearly five years ago, March 2009, when we saw them perform in Waiting for Godot. I'm not a Beckett fan, but they made that show well worth seeing. I suspect that they will do the same for Pinter next week.

Meanwhile, I sit here in the post-Solstice light, enjoying the gradual return of the newborn Sun, and contemplate what my next theatrical goal should be. I suggested seeing all of Alan Ayckbourn's plays -- currently 78 of them -- but this idea was swiftly vetoed by

cheshcat.[***]

[*] Which is nothing compared to her friend, who had flown in from Canada to see Hiddleston!

[**] It's rather similar to how I enjoy seeing Jim Carrey act when he's not playing Jim Carrey.

[***] Mainly because, having seen roughly ten of his plays so far -- including six of the most recent eight -- we find the quality to be rather inconsistent. Some are quite good, and I particularly enjoy Communicating Doors. Others are rather disappointing. Definitely hit-or-miss with Ayckbourn. We will be seeing his latest, Arrivals & Departures in February, and I hope it is one of the good ones!

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Yesterday evening, my beloved

cheshcat and I saw the Royal Shakespeare Company's latest production of Titus Andronicus, in the Swan Theatre at Stratford-upon-Avon.

It was..... surprisingly good.

Not being one for mutilation and gore, I have avoided this play for years. Shakespeare's first tragedy is also his bloodiest by far. As S. Clarke Hulse of the University of Illinois at Chicago has noted, this play contains:

14 killings, 9 of them on stage, 6 severed members, 1 rape (or 2 or 3 depending on how you count), 1 live burial, 1 case of insanity, and 1 of cannibalism – an average of 5.2 atrocities per act, or one for every 97 lines.

It is not uncommon for the Bard's plays to include a high body count -- witness Hamlet or Richard III as examples of other works where nearly everybody dies. However, in Richard III, it is only Richard himself who dies on stage; all the other murders are committed beyond our sight. Hamlet does have five killings in view of the audience, but they are fairly clean and relatively bloodless. Indeed, most of the five occur by poisoning. Also, as far as I can recall, Titus Andronicus is the only Shakespearean play that contains a rape.[*]

Ah well. At least nobody gets their eyes gouged out!

It is only now -- when I am close to completing my goal of seeing all of the Bard's thirty-eight extant plays performed live on stage -- that I decided to relent and finally watch a production of Titus Andronicus. When the RSC included it in their summer repertoire, it seemed like the ideal opportunity to ~~get this one out of the way~~ attend.

On Monday evening, we drove up to Stratford to see a production of A Mad World, My Masters in the RSC's Swan Theatre. Written by one of Shakespeare's contemporaries, Thomas Middleton, the play is a bawdy romp that delivers up a laugh a minute -- sometimes more! Tis one of the smuttiest, filthiest works of drama to come out of the English Renaissance.

On Tuesday evening -- one day later -- we returned to see Titus Andronicus produced on the same stage with [mostly] the same cast.[**] But the tone and content of these works could not be more different. Seeing them on consecutive days was nearly enough to give me dramatical whiplash!

That said, I am rather glad that we did see this production. The play is remarkably intense, and the performance was exquisite. The director, Michael Fentiman, did not resort to symbolism to soften the impact of the atrocities committed in the play -- for instance, using red streamers instead of blood, as some productions have done. Nor did he go to the other extreme, embellishing upon the violence already inherent in the text. Murder, rape, severed heads, and severed limbs were all to be seen -- with plenty of blood to go around -- but it was done discretely enough so as to not turn the stomach.

My one complaint about this production was that I thought Lavinia too passive a character after being raped and mutilated by Chiron and Demetrius. This was clearly a deliberate choice made by either the director or the actress. Certainly once she loses her tongue, Lavinia can no longer speak. Yet I would have preferred her to remain more engaged and more responsive, in spite of her enforced silence.

Some years ago, I saw a production of Cymbeline performed amongst the ruins of Glastonbury Abbey. Watching one of the Bard's final comedies, there were obvious echoes of earlier works, as Shakespeare recycled many of his plot devices (and plots) in Cymbeline -- you have the sleeping potion that creates a death-like state (a la Romeo & Juliet), you have a villain falsely persuading a husband that his wife has been unfaithful (Othello), and you have the damsel in distress solve her problems by dressing up as a boy (Twelfth Night and As You Like It).

I had a similar experience with Titus Andronicus. Watching one of the Bard's first tragedies, there was significant foreshadowing of plays to come. Tamora ruthlessly urging on her husband, the Emperor Saturninus, bears a striking resemblance to scenes with Lady MacBeth and her husband. The insidiously deceptive Aaron seemed a racially inverted version of Othello's Iago, causing havoc for the sheer fun of bringing misery to others. The interaction between Titus and Tamora was strongly reminiscent of that between Richard III and his sister-in-law, Elizabeth Woodville. In both cases, we have an ambitious woman dominating her husband -- an emperor or king -- to advance herself and her children to the detriment of all around them. And, of course, it would be impossible to escape the parallels between the father/daughter pairs of Titus/Lavinia and Lear/Cordelia. Both evoke great tenderness and great pathos, with fathers enduring (or feigning) madness and eventually grieving the tragic and senseless loss of their daughter before perishing themselves.

Actually, I am rather pleased that I postponed Titus Andronicus for so long. For, having seen nearly all the other plays already, I can properly appreciate these many parallels. Overall, this was a fantastic performance, and I enjoyed the play far more than I had expected!

I have now seen thirty-six of the Bard's plays performed live on stage. Only two to go! We already have tickets to see Coriolanus at the Donmar Warehouse in December[***]; now I need to track down a production of Pericles to complete the set!

ETA: Y'all should be proud of me. I made it all the way through a post about Titus Andronicus without making a single joke about pies...

[*] The Rape of Lucrece is clearly another Shakespearean work that includes a rape. However, it is a narrative poem and not a play and, thus, does not figure into this count.

[**] Indeed, Tuesday night was certainly a cheerful one for the Royal Shakespeare Company. With Hamlet playing on their main stage and Titus Andronicus in the Swan, twas barely a survivor to be found! I teased an usher, saying they should re-open their old Courtyard Theatre allowing them to play Richard III or MacBeth concurrently with these two!

[***] We were very lucky to get these! Although the run is two months long, the Donmar Warehouse is a Big London Theatre with a small capacity -- only 250 seats. The tickets went on sale to the public last week... and the entire production sold out in under half an hour! Thankfully, I was online with mouse at the ready when the booking opened at 09:00.

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Six hours ago, priority booking began at Royal Shakespeare Company for their Winter 2013 season. Full members -- and only full members -- were able to start buying tickets for the October to March shows.

Thus it was that I spent about three hours procuring tickets to see Richard II with my beloved

cheshcat in October. It should not be so difficult to buy theatre tickets! However, the flagship of their Winter 2013 season is a five week run of R2... with David Tennant in the title role.

I really want to see Richard II on stage again, having seen it only once before, as part of the RSC's complete History Cycle back in Feb 2008. (Gods, was that really five years ago now??) Although it doesn't get nearly the circulation as they play about his first cousin twice removed (i.e., Richard III), Richard II is really a rather good play. Indeed, tis one of the few plays by the Bard that I have taken the time to read through, in addition to seeing it on stage!

That said, I am not particularly impressed with David Tennant as an actor.

cheshcat and I saw Tennant in the title role of an RSC production of Hamlet back in August 2008. Patrick Stewart's portrayal of Claudius was fantastic. The rest of the cast was excellent. As Hamlet... well, let's just say that Tennant made a very good Doctor Who. I really really hope that his Richard II is better.

Nevertheless, the man is clearly a draw, as indicated by the difficulty in procuring tickets. All I can say is that it's a good thing we are full members of the RSC. By the time booking opens to the public in three weeks, there may not be any tickets left!

Meanwhile, as a follow-up to my previous post, I have to say that I finally sought out a comic book store and bought up all the issues of The Superior Spider-Man. With the exception of Iron Man -- where I have a complete run covering fifty years of publication -- I had stopped collecting super-hero comic books a couple of years ago. However, Spider-Ock, or whatever one wants to call Doctor Octopus in Peter Parker's body, is just a fantastic read! What finally pushed me over the edge and made me get them is the three page preview of Superior issue #3. Check it out here -- you won't be sorry!

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Many thanks to all who replied to my previous entry about choosing a Bible. I've not replied to any comments yet, as I wanted to watch the opinions pour in without influencing them in any way. A follow-up entry is forthcoming, which will be a collective response to all the excellent recommendations that you have made, my dear friends.

Meanwhile, I am off to bed fairly soon. I just returned to Chiron Beta Prime a short while ago after a spiffy weekend in London with my beloved

cheshcat. Whilst there, we got to spend time with

nw1, and also with the ever-awesome due of D&J.[*] In addition to seeing these three friends, we also saw three plays -- all by the Bard, and all ones that we had not seen before.

On Saturday afternoon, we went to the Brockley Jack Studio Theatre to see a theatre company called Perfect Shadow Mingled Yarn perform what they call "Shakespeare's Bookends". The "bookends" are Shakespeare's first and last play[**] -- "Two Gentlemen of Verona" and "Two Noble Kinsmen" -- performed by the same cast. These two plays have very similar plots, and the actors were cast accordingly, with corresponding roles. We saw the Kinsmen as a matinée and the Gentlemen in the evening.

Whilst enjoyable, these two productions were clearly the work of an amateur company working in a black box theatre. Happily, a professional company in Bristol -- Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory -- will be producing the "Two Gentlemen" next Spring. I have already noted the day that tickets go on sale; it will be good to see this again, performed by a more professional cast.

On Sunday afternoon, we went to the National Theatre to see Simon Russell Beale star as the eponymous character in "Timon of Athens". In contrast to Saturday, this was most definitely a Big Budget^TM production, and they did an excellent job with the text. I particularly enjoyed the first act, though the second left me unable to shake the feeling that Timon was a second rate Lear. This is no fault of the actors or director; I think tis inherent in the text itself. Considering that this is one of the least well known Shakespeare plays, it was gratifying to see that the National was completely packed! I was, however, slightly baffled at the overwhelmingly thunderous applause at the end of the performance. The show was good, but not that good! I have seen far better performances of plays that did not receive nearly as much noise at the curtain call.

With these three shows ticked off the list,

cheshcat and I have but three more remaining before we have see all of the Bard's extant plays performed live on stage. We have also seen a recreation of his "lost play", "Cardenio", as well as a theatrical adaptation of one of his narrative poems: "The Rape of Lucrece". Whilst both were excellent -- and I would happily see an adaptation of his other narrative play, "Venus and Adonis" -- I am only counting the thirty-eight surviving plays in my goal to see performances of all the Bard's theatrical work.

Thirty-five down; three to go! Exciting! What's left? In alphabetical order, we still need to see "Coriolanus", "Pericles", and "Titus Andronicus".

We already know that the Royal Shakespeare Company will be producing "Titus" in 2013, and I shall be buying tickets as soon as they go on sale in a fortnight. That leaves two more shows to track down. It was always my goal to have "Titus" be the final Shakespeare play that I see; the upcoming RSC performance ups the urgency of finding the other two. I might need a little luck with that, as neither is commonly produced!

Right. On that note, tis off to bed with me! Much busy-ness ahead in the coming week, my friends! Stay tuned, gentle readers, to hear more!

[*] Hurm. Come to think of it, both social encounters were with fellow US American expatriates that we have known from when we all lived Stateside. That wasn't planned; just an amusing coincidence.

[**] Understanding that it is difficult to determine a precise chronology of Shakespeare's plays, it is generally considered that the Gentlemen came first and the Kinsmen came last. See here, for instance.

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Lots of stuff going on recently, which means not enough time for LiveJournal. There are several entries that I hope to compose in the not-too-distant future but, for now, here is a classic weekend summary post. Enjoy!

Friday: Worked in London during the day. Returned to the City of Dreaming Spires in the evening to collect my beloved

cheshcat; together, we made our way to the Oxford Playhouse. There, we saw a touring company from Shakespeare's Globe put on a performance of Henry V. It was very well done; one of the best productions that I have seen from the Globe. Makes me look forward to their Hamlet, which we have tickets for in July. It will be staged in the quad of the Bodleian Library, which is a rather wonderful setting!

Incidentally, this performance marks the fifth time that I have seen Henry V on stage -- unambiguously earning it the honour of being Shakespearean play that I have seen most frequently. At least for now. On Thursday,

cheshcat and I, along with EB who is coming from the States, will be going to Stratford-upon-Avon to see a production of The Tempest. So, four days from now, The Tempest will tie with Henry V... and, in August, I will also be seeing Richard III for the fifth time.

Meanwhile, there are five of the Bard's plays[*] that I still need to get tickets to see!

Saturday: The Oxford City Branch of the Oxford Diocesan Guild of Church Bell Ringers had its half-annual meeting, which I attended in my role as Hon. Treasurer to present the State of the Finances report. Additionally, the City Branch had its annual six-bell striking competition just before the meeting. Back in March, I was more than a little shocked when the tower captain of St. Giles Church -- my home tower -- invited me to join the competition band! My ringing has progressed quite a bit in recent months, mainly thanks to the near-daily practice in February. Tangible results are starting to be seen, with my first quarter peal on a working bell last month, and my first striking competition yesterday!

In recent weeks, I was very nervous about competing. However, all went very well. We rang at Horspath, which was a new tower for me. Still, their bells are relatively light and rather easy to ring. Indeed, there was even a brief window when I thought that we might win! Our band rang second-to-last in the randomly chosen order. When we finished, I was rather confident that we had managed the best ringing thus far. Which was correct... but the final band out-rang us. Oops! Even so, second place on my first try is not bad!

Here is a picture of our band. after the competition:

And the runner ups are...

(click for full-sized version)

For those with some interest in this weird change bell ringing thing that I do, you can click here to hear a recording of us in the striking competition. The first few single strikes are a signal to the judges, sitting outside, that our practice is over and we are ready to begin. Then we ring in rounds -- a simple reverse scale -- for about a minute. Finally, we ring a touch of Grandsire Doubles for about four minutes, before settling back into some brief rounds before setting our bells.

In this recording, I am on the #3 bell. Which will make it easy to identify me during rounds, though I will be impressed if you can keep track of my bell during the method!

Sunday: In the morning, I rang for church services at Headington. Afterward, I made my way to the nearby town of Wheatley to pay a visit to the Wheatley Windmill, which was having an open day. There has been a mill on this site since at least the mid-17^th century; the earliest records are from 1671, noting that the mill of its day had fallen into disrepair. It enjoyed a resurgence in the 18^th and 19^th centuries, but is now only maintained for historical value by the Wheatley Windmill Restoration Society.

The mill was rather quaint and lovely. Its octagonal shape is rather unusual... and its clockwise motion is exceedingly rare. I arrived early in the day, when they were still putting the cloth sails onto the frame so that it would spin. The weather was particularly nice, so I did not mind the extended wait a'tall. Eventually, they got it going, which was much fun. After watching the arms spin for a bit, I went inside and explored the four stories of the tower. The top was particularly fun, with all the gears interlocking this way and that!

Below is a picture of the windmill, taken by your friendly neighbourhood Nomad. I wanted to share a photo of me posing with said mill... but, in all honesty, the picture that I took was much better than the one that the random stranger took of me plus the mill. Ah well!

The wild winds of fortune
Will carry me onward,
Oh whithersoever they blow.

(click for full-sized version)

You can see that the sail has just been put on the arm at the bottom... but the two at the top are still awaiting their canvas!

On Sunday afternoon, I hopped on Ye Olde Oxford Tube and headed into London. There, in Kensal Rise, I joined in a party to celebrate the 65^th birthday of LF, my high school history teacher. She is one of only three teachers that I bonded with in high school[**], so having her in London for a year is really quite lovely! At the party, I met a couple of her other former students, her daughter and daughter's partner... and an old friend of hers that I had met back in March 1990, during a class trip to London!

All in all, twas a most lovely evening, which means that I didn't get back to Oxford until nearly half past midnight. Happily, my darling

miss_amaranth was also making her way home from London at the same time... so we kept abreast of each others' progress by text message! Silly, I know, but fun!

Finally, I wound down the night with a couple of phone calls. First, of course, I called Mom to wish her a Happy Mothers Day. We had a very nice conversation; indeed, twas the best interaction that we have had in quite some time! Afterward, I phoned

gyades, just to catch up on the live and times of my best friend.

When that was done, I put the weekend to bed by putting myself to bed. Snuggled up next to my beloved

cheshcat, I drifted off happily to sleep.

[*] Which are: Two Gentlemen of Verona, Pericles, Coriolanus, Two Noble Kinsmen, and Titus Andronicus.

[**] And one of the remaining two passed away whilst I was her student.

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Today's entry, gentle readers, is comprised of a few bits of completely unrelated information. Read whichever ones suit your fancy -- pick and choose as you like!

It has occurred to me that the next week, starting today, is chock-full of significant dates and anniversaries. For instance, eighteen years ago today is the day that I met my beloved cheshcat. Of course, she want not my beloved at the time -- in fact, we really did not like each other back then. More accurate to say that we tolerated each other infrequently, as she was dating my good friend yavin7. It would be about nine months until we formed our own connection... and another two until we started our relationship. Still, today is eighteen years that we have known each other. Egads! I was eighteen years old at that first meeting -- how did another eighteen years pass so quickly?
On a completely unrelated note, the programme for the World Shakespeare Festival was announced today! Huzzah! I am very excited about this, as there is lots of Good Stuff^TM on the list! At first glance, I can spot eleven plays that I want to see -- including two (Pericles and Timon of Athens) of the six remaining plays by the Bard that I have not yet seen performed live on stage! This is a most excellent thing because as I get closer to achieving my goal of seeing all thirty-eight of Shakespeare's plays performed, it becomes increasingly more difficult to find productions to attend! Sure, there are always versions of A Midsummer Night's Dream and Twelfth Night popping up... but catching a production of Two Noble Kinsmen or Timon of Athens is much more challenging! Such is reflected in this comment, made less than two and a half years after I moved to England, where I note that I have seen twenty-three of the Bard's plays. Three years later, I have only added nine more to the list. Six more to go!
On a differently unrelated topic, I noticed today that the annual university rankings assembled by Quacquarelli Symonds[*] have been released for the 2011/2012 academic year. According to QS, my current university affiliation, Imperial College London, has moved up one notch from last year, from seventh place into sixth. It remains just one step behind my previous affiliation, the University of Oxford, which has crept up from sixth place to fifth. Perhaps even more interesting is the fact that the QS rankings have now expanded to cover individual subjects -- an analysis that is more useful than the collective ranking of a university. Looking specifically at the rankings for the world's physics & astronomy departments, Imperial College London still makes the Top Ten, coming in at number eight. The gap between current and former employer is a bit wider here, though, as Oxford makes it into the top three, coming in behind only its classic rival, the University of Cambridge (at #1) and Harvard University (#2).
Finally, and apropos to nothing else that I have mentioned yet, I want to share one of my favourite poems. This poem is one of the many sources that I draw inspiration from, and I think that I know some people out there who may be in need of some hope or inspiration right now. The poem is by Joseph Rudyard Kipling and may be familiar to many of you; it is called If. Here If is:

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: 'Hold on!'

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch,
if neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!

Pardoning the explicit gender mention in the poem as an obsolete relic of the late nineteenth century, I find this poem to be remarkably inspirational. I hope that at least one person reading this will be helped by my decision to post If here.

That, dear friends, is the news of today. Back to work with me now, as I leave for Japan in just a fortnight... with much to do between now and then!

[*] Which must be gangs of fun to say out loud! Maybe almost as much fun as bulbous bouffant.

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Getting ready to head out the door and make my way to Brushwood for the Sirius Rising festival. Although I have been coming to Brushwood since 1998, I have never been to Sirius before. From 1998 through 2009, it was always to attend Starwood... and, since Starwood and Brushwood parted ways, in 2010 it was to attend the new Summerfest. I am rather curious to find out what Sirius is like. The answer shall begin very soon!

Before leaving the outside world for a week, here is an update of what Nomad's Summer 2011 US trip has looked like so far:

Thursday: Hit the ground running! Shortly after returning to the Event Horizon, I made my way into the city for the Poly Chicago's monthly karaoke meet-up. Twas fortunate timing that allowed me to attend! It was great to be back at Sidekick's... and even greater to catch up with

raven_ap_morgan,

salexa,

sciffy_circo, and

xirpha. What a lovely first evening in Chicago!

Friday: On Friday, I started the day working, with two meetings. After a productive handling of business, I switched to pleasure in the evening... allowing myself to be kidnapped by the lovely

emrldgirrl and

datahawk and taken to a pool party in Elgin. There, I enjoyed the company of fantastic old friends -- such as

wyldekyttin &

unclevlad, and the ever-awesome

wiktowasichu -- and met a plethora of delightful new people, too! Most of which transpired in the water, which makes everything even more awesome than it already is! Sometime around five thirty in the morning, I stumbled sleepily through the Event Horizon door.

Saturday: On Saturday, I accepted an invitation from the adorable

playfulkitten89 and the excellent

samiitiger, joining them in Wisconsin for the opening day of the Bristol Renaissance Faire. There, I had the distinct pleasure of meeting

playfulkitten89's best friend, the enchanting

kittycait13. Over the course of the day, I met more wonderful folks, as well as the joy of running into friends like

imandunewen,

kritterfox,

posicat, and more! I practiced my extraordinarily rusty archery skills with a compound bow, watched the Suitcase Shakespeare Company perform an hour-long version of The Taming of the Shrew, danced around a drum circle for the first time in 2011[*], learned to play some new dice games, and enjoyed the most delicious strawberry smoothie! Mmmmmmm!

da_pupdetz were there, too... and have produced their own LiveJournal post, complete with pictures! Go on and click it -- you know that you want to see

da_pupdetz decked out in their ren faire garb!

When the faire ended, a lucky thirteen of us descended on the nearby Sweet Tomatoes for an extended evening of dinner and conversations. Around midnight, all finally broke up and I made my way home -- tired but happy!

Sunday: My Sunday started by sharing some mellow time with the fantastic

gyades. We talked and then watched The Blues Brothers together. Mellow, but fun. In the evening, I started preparing for my trip to Brushwood and got some various and sundry done about the house.

...and that brings us to the present, dear friends! Not a bad start to my Summer trip, I must say!

Now, gentle readers, tis nearly time for everybody's favourite Nomad to leave this world for another! Five hundred miles of driving will soon commence, bringing me to the always amazing Brushwood for a week of Sirius summer pleasure! See you on the other side!!

[*] More of that to follow tonight, when I arrive at Brushwood!

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Current Music: Grease soundtrack -- Summer Nights

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Tis now Thursday, my fourth day back in Merry Old England since returning from Japan on Monday morning. It is most excellent to be back at home in Oxford again, and to see my beloved

cheshcat, my adorable kitties, and my darling

miss_amaranth.

Since returning home, here is a quick snapshot of what your friendly neighborhood Nomad has been up to:

On Monday, I went North (about 50 miles) to Stratford-upon-Avon, with cheshcat, where we saw Sir Patrick Stewart play Shylock in an excellent Royal Shakespeare Company production of The Merchant of Venice.
On Tuesday, I went South (about 50 miles) to Winchester, where I saw the lovely miss_amaranth perform in a student production.
On Wednesday, I went East (about 50 miles) to London, where I spent the day at Imperial College working with RT and PS.
On Thursday, today, I will go West (about 75 miles) to Bristol, with both cheshcat and miss_amaranth, where we will see the awesometacular Jonathan Coulton perform in concert with Paul & Storm.

That pretty much covers the four cardinal directions, one per day. Ironically, I have not yet been to the city centre of Oxford, about two miles distant, since my return. I think this says something... though I am not quite sure what. In any case, the oversight will be rectified soon because:

On Friday, tomorrow, I will stay local, going into Oxford city centre to do some interdisciplinary collaborating with some good people at the University of Oxford.

That is my week in a nutshell, dear friends. What have you been up to?

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Happy Friday the Thirteenth, gentle readers! Seeing that thirteen is my lucky number, I'm not surprised that I had a good day. I hope y'all did, too, dear friends!

As the icon for this entry would imply, my beloved

cheshcat and I trekked up to Stratford-upon-Avon this evening. There, we saw the Royal Shakespeare Company produce a re-creation of Shakespeare's famous lost play, Cardenio in their Swan Theatre. Using what bits of information have traveled down through the years -- like the eighteenth century adaptation Double Falsehood -- the RSC has reconstructed a play by the Bard that is based heavily on the work of his Spanish contemporary, Miguel de Cervantes.

Overall, the piece was extremely well done. The programme may have gone a little over the top, making claims about Shakespeare and Cervantes like: "You cannot refer to one without alluding to the other." Um, yeah, I don't think so. I talk a tremendous amount about the Bard but I almost never discuss Cervantes... excepting, of course, the occasional reference to Man of La Mancha.

Nonetheless, except for some laughable excerpts from the programme, the RSC did a fantastic job on this one. Their version of Cervantes definitely sounded like something that the Bard himself might have written. There were moments that felt very much like some of his other plays -- references to Pyramus and Thisbe; the dispute between Luscinda and her father strongly resembled Hermia and Egeus; Dorotea disguising herself as a boy and running off to the woods invoked memories of Rosalind / Ganymede; and the ending conjured up memories of Cymbeline. The language, as well, sounded extremely believable... and the actors, as one would naturally expect, were all superb! Both

cheshcat and I had a fantastic time!

As the original script -- if, indeed, there ever was one -- has been long since lost, this recreation does not increment my Shakespeare number, which is currently at thirty-one. Even so, it made for a delightful way to spend my second-to-last evening before heading off to Japan!

Also on the theatrical menu tonight, in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, was Sir Patrick Stewart starring in The Merchant of Venice. This was the first night of the show, which opened in previews today, and so the house was packed. It looks to be an interesting production; we will be seeing returning to Stratford next month to see it.

As a side note, I am rather amused at how many people working at the RSC know us by now. Being regular patrons for several years, we are recognized instantly and often get into long conversations with the ushers and other staff. It is a nice feeling, being so well established. Actually, it is not just the RSC. We have been living in Oxford long enough that we have developed a rapport with the local pizzeria, an excellent Indian restaurant, the Oxford Playhouse, and more. Heck, on a recent visit to one of our local favourites -- Atomic Burger -- one of the waitresses greeted me with a kiss! Now that's familiar!

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Went into London last night with my beloved

cheshcat to see the Richmond Shakespeare Society put on a production of King John. This raises our Shakespeare number to thirty-one. Seven more plays left to go.[*]

This was the last of the English history plays that we had yet to see performed on the stage.[**] In some ways, it reminded me very much of certain other history plays. War with France, for instance, was also a central part of the plot in King Henry V and in King Henry VI, part one. A sitting monarch ordering the murder of the child who could make a rival claim to the throne smacks heavily of King Richard III; the turning of public opinion and ill fate that follows the child's death is another commonality. Conflict with the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church was also integral to King Henry VIII, though the outcome broke differently there.

Other bits draw heavily on different legends that were never translated for the stage by the Bard. For instance, in exasperation, King John refers to Cardinal Pandolf as a "meddling priest", thus echoing the description that his father, King Henry II, used in reference to Archbishop Thomas à Becket. Similarly, when John he hints of his desire to be rid of his youthful rival, Arthur, it is expressed in words that mimic his father's infamous utterance: "Will no one rid me of this turbulent priest?"

However, in certain ways, this play was rather unlike those that we had seen before. The characters keep changing their minds, over and over again. Phillip will wage war on England... then he will make peace... then he will go to war. John shall absolutely not heed the Cardinal's demands, even though he be excommunicated... except then he shall. The Bastard of Richard Couer de Lion wants to keep his dubiously inherited lands... until he gives them away to become a landless knight. The Lords Salisbury and Essex and Pembroke are loyal to England. I mean France. I mean England. And John will not let his nephew and rival to the throne, the young Price Arthur, be killed. Oh yes, he will! Oh no, he won't! It goes on to the point where these characters make Hamlet look positively decisive!

Certain parts of the play were rather funny, such as the scenes where the citizens of Angers cannily avoid choosing between the two sides in the war that rages just outside their city walls. They repeatedly pledge allegiance as loyal subjects to England's rightful king... whilst ever dodging the dangerous question of just who should be that king. Many of the scenes with the Bastard were also quite amusing. Indeed, I found that the entire performance of this character, known first as Philip Falconbridge then later as Sir Richard Plantagenet, to be particularly compelling. Tis fitting, since it is probably the best role in the play and would have been a great disappointment if done poorly. This particular production was put on by an amateur theatre company blessed with few noteworthy actors. The Bastard was certainly one of these, as was John himself and also his mother, Eleanor of Aquitaine. Well done!

Overall, we enjoyed the play quite a bit and it possesses some rather beautiful language in parts. One of my favourite examples comes in Act 4, when Lord Salisbury berates King John for performing a second coronation ceremony. Tis the same verse that gives us the commonly misquoted phrase, "To gild the lily":

To gild refined gold, to paint the lily,
To throw a perfume on the violet,
To smooth the ice, or add another hue
Unto the rainbow, or with taper light
To seek the beauteous eye of heaven to garnish,
Is wasteful and ridiculous excess.

I was rather thankful that John's henchman Huber did not follow through with his plan to put out Prince Arthur's eyes with hot pokers. I've rather had my fill of eyes put out lately and have have tried to declare a moratorium. Unfortunately, it does not seem to be sticking, as Mestor, King of Mestor, had his eyes poked out last week in the godawful production of After Troy that we saw at the Oxford Playhouse, and Gloucester will lose his eyes next week when we see Derek Jacobi star in King Lear. After that, though, no more eyes gouged out! I'm serious! This means Oedipus Rex (and, for that matter, Into The Woods) is off the list for the foreseeable future!

Although not the greatest of the Bard's works, King John is also far from the worst; it really is a shame that this piece is not performed more frequently. Perhaps it will make a comeback in various repertoires come 2015, when the 800^th anniversary of the signing of the Magna Carta is upon us. Despite the play spanning past the end of John's life, this monumental event is never touched upon.[***] Still, it would not surprise me to see a resurgence linked to the Great Charter's "birthday".

Even though we have completed the round of Shakespeare's English history plays, I very much enjoy this genre and would like to see more. Last year,

cheshcat and I attended a production of Marlowe's King Edward II at Oriel College, which Edward himself had founded. I would very much like to find a production of King Edward III, which is thought by some to have been penned by the Bard, to continue on from here... and then into a showing of Thomas of Woodstock. Together, those two plays would nicely bridge the gap between Marlowe's King Edward II and the start of Shakespeare's eight-play history cycle with King Richard II. Besides, as we begin to finish up our Shakespeare list, we will need to look elsewhere for sources of new Renaissance drama. I have seen Middleton's The Revenger's Tragedy and the aforementioned King Edward II. Next week, we will be seeing Marlowe's Doctor Faustus. Need to keep an eye out for more. A production of Tamburlaine the Great, for instance, would be most welcome!

[*] Specifically, our "Shakespeare number" refers to the plays of the Bard that we have seen performed live on stage. I do not count recreations of lost plays or adaptations of his poetry. Thus, even though we have tickets to see the Royal Shakespeare Company perform a recreation of Cardenio and an adaptation of The Rape of Lucrece, these shall not boost our S-number.

[**] Overall, the remaining plays that we need to see are Pericles, Timon of Athens, Two Noble Kinsmen, Coriolanus, Two Gentlemen of Verona, Titus Andronicus, and All's Well That Ends Well. Happily, we have already have tickets to the see the last of these performed at Shakespeare's Globe in July.

[***] Nor, for that matter, is his role in the Robin Hood mythos.

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Getting really irate now. None of the eight Shakespeare plays that I have yet to see are showing anywhere within the UK.[*] Feh.

This site is generally rather comprehensive and shows nothing either current or forthcoming. Looks like my Shakespeare Number^TM -- which has been at thirty since September -- may be staying put for a while longer yet.

[*] For the curious, I count there as being thirty-eight Shakespearean plays. This includes the thirty-six plays contained within the First Folio (of 1623), as well as Pericles and The Two Noble Kinsmen -- both of which are generally acknowledged as having been penned by the Bard. It does not include the so-called "lost plays" of Cardenio and Love's Labour's Won... as they have been lost and, thus, are somewhat impossible to find performances. I also do not include Edward III, printed anonymously, as the authorship is still being debated. Even though this play does not factor into my goal of seeing all of Shakespeare's plays, I will still try to see it -- particularly as it forms a nice bridge between Marlowe's Edward II and the start of Shakespeare's history cycle in Richard II

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It's nine o'clock on a Thursday night,
the regular crowd shuffles home...

Bit of a late day at work, so I am only now riding Ye Olde Oxford Tube back home. Indeed, it has been a rather busy week! Productive and fun, so I canst complain, but it has resulted in no daily updates this week. Tsk, tsk -- bad Nomad! Y'all know what that means, though, don't you, gentle readers? That's right -- I am quite likely to subject you to another "Week-In-Review" post tomorrow! Better start running the other way soon... but, first, here is a collection of randomness, direct from my head to your computer screen!

Triathlon: My plan to attempt a triathlon next year is taking definite shape! I am rather excited about this! Of the five available distances, I am choosing the middle one, known as an "Olympic Triathlon." It consists of a 1.5 km (just under 1 mile) swim, followed by a 40 km (25 mile) bicycle ride, followed by a 10 km (~6.25 mile) run. I can do the swim now, as my standard exercise swim is longer than this. I should still work on improving my speed, though. As for the bicycle ride and the run? The former is probably a bit more than I can do at present, and the latter definitely is. Yet that's the whole point of a "challenge", now isn't it? If I could do it all already, I would be looking at tackling the next level up, the half-Ironman[*].

I am planning to start training in either November or January, so that I can attempt a race next Spring or Summer. If anyone is interested in accepting this challenge with me, the company would be most welcome! For anyone local to Oxford, we could train together. For anyone on another continent, we could set days to complete specific training programmes and compare notes after. For people in-between, we could do a little bit of each. So far, I have one taker -- the fabulous josington -- who, as a Glaswegian, fits into that hybrid category. Any other takers? The more, the merrier!
New Year's Eve: I am tentatively thinking of ushering in 2011 by shivering my cute lil butt off in Times Square, watching the legendary ball drop. Anyone want to join me? This is not yet a plan but, rather, more of an idea. Consider this to be me putting out feelers. If there is not a lot of interest, I will put it off for another year and find alternative entertainment.
Shakespeare: After well over three years, the Royal Shakespeare Company's main theatres are coming back! Huzzah! The massive overhaul done to the Royal Shakespeare Theatre and its smaller housemate, the Swan, are nearly finished and will re-open in November for a series of special events before the repertoire of Shakespeare begins in February. Both my beloved cheshcat and I are rather excited about this and quite eager to see the new theatres! Tickets went on sale yesterday for the new season, which includes a theatrical adaptation of the Bard's narrative poem, The Rape of Lucrese. This is a rarity and, with only four scheduled performances, we have already snatched up tickets before all the good seats vanished! We also have tickets to a couple of the special events that are designed to introduce the public to the new space.
University rankings: For several years now, I have paid some modest attention to the global ranking of universities that was conducted by the Times Higher Education Supplement, in conjunction with Quacquarelli Symonds (i.e., the THES-QS rankings). Indeed, I have even blogged about it on occasion, such as when Oxford University made it to the number two spot.

Interestingly enough, this year THES and QS have gone their separate ways. QS kept the original ranking system, whilst THES developed a newer model which is more transparent and, according to them, much improved. Both sources published their 2010 listings this month -- QS last week and THES today. According to QS, my current university affiliation, Imperial College London, ranks seventh in the world -- just one step behind my previous affiliation, the University of Oxford. According to THES, we come in at number nine... with a ranking score (90.6) that comes in just a smidgen behind my old place. With a ranking score of 91.2, the University of Oxford ties for sixth place with its age-old rival, the University of Cambridge.[**]

I am rather amused by the situation and do not know which ranking system should be considered more reliable. There are certainly some interesting differences, as Cambridge unambiguously tops the QS list -- rather than tying for sixth place! In the end, of course, these things matter not for any real purpose. Still, they are somewhat fun to think about!
Books: Finished the fifth and [currently] final of Jasper Fforde's Thursday Next novels this week. I thoroughly enjoyed First Amongst Sequels. Not as brilliant as Something Rotten... but those were rather enormous shoes to fill! FAS is an excellent book, both clever and amusing. I am rather looking forward to the publication of the sixth in the series next year!
Autumn and P**T***: Last, but most definitely not least, is the fact that Autumn has well and truly arrived. The equinox is still six days off, to be sure, but the air has that cool, crisp sense of Autumn-ness about it! Tis rather refreshing and invigorating! As the days grow noticeably shorter, I have already sketched out some goals for this year's sojourn into the Dark Times. The usual pulling inward will happen, of course, but I expect to emerge with certain milestones passed.

In the meantime, I find that the triggering of my Autumn Sense^TM has brought with it an increased yearning for the Sooper Sekrit October Pagan Festival, P**T***. This will be my fourteenth time at the gathering -- I've not missed a single one since I began attending in 1997[**]. Of course, we are running the festival this year, which adds some extra excitement! Still, I believe that I would be feeling this yearning and anticipation even without that twist. This feels very much like the reaction I get at the very start of Summer, when I start longing for my annual week to romp skyclad in the woods at Brushwood. Summer makes me want Brushwood; Autumn makes me want P**T***. Only three weeks left, then I will be on my way there![***]

Almost back in Oxford now, so I shall put this pensieve of an entry to rest. I hope that you are all having a Thursday most awesometacular, my dear friends! ~~Run for the hills now~~ Stay tuned for the return of the Week-In-Review post tomorrow!

[*] Consisting of a 1.9 km swim, followed by a 90 km bicycle ride, followed by a half-marathon.

[**] Nor has

cheshcat missed any since she first went in 1995.

[***] Which, of course, makes the part of my brain that has been handling the festival organization go: "EEEEEEEEEEEEEP!"

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After twenty-three performances, my beloved

cheshcat and I said our farewells to the Royal Shakespeare Company's Courtyard Theatre last night.

Such ended a very nice day out.

cheshcat and I left Oxford at midday and made our way up to Stratford-upon-Avon. In the afternoon, we took a tour of the theatre, and I learned much about the space where I have been so many times. For instance, I had no idea that the lobby used to be the stage for the previous theatre -- known as "The Other Place" -- that was on the spot. Somehow, I missed the fact that there is still a lighting grid on the ceiling above! Guess they call me "Doctor Observant" for a reason!

The tour also took us backstage, into the dressing rooms... and onto the stage itself! That was probably the highlight for me! After nearly two dozen instances of looking inward to the stage from the circle or stalls, it was most spifftacular to stand on the stage and look back out! Awesome!! Of course, I could not resist the temptation to utter some quotations from the Bard as I stood upon his stage.

It is also worth noting that, whilst backstage, we got to see the enormous bear used in their production of The Winter's Tale. I saw said production with

cheshcat and the terrific

tawneypup in March 2009. Twas, by far, the best version of this show that I have ever seen... and the bear -- enormous and made out of book pages -- was breathtaking!

After the tour ended,

cheshcat and I took a stroll through Stratford itself, crossing the river Avon on the chain ferry and just generally walking about in the afternoon sun. Eventually, evening came and we got dinner before making our way back to the theatre to see King Lear.

We have seen King Lear before, when Ian McKellen performed it on the same stage back in 2007. Thus, this does not raise my Total Shakespeare Number^TM[*]; similarly, my RSC Shakespeare number stays the same[**]. Nonetheless, it was a performance well worth seeing. Greg Hicks plays a very different Lear than Sir Ian did. Both were excellent (of course!), but McKellen's Lear was more aged and senile, whilst Hicks played a Lear more crippled by his own arrogance. Comparing the two productions -- especially since they were both done in the same space -- made for some rather interesting conversation on the ride home!

At the end of the evening,

cheshcat and I bid a very fond farewell to the Courtyard Theatre. We have been coming to this stage since January 2007, when we went to see a performance of Richard III. The Courtyard Theatre was quite newly opened at that point, constructed to be a replacement for the Royal Shakespeare Theatre and the smaller Swan Theatre as the two underwent massive transformative work. Before they closed, I had seen two shows -- The Tempest and Troilus & Cressida at the old Royal Shakespeare Theatre[***], as well as two shows -- MacBeth and MacBett -- at the Swan. However, the vast majority of my RSC experience -- twenty-three plays -- has been at the Courtyard Theatre. Although a temporary construct, the Courtyard was designed as the model and prototype for the new Royal Shakespeare Theatre, which opens to the public in November and starts hosting plays next February. I am very much looking forward to seeing shows in the new theatre... but the Courtyard has been a wonderful venue and has treated us well for nearly four years now. It shall be missed.

Meanwhile, my hunt continues for the productions of the last nine plays by the Bard. We already have tickets to see The Merry Wives of Windsor at Shakespeare's Globe next month. However, I believe that tickets to some of the others -- like Pericles, Timon of Athens, Two Gentlemen of Verona, Two Noble Kinsmen, All's Well That End's Well, King John, and Coriolanus -- will be more difficult to come by! The search is on!

[*] Still at 29.

[**] Still at 24.

[***] Which, with a proscenium arch design, is rather different than the thrust stage used at both the Courtyard and the new Royal Shakespeare Theatre.

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Off to London now to see a production of Henry VIII at Shakespeare's Globe. During original run of this show at the original Globe theatre, it brought down the house -- quite literally -- when a theatrical cannon misfired, setting the wooden beams and thatched roof ablaze.[*]

As exciting as that performance may have been, tis my hope that history will not repeat itself today. According to George Santayana, the fact that I remember the original event should protect me...

[*] This took place on 29-June-1613. Not quite the same date as today... but close!

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We interrupt this LJ entry[**] to bring you an important announcement that is only relevant for Oxonians. If you do not live in Oxford, feel free to skip the next paragraph.

Hear ye, here ye, fellow Oxfordians! I bring you tidings of great opportunity! On this Wednesday -- March 24^th -- my beloved

cheshcat and I shall be seeing the Oxford Theatre Guild perform a version of Sophocles's classic tale, Antigone. This particular version is a modern adaptation, written by Jean Anouilh and first performed in Nazi occupied Paris. We have excellent seats and, as chance would have it, we have one extra ticket. Free Wednesday evening? Fancy coming along? Just let me know and that ticket is yours!

As promised yesterday, here is the Official What I Did At The Weekend Post. Because all the cool kids are doing them... and I am always the first to conform![***]

Friday evening, my darling

bunnypip drove down to join

cheshcat and I for a production of Graham Greene's The Ministry of Fear at the Oxford Playhouse. The show itself was quite good... though

bunnypip and I spent the first act trying to make sense of the plot.

cheshcat was unfazed, explaining that it was film noir and would all become clear later. Which, to her credit, it did. Still, at one point in the first act, the main character confusedly exclaims: "I don't understand what's happening? I leaned in to

bunnypip and murmured: "He's not the only one."

After the show ended, we made our way to Cowley to get food at the new Atomic Burger joint. This is our third visit in three weeks -- I think we may have a new addition to our list of favourite places to eat in Oxford! Huuzah!

Saturday morning,

bunnypip and I enjoyed a nice lie-in. When we finally began moving, all three of us made our way into town again, as the Oxford Literary Festival was beginning. I swung by Christ Church to pick up our tickets, then met my two sweeties at Corpus Christi for a lecture on Shakespeare, Sex, and Love by the highly accomplished Professor Stanley Wells, CBE. The lecture itself was rather impressive, though his ability to answer questions afterward was less so. Case in point: I asked how one differentiates sexual subtext that Shakespeare deliberately wrote into his plays from subtext added after the fact by people interpreting his work. The answer? "It's difficult. You have to do research." Um, thanks for that elucidating response!

Saturday evening, my dear

bunnypip and I made our way into London to attend this year's "God Is" Easter party. The theme was 80s music... so she dressed as Fade to Grey and I put on some red, white, and blue -- plus a star-shaped belt buckle -- to go as Born In The U.S.A. I also get automatic credit for being Walk Like an Egyptian... because I always do! It was good to see people, though the party itself was..... underwhelming. This was my second "God Is" party -- the first being two years ago -- and I remember that one as having more excitement and more going on. Ah, well. They can't all be spectacular. We left left around half one and returned to the Flat With No Name just before four... as a "can you give me a lift, it's on your way" request morphed into an hour's detour. Ooops!

Sunday, our coven celebrated Oestara with a ritual written by Darelle. I was quite proud of her, as this was only the second ritual that she has written... and the first for a group of more than two! It was well done, containing a narrative, a guided meditation, and some tarot work. So hooray for her on this significant spiritual milestone!

So that was the weekend that was. Time to go splat now, as tomorrow is shaping up to be a rather busy day. Somehow, my [infamous] to-do list has crept back up to 125 items[****]... with thirty of them for tomorrow! I'll need a full night of sleep -- and maybe a can of spinach -- to tackle all of that successfully!

[*] Or Wednesday.

[**] Before it has even begun! (Impressive, huh?)

[***] Or something.

[****] Not quite breaking the record of 141... but coming frighteningly close! Eeeep!

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So! What has everyone's favourite Nomad been up to in recent days? Good question! Here's the Reader's Digest version:

Recent days have contained some very lovely firsts! It began on Friday evening, when I launched the weekend by ringing bells with the Oxford University Society of Change Ringers. This was not ordinary ringing practice -- the OUS was hosting the annual Southern Universities Association. As such, we rang at Carfax tower, in the heart of Oxford. This tower -- the only remaining part of the 13^the century St. Martin's Church -- is widely regarded as marking the very centre of Oxford. Before last week, though, I had never rung there before. I was a bit nervous to be ringing in a new place with visiting ringers all about... but it was also very exciting to be ringing to the crowds that fill Oxford's streets on a Friday night!

After ringing, I came home and spent the rest of the evening with my beloved

cheshcat. We got in some quality alone time, as well as starting in on the season eight DVDs of Smallville. A quiet evening... but a nice one!

On Saturday, the firsts continued! The lovely

sweetcyanide came down from Manchester for her first visit to my fair city. I took out my [metaphorical] tour guide hat and showed her some of the sights around town! Over the course of the weekend, we hit several museums, colleges, and more! We also learned that the local Holiday Inn has a very nice swimming pool, jacuzzi, and sauna! One of the [many] highlights was visiting the Museum of the History of Science, where there is currently a fascinating exhibition on Steampunk art! Twas most nifty -- and I shall have to visit again before it leaves in late February! At the very end of the exhibition, there is a room full of so-called "Steampunk originals" -- these are actual pieces of Victorian scientific equipment that inspired the whole "steampunk" style!

The Weather Gods were a bit petulant on Saturday, so we spend most of the day indoors... at the Museum of Natural History[*], the Pitt Rivers Museum[**], lunch at my favourite vegetarian pub[***], and the aforementioned Steampunk exhibition. I believe that our dip in the pool and jacuzzi on Saturday evening convinced said Gods that we were wet enough... so the rest of the weekend weather was absolutely splendid! We took advantage of that on Sunday, with a walking tour of the city, a climb up to the top of Carfax tower[****], and exploring Christ Church -- my favourite of the Oxford colleges.

In addition to all this running about, this was also a first in that I had never before spent this much time alone with

sweetcyanide. Getting to know her better was quite, quite wonderful! At the end of the weekend, she accidentally left her umbrella in my car... which ensures that she will have to return to Oxford again to collect it!

On Monday evening, after work, the firsts continued. After months of dancing around travel schedules, I was finally able to meet

cmcmck and her husband for the first time! We dined together at Daquise -- a delicious Polish restaurant in South Kensington... in the place where the Polish government-in-exile has been located during the Second World War! The food was delicious, the conversation fascinating, and the company excellent!

Moving on to Tuesday evening, I rang bells at Mary Mag -- also with the OUSCR -- and then met my darling

bunnypip at the Flat With No Name for a date. There may have been some firsts involved... but listing what they are might not be suitable for this space! Suffice to say that the evening ended with many smiles!

Now I am riding Ye Olde Oxford Tubee back home, where I shall collect my dear

cheshcat and we shall make our way up to Stratford-upon-Avon. There we will see the Royal Shakespeare Company perform Twelfth Night. Perhaps the run of "firsts" is now ended, as I have seen productions of Twelfth Night before. Thus, this shall not advance me on my quest to see all thirty-eight of the Bard's plays performed on stage; my Shakespeare Number^TM will -- for now -- remain at twenty-seven. However, after tonight I will have seen the RSC perform twenty-three out of the thirty-eight... thus furthering me on my secondary goal to see an RSC production of every play![*****]

Nearly home now, so best to post this and get ready for the evening's entertainment!

[*] Including the current Darwin exhibition and pointing out the room where the famous Huxley-Wilberforce evolution debate took place in 1860.

[**] Including everybody's favourite -- the shrunken heads!

[***] The Gardener's Arms, on Plantation Road.

[****] Where I acted like an excited little kid, pointing out to

sweetcyanide the ropes that I had been ringing on less than two days later as we ascended through the ringing chamber.

[*****] Obsessive-compulsive? Me?? Why would you ever think that?

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September 4^th. The decade is now 96.7% over. Also, it seems like somebody flipped the Autumn Switch promptly when September began. Ever since the first, the weather has been cool and crisp, with leaves changing colour and falling to the ground.

I've been much too lax about updating this journal recently, gentle readers. Allow me to rectify that now, at least in part, with a RotRotWiRP[1] that picks up from after my evening out with my beloved

cheshcat last Saturday.

Sunday:

cheshcat and I took a stroll through the sculpture garden at the Oxfordshire Museum in Woodstock.[2] Afterward, we snacked and had tea whilst working on our Sooper Sekrit Project^TM. Planning for the Project, which shall be explained in due course, went quite well... with my dear

cheshcat impressing me once more with how brilliant she can be. In the evening, the beautiful

bunnypip came to visit us at the Flat With No Name; we all ate dinner together and watched Into The Woods before

bunnypip and I headed back to the Leveret Warren.

Monday: This was the one year anniversary of my relationship with the breathtaking

bunnypip. To celebrate, spent part of the day enjoying quality alone time and the rest of it having some new adventures. ( The theme for the adventures was 'Geometrical Constructions in Northamptonshire.' )

Tuesday: Waking up at the Leveret Warren, I made my way to the university and worked there until evening. Arriving home fairly late, the only extracurriculars that I had time for were a dinner out with

cheshcat and finishing up the Iron Man: Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. comic book series.

Wednesday: After work,

cheshcat and I drove to Stratford-on-Avon to see the Royal Shakespeare Company perform As You Like It. This was the twenty-eighth theatrical production that I have seen this year and makes for twenty-one of the Bard's plays that I have seen the RSC produce. I had already seen this show performed elsewhere on more than one occasion -- so it did not help me on my quest to see all of the Shakespearean plays performed live on stage -- but this was easily the best production that I have witnessed. The entire cast was excellent... but Jaques, in particular, was phenomenal! Very emo... and very entertaining! Also, it was lovely to see many actors return from previous shows that we have attended -- particularly the History Cycle.

Thursday: In the morning, I made my first platelet donation. This imparted on me the valuable knowledge that platelets are orange. Who knew? I was less than impressed with the whole process, though, especially the incompetence displayed by the people at the blood centre. As such, I suspect that I will return to being a whole blood donor, rather than continue on making platelet donations. Giving blood saves lives, but I'm not sure that I can do much more good as a platelet donor than I can as a whole blood donor... and the hassle of giving platelets is much greater.

In the evening,

cheshcat and I returned to Stratford-on-Avon to see the RSC perform Julius Caesar. As I had not seen this show previously, it means that I have now watched twenty-seven of the Bard's plays performed live on stage. Ten more to go.[4] I enjoyed the production... though I was not as impressed by it as I had been by As You Like It the night before.

At this point, I have seen five plays in the past month -- all of them Shakespearean.[5] Much as I like the Bard's work, I think that it is time to see something different for some variety! As they say, all Shakespeare and no musicals makes Nomad a dull boy...

Friday: Had a good meeting at work this morning. Currently, I am on my way home, writing this entry on the Oxford Tube. This evening, I will go to Newbury to attend the annual meeting of the Newbury Astronomy Society. I am the invited lecturer for this month, kicking off their 2009/2010 season with a talk on Ultra-High Energy Cosmic Rays. Once I get home, I have just enough time to shave, shower, and get myself to Newbury for dinner at six o'clock.

Saturday: As Robbie Burns cautions, it is always risky to talk about plans for things that have not happened yet. Thus, I will not go on about the weekend plans in detail -- time enough to describe them after they have actually happened. Still, I will note that tomorrow I should be heading into London to join my friend TH on his narrowboat, the Walden III. In June, I spent a weekend cruising along the Thames, from Oxford to Reading, with TH; this time, we are going to spend a day exploring London's waterways.

Sunday: On Sunday, the plan is to continue developing the Sooper Sekrit Project. In the early evening, I will be ringing bells at St. Giles in a quarter peal attempt that kicks off the annual St. Giles Fair. Later on,

feanelwa comes over from Cambridge to stay with us for a couple of days.

Meanwhile, of course, there are just over two weeks left until I leave for Japan; I expect life to get ever-busier in that time! At the moment, though, I am home... which means I'd best get that shave and shower done so that I look presentable for my presentation tonight!

Happy Friday to All, and to All a Good Night!

[1] As long-time readers will know, "RotRotWiRP" = "Return of the Return of the Week in Review Post" of course! (What else could it be?)

[2] This is the same place that we went to with

bunnypip and the leverets in March to see Sharmanka.

[3] I am explicitly not counting cathedrals in this comparison. Although Lowick Church is a marvelous parish church, it still cannot compare to York Minster or Winchester Cathedral or the like. (Although it does easily outshine Chelmsford Cathedral)

[4] I realise that there is some debate as to how many plays Shakespeare wrote. For the moment, I am taking thirty-seven plays to be the "correct" number. This may change.

[5] The Comedy of Errors, Cymbeline, Henry V, As You Like It, and Julius Caesar.

Current Mood: busy
Current Music: Chess soundtrack -- Where I Want To Be

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First off, let me congratulate

softfruit who, in the flurry of post-BiCon LJ "friend"ing, managed to become my 200^th LJ friend.[*]

That said, I move on to today. This evening, my beloved

cheshcat and I had a date -- we went to see a production of Henry V put on by the Oxford University Dramatic Society. This kind of drama I can get behind!

Until tonight, I had not seen any of the Bard's history plays since

cheshcat and I saw the Royal Shakespeare Company perform the full eight plays of the History Cycle back in February 2008[**]. Of course, no company could live up to that so there was bound to be some degree of let-down inherent in the experience. Still, the performance was quite good despite the fact that it was a student production. I guess this should be assumed, as they are going on tour to London, Stratford-on-Avon, and Georgia!

My main problem with the production was how they chose to treat the text. A lot of scenes -- some funny and some powerful -- were cut, which made the purist in me less than overjoyed. Still, I could understand the need to trim for time... until we got to the end. Not content to leave off where Henry V ends, they actually brought in some material from the first scenes of Henry VI, part one. That really failed spectacularly, in our eyes. Not only is the tone in the following play completely different... but why axe important scenes in the play that you are producing to free up time for scenes from ~~an Italian restaurant~~ another play? Bad move. Nonetheless, don't let my critique fool you -- overall we had a fun time out!

After the show, we went to G&D's to get ice cream for dessert. Now we are home again and I am winding down for the night.

Meanwhile, gentle readers, I leave you with more photographic goodness from BiCon. Here is the lovely dalek tea cosy, made for me by the wonderful

bammba_m and subverted for my own nefarious purposes. Photo credit goes to the lovely

xugglybug. Enjoy!

Is that a dalek on my head or am I just happy to see you?

[*] Yes, I'm a number geek. Why do you ask? (Actually, one of my nicknames -- based on tarot -- is the Knave of Numbers)

[**] Which still ranks as my favourite theatre experience ever... but has it really been a year and a half now? Oh, my!

Current Mood: silly
Current Music: Elton John -- Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting

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( You're about to view content that the journal owner has marked as possibly inappropriate for anyone under the age of 18. )

Current Mood: cheerful
Current Music: Kool & The Gang -- Celebration

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Just finished reading the Spark Notes for Shakespeare's Cymbeline, in preparation for an open-air performance tomorrow evening at Glastonbury Abbey.[**] On my mind, then, are three Shakespeare-related comments:

First, with regards to Cymbeline, can I just ask one question:
What the hell is wrong with these people???
I expect that I will enjoy this play, as it is chok-full of something I dearly love -- that is to say, plot.[***] Still, with the exception of Imogen, the whole cast seems to be quite loopy. Particularly in the final scene.[****] (Maybe there's something in the water?) The king, especially, is quite daft. Who invokes war with the Roman Empire to avoid paying a tribute, wins the war... then decided to pay the tribute anyway?!?

Second, where the heck did the oft-repeated myth about how there are no strong female characters in the Bard's plays come from? Seriously?? And none of this counter argument drivel about how Lady MacBeth is the exception. Lady M ultimately proves a wuss who kills herself with guilt -- not exactly made of stern stuff. But Imogen, Rosalind, Portia... need I continue??

Third, here are gender-specific lessons that everyone should learn from Shakespeare:

For the men: If somebody -- including your deranged mind -- tries to convince you that your wife has been unfaithful, relax. She isn't. Whatever you do, do not kill her. Best not to kill her unborn child, too. It is sure to be yours.
For the women: If you get into a spot of trouble, disguise yourself as a boy. Doesn't matter what the trouble is, just do it. Ultimately, this will boost your IQ until you are smarter than everyone else around, allowing you to fix whatever it was that caused the problem. You may also land yourself a hot date in the process... with either (or both) gender(s).

Must run now, as there is still a fair bit on today's to-do list that needs doing before the night is over.

[*] Apologies to my gentle readers and friends to whom I owe replies and e-mails. This past week has been a bit of what my darling

tawneypup would term "OMFGSOBUSYIWANTTOSTABMYSELF busy", so my online time has been limited. With any luck, I shall rectify this soon!

[**] In my experience, the more familiar one is with a Shakespearean play before one goes to see it, the better one will appreciate it. If I have time, I try to read the actual play in advance -- preferably with footnotes and comments in the text. Failing that, I at least read the Spark Notes to give myself a basic idea of what will be happening.

[***] Indeed, Cymbeline may have more plot than any other of the Bard's plays. Think King Lear and Othello and Romeo & Juliet and As You Like It all rolled into one!

[****] I won't even begin to get started on the bizarre cameo appearance by Jupiter shortly before this scene begins!

Current Mood: giggly
Current Music: Pink Floyd -- The Show Must Go On

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The place where lost socks go...

A Muppet of a Man

And Then There Were None

A Thousand Dreadful Things

Sad Stories of The Death of Kings

Shutting Doors Against A Setting Sun

We Are [Almost] The Champions

Random Bits of Randomness Rallying Rigorously!

Into The Woods You Go Again, You Have To Every Now And Then

Cardinal Points

This Is My Quest: To Follow That Star

If His Name Be George, I'll Call Him Peter

I've Got Some Bad News For You, Sunshine

Really Random Ramblings

All The World's A Stage

Those Who Cannot Remember The Past Are Condemned To Repeat It

Day 84: Antihere today, Antigone tomorrow![*]

Day 40: The Twelve Nights of Shakespeare

Day 5: I Come Not To Bury "Caesar", But To Review It

Day 3: Once More Unto The Breech, Dear Friends!

It's Nomad In August![*]

The Reduced Shakespeare Entry[*]

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