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bethb's Diaryland Diary

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shakespeare 101

So, i've been thinking about a comment that Michael Kahn made when he was talking about the show we're doing ('timon of athens') Timon is a romantic play, but not romantic in the sense that some sots think of Romeo and Juliet. It's romantic in it's ideals and notions. Timon is a business man with great wealth and a bleeding heart (figurative-not literal) and has a bunch of greedy friends that he showers with gifts and fancy diners and eventually bankrupts himself with his own generosity, and as soon as he starts his decline, all of his 'friends' turn their backs on him, so he goes and lives in a cave (although, in our production, it's going to be a burned-out 1982 jaguar) and drowns himself. I have a lot of pity for the character of Timon, it's one of those futile pities where you want to shake the person by the shoulders and say 'can't you see what's happening?'But Michael was talking about a conversation he had many many many years ago (is it fair i used 'many' three times? probably not.) at Columbia. The fellow he was talking to (i'm paraphrasing what michael has already paraphrased, so bear with me) but Michael's friend said that he thought that Shakespeare wrote 'the bitterness out of himself' with Timon, because he then went on to write the Tempest, which was Shakespeare's last play. (there's one more before the Tempest, but i can't remember....A Winter's Tale maybe?)

There's a lot of speculation around Timon, in that people don't know if this play was ever performed in Shakespeare's lifetime (i'm not even going to address the whole 'was there or wasn't there' shakespeare debate. i like to think there was. i'm not scholarly enough to really pick apart his works to lean one way or the other. I have done enough shakespeare to see the language become clearer towards the 'end' of his play list) But the thought of this play as this medium of catharsis really struck me. i understand what that is. I know that melancholy that swells like a cork and i know the glorious feeling of release when it's removed.The question is, what is my timon.

Is it i've been too scattered and unfocused?

Randy called last night and we kinda discussed the Rhinocerosis (french absurdist drama a-hoy!) a bit. i'm looking forward to it. i think i'm doing the costumes and the rhinos, which is totally cool with me, because CHAW called me about doing the sets for a show that sounds really engaging. And in the meantime, i've been getting calls to paint someone's production of Brigadoon.

I don't know how they got my name as a scenic artist. i can do it, but i'm not a charge (that's the head scenic painter) but i can do some faux finishing....wood and stone, that whole deal. The question is, is it worth me, selling my soul for 10 bucks an hour to paint brigadoon?

Nope. sorry. I don't like Brigadoon. I don't think i like dinner theatre. put the two together, and you have.....

I don't mean to be a theatre snob, but i'm at a point in my life where i need to do things that intrest me. things that keep me sharp. that's all i'm really looking for in most aspects of my life. i think that's why i can't stand shit like the bear naked ladies. i've heard it all before (infact, don't they have a song something along those lines?) if it doesn't intrest me (kinda like a band i saw last night) i have a hard time being motivated.

ok, Let's talk about last night.

Opening band, the bass player played left handed (i don't know why the jimi hendrix t-shirt didn't tip me off sooner) although he didn't re-string his instrument like jimi did. he played it upside-down. i can't decide whether or not that's harder. but his whole schtick was bum-boppa-bum-bum-*toss head* bum boppa bopaa bum bum *head toss* you get the idea.

imagine two guys from auto shop getting together with the treasurer of the student body on drums. there's the band.

Then Mike Kinsella played, not tim, doesn't matter. He was pretty *dreamy* all the same.

Ranier Maria were good and sweet and nice nice.

Wish i had more interesting stuff to divulge here, but i can't. in 11 days, i will have been in DC for two years.

wild.

let's all have a party.

xoxo

beth b.

ps. i do have napkins! hello kitty napkins (bien sur!) for 50 cents at a good will. brand new too. wheee

14:44:25 - 2000-08-06

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