RSC Productions

What's My Age Again? just came on the radio - could you have a better start to the day? Hopefully it'll only get better, as I have a party tonight and the weekend straight after. Also, I have alot to do at the moment and if there's any feeling I can't stand it's having nothing to do. And, it's all stuff I actually want to do, not a mountain of shitty work.

Anyway, I've seen six RSC productions so far and will be seeing three more soon, so it's reached the point where I can really appreciate their production (as well as feel completely at home at the Roundhouse). I think overall, the best RSC production I've seen is of The Winter's Tale, one of Shakespeare's lesser-known plays. It's so rich and varied, and the casting is spot on. A subtly warm, intimate atmosphere pervades the production and it boasts a few breathtaking moments, like when a gigantic, stage-spanning bookcase is slowly tipped and all the books crash to the floor, and when the bear that eats Antigonus emerges from the wings in the form of a giant paper puppet...Seeing Greg Hicks as Leontes in The Winter's Tale was a great preliminary to seeing him as Julius Caesar the other night. They're roles which have substantial similarities and are both really suited to him - he has quite a harsh, angular look to him which really highlights the arrogance of both characters.

I noticed a huge contrast between the productions of The Winter's Tale and Julius Caesar, which I love as it provides a clear display of  both extremes of RSC production, at their best. Whilst The Winter's Tale was vibrant, colourful, romantic, and despite some modern costumes, very much period in feel, Julius Caesar was much harder, grittier, and modern  in style, despite the entirely period wardrobe. For Julius Caesar, the set was sparse and minimalist, with electronic display screens (or projection screens - I'm not sure which) showing video, providing the backdrop of the stage. At first I didn't like this but it grew on me and by the end of the play, I definitely got it. I think it gives the production a modern edge that's fitting to the harsh, quite ugly content of the play...no reunited families or pastoral idylls going on there.

I can see how this production of Julius Caesar would be more of an acquired taste than The Winter's Tale, but it happens to be a taste I definitely have. Julius Caesar is one for the men, it's an extremely masculine play set in a masculine world with only two female characters in it. What this production brings out is that Julius Caesar is a gritty, political drama that has a lot in common with many modern crime or gangster films that take a matter-of-fact view of violence and revenge. It's a masculine taste. Reservoir Dogs is a film that sprang to mind many times throughout the performance of Julius Caesar - it maintains the same detached, bleak tone throughout all kinds of calamity. I thought the last scene of Reservoir Dogs was thoroughly Shakespearean. The Mexican standoff, the death of most of the main characters...Orange dies in White's arms as they both go down in a hail of bullets - if that's not Shakespearean tragedy transposed into the modern world, I don't know what is. Critics say that one of Tarantino's failures as a director is his failure to evoke sympathy for his characters, but I disagree that he fails to do this, and I also disagree that the lack of pathos in some of his films works to his disadvantage. I cried at the end of Reservoir Dogs...I think by the end of the film we understand each character so well that however unlikeable they are, we fully grasp the tragedy of the situation, in all its depth. But I digress.

Anyhow, Julius Caesar is now a serious contender for my favourite Shakespeare play. I think if I was to analyze my reasons for that, one would be that it's utterly lacking in romance. It would be a far cry from the truth to say that I avoid romance in theatre, but when it is missing from a play, in a way, it does make it easier to watch and enjoy. It's easier to detach yourself from the play entirely, without the discomfort of having to invest yourself in it emotionally, as its one less thing to relate to. And that this one thing is romance means there's a hell of a lot less to relate to. I speak for many people when I say that the mental compartment of romance contains a wealth of emotional landmines. You're taken on a more carefree journey. Also, I don't tend to prioritise romance in art in general. On the whole, I think there are more important and interesting issues in the world.

I just ate the most wasabified pea ever, I couldn't see any pea. My mouth stings.

What I'm Listening To: Young Guns - Weight of The World. Love this single.
                                        Kings Of Leon - Pyro. A Kings' single I like, never thought I'd see the day.
                                        More than like actually...I can really visualize rocking out to this in a festival
                                        environment.
                                       
Also a note on the xmas no. 1. Matt Cardle - Many of Horror, When we Collide, whatever. X Factor? Biffy Clyro? My morals are so confused. I guess we could've done worse...