Richard II: The Final Day In Stratford-Upon-Avon

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimDAROBK5FsZr8hGBP1mOA_kWH9DnGx9KLgIth0RxPoXwrKkdioW_ud_BPHePYrMy-UrQKEcy4KzrK-dWV3GNNOBm-kmsNGtky7K9kCu80P4tV_I6LE61HUgMCrxoMIp9zhBtFOZrhi_Ne/s1600/Rich10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimDAROBK5FsZr8hGBP1mOA_kWH9DnGx9KLgIth0RxPoXwrKkdioW_ud_BPHePYrMy-UrQKEcy4KzrK-dWV3GNNOBm-kmsNGtky7K9kCu80P4tV_I6LE61HUgMCrxoMIp9zhBtFOZrhi_Ne/s640/Rich10.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Yesterday saw the final day of the Stratford-upon-Avon run of the Royal Shakespeare Company's production of <i>Richard II. </i>The play starring David Tennant and directed by Gregory Doran had been in residence at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre from the 10th October and the period had included the RSC's first ever live broadcast of one of their productions into cinemas.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The excitement for the closing two shows was quite palpable, but at the same time there was a little sadness that it was all drawing to a close so soon. It hasn't been a very long run and the transfer to London has meant a three week break while the complex stage design is relocated to the Barbican in London. The Warwickshire town was obviously much busier from much earlier on in the day and the Royal Shakespeare Theatre shop and foyer was rammed as friends met up with friends and people scrambled to buy from the range of Richard II merchandise. Crowds were building up outside too. An acquaintance who took a peek during the matinee interval informed us that the stage door barrier was already three deep. Fans who had already viewed the production assured first-timers how much they would love the show. Seasoned RSC and theatre supporters rubbed shoulders with people for whom this was their first foray into live Shakespeare. It has been a production that has drawn its audience widely.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This has been a critically acclaimed run, with many praising the simple yet effective set, the use of the theatre's depth, the live singers and musicians and, without a doubt, the consistently high quality performances by the whole company. The younger members of the cast have left us with a host of new names and faces to follow with the hope that they too will go on to great things. For David Tennant it has been a triumphant return to Stratford. The bold decision to wear extensions to realise Richard's ethereal, androgynous appearance may have got the gossip columns chattering but it certainly focused attention on something very special that was happening on that stage. The success of the live broadcast across the UK underscored that to the tune of the £1 million that was generated at the sold out cinema box offices. The production hit the right notes in so many ways and Gregory Doran has hit the ground running in his first full season as RSC Artistic Director.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The two final shows ran through smoothly and following both performances, David Tennant made an earnest appeal for donations to the Disasters Emergency Committee to support relief work following the horrific events in the Phillippines. Cast members manned buckets at the exit doors. The final curtain call was a mixture of elation and emotion. The audience sprang to their feet as the final spotlight faded, and the beaming, relieved, tired and happy faces of the whole cast, led by David Tennant said it all. A large bunch of apricot and lemon coloured roses landed with a thud at David's feet; he scooped them up and without hesitation presented them to Jane Lapotaire, who has made a triumphant return to the RSC following a lengthy serious illness. David thanked the audience and expressed how delighted they had all been with the successful run...and then they were gone, with just the final flourish by the trumpeteers to see the audience on their way.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A member of the theatre staff informed us that work would start the next day to strip out the <i>Richard II</i> set and to start to install the complex mechanics for <i>Wendy And Peter Pan</i>.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In three weeks time, the company will take to the stage of the Barbican in London. Until then we will simply have to be bereft of Richard, Bolingbroke, Old Gaunt, York, Northumberland, Harry Percy, Aumerle <i>et al. </i>In the meantime there are <a href="http://onscreen.rsc.org.uk/cinemas-and-tickets/">encore screenings</a> of the live broadcast to fill the void.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Richard II </i>transfers to the Barbican in <st1:city w:st="on">London</st1:city> from 9th December till 25th January 2014. The run is currently sold out, but a limited number of tickets will be made available on the day of each performance directly from the Barbican Box Office. Otherwise phone 020 7638 8891 for returns.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>

David Tennant Gregory Doran Richard II Royal Shakespeare Company Shakespeare Theatre Richard II: The Final Day In Stratford-Upon-Avon

Yesterday saw the final day of the Stratford-upon-Avon run of the Royal Shakespeare Company's production of Richard II. The play starrin...

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Richard II Closes In Stratford-upon-Avon Tonight

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGLIIAOVxPjrIP5uqCjH6nYH8xD495VdcdjO7JhbsebwHtnRbdVXi_rVbaQjJNL_p7qtmfxWDlC_UBokr_b0WpHURIpgfCFdfAHa-OAEgh9uZFpV0u0xPltKsNOWN4xk5ACy_dm5j-o9c/s1600/rich26.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGLIIAOVxPjrIP5uqCjH6nYH8xD495VdcdjO7JhbsebwHtnRbdVXi_rVbaQjJNL_p7qtmfxWDlC_UBokr_b0WpHURIpgfCFdfAHa-OAEgh9uZFpV0u0xPltKsNOWN4xk5ACy_dm5j-o9c/s640/rich26.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">David Tennant's sold out and critically acclaimed run as Richard II at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon comes to end tonight as David and the rest of the ensemble play their last show in Shakespeare's home town.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The play will transfer to The Barbican Centre in London on 9th December 2013 where it will play in residence until 25th January 2014.</span><br /><b><a href="http://www.david-tennant.com/2009/id194.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">To find out more about the play please visit our website here.</span></a></b><br /><br /><br />

David Tennant Richard II Royal Shakespeare Theatre Shakespeare Theatre Richard II Closes In Stratford-upon-Avon Tonight

David Tennant's sold out and critically acclaimed run as Richard II at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon comes to end...

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Video Countdown To Richard II: David Tennant And Oliver Ford Davies In Hamlet

<div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1L-PMLilG7pwzbHgWLTdANuqRWM1Pk3clVhrJL-Xn3GOYyfkSe6D4xOCyE9MGBSG4DEE3AWp1c6jDZT3Z05IPVwXFrXvzGk6Nq1LSuU7epn5au3MmS6Rr3syk1T-KKhLWnVwAe05zMEs/s1600/Hamlet5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1L-PMLilG7pwzbHgWLTdANuqRWM1Pk3clVhrJL-Xn3GOYyfkSe6D4xOCyE9MGBSG4DEE3AWp1c6jDZT3Z05IPVwXFrXvzGk6Nq1LSuU7epn5au3MmS6Rr3syk1T-KKhLWnVwAe05zMEs/s1600/Hamlet5.jpg" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Tonight, David Tennant and company perform the first preview of the Royal Shakespeare Company's production of Richard II at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, <st1:place w:st="on">Stratford-upon-Avon</st1:place>. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The final performance clip in our Richard II countdown involves two members of the cast of the new production performing in their last Shakespearean collaboration. David Tennant and Oliver Ford Davies, who tonight play King Richard II and the Duke of York were last seen together on stage in the 2008-9 RSC production of Hamlet. Here, Hamlet (David Tennant) easily convinces Polonius (Oliver Ford Davies) of his madness:</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/59RuIdXZp1o" width="560"></iframe></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The BBC and Illuminations film of Hamlet is available on DVD </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">To buy the DVD: <a href="http://astore.amazon.co.uk/dtennant-21/detail/B002PXHRFQ">click here</a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">To buy the DVD (US customers): <a href="http://astore.amazon.com/datethsi-20/detail/B0038RSJ0U">click here</a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">To buy the region-free Blu-ray: <a href="http://astore.amazon.co.uk/dtennant-21/detail/B00370844Y">click here</a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">An Australian release is available through the ABC shop: <a href="https://shop.abc.net.au/products/hamlet-2">click here</a></span></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div>

David Tennant Hamlet Richard II Royal Shakespeare Company Shakespeare Theatre Video Countdown To Richard II: David Tennant And Oliver Ford Davies In Hamlet

Tonight, David Tennant and company perform the first preview of the Royal Shakespeare Company's production of Richard II at the Royal Sh...

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Video Countdown To Richard II: David Tennant Reads Sonnet 71

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgevxL7nfgiuW6V2GnGBePKu_Q-aZudUknGDpgjEwHlXQm3YdgQYkwvHWqS-UpHK_u8FWZ2QMbQs8j6MMUjnQ-NBHRl-BoaL-Yuv_xczSxI477OWetyv0c6sd8PDfcgeIKsBeZRRB8ywOk/s1600/Sonnet1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="380" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgevxL7nfgiuW6V2GnGBePKu_Q-aZudUknGDpgjEwHlXQm3YdgQYkwvHWqS-UpHK_u8FWZ2QMbQs8j6MMUjnQ-NBHRl-BoaL-Yuv_xczSxI477OWetyv0c6sd8PDfcgeIKsBeZRRB8ywOk/s640/Sonnet1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Tomorrow night, David Tennant and company take to the stage in <st1:place w:st="on">Stratford-upon-Avon</st1:place> for the first preview of the Royal Shakespeare Company's production of Richard II. To get you in a Shakespearean mood, our countdown clip today features David reading one of the Bard’s 154 sonnets.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Watch David perform Sonnet 71 'No longer mourn for me when I am dead' here:</span><br /> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" height="281" mozallowfullscreen="" src="//player.vimeo.com/video/44724252" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="500"></iframe></span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: start;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The clip is one of the exclusive performances of all 154 Shakespeare sonnets included in the Touch Press iPad app <i>The Sonnets by William Shakespeare</i>, which was released last year. The interactive digital edition boasts a star-studded cast including David, Sir Patrick Stewart, Jemma Redgrave, Stephen Fry and Simon Russell Beale,who read the poems directly to camera. The app also includes <st1:city w:st="on">Arden</st1:city> notes, an alternative commentary and a view of a facsimile 1609 edition. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">To find out more about the app <a href="http://www.touchpress.com/titles/shakespeares-sonnets/"><span style="color: blue;">visit the Touch Press website</span></a></span></div><div style="text-align: start;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />A DVD of the performances is also available - <a href="http://astore.amazon.co.uk/dtennant-21/detail/B008COWJ3W"><span style="color: blue;">click here</span></a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div></div>

David Tennant Richard II Royal Shakespeare Company Shakespeare Touch Press Video Countdown To Richard II: David Tennant Reads Sonnet 71

Tomorrow night, David Tennant and company take to the stage in Stratford-upon-Avon for the first preview of the Royal Shakespeare Company...

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Video Countdown To Richard II: David Tennant As The Porter In Macbeth

<div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1sb-9Zp-hbgNUzVn7lq4pfZtwbWtJFi3bAoDtDo1zXJzDTRZfmCIaK-fjvK6-yqcyn4ZBW3H-3y9Rq5GneRH6js4QCKHdWgL_1nh8RYP6rJMQ8Z3mE24Ql8vAOlJy3OJ9uElfkisZvZc/s1600/DT1998.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1sb-9Zp-hbgNUzVn7lq4pfZtwbWtJFi3bAoDtDo1zXJzDTRZfmCIaK-fjvK6-yqcyn4ZBW3H-3y9Rq5GneRH6js4QCKHdWgL_1nh8RYP6rJMQ8Z3mE24Ql8vAOlJy3OJ9uElfkisZvZc/s640/DT1998.jpg" width="442" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">With just two days to go until the Royal Shakespeare Company's production of Richard II starring David Tennant opens in <st1:place w:st="on">Stratford-upon-Avon</st1:place>, our video countdown continues. Today’s clip of David in a Shakespearean performance is actually an audio recording and comes from the 1998 Arkangel Shakespeare recording of Macbeth.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">From 1998 onwards, Arkangel released unabridged audio drama versions of all 38 of Shakespeare’s plays performed mainly by members of the Royal Shakespeare Company. David appeared in several of the productions. In Macbeth he takes on the role of the Porter, whose brief appearance provides some comic relief before the discovery of the King’s murder. Macduff is played by Gary Bakewell. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/Yr4jULsh9Lg" width="560"></iframe></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The production also stars Hugh Ross and Harriet Walter as Macbeth and Lady Macbeth</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /><!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br /><!--[endif]--></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Other Arkangel performances by David are:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Henry VI Parts I, II and III – Henry VI</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Romeo And Juliet – Mercutio</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">King Lear – Edgar</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Comedy Of Errors – Antipholus Of <st1:city w:st="on">Syracuse</st1:city></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div>

David Tennant Macbeth Richard II Royal Shakespeare Company Shakespeare Theatre Video Countdown To Richard II: David Tennant As The Porter In Macbeth

With just two days to go until the Royal Shakespeare Company's production of Richard II starring David Tennant opens in  Stratford-upon-...

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Video Countdown To Richard II: David Tennant As Hamlet

<div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdJwKAiFlFFhxP5ueH83xgLuYTQd4I5kPG02kEY-GTlojz6ZNPyoUKWy2x-q5F0mboUtz3Eh8A_mtS9o3zblJcD_XVyROS20jHF8WUBdV75G8p29aSib5qW0Xc9Ndo5nweFz6DqfoV9Qo/s1600/hamlet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdJwKAiFlFFhxP5ueH83xgLuYTQd4I5kPG02kEY-GTlojz6ZNPyoUKWy2x-q5F0mboUtz3Eh8A_mtS9o3zblJcD_XVyROS20jHF8WUBdV75G8p29aSib5qW0Xc9Ndo5nweFz6DqfoV9Qo/s640/hamlet.jpg" width="511" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There’s three days left before the Royal Shakespeare Company's production of Richard II starring David Tennant opens in <st1:place w:st="on">Stratford-upon-Avon</st1:place>. Today’s video countdown clip features David’s take on what is probably the best known of all of Shakespeare’s soliloquies.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">David took on the role of Hamlet for the RSC in 2008, directed by Gregory Doran, performing in both Stratford-upon-Avon and <st1:city w:st="on">London</st1:city>. In summer 2009 the BBC, Illuminations and Greg Doran filmed a version of the production with all of the original cast members and creative team.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The clip is, of course, Hamlet’s ‘To be or not to be’ soliloquy</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/xYZHb2xo0OI" width="560"></iframe></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Hamlet is available to purchase through our shop:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">To buy the DVD: <a href="http://astore.amazon.co.uk/dtennant-21/detail/B002PXHRFQ">click here</a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">To buy the DVD (US customers): <a href="http://astore.amazon.com/datethsi-20/detail/B0038RSJ0U">click here</a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">To buy the region-free Blu-ray: <a href="http://astore.amazon.co.uk/dtennant-21/detail/B00370844Y">click here</a></span></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">An Australian release is available through the ABC shop: <a href="https://shop.abc.net.au/products/hamlet-2">click here</a></span><br /><br /><br /></div>

David Tennant Hamlet Richard II Royal Shakespeare Company Shakespeare Theatre Video Countdown To Richard II: David Tennant As Hamlet

There’s three days left before the Royal Shakespeare Company's production of Richard II starring David Tennant opens in  Stratford-upon-...

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Video Countdown To Richard II: David Tennant As Angelo From Measure For Measure

<div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPHVaOJ_-56L1YKQi_meX0jPkbZPOTkWy0dA_cpGMGLNNbVPaO76ZvGcNdvff15BOxHsqxa-ClyVan-AYH3V8IWoJcxmj1QOWjAfRpk7z75t_HT_-Le_7orb4Hz5nGtEzBTWsYoSnARAE/s1600/Angelo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPHVaOJ_-56L1YKQi_meX0jPkbZPOTkWy0dA_cpGMGLNNbVPaO76ZvGcNdvff15BOxHsqxa-ClyVan-AYH3V8IWoJcxmj1QOWjAfRpk7z75t_HT_-Le_7orb4Hz5nGtEzBTWsYoSnARAE/s1600/Angelo.jpg" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Royal Shakespeare Company's production of <i>Richard II</i> starring David Tennant as the King opens in just four days time in <st1:place w:st="on">Stratford-upon-Avon</st1:place>. In the meantime we’re posting a daily Shakespearean video clip of David</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Today’s clip comes from an Open University programme, <i>Conjuring Shakespeare,</i> which was shown on BBC Two in 1997. The clip features David Tennant and Catherine Cusack as Angelo and Isabella enacting a scene from <i>Measure For Measure </i>(Act II Scene iv)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The BFI database says of the programme:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Explores Shakespeare's play "Measure for Measure" and the questions it raises around morality and virginity against its setting of corruption, and particularly the moral dilemma facing the virtuous heroine - whether to sin and give up her virginity in order to save her brother's life. <o:p></o:p></span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/6JpTAaLi_Q8" width="420"></iframe></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Richard II will open at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, <st1:place w:st="on">Stratford-upon-Avon</st1:place> on 10th October 2013 and will run until 16th November 2013. It will then transfer to the Barbican Theatre in <st1:city w:st="on">London</st1:city> from December 9th 2013 until 25th January 2014. The production is directed by Gregory Doran and stars David Tennant as King Richard and Nigel Lindsay as Bolingbroke.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The play will be filmed and streamed live into <st1:country-region w:st="on">UK</st1:country-region> cinemas on Wednesday 13th November, and then into cinemas in locations worldwide in broadcasts running until February 2014. <a href="http://onscreen.rsc.org.uk/richard-ii/default.aspx"><span style="color: blue;">Find out more on the RSC Onscreen site</span></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.david-tennant.com/2009/id194.html"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Keep up to date with all the Richard II news on our website</span></a></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div></div>

David Tennant Measure For Measure Richard II Royal Shakespeare Company Shakespeare Video Countdown To Richard II: David Tennant As Angelo From Measure For Measure

Royal Shakespeare Company's production of  Richard II  starring David Tennant as the King opens in just four days time in Stratford-upon...

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Much Ado About Nothing: A droll something

<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b><i>Much Ado About Nothing</i> </b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b>(2012) • <a href="http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/independent/muchadoaboutnothing/" style="color: #27a9c5; text-decoration: none;">View trailer</a></b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b> </b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b>3.5 stars. Rating: PG-13, for sensuality, subtle sexual candor and fleeting drug use</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b>By <a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/12885694730612878577" style="color: #27a9c5; text-decoration: none;">Derrick Bang</a> • </b></span>Originally published in <i><a href="http://www.davisenterprise.com/" style="color: #27a9c5; text-decoration: none;">The Davis Enterprise</a></i>, 6.21.13</b></span></span></span></span></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span> <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings></xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves>false</w:TrackMoves> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing> <w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing> <w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:DontAutofitConstrainedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> </w:Compatibility> </w:WordDocument></xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="276"> </w:LatentStyles></xml><![endif]--> <!--[if gte mso 10]><style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style><![endif]--> <!--StartFragment--> <br /><div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fred and Wesley finally got back together, which is pretty cool.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And while the circumstances are rather unusual, they’re no less delightful.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi49cn4JE4y8y6Ud7dL7qqadJa-nkkRqKxBQh25KU0IAlYcs-9ffztoXVCbv8OmVAYnFGWAVZexjob9xy9jCnhO_dx-J4m5qEEjM6LeXKOeF6azN3qY5PfdtMMcb7yZOAZ2zg47kZ_9zPs/s1600/Much+Ado+About+Nothing+blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi49cn4JE4y8y6Ud7dL7qqadJa-nkkRqKxBQh25KU0IAlYcs-9ffztoXVCbv8OmVAYnFGWAVZexjob9xy9jCnhO_dx-J4m5qEEjM6LeXKOeF6azN3qY5PfdtMMcb7yZOAZ2zg47kZ_9zPs/s400/Much+Ado+About+Nothing+blog.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">An eavesdropping Beatrice (Amy Acker, foreground) is astonished to overhear details<br />about how Benedick — elsewhere in the estate — has long adored her ... astonished<br />because it seems that she and Benedick do nothing but snipe at each other. Ah, but<br />Beatrice doesn't realize that Hero (Jillian Morgese, center) and the maid are fully aware<br />that they're being overheard, and are discussing "details" that have been exaggerated<br />for Beatrice's benefit.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Most filmmakers, after completing principal photography on a massive, gazillion-dollar project, unwind prior to the next step — assembling the director’s cut — by taking calm vacations ... <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>anything <i>but</i> film-related.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Joss Whedon isn’t most people. Prior to putting the finishing touches on <i><a href="http://derrickbang.blogspot.com/2012/05/avengers-well-assembled.html">The Avengers</a></i> — last year’s wildly successful superhero summit meeting — he filled the in-between time by staging an intimate, micro-budget movie at his own Los Angeles home. And, as genre geeks know, when Whedon mounts such a project, he always engages the close friends who’ve become one of Hollywood’s most loyal repertoire companies.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In this case, a 12-day shoot (!) yielded one of the most unusual interpretations of Shakespeare’s <i>Much Ado About Nothing</i> ever to hit cinema screens. Lensed in glorious, mood-enhancing black-and-white by cinematographer Jay Hunter, this modern-dress staging nonetheless employs the Bard’s original dialogue — condensed and occasionally tweaked by Whedon — and features faces well-recognized from his various television projects.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yes, kids; that means <i>Buffy the Vampire Slayer</i>, <i>Angel</i>, <i>Firefly</i> and <i>Dollhouse</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thus, my somewhat cryptic opening sentence can be explained by the casting of Alexis Denisof and Amy Acker — Wesley Wyndam-Price and Winifred “Fred” Burke, respectively, on <i>Angel</i> — as Benedick and Beatrice.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lest you roll eyebrows over the reflexive accusation that Whedon has unleashed a self-indulgent vanity production, well, yes, that’s certainly true. But who can complain, when the results are this entertaining?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To be sure, the initial disconnect is jarring. The setting, clothing and technology clearly are 21st century, which is at odds with the flowery Shakespearean dialogue. The acting style throughout is a bit ostentatious and overly mannered, the performers occasionally mugging for the camera the way a stage actor would pause for a laugh from the audience.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But that “settling in” period can be true of <i>any</i> Shakespeare production, even those that are rigorously authentic. Fifteen or 20 minutes into this film, everything starts to look and sound natural, at which point you’ll simply enjoy the richly contrived romantic entanglements present in one of Shakespeare’s most appealing comedies.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><a name="more"></a><br /> <div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The core plot is fairly simple: Leonato (Clark Gregg), governor of Messina, plays host to his good friend Don Pedro (Reed Diamond), who has just quashed a rebellion by his villainous brother, Don John (Sean Maher). Although the latter and his two accomplices — Borachio (Spencer Treat Clark) and Conrade (Riki Lindhome) — arrive in handcuffs, they’re allowed freedom of movement during this visit, as a gesture of kindness. (<i>Big</i> mistake!)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Don Pedro is accompanied by two faithful officers: Benedick and the younger, somewhat impetuous Claudio (Fran Kranz). The latter immediately falls head-over-heels in love with Leonato’s daughter, Hero (Jillian Morgese), and she with him.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Benedick, in turn, has something of an on-again/off-again relationship with Leonato’s niece, Beatrice. They spar verbally in the rich, earthy and often scaldingly pointed manner of “estranged” Shakespearean lovers in numerous plays. T’would be gross understatement to mention that Denisof and Acker thoroughly enjoy hacking at each other, particularly as the exchanges become more deliciously nasty.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Leonato, Don Pedro, Claudio and Hero concoct a plan to cut past this nonsense and get Benedick and Beatrice to acknowledge their mutual fondness.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But this would mean <i>two</i> happy couples, which is far more than the evil Don John can tolerate. He therefore engages his own sinister scheme to sever both relationships, and if the residual fallout should destroy his brother’s reputation ... well, so much the better.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In other words, business as usual for Shakespeare: duplicitous villains, concealed identities, misleading intentions and additional folderol that could be put right with one or two direct conversations. But where’s the fun in that?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Production designers Cindy Chao and Michele Yu make excellent use of the spacious outdoor and indoor settings, and Whedon also draws additional chuckles from the incongruities of modern behavior. As one example, Denisof rambles through one of Benedick’s tormented soliloquies — questioning his possible responses to Beatrice’s behavior — while jogging up and down the concrete stairs that lead up to the estate swimming pool (an intriguing visual in its own right).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The most fun, however, comes when first Benedick and then Beatrice, in turn, are tricked into believing that they’re “accidentally” overhearing telling conversations by Leonato, Don Pedro, Claudio and Hero. Denisof’s attempt to conceal himself in the back yard, moving from one window to the next, is simply priceless; Acker’s body-bruising effort to hide within the kitchen is equally hilarious.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On a more serious level, the degree to which we’ve bought into the story — no matter how grandiloquent the speech and mannerisms — can be measured by our reaction to the moment when, as Hero is betrayed in the worst possible way for a woman, her own father shuns her. Gregg, until now a genial host and doting parent, transforms into a beast whose fury is shocking; we feel his wrath like a physical blow.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thankfully, even such dire moments are offset by lighter fare. Nathan Fillion supplies pure comic relief as the bumbling, word-mangling Dogberry, a total idiot police officer who stumbles into this case entirely by accident, and then fails to grasp the significance of the evidence he helps uncover. (Dogberry is too agitated over having been called an ass by the contemptuous Conrade.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fillion and Tom Lenk, playing Dogberry’s partner Verges, also have plenty of fun lampooning modern TV cop show clichés, down to the unnecessary sunglasses.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Although the story is propelled by romantic intrigue and clandestine double-cross, Whedon doesn’t overlook the lusty undertone that permeates many Shakespeare plays, which can range from subtly earthy to flat-out bawdy. An early celebratory party at Leonato’s estate — before Don John’s vile machinations take hold — is one such example. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The tone is set by a pair of scantily dressed Cirque de Soleil-style acrobats who cavort on a trapeze near the pool, but the entire company sways with the intoxicating application of free-flowing alcohol and sexual tension. Couples begin to shed clothes and vanish off-camera, just quickly enough to preserve this film’s PG-13 rating ... and then there’s the lusty maid, Margaret (Ashley Johnson), who seems willing to drop her knickers for just about any good-looking bloke.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Denisof and Acker get most of the best lines — and plot contrivances — and therefore wind up with more screen time during which to strut their stuff. But much of the cast is equally memorable, no matter what size the role. Morgese is appropriately winsome and delicate as the fair Hero, which is essential if we’re to believe her reaction to the foul accusation from those she has trusted. (We must remember that Shakespearean women, no matter how spirited their tongues, can have their lives ruined by unscrupulous men.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Kranz is suitably earnest — and just naïve enough — as the smitten Claudio. Kranz has a similarly powerful moment when his character is enraged by a perceived betrayal: Again, the moment is breathtaking for its unexpected intensity.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Maher narrows his gaze quite convincingly as the vile Don John, who visibly revels in his own malevolence: a guy who loves being wicked for its own sake. (And he was such a <i>nice</i> guy on TV’s <i>Firefly</i>. Go figure.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On the other hand, Diamond remains a bit bland as Don Pedro, while both Clark and Lindhome are under-developed as Borachio and Conrade. Lindhome’s casting actually is intriguing; some recent productions of this play have staged Conrad (no “e”) as Don John’s male lover, and Whedon drops more than one suggestion here that — despite being played by an attractive young woman — this film’s Conrade actually <i>is</i> a man.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Assuming I’ve read that correctly, it’s an amusing nod toward the fact that, during Shakespeare’s time, female roles were played by effeminate men.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My overall pleasure notwithstanding, I suspect this film will be embraced solely by Shakespeare buffs and Whedon’s devoted fan base. I can’t imagine mainstream audiences getting on board, particularly during summer’s bombastic silly season. Indeed, quite a few folks departed midway through Monday evening’s Sacramento preview. (Their loss.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">OK, so maybe Whedon <i>did</i> make a film mostly for himself and his friends. It could be argued, though, that this is the first rule of art: Satisfy yourself, and hope the rest of the world catches on. This <i>Much Ado</i> may be an odd Shakespearean duck, but I’ll happily watch it again: always my most essential movie criteria.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><!--EndFragment-->

2012 Alexis Denisof Amy Acker Clark Gregg Comedy Fran Kranz Jillian Morgese Joss Whedon Nathan Fillion Reed Diamond romantic Sean Maher Shakespeare Tom Lenk Much Ado About Nothing: A droll something

Much Ado About Nothing   (2012) •  View trailer   3.5 stars. Rating: PG-13, for sensuality, subtle sexual candor and fleeting drug use By  D...

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