A Big Splurge Of Random

[sophieisgod]

Lots to say, lots to say...


I'm still feeling sightly giddy after yesterday's picspam, and I have just learned from the wonderful ohcatling that there will be a national tour in October! And it will be in Leeds while I'm in York! So now I have to go! I've been having a rummage on the interweb and I found the castlist and I recognise a few people. Thomas Morrison, aka David Morrissey's son in Blackpool is playing Scripps. He's not a fittie, as such, but he is funny and pretty awesome. And Orlando Wells is playing Irwin! Alex from As If! Anyone else remember that? Sundays, on T4? it's very bizarre. Posner is Steven Webb... from The Magician's House! And Julie's son from Bad Girls! Oh, I am so very excited. And I need a History Boys icon, dammit!



Because I've gotten just a teeny bit obsessed with Gary Oldman recently, I raided my mother's amazon account and got Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead. My lord, is it ever awesome. For a start, it's written and directed by Tom Stoppard, who is responsible for Arcadia, one of my favourite ever plays. It's about two supporting characters from Hamlet, which I wrote my A2 English Lit coursework on ("The presentation of Hamlet and his foils"), and is, y'know, SHAKESPEARE! And it stars Gary Oldman and Tim Roth. And is AWESOME.



Anyway, the dialogue is lightning-quick and sharp as anything, and they basically wander around, not entirely sure what they're doing there, and they keep bumping into the action from Hamlet. They can't remember anything that happened before the start of the play, and they're not entirely sure which of them is Rosencrantz and which is Guildenstern. They're quite sweet and innocent, especially Gary Oldman, bless his socks. I just know that every time I see Hamlet for the rest of my life, I'll be picturing them bumbling around behind the scenes. And Questions mught just be my favourite game ever.

Rosencrantz: What's the matter with you today?
Guildenstern: When?
Rosencrantz: What?
Guildenstern: Are you deaf?
Rosencrantz: Am I dead?
Guildenstern: Yes or no?
Rosencrantz: Is there a choice?
Guildenstern: Is there a God?
Rosencrantz: Foul! No non sequiturs! Three... two, one game all.
Guildenstern: What's your name?
Rosencrantz: What's yours?
Guildenstern: You first.
Rosencrantz: Statement! One... love.
Guildenstern: What's your name when you're at home?
Rosencrantz: What's yours?
Guildenstern: When I'm at home?
Rosencrantz: Is it different at home?
Guildenstern: What home?
Rosencrantz: Haven't you got one?
Guildenstern: Why do you ask?
Rosencrantz: What are you driving at?
Guildenstern: What's your name?
Rosencrantz: Repetition! Two... love. Match point.
Guildenstern: Who do you think you are?
Rosencrantz: Rhetoric! Game and match!



I am actually gutted. I only *just* found out that in 2004 the National staged a six-hour production of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials, starring Anna Maxwell-Martin and Dominic Cooper as Lyra and Will. True, I was doing my GCSEs at the time, and most likely couldn't have gone anyway, but still! I can't even imagine how incredible it must have been. They did the daemons with these paper puppets with light inside them, and it looks beautiful.The pictures are awesome.

Anyway, my main point is that I miss so much, not living in London, and it drives me up the wall. I know it would be all be hideously expensive, but the sheer amount of cultural stuff I'm missing out on is making me slightly crazy. And it's not like films, where you can catch up whenever you want. It's an actual physical experience that you can't recreate, being in the same space as the actors and feeling all the tension. Sigh. Je suis melancholy



I've been rereading Shoebox, and it's put me in a Yeats-y mood. So, for your reading pleasure:

He wishes for the Cloths of Heaven

Had I the heavens’ embroidered cloths,
Enwrought with golden and silver light,
The blue and the dim and the dark cloths
Of night and light and the half-light,
I would spread the cloths under your feet:
But I, being poor, have only my dreams;
I have spread my dreams under your feet;
Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.

I'm currently deciphering Ulysses for my course, so it's nice to read an Irishman who writes in legible sentences. Makes a nice change. I am really excited for next term though, I can't wait to get stuck in.

Comments

[the-xarlster.livejournal.com]

I saw the His Dark Materials play. It was /awesome/. Mind-blowing sets and stuff. And the daemons were amazing; the operators were completely dressed in black, right down to their skin... and Dominic Cooper is a little bit pretty :)

[psychie.livejournal.com]

Most embarrassing. When I was 16 I had to perform a double act with me playing Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. That excerpt was part of my lines. :D

My dvd of R&G is from before it was actually released on dvd. Korean subtitles and all!

Ohhhhh Tom Stoppard is a god.

[betteroffer.livejournal.com]

Hellooo, thanks for adding me :)

I love London cultural stuff. If it all goes wrong, I'm just going to live homelessly on the South Bank. Although that's my plan, so things won't have necessarily gone wrong if that's how I end up!

So excited about the new History Boys tour! It seems to be the same cast as at Wyndhams in April. I love Orlando Wells, too! My dad was his French teacher :)

There are loads of good History Boys icons around the place and if you can't find one you like then there are millions of screencaps to make ones out of :D

[edge-of-night.livejournal.com]

I've been wanting to see Rosencrantz... for some time now, so I'm glad to hear it's good! You give me hope.

Anyway, my main point is that I miss so much, not living in London, and it drives me up the wall. I know it would be all be hideously expensive, but the sheer amount of cultural stuff I'm missing out on is making me slightly crazy.
Don't I know how you feel??? And I don't even live on that side of the pond! It drives me stark raving mad living over here! I miss EVERYTHING!!!

[darkangsty42.livejournal.com]

You only JUST saw Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead?!!!

!!!

I adore that movie, with all it's absurd dialogue. And all the physics! I actually saw it when my mind still retained some general knowledge of the subject, making it a zillion times more hilarious.

[sophieisgod.livejournal.com]

YOU SAW IT? *wails* You lucky duck. And he is, rather. :) Especially becayse I was a little bit in love with Will when I read the books.

[sophieisgod.livejournal.com]

Wow, I'm impressed. I could never a) speak those lines so quickly or b) not laugh while I was saying them.

He is, isn't he? *builds a little shrine*

[sophieisgod.livejournal.com]

I might join you. I could see mysef just spending my days scarbbling desperately at the concrete of the National, saving up my Tramp Tips until I can afford tickets.

Did you see it at Wyndhams? I've only seen the film and read the play, so I am UBER excited! But you have connections! :) Do you think Irwin's ex-French teacher would roughly equate to full backstage tour and free tickets?

I know, I've found a couple that I really love, the trouble is finding room for them! *shakes fist*

[sophieisgod.livejournal.com]

It's actually awesome. :)

It sucks so much! Do you get to see much on tour, or anything?

Also, Vicar!Tennant! in your icon! I think He Knew He Was Right may have been the first thing I ever saw him in. Happy days.

[sophieisgod.livejournal.com]

I know, I know, don't rub it in. I am a cultural dunce.

I think my favourite invention may have been the hamburger. Although the juggling was fluffing hilarious. Yeah, I haven't done physics for three years... I've been waiting for something to kick in, but I'm *really* not missing the science and maths!

[agguss.livejournal.com]

I love Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead too, althouhg I haven't seen it in a long time. And well, of cooooourse Gary Oldman &hearts ;)

[sophieisgod.livejournal.com]

But of course.

Quills is on the TV, and I thought of you. :)

[agguss.livejournal.com]

Aw!! You're so sweet! *grins*
Oh, and btw, I forgot to tell you: that icon is just amazing.

[darkangsty42.livejournal.com]

I personally love the part with the paper airplane sailing past Ophelia's head. Or the water displacement scene in the bathtub.

[the-xarlster.livejournal.com]

yes, I saw it.
-smug-

The scenery was likewoah. To get all the different scenes they moved the whole stage up and down and then swivelled it backwards etc.
Iorek and the bears were a bit rubbish though, heh.

[scissorgypsy.livejournal.com]

Ooh thanks for the tip on the History Boys tour! I will not let it pass me by again :D

The only Tom Stoppard play I have seen was 'Arcadia' at school when the sixth form did it and made it completely rubbish by not knowing their lines D: Your enthusiasm has given me hope, I will have to give him another go. (Have you seen the Terry Gilliam film 'Brazil'? Thats a favourite film of mine, I'm fairly sure Tom Stoppard was a writer on that)

That 'His Dark Materials'' production looks amaaaaaazing. *dies a little inside* Timothy Dalton! Dominic Cooper! Gah!

[sophieisgod.livejournal.com]

Ach, bad productions sick. Especially since Arcdadia is so FREAKING awesome. Ohh, it's making me hurt just to think about bad student productions... Poor, poor play. And poor you, having to watch it die! I haven't seen Brazil, I've been meaning to for a while, but I shall definitely make the effort now!

Doesn't it? I want to seeeeeee it!

[edge-of-night.livejournal.com]

Do you get to see much on tour, or anything?
No not really, they don't believe in much culture where I live period. LOL

Really!? It was the first? That's crazy. I saw Vicar shortly after Barty Crouch, between Crouch and Doctor. LOL Yes happy days indeed.