Theatre Thursdays: Is Race Lifting in Theatre a Lie?

This month, Keke Palmer will be the first Black actress to take on Cinderella’s glass slippers on Broadway, following in the recent footsteps of the likes of Norm Lewis being the first Black actor to star in Broadway’s Phantom of the Opera. We’ve talked a fair amount about colorblind casting on this blog, and I’d say these are examples of the practice working for its desired benefits: making sure actors of color get a fair chance at playing a variety of roles, including leading roles that have long been considered “whites-only” territory. However, I’m asking the reader to consider: is Broadway seeing its first Black Cinderella, or merely the first Black actress to play Cinderella? What is the distinction and why does it matter? Allow me to elucidate.

Keke Palmer’s debut as Cinderella is September 9, right around the corner!

Web Crush Wednesdays: Mya Gosling

—A moment of silence for Blanco, aka Shadowfax, who, much like Chris Hemsworth, galloped his gorgeous, commanding, and impressively white form into our hearts.—

Gentle readers,

It’s been well-established that there’s lot of potential at the intersection of history and webcomics. Just ask Kate Beaton. There’s really no substitute for gentlemen and ladies of state and grandeur being drawn with squiggly lines as they go about changing the course of two-dimensional, three-panel history. To that point, who has been a greater collector of the great personages of history than William Shakespeare? When he wasn’t too busy being a gay man, or any number of women, or having serious jungle fever, or being legion (for apparently he was many), Shakespeare captured giants of history from Julius Caesar to Richard III to Pericles.

As such, that makes his work fertile ground for the sometimes droll, oftentimes hilarious work of one Mya Gosling, the author over at “Good Tickle-Brain”. This title, as Gosling is glad to inform us, is one of Shakespeare’s most delightfully absurd insults. It also serves as a good touchstone for the kind of referential humor she’s wielding in her three panel Shakespeare comics. Take this one for example:

These three-panel plays fill the void in your life where CliffsNotes used to be or where Thug Notes would be if you’d always secretly imagined your literature professor in a do-rag. They’re rarely the sort to make you fall out of your bed from laughter, but they’re at the right intersection of dryness and pith to call loving attention to the many absurdities in both Shakespeare’s work and the history he describes.

If tiny laugh-without-opening-your mouth comics aren’t your thing, well, you’re actually probably out of luck, but, there’s more than just Shakespeare summaries to be had. You could repose while enjoying a tiny version of the classic Beowulf or something promisingly titled The Adventure of Inspector Lestrade’s Crumbling Self-Esteem. They’re both quite charming. In fact, you’d be well-served not to ignore her collection of comics derived from Canada’s Stratford Festival, or the slowly growing collection of Shakespearean What-Ifs.

It’s all delightful, but that’s actually not the reason that Mya Gosling’s work is my web crush this week. Rather, it’s what they reflect on Gosling’s part that has grabbed my attention. Of herself, she says, “my destiny was to be an extremely enthusiastic and discerning member of the audience, and that I should leave the acting business to the professionals.” She’s taken a passionate obsession and turned it into creative endeavor, which is the point.

Adorable as they are, these comics aren’t simply throwaway jokes. If you’re not up on your Shakespeare, some of them will make you work a little bit. That’s a good thing. You can read a comic artist’s entire web presence and not learn anything, and that’s simply not the case here. You can check out Gosling on Twitter and Facebook. I’ll leave you with this pleasant reminder of all the ways that Titus Andronicus is just like A Song of Ice and Fire:

Theatre Thursdays: Coriolanus (Again)

A while back we brought you the news that Tom Hiddleston was playing the title role in Shakespeare’s Coriolanus, and encouraged you to fly to London to see it (our argument, I believe, was something along the lines of “what argument do you need besides shirtless wet Hiddleston”). I have not flown to London in that interval, sadly, but I did seize on the next best—and significantly cheaper—option: seeing a screening of the production at a local movie theater.

Before I go into any depth on the show, let me just say this: If there is a theater in your area showing this as a movie, get ye hence and check it out. It was amazing.

Theatre Thursdays: Coriolanus

Imagine, if you will, the following: Tom Hiddleston killing it. Hard, right? Not simply being pretty good, or reasonably impressive, but really killing it. And not just killing it, but killing everyone. Hiddles has taken his bit back to London’s West End, where he is currently starring in a production of Shakespeare’s Coriolanus. This underrated revenge tragedy follows a battle-hardened Roman general who, betrayed for his tyrannical leanings, moves to take revenge on the city itself. The production, running at London’s Donmar Warehouse (which is technically in the West End) until February 8, has been widely lauded.

Theatre Thursdays: The Hollow Crown’s Henry V

The Hollow Crown is a BBC miniseries in four parts, with each episode consisting of one of Shakespeare’s historical plays. Specifically, the series is made up of Richard II, Henry IV Part I, Henry IV Part II, and Henry V. The casting is tremendously (geekily) star-studded, featuring the likes of Tom Hiddleston, Ben Whishaw, and John Hurt among many others. I actually only knew this was a thing that existed because of this interview that circulated post-Avengers.

Needless to say, I watched Henry V first.

Trailer Tuesdays: So Much Ado

[Enter SAIKA, stage right. She counts beats in iambic pentameter as she speaks.]

Guys.

I cannot quite explain in human words how thoughts of Whedon’s play fill me with joy. This Shakespeare work is my eternal fave, quite filled with humor and with snarky broads. I like it cuz the lady’s wits do match the gent’s with whom she falls so deep in love.

Dear readers, I just wonder if you know—he shot this in a twelveday at his house? The actors, all his friends that he holds dear—Clark Gregg and Nathan Fillion act their best. The costumes, clothes that each of them did have, provided by the players on request.

I really cannot wait to see this film, which graces theaters in the month of June. I love the Bard to bits, as well one should, and I suggest you see this movie too.

[Exit SAIKA, pursued by a bear.]

Theatre Thursdays: The Tempest

I’m not going to lie to you: the main reason I wanted to watch this movie is because I have become an unabashed Ben Whishaw fangirl following Skyfall, and I needed more of his stupid face in my life.

Whishaw plays Ariel, and he does an awesome job, but he turned out to be just one impressive actor in a sea of great performances. This movie features, among others, Helen Mirren, Alan Cumming, Alfred Molina, Russell Brand, and a bunch of other fabulous people.