Great Caesar's Ghost!

Wednesday night Mike and I went to the Shakespeare Theatre Company's production of Julius Caesar.

Caesar is a Shakespeare play that I'd never seen or even read before. It was pretty good! The production wasn't that impressive. It was what I think of as traditional American-style Shakespeare, with guys all wrapped up in white sheets and leather sandals. And the fighting was bad -- it was like modern dance interpretive fighting.

But there was a stand-out performance by the actor playing Antony. He was fantastic. You don't think of Antony as the comic relief, but he injected some humor into the role while still maintaining himself as a serious military man. And I enjoyed the actual play. It's hard going into Shakespeare when you don't know the play, but this one really wrapped me up and kept me intrigued throughout the evening.

Julius Caesar and Antony and Cleopatra are playing throughout the spring at Harman Center for the Arts Sidney Harman Hall. (The theatre is across the street from the Gallery Place/Chinatown Metro stop.) The Shakespeare Theatre Company's free Shakespeare in the Park production is Hamlet.

Macbeth at Folger Shakespeare Library

On Tuesday night Mike and I went to see Macbeth at the Folger Shakespeare Library. It's been extended to April 13 and they only have standing room available now, but if you have the chance you should go. It was awesome. One of the producers is Teller, of Penn and Teller, and he's incorporated some terrific illusions into the production.

When I first heard "magic by Teller," I'll admit I was skeptical, expecting flashpots and obvious trap doors. But I watched carefully and couldn't figure out the tricks! And he has a sense of humor with his magic, too. At one point all the actors on stage crowd around a certain area and I thought, "Oh that's so obvious that's where the ghost will come from," but I was fooled! The ghost came from the other side of the stage.

This Macbeth is a very hip, very accessible interpretation. Many of the lines that come off as stuffy Elizabethan in other productions are delivered comically. And Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are making out nearly every time they're on stage together. She was one sexy Lady Macbeth who commands anyone's attention. I liked the stage fighting; Mike thought it wasn't quite violent enough. There was plenty of blood though. They can only spill so much blood onstage before it becomes a hazard for the actors jumping around.

The Weirds were a little scary and the "Double, double toil and trouble" scene was a real show-stopper. Often it's overdone because it's what so many people are waiting for that it's a disappointment. This was certainly overdone, but in a fantastic, loud, musical, over-the-top way that I was staring wide-eyed, not sure if I should laugh or be frightened, or maybe clap and chant along. It was a very satisfying scene.

When we bought tickets, only "partial view" seats were available and we had to buy seats one behind the other. The view was still pretty good, though. I had to lean forward a few times to see the left-most side of the stage, but it's a small stage and a lot of the action happened right in the middle. No one showed up to sit next to Mike so for the second act we sat next to each other. I imaging whoever came in with the standing audience decided that where they stood had an even better view than my vacated seat. I'd say it's worth standing for. Wear comfortable shoes; it's 2 hours and 15 minutes long (including intermission).

If you can't make it to the show or you're a Shakespeare-ophile with no money, you can still visit the Folger Shakespeare Library. They have a small exhibit hall that's free, they do lots of educational programs, and there's a book store. It's a few blocks from the Capital South Metro station.

Sweeney Todd

Last night I treated Mike to an early birthday present. I got us tickets to Sweeney Todd at A.C.T. It was awesome. We loved it. (Who knew we were such Sondheim fans? Between this and Assassins we are racking up his plays this year.) This is a revival of the version that has all the actors playing their instruments onstage instead of having a separate orchestra. It was amazing. The cast is so talented, to segue between their lines and their songs and their instruments. It's playing here in San Francisco through mid-October then going on a national tour. If it comes to your neighborhood, check it out.

But before you buy your tickets, maybe you should read a brief synopsis. This isn't one of those family-friendly lovey-dovey musicals. This is a musical about a murderous London barber. Sweeney Todd comes back into town after having been banished for trumped-up charges. He vows revenge upon the judge that sent him away, and the killing spree begins. And what to do with all those dead bodies? Well he happens to live above a failing pie shop that suddenly becomes very successful when some fresh meat is newly available. Revenge! Murder! Cannibalism! And of course young lovers! What could make a better musical than that?

Coincidentally, a few days ago we noticed a movie poster for Sweeney Todd. It's a Tim Burton-Johnny Depp-Helena Bonham Carter production opening this winter. It's a perfect Tim Burton story.

Not Quite the Not Ready for Prime Time Puppets

We saw Avenue Q last night at the Orpheum in San Francisco. I wasn't exactly disappointed because I tried not to have too-high expectations. I like puppets and I was hoping for a few laughs, and that's what I got. It was enjoyable, but I did not find it as hilarious as everyone else in the audience. It was like we were there for Avenue Q Fan Club Night, and everyone else had seen the play a million times or new someone in the play or associated with the play. There was lots of pre-laughter for upcoming jokes that turned out to be not that funny. I just got the feeling there were lots of inside jokes and we weren't part of the club.

As I told Mike during the intermission, the humor was so obvious. It wasn't particularly witty or clever. It was like, "Let's have puppets talk about porn! Because they're puppets! So we're, like, breaking stereotypes about puppets or something!" If they had gone any edgier with their humor then they might not have won a zillion Tony awards and gained mainstream appeal. Instead, they made characters relatable to a theater-going crowd, like the idealistic English major who has visions of greatness but can't find a job. "Ha, ha, that puppet's just like me and all my friends!" Dare I say that I was too old for this show?

After enjoying the likes of Team America World Police, Crank Yankers, Wonder Showzen, and even Vomiting Kermit on the Conan O'Brien show, I found the Avenue Q peeps to be pretty tame. I guess I've done some hardcore puppet-viewing that's desensitized me. Still, it's not a kids' show. There are plenty of "adult situations."

Performance-wise, the puppetry was very good. The actors really acted through their puppets. And Kelli Sawyer, who played Kate Monster and Lucy, has an amazing singing voice. The craftsmanship of the puppets and sets is what really pulled me through.

totally. awesome.

And the rest of my day was interestingly good, too. On BART on the way into San Francisco I saw John Wilkes Booth from Assassins! He got on and I thought, That captivating moustache looks so familiar. I'm no fan of moustaches usually, but JWB's demands attention. He was reading and I was able to make some furtive glances at him. I was 87% sure it was him. Then when he got off the train I was able to see what he was reading. It was a well-worn copy of the Assassins script! That made me 100% certain. I unfortunately didn't have a chance to talk to him. Maybe I'll see him again someday and be able to say Hi.

we are patriots

Last night, for 4th of July, we saw the Steven Sondheim musical Assassins. I loved it! While it was a community theater with a very small production budget, and thus sort of a crappy set, there was no masking Sondheim's catchy songs. And the charisma of John Wilkes Booth. (I *heart* him. As a character in a musical that is. In the Broadway rivial in 2004 the actor who played him won a Tony.) And the actor who played Leon Czolgosz was fantastic. Made me want to learn more about him and Emma Goldman and all that. And I learned a little about assassination history in general. I knew nothing about assissination attempts on FDR and Nixon, and very little about the attempt by Squeaky Fromme on Ford. And being that it was such a small theater, by sitting in the second row we were making eye contact with all the assassins all night long. It was a little nervy, especially when they were pointing guns into the audience. But I liked feeling so close to the actors. By being so actually close to them.

After the show the musical director came on stage and asked the audience to stand up and join the cast in singing "America the Beautiful" (because we all chose to spend our 4th of July night watching a musical about U.S. presidential assassins). I couldn't stop giggling throughout the song and John Wilkes Booth kept looking at me.

(More info from wikipedia.)