Shakespeare Fans discussion

FYI,

on Wednesday 3/25 Sir Ian McKellan's King Lear is supposed to be on PBS HD.
Should be interesting, if nothing else. The costumes look good, if eclectic...

I wish I got it, but I cannot get reception...=(
[Maybe someone will be kind and tape it for me...:]

Hey, thanks for the heads up Jenna!!!

Send me a message...and if you help me remeber I will send you a tape.

Happily!

Jenna

Thanks for letting us know. I can't wait to see Sir Ian doing Lear - I don't have a tape machine - but will burn it to DVD. If that would be useful to you let me know and I'd be glad to shoot you a copy. That goes for anyone else as well. Its easy enough to do.

Some reviews and interview...

http://www.mckellen.com/stage/lear07/...

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/gperf/episode...

I made a large sign to remind me until I can find it on my dvr. I wish I could figure out how to burn a dvd from tv sheesh!

Oh he's very very good. Got to watch it live when they came to Singapore. Sir Ian even visited one of the gay bars here. I wasn't there but the owners got to take a picture with him. LOL!

If anyone wants to, you can buy the DVD from the RSC website.

Candy wrote: "I wish I could figure out...>

Um - I go cable at wall to cable box w/DVR. Cable box to DVD recorder. Recorder to TV. I have literally hundreds of DVDs Ive recorded this way. Whatever is on the cable box - either from cable or the DVR is what the DVD recorder picks up.

Bruce and all who mail CDs/DVDs:

Here's a link for cheap ($0.18 US) cardboard CD/DVD mailers, which obviate the need for plastic jewel cases and, in Canada, need only 1st class mail postage:

https://www.effectuality.com/store/it...

Thanks William, but candidly, I'm not expecting the response to my suggestion to require mailing in bulk.... :>)

This is great to know. By the time I found out Sir Ian was doing Lear at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, the ultra-hot tickets for the entire run were already sold out!

Well, Bruce, you never know. There are now 170 members in this group. Perhaps someone is doing a 2-for-1 sale.

Thank you for the offer; I might have to take someone up on it! I live in a bad area for reception; I've got bit rabbit ears and everything and I still get snow...maybe the switch to digital (whenever that actually happens) will help.

Jenna, sorry to hear you have rabbit ears. Have you seen a doctor about that?

Yes, Matthew, my doctor said there's little to be done.

Anyway, just a friendly reminder to all the King Lear is supposed to show tonight!

Ah yes, the family is all out tonight, so it's just me, the dog, and Sir Ian. I have it all set up on the DVR Jenna, and will be burning myself a DVD, so if you'd like a copy, just let me know. Easy enough to do.

Same for me Jenna, but way more techno peasant, on video.

Looking forward to this show tonight and thanks for the reminders!

It's taken me a while to watch this pbs special. One thing after another got in my way...but I finally was able to set aside some time. I was surprised because it was a lot longer than I expected.

Some first impressions...I was really surprised at how Ian McLennan kind of played the role at first. I swear...he kind of looked like a guy who might live down the street. (the wardrobe was fairly non discript actually). His face was almost pasty and puffy and it took me a while to kind of accept him. I was very pleased with the casting of Cordelia...which I thought was a very important piece of casting...at least for me. I have found that there seems to be two types of viewers/fans of King Lear those who crave to understand the king and those who crave to understand Cordelia.

I loved how slow and unassuming the play begins and then suddenly...umbrage, anger and just plain ego set off such a sad chain of events and human response.

It was almost like seeing a couple of jungle animals shock each other in the underbrush.

I wonder if anyone lese around here got a chance to see this yet?

I saw it and thought it was great. One thing I realized after seeing Looking For Richard about how afraid we as Americans are of tackling Whakesperean language, Watching King Lear rattle too fast, almost incomplehensibly, and also watching Macbeth with Dame Judy Dench, where both the leading men when going insane rattle and sweat and go insane to where the lines are almost incomprehensible unless you've read them, it was so much easier to relax and just take it in. I've got that rest of my life to plumb the depths of these plays, but I love just watching it and not having such high expectations of getting it as Litrature, so that I scare myself off. In Shakespeare's time it was like watching John Grishim movies or something are for us, except more beautifully written. To not be scared of the iambic pnetameter, and to just get the jist of it is wonderful, and how the other two daughters could look so calm and collected while murdering you with the decisions their words bring before you, Oh, makes me shudder,. I know epople like that, and realize why my hackles go up even when I don't know specifically they are up to, Just as King Lear doesn't. And I never know who is on my side a lot of times because I suspect the wrong people, as Lear did Cordelia and exiled her with nothing.

I have yet to actually watch the PBS special of McKellen's King Lear, but I was fortunate enough to see this production live in New York when the RSC was on tour. It was a life changing experience and Ian McKellen just blew me away. He is brilliant on film, but even better live. Lear is a role that is near and dear to my heart for many reasons. Firstly, I was lucky enough to play Lear in my final year of high school and I feel it may have been the best thing I've done in my young career. Secondly, Lear and his redemption reminds me so much of my dear departed grandfather in the final years of his life. That is probably why I loved Ian McKellen so much. He was so fragile and vulnerable. I could not help but feel for him and want him to earn forgiveness.

I also absolutely loved the portrayal of Edgar and of Goneril and Regan. I also LOVED the actor who played Kent; he completely changed my view of the character. I haven't watched the PBS special yet because I don't want to spoil my memory of the production.

King Lear is easily my favorite Shakespeare play and I feel it is his best. The last scene makes me weep every time I read it or see it performed.

Just watched this depiction of the play in preparation to re-watch my favorite adaption of Lear-Ran by Akira Kurosawa. I have to say I liked it. I was not sure how I would like it given I had watched the foreign adaption first but it was still solid and powerful.

Sir Ian and the other members of the RSC do top-tier performances as usual.