« We love those monuments and diskas throwers | Main | The Church Needs Dudes »
June 15, 2007
green-eyed monster
Last night we went to Shakespeare's Globe theater to see Othello, performed there for the very first time. It was magical.
I remember loving this play when I read it in college, but I've never seen it. There's no better stage to see Shakespeare than the Globe. Finished in 1997, it is an authentic tribute to the original Globe theater.
Fortunately, the five of us who went together all got seats - many people stood for all 3.5 hours. But they got the benefit of dodging Iago, Cassio, Rodrigo and Co. every time they ran through the crowd with torches. Some folks leaned up against the stage and could likely feel Othello's breath as he seethed about the innocent Desdemona whilst crouching behind the pillar. The play was well-acted and the story moving, although the audience seemed to think it was funny more than anything. For some odd reason, many folks laughed at inopportune times, most notably when Desdemona cries out "Kill me tomorrow!" while Othello is strangling her. I was horrified. Moreover, the curtain call involved the entire cast dancing a jig. A bit strange after all the carnage, but I suppose that's their way of including comic relief.
Yesterday was a big day in other ways, as we got to meet and talk to two notable people, Sir Christopher Meyer and Kate Adie. Sir Christopher is Britain's former ambassador to the US. He was the one who introduced George W. Bush to Tony Blair and forged the relationship that would carry them to war together. He was friends with Cheney, Rove, Condi, and "Scooter" Libby. He supported the war at the time but now sees that it has "destroyed Blair's premiership and his legacy." I wanted to ask him more about this, but we mostly talked about British vs. American media. He is the chairman of the Press Complaints Commission here, a sort of self-regulating system that we don't have in the states. He also wears red socks every day. A charming fellow and a lively discussion.
Kate Adie is the former chief news reporter for the BBC. She got her big break reporting on the bombing of the Iranian embassy just a few blocks away from where we are now. Since then she's gone to the front lines of many wars and conflicts, including the Gulf War and Kosovo, and had many attempts made on her life (attempted stranglings, a knife to her throat, and an AK-47 pointed at her nose). Snarky, snappy and sharp would be the words to describe her: she distrusts the Internet and is old-skool in her ways of thinking about journalism. But her street-cred is off the charts so I'll let her have whatever opinion she wants.
Quite the busy day. Now I must focus on papers, finals, and Ireland next weekend to visit some Cherrys.
| By heiders | 04:42 AM
