Bard Crazy.

[BroSCFischer]

I believe I have mentioned that I thoroughly enjoy Shakespeare. I have at least 7 versions of Hamlet, 6 of Macbeth (including one with Sean Connery in the title role. I think it's the only one I have that has a true Scotsman in the role ), 3 each of Richard III, Romeo and Juliet, King Lear and Merchant of Venice.

I have actually watched 3 versions of Hamlet back-to-back-to-back.

Anyone else a fan?

The reason I ask is I'm considering starting a Social Group, but if no one would join, what's the point.

SC

[Merriweather]

Love Shakespeare. So did my daughter as a teen (well, I think she still does). Her 16th birthday gift was a trip to see Romeo & Juliet (every sixtenn year old girl's favourite) performed at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, by the RSC, in Stratford-on-Avon.

And before you think WAY over-the-top, we were living in Wales at the time But it was our first trip to Stratford.

I have a "Complete Works" that I purchased in Stratford.

[Heksubah]

I am quite a fan of the Bard. Romeo and Juliet is probably the top of my list, but I have yet to find anything of his that I don't thoroughly enjoy.

[Pixilated]

I'm still trying to get to see Henry V with Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson ... I've asked for it for Christmas but no luck yet.

[PepperElf]

I have actually watched 3 versions of Hamlet back-to-back-to-back.

Not me. I like him but... I've seen both full-length versions of hamlet now (first branagh and then tennant). both times it took me 2 days to get through it all. and with DT's version i had doctor who dreams that first night.

tho i have seen oh... 4 versions of it now - the first 2 i mentioned, the infamous mel gibson version, and Sir Olivier's version too.

Other works... Midsummer's - both live and video, taming (live & video), R&J the old video version not the leo version*, and some other lesser known ones too.

I really want to see "much ado about nothing" . i've already seen branagh/thompson's version (with that dude who plays dr wilson on house & keanu reeves). but i'd like to see the david tennant/catherine tate version too. dunno if it's out yet tho. i mean in the states that is

[AnaKhouri]

I love Shakespeare! I am not a huge fan of the comedies (not a fan of comedy in general)but I love the histories and tragedies. Macbeth is my favorite play ever; I have seen it on stage at least 5 times (once set in Africa, and once in the future) and every movie version that was made. I like to tell my son he was not of woman born (c-section); someday I hope he gets it!

I also love King Lear, Richard III, The Tempest, Titus Andronicus and Julius Caesar as well as most of the sonnets.

[Docmayhem]

I have at least 7 versions of Hamlet
SC

Does that include "Strange Brew"?

[RecoveringKinkoid]

Love me some Bard. I'd join.

Heck, half the titles of my blog chapters are snippets from Shakespeare. My readers treat them like easter eggs.

[Food Lady]

Well, I'm only really familiar with Macbeth and R & J. Really liked 'em, though. I just flashed on Cher saying, "Well I remember Mel Gibson" in an argument w/ Josh's girlfriend (Clueless).

[BroSCFischer]

Does that include "Strange Brew"?

No.
1964 starring Richard Burton
1969 starring Nicol Williamson
1980 starring Derek Jacobi/Patrick Stewart
1990 starring Mel Gibson
1996 starring Kenneth Branagh/Derek Jacobi
2000 starring Ethan Hawke (surprisingly enough Bill Murray does pretty well as Polonius)
2009 starring David Tennant/Patrick Stewart

I also have Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, but did not include that in my tally.

Food Lady, some recommendations from me to expand your repitoire are Hamlet (obviously ), Merchant of Venice (the 2004 with Al Pacino as Shylock is, I think, a good version), and Twelfth Night.

SC

[auntiem]

Does that include "Strange Brew"?

I was going to ask that too!
I usually don't like the movies of the plays - I prefer to see them performed onstage. The main reason is the casting - it throws me off somehow.
My personal favorite of all is Comedy of Errors - I've seen that staged brilliantly a few times (gotta love summer stock).
The is also a lot of staged Shakespeare available around here - including Bard on the Beach (which I have never been to, but one day may be able to convince/drag my SO to it).
I did once get to see Romeo and Juliet performed in an alley, using a fire escape for the balcony in Ethiopian - good thing I knew the play really well.

I actually like Marlowe better - too bad he got stabbed in the eye in a bar brawl, or I think he would have been more famous than Shakespeare.

oh, and stop naming The Play - y'all are making me nervous!

[BroSCFischer]

oh, and stop naming The Play - y'all are making me nervous!

Y'mean MACBETH?

Why wouldn't you want to talk about MACBETH?

MACBETH is one of my favorite plays.



SC

PS: For more information on why, if you don't already know, click here.

[BroSCFischer]

The new Social Group is "The Globe Theater" (already linked in my signature).

I have invited almost everyone who has expressed interest, or, at the very least, mentioned that they enjoyed a play or two.

SC

[PepperElf]

Oooo yeah I liked R&G are dead.


Oh and I forgot to specify my * mark from above.


* i HATE romeo & juliet. sorry. it gets on my nerves. i dislike all versions of it, including leo's (really you named the guns "swords" just to get the text the same? )

which is also why i like midsummer's dream... cos it makes fun of R&J

[Merriweather]

* i HATE romeo & juliet. sorry. it gets on my nerves.

Ah, but you aren't a 16 year old girl : Trust me, at that age, for a lot of girls, it's the ultimate. My daughter was over the moon to get to see it in Stratford for her 16th birthday, and year I was 16 was when the Leonard Whiting/Olivia Hussy version came out - pre-video days, so only saw it what I could in the cinema when it came out, but I had the soundtrack (with the music plus quite a bit of dialog) on vinyl, and had the whole thing memorized - I used to set my stereo to play it over and over, and then go to sleep Maybe it was a true love of Shakespeare, maybe it was just seeing Leonard Whiting as Romeo (especially the morning after the wedding scene, which instead of having on the balcony, was in the bedroom - one quick glance of his butt was quite something for a 16 fyear old girl back in those days, I must admit, I can't recall being quite as excited reading it in school two years prior, as I was watching that movie