As Far As You Know

Hello again!

I've taken an unannounced, unplanned break from maintaining this site since the fall. No particular reason, beyond the demands of a particularly hectic year at work and a bit of blogging fatigue. I have written some unposted entries in recent months--mostly when on break from school and somewhere far away from Wallingford, or after particularly good plays or concerts--and plan to back-post these in the days ahead. My intention is to resume regular posting immediately.

The Brooklyn Academy of Music hosted the Donmar Warehouse's recent production of King Lear, and this was probably the strongest staging of Shakespeare's masterpiece I've yet seen. Derek Jacobi was a formidable Lear and the actresses portraying Goneril and Regan were especially strong too, bringing out colors in these roles I had not seen before. The scene in which Gloucester has his eyes plucked out was never more violent than in this performance, though it worked well in context. The set was appropriately spare and all the production values seemed to click. A terrific night at the theater (and I was able to bring two students from "Shakespeare And The Death Of Kings," the senior English elective I am currently teaching).

Bet the GOP didn't see that coming! President Obama upstages his predecessor by ordering the operation that resulted in the death of Osama Bin Laden.

It's great that the folks at Apple and various publishing houses have figured out how to give print subscribers access to digital versions of magazines at no extra cost. So I can download this week's issue of The New Yorker rather than wait for it to arrive a few days later. And similarly, new issues of The Economist, Time, Sports Illustrated, and Vanity Fair all are available on my iPad as soon as they are released. This will be especially useful in keeping up with these periodicals when I am traveling.

I drove my class to Boston today to see Richard III staged by the English all-male theater troupe Propeller. For many of the kids, this was the first time they had seen a Shakespeare play performed. (We had finish reading the play about a week ago.) They liked the show, and I thought it was the most effective version of this play I have yet seen. The approach to the material created a nightmarish atmosphere through lighting, set designs, and very effective use of music. And the violence was over the top, in almost a black comic way. The actor portraying the lead was wonderfully seductive. A thoroughly engaging performance.

The first of the big summer movie releases landed at midnight here in Wallingford, so some seniors and I got to be among the first to see Thor. Director Kenneth Branagh--he of the Shakespearean films--did an effective job with a credible story that wasn't overwhelmed by the (visually sumptuous) special effects. Props to Tom Hiddleston for his strong work as Loki, the jealous half-brother of the title character. Lots to like about this flick!

The Hangover Part II is not a great movie. But there are a few moments of sheer comic bliss, mostly from Zach Galifianakis. My advice? See it on Tuesday, which is $5 movie night at the local cinema here in Wallingford. It's worth that much for a few good laughs, I guess.