Fun at Maraczek's Parfumerie!

This morning Anthony Heald graced us with his presence, starting our class activities off right.

His performance as Shylock last night made many of us question the anti-Semitism and prejudice in society. His most interesting comment came when he was asked about his chilling final scene in which Shylock loses the trial and is forced to become a Christian. The diversity of reactions in the audience, ranging from gasps to sighs to giggles showed what a truly relevant issue this still is in today’s society, just as it was in Shakespeare’s. Heald said that he felt Antonio was trying to do the right thing and save Shylock’s soul, not “punish” him.

At 1:30 PM we attended She Loves Me, a musical comedy which inspired the film You’ve Got Mail. I find myself still thinking of the great humor and adorable melodies. The spectacle of the set, costumes, music and physical comedy all made me take a deep sigh of relief after spending the beginning of the week in the realm of drama and tragedy.



In the evening we saw Twelfth Night. Christopher Liam Moore, a Southern Californian actor I have seen at the Pasadena Playhouse in As You Like It delivered a fantastic performance full of pomp. His fall was long and hard. After being confined in a giant birdcage as Malvolio, he returned beaten physically and mentally damaged. Michael Elich as Feste reminded me very much of Ben Kingsley in the film adaptation.

I was also please to see the sadness and tragic romance Brooke Parks brought to the role of Viola. In contrast I found Miriam Laube’s Olivia too silly for my taste.

All in all, a perfectly charming day at the theatre filled with laughter and smiles.

"He does it with a better grace, but I do it more natural."

I had a wonderful day today. I am so glad that I got to see Belle’s Stratagem. It is very witty and humorous. I found all of the costumes wonderful. The masque in Act Two combined imagination with historical costumes of the time.

Nicole and I finally made it for a walk in the park after the show. It was still too hot to walk a great distance, but we stopped for a subway sandwich and ate our lunch by one of the pounds. There we met two very friendly ducks. I named them Berowne and Dumaine. Nicole and I started feeding them, which was probably the wrong thing to do because then they wouldn’t leave us alone.

Speaking of Dumaine! Christopher DuVal came to class this morning. He plays Dumaine in OSF’s Love’s Labour’s Lost as well as Leo David in Room Service and Sir Andrew Aguecheek in Twelfth Night. Nicole and I were just discussing him last night and concluded that he was our favorite actor of the week. It was a pleasure to have him in class. I am very fond of him and glad to have personally met him – which seemed to only add to my enthusiasm for him.

In the evening we saw The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus by Christopher Marlowe. Based on the Faust legend, a man seels his soul to the devil in exchange for power and knowledge. The script focuses on the decay of spiritual beliefs over material gain, and the concept of Fate. Two versions of the play are known to exist. One written in 1604, is possibly an abbreviated version performed during Marlowe's lifetime. The second appeared in 1616 and is one third longer. It is speculated to be either an adaptation, or the full length origional.

I have to say it disappointed me, as well as Nicole. While there were certain moments that captured my imagination - "Why this is hell, nor am I out of it," Mephistophilis says of Earth. - I found the characters poorly written. The production value of the production is exceptional, but there was still something missing. I did not connect to the characters the way I felt I should have. It was all about spectacle, rather than humanity and religion. Perhaps in class tomorrow, others will explain its “greatness” to me.

"Now is the woodcock near the gin."

Suzanne Irving, who plays Queen Elizabeth in Richard III and Maria in Twelfth Night this season, came to our class today. I enjoyed her company very much. She spoke a great deal about the collaborative process she experienced with the directors of OSF. I hope that one day I will be esteemed enough to be invited into such a collaborative company.

At noon, I attended a lecture regarding The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus with David Riggs from Stanford University. I do not believe that I will understand all of what he spoke of until I see the play on Saturday. I think that this main point was the stress that the audience must buy into the idea of fate in the same way audiences of the time would have. His principle idea regarding Fautus is that he is damned from the beginning and has no way of attaining salvation. I wish that I had written more notes, but I stopped regarding Riggs as a scholar when he said that Marlowe was a better playwright than Shakespeare. I will believe that when I see it! I heard quite a bit of murmuring during this topic of choice.

Nicole and I then ventured into the park. However the heat was so extreme today that I thought I might pass out. We didn’t make it far before we turned back and decided to leave the excursion for another time.

We then decided to go to a movie (probably more for the air conditioning then the movie itself). We saw Mad Hot Ballroom. I had no idea what the movie was about when we entered the theatre. It turned out to the be a documentary about teaching public school children in the New York to dance. I appreciated the effort, but the film was not well put together.

Around 8:00 PM we made our way to the Elizabethan stage to see Twelfth Night. It was everything I thought it would be and absolutely wonderful. I enjoyed myself very much. I cannot believe how new the actors made the play for me. It was off the page and into my imagination in very little time. Up at the top of the set was a beautiful golden boat on a weather vane that changed direction with the passing of each scene. Sir Andrew Aguecheek was my favorite by far. He brought excitement to the stage infused with raw humor. Tomorrow is our last day in Ashland. I will miss it terribly.