Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Twelfth Night

We both like Twelfth Night a lot. It's our new episode!

We've been having a lot of cool comments here, I'm excited about our next mini-episode discussion!

24 comments:

  1. Great podcast, guys! Learned some things (especially about the background) I wouldn't mind a part II, although you stuff so much into this episode, I'm not sure what more need be said - a whirlwind tour in the space of an hour!

    I've seen six versions of this on video: the Trevor Nunn film, the Stratford stage version; the ITV version with Joan Plowright/Alec Guinness; the BBC "Complete Shakespeare" version; and the Kenneth Branaugh-directed one, which is the worst(!!!); and Tim Supple's 2003 BBC TV Version, which features a multi-cultural cast. (Oh, and the Animated Tales 30-minute adaption). There's also an older Stratford edition on DVD, which I've not bothered to pick up yet. I've never had the opportunity to see it live.

    One of the big sticking points for me about this play is the credibility of the "maleness" of Cesario; both the BBC and ITV versions feature very feminine Cesarios, and they just don't work for me; I find it hard to suspend my disbelief when it's blatantly obvious that Cesario is a woman, but none of the other characters sees it. The Trevor Nunn, Des MacAnuff, and Tim Supple versions carry it off, the others... not so much. I mean, you can put Joan Plowright in a Prince Valiant wig, but it's still Joan Plowright; and the BBC version doesn't even attempt to make Viola "male". Throws the entire play for me.

    Great podcast! Thanks so much for putting these out, I always look forward to them!

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  2. Oh, and here's a 1937 Radio Broadcast version of Twelfth Night for you to peruse:

    http://randsesotericotr.podbean.com/2010/07/03/columbia-shakespeare-cycle-august-30-1937/

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  3. I checked for a Brannagh version of Twelfth Night, couldn't find one. I'm wondering if TheMusicMan is referring to the Trevor Nunn directed version in 1996, with Ben Kingsley and Helena Bonham Carter, but not a KB in site? I found that film to be a bit dark. The play does have a darkness to it, obviously, but that film took it too far. I saw the play in Stratford, Canada last year, with Brian Dennehy as Sir Toby, and it was a wonderful production. I've played Toby twice, and everyone backstage is nice to you when you play Toby; nothing like the time I was Iago.

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    Replies
    1. here's the one I was referencing: Directed by Kenneth Branaugh:

      http://www.amazon.com/Twelfth-Night-Thames-Shakespeare-Collection/dp/B0009ZE9EY/

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    2. Okay, gotcha. I've never seen it; it looks to be a t.v. production, shot just before KB got famous, not even listed in the IMDB.

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  4. Nice job, Guys. Really enjoyed your coverage on Twelfth Night. You're show gets better and better!

    Also, I like the mini episodes too.
    Thank you for all your hard work.

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  5. First off I just want to say you guys do a great podcast, nice one. Talking about different versions of 12th night I was wondering if you were aware of the 2006 film "She's the Man" a retelling set in present day?

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  6. Oh, yeah, I forgot about that one... not much to recommend it, other than the WS connection... Set at "Illyria High School" and all about Rugby (?) and the inevitable love triangle, right?

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  7. hi Dudes...love the podcasts & stuff. i am 37 yrs old and can honestly say that until 2 weeks ago...I didnt give a rats ass about Shakespeare or anything related. i truly thought his stuff was stupid & couldnt be bothered with anything he wrote. i had zero appreciation for his works. then... i watched a movie called "ANONYMOUS"...and i fell in love with the beauty of his plays and poems etc...i dont believe the movie at all, but it did spark an interest in my soul. its soooo wierd. i cant explain. i just have this deep facination with his plays and i am looking forward to reading more & more. i think the movie is brilliant. a great alternate theory. taken w/ a grain of salt. i am a huge fan of ELIZABETH I and her history...thats what appealed to me @ first. i am a SHAKESPEARE junkie as of late & cant wait to enjoy Your guys' podcasts. thankyou very much. going to listen to one now..."Macbeth"

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  8. This is completely irrelevant to your discussion of Twelfth Night, but I have subscribed on iTunes but can only access episodes from the beginning of 2010. Is there any reason for this? The earliest one I have it Shakespeare in Fiction. Is there any way I get the earlier ones?

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  9. Gentlemen,
    I thorughly enjoy the podcast. Amongst all of your podcasts, you have a good mix of the plays, characters and other aspects of Shakespeare and his times. For a Shalespeare novice like myself it makes the subject more engaging than simply wading through his canon.
    Within the podcasts, I like the content and you present the material in well organized way. Both of you seem to get along well and thoroughly enjoy Shakespeare and this shows. I just discovered this podcast a couple of months ago and have made my way through most of episodes. Again great job.
    Since you are curious about your listening demographic, here's a bit about myself. Male, age 39, marrIed with three children. Naval officer and helicopter pilot. Over my adult years my exposure to Shakespeare has mainly been through what I read and studied in high school and college. Since then I have not read really anything of his work or about him. I did enjoy what I read when I did read it, but have now felt a need to read and learn more about Shakespeare and his work.

    Thanks again and I look forward to future episodes.

    V/R
    Dave

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  10. Great podcast! Interesting and informative and fun! But did I hear you say "Ta-moan" of Athens instead of "Ty-man" of Athens? That's not possible, is it?

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  11. New podcast soon.... pretty please?

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  12. Gents, having recently streamed via Netflix the 2011 "Coriolanus" (R. Fiennes), I thought it would be really cool for you guys to talk some about this more obscure (and very manly) play.

    Charlie

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  13. more episodes you magnificent sons of bitches

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  14. Hey, great podcast! I keep waiting in hope for a new episode but no joy :( You haven't moved to a new website?

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  15. You haven't moved to a new website? Need a new episode!

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  16. Where did you guys go??? I love the podcasts! I miss them!

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  17. Hi guys.

    Hope you're well, hope also that you're working on a new podcast, i'm training to be an English teacher and I really enjoy listening to you two talk about the plays.

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  18. Hello,

    It's been a while since I listened to this episode, but I'm quite sure you said your next episode would be about Measure for Measure. I've recently been listening to a series of lectures entitled Approaching Shakespeare from the University of Oxford. These are freely available through iTunes in the iTunes U section. The lectures are given by Emma Smith, and each discusses a question about a different Shakespeare play. In the episode on Measure for Measure, she discusses the genre of the play. If you haven't heard it already, I'd reccomend listening to it. She discusses its genre in terms of it being a syntactic comedy, rather than a semantic one. She also discusses its role as a problem play, both in the original meaning of the term, as coined by Frederick Boas, which is a play about a moral problem, and also in the more modern sense, as a play that is problematic to categorise. Another interesting matter is the word 'prenzie,' which is twice used in this play in the first folio, but the meaning of it is not known. In modern editions it is often replaced with the word 'precise.' Although after a little further reading I have encountered a source which suggests that this could have been the original intention, and 'prenzie' was the result of the printer struggling to read the scrivener's secretary's handwriting.

    Thanks again for your excellent podcast and a happy new year to both of you, and all of your listeners.

    Kind regards,

    Matthew Jones

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  19. Totally miss you guys.

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  20. Guys, isn't it about time for a new podcast? I hope all's well! /Emma from Sweden

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  21. Just saw the name, so swooped in to add that I ran a little best plays poll on my FB page, and Twelfth Night got a lot of support (I put it in #5 in my original list, which probably helped by reminding people) but it got a lot of love, coming in only behind Hamlet, Much Ado, and Macbeth. As an actor, I was very much looking forward to doing it this summer, but the production got killed before auditions even went off, so I guess I'll do Midsummer instead. More generally loved, but I find it a weaker play.

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