The very mould and frame

A recent Guardian article on Aardman Animations revealed they had apparently produced a short film about Shakespeare – which was a startling revelation to me as a Shakespeare and an Aardman fan. How had I missed it?!?

A very little googling turned up a version on YouTube and it is a delight – an almost wordless canter through all of the plays with the charm of Aardman and the trappings of traditional Shakespearean productions (the music is a delight). I’m a bit of a quiz nerd and I absolutely loved trying to work out which play was which from the tiny fragments we see. I think I identified Much Ado About Nothing – but it’s much harder to spot than, say Julius Caesar or Titus Andronicus! And I haven’t gone through with a checklist and the pause button to see if they are all included – I’m far too busy marvelling at the skill (both craft and intellectual) that has gone into it.

The youtube link is here – do let me know what your favourite bit is. Lord what fools these mortals be indeed!

Pericles (2)

Globe Theatre

This is a slight apologia of a review of Pericles – this is the first time ever I have very little recollection of the production, and no contemporaneous notes to carry me through. No disrespect meant to the cast – I do recall an engaging and thought-provoking production – and rest assured I am more assiduous in my note-taking (as well as more determined to write things up in a timely fashion).