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I get a lot of hits by people Googling "Muppet Shakespeare", thanks to my two casting calls for MUPPET ADO ABOUT NOTHING and MUPPET KING LEAR. For those people, I now present this. (I got this thanks to the ever-amazing Shakespeare Geek, but rather than link to a link, I'll go direct.)
Strollerderby has a post including embedded video of the Shakespeare episodes of Sesame Street's MONSTERPIECE THEATER.
For the record, I've been quoting that Elmo-Hamlet bit for years.
Enjoy!
The other day I was here writing about endings. Then, the very next day, I was off-project thanks to a beginning. The irony is amusing, if not epic.
I was supposed to be working on the new (Roman) novel. But while in the shower I had realized how the final book of the Mercutio series begins. I thought I knew before, but I was dead wrong. So I towelled off and sat down, in the space of two hours churning out 3,000 words. The prologue of the final novel is writ.
Now I just have to finish the intervening nine books and we'll be all set.
Sigh. Back to Roma.
I'm several months late getting this up, because somehow I missed it in December. Just found it last night, much to my delight (and chagrin).
One of the more significant theatre reviewers in Chicago is Jonathan Abarbanel. He reviews for the local NPR station, WBEZ, and for various publications, including PerformInk. Now, there had already been a story about me in PerformInk, but Mr. Abarbanel put up a second in early December. Here 'tis. I'm very gratified.
As to the issue he raises - Sex seems to be a recurring theme this month for fans of my book. They seem to say,"We like it very much, but could the next one have some sex in it, please?"
Sorry to disappoint, but the heavy sex scenes don't come into the story until the third novel. Then you'll get your full share of bodice-ripping, I promise.
Maybe I'm prudish for this, but I've refrained from putting in a sex scene until it can move the plot along. If it wasn't necessary to the story, it was out, because then I'd just be writing sex for the sake of sex, and the books are long enough already.
Besides, Shakespeare never puts his sex on-stage, and I'm trying as best I can to mimic Shakespearean structure (cop out! I know).
Anyway, thanks to Mr. Abarbanel, and I promise there will be loads of sex as soon as Cesco's old enough.
Cheers,
DB
Of all the various seach terms that bring people to this site, there are two that are dominant. 1) Capulet-Montague feud; and 2) Tomorrow and tomorrow.
The first is rather obvious - I've written a novel about the cause of the Capulet-Montague feud in Romeo & Juliet. But the second is due to a single piece I wrote last summer, where my wife and I put forward our notion of the first half of the famous speech as Lady Macbeth's suicide note.
Well, someone else has just found it, and commented upon it. The link is here. And for those interested, the original link is here.
Now I have to figure out how to attract more people searching for the Muppets.
While I'm not big on outlines, when I'm writing I find it's good to know what my ending is. Gives me a goal to shoot for. This goes both for each individual novel, and the series as a whole.
I was thinking about this early this morning, as I mentally ran through the final dialogue to my back-burnered TV series. I've read that John Wells knew early on how he was going to end THE WEST WING. (Frankly, I think he got it wrong. When asked what he was thinking about as they flew away from Washington, President Bartlett's closing line should have been, "What's next." I thought that "Tomorrow" was a little uncharacteristic.) I've also read that Amy Sherman-Paladino knew the exact four words that were to end GILMORE GIRLS - but then she left the show in its final year after a contract dispute with WB, so we'll never know what those words were going to be.
I have to admit, there's a part of me that rebels at the notion of a fixed end-point. Having experienced the awe that comes from letting a story flow where it wants to, there's something too constraining in the idea. But I can't deny that it's helped me. Knowing how each novel in the Mercutio series ends (at least through book five) does two things. It gives me a definite goal, and it allows me to lay the groundwork not just for each novel, but several novels to come.
I'm just thinking aloud here, but since I'm often asked these kinds of questions, I thought I'd try to put down some more concrete thoughts. I guess I'm saying it good to know where you're heading, as long as the journey has the freedom to detour now and again.
Monday was my son Dash's second birthday, his last as an only child. We spent it at the zoo. Monday being the actor day-of-rest, we spotted other actors there, hanging with their kids. Oh, and a lot of animals, too.
I'll return to the world of literature soon. But this is a great place to share Dash with friends.
It wa a very windy day, hence his hair. And yes, he's wearing a jacket with the Incredibles insignia on it. His name is Dash. How could we resist?
Okay, I have a dark turn of mind. I'm aware of this, and most often I can keep it away from the brighter parts of my life.
But today I am convinced that the evil Big Blue Jet is controlled by Annie, the Little Einstein.
My son Dash adores two TV shows - the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, and Little Einsteins. And before someone out there gets their knickers in a twist, no, it's not Baby Einsteins. These are four little kids and their big red rocket (called Rocket) going off to have adventures. There's always a featured piece of music and a featured work of visual art, and they travel the world having silly "missions." It's not terrible. With one exception, which I will get to in a moment.
However, the creators must have decided there wasn't enough drama. Just as Mickey Mouse needs Peg-Leg Pete to hassle him, so the Einsteins needed some nemesis, some evil force that was always playing dirty tricks and messing up the Einsteins' lives. They created the anti-Rocket, Big Jet. Rocket is curvy and red, so Jet is angular and blue.
Now, we never see if anyone's flying Big Blue Jet (tinted glass). But my wife turned to me about a month back and said, "You know there are four evil children aboard. Evil genius children. Probably call themselves The Little Oppenheimers."
I laughed, but it got me thinking about the stories in a way that they were not meant to be thought about. How does Big Blue Jet always know what the Einsteins are up to? How does it know the exact route they're taking BEFORE they get there? Well, if there are four evil geniuses, maybe they could figure out the route. Maybe they're bugging the Einstein's HQ.
But this morning there was an act of sabotage on Rocket. His flight button was broken, just before the big race. And it dawned on me, "This has to be an inside job."
Now, there are four Little Einsteins. Leo is the leader, and he conducts the music. Then there's Quincy, who plays the instruments, and June, who dances. Finally, there's Leo's little sister Annie, who sings.
I have long held that Annie is the Einstein I'd like to vote off the Rocket. Her little made-up tunes to classical music are insipid. But worse, she's not the best singer of the group! The other Einsteins are far better than Annie, who is always a half-step flat. Naturally, Annie is Dash's favorite, prompting his mother to implore him, "Please, honey, don't ever date an Annie."
This morning I realized that Annie's bad singing is a deliberate attempt to sabotage the Einsteins reputations. And she must be the one behind the destruction of Rocket's ability to fly.
Which means that Annie is in league with Big Blue Jet. The world is in grave peril. Spread the news. I only hope we're not too late...
