Shakespeare Related Things

Tomorrow my family makes its annual summer trip to Cedar City for the Utah Shakespearean Festival. In honor of this beloved event, I decided to write my five favorite Shakespeare-related books/plays/movies (with two honorable mentions). Next week, I'll write my reviews of the plays and have pictures from my subsequent trip to San Diego!

Honorable Mentions:
Shakespeare in Love
To Be or Not To Be

I've seen both movies only once and like them both. I'm sure you all know Shakespeare in Love better than I (I generally can't remember a movie plot five days after I saw it), and the other starred Carole Lombard and Jack Benny as heads of a Jewish theatrical troupe performing Hamlet while trying to escape the Nazis.

#5. 10 Things I Hate about You
Yes, the movie is somewhat cheesy, but I've seen it a number of times, and it captures the idea of Shakespeare better than most of its teenybopper counterparts (almost as well as Cluesless captures Emma). I like Julia Stiles, and it was one of the first things I had seen Heath Ledger in. And I still find myself laughing and appreciating Taming of the Shrew each time I see the movie.

#4. March Tale
This play was written by Tim Slover, originally a professor at BYU and now at the U. It tells the story of Shakespeare's troupe going to perform Merry Wives of Windsor for a dying Queen Elizabeth and getting themselves into Elizabethan plots and high hijinks. I actually saw this play in one of its first readings/writings at the Shakespeare Festival and then again at BYU after Tim rewrote it a little bit. It has since won several awards and the rights have been purchased to make a movie with Tim writing the screenplay (I hope it happens!).

#3. The Compleat Works of Wllm Shkspr (Abridged)
This is a very fun play that manages to do at least snippets from every single play. The better you know the plays, the funnier it is, but anyone can appreciate the history plays performed as a football game or a rap version of Othello.

#2. The Eyre Affair
Actually, every novel by Jasper Fforde contains at least some allusions to the Bard of Avon, but my favorite is in this book. Thursday Next, the heroine, goes to a performance of Richard III that is much like The Rocky Horror Picture Show. The audience completely participates, shouting out things, providing props, and even getting involved in the final battle at the end. (What a fantastic idea!! It would be exciting to live in a world that loved Shakespeare that much!)

#1. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead
My all-time favorite Shakespeare-related play is this one. I have seen it a number of times (including the movie version, though I wouldn't recommend it). The first time, though, probably had the greatest impact. All the tickets were sold out at BYU, but my dad happened to know the director (his wife had babysat Warren when we lived in Indiana), so he let the two of us sit up in the catwalks behind the spotlights. The stage was almost completely bare, so the characters and the words came alive. It's a great romp through existentialist thought and Hamlet, written by one of the world's finest playwrights, Tom Stoppard.

Christianity in Harry Potter

There has long been a question about whether or not Harry Potter is meant to be a Christ figure. Many ultraconservatives who are convinced the books are evil laugh at the idea. Orson Scott Card has posted a number of blogs on Beliefnet.com about this subject, contending that while Harry is not a Christ figure, he represents a moral universe.

Rowling is certainly no C.S. Lewis, who made his stories allegorical in order to make the Christian story easier to understand and relate to. She is more like Tolkein, whose stories were highly influenced by British folklore and culture, which is also influenced by the Christian story, although she is not a theologian like Tolkein was.

Harry Potter is certainly its own story, not an allegory to illustrate the Christ story. But there are certainly parallels that are impossible to ignore--that are given greater power because they are at least reminiscent of the Christian story.

***Spoiler Alert***
For example, Harry walks to his own death, makes a willing sacrifice of himself to save everyone else. He does so at the behest of his spiritual father figure, Dumbledore, who he then meets in "King's Cross" and has a conversation with (according to Newsweek) " a father figure with 'long sliver hair and a beard' whose supernatural powers are accompanied by a profound message of love." And then, whether or not Harry was actually dead, he appears to come back to life to finally defeat evil.

Every culture has myriad stories of good vs. evil, so it is only natural to look for parallels with our greatest good vs. evil story. However, I still enjoy looking for some of them, especially because Harry is more like the rest of us. I especially appreciate the intimate relationship between Harry and Dumbledore--while both are mortal, it is a good reminder of what we can try to make our relationship with our Heavenly Father like. And the story is an inspiration to struggle against evil in our own lives, especially through unity with those around us. :D

My favorite TV shows

I really like TV, but there are very few shows that I have followed religiously. Here are my all-time favorites.

1. Quantum Leap: This is the first show that really had an impact on me. It caused me to think about social issues and to really think about stepping into other people's shoes. It also exposed me to a number of historical events in the recent past that I was able to think about in a different way (about how people were actually affected instead of just what happened).
   This is where I first learned about Man of La Mancha, now one of my very favorite musicals.
   
2. Star Trek: TNG: This again exposed me to social issues in a different way. I loved watching Patrick Stewart on screen; Picard was such a great role model. And I enjoyed the idea of exploring new worlds. Both this and QL were shows that were very formative in my teenage years.
3. Frasier: This was such an intelligently written show, I just found it a lot of fun to watch. I love the titles in between segments, and I honestly think that some of its moments are the funniest I've seen on TV (most of them involved David Hyde Pierce, who I consider to be a comedic genius).
4. The Office: I really enjoy this show (especially the Jim and Pam relationship), even though some of the characters are extremely painful to watch!
5. The Cosby Show: I love the parenting on the show--they are intelligent, loving, and funny.
6. 24: It's an adrenaline rush a minute, and though I really hate all the torture and I know it's not at all realistic, at the same time I think it's a lot of fun to watch.
7. Scrubs: Well, at least seasons 1-5. I love how offbeat it is, the acapella group singing at times, the random side thoughts, and the fresh writing. My favorite episodes are "My Way Home" (the Wizard of Oz episode) and "My Mistake" with Brendan Fraser.
8. Law and Order and Law and Order: Criminal Intent: I love procedural dramas, and these are by far my favorite--I'll watch them any time I can find them on. I love that they're topical and that they usually give Nate and me something to talk about.
9. Monk: I really love detective shows, and the best detectives have something that set them apart, make them quirky, and give them an edge. (For example, my favorite detective, Poirot, is obsessed with neatness, order, and his own intelligence--but he's always right.) Monk has major OCD and can be frustrating, but he's also endearing and amazing.
   

There are a lot of other shows that I've enjoyed in the past and continue to enjoy, although I'm not sure if they qualify as my all-time favorites . . . They include, in no particular order, Psych, Angel, Jack and Bobby, The Wonder Years, I Love Lucy, and seasons 1-4 of Buffy. I'm sure I'll be able to come up with others, but these are the ones that come most quickly to mind.

My favorite movies

I've been meaning to do this blog for a long time. As I've thought about, I realize that my taste is fairly unsophisticated. I enjoy a movie that makes me think, but I won't necessarily watch it over and over. So, in no particular order, here are the movies that most enjoy watching repeatedly.

1. The Princess Bride: This is both a wonderful movie and book (if you haven't read it, I highly recommend it). It's very quotable and has everything--adventure, romance, comedy, drama. This movie has long been my "sick movie," the one I watch when I need comfort. :D
   
2. Monsters Inc.: My favorite Pixar movie. I think it is funny, and I absolutely love Boo. . . . I always loved her, but I love her even more now that Ryan is starting to remind me of her.
3. Remember the Titans: We originally went to see this because I went to T.C. Williams High School when I lived in VA, but I fell in love with it because it deals with overcoming racial issues (which has always been important to me). It may be overly sentimental in places, but I still love it.
4. The Lion King: My favorite Disney movie (see the previous post as to why).
5. Anne of Green Gables (and the sequels): This is one of the first movies my mom recorded on our VCR, so I've been watching this most of my life. I love Anne's spirit, her intelligence, and I'm not afraid to watch eight hours of her to get to that final kiss!
6. Star Wars IV, V, VI: My brothers and I introduced ourselves to these watching cable TV. I love the stories, the characters, the epic battle of good and evil, and the redemption of the father at the end.
7. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: I love Sean Connery and Harrison Ford, and I love WWII stuff. I love all of the Indy movies, but this is the best because of the father/son relationship.