Little Fly,
Thy summer's play
My thoughtless hand
Has brushed away.

Am not I
A fly like thee?
Or art not thou
A man like me?

For I dance
And drink and sing,
Till some blind hand
Shall brush my wing.

If thought is life
And strength and breath,
And the want
Of thought is death,

Then am I
A happy fly,
If I live
Or if I die.

- William Blake

Our purpose is to foster, promote, and increase the public knowledge and appreciation of the arts and cultural activities in the Plymouth area of Michigan through theater and performing arts.

Contact us for further information on an upcoming show, special event or workshop:

(734) 582-9688

Barefoot Productions
P.O.Box 6132
Plymouth, MI 48170

Email: admin@justgobarefoot.com

General Admission: $15.00

Student (I.D.) & Seniors: $10.00

I have said somewhere on this blog that I was averse to Shakespeare because no matter how hard I tried, I can't seem to understand his plays.

I had been to the Bard's hometown in Stratford-upon-Avon, and my intimate relationship with the man was the souvenir fridge magnet and The Little Book of Shakespeare quotes. My first exposure to his work was the 2004 film adaptation of The Merchant of Venice with Al Pacino as Shylock. It was my young friend Bizarro who convinced me to watch the film, although I didnt need much convincing as Pacino was a good enough reason to give it a try. The experience wasnt too bad at all, I actually really liked that version and was really moved by the events that transpired. But there was still no yearning desire to follow through.

I have had discussions with friends who loved Shakespeare's work and it wasnt until a work colleague and friend, who's also a huge theatre afficionado said to me late last year that Shakespeare's plays are meant to be watched more than read. I was quite keen on watching Ian McKellen in King Lear so I bit the bullet and booked the RSC's production last year and was gobsmacked by it. The Arden adaptation which came as a gift from the same friend helped eased the pain in understanding the language. I had wanted to book the Donmar's Othello but I was one of those who were trying to book tickets all day only to be told it has sold out.

So from watching a highly distressing and tragic Lear I moved onto another Shakespeare production, this time the light hearted Much Ado About Nothing staged at the Olivier's National for their winter offering and boy did that feel good too. Having enjoyed myself so much I bought the play text in the National bookshop and finished reading it the same evening. Since then I have joined the RSC as associate member and I am now looking forward to the staging of Hamlet, Love's Labours Lost when it comes to the West End at the end of the year, and the Donmar West End's Twelfth Night. The Regents Park Open Air Theatre productions for the season includes a hefty serving of the Bard with Romeo and Juliet, Twelfth Night, and A Midsummer's Night Dream, and then of course you've got the Globe Theatre with King Lear, Timon of Athens and The Merry Wives of Windsor. There's also A Winter's Tale to look forward to in Spring 2009 as part of The Bridge Project and there's also the RSC Histories currently running at the Roundhouse that got sold out by the time I wanted to book tickets.

So what's the verdict for Shakespeare? To quote Simon Russell Beale in an interview for Much Ado About Nothing, he said, he's just the best. I have only seen 2 productions so far but I will have to agree with him. Does the Doctor Who Season 3 Shakespeare Code episode count? I wish!

I vaig demanant, a qui sigui que s’encarrega d’aquestes peticions, que no m’agafi un atac de tos enmig de la representació. No és broma, no: que porto un refredat a sobre que m’ha convertit en una arma biològica amb potes, i que en aquest punt de la seva evolució es manifesta en: una percepció atenuada dels sons, una considerable pèrdua líquida per les fosses nasals i tos de gos. O cavernosa. De fet, l’estat ideal per cantar el tercer acte de La Traviata. Si fos soprano, és clar. I si sabés cantar, també.

I sí, el primer acte es fa una mica avorrit, tot i les magnífiques veus del repartiment. Una mica fluix en Daniels, no que canti malament, sinó que no sembla tenir una veu gaire potent: si canta sol el sentim bé, però a la que canta a duo amb l’Ofèlia Sala o acompanyat de l’Escolania de Montserrat, costa de sentir-lo. La soprano valenciana cada vegada que la sento m’agrada més. Però fer seguits dos actes de cinquanta minuts sense entreacte és una mica massa dur... més per a mi, que de cop i volta em converteixo en un d’aquells tossidors que tan he blasmat en altres ocasions: a la mitja hora de funció començo a nota una coïssor al coll que va augmentant d’intensitat, i per molt que intento convènce’m que no tinc tos i que no tossiré, al final he de tossir. No serà l’única vegada, però he criticat prou per saber com fer-ho i quan fer-ho perquè no es noti massa.

Al segon acte es va animant l’acció, i al tercer el públic riu i tot amb la representació de la comèdia de Píram i Tisbe, molt divertida. El muntatge remarca força el contingut sexual de l’obra, i al segon acte em sorprèn força veure que en Bottom, convertit en ase i vestit amb uns calçotets d’aquells de cos sencer, mostra una considerable dotació ubicada al camal esquerra dels calçotets. Primer penso que el pobre cantant, amb tan de fregament, ha tingut una reacció prou natural, d’altra banda, però cap al final el mateix text fa veure que no, que era un postís... Ja deia jo que la soprano s’ho prenia amb molta naturalitat! El més divertit de tot, però, va ser l’únic paper parlat d’aquesta òpera, que és el del personatge de Puck, interpretat per Emil Wolk.

Ara, a l’entreacte la sala, que no era plena al començament, va buidar-se considerablement. I no puc deixar de donar la raó al senyor que seia al meu costat, que li va dir a la seva muller: «Ells s’ho perden». I tenia tota la raó, perquè va ser un Somni d’una nit d’estiu divertit, refrescant i ben cantat.