Hamlet

Eline and I went to see Shakespeare’s Hamlet (is there another?) at the LAK Theatre in Leiden yesterday evening. It was performed by the Cambridge University European Theatre Group. I had a lot of fun, because really, for all its death and insanity, it’s actually a really funny play, at times, when performed. This is something you really can’t find while reading Shakespeare. But it was performed really well, I thought, even if they were a bit chaotic. Not that I’m an expert, I’ve only seen one Shakespeare performance in my life before this one. I mean a proper performance, in English, by a British theatre group.

Because if you count every performance, I’ve actually seen Hamlet once before. I can remember it fairly well, I was a child (maybe my dad can comment? Not sure what age I was) and it was a street theatre performance. A Dutch group did Hamlet, in Dutch. What I remember most was that, after the performance, they performed the entire play once more, but in ten minutes or so. It was really funny (see, told you Hamlet’s funny), and I can even remember the actor who played Hamlet had these really big glasses to conceal himself (can’t really see why he would do that, actually, now I know the play).

But this was a real, proper, performance, very professional. Quite admirable, really, when you consider these people were basically my age, give or take a few years, and it was put together really well. Like I said, sometimes it seemed a bit chaotic, and the stage got more dirty and filled with rubbish towards the end of the performance (probably because of the huge fish tank in the middle), but it didn’t really bother me. I was pleased to find out I could understand pretty much everything, even when they were talking really fast. The other Shakespeare play we saw, in Den Haag, had subtitles (actually, supertitles, I suppose, because they were above the play) in Dutch, for ‘normal’ people. But here they didn’t have that and it didn’t seem necessary. Although I think the twenty odd high school students might’ve had some problems.

It did get me thinking though. They really did something with their talent (they were really good). And at their age, what have I done? Don’t get me wrong, I like my life, but sometimes I wonder if I lack ambition. I think there’s this website where you can enter your age and it gives you a list of people who did spectacular things in history, science, and art, at your age, or had done them by that time. It really is depressing, ha. Then again, I wonder what would I do? And perhaps the meaning of life, or at least my life, lies in some other direction. We’ll see, I’m not too old yet, I think (I hope. Maybe too old to me a prodigal child, but really, who wants that)

Saw THE DARK KNIGHT for the second time last night as well. As with all movies (and everything, basically) it was less impressing, less moving, to me the second time. Nonetheless, great movie, great cast. Bale’s voice though, as Batman, really annoying. Give that man some cough syrup, please!

Tonight Steven and I are going to see Riverside perform, twill be awesome. Awesomer (there we go) than last time, definitely, even though it’s not in the Boerderij, this time. Just because I know them better now, so I’ll enjoy it more. Not sure about the rest of the program though. I’ll talk about it tomorrow.

Quote of the day; Jack; “I’m Jack Torrance. My wife Winnifred. Danny you’ve met.”

(…)

Halloran: “Ma’am, are you a Winnie or a Freddie?”

Well I thought it was funny, just read the damn book!

Listening to…Riverside, obviously. And Demians - Building an Empire, Blue Man Group – Audio

Shade and Sweet Water (whoah that’s old)

Timmorn