Play vs. Book: Neverwhere

You know when you first meet someone that fascinates you? Not necessarily love at first sight, but more like... fascination. Not at first or second or even third sight, but you meet a person, and through constant interaction or thinking about something they’ve said you just want to spend time with them, and pick their brain further. You want to hang out with them because they get you, the real you, not the person you pretend to be in social situation so no one knows how quirky you are. (Back before Zoey Deschanel made quirky “cool.”)

That was Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman for me. 

Quick sidenote, yes, I’m well aware that this was a BBC Miniseries, book, and radio play, so it’s kind of interesting to think that it has crossed through most mediums (Neverwhere: The Musical! doesn’t exist, but it should.) But when I was first introduced to the land of Neverwhere, it was through book form, and it was after reading American Gods. And while I still love American Gods in a different way (I’ve got enough love to go around) Neverwhere holds a very special place in my heart because its was so unlike anything I’d eve read before. Because I was first introduced to this as a book, I’m approaching this post in that way.

So, naturally, when I found out that the Rorschach Theatre was going to do an adaptation of the novel, I was all like... they’d better get the Marquis de Carabas correct, because he’s my favorite character. Also Door. Also Croup and Vandermar. Well, everyone really. I get really invested in fictional characters. (Spoiler: They get them all right, beautifully so.)

Quick sidenote numbah 2: This isn’t a review of the play, partly because I know the actress who played Door... the wonderful and talented Sarah Taurchini, and partly because I want to talk about the experience of it all. But while this isn’t an official review, I can tell you as a fan who’s read the book more than once, had to replace his copy more than once, and who can quote an unnatural amount of it, I HIGHLY recommend this play. You should go get tickets now, because I went to a sold out show and I promise you it’s only going to get more sold out-ier. And keep in mind that if it was even a little off, this whole post would just be a picture of me sobbing.

The plot, for those of who who haven’t read it yet (but will after this post) it’s about a man named Richard Mayhew who lives in London, finds a young girl lying in the road. After he decides to help her out, he finds that... you know what? It’s basically Alice in Wonderland as described to Joss Whedon by Neil Gaiman. (In my mind, Joss Whedon is giving him notes.) Yeah. It’s that awesome. It’s also hard to describe without giving too much away. 

Movies, plays, and books are very different mediums. Movies show a lot. Rather than imagining what it would look like when a robot turns into a car, you get to see it, along with Megan Fox and that other guy. Books rely completely on your imagination. You get to imagine the robot turning into a car, and the person driving it is always Megan Fox and not that other guy who’s name I’m too lazy to look up right now. Books can also expand on the world of a movie (like Neverwhere did), unless you’re Peter Jackson, then somehow you can use the world of the movie to expand on the book. But plays... plays are very different. If you saw the strings holding up Tobey Maguire in Spiderman, you’d ask for your money back. If you saw the strings holding up the actor playing Spiderman in Turn Off The Dark, you accept the fact that you are watching the play, get lost in the world, and just enjoy watching Spiderman swing above your head. (and not plummet to his doom in the most cursed play since the Scottish One.)

Great plays do a lot more with less. Especially somewhere like the Rorschach Theatre, which isn’t the largest theater in the world (but manages to make it feel like you’re watching something that is on a much bigger stage). They didn't waste an inch of the performance space. The stage was built around the audience, so at any given time the action could be taking place behind you, in front of you... it was the perfect way to bring everyone into the extremely large, detailed world of London Below. (Where our heroes spend most of their time.) For most of the play, I felt I felt like I was in the action, an observer in the world. Not an observer of the play, but an observer of the world in general... like I was reading the book. (This is probably the highest compliment I can give to a play.) But mostly, it showed without telling everything. There are moments that couldn’t be translated easily to stage, these were easily conveyed through lighting, voiceovers, the actors themselves...

Speaking of the actors, I noted that I expressed concern over actors taking over parts, which I feel is different than say, a film. Actors in a play are closer, more “real” than in a film. But I have to say again: they were spectacular. The creepiness of the villains, the befuddlement of our main character, the snarkiness of the Marquis, and the confidence and heroism of Door... all fantastic. They just worked together to bring this story to life in a way that I didn’t really know was possible. (Yeah, it's sort of review-y. I mean, the experience of seeing one of my favorite books turned into a play was awesome, but at the end of the day it was still a good play.)

Great books live in the world of the imagination. Plays help expand on that (all without the help of CGI) and give you just enough that you know you’re looking at something that’s not real, but you can carry yourself into that world. I’d have to say on all levels, Neverwhere at the Rorschach Theatre more than delivers. Wow. That ending was extremely review-y. But I can’t contain my enthusiasm for a play that managed to deliver a great story while not telling me what I saw in my imagination... just expanded on it.

Neverwhere is currently playing at the Rorschach Theatre until September 15th. Tickets tend to go fast, so you should buy up your tickets today. And if you’ve already seen it, go see it again. And if you haven't read the book yet, this post ends now so you can go read it instead of this.

http://www.rorschachtheatre.com/neverwhere/

Reading, Raising Rates, and the Ride to Work

        Recently, my job moved from it’s comfy nest at the corner of two roads that are overused during rush hour to a place that OH MY GOD GET OUT OF THE ROAD YOU DRIVE WAY TOO SLOW! As a result, I’ve decided to start taking the Washington, DC Metro in.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with the Washington, DC Metro system basically take something that’s simple to work, say, sending more trains during rush hour, and do the opposite. Then take some escalators that have been broken so long they legally need to start being called, “stairs” and raise rates whenever someone sneezes. That’s the DC Metro System. 

Although, I come to you today not to make fun of the DC Metro... no, that’s just bonus. Actually, I’m here to talk to you today because the time has allowed me to do something that I have wanted to do for a long time: Read more. Driving into our location has it’s own charms, but it really doesn’t allow for much time for reading. But since I started using the metro (and with the extra time I have waiting for a train that may or may not come) I have had time to start reading without the extra distractions.

At home, there are a million different distractions... the lawn needs mowing, the laundry needs washing, dishes in the sink, the cats need to be walked, brand new episodes of The Walking Dead, bills to pay... plus I’ve been in school which has been fun in reading a lot of books about teaching theory, but very little time to read books I actually want to read. I’d work hard to make time, but sometimes, it just doesn’t work that way. We’re all stuck in that curse of the Mad Hatter, “He’s killing Time!” and then Time turns on us. I'm sort of glad now I get this forced time to finally get down to reading what I want to read.

But I’ve actually found the ride in a bit relaxing. I get a half hour where no one really bothers me. (Unless they break the cardinal rule of riding the train in the morning: no talking. It’s not an official rule, more of a suggestion. Your seat-mate is headed to work with you, not your best friend. I digress.) I get a half hour to escape into the world of zombies, or a newspaper in Rome, or two guys escalating a war of suburban proportions. 

Mostly, it has reminded me of what I missed by not spending time reading. And I don’t want it to be a resolution, mostly because resolutions inevitably fail, but I wanted it to be something I should do more. My world slows down when I read a book. I’m able to enjoy seeing a different world, then I can put it down, and then I have to deal with the fact that no, I’m not actually in command of a starship, nor does the planet rely on my next decision. (Which is probably for the best. I’d sell any of you out for a bag of cheetos.)  It’s just a nice time. It’s my half hour I get, each way, spending time with a good book, and the lives of characters I get to visit for a little bit.

Sometimes, I try to make a big point with these posts. I don’t know that I have one today. In fact I know for a fact that I don’t have one today. I just wanted to talk about reading. I plan on reporting on what I’ve read, and you can check out what I’m currently reading on the righthand corner of my blog. Feel free to check it out as I review them.

Now if Someone Could Make A Good "League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" Movie...

           I’ve talked before about my love of Superheroes and the fact that I truly believe that a lot of modern Superhero stories have their roots in tales handed down from our past.

            Last night I went to see a midnight showing of a movie I have been looking forward to for about four years now: The Avengers. It is, at its core, a timeless story of four men overcoming their differences to work together in battle, and using that newfound camaraderie to take down a giant metal snake monster and aliens coming through a wormhole created by a glowing cube. Yes, it is a timeless tail. If you don’t see evidence of giant metal snakes and glowing wormhole cubes in Shakespearian works, you’re not reading it close enough. I think a glowing wormhole cube is how Hamlet gets around so quickly. Don’t quote me on that.

            What is it about the Superhero that continues to amaze us? The current gripe is that there are too many “Superhero” movies coming out now. But the Superhero story is older than time itself: Tales of people who could do miraculous things have always fascinated humanity. From back when Homer (the blind poet, not the cartoon character) first told his story of a man defying the gods themselves to get home, to Hercules, to Alexander Dumas’ swashbuckling heroes (that spawned several sequels, thank you very much) to Edgar Rice Burrows’ interpretation of a man-ape, to today. The difference between then and now is that rather than keeping these stories in a book, we splash it up on the big screen and follow it up with explosions and twenty minutes of commercials. (This last sentence is brought to you by Hardees.)

            The movie itself was spectacular. I would highly recommend that you share this blog with your friends, go see the movie, and then share this blog again. (The blog sharing has nothing to do with the movie, I just want more people to read it.) Joss Whedon manages to fit together a ton of personalities into a giant big screen epic that would make Homer himself “whoo-hoo” with joy. (The cartoon character. Although the blind poet might not find it too shabby, either.) The special effects are awesome, the dialogue is great, the actors all hit their marks, and there is one sequence that would qualify Joss Whedon for an Academy Award should they not be deathly afraid of the most timeless of stories: The Superhero story.

            The perfect Superhero story to me is one that captures that feeling you had when you were younger. That feeling when you tie a blanket or towel around your shoulders then run around the house with your arms raised making whooshing noises, pretending to save the Earth from monsters or aliens, and always having the perfect powers to stop them. We’ve all done it. Some of us as recently as last week. (whistle nonchalantly.) The Avengers captures this feeling. It is a reminder that no matter how old we get, we can all remember that first time we all saw a story about someone who could do something amazing.

            I bring this up in a teaching/Shakespeare/literature blog because these stories, while often overlooked, are an important part of our heritage. We can try to forget it, or bury a perfectly good story underneath layers of pretending it’s NOT a Superhero’s story or a fantastical tale that stokes our imagination, but that doesn’t change the fact that all of us in the audience are wishing we are able to fly, lift a car, or rush in to save the day. This is all stuff I have said before, but I feel it is important enough to reiterate, especially this weekend when America will be firmly divided between those going to see the Avengers, those who got to the theater too late and are stuck seeing Five Year Engagement, and those who are too “high above” such silly entertainment to give it a fair viewing.

            As for a review of the movie itself… I give it 10 Yorick Skulls out of a possible 10.

All Aboard the Censor-Ship!

            As I’ve mentioned on this blog before, I am in class right now. We have received our final projects, and it’s on… wait for it… banned and challenged books. What I like about this professor is the fact that he encourages us to think not just about teaching, but how our teaching is going to impact students in the long run. I haven’t gotten that in all my classes.

            You might be able to tell, I’m against banning books. This post could easily turn into a long screed against banning books and the dangers of allowing kids to attend debutante balls. (The original draft of this veered WAY off topic.) But I’m not going to do it all in one posting. This is my opening post in a conversation that will last a while.

            Banning books is a horrible concept. But it’s been done in every society since the printing press was invented. Books were blamed for horrible tragedies (there were no video games back then), they were seen as an upper class enjoyment not fit for the lower class, they would spread ideas that ran counter to what the ruling class wanted everyone to believe.

            Doing it today under the guise today of “protecting children” is even worse. Protecting them from what? Bad language? Violence? The S-E-X word? Different ideas of a world than the one they live in? Banning books has never turned out well for anyone.

            This is where I cut myself short, before I get on a soapbox. There will be more to come regarding this, in a series of posts that will involve my thoughts, and maybe yours, on banning books. Have any ideas or any angles you’d like to talk about? Mention it in the comments, or email me at shakespearebad@gmail.com.