I'm Always for More Shakespeare, but ... Horror Shakespeare?

There's lots of Shakespeare coming to television it seems. I've written in the past that there's no less than three separate Romeo and Juliet adaptations in the works.

But what shall we make of Lifetime Channel's A Midsummer's Nightmare? I tagged it thinking that it'd be some zany spin on the mistaken identities and love potions, you know, the usual stuff.

Nah. Looks like a direct competitor to Grimm or Once Upon A Time in that it's going to be "horror" versions of Shakespeare plays, instead of fairy tales:

“A Midsummer’s Nightmare,” from A+E Studios, is described as an adaptation of Shakespeare plays that are turned into contemporary horror mysteries. Each season would take on a different play, starting with “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” Screenwriter Anthony Jaswinski is adapting “Midsummer” as a story that finds two young lovers on a getaway in the woods who wind up in a struggle to survive as friends arrive to lure them home.

This sound interesting to anybody? I suppose if you told me they're going to work in the original text I might be curious, but otherwise it sounds like it's got the potential to have about as much Shakespeare as the Lion King. I don't think I'll be setting my DVR.

Happy 400th Shakespeare Day!

Is it that time again?  Why didn't anybody tell me?

:)

I was sorely tempted this year to practice restraint and just let Shakespeare Day come and go, and let the rest of the world climb on the bandwagon for the day. Then I could wait them all to get off tomorrow and I could get back on and enjoy the elbow room.

But I can't do that, who am I kidding? Shakespeare Day is on a weekend this year, and I always hate that because I like having that live connection to you all, playing hashtag games and retweeting each other and basically throwing one big Shakespeare party.  Up until a couple of days ago I really didn't know what I was going to do.

Then inspiration hit me, as it often does.  I started writing.  I started looking for ideas, and I found them, everywhere. Each night this week after my kids have gone to bed I stay up for another hour or two (or more) knocking out post after post until I'd queued up dozens of them.  Sure, some of them are going for quantity more than quality, I won't deny that.  But I think there's some gems coming up.  I hope you all like the final product.

With that, I'm going to go ahead and cut and paste something from past years because I think I said it the right way once and I don't want to pretend to keep plagiarizing myself:

I like tradition. It's a quote that comes from Ben Jonson, to the memory of his (and our) beloved. I've been looking forward to posting it here for days. It's a simple line from a larger work, but I don't know, to me it feels like more. It's more of an incantation, a plea for the Master to return to us if just for a single day. I say it over and over again in my mind, and I imagine myself as Prospero on his island, opening one particular grave, waking one particular sleeper and letting him forth, by my most humble art. Thank you, Shakespeare, and Happy Birthday.

Here we go, and I'll see you on the other side. I therefore will begin.

Soul of the age!

The applause, delight, the wonder of our stage!

My Shakespeare, RISE!

Good Night, Sweet Prince

[Those of you on Twitter have seen these but not everybody's following @ShakespeareGeek on Twitter...]

It's become tradition here to mourn the passing of great artists by mustering up an appropriate Shakespearean tribute.  Prince is a special case, having no traditional Shakespeare credits to his name (although "When Doves Cry" does feature on the Romeo+Juliet soundtrack).  But why should that stop us?

Sixteen hundred zero zero almost out of time,
Tonight we're gonna party like it's 1599!  

The purple rain, it raineth every day. 

Let's go crazy!
Let's put an antic disposition on! 

I'd dream if I could, a courtyard,
An ocean of violets in bloom...
...but they all withered when my father died.

Give my robe, put on my raspberry beret.
I have immortal longings in me. 

My kingdom for a little red corvette! 

Good night, sweet Prince.  And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest.