this might be taking that language thing a little too far...

[kaigou]

from Artisphere:

By Any Other Name : An Evening of Shakespeare in Klingon
Washington Shakespeare Company

Sunday, February 27, 7:30 pm
Black Box Theatre

The BBC is creating a five part documentary about language and how humans communicate called Planet World. Washington Shakespeare Company's (WSC) By Any Other Name will be filmed live for the documentary series. As part of the evening, world-renowned writer/actor Stephen Fry will perform a Klingon role in a scene from Hamlet.

The evening will begin with an introduction by Marc Okrand, creator of the Klingon language.

Comments

[irrelevant]

*grinning* Now that would be something to... see *and* hear? =P

[kaigou]

At the very least, it looks like it'll also be part of the BBC production, which means even if you don't get to see it live, at least there's a chance of catching some of it in the broadcast. And you know it'll be on youtube inside of ten minutes, anyway.

[nagasvoice]

Now that is going to sound awesome. I'm wondering if Stephen has much of a throat left after rehearsals, depending on how long it runs! I'm having a bit of a giggle imaginging him in his silly face doing this, but of course he is a good enough actor he could do whatever.

[kaigou]

I get the impression from the site that it's just a one-time thing, done solely for the BBC broadcast/show. Still, I 'spect he'll be stocking up on orange juice or whatever it is that performers drink before, during, and after to help their throats.

[ivoryandhorn]

What.

Don't get me wrong, it sounds pretty cool. But I think I'd be more excited if I was more into Star Trek and understood Klingon. >___>;;

[kaigou]

It gives me flashbacks to working for a lawyer who studied Klingon. Fortunately, there's no Klingon for "affidavit" or "warrant in debt" so I could at least pick out the english from his barked commands. But when he figured out how to say "in triplicate" in Klingon, I had to protest. We compromised by having him hold up fingers to indicate the number. Sheesh.

[sevilemar]

They do come in all shapes, don't they? (bosses and fans, I mean^^)

[pocketmouse]

I'm so confused, because right now the set in the Black Box is for Juno and the Paycock, which means the set (which looks like the interior of a tenement building) is in the middle and the audience is on both sides, and it's in no way set up for Klingons and Hamlet. Is it actually a staged reading? Or is the date wrong?

[kaigou]

I haven't the faintest. I got the link from my sister. From the site, it sounds like it's just a one-evening thing, possibly a very informal kind of thing. I've seen other productions where it's an informal reading done on the set of a different play -- the most bizarre had to be a reading for Night Mother done on a stage set for Anything Goes -- so it seems likely there'll be a few jokes about any disconnect between setting and reading, but otherwise it'll be ignored.

I could be completely wrong about that, though. Dunno.

[pocketmouse]

They did it as a full play a couple months ago, so it must be something like that, but still -- it's a horrible setup for any play, and especially bad for anything being recorded.

[sevilemar]

So that is what he's been twittering about for the last months! Shakespeare in Klingon sounds...weird, but I wouldn't be a Fry-Fangirl if I didn't want to hear/see it somehow^^

[kaigou]

Well, hasn't Shakespeare been translated into just about every other language? ehehe.