Reading Watching Listening,  Recommendations

Reading Watching Listening

Reading…

Changing Guard at Buckingham Palace by A.A. Milne. While I was in London a couple months ago, I picked up a beautiful copy of this book to send my favourite tiny human for his birthday this month. It’s not totally age appropriate, but his parents can read it to him until he can read it himself. That’s how it works, right? (I’m child inept.) I definitely sat down and read through it before sending it off though.

 

Watching…

The live broadcast of the Branagh Theatre Company’s Romeo and Juliet. I have complicated feelings about this particular adaptation. Actually, no, that’s wrong. The adaptation is brilliant. Richard Madden played the least whiny, most emotionally powerful Romeo I’ve ever encountered (and with an injured ankle, no less!). Lily James played a hilarious, rebellious, teenage Juliet to a T. Having Derek Jacobi play a sadder, older Mercutio worked far better than I expected it to. I, however, have complicated feelings about the cinematic choices made in filming it for broadcast. I adore that I can go watch all kinds of live theatre and dance events at my local movie theatre, but sometimes it bothers me that my experience is mediated by filmic choices like zooms and pans and forced focus. This one was broadcast in black and white. Visually it was powerful and made sense. But I really struggled with it being a live performance broadcast in black and white.

 

Listening…

“Weak in the Knees” by Serena Ryder. Honestly, I’ve just been listening to the whole Is It O.K. album because it is ridiculously amazing.

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