Three Museums and Some Crazy Gamlet

First of all let me just say that it was hot today...and humid...and thus it was sweaty and uncomfortable literally the whole time. You know how American classrooms and offices are cold enough to chill raw meat in? Exactly opposite here. No AC. No ventilation. Just sweaty, stale, humid air. Somewhere there's a happy medium. It's also made worse by the fact that we're wearing jeans and walking shoes in shorts and flip flops weather.

So yeah, three musuems....barf. We had our scenography class this morning which I somehow manage to find interesting despite everyone else's boredom. Meyerhold really interests me for some reason...pretty incredible person. This Meyerhold scenography class is aptly held in the Meyerhold museum, so that was one museum down.

Our second museum was the B-something museum. This had several different models of sets and costumes designed by Mr. B-something. He designed the set for Hamelt in 1971 and it is on the top 10 list of best sets all time or something. Good times.

After that we had the day off...so what did we decide to do as a group? Yep...go to a fuckin' museum. The Pushkin Museum was it's name. It was intriguing for the first half hour but then quickly became tiresome to walk around and stare at religious painting after religious painting. As it was pointed out to me today, "If you've seen one religious painting, you've seen them all." The hour and a half there felt like an eternity.

For dinner break I laid down and hated my life for a little bit. But the AC (ok so there is SOME AC) was very refreshing and cooled me down just right. It ended up being a good recharge. Jason and I went down the street and ate at this little cafe which is actually the same restaurant that Flynn and I ate at yesterday morning...and might've eaten at this morning as well.

Tangent: For breakfast, I had what I can only describe as a bowl of coffee. It was massive. Note the dollar bill in the photograph to illustrate size. Thank you Bonecollecter!

So Jason and I people watched and had our "iced tea" (which actually was orange juice...no joke). Then we were off to see Gamlet, not Hamlet, at the MAT (don't know why thy have it spelled with a G).

Ok....

...so this might possibly be the best play i've ever seen in my life. Definitely that I've seen over here....probably because I understood the story really well having just done the show this last year.

I really can't describe the show all that well. All I can say is that it was 3 1/2 hours long but it felt like 1o minutes. The acting was so big and grand, but at the same time truthful and emotional and beautiful....AHHHHH, i just can't describe it...it's everything that I wish American theatre was!

We were talking today about how American theatre is very much the playwrights theatre. We believe in words. We're hammered with the idea that Shakespeare is the cream of the crop when it comes to words and language and I truly believe he is.

But the Russians tore this shit UP!

UNBELIEVABLE! Scenes were cut, entire CHARACTERS were cut (no Fortinbras...pretty much no Horatio, but when we was there he was played by the actor playing Claudius), monologues were moved...everything about the show was different....but PERFECT! I could literally type out everything I remember right now but it wouldn't do it justice. But I will give you a snipet:

Hmmmm, how to tell this without sucking.

So it's time for the "To be" and Hamlet walks out slowly. He notices one of the balled up pieces of paper on the ground that were left there from the previous scenes. Picks it up. Uncrinkles it. Looks at it. Looks up at the audience.

"To be or not to be" (in Russian, but you knew that was the line)

Crinkles it back up. Throws it on the ground. Walks past it to the center stage. Begin the next scene.

Almost seems like complete disrespect for something that we hold so dear. It's the TO BE speech for the love of Pete! But they didn't care. It was ok that they skipped it...not only skipped it but kind of mocked it. But it was ok!

They actually ended up doing the whole monologue towards the very end and it was so moving. He held the ghost of Ophelia in his arms as he said the speech...and she actually took some of the lines and said them. Absolutely brilliant! I gotta find out how the hell they do this stuff over here...it makes acting so much fun....not like work as it tends to feel like back home.

Ok I'll shut up about it. It was good. Enough said.

Ok one more thing, but not about the show. So the actors are doing the bows and everything and it's customary for audience members to bring the actors flowers. Well, the main actor who was in Three Penny Opera and now Claudius in Gamlet kept on getting flowers. He literally had five or six ARMLOADS, full ARMLOADS, of bouquets that he piled upstage. It was insane.

Sergie told us about this actor after we saw Three Penny Opera. It's actually a very sad story. This actor is like THE actor here. Movie star...play star...phenomenal actor. But Sergie said, "He's very sad now." His wife died. She had cancer. He looks like he's only 35 or so...much to young to lose your love. He apparantely did everything he could to save her...flew her to American and did every test known to man....paid milions of dollars. But he lost her.

Makes me really appreciate what I have and how lucky we all are. Just remember that some people have lost their loved ones...be thankful for who you have.

Music: The more you know

K I'm really done now.