*Define "show"...*
Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow
I'm going to assume that the prompt meant "television shows".
Now, I could very easily decide to go off on a giant post about Doctor Who (which, as you probably know, I'm a bit obsessed with.)
BUT I think I'm actually going to talk about another television show I just started re-watching (for the 3rd or 4th time) that I adore.
Slings and Arrows is a Canadian television series about the drama and mayhem that take place at The New Burbage Shakespeare Festival. The action begins when, just before the festival begins working on its new production of Hamlet, the old Artistic Director, Oliver Wells, is killed by being hit by a Ham truck (Ham...Hamlet...clever stuff).
The position of interum Artistic Director is given to a man named Jeffery Tennant, an ex-friend of Oliver's and a former star actor at the Festival. He is well known for having had a mental breakdown during the gravedigger scene in Hamlet and, after leaping into Ophelia's grave, running out into the night, completely mad.
He reluctantly takes over the production of Hamlet and begins trying to bring something wonderful to life again at the festival. However, Jeffery's job becomes a bit more complicated when the ghost of Oliver Wells begins following him around, offering advice...and no one can see him except Jeffery
I love this show because
1. There are so many jokes/instances/situations that are especially funny to actors.
2. Paul Gross is amazing.
3. The beauty and power of Shakespeare is successfully conveyed through a television show.
The passion that Jeffery Tennant has for the words and emotions created by William Shakespeare is evident in the way that he goes about working with the actors to bring the shows to life. He strives to create real, true theatre, not just shows full of spectacle and glamor. He has a way of bringing out the emotions and situations that make the characters and the stories real, for the audience and for the actors.
Each of the three seasons Slings and Arrows had was associated with a different Shakespearean play (the play that the company happened to be producing during the season). Season 1 is Hamlet, introducing the ghost of Oliver Wells that only Jeffery can see. Season 2 is Macbeth, beginning with a prophecy by a creepy old woman telling Jeffery that he will stage Macbeth that season, even though he has no intention of doing so (of course he ends up staging it). Season 3 is King Lear, which is much darker than the previous 2 seasons and deals with the struggles of casting a very elderly, troubled man in the demanding role of Lear for that season.
Each season offers situations in all of the characters' lives that seem to mirror the play that is being performed. Jeffery remains very Hamlet-esque throughout the series, a man that walks a fine a line between brilliance and madness, striving to discover the secrets of life, the theatre, and Shakespeare.
I really don't have the proper words to describe how amazing this show is, so here are some clips.
All three seasons of Slings and Arrows are available on DVD and on Netflix Streaming.
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