Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Meg, sorry to be slow getting back.

I have "desk hours" at dawn daily. The rest of the day I seem to be "away from my desk."

Anyway, the house below seems a touch Spanish in look. Some of the more outlandish casa on Bankhead are more Spanish than Italian. I think its all that California hacienda thing that happened in the 1800's in America.

My "concept" is evolving. One of my first professional productions was a Sicilian mafia 1930's Much Ado set in (of all places) Sicily! Geoffrey was fond of it.

But I've gone through thoughts of the Deep South (don't think I could get actors to play slaves) and Casablanca (sad and set in a bar). Not specific yet. The 1920's might be too F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby."

Humphrey Bogart in 'Casablanca' and Ingrid Bergman are older and world weary. She a spinster, he a worn Peter Pan. The play is a rite of spring, about sex/love= attraction. The theme of warfare is on the edges. The troops have just had a victory. The violence in the play is Benedick vs Claudio over Claudio's dumping of Hero. Same as in "Bridget Jone's Diary" when Colin Firth beats up Hugh Grant.

I may end up with an eclectic European look -- more like what Nancy will be seeing on her French rivers tour. I just watched "I Served The King of England" on Starz last night. A Czechoslavakian film set in Prague --wonderful, delightful. Great playfulness and wit.