Saturday, February 25, 2012
The main thing I've always loved in England since I lived there for a decade in the 70's is the magical quality of the light. In all my times returning there for visits to Geoffrey's family from when our daughter was a toddler until his mum's death, I've been enchanted repeatedly by that light, how it falls and glows through the softly mossy brilliant greens of the landscape and down the city ivy in London. I find the country very Peter Pan and Midsummer Night's Dream...Pre-Raphaelite.
Long shadows, elongated shadows. Everyone needs a shadow says Carl Jung!
When I returned from Windsor in December, I told Peter about the light. I am so pleased he caught that in the luminescent set. You see, I'm in love with the whole thing already.
Now we just need the people and the text! The main ingredients.
I will ask Brenda Van der Weil to email you a Falstaff costume rendering. I know she is working on colors this weekend. His headpiece is kind of comic opera right now with realistic horns.
Some ideas Brenda sent to me for the final scene were abstracted Art Nouveau masks and also children with plump rose wreaths on their heads -- Isadora Duncan look -- somewhere in here is the answer.
I checked on Gilbert and Sullivan performances in the early 1900's -- running strong into the 1920's!
Yours,
Diana
Links in the general area of music and movement:
Isadora:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKtQWU2ifOs
Below not the Mikado but puts me in mind of two little maids from school
Sumi Jo & Ah-Kyung Lee - Delibes - Lakme - Flower Duet
Check out this video on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4MmatVblDk&feature=youtube_gdata_player
Long shadows, elongated shadows. Everyone needs a shadow says Carl Jung!
When I returned from Windsor in December, I told Peter about the light. I am so pleased he caught that in the luminescent set. You see, I'm in love with the whole thing already.
Now we just need the people and the text! The main ingredients.
I will ask Brenda Van der Weil to email you a Falstaff costume rendering. I know she is working on colors this weekend. His headpiece is kind of comic opera right now with realistic horns.
Some ideas Brenda sent to me for the final scene were abstracted Art Nouveau masks and also children with plump rose wreaths on their heads -- Isadora Duncan look -- somewhere in here is the answer.
I checked on Gilbert and Sullivan performances in the early 1900's -- running strong into the 1920's!
Yours,
Diana
Links in the general area of music and movement:
Isadora:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKtQWU2ifOs
Below not the Mikado but puts me in mind of two little maids from school
Sumi Jo & Ah-Kyung Lee - Delibes - Lakme - Flower Duet
Check out this video on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4MmatVblDk&feature=youtube_gdata_player
Monday, February 6, 2012
Letter to an actress:
Merry Wives is set in 1905-15 Windsor, England enhancing and extending the idea of ASF's "British Season" with 39 Steps, Travels With My Aunt and Henry VIII.
The set for Merry Wives is in autumnal colors (the text has an autumnal feeling) with a distinct pop-up book look in Art Nouveau/Tiffany window style. The town houses are framed by a proscenium arch in abstracted stained glass rendering of autumn trees. The houses are movable rotating carts - one side exterior, other interior. The distant vista is of the green grounds surrounding Windsor Castle and a view of the castle itself. The final scene of the play, which shifts to Windsor Great Park, features a Herne's Oak that is very much in abstracted Tiffany style!
It's a middle class play. Unlike most Shakespeare, not a noble in sight. I'm thinking about having Royals pass in an imaginary progress so Falstaff can bow. After all, Windsor is the royal seat.
As you know, I was over there, In early December collecting impressions.
Mistress Page and Ford are younger and sexier than often portrayed. Maybe a little touch of the Absolutely Fabulous. But wives of shopkeepers of Windsor, a town totally in service to the castle.I loved the feel of the original publicity shot. The ladies are completely delirious companions!!
There will be cuts -- for the sake of clarity and time.
Looking forward to your presence in our fair city!
Diana
Merry Wives is set in 1905-15 Windsor, England enhancing and extending the idea of ASF's "British Season" with 39 Steps, Travels With My Aunt and Henry VIII.
The set for Merry Wives is in autumnal colors (the text has an autumnal feeling) with a distinct pop-up book look in Art Nouveau/Tiffany window style. The town houses are framed by a proscenium arch in abstracted stained glass rendering of autumn trees. The houses are movable rotating carts - one side exterior, other interior. The distant vista is of the green grounds surrounding Windsor Castle and a view of the castle itself. The final scene of the play, which shifts to Windsor Great Park, features a Herne's Oak that is very much in abstracted Tiffany style!
It's a middle class play. Unlike most Shakespeare, not a noble in sight. I'm thinking about having Royals pass in an imaginary progress so Falstaff can bow. After all, Windsor is the royal seat.
As you know, I was over there, In early December collecting impressions.
Mistress Page and Ford are younger and sexier than often portrayed. Maybe a little touch of the Absolutely Fabulous. But wives of shopkeepers of Windsor, a town totally in service to the castle.I loved the feel of the original publicity shot. The ladies are completely delirious companions!!
There will be cuts -- for the sake of clarity and time.
Looking forward to your presence in our fair city!
Diana
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