Picking up from a sidetrack in another thread, I have to say I'm jealous of Martine being taken to a Beckett play on a school trip - I didn't come across Beckett until more than a decade after leaving school. As someone doing what are now called STEM subjects were we given such delights as Village School and Tobias and the Angel to study for O Level English Lit - at least the " arts stream" got some D H Lawrence - no not that one! (Mind you, we did get to go to see the original Hair as part if an sixth form school trip.) But I was just interested how peoples approach to arts was coloured by their school experiences?
Michael Ixer ● 1987d14 Comments
I took the trouble to check — it was Verona Beach, rather appropriately given the setting of the original in Verona, Italy
Sean Hodges ● 1986d
" Baz Luhrmann's version set in Verona Beach, New York."Picky I know, but wasn't it rather Venice Beach, LA?
Richard Carter ● 1986d
Romeo and Juliet was a great one too. Not seen the nude version, sadly, but I have seen the actual balcony he wrote about in Verona.
Jonathan Callaway ● 1986d
Sean, I wish I could say I had seen it but I haven’t. However I don’t think we can mention modern settings of Romeo & Juliet without mentioning the utterly wonderful West Side Story.
Martine Guy ● 1986d
I rather enjoyed Baz Luhrmann's version set in Verona Beach, New York Amazing to see the whole thing in a modern setting, but filmed with the original script
Well some people might want a bit of nudity, which we got on another school trip to see Zeferelli’s Romeo and Juliet!
Possibly my favourite Shakespeare play. Drama, witches, spots, ghosts, death, gore, trees, what more do you want?
I was not impressed by Macbeth when we studied the book, but when the school took us to see Polanski's version at the cinema (a gory action film) I was much more impressed
My English teacher took a few of us to Cambridge, 1965, to see a Poetry and Jazz concert. It has to have been the Michael Garrick Quintet, as I remember Shake Kean and Joe Harriott. John Heath-Stubbs was one of the poets. Great teacher.Mind you, on the other hand, for Michael, we were taught about this new DNA thing in General Studies. Mostly I remember laughing at "Deoxyribonucleic acid" as funny. Sorry, I was 16 or so.
David Ainsworth ● 1987d
At my school we had trips to see the "Ally Band" otherwise known as the Halley Orchestra, in Manchester. We also had an enthusiastic arts and drama teacher so I made brief appearances in the Mikado (non-singing part, a wise decision by someone!) and Macbeth, where I was a tree shuffling across the stage as Birnam Wood moved to Dunsinane. Happy days!
Jonathan Callaway ● 1987d
Model Village I think Beaconsfield. Rospa House Kensington.
Barbara Stevens ● 1987d
I don’t think my school trip to “Waiting for Godot” did me any lasting harm! but I prefer musicals to watching a play. By the way, it was great to see “Abigails Party” repeated on the BBC recently (I’ve seen it on stage in Brum and London). Because of being located in the middle of the country, we were able to go on school day trips to Blackpool Amusements and Battersea Park Funfair (that really dates me, anyone else remember that?)
Martine Guy ● 1987d
Michael, nothing much to do with the subject, but in the late 70's Vincent Edwards and his girlfriend moved next door to my mum in Barnes. He was the Director of Hair. As my mum was oldish they were waiting for them to start dancing about naked in the back garden. But they were both lovely.
Interesting thought, Michael. At school, I was dragged kicking and screaming into regular chamber music concerts by the school authorities and it took many years before I was able voluntarily to attend one or even to enjoy it. I think the rationale was that it was good for us, though the adverse reaction it caused was unfortunate. On the other hand, we were also forced to go to church, play rugby and join the cadet corps, and those experiences gave me a long-lasting and healthy distaste for organised religion, rugby and the military. I suppose you win some and lose some...
Richard Carter ● 1987d