Romeo and Juliet

Posted on by Thor

Because I have been working on my website, I noticed that I did not share the poster design for Romeo and Juliet here. The Site went down for a day and I spent 8 hours with techs at Bluehost trying to find out why the servers was scrambling all the elements of the site. Some tech scan had to be done over another 6 hours and I was so glad the when I woke up this morning everything had fallen back into place. Anything digital is mysterious and delicate. Anything not printed on paper will someday be lost.

The poster I designed for Romeo and Juliet pretty much hit the mark with the first pass. I had to work on refining the faces but otherwise my concept of an embrace that vaguely resembles a heart was accepted as is. As I painted Juliet grew younger and Romeo receded into the dark.

In part I was thinking of the scene from Titanic in which the young artist Jack held Rose from behind on the bow of the ship.

The challenge as always was that I did not know who would be cast in the parts. I covered most of Juliet’s face with the hilt of the sword. A previous version showed the sword stabbing flesh and I completely understand that needed to be implied not stated visually.

I had romeo reseed into the darkness and his face is partly hidden by the letter J.

Red shattered glass hints at the tragedy to come. Much of my time was spent making Juliet’s hand feminine and Romeo’s hands more masculine. The abstract nature of the hug makes understanding whose hands are whose a challenge. Had I depicted their bodies the arms might have made more sense but that would have detracted from the heart shape that their embrace creates at least in my mind.

The multi racial casting for the show resulted in some racist remarks on social media and I love that the Shakes stands up for absolute inclusivity. Whoever had the best audition was best for the part. That is the way any show should be cast.

Since I was working on the next season’s posters I didn’t get a chance to sketch the show. I need to get better about getting out of the studio when such an amazing sketch opportunity presents itself.

Shakespeare in Love at the Shakes.

Posted on by Thor

Shakespeare in Love is based on the screenplay by Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard. It was adapted for the stage by Lee Hall. I was just familiar with the movie starring Gwyneth Paltrow and Joseph Fiennes. In Shakespeare’s day only men were allowed to perform on the theater stage. However Viola De Lesseps was in love with the bards poetic words. She knew how to breath life into his words better than any man, so she dressed as a man named Thomas Kent to audition for a part in his latest play which was being written for the queen (Anne Hering.) Shakespeare (John Keller) was drawn to her performance in the audition but she ran away when he wanted to see her without a hat. Shakespeare follows Kent to Viola’s house and leaves a note with the nurse, asking Thomas Kent to begin rehearsals at the Rose. Shakespeare sneaks into Viola’s garden, finding her on her balcony,
where they briefly confess their mutual attraction to each other before
he is discovered by her nurse and flees.
Inspired by Viola, Shakespeare writes quickly, completely transforming the play into what will become Romeo and Juliet.

Some of the biggest laughs come when “Thomas Kent” has difficulty kissing a man dressed as Juliet. She gives him a peck on the forehead instead. In an attempt to get the scene right Shakespeare himself steps in as Juliet and Romeo finally kisses with gusto. Thomas (Viola) pauses for a moment and then jumps up on the bard wrapping his legs around the playwright. The theater is shut down when Viola is discovered as a true woman. However another theater owner who saw the play in progress decides to allow the production to open in his theater. Viola can no longer perform as Romeo so she sits back stage. Shakespeare himself takes the part of Romeo. Then the actor playing Juliet looses his voice. It turns out that Viola knows every line, so she is thrust out on stage to perform as Juliet. The star crossed lovers perform the final scene which mirrors the fact that they can not stay together despite their love, because Viola is promised to a Lord Wessex (Duncan Bahr). She sails off with a man she doesn’t love looking back at the love of her life.

This romance tragedy is a reminder that sometimes love is not enough and that sometimes a couple is torn apart due to obligations and different life paths. It is a bitter sweet pill to swallow.

Shakespeare in Love runs through March 25th and shows are selling out fast.

Where: Orlando Shakespeare Center 812 E Rollins St, Orlando, FL 32803.

Tickets are $25 to $50.

Topographies

Posted on by Thor

“Topographies” a series of sculptures by Barbara Sorenson are on exhibit in front of the Orlando Museum of Art. These bright primary colored resin and metal creations will be on exhibit through April Fool’s Day. On March 18th, “Art and Dance: A Pas de Deux” a piece inspired by Sorenson’s Work will be performed in this court yard. The piece will feature Orlando Ballet Dancers choreographed by Robert Hill and Eric Yow.

On exhibit inside the museum is “Made in Florida” featuring three exhibitions and a gallery display. Work in the exhibit features artists who were inspired by the sunshine state. Florida’s unique landscape and culture has inspired artists from all ages. The eclectic permanent collection features work of such acclaimed artists as John Singer Sargent, Cecilia Beaux and Robert Rauchenburg.

I found myself in front of the Museum at dusk with an hour to spare since I planned to attend a piano recital across the parking lot at 7pm at the Margison Theater in the Shakes. This recital, which was part of ArtsFest, was to feature Hyung-Min Suh, the third place winner of the second Florida International Piano Competition. There weren’t many cars in the parking lot. At 7pm I walked into the empty theater. The building was deserted. I checked out the intricate set that was built for “Romeo and Juliet“. The set was gorgeous with a root-like structure holding up an isolated platform as well as the infamous balcony. Now, I really want to see, and sketch the play. This was the second time an ArtsFest event I planned to sketch was MIA. This year’s Fest must be in some disarray after United Arts lost Margot Knight and Cory Warren. An unexpected disadvantage of drawing on a tablet at night is that big beetle and tiny gnats were attracted to the screen’s light.