McSweeney's Macbeth, A Muppet Christmas Carol, and Manuscripts in Mercury
Plus: Merry Merry!
The Macbeths in McSweeney’s Internet Tendency
I had my first piece published in McSweeney’s this week! I’ve been a fan of the website for years.1 and thought the “We listen and we don’t judge” trend had potential for a Shakespearean mash-up.2
I tried versions with Gertrude + Claudius (After, “I murdered your husband” there aren’t many places to go) and Emilia + Iago (just…so dark) but the Macbeths had the right balance. Enjoy!
Quick Links
The David Tennant/Cush Jumbo Macbeth was halted when an audience member wanted to return immediately to their seat after a bathroom break.3 (“Drink, sir is a great promoter of three things…”)
Michael Caine on the Muppet Christmas Carol: “I’m going to play this movie like I’m working with the Royal Shakespeare Company.”
“Stripping off my shirt, climbing on the boardroom-style table, I beat my bare chest and roared.”4
This Richard II sounds magical:
When the title character (Jeunée Simon) dies, it’s not just a mortal man exiting this realm but an immortal crown decoupling from one head in search of another. Osato captured the moment’s reach — the way it straddles this life and the next, the way history hinges upon it — by making it look as if Simon’s body were dissolving into balls of light, like a supernova.
This movie sounds bonkers. (Francis Bacon preserved Shakespeare's manuscripts in mercury in Nova Scotia?)
Given the costume, I thought Feste was Malvolio.
Shakespeare In American Communities: Juvenile Justice grant applications are open.
“No one would mistake the Henry VI trilogy as a high point in the Shakespeare oeuvre.” (Hard disagree.)
Sigourney Weaver is disproving Gielgud’s prophesy about Drury Lane.
“I feel a little like Richard Burbage about to walk on stage for his final performance of King Lear and turning to Shakespeare and saying something totally inadequate but heartfelt.”5
Reprints of the original Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead poster (1967) are available in the National Theatre shop.
Jude Law brought several of the actors from his 2014 Henry V into his 2024 film Firebrand (skip to 25 minutes in).
When I'd been asked to take part, I actually sent an email to Jude because I remember I had his email address having worked with him before on Henry V saying, “I love that you have thought of me…but I think I would be frustrated on the periphery, not contributing creatively. I hope we get to work together again some other time.”
And then I went to bed…woke up in the morning and thought, “What am I doing?” I'd had a chat with a friend of mine who'd said, “You've said ‘no’ to film work at the express invitation of Jude Law.” I had no idea what was going through my mind. So I emailed him again and I said, “You know what, eff that I'm happy to be on board.”6
The folks over at Slate have discovered The Year of Lear audiobook.
"People in Ashland treat theater the way people in the South treat college football"
2025 Talks
2024 Talks
From The Archives
David Sedaris on playing Gonzago in The Mousetrap in Hamlet remains delightful. (1996)
“I had an idea to write something that would give us a little more meat to chew on than The Tempest.” (2020)
Recommendations
Richard Burton reads Donne’s “A Nocturnal upon St. Lucy's Day.”
The Anvil Chorus in Trovatore is wonderful for many reasons.
Gordon Cox has an excellent discussion of Les Miserables: French edition on his Substack including a side-by-side comparison of the various “I Dreamed a Dream” translations and lyrics.
Helen Hulick asserts her right to wear (gasp!) pants in court (1938).
p.s. I was gently but firmly informed after last week’s newsletter that the plural of Oedipus is “Oedipodes” not “Oedipi.” Please forgive.
p.p.s. I’ll be taking next week off for merry making and attempts at making a dent in my reading list. Thank you for being with me thus far, I hope your New Year is merry and bright!
“Decorative Gourd Season” and “I Regret to Inform You That My Wedding to Captain Von Trapp Has Been Canceled” are classics of the form.
Also, my brilliant brother had a piece published back in 2016. It does contain some Shakespeare (“Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? Only in that you are hot, sticky, and likely to kill the elderly”) and came about after the following conversation:
[a long silence]
James: I think I’m going to try Loaded Doritos.
Kate: Please don’t.
[a long silence]
James: I’m going to do it.
He emailed me his thoughts which were hilarious and published verbatim. McSweeney’s has an rather low acceptance rate so I’m genuinely tickled and proud that we both got in on our first tries.
I’m off Twitter these days (seek me in The Other Place) but it does preserve one of my other favorites of the genre:
The crowdsourced suggestion I most wished I’d come up with? Romeo and Juliet: “when it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight.”
A couple days later, Lady Macduff lost her voice and had to be replaced mid-show. We’re not in full “Scottish Play Curse” territory yet (rude audience members are unfortunately not unique to this production) but please spit, curse, say the words, do all the things.
I started looking up David Schweizer’s Troilus and Cressida (Christopher Walken played Achilles) and the 1973 review by Walter Kerr is one of the most vicious I’ve read. “Miss le Roux has been cast in three parts and plays none of them.”
Jeff Berger-White’s syllabus for Harold Goddard’s King Lear essay is available online.
He may have regretted his decision after arriving on set and discovering that Law wore “a special perfume to make sure he stank like rotting flesh” for the entire shoot.
This is a long video. For a shorter version, try this clip that explains what Philip Henslowe’s diary has to do with Roman numerals.