Operation: Conquer the Netflix Queue: Documentary Double Feature

While in recovery from surgery today, I entertained myself by watching a couple of documentaries.  Objectified (2009), directed by Gary Hustwit, is about the design of everyday objects, and how design influences daily life.  Some of the objects discussed, like spoons and garden tools, are things that might not generally be thought of as having been "designed."  There is even a scene in which a group of people are discussing the design of a toothbrush handle.  My favorite parts of the movie were the scenes which allowed me to watch a designer, or design team, at work.  I also enjoyed seeing how design has evolved as technology has advanced.   Overall, I thought it was interesting, but I would have liked to see more from it.  It's relatively short, so I feel like there's room to add something about solutions to the problems caused by planned obsolescence or something connecting the last few minutes to the rest of the movie.

Then I watched Music Instinct: Science and Song, a PBS documentary by Elena Mannes about the connection between music and the brain.  Given how interested I am in the connection between art and science, I was predisposed to like it.  It covered a lot of things I already knew, but there were some interesting scenes.  I particularly liked its coverage of international music; how different cultures use different tones and rhythms to convey various emotions.   I also really enjoyed interviews with musicians Daniel Bernard Roumain and Evelyn Glennie which highlighted the physical effect of music.  Evelyn Glennie is a deaf percussionist who "hears" music through the vibrations made by the sounds.  I couldn't find her clip from the film, but here is Evelyn Glennie's TED Talk on listening to music with the whole body.

Pretty cool, huh?  

Plays: Rose Rage

I'll just say it: I'm not a huge fan of Shakespeare's histories.  That said, I really enjoyed The Hidden Room's production of Rose Rage, an adaptation that condenses the entire Henry VI trilogy into one two-part, four hour performance.  The company made every effort to approximate the experience of seeing one of Shakespeare's plays in a court setting at the time of its writing.

The venue, the York Rite Temple, lends itself to the experience.  It's a masonic temple, which immediately gives it an air of intrigue that is appropriate for the show.  It's a small, unconventional playing space, with seating running along two walls on either side of the stage.  The seating is nearly level with the floor, putting the audience close to the action, which is fun when they start sword-fighting.  It also provided plenty of opportunity for the actors to interact with the audience, which made for some great comedic moments.  The space had a couple of drawbacks though: it was hot, which made it uncomfortable to sit in for four hours.   And, because of the way the chairs are set up in there, there were major sight line issues for anyone sitting in the second row.  The people involved in the production aren't at fault for those things though, and the actors are actually suffering from the heat just as much, if not more, than the audience in their period costumes.

The costumes are all handmade by members of The Baron's Men, a local theatre troupe that specializes in Shakespeare.  Here are a couple of examples.  

Just like a real Elizabethan performance would have, the show also featured live Elizabethan music, beautifully played by local musicians, and an all male cast, including three guest actors from the U.K. who appeared as part of the Hidden Room's Foreign Actor Exchange Program.  The entire cast did a great job, but those three really stood out.  Many of the actors played more than one role, and the guest actors seemed especially adept at creating distinct characters.  Laurence Pears, who played both Jack Cade and Edward IV, looked like he was having the most fun with his roles, and brought a lot of energy to all his scenes.  Other standouts included James Callas Ball as Duke of Somerset and Lady Elizabeth Gray, Joseph Garlock as Richard (Duke of Gloucester) and Brock England as Queen Margaret.  This cast was so enjoyable to watch, they made the evening fly by.

The show is still playing until this Saturday (the 11th), and I would recommend catching both parts if you can.