Weekend stuff

[yendi]

Friday: Elayna made a breakthrough, realizing that Dr. Who is simply a better show than The Sarah Jane Adventures. We've actually introduced her to Dr. Who watching three timelines simultaneously (Rose from late Ninth Doctor through the first Christmas Special with the Tenth Doctor, Martha from about her third episode, and Donna from the get-go), and will be starting a fourth one when BBCA starts on the beginning of the Rose timeline this week.

Saturday: Along with feste_sylvain and his youngest, shadesong, Elayna, and I caught the HRDC's production of Twelfth Night, which was nothing short of wonderful.

This one moved the setting to '20s Memphis, set fully in the Jazz Age, and featured a live jazz quartet on the stage, as well as some wonderful dancing. They didn't play with gender roles as much as MIT's production did, but they did reinterpret a number of characters (Fabian, Antonio, and Valentine) as female. This was a particularly nifty move with Antonio (now Antonia, actually), making her willingness to follow Sebastian the result of romantic, not platonic, affection.

Of course, any production of Twelfth Night lives or dies on the comedy, and the players were more than up for it. Maria was wonderfully coquettish, Andrew was fey (which is not my preference for the character -- I prefer the bombastic oafs in this role -- but he did a nice job nonetheless), Malvolio was boorish (at first) and ludicrous (later), and Toby was rakish and hysterical. Feste was played as a '20s era clown, complete with makeup, and was also a blast (and did a great job singing, as well). The direction of some of the scenes -- particularly the one in which Toby, Andrew, and Fabian spy upon Malvolio -- was top notch.

We also ate lunch at Wagamama, and spent some time browsing at Tokyo Kid and Newbury Comics.

Sunday: Mother's Day. We got 'song a three-month subscription to the Shiny of the Month Club, and Elayna tried to get her a gift in Gaia (which is having gift-giving issues, alas). Elayna also cleaned her room and did the dishes, which might mean she's been replaced by a pod person. We also hit the library and grabbed lunch at The Crown Cafe.

Today: Server upgrade day! Yay, stress!

Comments

[grntserendipity.livejournal.com]

I love Wagamama's. :)

[yendi]

We'd never been before, but I was happy with the meal.

[ckd]

It's been one of my regular stops during visits to London, so when I heard they were opening here, I was very happy.

[xiphias.livejournal.com]

See, I am used to Antonio following Sebastian out of romantic love. That's why he's counted as one of the Gay Antonios, the other being the Merchant of Venice.

[yendi]

Although it's been a regular discussion point in all of my Shakespeare classes, I've never seen the romantic love thing in a live performance before.

[silme.livejournal.com]

Personally, I wouldn't compare Sarah Jane Adventures to Dr Who, as their intended audiences are entirely different. SJA was aired here at 5pm on BBC1, prime-time kiddie viewing in this country. It was part of the CBBC (Children's BBC). I liked SJA for what it was -- and for the fact Elisabeth Sladen is marvelous. How can she still look that young?! ;)

I'd heard there Wagas had made it to Boston now. Go, Wagas! It's the British invasion all over again! (I first discovered Wagamama in autumn 2000, shortly after I first moved here. Friends from work introduced me to, and, in turn I introduced Ian to it. Yeah, we're hooked. :)

[yendi]

Sci-Fi airs them together on Friday nights, which is a mistake, imho. It definitely built the wrong set of expectations.

I do love Sladen, but I don't need every episode to be interupted by a two minute "Mr Smith, we need you" moment followed by the unveiling of the world's most pointlessly hidden computer ("Oh, no, people have gotten to my secret attic with all my hidden alien crap, but at least they won't see my computer that looks like a low-end Cray").

[silme.livejournal.com]

Ah, here SJA was on Monday afternoons at 5pm. We had to remember to set the DVR in order to watch them as we weren't usually at home by then. The Beeb airs kiddie shows at 5pm Monday-Friday; that time slot is the tail end of the late afternoon the-kids-are-home-from-school, we'd-better-entertain-them shows..

I did rather like the episode that went back into Sarah Jane's past, though -- to her childhood.

And Sladen will be in the finale of Dr Who this series! Yay!!!

Here, also, Torchwood was first aired at 10pm to demonstrate how it was far more adult-orientated than Dr. Who.

[tablesaw]

You seem to be ignoring the DW classics.

[yendi]

Our entire household is ignorant of the classics; I don't think any of us have seen anything prior to the Eighth Doctor.

[pbristow.livejournal.com]

Some humble recommendations (2 stories from each Doctor, with a bonus one from the 1st)
1: http://www.torrentz.com/search?q=unearthly+child
http://www.torrentz.com/search?q=hartnell+daleks
http://www.torrentz.com/c613056a6196b761b3a78611538445a97a2ef13a

2: http://www.torrentz.com/search?q=troughton+power+daleks
(Reconstructed from audio and stills - Alas, both of Pat's Dalek stories are in this state... =:o{ )
http://www.torrentz.com/search?q=mind+robber
(I have a hunch Elayna might enjoy this one. As will anyone who has ever written a story of any kind... =:o} )

3: http://www.torrentz.com/search?q=daemons
http://isohunt.com/torrent_details/34724398/doctor+who+spiders?tab=summary

4: http://www.torrentz.com/search?q=baker+genesis+daleks
http://www.torrentz.com/search?q=city+of+death

5:
http://www.torrentreactor.net/torrents/1310523/Doctor-Who-Series-19-(1982)-Story-119-Kinda-UN-(DivX)
http://www.torrentz.com/05dc005b24305299218338ef203211845b7afbbf

6: http://www.torrentportal.com/details/3194562/Doctor+Who+-+141+-+The+Two+Doctors+-+DVD+(PAL)+BBCDVD1213.html
http://www.torrentz.com/1746145a9488dc6045ae7cb4b295f99c8f380952

7: http://www.torrentz.com/search?q=remembrance+daleks
http://torrentz.ws/torrent/933171/Doctor-Who-158-The-Curse-Of-Fenric-1S-3L
(This torrent includes Disk 1 - the original TV version, and disk 2 - The "composer's best guess at the late director's cut" movie version. =:o} )

[pbristow.livejournal.com]

...Or you could follow avarill's Old Skool tour:
http://avarill.livejournal.com/tag/old+skool+who+tour

Every original DW story, watched in order, just like God and Mother Nature (aka Sidney and Verity) intended. (She's just posted her Summary review of the first season, before going on to report on S2 story by story.)

=:o}

[gardenfey.livejournal.com]

The Sarah Jane Adventures?

[pbristow.livejournal.com]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sarah_Jane_Adventures

[gardenfey.livejournal.com]

Thanks!