Martha Schlamme ~ World Of Kurt Weill In Song
William Shakespeare ~ The Merchant of Venice
Showing posts with label William Shakespeare. Show all posts
Showing posts with label William Shakespeare. Show all posts
October 3, 2025
September 20, 2025
William Conrad articles/mentions
mentions:
William Shakespeare ~ The Merchant of Venice
Jimmy Stewart ~ The Six Shooter
William Conrad - 1952
publicity photo
September 19, 2025
20,000 vinyl LPs 397: William Shakespeare ~ The Merchant of Venice
~
vinyl LP front cover
artwork by Tony Ward
photo of album cover by Styrous®
On September 19, 1891, The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare was performed for the first time at Manchester, England.
It is classified as a comedy but is most remembered for its dramatic scenes, and it is best
known for the character Shylock and his famous demand for a "pound of flesh".
This recording features Peggy Ashcroft speaking the role of Portia and Eric Portman the role of Shylock. There is a full list of the artists involved below. The recording also included a libretto with liner notes.
libretto artwork by Tony Ward
engraving by J. Parker
liner notes by Bernard Grebanier
photo of libretto by Styrous®
Bassanio, a young noble Venetian, wishes to woo the beautiful and wealthy heiress of Belmont, Portia. Having squandered his estate, he needs 3,000 ducats to subsidise his expenditures as a suitor. Bassanio approaches his friend Antonio,
a wealthy merchant of Venice, who has previously and repeatedly bailed
him out. Antonio agrees, but has no liquid cash as his ships and
merchandise are busy at sea – he promises to cover a bond if Bassanio can find a lender, so
Bassanio turns to the Jewish moneylender Shylock and names Antonio as
the loan's guarantor. Shylock is reluctant to grant the loan, but finally agrees to lend the sum to
Bassanio without interest upon one condition: if Antonio were unable to
repay it at the specified date, Shylock may take a pound of Antonio's flesh (link to complete synopsis below).
The play contains two famous speeches, that of Shylock, "Hath not a Jew eyes?" on the subject of humanity, and that of Portia on "the quality of mercy".
The play though frequently staged is potentially troubling because of its central themes, which can easily appear antisemitic. English society in the Elizabethan and Jacobean era has been described as "judeophobic". English Jews had been expelled under Edward I in 1290 and were not permitted to return until 1656 under the rule of Oliver Cromwell.
Poet John Donne, a contemporary of Shakespeare, gave a sermon in 1624 perpetuating the Blood Libel
– the entirely unsubstantiated antisemitic lie that Jews ritually
murdered Christians to drink their blood and achieve salvation. The play has been made use of by antisemites throughout the play's history. The Nazis used the usurious Shylock for their propaganda. Shortly after Kristallnacht in 1938, The Merchant of Venice was broadcast for propagandistic ends over the German airwaves. Productions of the play followed in Lübeck (1938), Berlin (1940), and elsewhere within the Nazi territory.
Tracklist:
Side 1:
Side 1:
A - The Merchant Of Venice
Side 2:
B - The Merchant Of Venice
Companies, etc.
Copyright © – Living Shakespeare
Printed By – Garrod & Lofthouse
Recorded By – F.C.M. Productions
Credits:
Composed By [Music] – Michael Mellinger
Directed By – John Hale
Voice Actor [Antonio] – Nigel Davenport
Voice Actor [Bassanio] – John Westbrook
Voice Actor [Gratiano] – Brian Hawksley
Voice Actor [Jessica] – Annette Crosbie
Voice Actor [Lorenzo] – Robin Phillips (2)
Voice Actor [Nerissa] – Margaret Worsley
Voice Actor [Portia] – Peggy Ashcroft
Voice Actor [Shylock] – Eric Portman
Voice Actor [Stephano; Prince Of Arragon] – John Davidson (2)
Voice Actor [The Duke Of Venice; Servant] – Morris Perry
Voice Actor [The Prince Of Morrocco; Salerio] – Michael Kilgarriff
Written By [Uncredited] – William Shakespeare
Notes:
Modern abridged version.
Printed and made in Great Britain by Garrod & Lofthouse Ltd.
An F.C.M. production.
Includes a 38-page book with acting version; the complete play, notes and glossary.
Barcode and Other Identifiers
Matrix / Runout (A-side runout, stamped): DEOB 7AS-[1A crossed out]-A-1
Matrix / Runout (B-side runout, stamped): DEOB 7AS-[1B crossed out]-B-1
Matrix / Runout (B-side runout, stamped): DEOB 7AS-[1B crossed out]-B-1
William Shakespeare – The Merchant Of Venice
Label: Odhams Books Ltd. – DEOB 7AS
Series: Living Shakespeare
Format: Vinyl, LP, Stereo
Country: UK
Released: 1964
Genre: Stage & Screen
Style: Radioplay, Musical
Viewfinder links:
Net link:
Vendantu ~ Merchant of Venice synopsis
YouTube links:
The Merchant of Venice ~
The Merchant of Venice (complete) (2hrs., 11 mins., 45 secs.)
Peggy Ashcroft ~ the quality of mercy
Eric Portman articles/mentions
Peggy Ashcroft articles/mentions
March 30, 2024
DVD 1: The Sex Pistols ~ The Filth & the Fury
~
DVD front cover - rockumentary
photo by Styrous®
On Mar 30, 1976, the Sex Pistols played their first show at The 100 Club In London. And, as they say, the rest is history!
In 2000 Julien Temple directed a British rockumentary film entitled, The Filth & the Fury. It follows the story of punk rock pioneers the Sex Pistols and their humble beginnings from Shepherd's Bush in London, England, to their fall at the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco, California.
It follows the chaotic, exciting, berserk and enormously influential
brief history of the band. It is considered a continuation of Temple's
first documentary centered on the band, titled The Great Rock and Roll Swindle, but acts as an opportunity for the surviving members of the group to tell their side of the story.
The title of the film is a reference to a headline that appeared in the British tabloid newspaper The Daily Mirror on December 2, 1976, after an interview on the ITV Today presented by Bill Grundy. The title of The Mirror article was itself inspired by the William Faulkner novel, The Sound and the Fury which was in turn taken from a line in Macbeth by William Shakespeare.
In 1990, Glenn Matlock wrote a book entitled, I Was A Teenage Sex Pistol which documented the life of the band from his perspective.
Tracklist:
1 - The Filth And The Fury - 1:43:00
Companies, etc.
Copyright © – Sex Pistols Residuals
Copyright © – Fine Line Features
Copyright © – New Line Home Video
Credits:
Executive-Producer – Eric Gardner (3), Jonathan Weisgal
Film Director – Julien Temple
Film Editor – Niven Howie
Film Producer – Amanda Temple, Anita Camarata
Performer – Glen Matlock, Paul Cook, Sid Vicious, Steve Jones (2)
Notes:
Widescreen version.
Language: English
Subtitles: English
Rated R
Companies, etc.
Copyright © – Sex Pistols Residuals
Copyright © – Fine Line Features
Copyright © – New Line Home Video
Credits:
Executive-Producer – Eric Gardner (3), Jonathan Weisgal
Film Director – Julien Temple
Film Editor – Niven Howie
Film Producer – Amanda Temple, Anita Camarata
Performer – Glen Matlock, Paul Cook, Sid Vicious, Steve Jones (2)
Notes:
Widescreen version.
Language: English
Subtitles: English
Rated R
Barcode and Other Identifiers
Barcode: 794043508622
Sex Pistols – The Filth And The Fury
Label: New Line Home Video – N5086
Format: DVD, DVD-Video, NTSC, Enhanced
Country: US
Released: 2000
Genre: Rock
Style: Punk
Label: New Line Home Video – N5086
Format: DVD, DVD-Video, NTSC, Enhanced
Country: US
Released: 2000
Genre: Rock
Style: Punk
Orson Welles ~ Director Extraordinaire: Voodoo Macbeth
Net links:
Roger Ebert ~ The Filth and the Fury review
Tommy Gerard ~ The Filth And The Fury: A Sex Pistols Film
NY Times ~ A Rock Band That Hurled Rocks at 70's Britain review
Our Town NY ~ The Filth and The Fury The Filth and ...
Punktuationmag ~ in 1976 Sex Pistols Outrage British Public Live On TV!
Sex Pistols website ~ The Filth & the Fury
uDiscover Music ~ How Sex Pistols Sparked A Media Outrage
Variety ~ The Filth and the Fury
YouTube links:
The Filth And The Fury (1hr, 43 mins.)
Sex Pistols: The Grundy Show incident Styrous® ~ Saturday, March 30, 2024
December 21, 2021
Winter Solstice on the 21st in 2021
~
Winter Solstice - 2021
photo collage by Styrous®
Today is the shortest day of the year. The winter solstice, which marks the beginning of the astronomical winter in the Northern Hemisphere, is today. I have always felt this day is actually the end of the old year and the beginning of the new year.
The
solstice occurs at the same instant everywhere on Earth. The Earth's
tilted axis causes the seasons. The winter solstice, which marks the
beginning of astronomical winter in the Northern Hemisphere. It's the precise moment at which the Northern Hemisphere is tilted farthest from the sun.
Meteorologists
use a different method of defining the first day of winter. And, in
some countries, the beginning of the seasons is determined by average
temperatures rather than fixed dates or astronomical events.
Rogers and Hart wrote a love song about this day entitled, The Shortest Day of the Year, from the musical, The Boys from Syracuse which was based on the William Shakespeare play, The Comedy of Errors (link below).
The Boys from Syracuse poster
There is a two hour video on YouTube of the Solstice as it's happening at Newgrange, a prehistoric monument in County Meath, Ireland, located 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) west of Drogheda on the north side of the River Boyne. It is an exceptionally grand passage tomb built during the Neolithic period, around 3200 BC, making it older than Stonehenge and the Egyptian pyramids (link below).
Net links:
Almanac ~ Winter Solstice 2021
Britannica ~ Winter Solstice
EarthSky ~ 2021’s December solstice falls on the 21st
Mother ~ How To Celebrate the Winter Solstice
USA Today ~ The shortest day of the year is Tuesday
Youtube links:
Winter Solstice 2021: 5 Things We Need to Know (astrology)
Newgrange monument ~ Winter Solstice - Monday 21 December 2021 (documentary) (48 mins., 29 secs.)
Newgrange monument ~ Winter Solstice - Monday 21 December 2021 (2 hrs., 2 mins.)
Rogers & Hart ~ The Shortest Day of the Year Styrous® ~ Tuesday, December 21, 2021
May 7, 2020
Orson Welles ~ Director Extraordinaire: Voodoo Macbeth
~
During the Great Depression, as a part of a New Deal federal stimulus package (sound familiar?), the federal government wrote a 20-year-old director a check to stage Macbeth to fight Jim Crow! It gets weirder. This young director set his version of the Shakespeare masterpiece in Haiti, and based it loosely on the life of a former slave-turned-revolutionary-turned-king named Henry Christophe, and cast only black performers. The year was 1936, the director was Orson Welles who two years later would frightened the nation with his radio dramatization of the War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells (complete info, links below).
The production opened April 14, 1936, at the Lafayette Theatre in Harlem. A free preview two days before drew 3,000 more people than could be seated.
"By all odds my great success in my life was that play," Welles told BBC interviewer Leslie Megahey in 1982. "Because the opening night there were five blocks in which all traffic was stopped. You couldn't get near the theater in Harlem. Everybody who was anybody in the black or white world was there. And when the play ended there were so many curtain calls that finally they left the curtain open, and the audience came up on the stage to congratulate the actors. And that was, that was magical."
Jack Carter as Macbeth
Edna Thomas as Lady Macbeth
Macbeth's bodyguard
Virginia Girvin as the Nurse
Viewfinder links:
Marc Blitzstein
Burt Lancaster
William Shakespeare
Carl Van Vechten & the Harlem Renaissance
Orson Welles
Net links:
Inverse ~ The Forgotten Story of Orson Welles' All-Black Macbeth Production
Internet Archive ~ The War of the Worlds
YouTube links:
Voodoo Macbeth
Voodoo MacBeth battle over Citizen Kane We Work Again ~ Voodoo Macbeth Footage
Orson Welles interview on Voodoo Macbeth (1936)
Orson Welles - January 29, 1939
The Campbell Playhouse
photo by
Yesterday was the birthday of Orson Welles;
I missed posting this by a few hours yesterday; whatever! There are several Viewfinder links
with tons of information about him at the end of this article.
During the Great Depression, as a part of a New Deal federal stimulus package (sound familiar?), the federal government wrote a 20-year-old director a check to stage Macbeth to fight Jim Crow! It gets weirder. This young director set his version of the Shakespeare masterpiece in Haiti, and based it loosely on the life of a former slave-turned-revolutionary-turned-king named Henry Christophe, and cast only black performers. The year was 1936, the director was Orson Welles who two years later would frightened the nation with his radio dramatization of the War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells (complete info, links below).
Voodoo Macbeth - program - 1936
The Voodoo Macbeth is a common nickname for the Federal Theatre Project's 1936 New York production of Macbeth by William Shakespeare. Welles adapted and directed the production, moved the play's setting from Scotland to a fictional Caribbean island, recruited an entirely Black cast, and earned the nickname for his production from the Haitian vodou that fulfilled the role of Scottish witchcraft. A box office sensation, the production is regarded as a landmark
theatrical event for several reasons: its innovative interpretation of
the play, its success in promoting African-American theatre, and its
role in securing the reputation of its 20-year-old director.
The production opened April 14, 1936, at the Lafayette Theatre in Harlem. A free preview two days before drew 3,000 more people than could be seated.
Opening night at the Lafayette Theatre (April 14, 1936)
"By all odds my great success in my life was that play," Welles told BBC interviewer Leslie Megahey in 1982. "Because the opening night there were five blocks in which all traffic was stopped. You couldn't get near the theater in Harlem. Everybody who was anybody in the black or white world was there. And when the play ended there were so many curtain calls that finally they left the curtain open, and the audience came up on the stage to congratulate the actors. And that was, that was magical."
Voodoo Macbeth - 1936
The Works Project Administration provided economic stimulus during the Great Depression, and under its aegis was Federal Project Number One, responsible for generating jobs in the arts for which the Federal Theater Project was created. The Negro Theatre Unit
was split into two halves, the "Contemporary Branch" to create theater
on contemporary black issues, and the "Classic Branch", to perform
classic drama.
The aim was to provide a point of entry into the theater workforce for
black writers, actors and stagehands, and to raise community pride by
performing classic plays without reference to the color of the actors.
I found no evidence to support it but it seems to me that the influence of the Harlem Renaissance (link below) of the previous decade was felt by the group.
I found no evidence to support it but it seems to me that the influence of the Harlem Renaissance (link below) of the previous decade was felt by the group.
Federal Theatre Project production of Macbeth
Federal Theatre Project production of Macbeth
Federal Theatre Project production of Macbeth
with Wanda Macy and Bertram Holmes as
Macduff's daughter and son
Federal Theatre Project production of Macbeth
Many of the notable artists of the time participated in the Federal Theatre Project, including Susan Glaspell
who served as Midwest bureau director. The legacy of the Federal
Theatre Project can also be found in beginning the careers of a new
generation of theater artists. Arthur Miller, Orson Welles, John Houseman, Martin Ritt, Elia Kazan, Joseph Losey, Burt Lancaster, Marc Blitzstein and Abe Feder
are among those who became established, in part, through their work in
the Federal Theatre. Blitzstein, Houseman, Welles and Feder
collaborated on the controversial production, The Cradle Will Rock.
Federal Theatre Circus (1935–38)
Viewfinder links:
Marc Blitzstein
Burt Lancaster
William Shakespeare
Carl Van Vechten & the Harlem Renaissance
Orson Welles
Net links:
Inverse ~ The Forgotten Story of Orson Welles' All-Black Macbeth Production
Internet Archive ~ The War of the Worlds
YouTube links:
Voodoo Macbeth
Voodoo MacBeth battle over Citizen Kane We Work Again ~ Voodoo Macbeth Footage
Orson Welles interview on Voodoo Macbeth (1936)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)