Fillion is a delicious amount of large, but not scary.

The MacBeth is playing in my local theatre, so I wouldn't be surprise if it played pretty wide. It's the National Theatre's 50th, so they are also rebroadcasting some of their popular NT Live shows.

Also Tom Hiddleston is doing Coriolanus for them in the winter. [link]

t /still a little bitter they didn't hire me

I saw NT Live's The Audience w. Helen Mirren last week. I left at the interval. The performances were fine, but the play was meh. I don't really care that much about humanising the Queen or British PMs.

Saw Much Ado. Liked it. Thought Reed Diamond and Clark Gregg were especially good, and Amy Acker was great. I also liked Fran Kranz in what's a pretty difficult role. It probably helps that I'm in the middle of a Dollhouse watch.

I saw Much Ado this weekend as well -- it was very enjoyable and Amy Acker in particular was outstanding. Alexis Denisof was hilarious and he and Acker had fun bantering chemistry but I kinda thought they didn't have that "OMG they must get it on" type of sizzling romantic chemistry. Weirdly enough, I got more frisson out of that brief bit between Beatrice and Don Pedro, when he asks, half in jest and half seriously, "will you have me, lady?" and she tells him no, with just the right amount of humour and regret and gentleness.

No, my lord, unless I might have another for working-days:
your grace is too costly to wear every day.
But, I beseech your grace, pardon me:
I was born to speak all mirth and no matter.

I would totally read some AU Don Pedro/Beatrice, is what I'm sayin'. Get on it, yuletide people. It's probably my Reed Diamond thing, which goes back to Homicide days. I thought he was splendid in a smallish part.

Joss's new ingenue who played Hero didn't bring much to the part, but Hero is a thankless role. Still, Kranz, in a similar part, was acting his heart out, and she was just... there. Ah well.

OMG the house porn. It left me helpless with longing.

Weirdly enough, I got more frisson out of that brief bit between Beatrice and Don Pedro, when he asks, half in jest and half seriously, "will you have me, lady?" and she tells him no, with just the right amount of humour and regret and gentleness.

That often is a lovely moment. You must have seen the Kenneth Branagh version, and it's a great scene between Denzel and Emma.

It's been a long time since I watched the Branagh version last, but yes, I remember. There is such quiet but naked sincerity in that moment, in-between all the mirth. A lovely bit of wistfulness.

I saw Much Ado this evening with Barbara Mowat, who is a renowned Shakespeare expert.

She was totally delighted by it. Liked it even better than the Branagh version.

According to her, only one word was changed. Just one. It's amazing to me that she is so schooled in the literature that she would know that.

She had not heard of Joss, so on a dog walk, I gave her the thumbnail bio.

She wholeheartedly endorsed the two bits that Joss added and was okay with all the bits that were compressed.

She also loved the casting, though she did not know any of the actors.

I loved it too. Just beautiful.

Alexis Denisof was hilarious and he and Acker had fun bantering chemistry but I kinda thought they didn't have that "OMG they must get it on" type of sizzling romantic chemistry.

No, I didn't think so, either. The only time I *really* dug his performance was when he got up in Claudio's face after the unfinished wedding.

Again, I think Branagh's version imprinted hard on me.

Sean Maher, however, was light years beyond Keanu, although it's a ridiculous role.

And if I had to pick, I'd go with Fillion over Keaton as Dogberry.

OMG the house porn. It left me helpless with longing.

SRSLY.

For me, the nearest showing of the Branagh/Kingston Macbeth is 60 miles away. I'd drive further.

I saw Much Ado yesterday and loved it! It was hilarious (slut shaming aside) and the audience was really into it, which made it even better. At the end my face hurt from smiling so much.