So I’ve been rereading “Microserfs” by Douglas Coupland. I never actually finished the book, but I got close. I’m excited about making it all the way through this time Anyway the book has a lot of pages full of random words. Here is the reason why:

So this got me thinking…what if machines do have a subconscious of their own? What if machines right now are like human babies, which have brains but no way of expressing themselves except screaming (crashing)? What would a machine’s subconscious look like? How does it feed off what we give it? If machines could talk to us, what would they say?

So I stare at my MultiSync and my PowerBook and wonder…”What’s going through their heads?”

To this end, I’m creating a file of random words that pop into my head, and am feeding these words into a desktop file labeled SUBCONSCIOUS.

I thought this would be a fun thing to do on my blog for today. Here are my random words. Feel free to add your own!!!

———————————————————————————————–

Typhoon

Rain
Cold and Sun
and Warm

Mixed Bag                                                            Jumble

Clown                                                                     Tops

Withold

“When the music is flowing through me.”

Q: What do you want to do when you grow up?

A:………………………………………………………….

So as a 3rd year law student I am always on the lookout for a good job. Unfortunately the economy is not really in a good place for new lawyers to get those jobs that they thought they would get when they matriculated. I find myself particularly prickly about this topic, and generally despise having to justify the fact I don’t have a job already lined up to people.

My current woes about future employment caused me to pay particular attention to an episode of “Glee” which aired a few weeks ago. I was already a big fan since it guest starred one my favorite people of all time, Kristin Chenoweth, but I was struck by how perfectly the song “Maybe This Time” from “Cabaret” applied to my current situation. I feel like this song of hope despite the downtrodden circumstances is a good example of exactly how I feel when I go on an interview or submit my resume to a job posting. I’d encourage you to view the following clip, the quality is better if you watch the episode on hulu. Think about this song being sung by someone about to interview for a job. It is a bizarre fit in my brain.

Jude Law as Hamlet

All too often my reviews are as long as a speech given by Polonius, therefore, much like Polonius, I will attempt to be brief in this review. My only prologue to this composition is that I was in a production of Hamlet in college. Although my part was small, I still herald it as the best production I was ever a part of. This means that while I am very familiar with the play, I am also extremely critical of other productions of it. Much like Hamlet glorifies his father after he is dead; I am most assuredly guilty of remembering my production to be better than it probably was.

And now onto the review.

The current production of Hamlet starring Jude Law is a good production for those of whom think they will never understand Shakespeare. The entire cast goes to great pains to convey the meaning of their words to the audience, and no one does this more than Jude Law. Jude Law uses his hands to animate the meaning of his words, his tone of voice to clue the audience when something is supposed to be funny or serious, and generally relies on his looks, which are ever bit as gorgeous as they are on screen, to hold the audience’s attention during the more cerebral soliloquies. The audience, for the most part, seemed to be grateful for these dramatic antics, but I found them condescending and a sign of weakness in Law as an actor. The play is in English, so treating it like it was in a foreign language seemed to shift the goal of the actors and the audience. The actors’ goal seemed to be conveying the general plot to the audience, and the audience seemed to think that if they understood the show they were to be commended. With all this focus on communication the performance seem to greatly lack in one department…ACTING! With the exception of Polonius and Claudius, there was very little acting in this entire production.

Jude Law seemed to shine in the moment of comedy in Hamlet. For those of whom think Hamlet is nothing but a 3 hour slog fest of doom and gloom for the tragic Dane, I suggest you re-read the play. However, you could certainly avoid rereading by attending the production. I would say that rereading the play is cheaper and just as satisfying. Only in the comedic moments did Jude Law seems to enjoy his role, and forgets that he was playing such a prestigious role. Unfortunately, once these moments end Law reverted back to being a Shakespeare translator and stops acting. As a result all drama and tragedy that Hamlet is a part of is taught rather than performed.

Law’s greatest flaw is that he actually does all of the things that Hamlet tells the players not to do. Although Jude Law is actually guilty of all the things he requests the players avoid, I think perhaps the request most blatantly disregarded is that he struts and bellows in a way unlike anyone, mad or not, found in the real world. In the scene, wherein Hamlet feigns madness with Polonius and calls him a Fishmonger, Law greets Polonius by randomly humping him, imitates a crab, and generally makes a fool out of himself. There is a fine line between playing the fool and playing one that is mad, unfortunately the distinction is lost on Law.

Jude Law gave a performance that I could tolerate, but not overly impressed with. However, the women of the cast are truly the weak links. Gugu Mbatha-Raw, who plays Ophelia, is a shining example of some of the worst acting I have ever seen. She seems to not understand a word she is saying, and, although she is very pretty, seems to think she can get by on her looks. Ophelia’s mad scene has never felt longer, and her version of madness is not overly convincing. I assume she figured that since she went from wearing a pretty dress to a pair of pajamas we are to consider such a fashion faux pas the surest sign that she has lost her marbles. It makes one wonder if Hamlet truly is insane if ever found her interesting for any other reason than her looks. I am sure that the love poem he wrote her would have gone over her head even if all it said was “Do you like me? Yes or no.”

Geraldine James, Gertrude, gives a bit more to work with. She actually does a pretty good job for the first half of the play, but when time comes for the famous closet scene, everything simply falls apart. Gertrude does not seem to care that her son is seeing ghosts, simply confused. She also tells Hamlet she is pained by all the things he says to her, but it is not really apparent that she feels anything at all. Apparently Queen Gertrude has decided to mimic Queen Elizabeth II, and is completely unable to emote at all. After the famous closet scene we see Gertrude no longer willing to come and go at the behest of her new husband, but we are not overly sure why. She did not seem convinced of Hamlet’s claims against him, and although we often are shown her thinking before exiting, her thoughts are completely unknown to us. It might have been more prudent to ration her defiance to follow the king more to give it more effect. It seems there is much we do not know about Gertrude towards the end. Why does she give such a beautiful speech to Laertes about how Ophelia died? She seems to walk in and just deliver it as if she was paid to do so. Finally, does Gertrude drink the poison for any other reason? Or was she just thirsty? James portrayal of Gertrude leaves all of these questions to the audience, but her performance does not leave anyone actually wanting to know the answers.

Fortunately, there are some good things about this production. Kevin R. McNally gives an incredible performance as Claudius, and truly creates a unique spin on the betraying brother. His oily ease with kissing the wife of his murdered brother, and open arms to embrace Hamlet as a son is truly creepy. It is truly a delight to slowly watch him lose his cool as Hamlet uncovers his evil deeds.

Ron Cook, who plays both Polonius and the first grave digger, is truly the best actor in the show. His hilarious delivery in both roles is void of all distasteful antics that Hamlet describes to the players. He suits each action to the word, and each word to each action. He is not overly dramatic to the point that he seems to be acting, and truly captures the love and affection of the audience. If not for Mr. Cook’s performance I would have thought that Broadway would never know what Shakespeare is supposed to look like, but thankfully this production has a perfect example. The rest of the cast would do well to learn from this master with whom they share a stage.

It appears that much like Polonius I have failed to be brief, therefore the rest of my review I shall reduce to single sentences:

• Rosencrantz has an incredible stage voice, and is lovely to look at.
• I found it odd that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern did not seem to be very in sync with each other.
• The players seemed to be a living prop, and gave performances wooden as the recorders they carried.
• The costumes were absolutely amazing, and I want all the coats in the show!
• The set was incredible!
• The sound effects were cool, but in were a little too layered in some scenes.
• The final sword fight was well choreographed.
• Ian Drysdale plays the straightest Osiric I have ever seen.

]]> http://kyoske.wordpress.com/2009/10/21/jude-laws-hamlet-a-review/feed/ 2 kyoske Jude Law Hamlet http://kyoske.wordpress.com/2009/09/30/fame-a-review/ http://kyoske.wordpress.com/2009/09/30/fame-a-review/#comments Wed, 30 Sep 2009 18:04:55 +0000 kyoske http://kyoske.wordpress.com/?p=731 ]]>

The caption should be: "Being Pretty is All That Matters"

I have to admit that I have some bias when it comes to performing arts movies. A prime example is that I am able to cut the dancers from “Center Stage” a lot of slack for their less than stellar acting skills, and instead focus on the intriguing and well executed choreography. Therefore I was entirely shocked that I left the 2009 remake of the 1980’s classic “Fame” with a strong desire to write the studio and demand a refund of the ticket price.

I will be more than happy to admit that the original movie “Fame” is far from a perfect movie. It is incredibly flawed, but those flaws were able to be forgiven because the movie did a lot for theatre kids everywhere. The original movie fame showed the American public some of the trials that young performers have to go through, many of which either complicate or contribute to “normal” teenage problems.  It is for this reason you can get over a number of issues in the original film, like the fact that many of the characters issued are never resolved. I think many of us are still wondering what happened to Coco (Irene Cara’s character) after she was filmed topless by that scary guy. The original movie doesn’t answer this, and many other questions, but all of that can be forgiven to some degree thanks to the incredible performances the movie has, and the inspiring message it leaves audiences with. The original Fame seemed to shout from the rooftops that theatre kids shouldn’t be ashamed of their quirks, but rather celebrate them. It also pointed out just how hard performers, even those with incredible natural talent, have to work everyday to hone their craft into something which would allow them to make it in this world.

The new incarnation of this film is the saddest celebration of mediocrity that I have ever seen in a film to date. The fact that this movie was made with an estimated budget of $25 million dollars is absolutely astounding, and I have to wonder whether or not they could have spent a little more of their budget to find actors with talent. Truly the main failure of this show lies in the fact that none of the main characters are very talented in the craft they are supposed to be, and while they may be a bit more attractive than the kids in the original, they do not succeed in getting by on their looks.

The best example of this particular issue is found in the characters of Jenny (Kay Panabaker) and Marco (Asher Book).These actors are relatively attractive, although certainly Kherington Payne is the best looking person in the cast, but both suffer from a great lack of talent and/or skill. This is only made more complicated by the fact that the characters perceive, and therefore suggest to the audience, that Asher Book is the golden boy of the freshman class. We see this in a scene where Jenny sings “Someone to Watch Over Me” badly, and then Megan Mullally, who is one of the best singers in the entire movie, chastises her for inability to make the audience feel the emotion in the song. She then asks Marco to sing the exact same song to show the class how it’s done. Unfortunately, the only people Marco impresses are the other actors who are being paid to pretend he is good. Asher Book’s so called impressive pipes wouldn’t get him an audition at a dive bar in Vegas, let alone anything remotely legitimate in New York. His voice is a weak, nasal, overly pop infused, insipid, throaty mess, which never improves during the four year time span the movie covers. In fact neither Jenny nor Marco seem to improve at all during their entire four years, and neither does their screen acting. Their big fight on the rooftop, whose apex ends with a weak scream of anguish from Jenny, brought for the reaction of laughter instead of empathy. Truly this moment made me wistful for the cast of Center Stage.  I am without reservation in saying that most of my visceral dislike of this film stems from the complete and utter lack of anything interesting to be found in either of these two characters or the actors who portrayed them.

The rest of the cast is not without criticism, but certainly they have small shining spots where praise is warranted. Naturi Naughton, who plays Denise Dupree, is certainly the most interesting character in the movie. She also has a very good voice, and her cover of “Out Here On My Own” from the original movie is one of the few spots of light in the movie. Unfortunately, after that incredible ballad none of the other musical numbers she is a part of does her any favors. The song in the nightclub is not vocally difficult, and reduces her to a middle of the road contender for American Idol. The graduation song is simply poorly composed, and has lyrics which made the sugary American Idol finale songs look edgy. It is sad her character peaked in the first scene we see her sing. I appreciated that she was a classical pianist with talent, and although it is not overly clear why her mother waits to long to help her stand up to her father, it is nice that at least one character’s story has a beginning, middle, and end.

Collins Pennie who played Malik did a passable job. He showed us something that many actors are familiar with. In many classes you have a talented student who has a lot of talent, but much of his reason for acting is fueled and stunted by problems he/she has in his/her life. For Malik his life had tragedies of an abandoned father, and overworked mother, and the tragic senseless loss of his younger sister. When asked how he felt about these things, Malik would shut down. If an actor is unwilling to explore his emotions in his life, his ability to portray those emotions will almost always feel as superficial. Malik is finally able to break through, without crying to give some credit to the film, thanks to a rather lovely moment between he and his acting teacher, played by Charles Dutton. Unfortunately, we are unable really appraise how this breakthrough has changed Malik, because instead of comparing his performance in another monologue, we see Malik deliver a rap, which describes his feelings about his hardships, as a prologue to the performance which is supposed to be Naturi Naughton’s big moment. The change in performance medium makes comparison impossible, so we are forced to assume he is better now than he was before.

Walter Perez, as Victor Taveras, is perhaps the strongest actor amongst the teen part of the cast. His presence on screen is real, and his character, though rarely seen, seems to actually develop over time. Unfortunately Perez’ character is poorly written. Despite being delightfully intelligent and articulate in his arguments with his teacher, played by Kelsey Grammer, he is apparently the dumbest boyfriend ever, as made evident by the fact that he had no idea that his girlfriend got into the best modern dance company in the world, because he had never heard of it. One would think the boyfriend of the best dancer in the school would know SOMETHING about that. This oversight might have been easier to forgive if we were given more time to get to know Victor.

Speaking of the “best dancer in the school”, which is played by Kherington Payne, much like the frightening assertion that Asher Book was the best voice in their class, I found it difficult to believe that Ms. Payne was the best dancer solely because she didn’t actually do very much dancing. I whole heartedly believed she was the most attractive dancer, but she was rarely featured and none of her choreography was that complicated. Her final number mainly demonstrated that she knew how to be lifted and moved around by others, which seemed to indicate that the best dancers in the school where the men moving her.

The dancing in the movie is generally not impressive, although serious props should be given to the tap dancers who presented incredible skill during their 14 seconds of screen time. The remainder of the dance numbers seemed to feature choreography which was impressive solely because it was being performed by so many dancers, rather than it involving incredibly difficult choreography. Certainly there were some moments which were absolutely wonderful, but they were normally in the middle of an extended dance number, and diminished by the fact that the number as a whole was not as impressive as pieces audiences could see in other films. It should also be noted that most of the bigger dance numbers did not feature the dancers we were supposed to believe were the good ones, but did include some of the rejects such as Kevin, played by Paul McGill.

I mention Paul McGill’s character at the end of this review for a specific reason. Kevin is a dancer, and he manages to go to the school despite having a somewhat weak audition, but over the four years at school his teacher, played by Bebe Neuwirth, is forced to tell him that despite all his hard work, he just lacks the talent to make it as a professional dancer. Mr. McGill’s portrayal of Kevin is fine, given the fact that he has about 5 minutes of screen time devoted to his entire story. The moment where he is told he isn’t going to make it, which is underscored by another vocal failure by Asher Brook, is important for one big reason. The speech applies to the complete teen cast of characters! None of them are so incredible that they would ever make it professionally, and although this movie seems to celebrate them, to anyone who knows anything about music, theatre, or dance, it would be painfully obvious that these kids simply lack the skill and technique needed to be a professional in the arts.

To prove this point we could easily compare the graduation ceremony with the karaoke performance that Megan Mullally gives towards the end of the film. Mrs. Mullally sings “You Took Advantage of Me” by Rodgers and Hart. Her song relates to her character, is beautifully emitted with a wonderfully rounded sound and supported tone, and was so good that I actually applauded in the theater after she finished. This was the only time I applauded in the movie, and with good reason. The graduation ceremony, which is the big finale of this movie, is as lame and boring as any real graduation ceremony. This is of course more disappointing since you expect to be entertained. None of the singing in the finale song is any good, and with Mullally’s example of what good singing is like, the lack of vocal ability is even more obvious. The dancing is more about having large group of people run around the stage, and although the very cool moment where a woman runs and slides on point is incredible, it is immediately ruined by a huge dance number which has as inexplicable tropical island theme.

The remake of “Fame” did not leave me wanting more, rather I simply wished there was less I had been asked to sit through. Unlike the original, the message of the remake appears to be nothing other than: Be pretty! Talent and skill are overrated and it takes to much work to obtain.

Random thoughts:

1. The scene in the trailer where they are on a roof being blasted with water is not in the film.
2. If the original song “Fame” is in this movie, as it claims to be, it has been remixed to a level that is completely unrecognizable.
3. Seriously was this the best crop of actors they could find?
4. Who do I write about asking for a refund?

So school has started back, and the performance for Bye Bye Birdie is fast approaching. Part of me is glad to see it coming, but I know I will miss hanging out with the cast once it is over. I’ve enjoyed participating in the show, but I won’t lie and say I’m not a bit worried.

The show is…hit and miss. Some moments are amazing, whereas others not so much. I hope the audience will remember that these are not a group of seasoned actors, although there certainly are some amongst us, and so their expectations should be low.
There are some things I know I could work on. I need to work on my physicality more. Albert probably wouldn’t swish as much as I do. I have managed to remove a lot of my personal habits, and give Albert ones I would never do, such as balling his fists.

I just hope BBE’s mother, my future in-law, will think I have some talent.

Here is the write-up they did on me:

http://law.newark.rutgers.edu/home/my-summer-bar-studies-internship-and-bye-bye-birdie-practice

When I first learned that Wii was going to put out a sequel to what I have personally deeemed “The most influential video game of my life.” I was astonished and brimming with excitement! Final Fantasy IV was a game which set the foundations for modern role playing games. However, the series, Final Fantasy, is now known for their graphics than say gameplay or story. Final Fantasy IV certainly never had the gorgeous graphics of a modern role playing game so they compensated by bringing a simple story of a knight into a gorgeous piece of work. Each character in Final Fantasy IV was nuanced and interesting, they all had a reason to fight, and often times they fought side by side out of desperation rather than a general fondness for one another. The idea that I might see what became of my beloved characters filled me with such joy when I saw this trailer:

When I say “My beloved characters” I mean that literally. When I was young I spent ours of my youth perfecting each character, even ones I didn’t like, so that they were literal gods amongst monsters and men. I mainly remember getting them to their highest level and then spending hours upon hours fighting for a lame item that could only be gained in the final dungeon. The item could be exchanged for the best armor in the game, and while most people never obtained one of these armors I spent hours obtaining five. Needless to say, I have since always felt a special bond with those characters.

Final Fantasy IV: The After Years showed a lot of promise. The soundtrack and look of the game is still very much the same. I actually found myself singing along with the soundtrack, which is something I used to do as a child. The characters that I loved all make a return appearance, even the dead ones, and it was so nice to see what became of The Blue Planet once peace had returned to the land. This peace is something all of the characters had come to love and expect so long as King Cecil, the main character of the original game, was on the throne. So when Cecil’s Kingdom starts to act a little funny, the other characters worry, but are still not willing to doubt Cecil who they personally fought with for the sake of the planet.

I have to say, having been in love with each of these characters all of their reactions felt absolutely perfect. Of course none of the original characters would believe Cecil was capable of doing anything bad, and certainly no one could conquer the knight who was the leader in saving the world! Of course…they are wrong. Even against Cecil’s amazing power, albeit drastically diminished from my orginal SNES cartridge game, there is always someone more powerful. I attribute the loss of levels and powerful weapons to the fact that peace has reigned for about 20 years, and people get older. So it was fun to see the heroes of the past and the hereos of the present unite to fight a new super power that threatens the peace of the planet.

So this review is mainly a love letter to the idea of this game, but it is not without criticisms! The biggest criticism is the way in which you play the game. You purchase individual characters tales, the first being 800 wii point and each other tale for about 3oo wii points, and the final tale another 800 wii points. This puts the total cost of the game at about $40.00 dollars over all, but I am not a big fan of getting the game piece by piece. None of the tails in and of themselves are very long, and once beaten the additional “Challenge Dungeons” are easily mastered with some careful leveling. Some tails are also just more interesting than others, but because I have time to waste till they put out the final installment I find myself playing them just to complete every possible thing. Whereas this is something I would certainly do, I enjoyed the freedom the original game gave to do so on my own time. Sure there were things that were time sensitive, but at least the characters were able to travel around the world a bit more. The fact that your characters barely get to personally pilot an airship during the entire game is incredibly annoying. Some of us would have loved to see the world a bit more from each characters perspective. I understand that doing so would ruin the way these tails only intersect when the narrative permits, but it still would have been nice.

The game also features are rather restrictive level cap. I’m not saying I am going to level my characters up in these areas far greater than the cap provides, but since I am forced to continue to fight battles to get the extras I am annoyed that I am wasting experience that I will need later. It was also annoying because certain characters did not learn all of their spells because they were not a high enough level. This kind of annoyed me as it meant I couldn’t use strategies from my old days as well.

Still, I am glad this game exists. I have already spent more time on it than I should have! I just hope that once the final installment is released my extra work will pay off.

]]> http://kyoske.wordpress.com/2009/08/07/final-fantasy-iv-the-after-years-review/feed/ 0 kyoske theafteryears_logo final-fantasy-iv http://kyoske.wordpress.com/2009/07/14/finishing-the-act/ http://kyoske.wordpress.com/2009/07/14/finishing-the-act/#comments Wed, 15 Jul 2009 01:32:19 +0000 kyoske http://kyoske.wordpress.com/?p=708 ]]>

Okay so I thought I’d title this solely for the Sondheim reference.

Today I finished Act I of the play I’ve been working on. I reviewed it a bit, and cleaned up a few lines and made a few changes. It felt like such a big accomplishment, but the second it was done, I wanted to know whether or not to deal with Act II. I decided to let myself ruminate over the plot a bit more today.

Still, I was glad to have completed my project today. I question whether or not it is actually of interest to anyone but me. However, I think once I do some more work on it, that question will be answered.

Jack: [laying a hand on his shoulder to steady him] Peter? Hey, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to…oh god…here sit down on the bed.

[Jack helps Peter sit on the bed. Fairytale Jackson lays Prince down on his side, and props himself up on his elbows keeping watch over Prince.]

Peter:[catatonic] Why did you do that?

Jack: Cause I knew you would let go if I did.

Peter: Oh.

[a moment of silence]

Peter: No one has ever kissed me before.

Jack: Oh…really?

Peter: Yes.

Jack: Why?

Peter: What?

Jack: I mean…why not?

Peter: I don’t know.

Jack: It’s no big deal. I’m sorry.

Peter: I’m…I’m…not.

Jack: What?

Peter: I’m not sorry you kissed me.

Jack: What?

Peter: I can’t explain… it’s like…like…this. [Peter has flipped to a part of his journal without looking at the pages. He hands it to Jack.] I want you…you…

Jack: You want me?

Peter: [quickly] I want you to read it.

[While Jack reads aloud from the book “The Meditation” from “Thais” begins to play. The lights dim on Jack and Peter and become brighter on Jackson and Prince. Prince and Peter speak lines together. Jackson and Jack speaks their own lines together.]

Jack: [reading aloud from the book] The prince stared into Jackson’s eyes, he was afraid, but of what he knew not. Was it the fear that Jackson had revived a part of his heart he had long thought dead? Or was it fear that Jackson would leave again, once again breaking his heart. Could he stand it? Jackson’s warm breath on his neck made him shiver, despite the fact he was not cold. His entire body shook, and Jackson only pulled him tighter. This was it, the embrace he had always wanted, this was what was missing when he courted Sylvia. The prince turned slowly to face Jackson, and cupped his hand to his face.

Peter & Prince: No one has ever kissed me before.

Jack & Jackson: I’m sorry.

Peter & Prince: For what?

Jack & Jackson: I couldn’t help it. You are amazing.

Peter & Prince: Can we do it again?

Jack & Jackson: You’re sure?

Peter and Prince: I’ve never been more certain.

[The lights return on Jack and Peter. Both scenes are animated. Jackson and Prince begin to tenderly kiss each other. The music stops.]

Jack:  When did you write this?

Peter: Today.

Jack: When I kissed you…I…didn’t mean to…

Peter: It’s fine…I just didn’t expect it to…happen.

Jack: I’m sorry.

Peter: I wish you weren’t.

Jack: I’m sorry I didn’t do this sooner.

Peter: Do what?

[Jack kisses Peter and they fall onto the bed. The music returns, louder, at the swell of the piece, roughly 2:15 into the piece, The second Jack and Peter kiss, Jackson and Prince again sigh in ecstasy and their kissing and caressing becomes increasingly passionate.]

Jack & Jackson: I feel like we’ve wasted so much time.

Peter & Prince: You were worth waiting for.

[The couples kiss tenderly, and the music continues. The sound of a door being unlocked is played. Marcia and Lucy enter Peter’s room. Marcia is carrying a tray. At the same time Samuel and Juliet enter Prince and Jackson’s room. Juliet is carrying a tray. Samuel and Lucy simultaneously gasp. Marcia and Juliet both drop trays. The lovers look, they are caught, the lights go black.]

End of Act I

[Peter begins to stand, and then falls]

Jack: Oh, wow, you really hurt yourself.

Peter: Yeah, guess I was rustier than I thought.

Jack: Let me see.

Peter: [Pulling up the leg of his pants] I think I just landed on my knee wrong.

Jack: [touching his leg] It feels like it is already swelling.

Peter: [wincing] Ouch.

[Barbara enters, and sees Jack touching Peter’s leg. From her perspective this probably looks a little more risqué than it is. She is stunned and then speaks.]

Barbara: What are you two boys doing in here?

Jack: [quickly removing his hand] Mom! Oh, Peter and I were doing some of those old Yoga CD’s I found.

Peter: I accidentally fell down.

Barbara: Oh, well Jackson…Jack why don’t you go get some ice for Peter.

Jack: Good thinking Mom.

[Jack exits]

Barbara: I hope you didn’t hurt yourself too bad. I told Jack if he wanted to do that kind of stuff he should have bought the beginner’s guide.

Peter: Well…I think he just was using what you guys already had.

Barbara: Already had? I’ve never seen them before in my life.

Peter: Oh. He said he found them.

[Jack enters with ice pack]

Jack: Here we go.

[Jack moves as if he is going to apply the ice pack, but Barbara holds out her hand as if to let her do it.]

Barbara: [applying the ice pack] There we go. Well maybe you two should just do your homework until dinner. Keep this on there. I don’t want your mother to think my house is a death trap.

Peter: She’s not that kind of lawyer.

Barbara: [laughing] Oh I wasn’t even thinking about that. Be careful with one Jack, I wouldn’t want Mrs. Mason to garnish your allowance.

[Barbara exits.]

Jack: Does it still hurt?

Peter: Yeah, but not as bad. I’m sorry to be so much trouble.

Jack: Don’t worry about it.

Peter: Well I guess we should hit the books. Imagine what your Mom will do if you bring home an A+.

Jack: Yeah, she’ll probably cook for a week. I just hope she doesn’t expect me to get your grades.

Peter: Heh, yeah. I don’t think my Mom would think of my grades as something to cook for.

Jack: I assumed she’d only cook if you made bad grades.

Peter: [laughing] Yeah. It is more of a punishment.

Jack: So…do you have any homework to do?

Peter: Not really. I should probably work on my story some more.

Jack: What’s that for?

Peter: Nothing. Well…Mrs. Bell encouraged me to do it as a side project, but it’s not for a grade or anything. My Mom and I used to make up stories when I was a kid. She got busy with work when she had this big case, so she didn’t have time anymore, but I just kind of kept up the habit.

Jack: Oh.  Have you written a lot of them?

Peter: Well sort of, I mean, nothing is finished. I wouldn’t ever let my mother end a story, because then I knew we wouldn’t write together anymore. So there are a lot of different adventures, but none of them are really done.

Jack: Are you planning on finishing it soon?

Peter: Yeah, after I turned in one of them for Mrs. Bell for a writing assignment, she said that I should think about turning it into a book. Apparently she knew a kid who got to go to whatever college he wanted because he wrote a best seller before he was 18. I told my Mom, and now she wants me to try and finish it by the end of the year.

Jack: How much more do you have?

Peter: Not sure, but that reminds me. Where did you get that yoga cd?

Jack: Oh…I found it.

Peter: Yeah, but where? Your mom said it wasn’t hers.

Jack: She did? Oh…well yeah. I found it in town. It was in the old used bookstore.

Peter: Oh? Does it say who the woman talking is?

[Jack grabs the cd case and book]

Jack: Umm….I don’t think it does. Why?

Peter: She sounds really familiar. Like a voice I hear when one of my characters talk.

Jack: Maybe she was on some of your other yoga stuff.

Peter: Yeah…maybe.

Barbara: [off stage] Boys! It’s time for dinner.

[Peter and Jack stand up. Peter falters for a bit, and Jack catches him. They are in a similar tableau as the dip in scene 2]

Jack: Are you alright?

Peter: Oh…umm…yeah. I think I can make it now.

[Jack let’s Peter go, and then puts Peter’s arm over his shoulders and helps him exit.]

[transition to scene 7 – Peter re-enters the stage. He is no longer injured. The set transforms back into Peter’s room. Peter sits at the desk, and begins to write. The lights change. The young man, from transition scene 5 enters, he is no longer naked. He wears a long billowy night shirt. He stands with his arms crossed looking out at the audience for a moment. His face is serene, but sad. He is waiting for someone. A male singing voice is heard in the distance.]

{The two sing ‘La Ci Darem La Mano’} together

[The voice gets closer and closer. A masked man enters. The young man rushes towards him, but falters. The masked man rushes to him, and catches him just like Jack and Peter.]

Masked man: [with dramatic concern] Are you alright my prince?

Young Man: I am. Now that you have come.

[The young man rips off the mask, revealing a man who resembles Jack, and kisses him passionately. From the shadows emerges Juliet. The lovers do not notice her. While Juliet and Peter discuss, the two lovers dance together.]

Juliet: That is not Lady Sylvia.

Peter: No it is not.

Juliet: Who is he?

Peter: Someone new.

Juliet: What about Sylvia?

Peter: I don’t know what to do with her.

Juliet: Well, I hope you know what you are doing with him.

[Juliet leaves. The lovers stop dancing and lay down with each other. Curled in each other’s arms. A knock is heard. The lights change, and Peter gets up from his desk.]

Peter: Come in!

[Jack comes in with an overnight bag]

Jack: Hey! What’s up?

Peter: Not much. Just working on my story. Did your mom say you could stay?

Jack: Yeah, but she wants me home by noon tomorrow. Apparently the lawn doesn’t mow itself.

Peter: Heh. Yeah. Too bad there is nothing in the photosynthesis chapter to help you out there.

Jack: I know. You’d think someone would have invented that by now.

Peter: So, my Mom will be serving up Indian tonight. I hope that’s okay.

Jack: Haha, I think your mom must be trying to have me taste every country on earth.

Peter: That’s what you get for not knowing how to use chop sticks. You are her new project. Apparently we’re not supposed to be so blasé about her ordering skills, and act more like you.

Jack: Heh, we seem to have the same problem. Apparently I don’t compliment my Mom’s cooking enough.

Peter: I can’t believe that! Your Mom could open a restaurant.

Jack: And your mom could order.

[Jack and Peter both laugh]

Peter: So what do you want to do?

Jack: Not homework! I can’t think about homework on Fridays.

Peter: Yeah, I think even 4.0 kids take tonight off. Do you want to watch a movie or something?

Jack: Actually, I was wondering if we could write a story together. I liked what you wrote before.

Peter: What do you mean?

Jack: In your journal. This one. Remember I returned it to you.

[Jack picks up the journal]

Peter:  Did you read it?

Jack: I read a page or two, but I didn’t know what it was, and I wasn’t sure if I should.

Peter: [darkly] What did you read?

Jack:[flipping through the pages of the journal] Something about a girl and a mirror.

Peter: Oh yeah…that part.

Jack: Hey! Did you name a character after me?

Peter:[rushing to get the book away from Jack] No!..I mean yeah I guess so, but don’t read that! It’s not…it’s not….it’s not finished!

[Jack holds the book away from Peter, and Peter strains to get the book out of Jack’s hands. Jack, clearly in control, fends Peter off, and the two begin to struggle. The storybook lovers begin to roll around in a similar fashion. Mainly they storybook lovers are disrobing the fairytale Jackson. Finally Peter and Jack find themselves tangled into each other.]

Peter: [straining to pry the book from Jack’s hands] Let go.

Jack: [smiling] Make me.

Peter: That’s what I’m trying to do.

Jack: I bet I can get you to let go.

Peter: I doubt it.

[Jack jerks on the journal sending Peter crashing into Jack. Jack takes his free hand to grip the back of Peter’s head and force his face to Jack. Jack kisses Peter hard and forceful. The storybook lovers both make a sound of ecstasy and lock themselves together. Peter stops holding onto the book, and starts to kiss Jack back. Jack’s kiss softens, and then suddenly pulls away. The lovers fall away from each other. The Prince looks down, and fairytale Jackson looks at the Prince.]

Jack:[holding the book] Told you so.

Peter: Yeah…well…we…just…you…you cheated!

Jack: All is fair in love and war right?

Peter: Yeah well with tactics like that. I’d have to wonder which one you were referring to.

Jack: [laughing] What’s that your sister always says? Maybe they aren’t “Mutually Exclusive”

Peter: What?

[Jack approaches Peter and hands him the journal. The prince meets fairytale Jackson’s eyes.]

Jack: Sorry. I won’t read it until you’re ready.

Peter: Oh…um…thanks.

Jack: Are you okay?

Peter: Am I okay? Am I okay? I…I…don’t know.

[Peter begins to sway a little.]

Jack: [laying a hand on his shoulder to steady him] Peter? Hey, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to…um…here sit down on the bed.

[Jack helps Peter sit on the bed. Fairytale Jackson lays the Prince down on his side, and props himself up on his elbows keeping watch over the Prince.]

Peter: Why did you do that?

Jack: Cause I knew you would let go if I did.

Peter: Oh. No one has ever kissed me before.

Jack: Oh…really?

Peter: Yes.

Jack: Why?

Peter: What?

Jack: I mean…why not?

Peter: I don’t know.

Jack: Sorry if it was weird.

Peter: Yeah. Okay.

So I decided to pick up the play I had been working on. I made a lot of progress:

Continue of Scene 4 through 1\2 of scene 6

[Lucy glares at Peter]

Lucy: I am not a gossip. Look it up.

[the door bell rings]

Lucy: [excited] I’ll get it!

[Lucy exits]

Peter: [picking up the dictionary and flipping to the page] Heh, I win this one.

Marcia: I hope that isn’t a bunch of her friends. I didn’t buy enough food for an entire army.

Lucy: [entering with Jack] I found the journal thief!

Jack: What? No…I didn’t steal it. Peter just left it behind.

Peter: Yeah, I accidentally left it in the classroom. Thanks for bringing it.

Marcia: [cough] [attempting to be discrete] Peter introduce your friend.

Peter: Huh? Oh! Sorry. Mom this is umm….

Jack: Jackson Reeves.

Marcia: A pleasure to meet you Jackson.

Peter: Yeah, we met each other between classes a few days ago. Sorry I didn’t get your name.

Jack: No problem. You’re actually in my biology classroom.

Peter: Oh…yeah, sorry Beth, my lab partner, tends to monopolize all my attention in there.

Jack: I think Beth tries to monopolize everyone’s attention, thankfully most of us are spared, but your on the front lines. I think the whole class pities you.

Marcia: Would you like to stay for dinner Jackson?

Jack: Umm….sure! You can call me Jack, everyone does.

Marcia: Alright Jack! I hope you like Chinese take-out.

Jack: I love it! My parents don’t normally order out, so I only get to eat it when I visit my Aunt June.

Peter: I think ordering is Mom’s specialty.

Marcia: Ordering can be just as much an art as cooking.

Jack: I couldn’t agree more. My parents are always intimidated by menus if they have foreign words on them. My mom thought “Au Bon Pain” was pronounced “Ow Bon Pain.”

Marcia: See how lucky you two are?

Lucy: Of course mother. I’ve always said you ordered with style.

Peter: [rolling his eyes] When have you ever said that?

Lucy: Maybe you couldn’t hear me from your tower.

Jack: Tower?

Peter: My room. I live in the attic.

Marcia: You said you wanted to live there.

Peter: I do.

Lucy: Yes, it’s so nice to have our own private bell ringer. [imitating quasi modo] The bells the bells!

[no one laughs]

Marcia: Lucy don’t you have homework to do or something?

Lucy: What?

Marcia: Why don’t you take dinner to your room?

Lucy: I thought you wanted geniuses who ate together?

Peter: It’s okay Mom. Jack you wanna work on our Bio stuff in my room?  Maybe if I study with someone other than Beth I’ll be able to get some work done.

Jack: Sure.

Marcia: Well take this with you. Jackson I’m sure you’ll adore it, hands down the best sesame chicken in town.

Jack: Thanks Mrs. Mason.

Marcia: Call me Marcia. Mrs. Mason is my wicked ex-mother in law.

Jack: Um…sure thing [having some difficulty] Marcia.

[Jack and Peter exit]

Marcia: What a polite young man.

Lucy: Whatever, he’s just another freak.

Marcia: Just because he isn’t like you doesn’t make him a freak.

Lucy: No, his freakiness makes him a freak.

[Marcia gives a heavy sigh, pulls out some papers and begins to review them as she starts to eat. Lucy picks up her phone and the phone jingles as she sends another text message.]

[Transition to Scene 5 – we see a young man laying naked in a center spotlight. He is covered by a single white sheet. He is radiant, stunning, and basking in the warm light. Sounds of birds and running water begin. The young man raises his hands up into the light, and begins to make intricate movements as if he was creating something, which is invisible. As he does this music begins to filter into the scene, instruments being added as the young man continues to create. A suggested music piece would be the first minute or so of Stravinsky’s Firebird. Finally, he stops moving his hands and allows them to rest on the floor. The music continues, but softens. The light goes from sunlight to moonlight, and the young man rolls over and falls asleep. Crickets are heard, the sounds of night. From opposite sides of the stage Juliet and Samuel barely come into view. They stare at the young man, and approach him. He does not stir. They are crouched over him.]

Juliet: What does it mean?

Samuel: I don’t know, but things in his world are changing ours.

[Transition to scene 6. Jack’s home. There is a couch and coffee table and a stereo. Jack paces back and forth. He checks the placement of the books. He makes small adjustments. He picks up a remote and points it at the stereo. Immediately a very loud speech begins to play]

Preacher: That it was said by them of our most sacred fathers, That whosoever looketh on a man to lust after him hath committed an ABOMINATION with….

[Instead of being able to make the recording stop immediately, Jack’s mistakenly made the volume go up. Finally cutting it off at “Abomination!” music, similar to the music the young man had composed from light, begins to play. Jack, pauses it and places the remote gently back onto the table. There is a knock at the door. Jack jumps, and then goes to the door. He opens and Peter comes bursting in overflowing with excitement]

Peter: I got an A+!!! Wow Jack! I think studying with you all week has actually saved my 4.0 GPA! How did you do?

Jack: I got an A. I messed up on that question about transgenis organisms.

Peter: Oh, I thought we went over that.

Jack: We did, but I just blanked on the test.

Peter: Oh….well next time we’ll have studied together for longer than a week so it we’ll know it even better.

Jack: Yeah. My mom was so amazed to see me bring home an A.

Peter: Oh so she knows already? Is she here?

Jack: Yeah, she’s in the kitchen.

Barbara: [entering] Jackson, is someone here? Oh! Who is this?

Jack: Mom, this is Peter. He’s the boy who I was telling you abo…

Barbara: [swooping in for an embrace] Peter! The boy who helped my son bring home an A! You know Jackson hasn’t stopped talking about you since you two met! I was beginning to wonder if you existed, but here you are in the flesh!

Peter: Heh…nice to meet you Mrs. Reeves.

Barbara: Well I hope you can stay for dinner! I’ve been cooking up Jackson’s favorite since he did so well on his test. Do you like lasagna?

Peter: Yeah, I order it all the time at Bruno’s.

Barbara: Hah! Bruno’s is nothing compared to mine. My great grandmother came from Sicily, and her recipe has been handed down from daughter to daughter since then.

Peter: I’d love to try it. Let me just call home.

Barbara: Of course dear, there is a phone in the kitchen, and tell your mother that I’d love to do lunch sometime.

Peter: Sure thing.

[Peter exits]

Barbara: See Jackson. I knew you’d make friends. Just be careful. After what happened in Providence, we were so lucky your father got transferred when he did.

Jack: Mom! I don’t want to talk about….

[Peter enters]

Peter: Mom said I could stay. She said she’d try and set up a time to have lunch. They keep her very busy at her firm.

Barbara: Of course dear. Well I’ll call when it’s time for dinner. Let me know if you need anything.

[Barbara gives Jack a glance, and then exits]

Peter: Sure thing Mrs. Reeves. Thanks again!

Jack: So…I was digging around in my Mom’s old CD collection, and I found this CD that has Yoga instructions on it. Do you want to try it?

Peter: Yoga?

Jack: Yeah, remember, you said you were trying to get back into it.

Peter: Oh yeah…that’s right. Sure, I mean I’m sure I’m really rusty.

Jack: That’s okay. I’ve never done it before, but I found these books on it.

Peter: Alright, well let’s give it a shot.

[Jack picks up the remote, there is a beat, and then bravely he points the remote at the sound system. The music begins, and a voice is heard.]

Juliet: Welcome to Yoga lesson 7.

[Peter reacts to the fact that it is Juliet’s voice on the recording. Jack doesn’t notice. During the next series of exercises Peter keeps his eyes closed. Jack tries, but he doesn’t understand the instructions, so he watches Peter and tries to do what he does. The actor who plays Jack can or cannot do well with this first pose. It is up to the director and capabilities of the actor. Peter however should do this flawlessly. During this monologue Juliet will appear behind Peter and while talking she will help him achieve the pose. Much like in Scene 2 Jack cannot see Juliet. Peter should not see Juliet either as his eyes are closed.]

Juliet: Begin by lying on your back. Close your eyes. Take a deep breath, and when you exhale allow yourself to relax. Feel yourself being supported by the floorboards in the floor. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale and on your next exhale slowly bring your knees up towards your body. Inhale again, and when you exhale this time bring our feet down, with your knees pointed towards the heavens. Your knees should be hip width apart. Bring your hands onto the floor by your ears with your fingers pointing back towards the shoulder. Pressing down strongly through your feet, peel your spine up from the floor one vertebrate at the time. There will be a point when you are half way up, and you’ll want to put the crown of the head on the floor like a back bend. Inhale. Exhale. Again pressing through your feet lift the crown of the head off of the floor and slowly return to the floor one vertebrate at a time. Inhale. Exhale. Now we will move on to a more advanced position called “The Eight Angle Pose.” Begin by….

[Jack pauses the recording with the remote.]

Jack: Umm…I don’t think I can do more than that.

Peter: Oh come on. One more?

Jack: Alright.

[Jack resumes the recording. Jack will probably get through a few steps, but then he’ll stop and just watch Peter. Juliet will continue to talk as if she is the recording, but will help Peter do the eight angle pose.]

Juliet: Standing, taking a slightly wider stance than you would usually, Inhale. Exhale, bend forward press your hands to the floor outside your feet. Then with your knees slightly bent, slip your right arm to the inside and then behind your right leg, and finally press the hand on the floor just outside your right foot. Work your right arm across the back of the right knee, until the knee is high up on the back of your right shoulder. Brace your shoulder against the knee and slide your left foot to the right. Cross the left ankle in front of the right and hook the ankles. Lean slightly to the left, taking more weight on your left arm, and begin to lift your feet a few inches off the floor. With the right leg supported on the shoulder, exhale and bend your elbows. Lean your torso forward and lower it toward parallel to the floor; at the same time, straighten your knees and extend your legs out to the right, parallel to the floor (and perpendicular to your torso). Squeeze your upper right arm between your thighs. Use that pressure to help twist your torso to the left. Keep your elbows in close to the torso. Look at the floor. Hold. Inhale. Exhale.

Jack: Wow.

[Peter opens his eyes, the spell breaks, and Peter topples over. Juliet exits as if she is fading away.]

Peter: Ow.

Jack: Oh I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to screw you up.

Peter: Umm…no it’s okay. I’ve ever done that before.

Jack: You are amazing.

Peter: Heh…thanks. I don’t think I could do it again though.

Jack: Heh, are you alright.

Peter: I think so.

[Peter begins to stand, and then falls]

Jack: Oh no.