A Midsummer Night’s Dream
In 2014, A Midsummer Night’s Dream was reimagined by Julie Taymor and a stellar cast. It all begins when a mischievous faery named Puck invites the audience to dream, and once they do, all of the rules that are present in our reality are forgotten in favor of Shakespeare’s lunar vision. Nina was lucky enough to see a recording of the New York stage production, and she was here to relate the details of Taymor’s topsy-turvy world back to our listeners on Thursday. So, if you’re struggling to keep up with the ever-changing world of theatre, Vox Groovy would recommend that you accept Puck’s invitation as soon as it arrives!
Next, Jana talked to us about the theremin—the only instrument that is not touched when played. It’s a fascinating device, named after its inventor, Leon Theremin, who first patented it way back in 1928. In spite of its short history, the theremin continues to capture a handful of musicians’ interest thanks to the unique sound that it produces. Interestingly enough, it is often used for movie soundtracks, bringing its eerie sound to Hitchcock’s Spellbound (1945), Wilder’s The Lost Weekend (1945), etc. In the end, we concluded that it’s definitely worth considering if you’re looking to bring an avant-garde feel to the audio side of your next creative endeavor.
Following on from that, we learnt about Shirley Curry, also known as ‘Skyrim Grandma’, and Bethesda’s plans to include her in The Elder Scrolls 6 as an NPC. In the series’ 25th anniversary YouTube video, she appears at the 08:40 mark, saying that, “This means a lot to me,” and thanks to the fan petition with over 45,000 supporters, we understand that she means a whole lot to her loving fans as well.
Now, Curry’s YouTube channel is just about to hit the 800,000 subscribers milestone, and her videos have been viewed 15,000,000 times since she uploaded her first Skyrim gameplay video in the latter half of 2015. With this in mind, we feel that it’s truly amazing to see how the experiences we all enjoyed are just as meaningful and memorable for people in Curry’s generation, showing us that a rich world like the one in The Elder Scrolls series can help us all connect.
With the start of Winter 2020 anime, renowned series director Masaaki Yuasa has finally returned to bring you something new. Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! is the kind of show that makes you want to watch it over and over again, but Yuasa’s philosophy is just as delightful as the final product. Those of you who have already seen the first episode will know that this is a show about amateurs who are working to create their first animations, so his plan to let young directors do whatever they want seems like the perfect fit, right?
Well, it’s all about to pay off, with a show that looks so creative and free that audiences can’t help but like it, especially those with active imaginations. If you’re an aspiring artist and or animator, then watching this is clearly the the most inspiring way to kick things off in 2020.
On a sad note, it looks as though Sony’s efforts to create an Uncharted film were in vain as the project has just lost its sixth director. We spent some time discussing Nathan Drake’s potential future on the big screen, and we honestly think that it might just be a little too late. After all, Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End (2016) was the last game in the series, and the devs have already explained their choice to move on from both the character and the series. So, if everyone has already come to terms with this being the end, the question is, “Do we really need a movie about Nathan Drake right now?”
Lastly, Max spent some time talking about ancient Greek epigrams and the humanity, value and wisdom contained within each and every one. This sparked a discussion about the importance of reconnecting with ancient peoples and some of their ways. In the end, we concluded that reading something as personal as the epigrams found in anthologies like Peter Jay’s is both humbling and useful to those of us who want to understand what the civilizations of old were like. With that said, this show was also ready to enter the eternal depths of history.
Thank you all for tuning in, we hope to hear from you all again this Sunday!
Yoko Shimomura, Epica, Metallica, Within Temptation, Zuzana Mikulcova, Beyond The Black, Foo Fighters, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Jeff Buckley, Visions Of Atlantis, Cosmograf (and more).
