It's been seven years since I was introduced to Amsterdam by my loving Great Aunt and Uncle. It was a quick visit, as was this most recent one, but I knew I wanted to come back. Amsterdam is SUCH a beautiful city with so much culture. And there's something so progressive about the city and yet so historic. What made this trip even more special, however, was the fact that I got to see the city through my Dutch friend, Barbara.
Barbara and I went to Stella Adler together. When I first found out she was from Amsterdam I boasted about my trip to that wonderful city and my obsession with Stroopwafels (two thin wafer/waffles held together by honey). When she visited home she kindly brought genuine Stroopwafels back to New York. Back in her home country and bubbling with creative energy, reconnecting with Barbara was refreshing. But seeing her with her friends, in the neighbourhood she spent so many years in before coming to New York, I saw Amsterdam through the eyes of a city native. The benefits do not just include zipping through the main attractions in about two hours and not having to navigate a map, but seeing Amsterdam separate from the touristy bits.
What sticks out most in my mind:
1) The Dutch are a very open society (i.e. Marijuana is legal and sold in coffee shops and Prostitution is partially legal and regulated by the government)
2) The HOUSES. They are tilted from the foundations shifting after hundreds of years. Plus, the doors are so narrow that people, even today, use pulleys outside the house to hoist furniture into flats.
3) The staircases! Visiting Anne Frank's House and going up those stairs are very steep. But the stairs to Barbara's place were equally dangerous!
4) The canals. Oh so beautiful. Water is soothing, and those canals are just so romantic and really do transport me back to what I would think Amsterdam was 50, 100, 200 years ago.
5) Bikes/trams. They are everywhere. And crossing the street is dodging traffic from all directions!
I found, or maybe it's because I'm on holiday, that the Dutch seemed to be a fairly relaxed group of people. They ride bikes, they go to museums, they love their friends, their lovers, their beer, and they love to have a good time. I feel like that's something general I've seen in Europe and I think America should incorporate that sense of relaxation. They don't hang around and do nothing, far from it, but the worries or anxieties of the world don't consume them. They enjoy life and the people in it. Whether it's the numerous cups of coffee they drink at home, in the cafes - it's amazing! And the homes, are just so cozy. It's expensive to eat out in Amsterdam, but it's not that expensive to buy food - and just being in Barbara's house and seeing the atmosphere around her place: the home is an important place. (So is the cafe!)
Back to touristy things: I visited the Dutch Resistance Museum, the Anne Frank Huis, and the Van Gogh Museum. The DRM was nice in the same way the other museums I've been to in different countries. I like to learn how WWII affected each country, city, and group of people. What happened in Amsterdam was different from Copenhagen, from London, etc. And boy did the Amsterdam-ers resist. Newspapers, radio, sabotage. And the Amsterdam-ers didn't like the Dutch who cooperated with the Nazis either. What it highlighted, however, was how the Dutch in the beginning easily gave the info to the Nazis (Jewish or non - many people were sent to work camps or to work for the Nazis) and how they didn't think twice in the beginning. Also, few Jews in Amsterdam survived. And the exhibition highlighted how difficult it was for Jews to find hiding.
On the WWII theme... revisiting Anne Frank's Huis was difficult for me. The first time I saw it it was interesting. This time, I was choked up from the first part of the exhibition. Everything sunk in more: Anne's innocence and youth was taken away from her at such a young age. She had to know so much pain and fear and once that started, there was really no redemption. Her diary showed her complex thoughts but it also showed how quickly she grew up. As for Otto Frank, I don't know how he could bear losing everyone in his family, especially his children.
But I don't want to end this blog on a sad note. Instead, I want to emphasise how much I love Amsterdam. And... how being away from London makes me love London more. I also have begun to realise how at home London feels. And... when it comes time to leave I will be sad and will hope for the day when I get to live back in London again. Maybe if this acting thing works out I'll get a job here for a few months... One can dream.
Saturday, 20 February 2010
Wednesday, 17 February 2010
Copenhagen!
Hello from Copenhagen! I am visiting one of my childhood best friends, Sarah. Firstly, Copenhagen is COLD. It's literally a short ride across the water to Sweden and that means we are pretty far north! This is most definitely Scandinavia. Besides the snow, the cold, the grey (sounds a bit like Cleveland...) Copenhagen is a very beautiful and welcoming city. They don't really have cafes here, but they have this thing called "hygge" which means "cosy". Everywhere you go, a bakery, a sandwich shop, a restaurant is exactly that: cosy. I think it's because outside is FREEZING so when you go inside it's very welcoming and home-y. Candles are always lit and it sort of feels like you're walking into someone's home. The first day I got here Sarah took me to a sandwich shop near Nyhavn (a beautiful harbor) where when you walked in there was a girl standing at a till and she made your sandwiches in what looked like a tiny apartment kitchen. It sort of felt like I was buying a sandwich from someone's home.
I haven't really visited the many historical museums in Copenhagen as things are very expensive and I haven't had a lot of time. I did go to the Design Museum which talked a lot about sustainability and environmentally friendly design for the future (very Danish!). We also took a tour to Christiania - a commune in Christianhavn. It's a commune... almost small utopia literally in the middle of Copenhagen. They don't like to be a part of Copenhagen let alone the EU. Even though marijuana is illegal in Denmark, in Christiania they sell it on the street (we're talking... a small road that looks like a farm) where, funnily, the Danish police come in and try to shut it down (consequently, you're not aloud to take photos on that street). But everyone pretty much recycles everything, BUILDS THEIR OWN HOUSE (I'm serious!), and rides bikes to carry everything. The children all have their own day care and they have a blacksmith, a *womens blacksmith* (yes... women who are blacksmiths), and someone who repairs old furnaces. Very interesting... very odd.
That said. I am tired. I've met some Danes - very lovely, reserved, and warm. I leave tomorrow but still have ample time to explore... that may include the Resistance museum! (FYI: Denmark was occupied by the Germans in WWII as Denmark borders Germany. Many Jews from Denmark fled to Sweden because of this).
Then... it is off to Amsterdam. As good as it is for me to travel - I miss London. I feel very much at home there and feel... like it IS my home. I miss my friends, the familiarity, and just the sense that in London everything is okay. I will be glad to get back there on Saturday.
But if there's one thing traveling does, especially in Europe, it makes me see how DIFFERENT cultures are in such close proximity. Sometimes, the more time I spend away from America the more I realise how crazy America is!
Tuesday, 9 February 2010
"Twelfth Night" at the Royal Shakespeare Company
Today, I had the opportunity to see Shakespeare's Twelfth Night performed by the Royal Shakespeare Company.
Let me start with saying that Twelfth Night is my favorite Shakespeare play. I love the comedy, the language, the protagonist Viola, and the themes of doubleness and mistaken identity. It is, like most Shakespeare comedies, a play where all of the confusion and conflict are quickly resolved at the end. Despite the absurdity of characters' quick changes in opinion, the play seems to end happily with all characters satisfied and all problems resolved.
A synopsis: Illyria. The Duke Orsino is in love with Olivia, a wealthy woman who is mourning the death of her brother. Viola is shipwrecked on Illyria and believes her brother to be dead. In order to remain safe (as women can't be wandering around alone), she disguises herself as a boy, Cesario, and works in Orsino's company. What ensues is a love triangle where Olivia falls in love with Cesario (Viola), Viola falls in love with Orsino, and Orsino continues to pursue Olivia. The plot gets even more complicated when Sebastian ends up on Illyria and everyone believes Cesario (Viola) are the same person. There is also a comedic subplot with the roles of Sir Toby, Sir Andrew, Feste, and Maria. These three characters all pull a prank on the puritanical servant Malvolio.
There's a lot going on here, but what I want to highlight is what made this production so wonderful. A statement: The RSC always seems to find something NEW in the text. The details in which they find new comedy and new specificity make the play so much more accessible to their audiences. As an audience member we are pulled into the world of the play because the actors take time to indulge in the language and find the humor. They take so much care in each line that we can follow the plot effortlessly.
Nothing is glossed over. Every word, pause, laugh is accounted for.
At Stella Adler my first scene study teacher said "Specificity is close to Godliness". What does this mean? It means when you're specific with each word, intention, and movement, everything becomes clear, precise, and the story is told more successfully. In this production, their specificity was impeccable. In Shakespeare, if you play the details the viewers are not only are able to become absorbed into the story but they can also then APPRECIATE the beauty and the intelligence of his work.
While Twelfth Night is funny, it is a complicated comedy because it deals with doubleness, mistaken identity, and the sinister darkness of betrayal and imprisonment.
Viola's disguise as Cesario evokes homoeroticism between Cesario and Orsino and also Orsino and Olivia. I LOVED that this production didn't shy away from any of the homoerotic aspects of the text:
There is a part of Viola that falls for Olivia when she's disguised as Cesario. Also, a part of Orsino falls in love with Cesario, whom he believes to be a man. This is what makes Orsino's marriage to Viola believable: he loved her when she was disguised as a man. Orsino marries Viola only when he finds out that Cesario, the man he fell in love with, is really a woman.
But the plain reality is: Olivia falls in love with A WOMAN (Viola) and Orsino falls in love with A MAN (Cesario).
Shakespeare, ESPECIALLY his comedies, are full of female friendship and homoeroticism. In the Renaissance, "Female Friendship", homoerotic friendship between women, was seen as a necessary step before women were to enter into a heterosexual relationships. So the fact that Olivia falls for Viola and pursues her allows Olivia to "get ready" for the heterosexual relationship she has with Sebastian (Viola's twin brother). As for Viola, using words of love to "woo" Olivia for Orsino allow her to indulge in female friendship before marrying Orsino. The specificity in this production allowed the audience to see the moments where all of these three characters identified some homoerotic feeling for one another that SURPRISED both the characters and the audience. We saw Orsino fall in love with his servant Cesario and Viola enjoy wooing Olivia. I LOVE LOVE LOVE that they made this present. Why? It's a VITAL theme within the play: homoeroticism, homosexuality, and the way in which all of these characters have homosexual tendencies (even though they end up in heterosexual relationships).
More importantly: this was common in the Renaissance. ESPECIALLY for women. But I am repeating myself.
Also, on the concept of homosexuality, I loved how Antonio, the pirate who saves Sebastian (Viola's brother), relentlessly professes his love for Sebastian. He emphasizes how much time they spent together and how he blatantly loves Sebastian more than just as a companion. His love for Sebastian, though unrequited, nearly consumes him. Once again, this production did not shy away from Antonio's passion for Sebastian which I feel, in most productions, is underplayed and overseen.
But what was so wonderful about this production was the ending: Viola stays in her "man" clothes and marries Orsino. Even though the text has Orsino asking to FIRST see Viola in "womanly" clothing, in this production, the last image before Feste the fool comes on, is the image of Viola (with short hair, and in her man's clothes) kissing Orsino. What we essentially have is the image of two men kissing. How much more blatant can the director be about homosexuality in this text?
It's vital and so overlooked. But what does this mean? It means that while the marriages are a bit thrown together, what this production emphasized was the pervading essence of homoeroticism and the TRUTH that all of these characters somewhat fell in love with someone of their same sex... even though they married the "other".
Lastly: the other overlooked issues is the darkness of this play. The play ends in marriage, but we have characters who end unhappily: Malvolio who is tormented and imprisoned and once released not taken seriously, Sir Andrew who does not win Olivia's love, and the unhappy marriage between Maria and Sir Toby. What does this production do? After all of the marriages have happened, Feste sings cheerfully and these four characters walk across the stage sullenly. The production does not overlook the fact that while this is a comedy, this is a comedy that deceptively ends well. Many characters end this play deceived and wronged.
Too many times have I seen this play, and many other Shakespeare plays, interpreted as solely having a "happy ending". These plays seem to end happily, but there are so many levels in which the plays are open-ended. Twelfth Night is particularly dark. It is twisted, melancholic, and violent.
This production left the audience with two provocative elements of this play:
1) Homoeroticism and the fact that it drives nearly all of the characters' feelings in this play.
2) This is not a happy ending. In fact, it's perverse because we have two extremes: happiness and true ruin. And we're left with the image of ruin.
Not all comedies end happily or as cleanly as we would like. Thank you, William. You are truly brilliant.
"I'll be revenged on the whole pack of you." - Malvolio's last line. 5.1
Let me start with saying that Twelfth Night is my favorite Shakespeare play. I love the comedy, the language, the protagonist Viola, and the themes of doubleness and mistaken identity. It is, like most Shakespeare comedies, a play where all of the confusion and conflict are quickly resolved at the end. Despite the absurdity of characters' quick changes in opinion, the play seems to end happily with all characters satisfied and all problems resolved.
A synopsis: Illyria. The Duke Orsino is in love with Olivia, a wealthy woman who is mourning the death of her brother. Viola is shipwrecked on Illyria and believes her brother to be dead. In order to remain safe (as women can't be wandering around alone), she disguises herself as a boy, Cesario, and works in Orsino's company. What ensues is a love triangle where Olivia falls in love with Cesario (Viola), Viola falls in love with Orsino, and Orsino continues to pursue Olivia. The plot gets even more complicated when Sebastian ends up on Illyria and everyone believes Cesario (Viola) are the same person. There is also a comedic subplot with the roles of Sir Toby, Sir Andrew, Feste, and Maria. These three characters all pull a prank on the puritanical servant Malvolio.
There's a lot going on here, but what I want to highlight is what made this production so wonderful. A statement: The RSC always seems to find something NEW in the text. The details in which they find new comedy and new specificity make the play so much more accessible to their audiences. As an audience member we are pulled into the world of the play because the actors take time to indulge in the language and find the humor. They take so much care in each line that we can follow the plot effortlessly.
Nothing is glossed over. Every word, pause, laugh is accounted for.
At Stella Adler my first scene study teacher said "Specificity is close to Godliness". What does this mean? It means when you're specific with each word, intention, and movement, everything becomes clear, precise, and the story is told more successfully. In this production, their specificity was impeccable. In Shakespeare, if you play the details the viewers are not only are able to become absorbed into the story but they can also then APPRECIATE the beauty and the intelligence of his work.
While Twelfth Night is funny, it is a complicated comedy because it deals with doubleness, mistaken identity, and the sinister darkness of betrayal and imprisonment.
Viola's disguise as Cesario evokes homoeroticism between Cesario and Orsino and also Orsino and Olivia. I LOVED that this production didn't shy away from any of the homoerotic aspects of the text:
There is a part of Viola that falls for Olivia when she's disguised as Cesario. Also, a part of Orsino falls in love with Cesario, whom he believes to be a man. This is what makes Orsino's marriage to Viola believable: he loved her when she was disguised as a man. Orsino marries Viola only when he finds out that Cesario, the man he fell in love with, is really a woman.
But the plain reality is: Olivia falls in love with A WOMAN (Viola) and Orsino falls in love with A MAN (Cesario).
Shakespeare, ESPECIALLY his comedies, are full of female friendship and homoeroticism. In the Renaissance, "Female Friendship", homoerotic friendship between women, was seen as a necessary step before women were to enter into a heterosexual relationships. So the fact that Olivia falls for Viola and pursues her allows Olivia to "get ready" for the heterosexual relationship she has with Sebastian (Viola's twin brother). As for Viola, using words of love to "woo" Olivia for Orsino allow her to indulge in female friendship before marrying Orsino. The specificity in this production allowed the audience to see the moments where all of these three characters identified some homoerotic feeling for one another that SURPRISED both the characters and the audience. We saw Orsino fall in love with his servant Cesario and Viola enjoy wooing Olivia. I LOVE LOVE LOVE that they made this present. Why? It's a VITAL theme within the play: homoeroticism, homosexuality, and the way in which all of these characters have homosexual tendencies (even though they end up in heterosexual relationships).
More importantly: this was common in the Renaissance. ESPECIALLY for women. But I am repeating myself.
Also, on the concept of homosexuality, I loved how Antonio, the pirate who saves Sebastian (Viola's brother), relentlessly professes his love for Sebastian. He emphasizes how much time they spent together and how he blatantly loves Sebastian more than just as a companion. His love for Sebastian, though unrequited, nearly consumes him. Once again, this production did not shy away from Antonio's passion for Sebastian which I feel, in most productions, is underplayed and overseen.
But what was so wonderful about this production was the ending: Viola stays in her "man" clothes and marries Orsino. Even though the text has Orsino asking to FIRST see Viola in "womanly" clothing, in this production, the last image before Feste the fool comes on, is the image of Viola (with short hair, and in her man's clothes) kissing Orsino. What we essentially have is the image of two men kissing. How much more blatant can the director be about homosexuality in this text?
It's vital and so overlooked. But what does this mean? It means that while the marriages are a bit thrown together, what this production emphasized was the pervading essence of homoeroticism and the TRUTH that all of these characters somewhat fell in love with someone of their same sex... even though they married the "other".
Lastly: the other overlooked issues is the darkness of this play. The play ends in marriage, but we have characters who end unhappily: Malvolio who is tormented and imprisoned and once released not taken seriously, Sir Andrew who does not win Olivia's love, and the unhappy marriage between Maria and Sir Toby. What does this production do? After all of the marriages have happened, Feste sings cheerfully and these four characters walk across the stage sullenly. The production does not overlook the fact that while this is a comedy, this is a comedy that deceptively ends well. Many characters end this play deceived and wronged.
Too many times have I seen this play, and many other Shakespeare plays, interpreted as solely having a "happy ending". These plays seem to end happily, but there are so many levels in which the plays are open-ended. Twelfth Night is particularly dark. It is twisted, melancholic, and violent.
This production left the audience with two provocative elements of this play:
1) Homoeroticism and the fact that it drives nearly all of the characters' feelings in this play.
2) This is not a happy ending. In fact, it's perverse because we have two extremes: happiness and true ruin. And we're left with the image of ruin.
Not all comedies end happily or as cleanly as we would like. Thank you, William. You are truly brilliant.
"I'll be revenged on the whole pack of you." - Malvolio's last line. 5.1
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