1. I was really mad that Romeo was blonde ( I have a thing about Dark Horses, and dark-haired men, remember?
2. The Question and Answer period I had on the way home with someone who loved the story as much--and possibly more--than I did.
My Grandpa, LeGrand Baker, passed away this week. He was one of the most amazing people I've ever known. He had a snarky sense of humor(which my brother got), an obsession with chocolate(which we all got) and a love of old films(which I got). One of his great loves, which he also passed on to me, was the Bard.
Grandpa took my obsession with Shakespeare seriously.
Possibly more seriously than anyone else in my family.
He was the only one who knew who I was for Halloween. I can't tell you how awesome it was to say: "I'm Titania/Ophelia/Juliet/Puck," and not get a "Oh....that's nice(People Speak for: I Have No Idea Who On Earth That Is)" in response.
He was the only one who could quote back at me word for word whenever I said anything Shakespearean (even the obscure bits).
He was the only one who got excited as I was whenever a Shakespeare production was announced(although he probably didn't jump up and down and squeal...at least, not that I saw).
When I was nine, he gave me a copy of the First Folio for my birthday and I read it straight through in less than I week and I understood it.
We would talk for hours about the Bard. Seriously, hours. Discussion Topics included:
1.Plot and Character Analysis. Of EVERY SCENE AND THE ENTIRE DRAMTIS PERSONAE(yes, even the One Liner characters)
2.Oberon and Titania's Relationship; Who is Right and Who is Wrong? IS Oberon a Villain, Or Is This Just A Couple Arguing About Stupid Things?
3. What's Macbeth's Actual Motive? Is It Or Is It Not Than The Way It Is Consistently(and, to some extent Annoyingly) Portrayed;
and(my personal favorite)
4. How Short IS Too Short As Far As An Adaption Goes? Who and What Can Be Cut and WHY--NEVER "JUST BECAUSE" (Humble Brag: I sliced "Hamlet" down to 65 pages with his help and I kept all the iconic lines!).
And the list goes on.
I was fourteen when I decided I was going to direct Shakespeare rather than just read him.
Grandpa helped me with a lot of the cuts(see Discussion Topics above) and was there for every single performance, usually in the front.
On several occasions, he even provided props(like his three amazing Witch Canes that he made by hand and a cast of Yorick's skull).
He was also my Behind the Scenes Advisor on which film adaptions I should show to my cast(kids 3-15, usually) to help them understand the story; and encouraged me to stay true to the story Shakespeare originally intended.
Currently, I am involved in two Shakespeare plays--"The Tempest" and "Twelfth Night", two of his favorites(after Hamlet).
For the first time, Grandpa won't be in the front row.
Grandpa won't be handing me flowers after I take my bows.
Grandpa won't be analyzing the adaption
Or the concept
Or each actor's take on the character(and why it worked or why it didn't).
Not physically, anyway.
I won't see him, but he'll be there.
He'll be watching over me every single day for the rest of my life. I wouldn't be the same person I am without him. Grandpa gave me the Shakespeare Flu Bug, and that's not ever going away.
And one day he and I will resolve who made the better Hamlet: Lawrence Olivier(Grandpa) or David Tennant(Me).
