Watching plays

So, one of the few positive side effects of the quarantine crisis is that The National Theatre, The Globe, and other companies that specialize in live theater have been broadcasting filmed versions of some really good plays, most of which I'd not otherwise get to see:

Lloyd Webber

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat

Jesus Christ Superstar

Jeeves

Phantom of the Opera

'Love Never Dies'

greatest hits concert

Cats

Shakespeare

MacBeth

Twelfth Night

Anthony and Cleopatra

The Tempest

Others

A Man with Two Governors

Jane Eyre

Treasure Island

Frankenstein 

This House 

Some of these were amazingly good (Jane Eyre, The Tempest), others bad (Love Never Dies,* Twelfth Night,** Anthony and Cleopatra,*** Treasure Island), and most interesting in some way. I'm happy to have finally gotten to see a staging of MacBeth that includes Banquo's ghost: as I hoped, it was creepy as all get out. And even though their MacBeth was twichy their Banquo, MacDuff, and (pregnant) Lady MacBeth were all v. good.

The only one I've skipped so far is A Streetcar Named Desire (Janice watched it, I took a pass).

Up next: Coriolanus, which I disliked when I read it back in grad student days; I'm hopeful it might have virtues when performed not apparent on the page.

--John R., who'e also been watching an array of less rarified entertainment, from SHIN GODZILLA to Scooby Doo, plus the usual anime.

*a misconceived sequel to PHANTOM OF THE OPERA

**a good play badly performed

***neither a good play nor performance