At Considerable Cost

Even though it's been three days, I'm still blown away by the Olympic Opening Ceremony.   The director, Danny Boyle, left no doubt as to his talent and artistic genius.   I've seen some of his films and I was able to see a broadcast of the play, Frankenstein , he directed in 2011.   The opening ceremony had his artistic stamp all over it.   The "set" was incredible, with a lush agrarian landscape that changed before our eyes to industrial England.   As the set changed, so did the characters and performances, reflecting the incredible history of England during those years since the Industrial Revolution. Boyle has an incredible ability to see meaning and beauty in that which might be dismissed as ugly or messy by others.   Then, he portrays it with his unique sensibility which manages to combine urban and industrial with beautiful.   Surely, his working-class upbringing in Manchester influenced him. ...

Last week, my friend, Amber, and I made a little road trip to Ft. Worth to see a production of Frankenstein .   The play, directed by Danny Boyle and based on Mary Shelley's novel, Frankenstein: The Modern Prometheus (She was only eighteen years old when she wrote it!) was performed last year at the National Theatre in London.   It was a huge success with audiences and critics.   Two of the performances were filmed live for limited broadcast on screens in cinemas around the world.   The Museum of Modern Art was one of the viewing locations in Texas. Museum of Modern Art It was an amazing play.   I only wish I could have seen it live in the theatre.   Actors Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller alternated the roles of Dr. Frankenstein and the Creature each evening the play was performed.   The production we saw on screen featured Cumberbatch as The Creature and Miller as Victor Frankenstein. ...