What is Digg?Sponsored by HTC
217 Comments
- Chairboy, on 02/28/2009, -8/+159How is this 'political correctness'? Sounds like an artistic reinterpretation. PC means that you're FORCED to change X to comply with Y.
- ironhide, on 02/28/2009, -8/+141Someone should remind the complainers who played the female parts back in the day.
- lydecker, on 02/28/2009, -15/+114"Anyone with an ounce of sense would want their children to be learning Romeo and Juliet rather than Romeo and Julian."
Well, yeah, they should learn Shakespeare's original work first, because it's great, and they'd get to know more about Shakespeare and his writing.
But taking a spin on a story isn't bad, just as Baz Luhrmann's modernization of it isn't bad to do either.
I'm more intrigued on how homophobia was implemented, because that's not in the original play. I wonder if somehow homophobia was actually the reason their Montagues and the Capulets were trying to keep their kids apart. - kismetropolis, on 02/27/2009, -37/+131Love is love and need never be feared. Good for them.
- Dumbledorito, on 02/28/2009, -2/+79I'm sure, since in his day, both parts were played by men anyway.
- Briggykins, on 02/28/2009, -0/+75Or in this case, change X to Y.
(Biology jokes are always killer material) - IAmTheGuy, on 02/28/2009, -1/+46I'm pretty sure Tobias Fünke directed this version.
- wondertwins, on 02/28/2009, -5/+45Reminds of the monvie Hamlet 2. Where Jesus goes to the future to save Hamlet.
- inactive, on 02/28/2009, -20/+56yeah, kind of like the love between a 50 year old man and 10 year old girl
- jeexbit, on 02/28/2009, -4/+38Just wanted to chime in here and add that homosexuality is simply one form of sexuality and has nothing to do with "political correctness" - it pisses me off when people complain about "political correctness" as being a bad thing or overblown when in actuality in its truest form, "political correctness" simply means following the golden rule - don't want to be judged? then don't judge others. We're all in this together folks. love > fear
- MarkBrent, on 02/28/2009, -15/+46Reminds me of a controversial play at my school starring Adam and Yves.
- Nickolassc, on 02/28/2009, -2/+31Pedobear, yours is the kind of love that can only be rivaled by a Priest and his Alterboy
- 3gibberish4q57, on 02/28/2009, -1/+28"But Commons leader Harriet Harman rebuked him, saying: 'I seem to remember that in Shakespearean times, boys would play girls and girls would play boys and the whole point was trying work out which was which.' "
Harriet Harman seems to remember wrong... - inactive, on 02/28/2009, -3/+29Not that there is anything wrong with that.
- jer21, on 02/28/2009, -0/+26"Me thinks a cupid I shall play."
- MouserUK, on 02/28/2009, -2/+25Exactly, requiring that they have a very good understanding of the original work and put in the effort to develop a workable interpretation. Far more use than parroting a script.
- digitalArtform, on 02/28/2009, -4/+27In Shakespeare's day all the female roles were usually played by men.
- lydecker, on 02/28/2009, -7/+25People don't have a right to adapt plays? Or just not for homosexuality? What specific things do they have rights to?
- lydecker, on 02/28/2009, -0/+17Thank you, do you know how homophobia was involved in the play?
- WraTH017, on 02/28/2009, -1/+18Exactly. The "mindblowing" PC version of "Romeo and Juliet" would have to be called "Person and Person".
This is the exact opposite of political correctness. - superdupergome, on 02/28/2009, -0/+17Modern theatre always takes Shakespeare plays and puts a twist on them, usually without changing any of his language. As an English major and a lover of Shakespeare, I'm not offended by this one bit and don't see it as "butchering". When I was in high school, the drama department had an all women's show and all men's show of Comedy of Errors that alternated nights. Plenty of professional plays, and even movies, have set Shakespeare in modern times, or time periods other then he intended. There's a movie of "The Tempest" coming up starring Helen Mirren as Prospero, a traditional male role. If you study Shakespeare, you'll realize he isn't really the infallible genius that pop culture makes him out to be, but a writer who's greatest skill was pleasing the crowd. It's okay to take liberties with his work.
- spriggig, on 02/28/2009, -0/+16So, two quotes from the article invoke "but what about the children!". As if this is the only version of Romeo and Juliet someone would ever be exposed to.
There is a long tradition of re-working classics to fit a popular agenda, this is no different. - MSUKate, on 02/28/2009, -3/+18Rock me sexy Jesus!
- K4Lic0, on 02/28/2009, -20/+34Most historians believe Shakespeare was gay, you fail.
- lydecker, on 02/28/2009, -2/+15Okay, thanks for clarifying. They do have the right, it's just your opinion that you don't like it. I'll agree, I don't like a lot of modernizations too, but they do all have something they're trying to offer.
- drunkenoaf, on 02/28/2009, -0/+13Don't know why you're getting dugg down; that's a good piece of ironic wit.
- Stavrosian, on 02/28/2009, -1/+14Yeah, but certain sections of the British print media start having seizures if they don't get their daily fix of describing things as "PC GONE MAD!" or similar. They'll stretch the meaning if necessary, just so they can get the sweet, sweet hit of decrying the state of the world.
- bghs2003, on 02/28/2009, -1/+14Your average kid isn't going to want to see Romeo and Julian either.
- Rikushix, on 02/28/2009, -0/+13She's mixing it up. What she meant to say, clearly, was that there were many plays (such as As You Like it) where within the play, male characters would pretend to be female ones and female characters would pretend to be male ones.
Although it is true that when these plays were first performed, there were no female actresses. All roles were played by men, regardless of character. - hymneforthedead, on 02/28/2009, -4/+17Why is this such a big deal? Drama/the arts are loaded with things from people that are gay.
The fact that a play is being a little more direct forward shouldn't require a public announcement saying "hey look at me, I'm gay" when last time I checked society demanded that everyone is entirely equal. - Samurai77, on 02/28/2009, -0/+13Ya but it's a dead end story.
- noumuon, on 02/28/2009, -3/+15no, not really. the only evidence what-so-ever are some of the sonnets, and it isn't really conclusive from them.
- inactive, on 02/28/2009, -3/+15I seriously hate when people confuse their personal opinions with rights. Just because you personally don't like the idea doesn't mean that others don't have a right to do it. I hate Celine Dion with a fiery passion, but I'm not gonna say that she doesn't have a right to sing (as much as I would like to).
- SQLserver, on 02/28/2009, -2/+14COOL STORY BRO.
- ncapone, on 02/28/2009, -1/+12Since when doesn't Shakespeare teach important values? His work is so universally drawn upon. Besides, it can't be any worse of an adaptation of a Shakespeare play than "She's the Man."
- TeCuervo, on 02/28/2009, -1/+12I am not agreeing or disagreeing but please, please, please people. If you are making statements like that back them up with something, at least a link.
- Rikushix, on 02/28/2009, -0/+11Shakespeare is actually pretty homoerotic. Not that that's a bad thing. But anyone who's studied a few plays in high school knows just how much totally lewd sexual double entendres and crass puns Shakespeare stuffed in his works: both of the heterosexual and homosexual type.
- davin3000, on 02/28/2009, -7/+18Yeah? So?
- Velnich, on 02/28/2009, -3/+14Awesome, good for them.
- inactive, on 02/28/2009, -5/+16PerryC, I'm sure that Romeo and Juliet is a beloved play of yours, since your outrage at the change made in the script must be stemming from a deep love of Shakespeare. Which is cool, actually. I mean, most people who have a deep fear of homosexuals taking over the world (first they take over our plays!) are really, really educated, right?
I mean, *****, PerryC, you've probably read *every single work of Shakespeare's*, right?
You know, now that I have you here (and by "here" I mean this comment, I guess) - I'd love to hear your take on Shakespeare's sonnets -- specifically, sonnets 18-126.
Now, again, as someone who must be (must be!) a longtime reader of Shakespeare (as to be so offended here that someone actually remade a Shakespeare play, ignoring the fact of "re-imagining" Shakespearean plays has been going on for the last 200 years+), how do you read sonnets 18-126, which are, of course, WRITTEN ABOUT WILLY SHAKESPEARE'S HOMOSEXUAL LOVE OF A YOUNG MAN, YOU BACKWARDS, RETARDED, SARAH PALIN-ESQUE *****.
Try reading a ***** play instead of pretending to be both literate and outraged, since you are clearly neither. - Raian, on 02/28/2009, -1/+12How is this mind-blowing? How about a time traveling alien Romeo who was created in the future from the dna of Julliet and an alien. That's more mindblowing-- and then the play cuts to 3000 years later where Romeo and Julliet are revived and go on a killing rampage which ends in them eventually taking over the world... inventing a time machine... and sending Romeo back in time to start the play all over again.
- Stormwern, on 02/28/2009, -2/+13Isn't theatre gay enough already? ;)
Saw a version of twelfth night where Viola marries Olivia and Sebastian Antonio a few months ago, good stuff. - drunkenoaf, on 02/28/2009, -0/+10@TeCuervo
Man, that comment could apply to half the comments on Digg! - inactive, on 02/28/2009, -0/+9Seriously, changing the story in such a way that people take offense at it is suddenly politically correct? I thought the idea of political correctness was to sterilize everything to eliminate the chance of offending anyone.
- badenglishihave, on 02/28/2009, -4/+13It's just my opinion but I don't like when people change classic theatre/literature by adding extra characters, dumbing down the dialogue, adjusting for political correctness, etc. It's like all of the unnecessary sequels and movie remakes out there... they just can't be as good as the original so why change them?
- cannibaljp, on 02/28/2009, -1/+10He would have been spinning since Rhode Island College did Romeo and Julian back in 1992.
My wife played the part of Mercutio. - Nickolassc, on 02/28/2009, -1/+9I agree, but to be fair there have been a lot of so called "artists" who creatively butcher Shakespeare's works.
- Maddoktor2, on 02/28/2009, -6/+14If you liked "Romeo and Julian", you'll love "Genesis: Adam and Steve - a Love Story"
- pavvy, on 02/28/2009, -0/+8calm down! i said, calm down! they maybe had too many boys in class. Once in similar fashion, I was in a production of "Oklahoma" in the seventh grade. I played the part of Mutey the Mailman. They had too many kids, so they made up roles like that. I was good.
- UbIwerks, on 02/28/2009, -0/+8*sucks on pen....
-
Show 51 - 100 of 224 discussions
© Digg Inc. 2009
— Content created and posted by Digg users is