weekend of hell: tv shows

Although the case could be argued that several of the movies yesterday might have also fallen into this category, I choose to differentiate.

(As I'm the one trapped in this weather hell, I get to make the rules.) 

The phrase "TV shows" refers to those aired productions that are episodic and part of a series.

 

Take this first one: a filmed live stage production of Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night" from 2012. 

This was on as part of the filmed annual Stratford Festival, held each summer for the past 70-plus years in Stratford, Ontario, Canada.

This particular one was part of the 2011 season there.

Of course, my attraction to it was my recent encounter with this favorite, courtesy of SavArtsAcad!

But I had another reason to watch: I recognized one of the actors!

That's Brian Dennehy cavorting as Sir Toby Belch, and clearly having a lovely time doing so!

(That's almost three decades after he played the sheriff in "Silverado".) 

I was sure, too, that Michael McKean was right there with him as Sir Andrew... but IMDB listed someone else.

Still, it was a lot of fun to see again! 

Next up were three British television shows which I've recently taken a fancy to.

"Sister Boniface Mysteries" features a woman of the cloth with a knack for using chemistry and other sciences to help the local police solve crimes.

This episode, "There's No I In Slaughter", s4e7, was about a team-building exercise that turned into a real homicide to solve.

The town's name, Slaughter, still brings a smile along with a favorite memory.

(smile!)

I chased that shot down with two hits from a man of the cloth named "Father Brown".

Interesting sidenote: the woman in this photo, 'Mrs. Isabel Devine", reminds me so much of 'Alice' from "The Vicar Of Dibley" that I actually looked up the actress (Claudia Blakley), only to find she was ten years younger than the one who was 'Alice' (Emma Chambers).

Both characters are adorably sweet and innocent, with a slight lisping quality to their voices.

Anyway, the first episode I watched was "The Battle Of Kembleford", s12e1.

That featured a reenactment of a medieval fight, but gets complicated when a historian gets killed.

After dinner, I followed that up with "The Lord Of The Dance", s12e6.

Brown's young assistant has become a competitor on a ballroom dance show when an accident befalls a dancer.

More accidents soon occur, as it becomes clear someone's life is in danger.

But in this 'cozy crime caper', the culprit is soon caught, of course!

Time for a change of pace.

Yes, dance pun intended!

"Great Performances" classical series, "Now Hear This", enticed me with "Boccherini: Night Music of the Streets of Madrid".

The synopsis seemed to promise a travelogue along with the tunes of the Italian composer.

Not only did Scott Yoo and his musicians deliver, but they revealed the emotional longing and homesickness that Boccherini had felt in 1780 when he was sent out of Madrid to a smaller town after ticking off King Charles III.

The composer had loved Madrid, the lively Spanish city which he'd called home for more than a decade.

"Musica notturna delle strade di Madrid", Opus 30 No. 6 (G. 324), was his love song for that home.

Having traveled around to Panama and Okinawa for several years, I can relate to that.

Right now, I'd like to be back in Panama, where the temperature hardly ever dipped below 70F. 

Time now to wash soup bowls and pots and warm the bed.

I do believe I'll crash a little earlier than usual.

This day that set a record low temperature of 18F warrants an early end.