A Sticky Day

Mutterings continued.

The temp is forecast to be 27c, however the humidity is making things a little unpleasant. Showers are forecast later in the day, which does not bode well for opening night of Winter's Tale. Appropriate, I suppose. As was the first night of The Tempest being rained and lightninged out last year.

Final dress rehearsal last night. Not so good, but as they say, bad dress rehearsal, good opening night. It could be the other way round, but I prefer my way.

Went 'me' shopping this morning, ie not props shopping. I bought some black t shirts - my ninja stagehand outfit needs updating. Whilst not being a huge presence in this production (unlike Shrew when the SM and I had to dash on, clear the stage of stuff and then dash off), I can be seen during the interval, setting props behind the stage. The following will probably go down as a 'famous last words' type utterance, but I have a fairly easy time of it this production. I don't even have cans. I'm responsible for props management and making sure the toilet and corridor lights are out.

From the Radio Times: "BBC bosses are demanding to know how the first episode of the forthcoming Doctor Who series found its way on to the internet three weeks before the hotly anticipated show is scheduled to begin on BBC1. The 45-minute story introduces the new Tardis-hopping Doctor, played by Christopher Eccleston, and the character of Rose (Billie Piper), his companion. A spokesman said it was "a significant breach of copyright, which is currently under investigation"." Oooerrr!

From the "Please god, no!" files: "BBC3 has bought the rights to screen the US version of hit sitcom The Office. The series kicks off on American TV on 24 March with Steve Carell (familiar to fans of movie Anchorman: the Legend of Ron Burgundy) playing a boss based on Ricky Gervais's cringeworthy David Brent. Gervais and co-writer Stephen Merchant were executive producers on the NBC version, which has slightly different characters and scripts but sticks to the same premise." American versions of Ab Fab and Red Dwarf, anyone?

Derek Jacobi is in this week's Miss Marple. MUST remember to tape it. "Over dinner at the vicarage, the vicar, the Reverend Leonard Clement (Tim McInnerny), his glamorous young wife Griselda (Rachel Stirling), the handsome artist Lawrence Redding (Jason Flemyng) and Hawes (Mark Gatiss), the nervous curate, discuss how they each would murder the odious Colonel Protheroe (Sir Derek Jacobi). Only Miss Marple (Geraldine McEwan) has the foresight to warn them not to tempt fate. The next day, Protheroe is found with a bullet in his head, slumped across the writing desk in the vicar's study." 'Odious'? How can he ever be described as 'odious'? Well, there was his performance as King Phillip of Spain in Don Carlos - he did send his son and wife to the Spanish Inquisition (which no-one expects). Jason Flemyng played Jeckyll/Hyde in League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.

I've not read the Constantine (graphic?) novels, however, given David Stratton's review, I don't think I'll be seeing the movie anytime soon: "I think it was Jean-Paul Sartre who said, "Hell is other people." I think hell is watching a film like 'Constantine'. You know, you have to sit through the end, you can't get out. It's just awful. Keanu Reeves, I don't know why he would play this. I mean, it's a sort of mixture of 'The Exorcist' and 'The Matrix' and takes all the worst elements of both. And they both had some pretty bad elements." And then he gave it one star, as did Margaret P.