A stick-figure Shakespeare comic by Mya Lixian Gosling
Today I am unapologetically continuing my totally illogical and poorly-thought-out Shakespeare/Sondheim Into the Woods parody mash-up (begun in Monday's comic).
For those of you not familiar with Into the Woods, the first song is "Hello Little Girl" and the second is "Agony". Tune in again on Friday for one final Into the (Shakespearean) Woods comic, in which I will totally fail to neatly wrap up all the disparate plot lines.
As you've probably figured out by now, I love Shakespeare. I think Shakespeare's plays are super-fun. However, they are by no means the be-all and end-all (if I may borrow that phrase) of theatre. My many other theatrical loves include the musicals of Stephen Sondheim. I have thus spent a lot of time recently in sweet anticipation of the upcoming film adaptation of Sondheim's Into the Woods, a musical which emotionally traumatized me when I first saw it at the age of seven, but which I have since come to love.
So, this week I am presenting a mash-up of Into the Woods and some of the many Shakespeare plays that involve people running... into the woods. I have no idea how this is going to turn out, so I apologize in advance if it's terrible.
If you're not familiar with Into the Woods, I highly recommend watching the 1990 film of the original Broadway production, starring Bernadette Peters. You can hear the original inspiration behind today's comic's lyrics here.
The saga continues in part 2 and part 3.
In other news, the seventh issue of The Weekly Tickle Brain e-mail newsletter is going out today! This week's issue features more of my Tumblr advent shenanigans and a seasonal recommendation for the world's best Shakespeare-themed holiday movie. If you haven't signed up yet, now's your chance! (Which is not to suggest that you'll never be able to sign up again, or anything...)
It's been a bit busy around the Good Tickle Brain headquarters lately, so I humbly offer up the following as some Friday Filler:
Low-tech Elizabethan emojis.
See you next week! I'm working on some Shakespearean Sondheim...
Give it up, Lego Shakespeare. Everyone loves the bear.
One of the great scenes in Richard III is Richard's wooing of Lady Anne. She hates his guts, which is pretty reasonable when you consider that he and his family was responsible for the deaths of her father, husband, and father-in-law, among others. But that doesn't stop Richard. Ooooh no. Nothing stops Richard. He does this:
Which is all very well and good, but I keep waiting for Lady Anne to do this:
Come on, Lady Anne. Get your act together.
In other news, the sixth issue of The Weekly Tickle Brain newsletter is going out today, featuring a Shakespearean advent calendar and a Hamlet gift recommendation you won't want to miss. Check it and all past issues out here, then sign up below if you haven't already!
If you've signed up but haven't been receiving The Weekly Tickle Brain every Monday, check your Spam box to see if my weekly labor of love has been deemed unsolicited junk by your well-meaning-but-snobbish-and-judgmental e-mail spam filter.
Today's Shakespearean Character Spotlight is one of my favorite bit-parts in the canon.
I've previously said that the role I would most like to play is Margaret of Anjou, but in all honesty I think it might be the cream-faced loon. I mean, let's be honest, I'm not nearly a good enough actor to do justice to Margaret, but I might just be able to handle the cream-faced loon. Plus, as a Gosling, I already have the goose look.
Have a great weekend! If you want some holiday cheer, check out my Shakespeare Advent Event posts on Tumblr.
Time for more Shakespearean Selfies!
I'm in Instagram now, so I'm starting to get the hang of how all these hashtags actually work. Sort of. Well, not really. It turns out you just make 'em up as you go along, for the most part. #ThisIsAHashtag #ImDoingItWrong
Don't let anyone tell you that Shakespeare's language is inaccessible.
I have never dressed up as a chicken, but if I ever do, I know what Shakespeare lines I'm going to be quoting.
In other news, the fifth issue of The Weekly Tickle Brain e-mail newsletter is going out today, and features some fun material related to the recent discovery of a previously unknown copy of Shakespeare's First Folio. Check it and all past issues out here, then sign up below if you haven't already!
If you've signed up but haven't been receiving The Weekly Tickle Brain every Monday, check your Spam box to see if my weekly labor of love has been deemed unsolicited junk by your well-meaning-but-snobbish-and-judgmental e-mail spam filter.
