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laiqualaurelote · 5 days
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It begins, of course, because they find a cherry orchard.
It's a beautiful orchard, and the owners are happy to let the Richmond Players camp on their land for a month and rehearse the play, which they aim to put on when the orchard is in bloom (which would be around this time of year! therefore this production takes place in late March 2020, which in our world is ironically when our pandemic kicked off). The owners, crucially, have never read Chekhov and do not know how the play ends.
Rebecca, naturally, takes the lead role as the aristocratic landowner Ranevskaya. Roy plays opposite her as the nouveau riche Lopakhin - he's unconsciously using this role to exorcise his own class hangups, exaggerating a Croydon accent to the point of caricature. (I can't remember if it's ever canonically stated which part of London Roy is from, but I headcanon him as a Croydon lad.) Beard plays Ranevskaya's eccentric brother Gayev. Bumbercatch plays Trofimov, the "eternal student".
Here we get to the problem of the women. There are more female roles in The Cherry Orchard than there are women in the Players (there is a grim Watsonian reason for this, which is that during disasters, women are statistically 14 times more likely to die than men). So Bex has to play Anya, Ranevskaya's teenage daughter (and you can bet Rebecca loves that). Keeley plays Ranevskaya's adopted daughter/housekeeper Varya, a role she is ill-suited to. Varya and Lopakhin's will-they-won't-they relationship comes to mirror Keeley and Roy's own developing one, though they are the last people to realise this. (Jamie has yet to join the Players at this point.)
We know that the Players have former members who have got off the wheel for some reason or the other. This includes Shandy, whom Keeley gets a place in the troupe and who is cast as the maid Dunyasha. While Shandy is a great Dunyasha, she's not a good fit for the cast - she thinks Chekhov is boring, doesn't bother learning her lines, distracts Richard (who, as the foppish manservant Yasha, is delighted to talk endlessly about Paris), and slags off Rebecca to Keeley at every opportunity. Her attitude particularly riles Roy, who considers himself the disciplinarian of the troupe, and for a long time after this continues to conflate Keeley's work ethic with Shandy's, even though Keeley works harder than anyone to be taken seriously as a thespian.
Things come to a head at the dress run when Keeley is forced to call out Shandy's behaviour and they have an epic blow-up. Shandy walks out on the Players. Ted asks Colin to step in as Dunyasha; Colin agrees, even though he's having bad flashbacks to sixth form, when he played Viola in Twelfth Night, and is now convinced that the others know he is gay and this casting decision is a cruel practical joke. Worse: Isaac is playing Yephikhodov, one of Dunyasha's suitors, so Colin gets proposed to onstage by his straight best friend. Isaac has no idea why Colin is behaving so bizarrely, and it has a knock-on effect on his acting too.
On opening night, it rains heavily. The Players soldier on, even though the play is clearly a disaster and everyone in it is wildly uncomfortable. Nate's hyper-realistic sound effects of the cherry orchard getting chopped down at the end are so upsetting for the owners that they call off the show and evict the Players at once. Colin and Isaac have an argument during the chaotic set strike which culminates in Colin coming out to the entire company in the middle of a thunderstorm, pelted by wet cherry blossoms and bits of soggy set. ("I was right. You are a drama queen." "Shut the fuck up, Jan Maas.")
Ted and Rebecca decide they will never perform Chekhov again. Instead, they will do the unluckiest play of all time: the Scottish Play. It's a huge success. They never look back.
all the men and women merely players
In the light of my transcendent theatrical experience seeing James Lance in Uncle Vanya, I got to thinking about the line in all the men and women merely players when Ted mentions during the interview with Trent that the Richmond Players had performed at least one Chekhov play before deciding to stick to Shakespeare ("You ever tried staging Chekhov in a pandemic? It’s a real downer, let me tell you") and therefore:
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laiqualaurelote · 10 days
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Bert Hardy. A group of men in a Chinese hostel in Liverpool, May 1942
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laiqualaurelote · 11 days
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Samia Gamal is my favourite Golden Age belly dancer so I absolutely have to put in a word for her here
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Ma'eoulshe Lehad (1952) - that back bend! her shoulder shimmy is SO pretty!
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this clip from Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves (1954) has a lot of close-ups of her midriff - you can see the sheer precision of her isolations!
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The Second Man (1959) - some of her loveliest arabesques, and the joy in her hip twists!
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Zanouba (1956) - she's dancing to Zeina by Mohamed Abdel Wahab while drugging a guy; also I love this dress?! I would wear the heck out of it
Samia Gamal - she is queen, she is goals, she wins everything in my heart
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Propaganda
Julie Christie (Darling, Doctor Zhivago, Petulia)—Oh she is stunning, and just the best thing of mid 60s cinema. Eyes like lamps, and just gorgeous
Samia Gamal (Afrita Hanem)— Egyptian movie star and belly dancer oh my god she is ELECTRIC and unbelievably charismatic, the way she can move her body matched with that perfect smile will melt you
This is round 1 of the tournament. All other polls in this bracket can be found here. Please reblog with further support of your beloved hot sexy vintage woman.
[additional propaganda submitted under the cut]
Julie Christie:
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Samia Gamal:
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laiqualaurelote · 12 days
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In the light of my transcendent theatrical experience seeing James Lance in Uncle Vanya, I got to thinking about the line in all the men and women merely players when Ted mentions during the interview with Trent that the Richmond Players had performed at least one Chekhov play before deciding to stick to Shakespeare ("You ever tried staging Chekhov in a pandemic? It’s a real downer, let me tell you") and therefore:
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laiqualaurelote · 12 days
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Eyes
(via)
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laiqualaurelote · 13 days
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crawling out of the well of fandom hiatus to report that I MET JAMES LANCE?!
I went to see him in Uncle Vanya at the Orange Tree Theatre (loved it even though he was so wretched throughout, his epic breakdown scene was fantastic, give this man all the leading roles! I can't believe he made me actually enjoy Chekhov) and afterwards I was debating with @leupagus @themardia etc if I should stage door (I usually don't, as I have a horror of intruding on people at their places of work) and while I was dithering he suddenly appeared! He was wearing a velour tracksuit and one of his tweed caps. I started babbling about how Trent Crimm changed my life by inspiring me to quit the only job I'd ever had and follow my bliss. He seemed genuinely moved by the notion and asked me about the work I am doing now and signed an autograph and gave me a hug and said "goodnight my darling" and strolled off into the Richmond night. He is the sweetest man and even though I could not convey the specific details of this (i.e. the 100,000+ words of fanfiction I have written on the subject) I hope he somehow grasps how much Trent meant to so many of us, and that he carries all the love from these anonymous people around the world with him in his future work.
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laiqualaurelote · 17 days
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Up to Saturday on Cahokia Jazz and I'm gonna scream!!!
I know it won't end all happy like Barrow thinks it will bc its a noir and I wanna fight it!!!
U wann screa.!!!!!
hi anon know that I am holding your hand through to Sunday because my GOD
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laiqualaurelote · 25 days
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YALL
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laiqualaurelote · 25 days
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what about blorbhov from my complicated russian novel though
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laiqualaurelote · 1 month
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tma influencer au where Jon microdoses on trauma by approaching randos on the street with a mini microphone and asking them how much they pay for rent in London
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laiqualaurelote · 1 month
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modern coffee shop au: cute underpaid baristas, awkward first impressions, meet-the-cute scenarios in mundane settings, hot beverages, fluff
18th century coffe shop au: newspapers and political pamphlets, social unrest, everyone is a free mason, Jean-Jacques Rousseau is discussed extensively
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laiqualaurelote · 1 month
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Okay, so, uh, bad, uh, bad news. Bad bad news, we took the kid out of the Omelas hole, yeah. And it turns out that the reason that the utopia was contingent on keeping the kid suffering in the Omelas hole, is that, well, this is pretty awkward to say out loud, but it turns out that the kid really enjoyed suffering in the hole. He specifically enjoyed suffering, in holes and only suffering in holes. Yeah it was actually secretly one of those Aesop's about how utopia will inevitably be dependent on our ability to accept and accommodate lifestyle choices we don't understand. I mean he hasn't said anything, he's clearly trying to be gracious about it, but he's trying the sailing and horseriding and all the other boilerplate utopia shit and you can tell he's kind of just going through the motions, you can tell he really wants to be back in the hole, suffering. He's really hashing the vibe and now everyone is pissed at us
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laiqualaurelote · 1 month
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“That wasn’t so difficult, now, was it?”
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laiqualaurelote · 1 month
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laiqualaurelote · 1 month
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If anyones interested in learning about the first black vampire short story, published in 1819, heres a link to the wiki, its called The Black Vampyre, and its about a former slave turned vampire who seeks revenge on his slave master. Its actually a first in many categories!
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laiqualaurelote · 2 months
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Emerald Spectacles from India, c. 1620-1660 CE: the lenses of these spectacles were cut from a single 300-carat emerald, and it was believed that they possessed mystical properties
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These eyeglasses are also known by the name "Astaneh-e ferdaws," meaning "Gate of Paradise," based on the perception of the color green as a symbol for spiritual salvation/Paradise. This was a common belief in Mughal-era India, where the spectacles were made.
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The lenses were crafted from two thin slices of the same emerald. Together, the lenses have a combined weight of about 27 carats, but given the precision, size, and shape of each lens, experts believe that the original emerald likely weighed in excess of 300 carats (more than sixty grams) before it was cleaved down in order to produce the lenses. The emerald was sourced from a mine in Muzo, Colombia, and it was then transported across the Atlantic by Spanish or Portuguese merchants.
Each lens is encircled by a series of rose-cut diamonds, which run along an ornate frame made of gold and silver. The diamond-studded frame was added in the 1890s, when the original prince-nez design was fitted with more modern frames.
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The emerald eyeglasses have long been paired with a second set of spectacles, and they were almost certainly commissioned by the same patron. This second pair is known as Halqeh-e nur, or the "Halo of Light."
The Halo of Light features lenses that were made from slices of diamond. The diamond lenses were cleaved from a single stone, just like the emerald lenses, with the diamond itself being sourced from a mine in Southern India. It's estimated that the original, uncut diamond would have weighed about 200-300 carats, which would make it one of the largest uncut diamonds ever found.
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These lenses are so clear and so smoothly cut that it sometimes looks like they're not even there
Both sets of spectacles date back to the mid-1600s, and it's generally believed that they were commissioned by a Mughal emperor or prince. The identity of that person is still a bit of a mystery, but it has been widely speculated that the patron was Shah Jahan -- the Mughal ruler who famously commissioned the Taj Mahal after the death of his wife, Mumtaz Mahal. Shah Jahan did rule as the Mughal emperor from about 1628 to 1658.
The emerald and diamond lenses may have been chosen for symbolic/cultural reasons, or they may have been chosen simply because they're pretty and extravagant; their meaning/purpose is unclear. Experts do believe that the eyeglasses were designed to be worn by someone, though.
It was believed that the spectacles had spiritual properties, like the ability to promote healing, ward off evil, impart wisdom, and bring the wearer closer to enlightenment. Those beliefs are often related to Indic and Islamic traditions, some of which ascribe spiritual and/or symbolic traits to emeralds and diamonds. Emeralds can be viewed as an emblem of Paradise, divine salvation, healing, cleansing, and eternal life; diamonds are similarly associated with enlightenment, wisdom, celestial light, and mysticism.
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The Gate of Paradise and the Halo of Light were both kept in the collections of a wealthy Indian family until 1980, when they were sold to private collectors, before going on auction once again back in 2021. They were valued at about $2 million to $3.4 million per pair.
Sources & More Info:
Sotheby's: Mughal Spectacles
Architectural Digest of India: At Sotheby's auction, Mughal-era eyeglasses made of diamond and emerald create a stir
Only Natural Diamonds: Auspicious Sight & the Halqeh-e Nur Spectacles
The Royal Society Publishing: Cleaving the Halqeh-Ye Nur Diamonds
Gemological Institution of America: Two Antique Mughal Spectacles with Gemstone Lenses
Manuscript: From Satan's Crown to the Holy Grail: emeralds in myth, magic, and history
CNN: The $3.5 million Spectacles Said to Ward off Evil
BBC: Rare Mughal Era Spectacles to be Auctioned by Sotheby's
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laiqualaurelote · 2 months
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Reblog and put your rare pair in the tags/comments! I want to see the depths people will go to create, for the most random two characters in the most obscure media.
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