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notasapleasure · 2 years ago

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Othello, National Theatre (2013)

We're not here to talk about my state-instilled Pavlovian response (negative) to Shakespeare. We're here to talk about the one Valid Man in this play: Montano.

I don't need to walk it through, you all know the plot, don't you?

Don't you?

Go check it, I'll wait.

This is a great production, with Adrian Lester (of Hustle swag) as Othello, Rory Kinnear as Iago (yes, he of the Badmingtons from OFMD, playing bad guy bingo) and my BELOVED Lady Sarah from Garrow's Law (forever faves), Lyndsey Marshal as Emilia. I say it's great, though it is a modern setting (military) and....really brought home to me how much I don't think this play adapts to a modern setting at all. Not so much for the racial tension, but for the balance of power between the genders. Anyway sorry yes, we're really not here to talk about that. And the modern setting does mean we are blessed with a slutty t-shirt I have no doubt you'll all adore.

Man of many hats!

Montano was commander of the Venetian army in Cyprus and they were having a Bad Old Time against the Ottomans (yeah, modern setting, I know, just...Shakespeare goggles or whatever). The Duke of Venice decided to relieve him and put Othello in charge instead - and Montano is happy for it! (cf. Iago's response to having his position 'usurped' when Cassio is promoted ahead of him)

I'm afraid the subs in that first image refer to Desdemona, Othello's wife, not Montano 😏

Anyhoo, Othello's arrival coincides with a storm that wrecks the Turkish fleet, and there is Much Celebration! Meanwhile, Iago has orchestrated a fight between Cassio and Rodriguo - knowing that if he can get Cassio drunk he won't be able to control his temper.

No one's going to out-do Montano in drinking Othello's health!

Yes, I made myself figure out an easy-ish way of giffing, finally. I'll take requests later if anyone has any for other scenes...

Montano (totally ignorant of Iago's plans) challenges Cassio to SHOTS SHOT SHOTS (per original script) to Othello's honour.

Best quality? Hims wiggles.

Cassio is getting uh. Angry. And goddy. He tries to get everyone to pray with him.

Iago has a brief chat alone with Montano to claim Cassio is like this all the time and make Montano worry that someone should warn Othello.

Iago's evidently angling for Montano to do so, but he doesn't really get the chance, as Rodriguo, having provoked Cassio as planned, comes running in pursued by Cassio and Montano tries to break it up.

Cassio...really is an angry drunk. Who doesn't like Montano pointing out that he is drunk. An alarm is raised, a brawl breaks out, but Cassio really uh. Has it in for the big guy.

(who hasn't dreamed of climbing him like you're a big cat trying to bring down some kind of glorious ancient megafauna with your teeeth?)

Poor Montano. Bleeding profusely and Othello suggests he started the fight!

Whump fans, I have so many more stills and a little video clip - it will all be available when I'm done watching through the list, which will be very soon now :')

He has to go away and recuperate for a long time (a LONG time, this play is three hours long, which is very long when you already know how it’s going to end and it’s all just yes ok we know it’s a tragedy ok but where’s the goddamn catharsis???), but pops up again with his head taped up at the end. Mainly to stand around looking miserable while the Tragic Ending plays out, but he remains a good man, and that’s rare in this play.

The precise moment he realises Desdemona isn’t just...having a nap while they all argue (???)

Making sure Othello doesn’t get away, but also ready to...run unarmed after Iago. He gives the gun to Desdemona’s uncle and dashes off.

Brings back Iago, then disarms Othello (again)!

Striking a pose

Curtain call!

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Rating

Dead? Nope! A talent in a tragedy!

Evil? Not at all! The closest character I think I’ve seen him play to Brasso? And even more of a talent to live and not be evil in a tragedy!

Affects the plot? Yes - and the drinking contest isn’t pre-meditated, nor is his good-natured intervention in Cassio’s fight.

I find this play very long. I love a bit of foreshadowing and fated tragedy, but ever since I had to study this in school I found the ending a let-down after such plainly presented and inevitable misery. Montano is only in a couple of scenes relatively early and a couple at the end. They may be good scenes, and I may be able to see much of merit in the rest of the play, but it is a slog. Look at these screenshots though and tell me 3.5/5 isn’t fair, with the t-shirt gaining that extra .5 all by itself.

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Bonus: some stills from the behind the scenes footage of choreography of the brawl. They’re a bit blurry and a lot are just.....his back. I apologise for nothing.

#adventures in joplin sibtain's imdb page #joplin sibtain #chook sibtain #othello #national theatre #ntathome #othello 2013

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hulia-711 · 4 years ago

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Todays sketch: "Pepper" (Chook Sibtain) from Ubisofts short live action movie based of Ghost Recon; Alpha. Hope you like!

#art #fanart #drawing #sketching #traditional art #tom clancy #ubisoft #ghost recon #alpha #pepper #chook sibtain

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tundrakatiebean · 14 years ago

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Chook Sibtain

You are a very, very pretty man. Even when you are a water monster.

I am very sorry that I have no idea how to pronounce your name properly

#chook sibtain #water on mars #dr who #actors

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notasapleasure · 2 years ago

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Doctors, series 7 episode 134, 'The Two of Us' (2006)

Joplin's second run at neverending BBC daytime soap, Doctors. It was on youtube the whole time! So maybe if I try hard enough I can find his episode in season 4 too, wish me luck...

Gary! I didn't try hard enough to find you before evidently.

Ru ro, hiding wedding ring? Or just finally getting rid of it after splitting from the woman we see next talking about how excited she is to have the baby of the guy she just broke up with...?

Guys this episode is 1. v soapy and 2. v Joplin heavy! Enjoy!

Some flowers arrive for him, aww!

Double aww he's man enough to admit he was nervous about meeting up with his ex, and he's been ticking off the weeks since they split up :')

"So what are we here to discuss...on our wedding anniversary?"

"I'm sorry, it was just a coincidence."

Holy shit lady

"Look Gary, it's just another day!"

"It's gonna take me a while to see it like that."

But he's been seeing 'Pippa' for a month or so, which really flummoxes unnamed pregnant lady,* who spills sparkling water everywhere.

*Claire

Oh my god, the supporting ladies are all dressed as pirates during their downtime. This IS 2006!!

oh dang one of them is Pippa...

lololol "That's what we came here to discuss isn't it? A permanent separation?"

Gary, tormented by ~~memories~~ wishes to sell the old flast and get a divorce. Claire still hasn't broken the baby news to him.

"I've still got some of your CDs back at the flat."

"I'm not missing any."

"Not even your Spice Girls album?"

"I never owned a Spice Girls album."

"You don't remember dancing round the kitchen to Wannabe?"

Babe, are you sure it wasn't your Spice Girls album?

He DID buy it!

Oh no, Pippa found a note on the flowers he accepted delivery for earlier: 'Dear Claire, happy anniversary, love from Gary xx'

And now Gary and Claire turn up joking about CDs!

Claire has to take a work call and Pippa wants to know...

"Has she come for her flowers?"

"Oh."

Babe.

He is a useless wet rag of a man who had a standing order with the florist and forgot to cancel it. And forgot to tell Pippa he was having lunch with his ex. Oopsie oopsie.

Meanwhile, that stress might be getting to pregnant Claire....

Man Pippa is insecure about Gary having lunch with his ex.

But y'know. He's pathetic and gorgeous so she forgives him.

Off she goes, but Claire's called a nurse to their address and Gary notices something's not right.

"Pregnant? How?"

now, sweetheart, has no one explained...?

"No one said it was impossible Gary, just highly unlikely..." (Claire has fibroids)

Ohhhhhhhh she lied and said 12 weeks and not 20!! The look of relief on his face oh no lady this is gonna bite you in the ass we're only 13.55 minutes into a 28 minute episode!

"Talk about me rushing into things... whose is it then?"

Ajsjdjjdjfff watching Claire dig this hole in real time as Gary reminds her that for years she was the one who said she didn't want kids because of her business (standard career woman vs mum conflict 🙄)

But to be fair she's also like 'what was I meant to say to every nosey fucker who asked when we were starting a family?'

Whatever Pippa's work is it seems to involve bitching about Claire with her colleague non-stop. Meanwhile Claire is telling the nurse how Gary *clearly* doesn't want kids. While Gary's making actual heart eyes down the phone to Pippa. And...not helping matters by lying to Pippa about Claire having left 'soon after you'. Are all soap characters compulsive liars??

Naturally Pippa hears voices, he says something unconvincing about the TV and her friend is listening and is gonna feed that suspicion...not least as Claire left him not vice versa.

I feel like Claire is being a real nob about Gary, assuming things about him when she never tried to speak to him about them...

He keeps putting on funny voices though, which is adorable. "She was always career-minded. ~~not the '''m0thERing kINd'''~~" ok babe way to not actually disguise your true feelings. He does admit that they were shit at listening and talking to each other so. Idk. Growth through distance?

Oooh Claire's bleeding and Pippa's at the door coz she left her keys!

Pippa is straight up batshit. Confronts Gary about Claire still being there and when he says she's pregnant and ill Pippa doesn't seem to get why he can't just...throw her out on the streets.

When he goes back up, the nurse leaves them alone and Claire, who's already been opening up about her vulnerabilities, admits to Gary it's his.

Obviously it turns out they both wanted kids hurp durp

And natch Gary *doesn't* want a divorce

And of course Claire is freaked out at the idea of staying together just for the kid because that's what made her parents miserable

But look at the puppy dog eyes

He knows the problem was they stopped talking

Meanwhile Pippa just....hands the keys back and goes

Claire! How can you say no to a man with that many shirt buttons undone?? Professing his love for you??

And now he knows Pippa's left him so he's free to badger Claire into being allowed to come to the hospital.

"I'm coming as a friend."

...as the actress said to the bishop 😏

Omg the original airing was followed later that day by Julian Clary's Who Do You Think You Are? which I must have watched...

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Rating

Dead? Nope!

Evil? No, not even a bad boyfriend!

Affects the plot? Now, I don't think Doctors operates on the basis of 'plot' so much as...placing one-off characters in situations. He's not the one with most control over the situation, but he does his best to assert himself bless.

Now, if you're into that kind of thing, I imagine he's very gorgeous. I am into the look, but the frank discussions of actually wanting a baby...not so much. Those undone buttons though! The side-lighting on his eyes! 3/5, it's good to be back in the game, Joplin fans <3

#adventures in joplin sibtain's imdb page #joplin sibtain #chook sibtain #bbc doctors #doctors #doctors tv show #doctors tv #doctors soap

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notasapleasure · 2 years ago

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Dara, National Theatre (2020)

(eta this is DRAFT # THREE. I keep getting carried away with the screencaps, not particularly because I’m into the clean-shaven, long-haired look - though I’m not against it! - but because I have too many Feelings and I’m a whore for historical tragedy)

uhhhh my emotions are a bit wrecked from this, it's such a good play you guys. If you like prophecies that ruin lives, kings who don't know how to pass on power peacefully, brotherly jealousy, bitterness, betrayal, stolen lives, discourses on the value of religious freedom and PAIN then boy do I recommend Dara. It's the story of the war to succeed Shahjahan, the Mughal ruler who had the Taj Mahal built. His eldest son Dara is touted for the throne - a sufi, a poet, a bit of a romantic - while Dara's younger brother Aurangzeb - follower of a strict, orthodox Islam, warrior, pragmatist - decides he's not going to stand by and let that happen without a fight. idk how precisely the details match to what we know of history but it makes a STELLAR drama, even if it plays off lots of familiar narrative touch-points.

One of whom is Itbar, the eunuch in charge of the harem, a beautiful big mother hen (don't tell him I called him that he’d probably shank me). He’s not presented as third-gender/hijra, and I don’t know enough about eunuchs in the Mughal empire to say how sensitive a depiction it is - the original author of the play is a Pakistani man, it was adapted by a British woman, and some of the details Itbar gives of his experience sound like medieval Coptic practice as described by later, Western writers, which are treated with caution by Wikipedia, so...I’m not going further down that hole. Take with a pinch of salt; admire the performance though.

Look at that kohl <3

Warnings for this recap: discussion of serious injury (burning), bodily/genital mutilation, child abuse, suicide, gender...theft I guess? It’s heavy, lads.

This is a play with flashbacks - simpler times with Itbar trying to wrangle all the Emperor's kids.

So the problems to come are certainly made worse by the visit of a sufi faqir, who, when asked to prophesise which of Shahjahan's sons will bring an end to his bloodline, points to Aurangzeb.

Yes, humiliating and threatening the son who has just been pointed out as most likely to betray you, that's never been a course of action that's gone on to bite a person in the ass, has it?

Again, I have heaps of screencaps of Itbar looking concerned in the background while the nobles have their family drama. Google Drive to come.

First time we meet him, all we see is the face of service, but flash forwards a few years and he reveals a crueller side when the faqir is called to the sickbed of the injured princess.

He's looking forward to whatever drama will occur when Aurangzeb comes back too.

Princess Roshanara overhears a bit of snark: "Are you being disrespectful, Itbar?" He’s all subservience in front of her but when she’s gone he’s grinning like a Cheshire cat again: ALWAYS. She’s just “Eager to prove what a fine First Lady she would make.”

Describing the Taj Mahal:

Aurangzeb is here, sees the faqir who ruined his life, and Itbar is like :DDD but then Shahjahan comes out with Dara and ends up revoking Aurangzeb's title while Aurangzeb accused Dara of threatening fratricide. Y'know, standard tragedy stuff. Itbar does look upset by it all, but that may be because Shahjahan expects him to disarm an angry prince.

Flash-forward again to 1659, the year the main action's set in. Aurangzeb has captured Dara and claimed the throne, imprisoning Sahahjahan in his own palace. Itbar has been made jailer to the aging Shahjahan and princess Jahanara, and....he's loving it tbh.

(also jfccccc he’s gorgeous)

Oh dear, honey is revelling in Dara's imprisonment and downfall...messy bitch.

He's in charge of keeping the emperor prisoner in his own home.

"Of course sire, I may be your jailer - but I can still take instruction. For old. Times'. Sake."

All the pent-up bitterness about his own position and ughhhh such good pain.

Afia, Shahjahan and Jahanara's serving maid, is at least someone he can gossip with - though she has a kinder idea of Itbar than he does of himself. She's worried about Shahjahan's food being poisoned - Itbar reminds her to stop calling him the emperor and says separate food won't do him any good.

;_;

;-;

*GROSS UGLY SOBBING*

Oh don't mind me I'm just WAILING INCONSOLABLY about Itbar looking wrecked and then returning to joking as quickly as he can, about Afia worrying for Shahjahan, Itbar asking after her kids, not being able to do anything to help them or help her see them more, Afia not believing that Itbar doesn't care about Shahjahan when he still tends his failing eyes, and Itbar conceding that he doesn't want to see anything happen to Jahanara.

Afia: “I can’t help pitying them.”

Itbar: “Because your heart is soft, Afia. Long may it remain so.”

And that’s all for Act One! From Itbar, anyway. There’s an epic and deeply affecting courtroom scene where Dara is tried for apostasy and defends himself, half to his brother who he presumes is watching.

Don’t worry, things are only going to get sadder!

For everyone.

Dara is convicted of apostasy, as everyone expects. Aurangzeb doesn’t look inclined to be merciful - his sister Roshanara is celebrating his victory over dara with music and dancing, so Aurangzeb bans music in his empire and orders the instruments burned.

Itbar has reservations. Not really about Dara, but about the musicians, who come from families of established and respected craftspeople.

Aurangzeb’s not having any of it. It’s against his kind of Islam.

He has Itbar read out a letter his father has sent him, admitting culpability for the animosity between the brothers and begging Aurangzeb to spare Dara’s life:

That’ll be a nope, then.

Then - oddly timed, I think a gap between these scenes might have done good work here - there are two visitors for Itbar. Aurangzeb is initially suspicious - Itbar shouldn’t have friends outside the palace...

The reason I think a gap would have helped is because it might have given a bit more of a human side to Aurangzeb if he’d heard Itbar mention how he didn’t know his family, then sent people out looking for his parents thinking that might be a reward of sorts, and then seen that resentment, bitterness and anger at one’s own relatives isn’t just confined to the royal family. Otherwise, I’m not sure how believable I find Itbar’s tirade being carried out in front of his emperor.

Anyway, whatever we make of that, Joplin smashes it out of the park in the scene - Itbar is not delighted to see his parents again.

He gets uh. Really into the details.

Itbar assigns his parents 20 lashes each. When his father tries to intercede on his mother’s behalf, he makes it quite clear what he feels he owes them.

...he’ll kill them himself.

SPEAKING OF...

Itbar plus goons are sent to deal with Dara - while stopping Dara’s anguished son from interfering.

Now, this is very well known history in South Asia. Not so much my wheelhouse, but my brain was tickled with the fact that I knew the names Shahjahan and Aurangzeb, not Dara. So really I should have known that Aurangzeb’s victory would be decisive and merciless. But for a moment I did wonder if Itbar’s emphasis on an unmarked grave and the fade-to-black on the execution meant that he was going to pull a Snow White woodsman and find a way to let Dara escape to be the faqir he always claimed he wanted to be.

Not so!

Itbar also gets the honour of delivering the news to Shahjahan and Jahanara.

As soon as I saw him walk on stage with the box...oh no. Ya’ll know there’s a body part in there and we have to watch Shahjahan and his daughter get all excited like maybe Aurangzeb has sent a peace offering.

Itbar watches their reactions. The lighting does this.

Afia wants to know what the hell he brought - he says he’s let her down. Cryptically quotes a poem. Promises he’ll wait for her to come back.

So again, I was probably being a bit wilfully dim, but I didn’t immediately connect the hanged body with Itbar - I was wondering if it was a hand in the box, not a head (again, not familiar with the well-known legends around this) - then wondered if Dara’s body was strung up somewhere as an example, or...? idk, wilfully dim.

But then the faqir says this to Aurangzeb and all becomes clear: “Itbar, whose soul you fouled with the task you set him, kept out of paradise by Allah, as we are told in the Qur’an, every suicide burns in hellfire forever.”

Poor Itbar is just another of the ghosts besieging Aurangzeb through his rulership now.

The ending comes up quite quickly with the usual deathbed repentence, but there’s a satisfying note of self-pity in it, we never believe Aurangzeb is anything other than a pragmatist, to be honest.

I have feelings I can’t really articulate about Itbar’s ending that I’m not going to try to articulate without knowing what was original to the Pakistani play and what was adapted.

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Rating

Dead? Yes - abruptly, opaquely, a bit pointlessly.

Evil? No. He really grew on me. He’s not a royalist, that’s for sure! Bitter and cruel, but not beyond kindness. Someone who was given no choice in his job or life and decided to make the most of it, but in the end found that revenge wasn’t enough to sustain him in it.

Affects the plot? I say no, and that’s the huge tragedy of his life among all the other tragedy.

Ah man, I so wanted to give this 5, but I just have a few too many lingering questions here and there about historicity, masculinity and pacing. HOWEVER it is so much my bag. Saga girl rides again. Vengeance won’t save you or fix you. Romantic ideals are all well and good but they don’t make a good leader. And they don’t absolve you from the work of war. There’s a lot that I think critics missed about this play in thinking Dara is presented as saintly and faultless - it’s clear he didn’t want to be a ruler and that the work of an emperor would not have suited him. Not that his brother was any better! But prophecy or no prophecy it’s about how the ‘responsibility’ and ‘privilege’ of rulership inevitably breed resentment and jealousy within the line of succession. Itbar’s story doesn’t fit entirely easily in it - there might have bee a whole play from his perspective instead, and we never really got any link between his bitterness and Dara specifically. But the ambivalence of his feelings towards the family he’s worked for and lived with for all his adult life is meaty and uncomfortable and I think that’s very sexy of the play. 4.5/5.

#adventures in joplin sibtain's imdb page #joplin sibtain #chook sibtain #dara #dara (national theatre)#national theatre live: dara #dara shiko #actually it turns out sometimes i'm fine with three hours of obvious tragedy #ntathome

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