We let the weirdness in

[sovay]

So as not to lose track—

R.I.P. Richard Griffiths. Everyone is quoting Uncle Monty, and rightly so, but I seem to remember him most recently and clearly as W.H. Auden in 1972 and the unimpressed actor arguing with his lines in Alan Bennett's The Habit of Art, which I still want on DVD if the National Theatre ever gets its head together. I did not know he was the hearing child of deaf parents. I never saw him in The History Boys. I should find out what he did most recently and watch it. And then I must know someone with DVDs of Gormenghast (2000).

Do you like radio theater? Do you like calzones? Okay, Eat at Jumbo's sells lots of things that aren't calzones, but that's certainly what I'm planning to order on Monday as part of the Post-Meridian Radio Players' season kickoff fundraiser for April's Spring Sci-Fi Spectacular II. The show will be a double feature of the latest Red Shift: Interplanetary Do-Gooder ("Crisis of the Cuddlykins") and a new adaptation of Them! (1954), running for two weekends and reprised at the MIT Museum as part of the Cambridge Science Festival, which I personally think is ridiculously cool. (While we're on the subject, buy tickets.) The last time Jumbo's and the PMRP ran this sort of thing, I was in Lexington and slightly out of delivery range of Ball Square. This time I'm wondering if I can actually just sit there and eat a calzone and watch people. It should be fun. Also, their calzones are really good.

This has been mostly an awful week. An example: Tuesday, I was woken at seven in the morning by roofers operating power tools on the other side of my ceiling. Wednesday, I was woken at seven in the morning by roofers operating power tools on the other side of my ceiling. Thursday, I slept at derspatchel's and we were both woken at nine in the morning by contractors operating power tools on the other side of his wall. I was too tired this morning to feel vindictive about the fact that I slept until half past noon and the only thing that woke me was Abbie resettling from the small of my back to my feet, but I probably would have muttered something victorious at the universe if I hadn't gone right back to sleep. Rob returned from the MIT Museum around one o'clock with finger puppets of Schrödinger's cat and Pavlov's dog and takeout from Mary Chung's. My family held a very minimalist seder tonight, because we couldn't either of the first two nights of Pesach; I am still glad of it. I make the charoses with my great-grandmother's chopper and bowl, tell the story a little differently each time.

I am starting to miss my books again.

Comments

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

Oh! April the month. At first I thought teenybuffalo was somehow at the root of it all.

Is derspatchel among the performers?

[teenybuffalo.livejournal.com]

And then I must know someone with DVDs of Gormenghast (2000).

You do and it is me. Come over sometime and help me mainline a whole DVD.

I'm sorry to see Richard Griffiths go. Genuinely funny character actors don't grow on trees.

[nineweaving.livejournal.com]

...with finger puppets of Schrödinger's cat and Pavlov's dog and takeout from Mary Chung's...

What a sweetheart!

"Oh my boys, my boys, we are at the end of an age!" I adored Richard Griffiths. Thanks to a generous friend, I did get to see him on stage in The History Boys, as well as in the glorious NT broadcast as Auden, and in so many films: as Uncle Monty, as Swelter. I am grateful for that.

May you be reunited with your books. May the hammers cease.

Nine

[ap-aelfwine.livejournal.com]

I never saw him in The History Boys.

He did well in it, at least if I'm correct in remembering which character he played. For some reason I'm a bit surprised you've not seen that one. It's worth the seeing, I think.

May he rest in peace.

Enjoy your calzone!

I'm sorry for the mostly awfulness. Glad ye had your Seder at last.

[steepholm.livejournal.com]

I think the most recent thing I saw Richard Griffiths in was the first episode of Episodes, in which he plays a Richard Griffiths-type actor, star of a British show about a school called Lyan's Boys, which is about to be remade for American TV. He auditions for his own role, but is rejected in favour of Matt LeBlanc (ably played by Matt LeBlanc)...

Sorry to hear you're being stalked by strange men with power tools.

[papersky.livejournal.com]

You need to see The History Boys.

My aunt told me he was dead by the name of his character in that film which on the one hand is completely mad and on the other hand quite right. Not many people working in that range.

And I'm so glad you got some sleep. I've had a rotten week for sleep too. I wonder if it's something going around?

[moon-custafer.livejournal.com]

I did not know he was the hearing child of deaf parents.

Like Noel Coward, and Lon Chaney. Interesting.

[egologic.livejournal.com]

Sorry to hear about your loss of sleep. I can appreciate how that feels. We've had construction for the last eight months out back. Same side of the house as the bedroom. Though it's usually cats that are a bigger risk to my sleep.

Here's another vote to see "History Boys." I've seen the movie a couple of times and even saw it performed on stage in DC. Of course it wasn't Richard Griffiths on stage when I saw it but I always think of him when I think of seeing it.

I don't know if it would interest you but we enjoyed him in five seasons of "Pie in the Sky." He played a detective inspector AND chef. Maggie Steed played his wife. We were very sad when we watched the last episode of the last season. Available from Netflix (who also have a pretty good selection of other things he's done).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pie_in_the_Sky_%28TV_series%29