#44 "Shakespeare In The Park" In color! November 7, 2011

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In the last blog post, I talked about how all the characters pictured here are really actors or audience members at a performance of a work of Shakespeare being put on in the park. Well, now it has color and who knows what it's about now. I think we can leave the title as is, although I'm not that convinced of my argument about the characters of Billy Shake being portrayed here. This looks more like one of those "Celebrate Brooklyn" concerts they put on each summer, where things sometimes get out of hand. At least the band showed up this time. Music is an important part of life at the Cafe Loup. I have said that in this blog before but I am just reminding you. That is why I am always bringing up Cafe Loup: The Musical. Some day, I hope someone from the place writes the Musical version of life at the Loup. Sara used to talk about writing a book called Table 8 that would be all about the adventures of the employees of the Loup. The stories would be told sitting around Table 8 like in the old days when we sat at that table every night after our shift. We rarely sit there any more; it's one of the lost practices of the old team. As much as I think that a Table 8 book idea is a good one, I think The Musical would be better. Sometimes when we're all bored at work we try to cast The Musical. It's a fun activity and if you have never  thought about who would play you in the movie of your life, now is the time to act as the casting director, and get someone to play you. Everyone looks kind of like a celebrity, so everyone could be cast in the movie. The old ladies at my old job used to say I looked like James Woods which is cool and everything since he's a bad ass, but he's my dad's age. So he could play the old version of me when I am still working at the Loup in 2030 and this blog has 16 followers instead of 8. I don't know who could play me, but I like to think that my boy Justin Timberlake might be able to harness the crazy in me. That, and he's a dream boat so who wouldn't want him to portray them in the movie version of the The Musical. We have even cast some of the regulars, because The Musical wouldn't be complete without some of the regulars. I mean, they are the reason the place stays open in the first place, so they might as well get at least a little cameo. As for Tim, that one is really tricky. Granted, casting JTLake as myself is kind of insane since I don't really look like him besides the fact that we are both 30 something white boys, but I'm casting this movie dammit. I have Tim narrowed down to a couple dudes, but I am going to have to have them come in and read some lines before I can really settle on one. I am between Matthew Fox (Jack from Lost), Justin Theroux (from Mullholland Drive and Aniston's baby father), and James Franco (from Rise of the Planet of the Apes:). Now, Mr. Fox kind of looks like Tim if you put some glasses on him and made him grow his hair longer than a buzz cut, but what about his chops as an actor? Is he going to be able to give the performance we want from him? Theroux has proven his acting chops in movies like American Psycho and Mullholland Drive, but he seems somehow not exactly right. Maybe he's not edgy enough. I think Franco could certainly pull it off, but haven't we reached the Franco Saturation point by now? Yes, we have; however, maybe this role would bag him an Oscar and we could finally be rid of him (for a couple of years until he starts directing). So, all of you people who don't know what Tim and I look like, there is a small frame of reference. We look like those dudes. Cool right? The Loup is full of hunks.
So, since I cast Tim and I, I feel obligated to cast the rest of the Cafe Loup staff, and maybe some regulars. So, without further ado, here is Jeremy's Cafe Loup: The Musical casting.

Cast (In order of Appearance)

Llyod- Jeff Bridges
Ardes- Annette Benning
Bernardo-
Ociel- Peter Dinklage
Jose Perez-
Segundo- Jackie Chan
Jay- Alfred Molina
Dien- Chun Yao Fat
Sara- Julianne Moore
Frank- Tony Hale
Mike-
Marcel-
Sue-
Jerry-
Tomyo- Bai Ling
Jose Gonzales-
Jeremy- Justin Timberlake
Draman- Djimon Hounsou
Tim- James Franco
Edie- Ginnifer Goodwin
Gary-
Phil- The Lorax
Laird- Phillip Seymour Hoffman
Javier- Shrek
Alex- Dave Navarro
Victor-
Gayle-
Noel-
Richard- Robert Duval
Rebecca-
Liz-
Tommy-
Allan- Michael Caine

(Ok, I couldn't cast the whole thing. Here's a partial list for now...)

#44 "Shakespeare In The Park" November 7, 2011

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To tell you the truth, I haven't read that much Shakespeare. I've read Romeo & Juliet, Othello, and Hamlet. I think that's it. I've seen Sleep No More and The Donkey Show, but both of those are loose interpretations; the latter being very loose, if you know what I mean. So, I would try to wax poetic about the picture here being an interpretation of Billy's works but I am afraid I am not knowledgeable enough to do that. Of course, there are all of the characters that Shakespeare liked to write about pictured here. There is the hero, pictured here holding a rabbit, (or cat; let's make it a cat to really double up on symbolism) looking off into space with a knowing look; as if he knows of his impending doom and is foreshadowing the coming storm with a sense of calm and helplessness. As if he can do nothing to stop his fate. He wears headphones to block out the advise given to him by friends and family and even has an Ego growing out of his head. His ego looks down on him, unable to change his mind, although in constant dialogue with him; a sad expression on its face, also foreshadowing his grisly fate. The hero (or possibly tragic hero) is being carried in a baby bjorn by an eyeless, sexless being, possibly the narrator, possibly a spiritual being who is "carrying" the hero to his predestined future; both unseeing and uncaring, the being merely delivers the hero's destiny as written by the stars. Behind these characters is the crazy woman, the Ophelia of the picture. You may remember her from Tim & Jeremy's #21 where she first appeared in a seemingly much older form. In this incarnation, she dances at the peripheral as the men make the big decisions and ultimate downfalls. She becomes marginalized and dances her way out of the picture, literally, with her socks drooping and feeding her hat all the while. Next, we have the villain. Here he is pictured as a high school aged cat (not unlike the kind the hero has been "carrying", amIright?) smack dab in the middle of the composition. He is like Iago, stabbing the proverbial lamb in the heart with a smirk on his face implying that he will probably get away with it, or at least bring down the entire kingdom while doing so. The lamb, in turn has a surprised look, like he should have known the knife was coming, like his own fate was to die by the knife in order to become the martyr or rallying cry for the kingdom to seek revenge. The revenge can possibly come from the character right in front of him, the king. The king looks old and regal and wields a hedge trimmer, eyes wild with bloodlust. He swings the hedge trimmer wildly, out for blood of those who have been trying to manipulate him into laying down the crown and give it to the evil high school cat. He really wants to cut down the plant behind him, but he has been blinded by fantasies of revenge so powerful that his hedge trimmers cannot find the source of his ire, which is the plant. The plant obviously represents the ghosts prevalent in many works of Shakespeare. No one in the picture even notices this plant, although they should as it has a head, teeth and is sprouting small heads each with it's own mouth and eyes. The plant sits on the edge, watching the living souls play out their irrelevant drama, as it waits patiently to be joined by one and all of them. They will all eventually die, and since this is a work of Shakespeare, they will all die relatively soon. But wait! Is that a band in the background? It is! The band provides a little comic relief, like that of the jester or Puck in A Midsummer Night's Dream. The lead singer adds some sex appeal by exposing himself while the backup singer provides the comedy so needed in this tragedy by throwing up and the band plays on. This is merely a stage show! Look over on the side, there is the audience, silent and ghostly, observing but making no comment; an act made difficult without mouths. They observe the unfolding drama as judges, unable to provide assistance to any of the participants in the play and must sit and watch the action unfold. 

This is certainly an entertaining way to look at this one. It gives it some weight where there may not have been any in the first place. But isn't that so Shakespearian? Ordinary lives take on extraordinary properties and turn literature into scripture, passed down for the ages that repeat themselves forever.