Most people seem to assume that the incredibly multifarious Yiddish word "oy" is almost exclusively a negative exclamation, and I believe I have to date used it only as such in this blog. However, the late, great Leo Rosten (the writer of just about every major popular book abut Yiddish) has rightly said that "oy" is not a word, it's a vocabulary. In
The Joys of Yiddish he gives 29 uses of "oy" including pain, sorrow, frustration, dismissiveness, surprise, laughter, and outright euphoria. Well, it's with that last emotion with which this entry is tinged, as three things have happened that I really want to
kvell about.
1. I seem to have... a secret admirer? a "fan"? a
patron, even? There is a gentleman in California (whose name I do know, but I'll leave him his privacy unless he tells me otherwise) who is apparently so enamored of my writing, both for this blog and my virtually defunct Amazon Reviews (which I will start again - one of these days. I hope), that he is buying me gigantic chunks of my Amazon Wish List in appreciation! Well sir, consider this my falling on my knees and kissing your feet from afar.
THANK YOU. THANK YOU! THANK YOU!!!! And in your honor I will do my best to post more often. Well, I want to do that
anyway, but now I have additional incentive. I suppose I am actually getting
paid for my writing at last, even if it is by barter!
2. I just found out that Angela Gheorghiu is singing not just four Amelias in
Simon Boccanegra at the Met this season (of which I will be attending two), but what is still her greatest role...Violetta! Now this is
always an event, especially as I have heard of no plans for her to sing it again in New York anytime soon (although I now wonder about 2010-2011 since she's not doing the
Don Carlo). One night only (March 24), unfortunately. My guess is that the originally scheduled Krasimira Stoyanova (who I would also like to see in the role and whose Nedda I will be seeing on Tuesday) was unavailable, Gelb wanted the starriest replacement possible, and Angela, who just happens to be doing a concert in Florida the night before, was more than willing (1). Since I have been out of touch with most of the main operatic news outlets for some time, mostly due to their recent treatment of Angela's husband (2), I only found out about this today from one of the other members of the
Yahoo! Gheorghiu and Alagna fan club where I am a now largely absent moderator (3). Angela has been listed as being part of this performance on the Met's website for several days now - since it's a Saturday night performance, I really hope I can get a ticket. This is one of the few Met things that I will happily pay $42 for - and we get not just Angela but Jonas Kaufmann (hopefully minus cold, this time)
and Dwayne Croft. Not Earle Patriarco as the Marquis, but you can't have everything.
3. And last but not least...
Derek Jacobi is going to be on
Doctor Who.
Derek Jacobi is going to be on
Doctor Who!!!!
You know, he's like one of my favorite actors ... ever, appearing on possibly my favorite show ... ever?
I remember being 9 years old and absolutely riveted to the screen by I, Claudius - well, most of it anyway, as my parents wouldn't let me watch the very adult last four episodes (4). Admittedly, this wasn't just because of Sir Derek (and oh, how long I waited to call him "Sir" - I first saw him in 1979 and I don't think he was knighted until 1994 !), as it's arguably the greatest drama ever produced on British television, but it's mainly his fault that I developed an intense interest in Roman, Greek, and Egyptian culture, and took Latin in high school! I also remember his Hamlet for the BBC, so intense that I turned it off when he started yelling at his mother. In fact, I've never quite forgiven my mother for not giving me the money to go see him on Broadway when he came to do "Breaking the Code" (it did wind up on Masterpiece Theater, but that's not the same thing).
Oh, yeah, and Cadfael. I love historical mysteries, especially medieval ones. I still have to read those books. Right now my favorite mystery series is Sharan Newman's Catherine Le Vendeur novels, but that series seems to be either ended or on hiatus after 10 books. One of these days days I hope to be able to tell Sir Derek this story. I was watching Cadfael with my late ex-boyfriend, who was a master of bad puns (note to potential future boyfriends - that's an asset). He said, "Well, we all know about Cadfael (pronouced "cad-file") the monk who's a detective. Do you know about the monk who's a bureaucrat? Cardfile."
Then his work with Kenneth Branagh - he was so wonderful as the Chorus in Henry V (my favorite Shakespeare movie?). In fact when I saw him in Dead Again, where he was not only the most sinister character in the movie but also the funniest, I was thinking how perfect he would be as the Doctor. But I figured, hey, he's one of the greatest actors in the world. He'd probably look down his nose at Doctor Who. And they could never afford him. Boy, I'm so glad I was wrong!
(Well, it is too late at this stage for him to play the Doctor, as he's in his late 60s. I think that the shows producers at this point would never cast an actor much past his 40s, and it's an intensely physical role and production - 13 hours a day, 6 days a week, 9 months a year is more than a lot of actors, regardless of age, could handle.
And if I'm fainting with joy over this, I can only imagine how David Tennant and Freema Agyeman (oh, yes, and John Barrowman, too - Captain Jack is back!) are reacting. David's worked on some very high profile projects and with the RSC, so he may have worked with Sir Derek before. I can't wait to see how they interact, especially as I think David is not far away from being an actor of Sir Derek's stature (the only real issue is the age, not the talent) and will probably have his own knighthood within the next 30 years. If not I will go to Britain and assassinate whoever is on the throne (5).
All that has been revealed about his upcoming
Doctor Who appearance is that he is apparently playing a character called "the Professor" who is a good guy trying to help the Doctor save the world from destruction. Of course, the British tabloids have already started rumors to the contrary, and I will not comment on the speculation as to who the character really might be as it will spoil things for readers of this blog who are
Doctor Who fans and bore those who are not. I assume his character will be in the two-part (as yet untitled) finale, as he's too "big" a star to appear in anything less. I imagine it must be a really great script and a pretty meaty role, as well, otherwise I suspect he wouldn't do it. Possibly a fabulous death scene. I just hope he doesn't steal the show from the main characters (as Simon Callow's Dickens did in "The Unquiet Dead") Oh well, we'll find out for sure by the end of June, when the episodes air in Britain, and since I assume that the season will begin airing on the SciFi Channel shortly after, we'll know all the details in about 10 months.
Ten MONTHS??
Oy. That's a
long wait.
OYYYYYYY! (6)
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(1) I suspect strongly that Angela will cancel said concert.
(2) Was he wrong? Yes. Does he deserve crucifixion? No.
(3) If any of you are reading this, folks, I am faithfully reading if not posting. Look how hard it is maintaining
this piece of writing!
(4)I finally saw them when I was about 16 and think most of the questionable content would have gone over my head at 9.
(5) Although producer/head writer Russell T Davies has referred to David in interviews as "Sir David Tennant", just as he used to refer to former companion Billie Piper as "Dame". And let's not forget that the Doctor and Rose were knighted by Queen Victoria! (Never mind what happened afterwards) And I'm assuming there's actually still a monarchy in Britain in 2030. Actually I might carry out that threat if Antonio Pappano isn't knighted by 2010 (assuming he's still at Covent Garden or some other British musical institution like the LSO). And what about Patrick Stewart?
(6) Well, I suppose there's YouTube. Sshhhhh.....
