Well, this place is about 98% complete now. I finally added my actors résumé, along with an accompanying headshot. I edited this section – the Blog – to make the layout a little more to my liking; a few more alterations and this place will be 100%.

I intended to write an “origin” post; every super-hero has an origin story after all. Hollywood often butchers these stories (i.e. X-Men Origins: Wolverine), but I feel that my story is safe from the scriptwriting abattoir. Instead, I decided to write about a theatre performance I saw a few days ago, and about my first impression of HBO’s Game of Thrones.

Akanda, a local theatre  company in Prague, recently put up a performance of Hedwig and the Angry Inch, a play by John Cameron and Stephen Trask. It was directed by the company’s resident director, Mélanie Rada, and starred fellow collaborator Jeff Fritz as Hedwig. First-time actor Uliana Elina, Ian Mikyska, Anar Yusufov, Tomáš Mika, and Pharoah Smeaton-Russell rounded out the rest of the cast. The performance was staged at the local expat watering hole, The Iron Curtain.

The first thing I noticed when the performance began was its production value. It was noticeable higher than any of Akanda’s previous works. The director and actors had clearly put in some quality rehearsal time. Many of the costume pieces were brand new. I noticed that Hedwig’s leather boots had yet to broken in. The cross-dressed character, Yitzhak (played by Uliana), did in fact look like a man. The Angry Inch  - comprised of members from local bands Tristram Trio and Broken Glass Extet – played live, original music that garnered much applause from the audience. It was opening night, so yes the actors were nervous; yes there were a few mistakes on stage. None of it detracted from the production, which was (as a viewing member of the audience) a wonderful experience and a suitable way to begin my Friday night.

I had the privilege of watching the first episode of HBO’s Game of Thrones this afternoon. I have been a fan of George R.R. Martin’s epic fantasy series A Song of Ice & Fire ever since I read the first book (A Game of Thrones) in 1997. The story is written in episodic narrative, taken from the perspective of a specific character per chapter. There are many characters in this series, and all of them are complex. While it usually very easy to sympathize with particular characters in fiction, George R.R. Martin created his characters to be wholly realistic, meaning they all have their merits and flaws. The protagonists may be spiteful and the villains may be remorseful.

So it was with great care that I viewed the first episode of HBO’s massive undertaking. I was not disappointed: the casting was spot on (and it’s an extensive cast); the sets and costuming were superb and detailed. Despite the mind-numbing number of plots and subplots that were introduced in 60 minutes, the episode was coherent and I never felt lost. In fact, when the episode ended, I felt that 60 minutes wasn’t long enough; I wanted more! Having read the book, I was in fanboy heaven when it ended with one of my favourite lines from the series: “The things I do for love.“

I can’t wait to watch more episodes!