Counting out

So, I read the book the library was giving out, a book full of rhymes and such that kids use to figure out who's it in tag, or for counting while jumping rope or keeping time with those complicated hand-slapping games I never could get the hang of. And the strange part was how few of the ones in the book I recognized, a mere half dozen or so*, out of well over 150, perhaps 200 rhymes. Obviously, some of it is that this was compiled from English sources, but still, I'd've thought there would've been more that were familiar (heck, if only from reading English kid books).

I started thinking about the rhymes that we used when I was young. And I'm sad to say that few have stuck with me. The ones I do remember were mostly about counting out to decide who was (or wasn't) it, so hands were put into a circle and someone would count off, each word for a hand.

( ones I remember )

In which I am forgetful

I had planned to wear my pi T-shirt today.
And of course, having not put it out the night before, that didn't happen.
Sigh.

Happy pi day.
(Though really, I should post at 1:59, or 3:14, for full effect.)

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead

And the rumors of their passing have not been exaggerated.

Saturday night I went to the Chelsea Theatrezone production of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead (Tom Stoppard). It's one of five plays in their Actors Revenge, where five actors choose the plays they'd like to stage, with themselves in the starring roles, a neat scheme.

I'm a Stoppard fan, so I would've gone in any case. I'm pleased to say this was an excellent production. This plot synopsis is pretty good; I'll not redo what's already been done. I'm fascinated by how Stoppard weaves in all sorts of threads of thought, about probability, and sense of self, and the stage we know as the world, among others.

The set was simple, three arches, with a not-quite-a-compass-rose painted on the floor. Curtains became ship's sails, later on. Lighting, too, was not complicated, though well done. And the costumes were quite nice, with jerkins and doublets and such.

But the real strength of the show was in the acting, which was superb. I wasn't surprised to find out that Guildenstern had been a principal dancer, for instance; the level of physical jesting was perfectly timed. In addition to the eponymous characters, the lead Player, in this case female, was also outstanding, showing the bluster and overacting needed at times, being larger than life as necessary. Hamlet had ringlets, which for some reason is not at all how I picture him. Hamlet also got to read books, and I was amused to see that once it was "Waiting for Godot," while another time it was the poetry of T.S. Eliot.

There were some distractions. Chelsea is close to the airport, and there were times that planes taking off (or landing?) were loud enough to be heard inside, noticeably. Large trucks, too. The one perfectly timed incongruity was towards the end, when Guildenstern is talking about getting a message... and someone's cell phone went off. Yes, it was on vibrate, but the whole audience could hear it, and cracked up. Actually, there was a lot of cracking up; there's a lot of funny stuff.

I think this is better than the production I saw years ago, though perhaps at the time I was less familiar with Hamlet, so wondered how much I was missing. Definitely, two thumbs up.