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Hi, all! I've been a lurker on this community for a while and enjoy the discussion here. But only tonight did I have an experience that compelled me to turn to this community for advice. For context, I saw a performance of Henry IV, Part I at the American Shakespeare Center in Staunton, Virginia. This was my first time seeing a live performance of this play. As always at ASC, it was a lively fast-paced production -- the venue is a reproduction of Blackfriars Theatre, and I highly recommend seeing one of their shows if you're in the area -- but one particular moment stuck out at me. One of the things ASC includes with their program is music during the intros and intermissions. Specifically, the ensemble plays guitar and sings acoustic versions of various rock and pop songs which, as often as not, reflect some kind of (possibly irreverent and even inappropriate) reference to the events of the play. For instance, when I saw Lear there, the songs included the Rolling Stones' "Gimme Shelter" and U2's "Love is Blindness".
During the interlude for this production of H4.1, one of the songs chosen was "Kiss Off" by the Violent Femmes. I think that some explanation was given of how the song related to the play, but I came in too late to hear it. So, members of
thisengland! Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to tell me which character(s) in this play the song "Kiss Off" could apply to. Which character is saying this to whom, and bonus points for alternate universe scenarios in which one of the characters would actually have an opportunity to play it for the other(s). I'd say bonus points for subtext (or, well, for the realization of existing subtext), but that goes without saying.
In case you don't know the song, here's a live performance video from YouTube.
( Lyrics Behind the Cut )
Incidentally, I'm asking this question because I think it's implausible that the song could apply to the play; it's more that there are so many possibilities.
Really, I'd just take an AU with an excuse for Hotspur to wear the T-shirt the lead singer has on in that video.
A couple more notes on the production: (1) During the scene where Poins and Hal are role-playing as Hotspur and Kate, Poins pretended to grab Hal's breast, and Hal smacked his hand; (2) One of the things that I never assigned particular significance to before seeing a live production of this play is that Poins and Hal role-play as Hotspur and Kate. I love the histories, you guys.
During the interlude for this production of H4.1, one of the songs chosen was "Kiss Off" by the Violent Femmes. I think that some explanation was given of how the song related to the play, but I came in too late to hear it. So, members of
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In case you don't know the song, here's a live performance video from YouTube.
( Lyrics Behind the Cut )
Incidentally, I'm asking this question because I think it's implausible that the song could apply to the play; it's more that there are so many possibilities.
Really, I'd just take an AU with an excuse for Hotspur to wear the T-shirt the lead singer has on in that video.
A couple more notes on the production: (1) During the scene where Poins and Hal are role-playing as Hotspur and Kate, Poins pretended to grab Hal's breast, and Hal smacked his hand; (2) One of the things that I never assigned particular significance to before seeing a live production of this play is that Poins and Hal role-play as Hotspur and Kate. I love the histories, you guys.