Words and Music, October 2005

[PokerKitten]

Yes, count me in with the few ;D Just need to convince Steve and James that the filming quality was good enough.

Nice to see you posting, btw

[Ditto]

Some great reports there, thanx peeps. We're still thinking about it. H says "It was awesome!" She says she likes him with his mousy brown hair. James mousy! Quel horreur!! Brunet possibly.

[DeeDee]

admin said:

Yes, count me in with the few ;D Just need to convince Steve and James that the filming quality was good enough.

oh yes it needs to be good enough for a DVD please ;D ;D

[PokerKitten]

Teebs spotted this first but asked me to post it!

JM Live

ENJOY 2006 WITH JAMES MARSTERS ON DVD

The eagerly-awaited DVD of Words & Music will be officially released on January 17 and features around two hours of James in performance on the London stage.

The DVD special includes James performing his own haunting adaptation of Shakespeare's famous tragedy, Macbeth, with American actress Cheryl Puente followed by an acoustic concert with James performing several songs which have yet to be recorded.

Advance orders for the DVD are now being taken. There is also a gift certificate to download and print if you are planning to order the Words & Music DVD as a Christmas gift. Further details available here.


ADVANCE ORDERS ONLY: The DVD will be ready for dispatch in January. You can order it now and it will be mailed to you or the person of your choice as soon as available.

Release date: 17 January 2006

***

Filmed from a fixed camera within the auditorium, this is a live recording of James performing his abbreviated Macbeth with the support of Cheryl Puente as Lady Macbeth. Also featured is James' solo concert from the same evening. Songs include 'Finer Than Gold', 'Button Down Vandals', 'Up On Me' and 'Lou'.


DVD. Multi-region PAL format (please ensure that your DVD player is PAL enabled)

Price: £15.00 + shipping


Btw, the JMLive site has been revamped so go look.

[PokerKitten]

Official pics from W&M at JMLive

Yum! ;D

[PokerKitten]

Q&A transcripts from matinee and evening performances of Macbeth, at JMLive

;D

[PokerKitten]

Don't fret if you don't have a multi-region DVD player, btw, as there will be a US version of W&M available from James' official site soon.

[DeeDee]

Thanks for the info Pk and Teebs
Weeeeee!!! Been and ordered it ;D ;D
Oh Wow they love to suprise us with these things arn't they great!! ;D ;D
and the piccies yay!!! ;D ;D

[PokerKitten]

The US version of the DVD is now available to pre-order from James' site - HERE - $30

[PokerKitten]

Oh goodie! ;D A wee bit earlier than anticipated ;D

THEY'RE COMING...

Pre-ordered copies of the Words & Music DVD are now being sent out by JMLive.

Those of you who have placed an order should receive your DVD shortly. Please
bear in mind that overseas orders will take a little longer than those to the
UK.

This DVD is a limited edition, so if you have not yet ordered your copy please
be aware that when it's gone, it's gone.

Have a happy New Year with James.

[PokerKitten]

*sing song voice* It's he-re... ;D So teebs, I expect your copy will be along in a few days as well.

There was a little message on the back of my envelope - Sorry you missed it! Hoe you enjoy - JM Live Gotta love those gals

Just wrasslin' with my conscience now - do I watch it now, rather than late afternoon....

[DeeDee]

lovely scans Pk Heh Heh... I should watch it Now And Late Afternoon ,oh that was a lovely message from the JM Live Gals ;D ;D

[PokerKitten]

The devil won, and I watched the Macbeth section Had to turn the volume up real high to hear properly; but I have the gig on in the background now and the sound is much better for that. I was a bit disappointed not to have the Q&A on the Macbeth footage. I would enjoy hearing JM and CP talk about it just as much as acting it.

That said, I enjoyed JM's story telling links throughout Macbeth as much as the text, and the easy way he slips in out of it. But it all really came to life for me when Macbeth was getting all riled up about Banquo and the Sistas predicting his son would found a long line of great kings. Not sure I've seen this done better. And the banquet scene was a joy. Loved the way he spat out one of my faves - Never shake thy gory locks at me! ;D

[Teebee]

;D ;D I'm so chuffed for you PK , and what a lovely message from the JMlive gels

And the banquet scene was a joy.

;D Wasn't it great......

[nightnurse]

I have to say I watched the Music part first and he was just so fine ;D Maybe a bit too crunchy on the electric section , but the lyrics were as clear as a bell ...heard every word .

Apparently you could tell it was the evening perf of Macbeth on the dvd as the blue light on the right side of the stage isn't on as CP broke it during the afternoon perf ...and is that V I hear woo hooing big time after 'Smile' ;D

He really does own the stage , the passion for Shakeys words and his complete understanding of the character of Macbeth comes shining through .

[Pluto7077]

;D Got mine today ;D Don't know when I'll watch it though Still have Cool Money waiting to be viewed I need the right moment and ambience. Might need to wait for Feb half term when I'm on leave and H is at Disneyland

How lovely to get that message PK, hope you felt special

[Cyrus]

OMG that first pic! *has orgasm* ;D

[debw]

Well, anyone who knows me will realise that I missed this event .I'll keep the whining to a minimum but sheesh I was upset. As a confirmed theatre geek I'd always wanted to see James on stage. I knew he had stage presence. I knew he could project. I knew he was a damn fine actor. I'd heard him do a couple of his audition pieces and knew that he had a better ear for the cadences of Shakespearian verse than many actors ( especially American actors). I'd heard his personal vision of Macbeth and read the reviews from Seattle.

I wanted to be there! But the DVD is the next best thing.

Warning extreme geekiness ahead

...
I loved the linking pieces, his explanations of characterisation and motivation and the use of humour. Well written and well spoken ,making a clear division between character and narrator.

And once he started speaking the words it was evident that James understands that Shakespeare is not to be declaimed but to be spoken as living English. He kept the sense , metre and poetry of the dialogue whilst making it clear, understandable and bang up to date.It's a rare talent ! colour me impressed!

As Macbeth James convinced me that he was a dangerous, driven man. A soldier and a hero whose fatal flaw was ambition, not only for himself but for his family, his dynasty. A man married to , and fiercely in love with, a woman as ambitious as himself.A man who felt betrayed by his King and who sought to take what he believed to be his by right .


The review of James' performance in Seattle spoke of a sensual and sexual portrayal of the role and this came through very strongly. The second thing a soldier does when he comes home is take his boots off



And I loved the sense of a man who puts his plan into action and then discovers that the plan has a momentum of its own and that, in order to keep his crown , in order not only to be thus but to be safely thus he must commit murder after murder after murder. He is ruthless but tormented, choosing to protect his wife from the true horror of his deeds at the cost of losing his confidante. The fact is that in committing these murders he has also murdered sleep and peace of mind .At the end of the day Macbeth just isn't ruthless enough to be a cold blooded killer and still sleep at night.


Lady Macbeth meanwhile, initially so cool an accomplice, cannot live with the memory of her bloodstained hands and with the knowledge of what her own ambition has helped set in train . She loses her sanity and her life. By which point her sleep deprived husband, increasingly aware that he has been duped by the Weird sisters, is beyond mourning, beyond caring.I had heard James do the ten line soliloquy before but here, in context, it still surprised me with its power and resignation. Nothing matters any more, everything signifies nothing .Damn that's bleak!

Cheryl Puente is a good foil to James' Macbeth although she obviously does not have James' training or experience. At times her performance was a little " stagy" in comparison to James' more naturalistic style . She seemed rather too fond of large gestures , but she acquitted herself very well. I'd like to have seen this production at the end of a two week run, because I got the feeling that, given time and direction, she could have been really good in this role.

The banquet scene was handled in a way I had not seen before but which worked brilliantly . Lady Macbeth, deeply concerned about her husband's behaviour, desperately trying to laugh it off, trying to convince her guests that nothing is amiss whilst Macbeth disintigrates before her eyes. The audience didn't need to see the ghost to believe in Macbeth's belief that Banquo had come back to accuse and to wreak revenge on his murderer.Macbeth's attempts to pull himself together and his refusal to believe that he alone could see this gory apparition were marvellously handled.


And the simple staging worked well too, we didn't need scenery or fancy lighting, everything hinged on the power of the words and the performances and that's exactly how it should be.

After everything he had done, despite every murder he had committed I never lost sympathy for this Macbeth. I wanted him to win the final fight. And I was glad that , after his brief loss of courage and confidence when the duplicity of the prophecies was revealed, he met his nemesis bravely and died with harness on his back.






* wild applause*


And if this made the kind of sense that doesn't please cut me some slack. It's been a very long day

I'm going to relax with the " Music" section of the DVD now.. damn he sounds good to me ;D

[PokerKitten]

Stripped back staging always works particularly well for Macbeth, I reckon. Although of course, for this piece, they wouldn't have had much option.

I'm grateful for the gig footage because I had never even heard London City, never mind the other newer stuff, and if James never gets round to recording a second album, the sound quality is so good for the gig that this will kep me happy ;D Not that that means he shouldn't bring out another album... stop loafing about James and get into the studio ;D (yes, I'm kidding, I know the man doesn't loaf )

[mommy2001]

Not fair, I want one.