Here's a weird tidbit of history for you: today is the anniversary of William Shakespeare's death back in 1616. He was also born on April 26, so that's kind of weird, but okay. Anyway, in honor of the occasion, we've compiled 16 silly Shakespeare-related tidbits for the literary nerds (or really, anyone who was forced to read Hamlet in their high school AP English class).
theater
It can get old really fast hearing the same pop songs over and over on the radio. That's why we really appreciate geniuses like Shakespeare Lyrics, a Twitter account dedicated to translating pop songs into Shakespearean slang for the cultured and classy. We're sad to report that this Twitter account no longer exists, unfortunately. It's a tragedy, really.
Via BBC Radio 1
The aim of the game is to prank call someone, then start each sentence with a new letter of the alphabet until you hit Z.
Via Gothamist
There's always that one person.
That rude, inconsiderate jackass who won't stop talking or texting during a performance. Being a professional theater critic, Kevin Williamson has experienced his fair share of these people. However, he finally snapped on the night of May 14th.
Williamson was attending a cabaret performance of Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812. If you're unfamiliar with cabaret seating, it's basically done with the audience in small groups at round tables of six or seven. Williamson happened to be sitting next to a woman who would not stop using her phone, even after the performance had started. Upon Williamson telling the woman to please stop, her response was: "so don't look."
Blood pressure rising. Keep calm. Breathe.
After a few more minutes, Williamson told her again to stop texting, asking her sarcastically if "she had special permission to use her phone during the performance." Her response? "Mind your own business."
That's it. I am so done. Williamson then promptly became the hero the NYC Standard Highline Carnival Tent deserves, and snatched the phone from the woman's hand, and threw it across the room and out the door. Williamson received a slap in the face from the woman and a quick ousting from the theater. Was it worth it? Totally. Let's all follow Kevin Williamson's example and not put up with people's rude crap.
Oh, and according to Williamson, the performance was top-notch.
