Parsley and Sage, and Poetry on Stage

Shakespeare really spiced things up with his dramas onstage. His plays brought him reputation, fame, and credibility. They also in some ways, brought him rebuke. Today however, he is the world's best known drama writer and playwright.

Now, Shakespeare is not my favorite playwright or poet, but he does have some plays I am fond of. Twelfth Night for instance is one I remember reading in high school and I was quite fond of it. He is a good author, that's beyond dispute. I simply have other poets I read into a little bit more.

I love a good drama, both in the written sense and the acting sense. I love seeing stories acted on stage. I love Phantom of the Opera, which is not just a classic book, but the story is actually set in an opera house. The movie and soundtrack are stupendous. The costumes, the music, and the acting for the movie and the on-stage story is exceptional.

I believe that music is also poetry.

Songs are poems, when they are written with some soul and some skill. I don't consider rap music poetry, but I do consider songs such as Rosemary and Thyme by Simon and Garfunkel to be quite poetic. Or Brick by Brick by Train. There's also Bohemian Rapsody by Queen or Hotel California by The Eagles. These songs are creative, original, and have soul and emotion built into them.

Obviously, singers (good ones anyway) spend a good chunk of their time onstage. Performing their songs for a receptive crowd, they are paid and promoted to put on a good show for their fans and audience.

There is such a wide array of shows these days. Plays, concerts, movies. We take for granted the options we have. We are so arrogant today in what we deem as good and popular. Imagine being in an older time period, where the entertainment spectrum is much more limited.

So how do we gauge actual skill and talent these days? It seems every new singer or band is welcomed with open arms and celebrated as the hip new thing. While sometimes there is merit to this, I think more often than not, we simply get bored. We don't appreciate what we have or what has already been created. We always want or need something new.

Sometimes the beauty of the arts is found more often in the old things rather than the new. I personally love older music and books more than most things modern. I also love older movies more so than most of the new ones. That's not to say new things can't be good. (Because they can be). I am simply suggesting that whether there be new music or movies, plays, or writers, that they be original. And that, while we observe new trends and talents, we remember the past. That we would appreciate the new people and their gifts, while we also remember those who had gifts previously. Knowing that we still have the blessing to enjoy and learn from them today.