Ranking Thrones

Alex and Jamie continue their deep dive into the BBC's York Tetralogy. Henry VI Part 3 is the most action-packed Shakespeare play with 4 onstage battles. Join us as we dive into parallels to Titus Andronicus, the tragedy of Henry VI, the vital origins of Richard III, the magnificent performance of Julia Foster as Margaret, and the nature of revenge stories.

Known as the Sea Snake, Corlys Velaryon would make Nine Legendary journeys across the sea. He would briefly become the richest Lord of Westeros. He would also marry Princess Rhaenys, the daughter of the heir to the Iron Throne. He would soon become embroiled in the Dance of the Dragons, becoming the only man to serve as Hand of the Queen. Will he stand as one of the greatest Hands of the King, or will he be a figure of infamy amidst one of the darkest moments in Westerosi history?

This episode was recorded prior to the airing of the first season of House of the Dragon.

Rogar Baratheon would stand against the tyranny of Maegor the Cruel and help to make young Prince Jaehaerys the King. Rogar Baratheon would become Hand of the King and one of the most powerful Hand's of Westerosi history. How will he measure as Hand of the King to James and Evan?

Galen joins James to chat about Hayao Miyazaki's masterpiece Spirited Away. They get into the beauty of 2D animation, the themes of maturity, Buddhism, communism, all this and a discussion of live-action Disney remakes.

James and Evan meet-up to chat about the first two episodes of House of the Dragons. We note the historical parallels, adaptation choices, and analyze the parallels and strengths of numerous characters. All of this and a discussion of the most controversial choice and presentation.

Toniiiiight, Jamie is joined by the Shakespeare Online Rep's Lucy to chat about the two movie adaptations of West Side Story. We dive deep into the controversial aspects of the original 1961 film, the greatness that is Rita Moreno, the complexity of Sondheim's lyrics, the brilliance of "America" and how it relates to the immigrant experience, all of this and a small tangent about Dune. 

The Shakespeare Online Repertory Theatre is a Discord Server that meets bi-weekly to read works of Shakespeare and other magnificent authors. We are a group that is a mix of professional actors and Shakespeare enthusiasts.

For our first publicly available performance, we present Shakespeare's underrated historical drama Richard II.

King Richard has reigned for years, but his increasingly tyrannical ways puts him in opposition with his lords, including his cousin Henry Bolingbroke. Follow the story of the mercurial Richard as he struggles to

Jamie sits down with friend and huge fan of Stephen King's It, Rainey. We get into the most infamous scene from the original novel, the cosmic space turtle. We touch upon the beloved 1990s miniseries and how Tim Curry compares to Bill Skarsgard as Pennywise. We also touch of course on the movies, and the controversial twist of It Chapter Two. Come join us, you'll float too...

Cosplay icon @carmillajo drops by to chat about The Nightmare Before Christmas. We talk about how this is NOT a Tim Burton movie despite what people think. Is this movie a metaphor for Tim Burton's relationship to Disney? Is this a metaphor for cultural appropriation? Is the message of the movie anti-Disney? All this and a discussion of anime.

In honor of Halloween, Jamie dives deep into some Halloween classics. Debuting this new podcast, musical veteran Elena comes to chat about Little Shop of Horrors. Get ready for everything from the original Roger Corman movie, Hallmark Christmas movies, the merits of Russell Crowe in Les Miserables, making deals with the Devil, and speculation on the Little Shop remake. Please join us, and please don't feed the plants. 

Bailey comes back and she and James go into the legendary Shakespeare spiritual adaptation, The Lion King. How much is The Lion King the story of Hamlet? Is Disney actually less wish-fulfillment fantasy than people believe? All this, and how Hakuna Matataa may be a metaphor for being a teenager.

Host's log: Phil returns to boldly go into a deep dive of three unique episodes from Star Trek: The Original Series that were all inspired by the plot of Shakespeare's plays. 

Elaan of Troyius: Kirk and the Enterprise have to transport this haughty Princess to her arranged marriage. But can Kirk tame this beautiful woman, or will her feminine wiles and Klingon attacks mean the end? Inspired by The Taming of the Shrew, are the outfits France Nuyen wears a little much? Does this episode age well?

Catspaw: Star Trek's Halloween episode has Kirk and the Enterprise receive an ominous warning after the death of a redshirt. Ignoring the warning of three witches Kirk, Spock and McCoy go to a seemingly haunted castle and meet two fickle magicians. Is this really a Macbeth episode of Star Trek? Do the old effects distract?

The Conscience of the King: Kirk is told that a Shakespearean actor may be an escaped war criminal. Kirk investigates while struggling with doubt and wooing the war criminal's daughter. We discuss the episode's relation to Hamlet, the significance of genre entertainment and the episode's relation to the Nuremberg trials.

They say that Shakespeare's work is immortal and universal. Akira Kurosawa proves that with his adaptation of Macbeth into feudal Japan with the masterpiece Throne of Blood. Guest Phil joins Jamie in discussing how well Kurosawa translates the story of Macbeth. The two get into the cross-cultural similarities and differences as well as the phenomenal performances and cinematography.

Alex returns to complete our 3-part analysis of The Hollow Crown. But rather than simply talk about Thea Sharrock's magnificent film, we broaden and speak about the two famous films by Sir Laurence Olivier and Sir Kenneth Branagh. Each adaptation of Henry V is a masterpiece that highlights different aspects of the text and bring Shakespeare's play and characters in wholly different light. Join us as we go once more unto the breach. 

This episode I am joined with the wonderful hosts of The Bicks Pod who are covering Shakespeare's plays and wider topics related to the Bard. They chose Justin Kurzel's Macbeth starring Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotiliard. We discuss sex-position, the fascinating adaptation choices made by the director and color filters in this week's episode!