“That Way Madness Lies.” By Susan Coyne. Dir. Peter Wellington. Perf. Martha Burns, Paul Gross, Don McKellar, Mark McKinney, Oliver Dennis, Susan Coyne, Stephen Ouimette, Catherine Fitch, and William Hutt. Slings and Arrows. Season 3, episode 2. Movie Central: Canada. 7 August 2006. DVD. Acorn Media, 2006-2007.King Lear, offering a remarkable amount of small moments of comic relief, is still so overwhelmingly tragic that we seek, in our own responses to it, to find humor. One place where this is found is, once again, in Slings and Arrows.
The third season, as you know, deals with King Lear. The opening song gives us a comic version of the plot. Here's that song, followed by its lyrics (for your convenience).
When life takes its toll, and fate treats you bad . . .
You used to be king, and now you've been had . . .
Along with you fool, you think you'll go mad—
It's nice to take a walk in the rain.
A stomp through a storm is what I'd advise,
When people you trust tell nothing but lies,
And kidnap your friend and gouge out his eyes—
It's nice to take a walk in the rain.
You say your daughters are evil plotters?
A pitter-patter shower will keep you sane.
When all has been said, and all have been slain,
It's nice to take a walk in the rain (for several hours);
Helps to hove a howl in the rain (without your clothes on)—
Nice to take a walk in the rain!
Links: Episode List at IMDB.
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(and to support Bardfilm as you do so).
(and to support Bardfilm as you do so).
Thanks for the song lyrics to the Slings and Arrows opener for the King Lear episodes of season three.
ReplyDeleteDid Susan write the song as well? I wonder.
I met a professor who specialized in the writings of 'the bard' and he told me something about the admonishment to Laertes from Polonius, "...to thine own self..." you know it. To be 'true' meant loyalty. Loyalty to yourself was selfishness. Night follows day showed going into darkness. And your true colors shine for all to see as the selfish man you are.
Aloha