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From BBC News Magazine:

Shakespeare loved a fool and not just on 1 April. He used them in most of his well-known plays, but who would their equivalents be today?

It was never about bright clothes, eccentric hats and slippers with bells on them. Shakespeare’s fools were the stand-ups of their day and liked to expose the vain, mock the pompous and deliver a few home truths – however uncomfortable that might be for those on the receiving end.

“Shakespearean fools, like stand-ups today, had a licence to say almost anything,” says Dr Oliver Double, who teaches drama at the University of Kent and specialises in comedy. “It was an exalted position.”

…So, smart and articulate or stupid and foolish, who are the closest modern equivalents of Shakespeare’s fools and comic characters?

Full article here.

…Radiating a charisma that’s so beyond the legal limit that it makes laughable a condition of his KeyStone celibacy contract: “No seductive behavior.”

Seriously? The guy just shows up and he’s guilty.

Read the article here.

The New York Times has done a thoughtful, interesting feature on the filming of Arthur, which you can read here.

An excerpt:

On this day the cast and crew had assembled to shoot Arthur’s first encounter with his dream woman (Ms. Gerwig). In 1981 the character was a brassy shoplifter; today, she scams out-of-towners by conducting nonsense-filled walking tours. Better-known actresses tested with Mr. Brand, but according to one of the producers, Kevin McCormick, Ms. Gerwig “was the one who brought out a sweetness in him and also the one who could keep up with him.”

As Mr. Brand, bedecked in a Lincoln stovepipe hat, staggers up to her, kicking off each take with a different opening line, she quickly decides he’s a street crazy and incorporates him into her patter, comparing him in successive takes to Dylan Thomas, Willy Wonka and a cast member of the musical “Grand Hotel.”

Mr. Baynham, listening for what works and what doesn’t, took notes, refining their riffs into new jokes for later takes, and Mr. Winer frequently sprung from his chair to talk to the actors, then returned to study the monitors. After several takes, he realized what wasn’t working: There was no moment when Ms. Gerwig’s character stopped to take Arthur in with a look. After some discussion about whether a line was required, Mr. Winer decided to address it with a change in Ms. Gerwig’s blocking and body language.

All of this is more controlled than it sounds. “It’s unlike most other film experiences, where you don’t change lines that much,” Ms. Mirren said. “But Russell isn’t a wild cannon. He’s actually very careful about all the technical requirements, continuity and marks and all that stuff. He has an incredible comedian’s brain, but he pays attention to detail.”