The Shakespeare Conference: SHK 19.0223  Tuesday, 15 April 2008

From: 		Hardy M. Cook <
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Date: 		Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Subject: 	Miller's MacHomer

http://www.edmontonsun.com/Entertainment/Columnists/MacLean_Colin/2008/04/15/5286301-sun.html

"Shakespeare's yellow tragedy:
Miller's MacHomer makes Simpsons fans go 'woo-hoo!'"
April 15, 2008
By COLIN MacLEAN
The Edmonton Sun Online

It was the buzz of the Fringe Festival 12 years ago.

Everyone was talking about this Toronto actor, Rick Miller, who had 
television's The Simpsons doing Shakespeare's Macbeth. Not only was it 
funny, but the kid was doing 50 of the Simpsons' voices (55 actually) 
and changing character instantaneously.

The phrase, "Is this a dagger I see before me ... or a pizza," quickly 
became one of the catchphrases oft heard in the beer tent.

Miller's show was something of a makeshift arrangement that began as 
entertainment to fill the hours while on the road with a production of 
the original Scottish play. The 300 or so slides were obviously hand 
drawn and the new project was mostly Miller and a mic.

"It was a comedy sketch that became a Fringe play and has turned into a 
theatrical event," he explains.

FROM TV TO THE STAGE

MacHomer was a hoot. Who could fail to laugh at so outrageous a concept?

Miller provided a dunderhead of a Homer (as Macbeth) and a bang-on 
Marge. The witches were played by the Sea Captain, Moe the Bartender and 
Principal Skinner.

It is a considerably more polished production that opens at the Arts 
Barns tonight and runs through Sunday - as befitting a show that has 
toured relentlessly for 12 years (with more than 600 performances) and 
has graduated from slap-dash Fringe venues to playing opera houses, the 
Kennedy Arts Centre and Massey Hall.

[ . . . ]

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