Mimsy’s Secret

Vivien Leigh as Titania in A Midsummer

Night's Dream, The Old Vic, 1937 (colorized)

The 1937 Christmas production was directed by

Tyrone Guthrie, with sets and costumes by Oliver Messel. Shakespeare's play was presented as an affectionate Victorian pastiche, and included large choruses of muslin-clad fairies flying in on wires.

Mendelssohn's famous incidental music was much in evidence, with choreography by Ninette de Valois. Vivien Leigh's Oberon was played by

Robert Helpmann, Ralph Richardson played

Bottom, and Gordon Miller, Puck.

“Glam culture is ultimately rooted in obsession, and those of us who are truly devoted and loyal to the lifestyle of glamour are masters of its history. Or, to put it more elegantly, we are librarians.”

― Lady Gaga

Regarding my conversations with the shadow people: “Be silent and listen: have you recognized your madness and do you admit it? Have you noticed that all your foundations are completely mired in madness? Do you not want to recognize your madness and welcome it in a friendly manner? You wanted to accept everything. So accept madness too. Let the light of your madness shine, and it will suddenly dawn on you. Madness is not to be despised and not to be feared, but instead you should give it life...If you want to find paths, you should also not spurn madness, since it makes up such a great part of your nature...Be glad that you can recognize it, for you will thus avoid becoming its victim. Madness is a special form of the spirit and clings to all teachings and philosophies, but even more to daily life, since life itself is full of craziness and at bottom utterly illogical. Man strives toward reason only so that he can make rules for himself. Life itself has no rules. That is its mystery and its unknown law. What you call knowledge is an attempt to impose something comprehensible on life.”

- Steven Moffat