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There are times in life when all you want is a chance to unwind and grab a piece of brain candy and let it do its trick. I’m sure, dear Reader that you can relate. We all have our own favorite brand of brain candy. For some it may be a historical romance, for others it may be time to let a familiar detective lead the way as he solves yet another case. For me, it usually something light and humorous; something that makes me laugh without having to think about why I’m laughing.

I started a new job a few weeks ago, and I am still adjusting to my expanded role as a program supervisor. Some nights I come home wanting nothing more than sleep, though I know this will only result in a very early wake up call from my body. I know if I go to sleep at 8, I will be awake at 4. This is not a viable solution to my brain melt.

Something has to occupy my mind without taxing my brain, which is why I decided to finally pick up a book I bought back in May. I had high hopes for this particular book. Doctor Who The Shakespeare Notebooks should have been savory piece of brain candy.

Regular readers of this blog will recognize right away why this title appealed to me. I am predisposed to like anything with Shakespeare in the title, and equally predisposed to giggle over anything Whovian. Combine the two and I am in geek heaven! At least this is what I thought.

The premise of the book centers on newly discovered “lost” Shakespeare notebooks; journals that William kept as he wrote his famous plays. The notebooks contain “lost” scenes and general re-workings of dialog and soliloquies. Peppered between all of this lost material are references to a certain strange man who pops in and out of William’s life via a blue box.

This is from the first page. It is a note about Hamlet

Hamlet- son of a dead king (hence “Prince of Denmark”) discovers his uncle murdered his father and married his mother to steal the throne. Probably drives him mad. Well, it would wouldn’t it?

How’s he find out? Possibilities:

Hidden papers – never very satisfactory

His mother confesses- except she wouldn’t know, would she?

His uncle confesses – Why? That’s asking for trouble!

He guesses – hummm.

A magician tells him – ah, most plausible. Such things are common in the theatre.

I sat in stunned silence after reading this. Had I been 12, this may have tickled my fancy. I may have even giggled. But as an adult, this fell flat, and left me wondering who was the attended audience was. “Damn”, I thought, “This is a kid’s book”! The thought that this was more of a children’s take on Shakespeare, allowed for the juvenile humor. I read on, attempting to get into the mindset of a pre-teen. It didn’t work. As I read on it only got worse.

The next part of the book talked about missing scenes from Macbeth. The notes, made by the authors who “found” the notebook, hinted that the play, one of the shortest of the tragedies, was originally just as long as Othello. One of the missing scenes involved Macbeth and Banquo meeting Doctor Who and two companions, not three witches. It is one of the companions who blurts outs, “You’re Macbeth the future King!” He knows this because he read a play about Macbeth. Huh? Shakespeare is writing a play about time travelers who meet Macbeth and tell him he will be king because it is written in a play? Oh, okay…. The Doctor is dismayed by this out burst and spends the the rest of his time in the play trying to stop Macbeth from becoming a murderer. This has to be a children’s book, right? No adult would buy this plot as the only sensible thing for the Doctor to do, would be to go back in time again, and stop his companion from meeting Macbeth. I know, I know, I am way over thinking this. This is one of many problems with this book; it’s not funny and makes little sense. The authors failed to realize those who read Shakespeare or can follow a Doctor Who plot are smarter than this. I say authors because there are five; one of which should have at least considered the idea that none of this would work.

Now, I know, I am being a little unfair. Pre-teens may enjoy the antics of a Time Lord popping into plays only to realize he has already read the play, but all I did was groan. This may have worked if the authors had written a Doctor Who Notebook. One in which the Doctor finds himself in a play, but having Shakespeare write these scenes just didn’t work. Oh, yes, I realize Shakespeare wrote plays within plays, but when he did it he separates the plays; his players watch other players. These authors may be trying to play with time, I’ll give them that, but the result is just one big wibbly wobbly timey wimey mess. I just couldn’t bring myself to finish the book.

I contemplated handing this to a friend’s pre-teen in exchange for a review. Surely my take on it would be harsh and unfair, as I am clearly not a member of the target audience. But before I did, I wanted to confirm the target. I would have felt bad if I had unknowingly given a young girl a book that contained bawdy parts. Wow, was I in for a shock; the Doctor Who The Shakespeare Notebook is labeled as an adult humors book! If this is adult humor, we are surely lost.

I can take heart by the fact that only 12 people bothered to review this book, and the reviews are mixed. While I don’t know the ages of the reviewers or their reading levels, I can argue with the two that said, “Fans of Shakespeare will like this book”. No. No, they won’t. This was a bitter disappointment, and a piece of brain candy I just couldn’t choke down.

On this day in 1810, Phineas Taylor Barnum was born. We now know him as P.T. Barnum. Let’s celebrate by revisiting an older blog that talks about his legacy. I give you

A visual tour of the Greatest Show on Earth!

P.T. Barnum was a well-known showman recognized for his engaging hoaxes. He was so successful at fooling the masses he decided to showcase his collection in a large museum.

In 1841 Barnum, purchased Scudder’s American Museum and renamed the building “Barnum’s American Museum.” In 1842, Barnum’s museum became the talk of the town with exhibits, such as “General Tom Thumb” and the Fiji Mermaid, which displayed the mummified body of something that resembled a grossly deformed mermaid or half mammal-half fish creation. The famous Siamese twins Chang and Eng were introduced to the world. Many of Barnum’s “freaks” would become circus acts. General Tom Thumb would become a favorite Ring Master. As much as we might shutter to think of housing disabled people and those who look different, this was honest work for them. Many remained loyal to Barnum as he offered them shelter, fame and money.

Unfortunately, on July 14, 1865 Barnum’s museum caught on fire and suffered irreparable damage. http://www.nytimes.com/1865/07/14/news/disastrous-fire-total-destruction-barnum-s-american-museum-nine-other-buildings.html

Not one to let disaster stand in the way of success, Barnum decided to take his museum on the road. With his famous name and financial backing, the “P.T Barnum’s Grand Traveling Museum, Menagerie, Caravan & Hippodrome” was born. His closest competition at the time, James Bailey, would later become an ally.

In 1872, Barnum would coin the phrase, “The Greatest Show on Earth,” as his traveling circus of freaks toured the world, undergoing a series of name changes and billings in the process.

In 1881 Barnum, who was losing money, joined forces with James Bailey and James L. Hutchinson. The original name, “P.T. Barnum’s Greatest Show On Earth, And The Great London Circus, Sanger’s Royal British Menagerie and The Grand International Allied Shows United” was shortened to “Barnum & London Circus”.

A series of splits ensued resulting in several more name changes. The circus became known as “Barnum & Bailey Greatest Show on Earth” then “Barnum & Bailey Circus”. The last name change came about when professional acts and animal tricks started to replace the aging “freaks”.

When P.T. Barnum passed away in 1891, Bailey purchased the circus from his widow. He successfully toured the eastern part of the United States until he transported the circus to Europe where in 1897 he began touring the continent.

When Bailey returned to the U.S. in 1902 to find that Ringling Brothers had established a reputation in the east. The new rivalry forced Bailey to tour the Rockies for the first time during 1905. The next year, Bailey passed away and the Barnum’s much-loved circus was sold to Ringling Brothers in 1907 for the sum of $400,000.

Not much is known about the first professional acts, it would take the Ringling Brothers to legitimize the circus with ads talking about the performers as real people, not oddities. But we can imagine the mystery and fantasy of the Greatest Show on Earth by the colorful posters history has left us. So grab your peanuts and come with me on a visual tour of the circus!

Click on any picture for a better view.