Weezer‘s Rivers Cuomo has launched a series of Shakespeare-themed events for fans.
The frontman, whose band released their most recent album ‘Everything Will Be Alright In The End’ last year, is hosting ‘Nerd Night’, parties celebrating the work of the English playwright, William Shakespeare.
As Vulture reports, Cuomo has been throwing the events at Los Angeles theatres, which includes productions or cinematic adaptations of Shakespeare plays.
The singer recently hosted a screening of ‘Antony and Cleopatra’, with the musician also performing ‘Cleopatra’ from Weezer’s aforementioned 2014 LP.
Cuomo said of Shakespeare: “He shows me what’s possible with language. Obviously, none of us can try to emulate him. But it’s inspiring to know how much power you can wield with words.”
“We don’t know much about his creative process, but I’ve read enough to know this specific example of a way I’ve taken something from him: He worked with sources a lot. In fact, I think only one of his plays —A Midsummer Night’s Dream — was an original story. He would read these history stories and combine different plots.”
“In the case of this play [‘Antony and Cleopatra’], that whole speech by Enobarbus about ‘the poop was beaten gold’ — that description of Cleopatra that’s so beautiful — he really lifted a lot of that from a different source. I’ve read the original. So it’s inspiring to know that even Shakespeare needed to rely on the work of people before him. That gives me license to do the same.”
PressMeanwhile, DeTour, the proposed sitcom loosely based on the life of Cuomo, has been passed over by US network Fox.
The show was scripted by Steve Franks, who is behind US comedy detective series Psych. A pilot setting up the story of a 30-something rock star who is worried about his success, and walks away from the spotlight at the height of his career to rediscover the parts of his life he missed out on when he was becoming famous was filmed.
Actors Peter Gallagher and Olivia Thirlby shot the pilot with British actor Ben Aldridge cast as Cuomo.