Slings and Arrows is a little-known Canadian comedy show about a Shakespeare troupe filled with goodies for fans of the immortal bard. Like most viewers, I first experienced Slings and Arrows after its cancellation.  The series ran from 2003 to 2006, three seasons of six episodes each. Each season covered a different tragedy, all but Othello, as well as a smattering of theater jokes and general love interest/banter. 

To give everyone a little background on this column: it’s a weekly nerd-gasm. I’m going to geek-out or revel in some obscure film or TV show or media. I will defend crap that I happen to love, and of course review new movies (assuming I see any). This is the first true Fan Boy piece. Unlike my Transformers 2 review, this week focuses on something a little bit off track, but a lot of fun. More to the point, fans of this show are in a sort of club. This club, like all nerd clubs, works like this: “We both like the same show/off-beat subculture; we are so cool.”

The main characters are Geoffrey and Oliver. Geoffrey is an insane actor turned director, and I mean the seriously medicated type of insane. Oliver, a ghost searching for his eternal reward, follows Geoffrey around and helps him put his life back together. The back story between the two characters is complex and well done, as are all explored interpersonal relationships.

This series is a favorite of lit. nerds, and I love it. To a casual Shakespeare fan Slings and Arrows is a solid piece of entertainment: the acting, writing and humor are a huge step up from network television. The writers assume the audience knows the plays well enough to get by; making simple jokes about Hamlet’s depression or Lear’s madness. They also criticize actors and actresses of different breeds; directors and styles are questioned and mocked; the business side of art is thoroughly, but lovingly, eviscerated at every turn; and creative egos are brought to center stage, including a sword fight between rival directors. It’s worth noting that all the commentary and satire comes organically from the characters. 

Additionally, the show offers a deeper level to serious Shakespeare (or theater) fans, a level filled with inside jokes and references. To give you an example of the subtle humor, in the first season, which revolves around Hamlet, Geoffrey and Oliver discuss staging the play in dress clothes and nothing else and a dialogue ensues about “how it’s been done” — they are tipping their hats to the Richard Burton performance. And the lore goes deeper, past my own knowledge, to include things the actors, particularly in King Lear, have done in their real-life careers, which friends have explained to me.

My favorite part of the entire series is the opening credit sequences. The song changes based upon the play the troupe is performing that season: “Cheer Up, Hamlet,” “Mackers,” and “Nice to Take a Walk in the Rain.” They are fantastic, witty songs that, sadly, you can’t download from iTunes, but can find in other odd corners of the Internet. 

In conclusion, those of us looking for more intellectual stimulation than network TV can provide should Netflix or buy Slings and Arrows on DVD. And if you’ve already seen it — call my understudy, I can’t go on tonight.

See y’all next Friday. 

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