Language Play of the Week

Every now and then I read something - a phrase, a turn of thought, and I think, "wow, Writer Dude, you just nailed that". OK, I realize that my last sentence wasn't exactly an example of the kind of effective writing I'm talking about, but you get my point. Here's the third in what is thus far proving to be a highly intermittent feature in Mad Padre.

Theatre critic Ben Brantley, in the 11 July 2011 issue of the New York Times, kicks an old theatre cliche up a few notches in describing Kevin Spacey's current performance as Shakespeare's Richard III.

LONDON — If a cloud of sawdust seems to hang over the Old Vic Theater these days, that’s because Kevin Spacey is chewing his way through the scenery there like an atomic termite.

Actually the rest of the paragraph is pretty good too.

In a ripping old-fashioned star turn as Shakespeare’s Richard III, Mr. Spacey gives fierce and flashy physical life to every twist of a power-mad man’s corkscrew mind. Richard may be slowed down by a hunched back and hobbled gait, but this performance spins a classic, much-interpreted character until we’re all dizzy.