Appointment Twitter: Such Tweet Sorrow

I’m obsessed with Such Tweet Sorrow. It couldn’t be otherwise. Come on. It’s a digital production by the Royal Shakespeare Company. If you added cute shoes you’d have everything good in life.

The tweaks are good – 16-year-old Juliet’s mom died 10 years ago in a crash from which Romeo’s dad, who she may-or-may-not have been cheating with, survived. Juliet and Tybalt have a stepmother they loathe and a big sister, Jess, who they nickname “Nursey”. Laurence (last name Friar) is the local hippie barista. The local shit-stirrer, Jago, provides omniscient narration.

It’s inspired work from the RSC and I’m head over heels for it. Nothing surprising there.

What’s really gets me is that it’s real-time and un-on-demand-able – and that is so oldschool it’s groundbreaking.

In tracking this, I’m watching digital media usher in a Renaissance of event entertainment. Liveblogging and livetweeting are the new “appointment television” (~1988) and “must-see-TV” (1993) – and they’re just as captivating. I’m loving it.

If you want to check it out, in addition to the website, I’ve made my own list where I’m watching the story unfold. (Some of the smaller characters aren’t in the website stream.) Find it here.