Yaaaay yay yay! Saturday in Stratford! We started out in the morning and didn’t return until 2 a.m. the next night…but it was super fun.
We saw two plays, both purchased because there was an online deal, although I was actually interested in seeing Measure for Measure. So we saw Measure for Measure, a Shakespeare play, and Blithe Spirit, a modern farce.
Both were lovely, but I enjoyed Measure for Measure more…which, as I commented to Kathryn, is probably why Shakespeare has staying power. I can see why it isn’t one of his better known “comedies” from the ultra-adult themes, but the acting was SO GOOD and I thought they explored the darker parts of humanity well. Also the costuming was wonderful and the set design was so simple but so insightful.
And then we went out to dinner where I ate SUPERB coconut-peanut-lime thai noodles and we talked about gender roles and differences, plays, acting, face-recognition and France.
We’ve been playing a fun game where we take a play and pretend like all the male roles are given to women and all of the female roles are given to men and we try to imagine what a flipped-society would look like…what would clothing and roles and values look like if women were given an upper-hand in an equally-broken alternate-reality? (It’s super fun…really).
And then the people walking in front of us turned around and stared at us with puzzled looks.
After dinner we saw Blithe Spirit, about a married couple, both married previously. The husband is a novelist interested in writing about people who “contact” spirits so they invite a medium to their home so she can summon some folks and he can pick up some tips/ lingo for his character. What he’s not bargaining for is his first wife’s ghostly appearance…but only to him, much to the chagrin, confusion and anger of his second-wife. Well-acted, though.
Oh, and Kathryn’s all-time favorite actor happened to walk by us as we were sitting on a park bench between plays.
“Tom Rooney?” I asked.
“Yes?” he responded.
We were compelled to snap a photo and then giggle like little girls. 🙂
Can I close with a thought-provoking Measure for Measure quote? Don’t mind if I do! All credit to the Bard, of course. Well, maybe…if he really wrote them. 😉
Our doubts are traitors,
And make us lose the good we oft might win
By fearing to attempt.
Mmmmmm, lovely! Now then, go do something that frightens you!