Philostrate: A play there is, my lord, some ten words long,
Which is as brief as I have known a play;
But by ten words, my lord, it is too long,
Which makes it tedious; for in all the play
There is not one word apt, one player fitted.
A Midsummer Night's Dream, V, I
Last night, R and I went down the hill from our flat and took the baby ferry across False Creek to enter the magic that is the Bard on the Beach festival. I cannot say enough how wonderful it was. We got to see "A Midsummer Night's Dream", as seen in the photo above from a pervious performance. Puck was hilarious, the whole thing was actually quite raunchy, it was perfect! The tent opens in the back behind the stage, so you can see the mountains and the water- it's incredible. It was a gorgeous night too, as well as being the first day of summer, so we had a beautiful sunset play a part in the story as well. It's very relaxed and you feel like you've stepped into another world. I loved every second of it. I cannot wait to go again!
I have posted a quote from the play instead of an actual poem this week, simply because Shakespeare to me is poetry. I love how he used words, how timeless his stories are even today, and how magical it is to sit and watch it acted as he had intended- with a modern twist and new interpretation sometimes too!
We actually got free tickets from Starbucks - I know, I was totally shocked too!- as they are one of the major sponsors for this season. There was free coffee and tea (made my Englishman very happy), free snacks to have at the intermission, $5 gift cards when we went in, and even in the play they made references that were hilarious! Quite something to see Helena taking a break to drink her coffee while chasing Demetrius through the woods- even if Starbucks is a corporate evil, it's great to see them helping out something like this. And I was very happy to use my gift card for a drink on the way to work today- I know, I'm a total sucker. Starbucks rules in Vancouver, it's too bad because I really miss some of the funky independent places we found overseas. Competition rarely survives here anymore, unless they are a chain. But I guess we are quite close to the birth place of Starbucks in Seattle.
4 comments:
It looks like you had such great fun. The stage and setting are perfect, What a fantastic experience.
Where I live there is a little Island in the harbour called Brownsea (it's where Baden-Powell took those first scouts many years ago). It is a forest in the middle of the sea and is a-run with peacocks. They have open air Shakespeare here every summer. If ever you're this way you should come :)
the production looked AMAZING!. I agree shakespeare is magical. even modern interpretations.
when we were in vancouver, we found a few independent coffee houses on commercial dr. i dont think that is near you. but i personally avoid starbucks. i know they do offer fair trade (not everyday) but it is a small contribution to a large problem. so they cannot be ALL evil.
Unfortunately, I think I've written my share of ten-word poems ten words too long.
What a wonderful summer's evening for you!
Sounds like so much fun and a perfect evening. We have several thriving independent coffee shops here (south of Seattle) - even on the same block as Starbucks! And they are the BEST ever!
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