I just got back from a visit to the Victorian Ouseys. It was Gary's birthday on Thursday, so I went to celebrate with him. I stayed one day in the clubhouse near Gary and one day with niece Lyn. I took with me a Jeanne's cake from Winnipeg. My friend P. just happened to be arriving the day before from Winnipeg, so he hand-carried the birthday cake. Thanks to him, we had a taste of the finest cake in the world. Yummmmmmm. See pictures above for the brunch we had on Saturday.
Yesterday, I went to Bard on The Beach. They do Shakespeare's plays in a tent. I have been told that it is the only Shakespearean festival in Canada that is self-supporting. I think I can see why. The play was "Taming of the Shrew" and it was terrific. It was set in the wild, wild West. I wasn't sure it would really work, but it did. It had gunfights and Mexican characters, tumbleweeds and a message delivered by Pony Express. Argueably the funniest part was when a man rode in on a horse and the actors followed the sound of a horse's hooves around as it "rode" through a series of speakers behind the audience.
The character of Petruchio was introduced like Clint Eastwood in "the man with no name" of spaghetti western fame with his signature music. Sporting a six-shooter, a stetson and a striped serape, he strutted around the stage. It was perfect. His sidekick, Grumio, looked just like Gabby Hayes in one of the old westerns we boomers remember fondly.
They even dealt with the modern sensibilities of the audience by having the character of Katharine played with complexity and irony, so that her "transformation" into a dutiful wife became a realization that she could manipulate her husband into doing what she wanted by helping him save face. Without changing a word of Will's dialogue, they conveyed her cooperation and his recognition of her need for validation by having them both kneel to each other at the end. A happy, funny and most enjoyable play.
As I was leaving the theatre I saw a young girl of about six or seven telling her mother about her favourite part. A new generation of Shakespeare fans is in creation!
Oh, Will, the Prairie Crocus loves you. I think I will be watching some of my Shakespearean faves on DVD. I'm so looking forward to the next Bard On The Beach play.
I am wealthy in my friends. ~William Shakespeare "Timon of Athens"
