Shakespeare in the City

I'm always up for some Shakespeare, especially when it's my favorite - A Midsummer Night's Dream.  So I was pretty excited to hear that the Annapolis Shakespeare Company would be performing it this summer - under the stars and on the water in the garden of the Charles Carroll House.  Unfortunately our performance was rained out last night, but luckily this evening was the perfect weather for a show.

Other than a few (okay a lot) of rules and regulations for where you could and where you couldn't sit, the night was wonderful.  The actors were fantastic and the costumes were gorgeous.  Because we were outside, there wasn't a sound system or mics which made it a little difficult to hear. But most of the actors were able to get past that by speaking loudly enough.  The show was so good and engaging that even the mosquitoes had to be enjoying it since I didn't get bitten even once : )

With the weather, the view, the talent and the material, it was an absolute perfect summer night in Naptown!

Happy Summer Solstice!

"Over hill, over dale,
Thorough bush, thorough brier,
Over park, over pale,
Thorough flood, thorough fire,
I do wander everywhere.

 

I am that merry wanderer of the night."

***

Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream"

 

May you wander all summer and appreciate the wonder and magic in the everyday!

Happy Midsummer!

Neat Net Finds

Every once in a while I realize just how cool it is to live in the future where there's internet and interactive theatre and live productions being seen by millions of people all over the world.  Today was one of those days.  Two totally awesome, fairly amazing, clever and creative ideas popped up in my newsfeed that I just had to share.

First up:  Midsummer Night's Dreaming with the RSC.  This is a thing that's actually happening and I'm entirely too excited  about it for my own good.  It's my favorite work by Shakespeare being performed for a new generation with interactive "stuff" (for lack of better term since I'm not entirely sure I have my brain wrapped around it quite yet) thrown in for good measure.  You can join the group on Google+ (yet another thing I haven't gotten my head wrapped around yet) and participate in chats leading up to the big premiere, as well as additional content and surprises.  I'm on the edge of my seat waiting to hear the casting announcements.  But it's the RSC so whoever they get, is bound to fantastic!

Then (also across the pond in where else but England!?) is Hugh Laurie live at Abbey Road.  He'll be playing a special session from his new album at Abbey Road and if you're not lucky enough to be there, you can listen to it live online!  I personally think that all concerts should be done like this but then again, I'm sure it's not so profitable.  Oh, well, it's pretty spectacular while it lasts!

The Bard and I

Despite being a bookworm, I don't tend to gravitate towards classics or heavy reads.  I was a good English student but I was never the one that could glean deep insights from Shakespeare or Hemingway.  I read them all for class (mostly because I was a goody two shoes).  I sorta "got" them.  I passed the test on them.  Then I forgot them.  However in the last few years, I've determined that to leep my book-worm cred, I should probably attempt to broaden my literary horizons.  This doesn't mean that I'm going to start War & Peace any time soon, but I will try to give a few more of Shakespeare's works another look.

This is what brought me to Much Ado About Nothing.  I've probably read, maybe 5 of the Bard's works in my school career, and actually liked one. (A Midsummer Night's Dream is on my Top 10 books list of all time)  My fear of these plays had everything to do with the language and absolutely nothing to do with their quality. The story lines are woven beautifully and the characters are complex.  However, my brain could never translate the language into US-ese.  I was able to get the general jist of what he was saying, but analyzing the actual words was completely beyond me.  So, imagine my surprise when I picked up my iPhone this evening (the only reason I'm doing this is because I can download his greatest works along with tons of other classics for free through iBooks: I'm not highbrow enough to actually fork out the cash for them-there are TOO many other books to buy!) and actually followed along with the comedy.  Beatrice and Benedick kept my attention and the story unraveled like a 60s madcap comedy of errors. 

The play is actually quite good and while I probably couldn't grab an A on any research paper on the subject, I caught some of the allusions and subtext.  A few lines even made some goings on at the annual MD Renaissance (is there any word harder to spell?!) Festival much clearer.  While I'm sure a trip to Stratford upon Avon and the Globe would actually help more in my understanding, I don't see that happening any time soon (unless you want to send me there-my 30th birthday is in just a few months...) 

My goal for my little project is to at least get through the comedies.  I know that I should also read Hamlet and MacBeth again as well if I really want to gain some insight but they're so depressing.  I hope to check in every few days/weeks and let you know how I'm doing on my race to become a more intellectual book-worm so if Shakespeare's not your thing, I apologize. I will let you know when I make it out of Medieveal England into something more exciting like turn of the century England (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is also available as a freebie on iBooks : )

Happy Midsummer!

"If we shadows have offended,
Think but this, and all is mended,
That you have but slumber'd here
While these visions did appear.
And this weak and idle theme,
No more yielding but a dream,
Gentles, do not reprehend:
if you pardon, we will mend:
And, as I am an honest Puck,
If we have unearned luck
Now to 'scape the serpent's tongue,
We will make amends ere long;
Else the Puck a liar call;
So, good night unto you all.
Give me your hands, if we be friends,
And Robin shall restore amends."

-Puck's final monologue

"A Midsummer Night's Dream"

* William Shakespeare

Author's Note: "A Midsummer Night's Dream" is the only work by the Bard I've ever understood. (Although I wish it weren't the case, he's one of those brainy things that I really should understand...) I'm pretty sure my fascination with it may have something to do with the faeries...Love faeries! I'm a closet (and sometimes not so closet) sci-fi geek.  Can't get enough of Stargate, The Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, etc.  I tell you all of this, just so I can say:

Happy Midsummer Eve!