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I forgot how wonderful it was to sleep outside on a Texas summer night. Sadly, I rediscovered this joy during the play last night.
Dallas has Shakespeare in the Park every summer, and my ward went to see A Winter's Tale. I didn't know much about the play before last night, and I was about thirty minutes late in arriving, but I suspect even that wouldn't have helped. My favorite part was when a character was eaten by a bear. The plot would not have been out of place on a soap opera; I'm pretty sure it was co-opted by Alias for last season.
However, the dialogue and individual scenes were incredible. The basic story is that a king suspects his queen of having an affair with his best friend. The king orders the best friend killed, and his wife’s child abandoned as a bastard. The innocent best friend escapes, the child is adopted by a shepherd and a clown, and the queen dies of whatever killed Hero in Much Ado About Nothing. There is a prophesy from the oracle at Delphi (now we know why this takes place in the ancient world) that the king will not have an heir until the child is found. At that moment, a servant comes to proclaim his son and original heir dead. Curtain falls.
Sixteen childless and lonely years later...and this is where I fell asleep. I only got a few hours of sleep the night before, and I think the servant being eaten by a bear was too much for me. I’m pretty sure it all worked out happily with a father and child reunion and the queen coming out of a sixteen-year coma. Honestly, plot-wise, not one of Will’s best efforts.
However.
I LOVED the depiction of jealousy. The scene where the king feels the jealousy tearing him inside was heartbreaking, and it reminded of that opera (Pagliacci, I think). His speech to queen, questioning her loyalty along with professing his love was very real. The plot was ridiculous, but words still held heartbreak and betrayal and love. Fabulous.
Posts: 26077 | Registered: Mar 2000
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posted
They used to do Shakespeare in the Park at Descanso Gardens where I grew up. Beautiful, and free for young people who signed up to usher. (It's a dressy kind of thing out there, don't know how it is here.)
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It's casual here, and it's $7 on the weekends, but free during the week. I can't wait for Richard III which starts next week, I think - KQ, do y'all want to go? Maybe in a couple of weeks?
Posts: 26077 | Registered: Mar 2000
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My english class went and saw measure for measure at the Shakespear theater in Chicago and I had never heard of that one before and geez I didn't know shakespear wrote stuff that was what could be considered..whats the word? Raunchy maybe? Anyway I enjoyed it.
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