As You Like It (or not)

I took the two big girls to see Shakespeare's As You Like It Sunday afternoon.  I debated about taking them.  I knew that the timing was bad (canning, birthday parties, etc.) and the tickets were pricey. However, I finally pulled the trigger and asked Matt if he'd order us some tickets.

Let me just interject here.  My first experience with seeing a Shakespeare play performed live was in Ashland, OR. at the outdoor Elizabethan Theater.  I went with my high school English teacher and a few other students.  We saw Macbeth (who knew that within a few years I would marry my very own Macduff?!) and A Mid-Summer Night's Dream.  I don't think we could have seen a better combination of plays.  The performances, the costumes, the atmosphere--everything was outstanding.  So basically, every experience I've had with Shakespeare since has been disappointing.

I wish I could say Sunday's performance was different.   The play was set in modern times, which I didn't realize until after we'd purchased tickets.  I saw Measure for Measure in college at ritzy little theater in the big city.  It also was set in modern times.  It didn't thrill me.  Nevertheless, I tried to keep an open mind.  On the drive to the play on Sunday, I told the girls that at the very least, we would get a bit of culture that day.  Or something like that.

When we arrived, we realized that Matt had procured tickets for us in the front and center of the theater. We could have spat on the stage from where we sat.  I've never had any poker face abilities, so I'm sure my distaste during parts of the play were evident to the actors, who probably thought I had a very closed mind.  So be it.

While the performances were very well done (they brought in a Shakespeare troupe from the big city), the play was what I would consider PG 13. Shakespeare's comedies do lend themselves to bawdiness, but this was over the top.  Enough said. For me, the highlight of the play was Jaques' "All the world's a stage" which is a passage I had to memorize in high school.  The actress (yes, three of the traditionally male characters were played by women) did an outstanding job with that.

During the intermission, the girls and I headed out to the parking lot to eat a snack in the car.  We laughed hysterically over Elizabeth's take on the situation.  "That guy who is playing Orlando should have a size bigger pants" ('twas true),   "I couldn't look at the priest in the forest," (who was sporting plumber's crack--on purpose) and "When we go back in, I'm switching seats because the old guy next to me is a creep.  He's laughing like crazy.  It's not that funny.  Maybe a smile would be o.k., but not laughing out loud."

When the play was over (what a relief), we decided to do some thrifting.  This particular town has a great Goodwill.  The girls made a nice haul.  I talked them into heading home instead of eating out. We reached the home place around 7 p.m.  I cooked myself some of our own chicken eggs topped with Tillamook cheese, sliced myself some homegrown tomatoes and toasted a piece of Dave's Killer Sprouted Bread.  Fleur de Sel and freshly ground pepper finished the dish nicely.  A nice ending to long day, except that while we were gone, Matt decided to switch the boys' rooms around and was only midway through the project when we got home.  Oh well.  All's Well That Ends Well.