(I Like to Use Parentheses)

Last night we saw "As You Like It," one of my favorite Shakespeare comedies (except for that whole god of marriage part; I don't really know what that's all about).  The first half was performed in an indoor theater (due to rain) and the second half was performed on the Adams stage (due to that being the better place to watch a play whenever there's no threat of actors falling on a slippery stage or audience members being electrocuted by lightning.  A few people deserved a little electrocution, though.  Like the woman sitting next to me, hacking up a lung.  I hope she didn't have the swine flu).  

Quinn Mattfeld (who made it onto this list of praise earlier this week) played Orlando.  He's new to the Festival and he's a treat.  I'm currently very busy harboring a smallish crush on him (in my spare time when I'm not being forced by the little marmot children to wear a blue plastic colander on my head and dance to Christmas carols--today's activity).  

David Ivers was an excellent Jacques (of the famous "All the world's a stage" speech).  Walking back to the hotel, Mom was complimenting his performance and trying to decide what else she'd seen him in (nothing).  She finally told me that she remembered him from his performance with the dog in "Two Gentleman of Verona" last year.  That was Brian Vaughn. Apparently it's easy to confuse the performances of the Festival's rock stars.  

Melinda Parrett was delightful as Kate in "The Taming of the Shrew" last year and she was delightful as Rosalind this year.

Go see "As You Like It."  I'm going to see it again in Stratford-upon-Avon in a few weeks.

I'm leaving for the airport at 7:00 am tomorrow, so from here on out, read Slanted (the abroad edition), if you want to find me.

Just a Little More Praise for the Festival

Last night we attended "Henry V" at the Utah Shakespearean Festival. Brian Vaughn played Henry and J.R. Sullivan directed, which is one of those ideal combinations of talent that can only result in really delightful theater. Both men do what they do so well.

This morning J.R. Sullivan participated in the literary seminar about last night's play, and I thought he had some interesting comments about theater generally that also apply to literature and my particular soapbox for young adult literature, which is that (one reason) literature is powerful is because it's a safe place for teens to experience life situations before they actually encounter them (or in many cases instead of experiencing them) in their own lives. J.R. Sullivan noted that seeing theater is a good rehearsal for large events in our lives--love, marriage, death of loved ones--things we face without knowing what to do with them unless we experience them vicariously. I believe he described it as "shaking hands" with those situations before experiencing them. Nicely put, right? And true. I've always loved the arts, but the older I get, the more I realize how much work it takes to develop a human being, and the humanities--the arts that examine what it means to be human--are such good guides to look at the entire gamut of that struggle as it's played out personally and collectively in society. The humanities are not at all the only influence in developing self, but they provide such good perspectives on the different incarnations of universal human experiences.

We're going to see "As You Like It" tonight, so you may have to endure another post on this theme, unless I get too busy planning my gelato route through Italy, because, woo hoo!, I'll be on a plane to Rome in THREE days.