A Midsummer Night's Dream, for Liz Especially

I saw the best play last night. And even better, Liz and I saw it together, which is a beautiful thing. (I would guess that a fantastical play involving woodland nymphs, naked Barbie dolls, goth faeries that look like guitarists from the band Kiss, and donkey’s heads hanging out in shopping carts is a perfect thing to see while delirious and jet-lagged and doped up on two cups of coffee. You’ll have to ask my guest blogger, Liz.) The Royal Shakespeare Company performed A Midsummer Night’s Dream in Stratford-upon-Avon, and our entire program had tickets for the production. Lucky, special us.

Coming to Oxford, I think Americans (or I, as an American) hope to have a purist experience when viewing Shakespeare. We yearn for actors in stuffy, traditional costume and it makes us (me) feel more legit and scholarly to see a classical, Renaissance performance, actors adorned with ruffled collars and velvet gowns, handkerchiefs soaked with red paint for blood. Last night’s interpretation was very modern, and it showcased Bottom beat-boxing and quoting Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody; an enormous plastic beach ball that changed colors, serving as our timekeeper; and lots of completely over the top, farcical, hilarious sexual innuendo, a la Monty Python. For me, Puck’s character was a bit of a disappointment, not as light on his feet or whimsical as I usually think of him or like him played. However, Bottom and Helena were so fun to watch, particularly for their very contemporary phrasing and their fun interpretation of the text. They had Kramer-like comedic timing and their energy really fed the performance. Despite being modern, it was lovely and I feel officially inducted into my summer of Shakespearean study. I’ve also never laughed so hard watching Shakespeare. My cheeks hurt at points.

Liz is out straight upstairs, still sleeping since she didn’t get one wink of rest on her red-eye last night. Once she rouses, we are going to explore and most importantly, begin the day with Ben’s Cookies, which are 25% off today and half the reason I came back to the UK. Bonus to my lucky day yesterday: I had three Peppermint Patties after dinner. Score. I am so lucky.