In Redwood Glen..

So Saturday night we drove over the mountains to Santa Cruz and took John H my old workmate who just moved to area with Procter and Gamble to the Shakespeare Santa Cruz festival. We went to see Much Ado about Nothing. The lovely part is that they perform in a Redwood Glen on campus so we sat outside under the stars in the Glen for this well performed comedy and had a fantastic time. John is from Strafford upon Avon so for him seeing the plays is nothing new but you dont get to see them outside in Redwoods under warm skies in England!

You can either bring blankets or like us reserve seats and we brought sodas for me and drinks for the lads and laughed ourselves silly. Its wonderful that the comedy of Beatrice and Benedick translates as easily in the 21st century as it did when the Bard penned it.

I had seen the Kenneth Branagh movie version and own it on DVD. The live play is magnificent though and the actors playing Beatrice and Benedick were brilliant in their roles. Also the constable was outstanding in his assertion that no one forget he was called an ass..
Conrade: You are an ass, you are an ass. Dogberry: Dost thou not suspect my place? Dost thou not suspect my years? O that he were here to write me down an ass. But masters, remember that I am an ass: though it be not written down, yet forget not that I am an ass.

http://www.shakespearesantacruz.org/summer2007/muchado.html

I was so happy we were able to go. I had worries I would be too waddly (is that even a word?) but all was grand and on way home we stopped at Jack in the Box and the lads had milkshakes and I had myself a slice of cheesecake ;-)