multipurposegoddess: (Simpsons)
[personal profile] multipurposegoddess

I never did write about that, did I?

Well, went with Mom to see The Verona Project at CalShakes last Saturday and really liked it. I'd never been to CalShakes before, though I had of course been driving past the signs on the freeway for forever (I always think of it as "that Shakespeare festival on Fish Ranch Road even though it s neither on Fish Ranch Road nor a festival) - I have rarely been on the lookout for Shakespeare, frankly, and always seemed to hear about productions that I might have been interested in seeing towards the end of their runs and was generally priced out of attending, anyway. Even this one we saw on the second to last day of production and really only went to because CalShakes tickets were on offer at the silent auction we went to recently and mom had read something intriguing about The Verona Project not long before so we were able to jump on it.

Anyway, it's a sort of adaptation of Two Gentlemen of Verona - the in-house dramaturge (I find it weird and amusing that they have an in-house dramaturge, but good for them, right?) explained why it wouldn't rightly be called an adaptation but I do not particularly care if I am using that term correctly or not. It's almost a fix-it AU fic, really (I'm probably not using those correctly, either, as I am not really up on fic terminology, but it feels right) with music. Part of the conceit is that the cast is a band called The Verona Project who has made a concept album based on Two Gentlemen of Verona, and I found that to be an unnecessary affectation which, thankfully, didn't come up much, though the songs themselves were fine. The sets and costuming were pretty minimalist and cleverly deployed.

The amphitheater is pretty gorgeous - the seating arrangement is based in the Globe, and behind the stage is open hillsides and everything is nestled in eucalyptus groves with native plantings scattered about (including a living roof on the gift shop/cafe). It's a short, pleasant walk up from the parking lot. The parking lot is kind of terrible, but they don't have much room to work with - if I go again, hanging out in the grove for a while after the play and letting everyone else get out of the way before trying to leave may be a good option.

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February 2019

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