rajafacesbothways

Two Performances

Kathryn's visit to the plastic surgeon yesterday brought encouragement and success--no more pains from the dangling drains. They were removed and all is going well.

And last night Karen treated me to a performance of "The Taming of the Shrew" at Chicago's Shakespeare Theater on Navy Pier. The  sunset view from the pier of the glittering city was magnificent. And the play, not necessary a favorite because of the subjugation of strong women, and "Kate" in particular, was throughly enjoyable. It was framed as a play within a play.  I felt it was successful because of the strength of Shakespeare's writing and the excellent performance by the cast.

 (spoilers ahead) A twist to the original came at the end with Kate's soliloquy of the need for compliance, docile behavior and obedience to men. She stopped abruptly, tossed off her skirt revealing black tights, and said "F@*# this", storming off the stage to loud applause.

Brush Up Your Shakespeare

We toured the reconstruction of the original Globe Theatre on the Thames--one of the most successful playhouses in London from 1599 until destroyed by fire in 1633.  The reconstruction is faithful to the original; even the roof is made from water reed thatch, based on samples found on the site of the first Globe.

And saw a stunning performance of Macbeth at the Gielgud Theatre, starring Patrick Stewart (known also for the Star Trek series) and a sexy Kate Fleetwood as ambitious Lady Macbeth. Shakespeare's poetic storytelling fit smoothly into a contemporary stage setting.

Lady Macbeth's inability to "out out (the) damn spot"  matches my own inability to mentally erase this powerful performance; a chilling reflection of modern day terror with its ongoing brutality and struggle for power. Time travel is not limited to Star Trek, etc. Shakespeare flows across centuries and always nails it right on.