Shakespeare trip

November 4, 2012 by chestnutbookblog Leave a comment

After a few months of pledging to get to know Shakespeare better, I decided it was time to visit Stratford-upon-Avon for the first time. So, despite the torrential rain, we took a few days off work and headed up the M40.

Here are some of the places we visited:

 

The highlight of the trip was a wonderful version of The Merry Wives of Windsor at the RSC. I have to admit that I don’t usually find Shakespeare’s comedies very funny (a bad experience of A Midsummer Night’s Dream at school is perhaps responsible!), however this was hilarious and just the tonic after a challenging few weeks at work. It really was a very good adaption; the casting was superb and we had a fantastic night! As we walked back to our hotel, we discussed that, even though it is not one of the traditional great Shakespeare plays, it is so endearingly warm and witty and it deserves more recognition for its sheer timelessness. It, just like Fearny did, showed me that humans really haven’t changed very much in the last four hundred years, which I find comforting! The behaviour, relationships and jokes were all recognisable. I also thought the production worked really well in modern dress – I had a little titter to myself when Mistress Page walked on complete in Boden skirt, Mulberry-esque handbag and a take-away coffee!  Middle-class stereotypes abounded! If you are in Stratford-upon-Avon between now and January, I’d really recommend a trip for a lovely evening full of laughter.