Another second today: I had heard about a
production in Stratford called A Tender Thing. In the scenario of the story,
the characters of Romeo and Juliet have not died – have, in fact, lived out
their collective lives with all the inherent joys and heartache a real life has
to offer. Thus, the tender thing, the thing we call love, is called upon to
hold up, bear them through, all the way to the other side – not a light thing,
and certainly not the norm of the pattern in the world as we know it today.
MERCUTIO
You
are a lover. Borrow Cupid’s wings
And soar with them above
a common bound.
ROMEO
I am too sore enpiercèd with his shaft
To soar with his light feathers, and so bound,
I cannot bound a pitch above dull woe.
Under love’s heavy burden do I sink.
MERCUTIO
And to sink in it, should you burthen love—
Too great oppression for a tender thing.
ROMEO
Is love a tender thing? It is too rough,
Too rude, too boisterous, and it pricks like
thorn.
ERCUTIO
If love be rough with you, be rough with love.
Prick love for pricking, and you beat love at
its own—
Amazingly the play was written by a surprisingly
young guy for the depth and compassion that is portrayed. Similarly impressive
is the fact that the entire script is manufactured from the re-construed lines
of Shakespeare’s tragedy: ‘Using Shakespeare’s text as a starting point, writer
Ben Power has created an achingly beautiful version of Romeo and Juliet that
tells the story of two older lovers. Anyone who has ever watched Romeo and
Juliet will recognize the words of the original play, delicately transposed to
a world in which an older couple, no less devoted than their younger
counterparts, are thrown into a situation which tests their love to the
ultimate.’
So, had another chance to amble off to Shakespeare
country again in a relatively short time since my last encounter. Tickets are
an amazing 25 pounds for over 60s. (See! There ARE perks for finally being able
to admit you’re no longer a spring chicken.) And once again my seat was located
in an incredibly close spot. (I always choose my ticket online, then pick it up
at will call. And ‘Look, mom!’ no processing fee!) Making sure I got out the
door much earlier than last time’s potential fiasco, I arrived in town (having
traveled by train with a one-transfer relocation in the center of Birmingham)
with ample time to have a visit to Pizza Hut’s lunch buffet (I had crossed my
fingers and checked their locations ahead of time, hoping – and imagining – there
must be one in this event-driven retreat. Just want to say, I rarely go out to eat, and the quality of this known entity balanced with what it costs makes it a good match.) before finding the location of the Swan theatre
(the indoor version of Shakespeare’s London Globe Theatre, a three-storey, open-air amphitheatre) – found in ‘theatre row,’ I later learned.
Having collected my ticket, and gone to the toilet (no euphemisms here – when I have forgotten and asked where the restroom is, I have gotten a number of different responses, but most often a puzzled look), and finding the theatre doors not open (it was about 10 minutes before I expected the play to begin), I went up to usher, wondering what was what. ‘The doors will open in just a few minutes,’ he stated. In my anxiety to NOT be late, I had failed to remember that the play began at 2:30 and not 2. (I had noticed when I had entered the building and went to get my ticket, that there had been few other attendees in the building, but knowing me, I assumed it was because they were all in their seats – and I wasn’t! Hah – joke’s on me . . . and in a good way, for a change!) So I ended up having an few extra minutes to browse around the gift shop. I, of course, wanted to bring home pretty much everything I saw – for myself, and for many of you, as well. They had a lot of clever badges (aka pins): in particular I liked the pair that had written on them: Team Montague, or Team Capulet. Funny! Also it appeared that they will be putting on a musical of Matilda, so they had a lot of darling stuff in association with that – which I REALLY found captivating . . . and wanted – but controlled myself. (Talk about wanting, I was in a charity shop the other day and I had found this really cool, wide leather belt that I had put by the cashier, saying, please keep it for me, as I’m still looking. After trying to be a more realistic consumer, I decided that I didn’t REALLY need it and took it back to where I’d found it. The young guy behind the counter said, ‘it might not be there the next time you come’ – hint, hint, hint. I said, ‘I know, but you can’t get EVERYTHING you want.’ He countered with, ‘Can you get too much?’ I said, ‘yeh, you can, actually - especially if you run out of money!’ He had no retort for that one.)
Having collected my ticket, and gone to the toilet (no euphemisms here – when I have forgotten and asked where the restroom is, I have gotten a number of different responses, but most often a puzzled look), and finding the theatre doors not open (it was about 10 minutes before I expected the play to begin), I went up to usher, wondering what was what. ‘The doors will open in just a few minutes,’ he stated. In my anxiety to NOT be late, I had failed to remember that the play began at 2:30 and not 2. (I had noticed when I had entered the building and went to get my ticket, that there had been few other attendees in the building, but knowing me, I assumed it was because they were all in their seats – and I wasn’t! Hah – joke’s on me . . . and in a good way, for a change!) So I ended up having an few extra minutes to browse around the gift shop. I, of course, wanted to bring home pretty much everything I saw – for myself, and for many of you, as well. They had a lot of clever badges (aka pins): in particular I liked the pair that had written on them: Team Montague, or Team Capulet. Funny! Also it appeared that they will be putting on a musical of Matilda, so they had a lot of darling stuff in association with that – which I REALLY found captivating . . . and wanted – but controlled myself. (Talk about wanting, I was in a charity shop the other day and I had found this really cool, wide leather belt that I had put by the cashier, saying, please keep it for me, as I’m still looking. After trying to be a more realistic consumer, I decided that I didn’t REALLY need it and took it back to where I’d found it. The young guy behind the counter said, ‘it might not be there the next time you come’ – hint, hint, hint. I said, ‘I know, but you can’t get EVERYTHING you want.’ He countered with, ‘Can you get too much?’ I said, ‘yeh, you can, actually - especially if you run out of money!’ He had no retort for that one.)
I sat by a really nice couple about my own age (in
fact as you see in the photo, most of the persons there in the middle of the
day, in the middle of the week, were older people who could afford the time).
They were up from a suburb of London for a couple days to see the accompanying
sites and a couple shows (lucky ducks). The woman said she had her tissue handy
as she’d been told our play that afternoon was pretty emotional. (When it was
over, I asked her if she’d cried. She said yes, she had teared-up a couple
times.) The acting was really good, and so was the script, of course; it was
very minimalistic altogether, with just the two principals. In some ways it
reminded me of an impressionistic painting – it was more the feeling the
production gave me, rather than what happened (because pretty much nothing did,
if you think in terms of plot and character development). So, yes, I liked it –
not my favorite, but certainly worth the adventure. Take a look: www.youtube.com/watch?v=DStVD_9Pak0,
as well as http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXqSSo3U0WY.
Window shopped and looked around in Stratford some
more (no one waiting for me back home), took some pictures, before heading back
to Birmingham. The three main downtown stations are within blocks of one
another, and all verge on a wonderfully diverse shopping area (culminating in
the Bullring), as any grand city might have. It was a mild night for so late in
the season and there were many people milling about (Leah says it will get more
and more crowded as the holidays approach.), so even though it was night, I
took advantage of where I was and went exploring myself. In particular I was in
search of a pair of boots –- gotta have those. I’ve been looking at charity
shops for weeks now, but usually all the pairs they have available have higher heels
and are uncomfortable to my older lady’s feet, or I don’t like the style or material
they’re made out of or something. Anyway, I‘d been thinking of going in TK Maxx
– yeah, you read that right: here in England it is ‘TK’ not ‘TJ’ Maxx! And to
make a long story short, with a great deal of stooping and rummaging, I found
myself some at such a great price that I availed myself of a muck-about pair of
footwear for when I don’t care how good I look, but care more about being warm,
dry, and comfortable! So, all set in that area! None too soon either, as I was
reading an article about the projected weather for this winter in England and
it says to expect snow (not necessarily the norm); in fact, it’s predicting a
white Christmas. We’ll see!! (‘Cold is
the main feature of this winter,’ said forecast WeatherWeb. ‘There’s one last
blast of warm weather in store before the chill. An Indian summer is predicted
to start on Monday as Hurricane Rachel runs out of puff in the Atlantic and
shunts warm air across Britain.’ Whoopee! Who needs boots? . . . for now
anyway!)
Then on home to Selly Oak, confident and
comfortable on the train, as I am becoming an experienced traveler – in my
little tract of the world anyway. Though close to 10pm, I felt quite safe, as
the path to home takes you along the main boulevard, and is well-traveled and
lit. In fact, I can’t really say I've felt any other way but.
Photos_
1- Romeo and his Juliet
2- Wilhelm Shakespeare
3- RSC theatre complex (after being remodeled
in 2010, the smaller Swan
theatre still remains at the rear of the building - also included are several cafes,
a restaurant, seating areas, a shop, and the original 1930s art deco foyer, as well as a viewing tower)
4- grey-haired jet set
5- upon Avon (though remember, it’s really said Aven,
though that breaks all of our American hearts)
6- streets of Stratford, 350 years after Shakespeare
7- 13th century detail
8- RR station
9- Birmingham town centre, aerial view (the Bullring
Shopping Center is that curved madness to the right, while the tanned area to
the left of St. Philip’s Cathedral is Victoria Square where the infamous statue, ‘The River,’
as well as that of the dear queen is
located)
10- these boots were made for walkin'
10- these boots were made for walkin'
