Almost another month since I wrote -- very bad (as Trump might tweet). But I've been busy, folks. My sister was here and we were out and about almost every day. And I have all these prosaic house matters to deal with -- new windows, blah, blah, blah, which take a great deal of time . . . and money!
Today is a day to demonstrate our love for all of our brothers and sisters in the world -- there is a rally at the Vancouver City Hall at 12:45 to show that we embrace our country's true nature -- that we are diverse and that we embrace that diversity -- that it makes us stronger and happier and safer and better. We are going to go -- maybe some of you will be there, too. After all the racial strife and the ugliness of the events last week in Charlottesville in the United States, I think it's important for all of us to stand up for what we believe in.
In other news, we went to the Bard on the Beach twice last week and saw "The Winter's Tale" and "The Merchant of Venice". The two productions were very different -- "Winter's Tale" was quite regal and traditional. It looked spectacular and I liked how the director was able to theatricalize it -- I don't think it works otherwise. If it's not theatrical and clearly told as a story, then the ending is quite silly. (Of course, it is one of the "problem" plays and presents lots of problems to those brave enough to tackle it!) My sons liked it but hated the ending. I won't tell you what it is -- you'll have to see for yourself. I really liked the female friendship angle that it presented and the performance of the woman who played Paulina (I am not sure which actor it was, as there were two performing the role through the run) was terrific.
"Merchant of Venice" was just alive with energy and nastiness. Antonio and Bassanio were part of a really repellent gang of young toughs, taunting Shylock in the streets and photographing the results with their phones. When Shylock entered the court room, they all yelled viciously at him and it was quite shocking and powerful. Although, as a comedy, it ends with a wedding, the weddings were not completely happy ones and the finale was an uneasy peace, at best. Very thought-provoking.
Okay, I'm off to get ready to go to the rally. It is called "Stand Up to Racism Metro Vancouver" if you are looking for more information.
