Shakespeare in the Summer

Back in January, Liz invited me to join her for a teacher's conference at Southern Utah University. I'm not a teacher, but I decided to come anyway and see as many of the plays at the Shakespeare Festival as I could. Liz, Aubrey, and I drove down Sunday night so they could check in Monday morning.

Monday matinee: Mary Poppins. I've not been a fan of this musical but I loved this production. I was thrilled they cut the creepy dancing doll scene, the kids were ridiculously talented and cute, the choreography was awesome, and my friend, Susanna Florence was lovely as Mrs. Banks. Two thumbs way up!

Susanna and I went to high school forever. It was fun to see her on stage again.

We watched "Irish Night" at the Greenshow. The new stage is positioned so the performers face the sun, which is unfortunate, and none of us liked that they wore contemporary clothing and sang U2 and "Shake It Off." They did sing and dance some traditional tunes, and they were talented.

The three of us, plus Mandie, saw Much Ado About Nothing Monday night. The Prince was a bit too wacky for my taste, and Beatrice was more yelly than comedic, but overall a good production. I liked the Night Watch, and Claudio and Hero's story, and Benedick was great.

me, Liz, Aubrey, and Mandie

That night, Liz worked on a workshop she was giving the next day, and Aubrey and I helped by demonstrating the "Bunk Beds" yoga position. I was able to do it the first time, but struggled the other two. Oh, well. We sure did laugh a lot trying!

The next morning, I took a backstage tour. It was really cool seeing the wigs, costumes, workspaces, and sets. I wish I'd gone when the Adams was still open. I'd like to have seen those dressing rooms and such.

The wig master, with another tour guest, and our tour guide Nicki Allege (from Mary Poppins and The Cocoanuts)

His duck face is better than mine.
I'm okay with that.

It was a good idea going to the orientation for The Cocoanuts. The lecturer described the Marx brothers' musical as an episode of Animaniacs -- full of silly songs, jokes, and pop-culture references. It was funny and clever and really well done. I loved the slapstick, costumes, and live band. It was the one I had the least expectations for, and the biggest surprise. I loved it.

I had dinner at Centro with Liz, Aubrey, Mandie, and a LOT of Utah junior high and high school drama and choir teachers. I sure do know a lot of them!

That night, we all saw Henry V, by far my favorite show of the trip. Well-acted, and affecting. They cast men in several classically male roles (without acknowledging anything was weird) and it was a bold and effective choice. The fighting was awesome, and I almost started yelling because I was so mad about one of the character's deaths. I've followed a lot of them through three plays and I wasn't prepared for some of their fates. An excellent, excellent production. I would have liked to see it about four more times.

I went to the seminar the next morning, and fangirled a little over Kellie Rogers and Sceri Sioux Ivers. Such excellent actresses, and nice women. I hope they come back next year and the next! 

I'll be wearing these socks a lot this winter!

I spent nearly every spare moment practicing music, choreography, and lines for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. At one point, I saw that the Adams Theater was unlocked, so I rehearsed "Act English" and "Me Ol' Bamboo" on the stage. It was thrilling imagining the theater full of people, and I sounded pretty good, too!

As a bonus, Liz, Aubrey, and I drove down to St. George and did a session there. It was, like 100 degrees outside, but the session was worth the heat and the long drive home!