conuly: (Default)
conuly ([personal profile] conuly) wrote2009-07-03 11:05 pm

When I got off the train today, it was 8:33

As I'd missed the boat, I decided to walk through the park. I caught a few fireflies (who were strangely reluctant to leave my hand!) and noticed that some actors were doing... some play by Shakespeare. At "I am a very foolish fond old man, fourscore and upward, not an hour more..." I went "Oh, it must be King Lear", and then realized that, as I've never read King Lear I was probably wrong.

But I wasn't.

I stayed for the rest of the performance. Sure, I came in at the end, but I knew the story* and it was great fun. Well, for a tragedy, anyway. Instead of changing scenes they moved from location to location within the park, and the whole audience had to follow them. This was especially funny in the big fight scene, with all of us running en masse from Castle Clinton to the WTC Memorial :) (Of course, then everybody died, because it's a tragedy, but there you go.) The mass movement helped relieve some of the mental stress of having to keep focusing on Shakespeare's English.

They're doing another performance Sunday, and another on Monday. I'll be there on time, catch the whole thing.


*Indeed, one of my favorite fairy tales growing up was "As Meat Loves Salt", which is King Lear without all the senseless violence.

[identity profile] feebeeglee.livejournal.com 2009-07-04 05:53 pm (UTC)(link)
I love that you catch fireflies.

[identity profile] feebeeglee.livejournal.com 2009-07-05 01:37 am (UTC)(link)
We don't have any :-( Kind of worrisome, actually.

[identity profile] feebeeglee.livejournal.com 2009-07-05 03:00 am (UTC)(link)
No, I've never seen them in this really small area. That does make me feel better!

We have dragonflies though. Such pretty creatures.

Lear and Salt

[identity profile] houseofglee.livejournal.com 2009-07-04 06:45 pm (UTC)(link)
King Lear is my favorite Shakespeare tragedy, but I can only read it every few years because of its intensity. It was exciting to make the connection to "As Meat Loves Salt" the first time I read it (junior year of college). I'm trying to work a version of the story (Salt, not Lear) for a young crowd, but don't have it down yet to where it retains all its important elements and keeps a young one's attention.

Thanks for stopping by my blog and commenting!
--Farida

Re: Lear and Salt

[identity profile] feebeeglee.livejournal.com 2009-07-05 01:38 am (UTC)(link)
I am amused that we are both [something]glee.

Re: Lear and Salt

[identity profile] houseofglee.livejournal.com 2009-07-05 03:50 pm (UTC)(link)
Me too! It bodes well, I think. :)

Re: Lear and Salt

[identity profile] houseofglee.livejournal.com 2009-07-05 03:51 pm (UTC)(link)
I'll post my version if it comes together.