AS YOU LIKE IT, MACBETH, and DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS

AS YOU LIKE IT, MACBETH, and DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS: by Barbara Biddison
​
The Hamilton-Gibson bus trip to the STRATFORD FESTIVAL this year was a hugely successful opportunity for our local people to see professional theatre in a beautiful Ontario town. We boarded our Benedict's bus early that October 17th morning, and we were there to enjoy the rest of the afternoon in this lovely place. We checked in to the centrally located hotel where some of us have been staying for years, and off we went in small groups or alone to see the city in daylight.

Through Mansfield University there had been trips for decades. And now, after switching over to our local theatre group, we can offer this trip to all our theatre friends. I saw the three shows mentioned in the title of this blog. All were wonderful theatre, and as usual, certain liberties were taken with the script, including for MACBETH. The setting of the action in what appeared to me to be the interior of a hotel room, as well as the encounter outside with a motorcycle gang! But the words are the same.

It is hard to describe certain scenes and how they may differ from what you got when reading the play, but the challenge is worth it. Costume and body language enhance the novice's understanding of what's going on when actors on a stage is all you have. It is wonderful to be part of such an audience as you "feel" their attention and appreciation. And in DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS you are certainly drawn into the fast-paced action and dialogue on the stage... Your attention is captured throughout.

Hamilton-Gibson's Thomas Putnam has planned the event in recent years, to continue the experience. He's already looking at what might be available and suited to our people for next year. People who were "afraid of/reluctant to try" are often surprised by how much they understand and appreciate the "live experience." And you're always in good company!