Better than the book

I'm spending part of this week in Cedar City at the Shakespeare festival. Today, I saw Cyrano de Bergyrac and Two Gentlemen of Verona.

I've decided that Shakespeare plays are much better on stage than on paper. I am realizing that I don't get the humor as well when I am simply reading a play. Shakespeare's humor is so different from modern humor that it's hard for me to pick up on. The director and actors did an amazing job interpreting the play. Two Gentlemen is a comedy- it pits the friendship story against the love story. If you really want to know, I am sure wikipedia or something can tell you all about it. Suffice to say, I hated the way it ended! Julia is a sweet, beautiful, innocent young woman but loses her head to her heart and takes back a total bum for a husband. This play has a plot that resembles the drama my students are constantly embroiled in. He likes her and she likes him who hates the other him but secretly likes her best friend and meanwhile the parents...you know.

Cyrano de Bergyrac isn't a Shakespeare play but was amazing. I had a basic idea of the plot, but I didn't know the detail or the pathos that makes up so much of the play. The play explores Cyrano's insecurity about his exceptionally large nose and the loneliness and shame that results. Cyrano's character resonated with me- he felt like no one could ever love him. Never mind that he was exceptionally witty, courageous, charismatic, gentle, an exceptionally brilliant poet- he pushed everyone away from him because of the shame he felt. The beautiful Roxanne falls in love with his soul without knowing his true identity. Long story short (again, see wikipedia) the story is deeply tragic and only in his dying hour does Roxanne find out his true identity. Beautiful love story, amazingly tragic, deep pathos.

This is a great change from the world of high school chemistry and all the associated drama!