Julie R. Neidlinger: Lone Prairie Blog

One-pound turkey legs.

written by Julie R. Neidlinger 2 comments link this post

Capitol Shakespeare was great. If you live in Bismarck and you have either Friday or Saturday night open, you need to be down on the lawn by the veteran's memorial by 5:30.

The production lasted about 2.5 hours, and I got there about 40 minutes early which meant I was dead center front. I dropped down on my old blanket and read a book until it started. It was a bit of a scorcher for the wait and maybe the first half hour, but as the sun dropped and the breezes picked up, it really was lovely.

The production was fabulous. Twelfth Night isn't my favorite Shakespeare play, but I found myself laughing a lot. The actors who played Sir Toby and Malvolio and Sir Andrew and Fabian -- really, they all did an amazing job. Some seriously funny laugh-out-loud moments. Just excellent. Great comedic timing. Malvolio was put in a burlap bag instead of a "dark room with a slit for light" and the way the actor who played him used the bag and gestures to get laughs...really hilarious. I also appreciated the fencing bouts and the humor used in that. I did fencing in college and it was fun to see the affected mannerisms the actors put on as they "dueled."

I'm glad I went.

I almost didn't.

I had that moment where, as I parked the car and pulled my blanket out of the back and started to walk over, I thought maybe I was tired of always doing things by myself. There's always that brief flash of annoying self-pity when you see people there with picnic baskets and friends, chatting and having a good time with each other. But, I settled down on my blanket, got comfortable, and was soon enjoying myself.

The event sold roasted turkey legs for $8, or chicken drummies for $3. I didn't have either, since I was broke, but the sight of people eating those turkey legs was humorous. The point was to have a Renaissance thing going on, though I'm not sure if the vultures circling high overhead where the grilling was occurring was part of the plan or not.

On Saturday, there will be Renaissance-fair kind of thing happening a few hours before. I won't be in town, and I probably wouldn't go to that, anyway. People in capes creep me out.

Capes are a clothing device that look dashing and handsome on men and women in movies or onstage, but the moment a Ren-Fair devotee decides to bring it out into daily life on the street, it comes off as creepy.

Besides, I can only take so much themed activity. I was at a Scottish festival in Minneapolis while I was there for college, and while it was rather exciting the first 20 minutes, by the time the 12th clan came in and did their bagpipe routine, I was ready to throw my meat pie at someone. I couldn't take the sight of plaid anything for half a year.

But definitely take in the production here in Bismarck if you are able. I'm telling you, I had a wonderful time tonight. Even if I was by myself.

Labels: my life, north dakota

Like this post? Subscribe to the feed. Help support this site. Facebook | Stumble It! | Del.icio.us | DiggIt! | Technorati | Blinklist | Furl | reddit | Newsvine

Links to this post:

<$BlogBacklinkTitle$>: <$BlogBacklinkSnippet$>
posted by <$BlogBacklinkAuthor$> @ <$BlogBacklinkDateTime$>

Create a Link

2 Comments:

I would have gone with you if you and the production weren't so far away. It seems the blame falls soley upon you and the production for the situation. Production.

By Anna, at 17/7/08 23:12