Sometimes Shakespeare’s line for Gertrude, “The lady doth protest too much, methinks,” is an apt description when people try to hard to get you to think something is cool. Such as when us librarians try to convince you that, “No, no we really are cool and hip. Not at at all staid and dorky.” Exhibit A.
Sometimes I am afraid I am being that way as an enthusiastic apologist and marketer for the city of St. Louis. Nah. Despite its many sociological and economic difficulties, St. Louis is a great place to live, with many great free events, including the fantastic St. Louis Shakespeare Festival.
This year is the first year with a new drainage sytem, which should help following the passage of those menacing, but amazing thunderheads. The play for this year is The Merry Wives of Windsor, with which I have no familiarity. But I have found that that invariably does not matter, as the plays are well done and accessible.
The picture above is of good friend and fellow chruchman making like Bacchus and appreciating the fruit of the vine during last year’s festival. And, oh, if you have not caught it already, make sure to check out the work of another churchman featuring the nation’s largest urban park.
I was under the impression that I have read EVERY Shakespeare play written. I have the complete works, and I am pretty sure I have never seen this one! “The Merry Wives of Windsor”? Weird.
Wow, you have read all the plays (or almost ;). I am not even close, I’m afraid, having really only focused on the majors and the odd minor.
Well, I was assigned to read them in several of my Theatre classes, plus, I took a Shakespeare course as English major in which we covered ALL the major Shakespeare plays. It was REALLY INTENSE! After college I knocked off the rest from my complete works one by one. Now, that’s not to say I remember each one. I get many of them confused.