Sunday, July 25, 2010

Scenic Sunday & Blue Monday, Play on the Beach ~ July 24, 2010


On Saturday evening a friend from out of town and I decided to treat ourselves to a play under the auspices of Bard on the Beach, an annual Shakespearean Festival held under white tents with red flags set up on Kitsilano Beach.

Both of us like Shakespeare.  But beyond that we were enthralled with the idea of having a barbeque dinner during the intermission.  After that, coffee and dessert and the topping on the cake, a comfortable seat in the beachfront park to watch the annual fireworks competition, "Celebration of Lights". What a fabulous idea all around.
The play was lovely. I was soon stopped from taking photos of the stage but I did manage to get one.


The evening's performance on the mainstage is entitled "Much Ado About Nothing". I've copied this descriptive summary from Wikipedia for you in case you are unfamiliar with it.
Much Ado About Nothing is a comedy by William Shakespeare about two pairs of lovers, Benedick and Beatrice, and Claudio and Hero. Benedick and Beatrice are engaged in a "merry war"; they both talk a mile a minute and proclaim their scorn for love, marriage, and each other. In contrast, Claudio and Hero are sweet young people who are rendered practically speechless by their love for one another. By means of "noting" (which sounds the same as "nothing," and which is gossip, rumor, and overhearing), Benedick and Beatrice are tricked into confessing their love for each other, and Claudio is tricked into rejecting Hero at the altar. However, Dogberry, a Constable who is a master of malapropisms, discovers—unbeknownst to himself—the evil trickery of the villain, the bastard Don John. In the end, Don John is captured and everyone else joins in a dance celebrating the marriages of the two couples.
Unfortunately, I cannot show you any original photos of the actors but some of you may have seen the film of the same name, directed by Kenneth Branagh. In the movie,the lovestruck Claudio, sings a beautiful called "Sigh No More". I found it on youtube.com and offer it here for your listening and viewing pleasure.

My friend (and I) awaiting the start of fireworks.

Here is a scene earlier in the evening of all the boats gathering on the water to get a good position for viewing the evening fireworks.


Here is shot taken at the start of fireworks. I'm afraid that is all I have. I did manage to remember to take my digital camera however I forgot to take an empty memory card. It is a pity I am unable to share with you the finale of the show as Spain did a fantastic job of it. Simply beautiful. Wish you were there to see it.  Maybe next year?


Join in here for more Scenic Sundays. Please also join in here for Blue Monday hosted by the lovely Sally. For a delightful new recipe involving strawberries, click here.

21 comments:

Rinkly Rimes said...

What a wonderful experience! I think our town could do with a Bard-ecue!

Laura in Paris said...

If you want to enjoy Much ado about nothing 100% just read it! But the Britsh movie you mention is great. Kenneth Branagh the great British actor did the adaptation and directs the movie (also plays in it). It's really worth watching - and enjoying.

My name is Riet said...

What a lovely time you had.

Joyful said...

Rinkly Rimes, it was a wonderful experience. I agree it would be nice if your town had a Bard-e-que ;-)

Laura, I have in fact watched the play more than once, read it and seen the Kenneth Brnagh adaptation. It was enjoyable in every form. If you've never had an experience of watching the play along the waterfront, try it some time!

Riet, it was a great time!

SmilingSally said...

Joy,

I love Shakespeare, and I would love to have you link in to Blue Monday.

LV said...

Sounds like a very enjoyable event. Also, sounds like you had a good time. Nice that you shared your outing with us.

Joyful said...

Hi Sally, thanks for the visit. I love Shakespeare too. The link to Blue Monday is up :-)

LV, my friend and I had a great time. I haven't seen her since this time last year so it was great to have a wonderful outing and a nice visit afterwards.

Dena E's Blog said...

What a treat for you and the others,,,and thanks for the note to my blog Sweetie...
HappppY BLUE Monday
Blessings and Hugs Dena

Ann - Making Fun Family Memories with Childrens Tea Sets said...

Oh how fun! When I was a young mom, we used to go to the children's musical productions in the local park. It was such a treat for all the senses - sound, smells, sights and more. What a great time y'all had! Thanks for sharing it delightfully for Blue Monday :)

Kim, USA said...

I love watching fireworks display. Great capture thanks for sharing!

Barnyard Express

Kilauea Poetry said...

Looks fun and the photos turned out nice! They had a peformance here on the Big Island back in March of last year. I didn't see it though.
Hope your doing ok!
I noticed those cookies below..they look yummy. I just slightly over did my ginger bread cookies this afternoon..but they'll be ok I guess? Have a wondeful day-

Verns said...

Wow, it's always nice to see the life of people from the other side of the world.. thanks for sharing.

Bon Vivant said...

I want to watch Shakespeare too, glad to know you were able to experience that one.

Visiting back from Blue Monday

Maharlikah said...

Great photos. And the scenery is nice too.

☺lani☺ said...

That's a great experience... Have a nice day!

Linda said...

That looks like a fun way to spend Sunday.

aspiritofsimplicity said...

It does look like you had a lovely time. What fun.

Joyful said...

Hello all you lovely ladies, thank you for visiting my blog. I hope you are having a wonderful day and that you will visit again soon.

Regina, I'm sure your gingerbread cookies were very tasty. A little dark colour never hurts ;-)

Joyful said...

That looks like a fun way to spend Sunday.

Joyful said...

I want to watch Shakespeare too, glad to know you were able to experience that one.

Visiting back from Blue Monday

Joyful said...

Oh how fun! When I was a young mom, we used to go to the children's musical productions in the local park. It was such a treat for all the senses - sound, smells, sights and more. What a great time y'all had! Thanks for sharing it delightfully for Blue Monday :)

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