!Girl, interrupted arrived at the theatre, I let Alison know what time to pick me up (she could not join me this time due to work). I enjoyed the first half without concern, until during the intermission I checked the clock and realized that, as a typical student of words rather than numbers, I had told Alison the wrong time to pick me up – about half an hour early. So, just as Cordelia was reunited with her father, I found myself sheepishly sneaking out the door. Of course, for each of these tales of woe I have glorious stories of seeing Shakespeare uninterrupted – 50 percent failure entails 50 percent success, right? In Washington DC, Alison and I sat within the first three rows and the actors nearly spit on us for the entirety of Henry IV, Part 1 (spittle and all it was magnificent!). We made it back to Bryn Mawr to see Rory Kinnear as Hamlet and everything went perfectly. I dragged my entire family to see a screening of the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Henry IV, Part 1 and they all stayed awake and enjoyed the entire experience. No, I certainly won’t let my series of Shakespeare fiascos deter me. I have learned to always double check websites to make sure the venue hasn’t lost power, to pack an extra umbrella even if the weather forecast is clear, and to have someone else calculate when the show will be over. And if the Shakespeare curse still manages to strike, at least I will have a few good stories to share. As that great American movie icon Forrest Gump once said, “Life is like a box of chocolates – you never know what you’re gonna get”. Some days you drive four hours through snow without any reward. Other days you end up with the best seat in the house. That’s Shakespeare for you.
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SHAKESPEARE magazine
The loneliness of the long-distance Shakespeare fan.
“I had told Alison the wrong time to pick me up. So, just as Cordelia was reunited with her father, I found myself sheepishly sneaking out the door”