On my way back from Berkeley where I just watched a performance of Macbeth. Details very soon!
So M is trying to squirm his way back into my good graces. He is making pretty good headway. Tonight, he took me out for a surprise date night.
Directly after work, he met up with me and we hopped onto BART. After a longish ride, we got off at some station and took a shuttle to the middle of nowhere. All I could see were trees and hills.
But we were actually at the amphitheater where the California Shakespeare Theater Company performs (Cal Shakes for short). And the performance tonight was Macbeth. I was so excited. I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned this before, but I spent a summer abroad studying Shakespeare in London and Stratford-upon-Avon while at UCLA. I saw around 10 plays performed there, but Macbeth wasn’t one of them.
Since it’s an outdoor amphitheater, people bring food, blankets, wine, cheese and all sorts of goodies. M and I were pretty jealous because we had only brought a few snacks. But they were still yummy. Just not as yummy when the people next to us unpack a huge assortment of dips, salads, rice things, breads, and other snackables.
M bought a beer. Of course. This one was delicious. One I’ve never tried before, but ended up being super bitter and bitey. Refreshing.
We settled back into our seats with our snacks and just took in the scene. The set was magnificent. It looked sort of like a cross between a bathroom in the movie “Saw” with the creepy, jerky nurses from “Silent Hill.” Seriously ominous.
The whole arena was packed. Rightly so because this production was glorious. Entirely unsettling and dark, M and I were totally caught up. Take that Royal Shakespeare Company, Brits aren’t the only ones that can do Shakespeare right! I am so impressed.
On the way back, the BART driver must’ve been feeling especially jovial and social:
“Sorry folks, we’re gonna have to stay here for a bit. Some fool is riding his bicycle around on the platform.”
*Silence from the passengers, then a few laughs*
“You know, you can’t use skateboards, unicycles, bicycles … you can only use your two feet because if you fall onto the tracks or fall into someone and THEY fall onto the tracks, you’ll get run over and cut to ribbons.”
*Silence*
Thanks Mr. BART driver.
xoxo,
Jenn
