Shakespeare in the Park

The lovely Robin and I spent this evening in Eden Park (home of the Cincinnati Art Museum, Playhouse in the Park, etc.) at a free performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream, staged by members of the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company.

It was a delightful performance, with a five-minute intermission. Rain threatened--we felt a few drops, but that was all. We had front row seats until our dear friends (and former Cobbleheads) Ryan and Sarah Schilling showed up, and they sat on a blanket right in front of us. We also had the blessing of sitting with former Cobblehead Marc LeRoux, whose bride, Lauren Shively (also a former Cobblehead) was in the company (that's her at the far right of the stage in the photo above). (We also feel cool because we had the privilege of marrying both those couples!).

We loved the performance and the setting (the Seasongood Pavilion always brings back memories; I remember it as the scene of Easter Sunrise Services in my childhood and teen years). The adaptation and staging was imaginative, the six actors were excellent, the comedy was effective, and the text wasn't too shabby, either.

Eight more performances remain in this Summer's Shakespeare in the Park schedule (check it out here): four more of A Midsummer Night's Dream and four of Hamlet. And they're all free. You can't beat the price. And I've long been a fan of these folks and their productions.