La magique du theatre!

What a time we had yesterday!

While Natalie started her class, I waited for the garden sprinklers to subside. A great moment to buy theatre tickets. I only bought two at full price, as I was waiting for the discount rush tickets for the matinee performance of Shakespeare's "Henry V". I was told that I could also get discounts for the evening performance of "Much Ado About Nothing ", so i set my phone alarm for 11:30am and set to work on another water lily painting.

Natalie's class was also seeing "Henry V", but I had no idea where they would sit. My awesome discount ticket was 4th row from the stage, in the left side center, such a superior seat for the price!

I wasn't able to get a photo of the set. I felt too exposed, and didn't feel like getting yelled at.

Neither Natalie or I had seen this play, considered one of Will's masterpieces. Of course Natalie got a little knowledge of it in her class.

Our favorite things was when one of Falstaff's men is hung. Interestingly enough, this was just before intermission, and they left the poor bugger hanging there for quite a long time as the audience left the theatre for a break.

Another very effective moment was the staging of a fleet of Henry's ships sailing to France. By use of a moveable door that angled downward from the back of the stage, the actors, all 45 of them, each carrying  a metal pole with one or two sails on it came up from behing the raised end of the lower bridge/door, and walked downward and off the stage and up the aisles! The effect was of a fleet coming over the horizon, ship after ship! C'est magique.

Shakespeare of course tempered all the killing of the war with comedy, and these seasoned stage actors really know how to bring Shakespeare's literary genius to life.

Natalie was treated to an after stage question and answer session with some of the actors. This stayed in session until just before 6 o'clock, which didn't give us much time to find dinner and return for the 8 o'clock performance of Much Ado, but we managed, and had a fun evening of comedy. I did get a photo of the gorgeous set, but with my camera only.

Back at the B&B, we tumbled into bed, exhausted, but happy.