Adam's Bottom Made Up for the Rain

The law of averages finally caught up with me.

I've been attending Richmond Shakespeare Company's summer performances at Agecroft for years.

Unlike my tall friend Thomas, who finds these evenings painful (citing the heat and those awful plastic chairs), I love the outdoor ambiance.

I think it's great the way the actors use the stone walls to climb over, when they spout dialogue from windows or gesture to the stars.

I especially like enjoying a play that begins in the light of a summer evening and ends in darkness and, when I'm lucky, moonlight.

Last night was the final, final performance for A Midsummer Night's Dream, a play whose run I had missed because it coincided with my fortnight at the beach.

And, yes, I'd seen them do this very play just a few months ago at Second Presbyterian, but Midsummer is a play that begs to be performed outside.

Which it was for about 35 minutes until the threatening sky finally opened up and canceled the rest of the show. I felt better that the actors seemed to be as bummed about it as the audience was.

Luckily, my front row seat had already afforded me a very cool moment before the rain came.

Adam Mincks' character Nick Bottom (who had just been assigned the role of Pyramus) was reveling in anticipation of the role when he grabbed my hand, looked into my eyes and delivered his lines to me.

So yea, I thought I was pretty special for a hot minute there...until an off-stage voice shouted, "Actors, halt!" and that ended that.

I'm not complaining in any way, though.

After years of outdoor productions, this was my first rain-out, so I was probably long overdue.

Up next: Hamlet...and I feel sure the gods won't rain on me again.