Picnicking 2 with Shakespeare

Do you not know I am a woman? When I think I must speak.

How fortunate is Richmond that local actor Joe Carlson decided to stage Shakespeare in Battery Park? The free five-night run of As You Like It has been on my calendar since I first heard him talking about it at Lift Coffee back in May. We followed his advice to the letter: "So unfurl those blankets, break out the lawn chairs and stuff your picnic baskets for an evening of theater in historic Battery Park."

We let 8 1/2 stuff our picnic basket with an Italian hero, an arugula, fresh mozzarella and proscuitto sub, potato wedges, house salads and sfagliatelles. Then we headed to northside for my first visit to Battery Park, a fact of which I am now ashamed. What a lovely spot! The stone walls and terraced hills are a far cry from my neighborhood's Abner Clay Park. Yes, I understand its issues drainage-wise, but but on a clear, dry night like tonight, it was truly an oasis.

I can suck melancholy out of a song as a weasel sucks eggs. More, I prithee, more.

Down a long flight of stone steps and nestled into a corner of the park, the improvised stage area was up against a curtain of trees. Later, when the stage lights came up, the front row of trees were highlighted against the tangle behind them. It was the perfect backdrop for a play mostly set in the Forest of Arden.

A diverse cast of various ages and ethnicities provided the hilarity, romance and melancholy of one of Shakespeare's simplest plays. The three musicians who provided music beforehand were also incorporated into the cast, playing minor speaking parts and supplying music when appropriate. Their location at the back of the "stage" under an umbrella and with candles burning around them made them both blend in and remain a focal point.

Toward the end the characters Touchstone and Audrey began dancing a two-step and the rest of the cast appeared in the audience and grabbed partners of their own. It was the faithful servant Adam who extended his hand to me and asked me to join him in dancing. And what was I just saying in my last post about being among the rhythmically-challenged?

By the time the play ended with the marriage of the four loving couples, darkness was as complete as the audience's satisfaction. Hats off to Joe for having the artistic inspiration to conceive of, much less carry out, such a gift to the city. I only hope this is the first of an annual summer event in a beautifully historic area under-served by the arts.

It was a tough act to follow, but I stopped at Tarrant's on the way home to enjoy some conversation and a beverage.I wanted to tell my bartending friend about the play, but I also got roped into a discussion of dating younger men. One of the servers (28) is dating a 21-year old and on occasion feeling the frustration of dealing with his youth (while definitely enjoying the benefits). She asked for my opinion of whether to fish or cut bait.

And although I've had several younger guy relationships in my life, I am the last person to be offering relationship advice. The best I could do was to tell her, based on my experience, to weigh the good and the frustrating. "You'll know," I assured her.

I pray you, do not fall in love with me,
For I am falser than vows made in wine.

Maybe it's not youth but wine-made promises she should be worried about.