Upon a Midnight Pillow

It was exactly as I liked it.

A talented group of actors were putting on a Shakespeare play at Sycamore Rouge in Petersburg.

The room was small, the admission was free and none of the actors knew what play or role they'd have until they showed up at the theater.

Hell, the audience didn't even find out until 60 seconds before the play began.

Answer: "As You Like It," which I'd last seen in March of 2012.

Three of us drove down soul-sucking I-95 in time to get seats, but not all together.

And that's why we have discussions after the play is over.

What passions put these weights upon my tongue?

There were plenty of contemporary touches - a servant taking pictures with his cell phone, two ladies repeatedly high-fiving each other- and plenty of ad-libbing.

"He's an old one," quipped Orlando as his ancient servant Adam slowly trundled off stage. "He needs time."

Costumes were based on suggestions from the director, Adam Mincks, so we saw one character in shiny, yellow gym shorts with a matching headband, another with sideburns attached to the chin strap on his hat and a priest in a robe that looked more like a dress your aunt wore in the '70s.

Beauty provokes thieves sooner than gold.

There was a good amount of singing, sometimes to "Greensleeves" and sometimes to the theme from "Gilligan's Island" with a last minute ad-lib of "Mary Ann was hot" for those paying attention.

If I was a woman, I would kiss as many of you as had beards that pleased me.

The play was funny because, well, Shakespeare wrote comedy well, but also because the actors took every opportunity to milk their lines for everything they could.

And why shouldn't they?

If you can't mug for a devoted Shakespeare-loving audience on a Saturday night, you may as well hang up your couplets.

I was just thrilled to sit in the front row and watch the spit fly. And for free.

Fortune reigns in gifts of the world. True story.