Merry and Tragical

Park once, party twice. Sadly, though, I paid the price.

Nay, faith, let me not play a woman, for I have a  beard coming.

And that's the beauty of a gender-reversed play. Those actors playing women do have beard potential.

Firehouse Theater was doing "A Midsummer Night's Dream" with fifteen women playing the male parts.

As if the pleasure of men playing women wasn't sufficient, there were also actors of a tender age playing believable love-besotted youths (Hermia and Lysander).

There was anachronistic humor, like when the bumbling troupe needed moonlight for their play and decided to check the calendar to see if the moon would be bright for them.

In this version, that calendar was on a smartphone, around which they all gathered to determine that the moon would indeed be shining for their performance.

There was innuendo, like when Bottom (played to perfection by Molly Hood) said, "I could munch your good dry oats."

So that's what the kids were calling it in Shakespeare's time. Munching.

There was physical humor, as when Demetrius says, "Let's follow him and, by the way, let, whoa, us recount our dream."

The "whoa" occurred when she nearly ran into a pole.

Or when Bottom says, "And, most dear actors, eat no onion nor garlic for we are to utter sweet breath," as one of her fellow actors takes a bite of sandwich, leaving onion hanging from her mouth.

There was the most plaintive and unloved Helena imaginable in the always hysterically dour Dean Knight.

There was mad doting by multiple couples not to mention lovers making moan.

The performance was especially timely since I'd just seen Richmond Shakespeare do the very same play at Maymont not three weeks ago.

Of course, in that version Hermia didn't stand up to pee and Theseus didn't have breasts.

Call me a mortal fool, but all shall be well when Firehouse does a gender exploration of anything by the Bard.

In other words, count me in.

From the forest of the fairies to a blog's birthday party we went. Luckily it was on the same block.

RVAPlaylist was celebrating its second birthday, and as I explained to a fellow music lover, it wasn't that I wanted to go, I had to go.

Of course I wanted to as well.

And why not? The show was free, there was a band I'd never seen and was eager to, one of my long-time favorite bands was playing and there would be birthday cake.

Oh, yes, and literally dozens of people I knew would be there.

Happily, I walked into the Camel to a clutch of familiar faces right up front.

Greeting people, hugging friends and hearing my name called, I turned to see a friend with outstretched arms.

"Is this the Karen receiving line?" he asked only half mocking.

Why, yes, it was.

Against Grace were already playing their brand of pop punk (think Jimmy Eat World) to a crowd of rapturous fans exactly like my friend had described them.

Devoted.

Once their set ended, I set out to finish saying hello to everyone I knew, a never-ending attempt, since inevitably I'd see someone else I hadn't yet seen.

Dead Fame played second and brought their 21st-century take on Joy Division (and a different crowd) to life under minimal lighting and a crowd that moved incessantly with the beat of the music.

As a pal noted, the band had done their 80s homework and lead singer Michael was a study of Ian Curtis as he delivered post-punk and staccato dance moves.

Marionette was last and they too had their own fan base, allowing them to take their music in some new directions instead of playing only familiar material.

We die hards love that kind of fan-centric set list.

Guitarist Adam began their set by thanking Andrew, RVAPlaylist's author, for his long-time interest in the band.

The only thing Adam forgot to mention was who had originally introduced Andrew to Marionette's music.

I don't want to name names, but it was the same woman (not played by a man tonight) who was assured that if she came to the birthday party tonight, not only would there be cake, but she was free to lick the icing off the edge of the plate.

That's a pretty sweet enticement.

All in all, the birthday party had been great fun and it's hard to beat free music.

Well, not exactly free.

I walked out to find a $60 ticket on my car. Really? This is what our cops are doing with their time at night?

Although I'd parked in the same space I've parked for years to go to the Firehouse and the Camel, apparently now it's off limits after 11 p.m.

Ah, well. The course of true fun never did run smooth.

Saucy and Audacious Eloquence

"No doubt they rose up early to observe the rite of May."

There was no rising involved, but early I did arrive for Richmond Shakespeare's free production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" at Maymont.

Doing so got me in the front row, as much as there were rows, where I found several blankets spread and a friendly couple already entrenched.

Like me, they'd attended last year's production and remembered how early and large the crowd had been.

Learning from our mistakes, we were having none of that this year.

Meanwhile, a couple of hawks circled overhead as we made introductions.

Ah, nature. That's why we go to Maymont, right?

With over an hour and a half until show time, I chatted with them, ate my picnic supper of fried chicken, legume and olive salad and watermelon and read.

I was not unique; looking around, most of the early arrivals were either eating or reading a book. I can't recall the last time I saw so many book readers in one place.

Coincidence? I think not.

Meanwhile the actors practiced their lines silently or sotto voice, ran around the stage flexing the stage boards or rehearsed songs.

"I am out of breath in this fond chase."

I would advise getting more exercise or eating more fruit if you want to keep up.

The performance began with the announcement of where the facilities were and the information that, "The Port-a-Potties are over there, they just arrived and they're freshly done."

I think we can all agree that there is nothing quite like a freshly done portable toilet. I know I took advantage of them.

With that reassurance began the play about how the course of true love never does run smooth (and if it does, how concerned should we be?).

And especially in a comedy about people loving the wrong person.

Even more so when the entire cast is in pajamas and robes (and kudos to Hermia for her alluring peignoir).

"Love looks not with the eyes but with the mind."

If you ask me, they should teach that in Romance 101.

As if the misguided lovers weren't amusing enough, the ragtag group of amateur actors who are painfully rehearsing a play for the Duke's wedding provided non-stop hilarity.

When the dim Snug agrees to take on the role of the lion, his Cowardly Lion imitation was laugh-out-loud funny.

Quince's barely restrained impatience with his slow-witted associates was written all over his face and in every muscle of his tensed body, ensuring that we felt his pain.

"Mine ear is much enamored of thy note."

Puck was a bundle of red union-suited energy, mounting stools, bouncing around the stage and leaping off the end of it.

The surrounding trees and lawn were the ideal setting for a story that takes place in a fairy-inhabited woodland (well, except for the children climbing the nearby tree).

That said, I was glad I wasn't in pajamas since once the sun set, it was a tad cool out there in the grass.

"We cannot fight for love as men may do. We should be wooed and were not made to woo."

For me, the pleasure of this play, which I've seen performed many times, comes with the chemistry of the actors playing the three sets of lovers, all of whom shone tonight.

At intermission, we were instructed, "Please feel free to go wherever you want to now."

For me, that was straight to the ice cream truck for a double scoop of butter pecan while a couple of musicians played Paul Simon and Kenny Loggins tunes.

And, yes, someone called out, "Free Bird!" Is that book-reading crowd behavior, people?

All the mix-ups and tomfoolery of the first act were finally righted in the second (whew!) act so everybody ended up happy with their partner and the over-the-top Bottom and his band of actors put on their histrionic play.

That brought to a close this year's gift from Richmond Shakespeare and another fine evening of feuding fairies and love and madness.

"To say the truth, reason and love keep little company together now-a-days."

Did they ever?