I speaketh Shakespeare in my Sleepeth

So last week I attended Riverside Theater’s performances of A Comedy of Errors and The Winter’s Tale which were the shows of this year’s Shakespeare Festival in Iowa City. Finally I attended the Shakespeare Festival!!!! that only took five years of attending the University of Iowa, sheesh. Although to be fair, this is only my third summer spent in Iowa City—Although to also be fair, that is still way lame of me since both of my apartments have been only a block away from Lower City Park and the lovely Festival Stage!

Actually it was on this stage on a very humid humid day in late summer 2006 that Lindsay and I laid out with our library books on podcasting and worked out the details of NerdGirlTalking. We had planned on going to the pool, but it cost a dollar more than expected–and we had only brought exactly what we needed since our money was in for-laundry quarters–very heavy. It was also cloudy so we didn’t get tan, but not like we get tan anyway. Pale and Proud and skin cancer free! (hmm, except for the skin cancer part–already been there, done that, despite the massive amounts of sunscreen I applied since I was 12 and that “Wear Sunscreen” song was popular.)

OK, so I finally go to the Shakespeare Festival!!!! the year that Iowa City is massively flooded, including Lower City park and that beautiful Festival Stage—but seeing the plays in gnat-free, air-conditioned City High Theater was probably preferable since I do not like being outside in the summer anyway (I would so rather shiver than sweat—-it is way cuter and less disgusting and more energizing—that is three bonuses of winter over summer). THE PLAYS WERE AMAZING!!!! Although I had read The Winter’s Tale and was thus more familiar with it, A Comedy of Errors was my favorite. But I won’t really go into that, because, hey–the festival is over now, so why go on and on about plays you can’t go see anymore??? oh but do go next year!!!! and donate to Riverside, they need it badly!!!

So I love how when I first start watching a Shakespeare play/movie/etc I always feel like my brain has switched on the language scrambler, but only for the first ten minutes or so and then things start to make more sense—like I’ve got a really lazy babelfish in my ear. And then by intermission, I’m all “Gosh dang it, why don’t we speak like that anymore?! We sound positively boring,” but “no big deal, things change, la de da.” BUT THEN, my brain goes all mimic on me! This isn’t such a big deal when I’m in the South, because then people just think I’m Southern—but I doubt mimic-ing Shakespeare speak is going to make people think I’m Elizabethean. Especially because I can’t even mimic it properly–I have no idea what I’m saying, but brain just starts thinking in thou’s and ith’s and cuckolds and flattery OH MY! And it doesn’t make any sense at all, but my brain won’t stop. It just keeps trying as if it thinks eventually brilliant poetic language will start pouring out. I know better, and so I keep my mouth shut and tried to distract my brain with reading and reality television. But sleeping became very difficult last week–for Shakespeare lurks in the dark and the quiet!!!!

Do not despair though, my cousin Kelly came to visit me and after watching hours of Project Runway and Shear Genius this weekend, I think my brain is back to “normal.” However, I also learned that my brain is never “normal” according to Kelly because I prefer crew neck sweatshirts to hoodies. More on that discussion later.

My three favorite Shakespeare movie adaptations:
Romeo and Juliet–the Claire Danes/Leonard DiCaprio version—I remember in junior high when my mom rented this for me during my Titantic phase–I love my mom.
10 Things I Hate About You—most quotable movie of my generation, me thinks
She’s the Man because Amanda Bynes is HILARIOUS.

much loveth
amberj.