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tealinOn Sunday, I went on an expedition.
An expedition ... FOR ART!
Specifically, I was going to try to get to where the Independent Shakespeare Company was putting on their free(!) production of Hamlet in Griffith Park. I knew roughly how to get there but I knew the road I'd have to use was under construction ... the question was whether it was just closed to cars, or whether it was closed closed really closed no we're not kidding you can't take your bike on it even on a Sunday. I gave myself lots of time, in case of detours, and packed a goodly amount of water and provisions (you never know!) and set out.
There was construction – or, I should say, the road was torn up and there was equipment and bollards, but no actual constructing – and traffic was limited to one direction, the opposite of the way I needed to go. But the bike lane was open! Viva la bicycleta!
Griffith Park can really be quite lovely sometimes (especially if it's been a while since you saw real greenery) ... It was a nice day for biking and there were surprisingly few people on the bike path ... perhaps they, like I, assumed that if Crystal Springs Dr was closed then the bike route was too.
I'd left the pamphlet at work, and the internet was down at home so I couldn't check the website, but I knew the roving players would be performing 'sort of near the carousel' so I made my way there.
There was A Sign:
All together now: "I didn't know he was in prison!"
Jokes about actors, in reference to the sign at the top, have been respectfully omitted.
There was Another Sign:
Their logo may look like it belongs to an artisan coffee company, but that's not a bad thing, is it?
If your idea of fun is sitting on a carving of a horse going up and down slowly in a circle to the greatest hits of 1926, the Griffith Park Merry-Go-Round is the place for you! (I am not one to cast aspersions; I quite enjoyed carousels as a nipper and everyone here should be well aware of my fondness for the early 20th century.)
Hey look, atmospheric perspective!
Now ... was the play going to be put on here?
Or here?
(I secretly longed for Bouncy Elsinore)
The hour grew late ... I began to get nervous. Then I spotted a group of people with Whole Foods bags who looked like they knew where they were going, so I followed them. Good call! They led me to a trail which snaked away from the road, up through the trees, and to the Old Zoo, and ultimately to this:
Unfortunately by then it was late enough that I had to find a seat way at the back ... but I happened to end up sitting right behind Douglas holding court with the Basic Eight, so the quality of the eavesdropping made up for some of the distance from the stage.
And here the photos end, because the show started. AND WHAT A SHOW!
Hamlet was already my favourite Shakespeare play, so I can't say this production converted me, but it is now even more my favourite, because, and I cannot all-caps this enough, IT WAS AWESOME. Seriously, if you live anywhere near LA, their closing night is next Sunday, the 28th. BE THERE. (And take a jacket. And socks. And a hat, if you know what's good for you.) I wish it weren't such a cliche so I could say 'the text came alive!' and not sound dumb, but ... really ... they found so much life and humour that you would not expect in a famously long and morose play about a depressed prince taking a long time to get around to killing his uncle. Every moment is thoroughly enjoyable, and you will be surprised how much you laugh. I'm planning another post on how specifically awesome various aspects of the play were, but I wanted to get this out there in time for people to make plans. And if you do get there too late to get a seat close enough to hear well, just cup your hands around your ears. It works surprisingly well! And it's dark, so no one can see you looking silly.
As for me, I'm going to try to sneak away from work early enough one of these days to catch their Love's Labours Lost – if it's half as good as Hamlet it will be truancy well spent.
An expedition ... FOR ART!
Specifically, I was going to try to get to where the Independent Shakespeare Company was putting on their free(!) production of Hamlet in Griffith Park. I knew roughly how to get there but I knew the road I'd have to use was under construction ... the question was whether it was just closed to cars, or whether it was closed closed really closed no we're not kidding you can't take your bike on it even on a Sunday. I gave myself lots of time, in case of detours, and packed a goodly amount of water and provisions (you never know!) and set out.
There was construction – or, I should say, the road was torn up and there was equipment and bollards, but no actual constructing – and traffic was limited to one direction, the opposite of the way I needed to go. But the bike lane was open! Viva la bicycleta!
Griffith Park can really be quite lovely sometimes (especially if it's been a while since you saw real greenery) ... It was a nice day for biking and there were surprisingly few people on the bike path ... perhaps they, like I, assumed that if Crystal Springs Dr was closed then the bike route was too.
I'd left the pamphlet at work, and the internet was down at home so I couldn't check the website, but I knew the roving players would be performing 'sort of near the carousel' so I made my way there.
There was A Sign:
All together now: "I didn't know he was in prison!"
Jokes about actors, in reference to the sign at the top, have been respectfully omitted.
There was Another Sign:
Their logo may look like it belongs to an artisan coffee company, but that's not a bad thing, is it?
If your idea of fun is sitting on a carving of a horse going up and down slowly in a circle to the greatest hits of 1926, the Griffith Park Merry-Go-Round is the place for you! (I am not one to cast aspersions; I quite enjoyed carousels as a nipper and everyone here should be well aware of my fondness for the early 20th century.)
Hey look, atmospheric perspective!
Now ... was the play going to be put on here?
Or here?
(I secretly longed for Bouncy Elsinore)
The hour grew late ... I began to get nervous. Then I spotted a group of people with Whole Foods bags who looked like they knew where they were going, so I followed them. Good call! They led me to a trail which snaked away from the road, up through the trees, and to the Old Zoo, and ultimately to this:
Unfortunately by then it was late enough that I had to find a seat way at the back ... but I happened to end up sitting right behind Douglas holding court with the Basic Eight, so the quality of the eavesdropping made up for some of the distance from the stage.
And here the photos end, because the show started. AND WHAT A SHOW!
Hamlet was already my favourite Shakespeare play, so I can't say this production converted me, but it is now even more my favourite, because, and I cannot all-caps this enough, IT WAS AWESOME. Seriously, if you live anywhere near LA, their closing night is next Sunday, the 28th. BE THERE. (And take a jacket. And socks. And a hat, if you know what's good for you.) I wish it weren't such a cliche so I could say 'the text came alive!' and not sound dumb, but ... really ... they found so much life and humour that you would not expect in a famously long and morose play about a depressed prince taking a long time to get around to killing his uncle. Every moment is thoroughly enjoyable, and you will be surprised how much you laugh. I'm planning another post on how specifically awesome various aspects of the play were, but I wanted to get this out there in time for people to make plans. And if you do get there too late to get a seat close enough to hear well, just cup your hands around your ears. It works surprisingly well! And it's dark, so no one can see you looking silly.
As for me, I'm going to try to sneak away from work early enough one of these days to catch their Love's Labours Lost – if it's half as good as Hamlet it will be truancy well spent.
