The Weekend ;-)
Saturday night was a fun night! After all the sort-of drama that's been happening during the week, it was a nice distraction.
Jim picked me up around 7:00pm and we made our way to CSF's production of William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. After reading some of the reviews and articles about the show, I was actually rather excited to see a CSF production (besides Jim's run of Titus there, I have not been very impressed with CSF's performances this season). I was ready to see some interesting theatre and CSF did not disappoint for once.
The show was actually very good. I won't bore you with a synopsis (most read this tragedy in middle/high school, right?). There were moments here and there that could have been better, but it was a damn fine performance. The most impressive part of the show was the set. Will Turbyne, CSF's resident scenic designer outdid himself. The modern set mixed aspects from Aeon Flux and Matrix with some classic Roman columns. The big set surprise is in the second act after the civil war of Rome begins. Costuming was good, with contemporary suits with Roman sashes and professional military attire in the second act.
CSF's small resident ensemble took the task of performing this show very well. The shifts back and forth and different characters portayed were, for the most part, distinct enough to not cause too much confusion. One of the good things the director decided to do was have the women portray their characters as women as opposed to having the usual women-dressing-as-men-playing-men that never really works. It allowed for some interesting dynamics. For example, Decius Brutus using her feminine wiles and persuasion to convince Caesar to attend the senate meeting where he would ultimately be betrayed. It made for a more interesting play.
Two of the best performances of the night came from the actors playing Brutus (Giles Davies) and Cassius (Jeremy Dubin). The intensity of the roles and the intertwining of them made for some powerful theatre. Both actors have been performing together for several years and it shows (in a good way) in Julius. I was very impressed with what they did (although there were a few moments that seemed to miss the mark or be too powerful). I was also quite impressed with Sara Goff, who played a number of roles but was most distiguished as Portia, wife of Brutus. There was a beauty, manipulative, and a devotion in her that made her a perfect match for Giles' Brutus. All in all, it was good show.
After the show, we stopped at my place to rest a bit and then made our way out to the Serpent. It was Mardi Gras night and it was pretty busy crowd. We mostly spent the evening drinking and conversating. I got to meet Mike, a guy I have been chatting with on Bear411 for a while. He's super nice and friendly It was first time ever coming to the Serpent and he seemed to enjoy himself (no not back there!). Ran into several other friends, including Robbie and his boyfriend, Ben, whom I haven't seen in months. There was some drama that ensued, but nothing too big happened. Jim and I left just before the bar closed and went back to my place for some fun of our own! ;-) It's been a while since he and I have had time to be intimate together, so it made the night extra wonderful. :-)
Jim picked me up around 7:00pm and we made our way to CSF's production of William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. After reading some of the reviews and articles about the show, I was actually rather excited to see a CSF production (besides Jim's run of Titus there, I have not been very impressed with CSF's performances this season). I was ready to see some interesting theatre and CSF did not disappoint for once.
The show was actually very good. I won't bore you with a synopsis (most read this tragedy in middle/high school, right?). There were moments here and there that could have been better, but it was a damn fine performance. The most impressive part of the show was the set. Will Turbyne, CSF's resident scenic designer outdid himself. The modern set mixed aspects from Aeon Flux and Matrix with some classic Roman columns. The big set surprise is in the second act after the civil war of Rome begins. Costuming was good, with contemporary suits with Roman sashes and professional military attire in the second act.
CSF's small resident ensemble took the task of performing this show very well. The shifts back and forth and different characters portayed were, for the most part, distinct enough to not cause too much confusion. One of the good things the director decided to do was have the women portray their characters as women as opposed to having the usual women-dressing-as-men-playing-men that never really works. It allowed for some interesting dynamics. For example, Decius Brutus using her feminine wiles and persuasion to convince Caesar to attend the senate meeting where he would ultimately be betrayed. It made for a more interesting play.
Two of the best performances of the night came from the actors playing Brutus (Giles Davies) and Cassius (Jeremy Dubin). The intensity of the roles and the intertwining of them made for some powerful theatre. Both actors have been performing together for several years and it shows (in a good way) in Julius. I was very impressed with what they did (although there were a few moments that seemed to miss the mark or be too powerful). I was also quite impressed with Sara Goff, who played a number of roles but was most distiguished as Portia, wife of Brutus. There was a beauty, manipulative, and a devotion in her that made her a perfect match for Giles' Brutus. All in all, it was good show.
After the show, we stopped at my place to rest a bit and then made our way out to the Serpent. It was Mardi Gras night and it was pretty busy crowd. We mostly spent the evening drinking and conversating. I got to meet Mike, a guy I have been chatting with on Bear411 for a while. He's super nice and friendly It was first time ever coming to the Serpent and he seemed to enjoy himself (no not back there!). Ran into several other friends, including Robbie and his boyfriend, Ben, whom I haven't seen in months. There was some drama that ensued, but nothing too big happened. Jim and I left just before the bar closed and went back to my place for some fun of our own! ;-) It's been a while since he and I have had time to be intimate together, so it made the night extra wonderful. :-)