On Friday night I had one of the delightful experiences associated with living in Adelaide. I was invited by my dear high school friend, Blondie, to see a production of "Shakespeare in the Vines" which is a tour of regional vineyards with, this season, a presentation of Twelfth Night.We arrived at the sublime Coriole Vineyard (above) at around 6.00pm while there was still enough sting in the sun to cause us to drape cardigans over our shoulders and regret our decision to leave hats at home. The blank sky above is a result of that very hard evening light one gets with bright sun. Trust me...we were hot.
The venue was the sunken gardens of the homestead and these were crammed with relaxed spectators draped over rugs with glasses of Coriole wine in hand and hampers of delicious picnic fare in tooth. Watermelon and feta salad. Gourmet meatloaf wraps. A delicious confection which may have been orange and almond cake and a selection of grapes and nectarines. Corrrrrr
The performance was excellent. Modern dress and with a female Feste (much to my father's disgust... he played Feste aged 11 because he was the only one whose voice hadn't broken), it was a raucous performance which proved once again how Shakespeare's comedy transcends the barriers of time and social culture (and I realise that for Australians social culture is something of an oxymoron). We lounged on the lawn and laughed out loud as the actors moved in and out of the crowd and sweated under the unforgiving evening sun, unfolding their tale of the twins, Viola and Sebastian, shipwrecked in the land of Illyria.
By the end of the performance, dusk was falling.
I was delighted to grab this shot with my PAS! As Blondie and I gathered up our picnic blankets and headed for the car, I got THIS shot.
We drove back to her beautiful property with a sense of delight and satisfaction. Open air Shakepeare, a crisp chenin blanc and a glorious sunset. This is why I came back to Adelaide.
12 comments:
That last photo is amazing! so beautiful!!
We have an outdoors theater group, here, in the summer as well! I've been quite a few times (none within the last 10 years, however). I remember seeing a Midsummer's Night Dream, the most. It was stunning, and so much better outside!
I am so jealous! What a wonderful evening.
I never have seen a Shakepeares play at a winery, but saw two in the botanical gardens when i lived in Adelaide. I loved them both, but my favorite was definitely a Midsummer Nights Dream. The actors were hanging out of the trees and it was fabulous. I went and saw the same play in Oxford this Summer outside and got poured on. It was raining so heavily and lightning was lighting up the sky that they eventually had to cancel the performance....another reason to move home:) Not that I needed any more.
Oh yeah. I too went to an all girls school (St Mary's College) and loved it! Was Captain of my House and despite there being some bitchy moments, think back fondly of my time there. Funny thing is that I don't keep in contact with anyone from school though. Not really sure why not?
It sounds like such a fun evening. I want to go, too!!! Oh to do something fun and cultured.
The pictures are gorgeous.
Sounds like a great time!
And that last shot is stunning!
Brittany and Sinead:
Midsummer Night's Dream was my first outdoor experience too! I was about 12 or 13 I think. It was great.
Kim: Yes, you must make time for a bit of culture in between Thomas the Tank Engine and Bob the Builder :-)
Hmm.. Shakespeare... Seems I've heard that name before. Does he write for the Wiggles? Blues Clues? Oh, wait, now I remember. He's the fellow I enjoyed so much back before I had kids. Never made it to an outdoor performance though. Apparently I'm missing something special. (Although the Alabama accents don't do much for Elizabethan literature!)
wow! the shots of the sky are just beautiful. sounds like you had a wonderful evening!!
sounds like an awesome evening, I'd love that! And those pictures are stunning.
Beautiful shots of the evening sky. I see that my better half is getting wistful reading your posts. Keep them coming and maybe we'll get down under quicker!
Perfection...the evening...the photos. It is rainy and cold here. My first experience with Shakespeare (not outdoors though!) was when I was in 7th grade, most likely 12. It was MacBeth; I was spellbound and speechless. It is a large part of why I teach literature and 7th grade to this day. What a lovely post....everyone needs an evening like that! By the way, thanks so very much for your help with my playlist and your kind comments! My speakers are acting crazy here, so I can not check for certain to see if the music plays. LOL. Thanks again.
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