We spent last Saturday afternoon at the Shakespeare Festival at Utah Children's Theatre. The girls especially enjoyed getting their faces painted, watching the puppet show and the other activities. The boys joined us but were less enthusiastic. The cast and staff were friendly, fun and welcoming. They were almost always in character which made the kids chuckle.
Rosalind, the daughter of Duke Senior, is raised at the court of Duke Frederick, with her cousin Celia. She falls in love with a young man named Orlando, but before she can even think twice about it, she is banished by Duke Frederick, who threatens if she comes near the court again. Celia, being Rosalind's best friend, goes with Rosalind and Touchstone, the court's fool, to the forest of Arden. Upon their arrival in the forest, they happen upon Orlando and his manservant, who are fleeing the wrath of Orlando's eldest brother. What follows is an elaborate scheme devised by the cross-dressing Rosalind to find out if Orlando really loves her, and to further capture his heart, through the witty and mischievous façade of Ganymede.
We were most excited to see the show As You Like It. Since Neal read a few Shakespeare plays last year in English, he was curious how they would perform a play that children would understand. As You Like It is a romantic comedy. The action is fast and silly. Performed by an enthusiastic young cast, we all found it entirely entertaining. Even the boys. Thomas (9 years old) caught on to what was happening and found it quite amusing. He actually explained it to us afterward just in case we missed the plot. I'm not sure how much Lilly and Molly understood of the plot but they thought it was funny. We are excited to go back to see Hamlet soon.
As You Like It plays on Fridays and Saturdays though mid September. It's a great way to introduce your kids (5+) to the works of the great Bard.
For ticket information :
Utah Children's Theatre : http://uctheatre.org
Love that L has her eyes closed ready for the makeup:)
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