Julius Caesar

Last night's post was brief. It was late and I was tired. So I'll explain a little more.

On Thursday, a lovely friend and I decided to see a performance of Julius Caesar at the Colorado Shakespeare Festival held on the CU campus. Earlier in the evening we had a glass of wine at my apartment, and, because I live close to campus, we simply walked to the theater. Earlier in the afternoon it was sprinkling, but by this time it seemed as if all the rain had passed. We had perfect seats in what I realized was the perfect small, outdoor theater. Things were great, but then we started to feel an occasional drop of rain. As the play moved along it seemed as if a storm was passing above us. Then, just at the moment when Caesar was being assassinated, it started to rain. The actors continued to perform, and as things in the play intensified the rain started to fall harder. The actors still continued to perform. It was odd. It was almost as if the rain was actually a part of the whole experience. It added a physical element to the mood and tone of the play. The rain started to fall harder, and because the actors and audience were getting soaked, they paused the play. Several people fled inside, and others of us stood under a tree which provided the protection of an umbrella. The rain stopped after about twenty minutes, and they resumed the play. And, again, as the action in the play intensified, the rain started to fall again. The actors still performed, and I'm fairly certain that they would have kept performing even if a flood washed over the stage. The rain was getting harder, but because there were flashes of lightning in the sky, they stopped the play entirely.

The best thing about all of this was how patient everyone was in spite of the weather. They don't allow umbrellas in the theater, so the audience just continued to sit there in the rain. Colorado people are tough in that way. We probably would have sat through a blizzard. And, as I just said, the actors kept performing in spite of being forced to shout above the noise of the rain and thunder. When they called off the play, the actors simply broke from the middle of their scene and bowed and waved toward us. The audience was wonderful to give them a huge applause.

At that point my friend and I still had to walk back to my apartment. It rained for most of the way, but eventually it stopped. Fortunately my friend and I both love the rain and walking through it seemed wonderful. It was great.

What would have been a ruined night for some people was the perfect night for me.