The shrunken sunken garden and the taming of a shew
When I was young every year we went to a picnic for an organization my parents where a part of. These picnics where the highlight of our summers. My brother and I looked forward to them and eagerly awaited the date in July when the picnic was to be held. What can I say TV repairmen no how to picnic.
I have many happy memories from these picnics. Pie eating contests Percy's bacon liver and onions one rye sack races three-legged race little juice like drinks in tiny plastic barrels that where really sugar and water with color (forbidden the rest of the year) watermelon sigh every thing you picture about a perfect picnic was there, including a magical place we played, the sunken garden.
These picnic where in a park not far from where I live now I have not been to this park since the last picnic. This weekend a gent I know played the part of Hortensio in the Shakespearean play The Taming of the Shrew. I was looking forward to seeing the production because I love the play and because it was being preformed in the Sunken Garden of the picnics from my past.
I remember clearly the Sunken Garden. It was huge high walls and a stone pulpit, which we would perform weddings and funerals and give state speeches from. It was filled with all kinds of flowers and looked exotic to me. There where stone stumps in a circle with more fragrant flowers in the center. It was a place where fairies would live and we played imagination games during the day our favorites tended to involve elves and fairies. The boys liked to throw in a cowboy or two and we girls would let them. The Shrunken Garden was a magical place we all agreed no fighting in the garden.
We all grew up one by one, or the parents got out of the TV repair business and they no longer came. In the end, Tom and I where the only kids who came to the picnics and really we where more teen the kid at that point. We spent most of the last one in the Sunken Garden talking about the past year and about our futures. For about 10 years every now and then, we would call and catch up with each other or run into each other in unexpected places. Always glad to see each other and always glad to remember those picnics. We have lost track I no longer know where he is. One thing I am sure of is Tom still remembers me and he still thinks back on those picnic fondly.
I picked up my friend and drove to the park eager to see my sunken garden again. As I parked my car and looked around, I noticed many things that have changed over the years. I noticed what was the same with a smile. Over all the changes agree with the park. My eyes sought out the desired target and we headed towards the garden.
It was much smaller then I had expected. The huge walls that we climbed with difficulty well over our heads barely came to my shoulders. The flowers once exotic and everywhere now contained only red geraniums in the center of the stone stump circle. I was disappointed. I didn't exactly expect it to be the same but the loss of the flowers saddened me. I felt like the magic of my childhood was gone. During the intermission, a little girl jumped from stone stump to stone stump just as we use to do. I smiled as I watched her and thought to myself "The magic is still here. You just have to be young enough to see it."
A sunken garden is the perfect place to perform one of Shakespeare's plays. The director used the space well. Every entrance was used and the stone pulpit was the backdrop. Some scenes where acted out on the stone stumps right in front of us. The entire garden was the stage and the audience sat on the stage with the actors at points.
The production was an armature one and the range of skills varied. Some of the actors where very strong and some were week. The strong carried the week well and the play was very enjoyable. Even though every time the actor who played Biondello spoke, I could not help but think surfer dude. The cast pulled you into the story and lead you through the play with ease.
My friend and I had a wonderful evening together and as we headed to the car we walked past the stone pulpit I sooo wanted to go in there stand at the pulpit and address the fairies again. I may not be a little girl any more but I do still see the magic in places like the sunken garden. If you have the chance to catch it before it closes on the 29th I highly recommend you go see the magic for yourself.
I have many happy memories from these picnics. Pie eating contests Percy's bacon liver and onions one rye sack races three-legged race little juice like drinks in tiny plastic barrels that where really sugar and water with color (forbidden the rest of the year) watermelon sigh every thing you picture about a perfect picnic was there, including a magical place we played, the sunken garden.
These picnic where in a park not far from where I live now I have not been to this park since the last picnic. This weekend a gent I know played the part of Hortensio in the Shakespearean play The Taming of the Shrew. I was looking forward to seeing the production because I love the play and because it was being preformed in the Sunken Garden of the picnics from my past.
I remember clearly the Sunken Garden. It was huge high walls and a stone pulpit, which we would perform weddings and funerals and give state speeches from. It was filled with all kinds of flowers and looked exotic to me. There where stone stumps in a circle with more fragrant flowers in the center. It was a place where fairies would live and we played imagination games during the day our favorites tended to involve elves and fairies. The boys liked to throw in a cowboy or two and we girls would let them. The Shrunken Garden was a magical place we all agreed no fighting in the garden.
We all grew up one by one, or the parents got out of the TV repair business and they no longer came. In the end, Tom and I where the only kids who came to the picnics and really we where more teen the kid at that point. We spent most of the last one in the Sunken Garden talking about the past year and about our futures. For about 10 years every now and then, we would call and catch up with each other or run into each other in unexpected places. Always glad to see each other and always glad to remember those picnics. We have lost track I no longer know where he is. One thing I am sure of is Tom still remembers me and he still thinks back on those picnic fondly.
I picked up my friend and drove to the park eager to see my sunken garden again. As I parked my car and looked around, I noticed many things that have changed over the years. I noticed what was the same with a smile. Over all the changes agree with the park. My eyes sought out the desired target and we headed towards the garden.
It was much smaller then I had expected. The huge walls that we climbed with difficulty well over our heads barely came to my shoulders. The flowers once exotic and everywhere now contained only red geraniums in the center of the stone stump circle. I was disappointed. I didn't exactly expect it to be the same but the loss of the flowers saddened me. I felt like the magic of my childhood was gone. During the intermission, a little girl jumped from stone stump to stone stump just as we use to do. I smiled as I watched her and thought to myself "The magic is still here. You just have to be young enough to see it."
A sunken garden is the perfect place to perform one of Shakespeare's plays. The director used the space well. Every entrance was used and the stone pulpit was the backdrop. Some scenes where acted out on the stone stumps right in front of us. The entire garden was the stage and the audience sat on the stage with the actors at points.
The production was an armature one and the range of skills varied. Some of the actors where very strong and some were week. The strong carried the week well and the play was very enjoyable. Even though every time the actor who played Biondello spoke, I could not help but think surfer dude. The cast pulled you into the story and lead you through the play with ease.
My friend and I had a wonderful evening together and as we headed to the car we walked past the stone pulpit I sooo wanted to go in there stand at the pulpit and address the fairies again. I may not be a little girl any more but I do still see the magic in places like the sunken garden. If you have the chance to catch it before it closes on the 29th I highly recommend you go see the magic for yourself.
posted by Chris | 8:07 PM
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