An Evening with the Bard

 Last Saturday, we saw The Comedy of Errors at Griffith Park with my parents and a few friends from our Church Community Group. The play is held outdoors where the old L.A. zoo used to be and is performed by the Independent Shakespeare Co. The entire event (including parking) is free, and it was a great way to spend a Summer evening. 

The stage was set at the bottom of a broad, sloping lawn, and it was covered with blankets and chairs and picnic food. The kids were entertained by the nearby 'caves' that once housed animals for the zoo.  Nat had lots of fun exploring the enclosures with her dad, and was delighted when a cast member dressed as an old-timey policeman stopped them to show her a couple of magic tricks.

It was a relaxed, light-hearted atmosphere, and the play was so much fun! A trio of musicians performed songs on ukelele, drums and piano that helped the story along. The play was set at the tail end of WWII, and I loved seeing the dresses, costumes and hair styles from that era. Nat enjoyed herself too, even with the occasional asking 'What just happened?'

(this elderly couple stole my heart!)

The Griffith Park Shakespeare Festival will continue on Thursdays through Sunday until September 2nd. They also do A Winter's Tale and A Midsummer Night's Dream. I would love to see the other two but found that The Comedy of Errors was perfect for our little family. It's hilarious and relatively short and a good place to start when introducing kids to a play from Shakespeare. Though, I do think Nat would like the fairies from A Midsummer Night's Dream!