Ow

Kids, don't try this at home. Leave it to Juggling Jeff.                                

Madeleine Monday
First trip to the St. Louis Art Museum.

Madeleine vs. Mark Rothko

Madeleine vs. Donald Judd

Score: 0 - 0

Danger In The Glen

A peaceful evening in the park? Not necessarily. Juggling Jeff warms up his solo act with brutal knives. Not everyone reacts with fear.

This is the only Jeff picture I've had time to edit so far. More tomorrow, I hope.              

Fire Eater

Josh Routh, one of the entertainers in yesterday's post, showing some of his many talents. I suppose (I hope) someone has to teach you to do this. It's hard to imagine what it's like the first time you try it yourself. Not much room for error.

I had a heck of a time getting that guy with the point-n-shoot in the first picture out of the frame. It occurred to me to form a group, the National Association of People Who Walk Into My Photos, or NATWIMP, invite them all on a free cruise, get them on a ship and leave them there until they find a friendly port in Paraguay.                       

Jeff And Josh

Juggling Jeff and Josh Routh of Circus Kaput (just love that name) are fixtures at the pre-Shakespeare green show and, in fact, at events all over town. Jeff also juggles knives and skips rope (not at the same time) while standing on a big ball. Josh is a fire eater. Both of them put on fake English accents and banter with with the crowd, sometimes to the point of very funny harassment. They know me well. As I took the second photo, Jeff shouted in a sarcastic tone, "well, did you get it?" Yes.

We will have a bit of each of them individually. The best pic I ever took of them together is this one.                                          

Bard of Avon vs. Drummer of Tokyo

We think of Shakespeare as so very English. Entertainment in this nation of immigrants comes from all over the world. So it's not surprising that part of the green show diversions was Japanese.

Osuwa Taiko is the local troupe performing a traditional Nihongo art. It's hard to sit or stand still when they perform (except for the fact that I am the clumsiest person you may ever meet). The rhythms are as complex as any you may hear in Africa or Brazil. The energy is - well - above my current capacity.

The drummers bellow Japanese words at peak moments. Now, my Japanese is more than nothing but less than something. I once introduced myself to a rural hotel clerk in reasonably correct Japanese, a very simple thing to do. He bellowed at me: sugoi!  Which means amazing! Even though I couldn't understand a damn thing he said after that the connection felt so good.

Apologies for so few comments this week. When we start law school in the US they teach a bunch of old English legal aphorisms. One of them says that the law is a jealous mistress. She's really biting my ass this week.                          

Variety Show

The green show before the performance of Henry IV was eclectic, as always. This one featured the high school kids seen yesterday playing spin the bard; some of their friends doing a twenty minute staged synopsis of the show; belly dancers; Japanese taiko drummers; plus Josh Routh of Circus Kaput and Juggling Jeff, seen here many times before, both separately and together. They will all stop by here.

The belly dancers tried to get the little girl in the pink jacket to swing and sway with them. She either didn't get it or wasn't having any. There's time.                              

Wheel...Of...SHAKESPEARE!

It was quite pleasant at Shakespeare Glen in Forest Park before the sun went down Saturday night. Ninety minutes before the start of the performance the company puts on what is called the Green Show, a variety of entertainment to warm up the audience while they enjoy their picnic suppers. I have tried to find the origin of the term green show without success. Thespians, any help?

Readers outside the US may not get the reference in today's title. Wheel Of Fortune is a very long-running, very popular and completely inane TV game show. The version in the park delivers something better than washer-dryers and trips to Hawaii. This group of students stopped in front of the woman sitting next to Mrs. C while I was off shooting the taiko drummers (more about which later). You could spin the wheel or make a request. The contestant got tragedy. The young lady in the glasses recited something lugubrious from King Lear. My wife wanted to ask for a sample of A Midsummer Night's Dream to lighten the mood but the teens were off to their next stop.                          

It Takes Concentration

We finally got to our annual Shakespeare In The Park production on Friday. This year it's Twelfth Night and it was terrific. We tried to go opening night but, despite arriving two hours early (people have picnic dinners on the grass), it was so crowded we went home. Tried again two weeks ago but the show was canceled due to severe thunderstorms and tornadoes. The third try worked.

I usually take a lot of pictures of the green show, 90 minutes of entertainment before the play itself. Didn't get much this year because we tried a new offering, a superb four course dinner on the lawn above the stage. Only had time for a few shots of perenial favorite Juggling Jeff. I've taken lots of pictures of him through the years around town. This one is my favorite.

At the bottom, the stage just before the second act.              

Young Shakespeare Fan

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Today is a travel day, through Chicago - O'Hare to Boston and ending at my brother's home in Southborough, Massachusetts. So, just a quick picture of what may have been the youngest Shakespeare fan last Sunday night. I'm planning a guest post for tomorrow. Who knows, I may get some shooting time in Boston on Saturday.
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Eight Out Of Ten Belly Dancers Use Colgate

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A squad of belly dancers sent by the American Dental Association gives the crowd some instruction during the green show before the performance of Hamlet Sunday evening.

Ah, not really. I'm just in a panic trying to clear my desk and get all my equipment organized before I leave for Massachusetts and Maine on Friday. Needed a quicky post.
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Another Installment Of That's Entertainment

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Mrs. C., daughter Emily and I made it to closing night of our Shakespeare In The Park festival on Sunday. It was still stiflingly hot, 88 F / 31 C, when we left at 11 PM. The Dane was a bit too melancholy for me. What with the weather and a couple of glasses of wine at our picnic supper, I fell asleep in the second half. What a piece of work is man.

In some ways, the most entertaining part of the evening is the green show that precedes the play. Jugglers Josh and Jeff are always on hand. They like a little audience participation. Click on the first picture to enlarge it and look at the face of the "volunteer." They wielded the clubs so precisely that a moment later they knocked his hat sideways by hitting the bill.

Countdown to camera camp: six days.

That's Entertainment

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Some final shots from Shakespeare In The Park.The woman above is part of the group from Wednesday's post. The man below is Jeff the Juggler, who has been part of the green show year after year. He is very animated. If I juggled fire, I'd be animated, too.

I think that tomorrow we will go to a different venue and look at the faeries; heavy metal, scary looking, good-natured biker types; or various interesting people dressed as if they lived in 16th Century France. Got a preference?

Dancers and Drummers

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Not only are there mini stage shows in the warm up for our Shakespeare In The Park, there are belly dancers and drummers wandering through the crowd. Ladies, I hear this is very good exercise. And theater fans, it could take your mind off that lousy bottle of wine your friend brought for the pre-play picnic. I watched and took pictures for some time. The woman on the right in the red, white and black robe looked like she never came out of a trance. It occurred to me later that she might be blind.

FOLLOW-UP ON YESTERDAY'S POST: the alert Mrs. C writes that green show "simply means the show on the lawn (green), as opposed to the stage. One of their earlier program books explained it; see this one:
http://shakespearehawaii.org/greenshow.htm

TOMORROW: Thursday Arch Series.

At The Green Show

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Another candid portrait, this time a young actress in the green show before St. Louis Shakespeare In The Park's performance of The Merry Wives of Windsor. I like this picture for its soft, warm tones and the woman's charm.

I couldn't find any information about the term "green show," even a glossary of theater terms. Can anyone help with that?