Make Me Laugh!

Reading The Winter's Tale is enjoyable, it really is. I find this joy coming from following the plot, that has so many mysteries in it, from watching the characters' actions and then reactions to each other, and from the many underlying themes, feelings, and natural Shakespeare writing the play as a whole generates. But it is boring. As I read each word I am captivated by the big picture, not by the moment; not by the individual conversations characters have with each other, not by certain quotes you could memorize and keep on your wall for the rest of your life, not by each insult individually. I'm reading this thing because I like the story, and it gets boring to read it in that way. I want to understand!!!!
My solution is this: seeing an actual performance (which is what Shakespeare wrote these plays for) is going to help out a lot! I am so excited for this weekend where we'll see yelling and whispering, jumping and dying, laughing and crying, and interpret individual sayings and particular exchanges differently and appreciate them more. I see words on the page and I read them. But when I hear those words spoken in a certain way, I laugh. And I love it. And that is what I'm missing when reading The Winter's Tale.

See Cassie's blog post Elements of Production for some more insight on a production of Winter's Tale.