Experience 7: Shakespeare in the Grove

If we shadows have offended,
Think but this, and all is mended,
That you have but slumber'd here
While these visions did appear.
And this weak and idle theme,
No more yielding but a dream,
Gentles, do not reprehend:
if you pardon, we will mend:
And, as I am an honest Puck,
If we have unearned luck
Now to 'scape the serpent's tongue,
We will make amends ere long;
Else the Puck a liar call;
So, good night unto you all.
Give me your hands, if we be friends,
And Robin shall restore amends.
(Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, Act V, Scene i)

I have seen a few Shakespearean performances in my life and have read most of Shakespeare’s plays. I’ve seen the contemporary version of Romeo and Juliet and enjoyed a variety of interpretations of the bard’s work. What I’ve never done before is see Shakespeare performed outside. So, on a midsummer's night, Jay and I headed out to see Shakespeare performed as his plays were originally intended—outdoors.

Tidewater Community College has hosted an annual Shakespeare in the Grove production for the past eleven years. Each year, the theatre troupe led by the vision of creative director Ed Jacob, interprets a different Shakespeare play (often in a very different form than Shakespeare originally intended) and performs it over several days during the summer for the audiences who gather in the “grove” on the sprawling campus.

Though I’ve lived right down the road from TCC for seven years, this was the first time I’ve experienced Shakespeare in the Grove. In addition to more traditional productions, past offerings have included a 1950s version of Two Gentlemen of Verona and a 1970s disco version of Love's Labour's Lost. This year, the troupe performed one of my favorite plays, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, with the twist being the time period and setting: 1900s Appalachia. While I was skeptical at first, their interpretation was entertaining and spot-on. I never felt they were stretching the credibility of the play by taking it so far outside the context of the original. A Midsummer Night’s Dream was written in the 1590s and set in Athens and they successfully made it work for early twentieth century American mountain folk.

Darkness fell and the full moon rose about half-way into the play, bringing an air of magic to the green-lighted stage set (and also bringing out every biting bug known to man). The fairies were a delight, as was the big-voiced Oberon and lovely Titania and Puck was his usual mischievous self. There were some weak performances, but the cast worked very well together to bring Shakespeare to life for a diverse and appreciative audience. The best part? The performance is free, which makes me feel particularly generous in my praise and appreciation. It was truly a delightful way to spend a summer’s night. I only wish I'd thought to bring my camera so I would have some pictures to share.

After studying Shakespeare for over two decades, I've grown to love his deft use of language and multi-layered plots. He can be difficult to read, but plays are meant to be seen and experienced. It's important to remember that Shakespeare wrote for the average citizen. His plays were entertainment and diversion from the difficulties of everyday life. The theatre troupe of Tidewater Community College did a fabulous job of conjuring the spirit of Shakespeare with their animated and enthusiastic interpretation of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.



Do It Yourself

A few things to know about seeing an outdoor Shakespeare production…

--Bug spray, bug spray, bug spray! Use liberally.

--Bring beach chairs rather than a blanket. Your back will thank you later. Do make sure your chairs are low enough not to block the view of anyone who does sit on the ground, however.

--Bring snacks and beverages, or make a picnic of it. One of the best things about theatre outdoors is that you can bring your own food, unlike the more formal indoor performances.

--Get into the spirit of things. Maybe Shakespeare set in 1900s Appalachia isn’t your cup of tea, but maybe you can appreciate the creativity necessary to adapt Shakespeare to a different era and setting.

--New to Shakespeare? Don’t be scared. Shakespeare wrote for the masses, which means his plots are easily understood even if the language eludes you the first (or second) times you see a play.

Experience 6: Afternoon Tea at the Williamsburg Inn

To celebrate my 40th birthday, my friend Rose took me on a daytrip to Colonial Williamsburg. The highlight of the trip was visiting the beautiful Williamsburg Inn for afternoon tea. I have had tea in a variety of settings, but there was something about experiencing this most civilized ritual in a country inn that made it a special treat.

Though I’ve been to Colonial Williamsburg many times, I’ve never been to the inn. Built by John D. Rockefeller in 1937, the inn fits in nicely with the historical setting and has hosted many famous people, including Queen Elizabeth who stayed there first in 1957 and again during her visit to Virginia in May to celebrate the 400th birthday of Jamestown. It seems especially appropriate to have tea in the same place the Queen visited (though I’m guessing she probably took tea in her suite and not in the public rooms).

We were seated in the Terrace Room and began our tea with a glass of champagne, toasting friendship and birthdays. Then we chose our tea from the extensive menu and I picked the inn's special Williamsburg tea. It was a rich black tea (my favorite) that was absolutely perfect. I like my tea sweet and there is something about the satisfying plop of sugar cubes into a teacup that makes me smile. We sipped our first cup of tea while waiting for our scrumptious accompaniments.

Like most afternoon teas, the Williamsburg Inn offers three courses: finger sandwiches, scones and petite desserts. The sandwiches were an issue because Rose is a vegetarian and I don’t eat eggs, but we muddled through. I enjoyed the ham sandwiches and tea wouldn’t be complete without cucumber sandwiches. Rose was limited to the egg salad and cucumber and we both passed on the salmon.

The scones are my favorite tea course and these didn’t disappoint. In fact, we asked for more! They were served with the obligatory clotted cream, lemon curd, orange marmalade and a “mystery” jam that the server believed was raspberry, but I’m convinced was passion fruit or some other equally sweet jam. In any case, the scones (raisin and plain) were perfect with just clotted cream, though I did try each of the other toppings.

Surprisingly, dessert is my least favorite course. Maybe it’s because by the time I get to dessert I’m already full of scones and tea, or it could be because the petite desserts are about presentation rather than taste. Our dessert course included miniature cakes, fruit tarts and cookies. They were all beautiful, but my favorite of the desserts was the macadamia cookie dipped in chocolate.


Sipping tea while the harpist serenaded me with “Happy Birthday” contributed to the decadent experience, as did the lush arrangements of flowers that filled the rooms of the public spaces. Tea and roses, the combination of scents is heavenly. I enjoyed two pots of my fragrant tea and a couple hours’ of friendly conversation. There is just something about afternoon tea that is so special; it makes me feel happy and feminine and hopeful, as if anything is possible and all my dreams can come true.

If you have time for tea, you have a very nice life.



Do It Yourself

Going to afternoon tea? The experience is similar—and memorable—whether you’re in London, England or Williamsburg, Virginia.

--Make your reservations well in advance of the date you would like to have tea. I had wanted to have tea on my birthday when I was in London, but because I waited until the week prior to our trip to make a reservation, they were booked. (It was also a Bank Holiday, which I didn’t know until we got there.)

--If you have dietary restrictions (vegetarian, food allergies, etc.), ask about substituting alternatives at the time you make your reservations.

--Tea is a fabulous experience for everyone, including older children. Many places that offer afternoon tea also offer a children’s menu (including peanut butter and jelly finger sandwiches!).

--If your pot of tea comes with a strainer, don’t forget to use it! Loose tea leaves in your cup of tea make for a not-so-pleasant experience (though I suppose you can read your fortune in them afterward).

--If you've never tried clotted cream, don't be thrown by the name. This is what heaven tastes like.

--Take your time and enjoy the experience.

Experience 5: Riding Griffon

Busch Gardens Europe in Williamsburg, Virginia added a new rollercoaster to their lineup over Memorial Day weekend. Griffon boasts a 205 foot climb and a 90 degree drop at 75 MPH. It is billed as "the world's tallest floorless dive coaster." Jay and I have summer passes to Busch Gardens, so we decided to visit the park just to ride Griffon.

I love rollercoasters, but my experiences have been limited to the coasters of Busch Gardens, King’s Dominion and Disney World. In other words, the tame roller coasters rather than the monster coasters of amusement parks like Cedar Point. I’ve never experienced anything quite like Griffon and after standing in line for an hour and a half, I managed to work myself into a nice little panic over the experience. Why? Check out the drop. The picture doesn’t do it justice. From that drop, riders go immediately into a loop and spiral combination. I only know this because the line queues up directly under the drop. My eyes were closed for most of the ride, so I can’t give details on the rest of the twists and turns except to say there is a water feature, but you don’t get wet.

Worse than that 90 degree drop is the hang time at the top. The designers of this rollercoaster know something about psychology. The only thing worse than dropping straight down is waiting to drop straight down. The car consists of three rows of ten seats. The entire car is suspended at the top for a full ten seconds, with the first row facing downward like skydivers in a jump. The second row is also tilted forward, but not as far, and the third row is even less angled, nor can they see the bottom for the two rows of people in front of them. Believe me, despite being in the third row and unable to see my impending fate, those ten seconds were very, very long.

Just about the time that I began to get comfortable suspended at the top, there was a loud noise as the car was released. The plummet to the bottom also seemed to take forever, as it felt like my lungs were going to explode from screaming. Did I mention I scream on rollercoasters? I scream like a banshee. This ride was no different, though I simply didn’t have the lung capacity to scream as much as I needed to. Yes, needed to.

Jay called this rollercoaster “scream-worthy,” but please note which of us is screaming in the picture. I’m surprised I didn’t swallow a bug. Then again, I might have. I couldn’t have told you one way or the other. This one was scary mother of a rollercoaster. I’m not in a hurry to ride it again (though I’m sure I will), but if rollercoasters are your thing, then Griffon is your ride. There is a ride simulator on Griffon's website which does a pretty good job of showing you what you’re in for (or in my case, what I missed with my eyes closed). The scary music doesn’t come with the real ride, though. I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have been able to hear it over my screaming, anyway.

I survived the experience and went on to ride Apollo’s Chariot, which was probably the most intense rollercoaster at Busch Gardens prior to the new addition. After riding Griffon, Apollo’s Chariot felt like a Sunday drive in grandpa’s Oldsmobile. That was enough rollercoaster riding for one day, so we stopped for ice cream cones at my favorite ice cream shop in the park, La Grande Glace (that’s it in the background) and called it a day.

I’m just happy I didn’t puke.



Do It Yourself

If you’ve never ridden a rollercoaster before, or are attempting Griffon for the first time…

--Get to the amusement park early. The lines for the big rides can be ridiculously long and the longer you wait, the worse the anticipation. Ride early. If you like it, you can ride it again.

--Don’t eat before you ride. Trust me on this. You will want to stay hydrated, especially if it’s summertime.

--Don’t bother buying the over-priced photo of your experience. Take a picture of the display with your digital camera. The quality won’t be as good, but you’ll still have a memento of the experience (and you can crop out the strangers).



--Remember: No matter how scary it seems, it’ll all be over in a few minutes!