Sixthly and Lastly

Tonight a friend and I saw Much Ado About Nothing at the eponymous Theater in the Round. It had only been a couple of months since I'd last seen Shakespeare, but quite a lot longer since I'd seen theater performed in the round (I'm thinking the Virginia "we do it with the lights on" Shakespeare Company performances I saw in Lincoln were the closest in recent memory). This was the first time I'd seen Much Ado live, although I do have the fondest of memories of the film. I've seen a fair amount of Shakespeare performed--though I've read shockingly little--and think that Much Ado is definitely one of my favorite of his plays. Although Claudio and Hero always seemed a bit on the labile and weepy side to me, I much prefer the witty Beatrice to the "shrewish" Kate, and the requisite mistaken-identity bits don't seem too overdone.

Before we went, we had dinner at my house: cilantro pesto summer squash feta pizza; margherita pizza; spring greens salads with apples, pecans, dried cranberries, and feta; and a fantastic warm apple cobbler that she brought. The menu for next weekend's dinner party is a bit more seasonally-appropriate--including hearty soup and homemade bread--but despite the autumnal weather we've been experiencing (veritably Northwestern in its seep-into-your-bones chill wetness) I seem to still be getting the last of the summer menus out of my system.

I'm also still hoping for a last gasp or two of that weather--especially, if at all possible, for Sunday's run.