Shakespeare in the Park, Dehler Park, that is

I wasn't sure the sign was truthful when I saw it a few weeks ago. July 23, Macbeth by William Shakespeare was supposed to be performed at Dehler Park, courtesy of the good folks from MSUBozeman who bring us Shakespeare in the Park all over Montana in the summertime, every year that we have lived here, now going on 28 years, in the the hope that we will keep supporting the schools in the manner they have become accustomed to.

The Scottish Play began in the usual way at about 6:30pm between the pitcher's mound and 2nd base, which was a little far away but they had a pretty good sound system, which only failed when the largest planes took off from Logan International in the background. The three hags were not that bad looking actually but we all suspended disbelief anyway.

And bad things happened in the usual way because the natural order of things was ignored by someone or other. I guess it was because we read it in high school that so many speeches stick in the mind: "Is this a dagger I see before me?" "Sleep, that knits up the raveled sleeve of care." "Out, damn spot!" And so forth. I don't know why, but I never can suppress a tear or two when MacDuff finds out that his family has been slaughtered, and he keeps asking, "All?" more than once.

This was a good performance with good witches, dancing and singing etc and a strong Lady MacBeth, and a quick and just end. I had forgotten how the fight at the end between MacDuff and MacBeth goes on for some time. One has to stifle oneself to keep from yelling out "He was a C=section!" though how that comes out as not "born of a woman" I'm a little puzzled by. I always like Banquo's ghost and the interplay between him and MacBeth.

I like it when they go straight through and not fool around with different scenes and acts etc. "Git her done." They had a pretty good crowd, see above, almost as good as a baseball game, though more refined, of course.