Markus’ Blog

After attending Bard on the Beach only a short while ago, we decided to give the “other” open air stage performance another shot. It was our second time seeing a Theatre under the Stars performance.

The first one we saw was Footloose in 2004 (see also Wikipedia for their past plays). This time we watched Grease.

We started out the evening (afternoon, actually) with an early dinner at The Fish House in Stanley Park. It was delicious. The stroll from the stage area to the restaurant and back was lovely as well. The performance itself was only “so-so”. We remembered that the conclusion three years ago, about Footloose, had been very similar.

Unlike Bard on the Beach, which we totally loved and want to do again next year, Theatre under the Stars will have to wait for at least another three, before we give it another try.

Saturday night, Brigette and I went to see The Taming of the Shrew performed by the Bard on the Beach ensemble. Since it was a fireworks night as well, Bard on the Beach offered a special “package”:

• the play
• dinner (grilled salmon, salad buffet, bread) during the 90 minute intermission
• second half of the play
• dessert
• a prime location to watch the fireworks

We both enjoyed it a lot. So much so that we have already decided that we should do this every year from now on. The play was good, it was fun, the food was tasty and the view of the fireworks was for once not disturbed by people suddenly deciding to stand right in front of you, blocking the view. That’s what usually happens down in the Westend during the fireworks.

The only downside was getting home afterwards. Originally I had looked at the bus routes getting us back home and thought: “Wow, 41 minutes to get home. That’s quite long.” We decided to drive — and it took a lot longer than 41 minutes. Getting out of the parking lot alone took about 10 minutes and “driving” (I should call it “standing”) from Cornwall Avenue to 12th Avenue took another 35 minutes or so, probably even more! Driving down on 12th was quite a bit better, traffic flowing easier the further we went. By the time we turned onto Kingsway, things were back to “normal” Saturday night traffic. Overall driving time was about 60 minutes.

Still, slow traffic wasn’t damping our moods in any way. It was a lovely evening that I would not want to have missed and I am already looking forward to next time.