mom31257 Posted December 4, 2012 Share Posted December 4, 2012 I don't know anything about this play, but the Shakespeare Tavern in Atlanta is performing it next month. Will there be anything embarrassing or inappropriate in it? I would like to take dd and invite friends, but I know my dd well enough that she will not want to see anything of that nature, especially with friends. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted December 4, 2012 Share Posted December 4, 2012 The thing about live theatre is that actors and directors like to experiment. It might be an entirely innocuous production, or you might have lots of nakedness and highly lascivious action (Caliban's attitude to Miranda, usually). Has the production been reviewed yet? Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candid Posted December 4, 2012 Share Posted December 4, 2012 Laura's right: in Shakespeare himself there is a lot of talk but a not a lot of action so theater companies decide how to stage him. A company has a lot of decisions to make. Personally, I'd do what Laura suggest and check reviews, but you can also call and ask, but honestly I'd go. Maybe lose the friends if that is the concern. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom31257 Posted December 4, 2012 Author Share Posted December 4, 2012 Thanks for the tips. It hasn't started yet, so I'm assuming there aren't reviews. I guess I could call the tavern directly and ask some detailed questions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny in Florida Posted December 5, 2012 Share Posted December 5, 2012 Thanks for the tips. It hasn't started yet, so I'm assuming there aren't reviews. I guess I could call the tavern directly and ask some detailed questions. Tempest is one of my favorites of the plays. I've read it and seen various productions many times. However, I can't tell you whether you or your daughter or her friends might find any of the content "embarassing" or "inappropriate." Shakespeare's plays are bawdy. They just are. And, yes, Caliban, in particular, can be especially so. But, honestly, even in the most sedate, "classical" tragedies (think Romeo and Juliet), there is a lot of sexual banter and humor. If I were you, I'd call the venue and ask very specific questions about the areas that might be problematic for you. Edit: I just bopped over and looked at the Shakespeare Tavern's website. It seems they have a limited number of student matinees available for Tempest. I don't know how it works there, but I know our local Shakespeare theatre usually trims their full productions for both length and (a little bit of) content for similar weekday matinees. So that, too, is something you might ask when you call. Be forewarned, though, that one person's idea of "trimmed" may not be another's. My family has season tickets for the regular, evening performances of our Shakespeare theatre. We saw Romeo and Juliet last season with our kids, who were 13 and 16 at the time, and didn't notice anything problematic in the production. A couple of months later, I was talking to a mom who had arranged a field trip to one of the student matinees for her homeschool group. She was very upset, because she had been assured the student matinee version had been cleaned up compared to the evening shows, and she felt it was still extremely inappropriate for teens. Even after racking my brain, I can't figure out what bothered her, and I was too surprised by her comment to ask at the time. So, unless you ask very specific questions and really press for answers from someone knowledgeable about this particular production, you run the (I think small) risk of being offended. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candid Posted December 5, 2012 Share Posted December 5, 2012 Amy, I also looked at their website, and I found they are a dinner theater. I suspect that anything really experimental and in your face won't occur at a dinner theater which is focused on its bottom line. No, nude scenes, for instance in such a setting. I think if you are not in the habit of going to plays, that this first time you could take just your dd and then later expand to others once you have a firm grasp of what the Tavern plays are like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny in Florida Posted December 5, 2012 Share Posted December 5, 2012 Amy, I also looked at their website, and I found they are a dinner theater. I suspect that anything really experimental and in your face won't occur at a dinner theater which is focused on its bottom line. No, nude scenes, for instance in such a setting. I think if you are not in the habit of going to plays, that this first time you could take just your dd and then later expand to others once you have a firm grasp of what the Tavern plays are like. I read that they are an "original practices" theatre, set in a tavern and offering food and drinks before and after the show, which isn't quite the same thing as a "dinner theatre." They appear to be a non-profit institution, not a commercial venture. I suspect, from browsing the website, that they may be similar to Blackfriars Playhouse/The American Shakespeare Center in Virginia. I saw several plays there while my daughter was a student at MBC, and not all of them would be considered family friendly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted December 5, 2012 Share Posted December 5, 2012 I agree with attending the student matinee. Our local theater's evening production of Othello was more racy and bloody than the student matinees. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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