Southern Sonoma Country Life

A Midsummer Night's Tea and a Vibrant, Modern & Inventive Open Air Afternoon Performance at Shakespeare's Globe

Whenever I am in London, I make a date with my dear friend, Bev, who I met in journalism school in Harlow, Essex in the late 80s. We pick out something special to do together for the day and given that Bev lives in the greater London area, something central is usually on the cards. This summer, we opted for afternoon tea at stylish and super-view positioned Swan on the South Bank by the Thames for lunch, followed by an equally memorable matinee performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream right next door at Shakespeare's Globe theatre, Bankside. 

Located at the iconic Shakespeare’s Globe, Swan is a stunning Bar and Restaurant set over two floors, with great views of the river and St Paul’s. It's open all day serving modern British food, high tea and available for morning breakfast to evening cocktails and everything in between. Despite its touristy location it's a smashing spot to celebrate something fun or special, or just to hang out. A proportion of the revenue from Swan goes to the Shakespeare’s Globe Trust, a charitable organization set up to further the experience and international understanding of Shakespeare in performance.

How could we resist? Swan’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream afternoon tea is inspired by the journeys of the characters: from the pea flower of Oberon’s love potion, the apricots Titania feeds to Bottom and mulberries from the lovers’ tree.

Love may not look with eyes, but beautiful traditional tea treats, presented on bespoke crockery designed by Annika Wester, are almost too pretty to tuck into. If you go, for tea or other refreshments at Swan, click here. 

No photos are allowed during performances in the Globe, but the school groups who were enthralled by the modern, upbeat and creative production of A Midsummer Night's Dream were clicking away on their phone cameras before the show started, so I snapped a couple of quick pix to show you how fantastic the reproduced Globe truly is. I have toured a couple of times with the boys when they were younger, but never had the time to catch a full performance. It was well worth the wait! 

Go London described the producers as having: "created a carnivalesque atmosphere, with fairyland an explosion in a neon-coloured dressing-up box." And The Guardian: "The fully populated stage looks like the clean-up operation after Pride. Bafflingly, fairy queen Titania lives in a flower-laden recycling bin, her fairies resemble the results of a hurricane in a craft show, and Bottom’s ass is a papery rainbow piñata. The direction is sometimes scatty and the fairy scenes feel like filler, rushing through the words in favour of visual spectacle."

But I thoroughly enjoyed it and so did Bev. We thought it was brilliant in that the hundreds of school kids in the largely open-air audience were thoroughly enthralled and rapt by this up-to-the-minute take on one of Shakespeare's most fantastical tales. And isn't that just as fantastic in this day and age? None of them were looking at their screens once the cast took to the stage. It helped that the whole cast could sing and contemporary music made it all the more compelling for those who might otherwise have wished they were anywhere other than stuck in a theater watching Shakespeare. 

If you go, plan your visit ahead of time by clicking here.  

This landmark attraction along the South Bank is actually the fourth reincarnation of what was Shakespeare’s original theatre. London’s first purpose built theatre was on Curtain Road in Shoreditch in the 1500s, and named “The Theatre”. Shakespeare began his writing career in earnest and his earlier plays were performed here.

The Bard and his company are believed to have run into trouble with their landlord and were forced out of the The Theatre until one of the group spotted a loop hole in their contract and discovered they actually owned the wooden structure. A plan then emerged. According to info on the Swan's website, it was over the Christmas holidays while the landlord was away that Shakespeare and his company literally stole the theatre over the course of four nights and when the weather improved and the river Thames thawed they floated the timbers across the river on barges, over to the Las Vegas of London, Bankside, on the south side of the river.

It took seven months to rebuild The Theatre, renamed The Globe, presumably so no one would notice they’d stolen it. The Globe ran from 1599 until 1613 until an incident involving gun powder and other over-zealous special effects caused the theatre to burn down during a performance of Henry VIII.

The replacement Globe was rebuilt within a year, however this time with a tiled rather than thatched roof. Although Shakespeare died in 1616 the Globe continued without him until the 1640’s when the puritans took hold and all the theatres were pulled down.

It wasn’t until the 1940’s when American actor and visionary Sam Wannamaker came to London and was shocked to find nothing but a small plaque to commemorate Shakespeare’s work in London that a decades long campaign was launched to rebuild the Globe, which finally began in the early 1990s. Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre that we know today, the fourth of its kind, opened in 1997, half a century after Wannamaker’s campaign began. 

 

Night of the Iguana by Tennessee Williams, Starring Clove Owen, Lia Williams and Breaking Bad's Anna Gunn

With time in my travel schedule for just one West End play (plus an afternoon performance at Shakespeare's Globe), imagine my delight when Clive Owen popped up on my play search newly staring as a suitably disheveled the Reverend T. Lawrence Shannon in a summer opening of Tennessee Williams' The Night of the Iguana, joined by a cast including the super talented Anna Gunn (Skyler White of Breaking Bad fame), Lia Williams and Julian Glover? Everyone has a heart-throb actor, or should have and Clive is mine! Though I've seen him in theater in a Pinter Play on Broadway in New York, the last time he played London's West End was in the wake of 9/11.

The Night of the Iguana was first staged as an one-act play in 1959, before eventually settling on a three-act play in 1961. A film adaptation was released in 1964, starring Richard Burton as Reverend T. Lawrence Shannon. This is one of Williams' lesser known works, though it has been revived numerous times across the West End and Broadway, with actors including James Earl Jones, Eileen Atkins and Alfred Molina all having a The Night of the Iguana credit to their name. This new production includes a star-studded cast of a similar calibre and a terrific set design which transports audiences to the 1940s to meet a clergyman at a hotel in Mexico, who has recently been ousted from his religious circles for referring to God as a “delinquent”.

Facing an identity crisis, Owen is imperfectly convincing as the unbalanced reverend who takes on a new career as a tour guide. As the story unfolded, I learned a lot more about the other people at the hotel including the manager and a group of German tourists, especially when a torrential storm loomed over the area. Anna Gunn's Maxine, the hotel's widowed proprietor is no slouch on stage and Lia Williams was also great as the nomadic artist and granddaughter of a basically homeless nonagenarian poet, played by veteran English stage, tv and film actor and recipient of the Laurence Olivier Award, Julian Glover. There's a deep sadness surrounding the captivity and projected fate of the iguana on the one night that brings all the characters together and ultimately leaves them all forever altered. 

Watching a play written pre-1960s that is so full on WITH political incorrectness was a bit flinch-worthy. A young German woman sitting to the left of me voiced her discomfort at Williams' portrayal of German tourists, prompting a brief discussion during the interval as to post Second World War attitudes and stereotyping. Similarly, The Reverend Shannon's backstory would blow up a Me-Too backlash if it were today. 

Playing at the Noël Coward theatre, London, until September 28th, 2019. 

 

 

 

Rupert Brooke's Grantchester

It was poet and idealist Rupert Brooke's picture-postcard Grantchester long before it was the brilliant, charismatic, crime fighting fictional character, clergyman Sidney Chambers', lead of the popular Masterpiece tv series set in the quiet Cambridgeshire village of the 1950s. 

Still, the two seem to co-exist peacefully in the long, lazy, summer shadows that stretch across the green meadows by the River Granta attracting visitors to this sleepy little setting situated about two miles up-stream from Cambridge.  

James Runcie is the son of ex-Archibishop of Canterbury, Robert Runcie. His six book series The Grantchester Mysteries was first published by Bloomsbury in 2012 and is currently airing its fourth series on U.S. television.

Grantchester was the site of Roman and Anglo-Saxon settlements and it was mentioned in the Doomsday Book. Queen Elizabeth I processed through Grantchester en-route to Cambridge from London in 1564.

Rupert Brooke was born in Rugby, Warwickshire, son of the public school housemaster, in 1887. He was considered a young Apollo for his striking good looks and golden hair and said by the poet W.B. Yeats to be the handsomest young man in England. He won a classics scholarship to King's College, Cambridge, where lectures on Literature, Philosophy and Art were of most appeal to him. Brooke enjoyed a big group of eclectic friends, including the writers E.M Forster, Henry James and Virginia Woolf and playwright George Bernard Shaw. 

His tutor recommended he move out of Cambridge to focus more fully on his studies. In 1909, Rupert Brooke took rooms in Grantchester in a former farmhouse called The Orchard and later, next door to the vicarage. This was a serene and gloriously happy time for him, walking, camping out under the stars in summer, berry and fruit picking. 

After the start of the First World War, a by-then world-traveled 27-year-old Rupert Brooke was posted to Belgium. He wrote and published numerous war poems, including The Soldier. In 1915 his troop ship sailed to the island of Skyros, Greece, where he died after developing septicaemia from an insect bite. He was the first Fellow of a Cambridge College to die on active service in the First World War and Winston Churchill wrote his obituary. 

I'm a big fan of Rupert Brooke's poetry and Sydney Chambers of the Grantchester television series (played by the handsome James Norton) and so I was more than happy making a pit-stop in the village this July while traveling from my parents' home on the Lincolnshire/Cambridgeshire border, south to Kent, to visit one of my sisters and also my sister-in-law.

After a pot of tea in a deck chair the bucolic gardens of Orchard House and a walk along the river, the sight of a big group of people gathered outside of the vicarage and church had me wondering if there was a walking tour I hadn't read of. Turns out it the production crew was on location that morning making plans for the upcoming shooting of Season Five of Grantchester. A brief chat with one of the producers informed me that it takes one week to shoot the Grantchester scenes of an entire series, with locals appearing as costumed extras. 

It must be a bit of nuisance to villagers to have their narrow streets and pubs and church commandeered for a whole week, but I'd imagine charitable causes such as the church fund benefit from the production fee. 

Grantchester is just enough off the beaten track to remain a glorious, gorgeous, unspoiled English village of the story books. If you go, do plan on a cup of tea at The Orchard Team Room & gardens. 

                                                                                                                                      Rupert Brooke 

Grantchester's Robson Green as Detective Inspector Georgie Keating & James Norton as Sidney Chambers

The Old Vicarage, Grantchester
(Rupert Brooke, Cafe des Westens, Berlin, May 1912)

Just now the lilac is in bloom,
All before my little room;
And in my flower-beds, I think,
Smile the carnation and the pink;
And down the borders, well I know,
The poppy and the pansy blow . . .
Oh! there the chestnuts, summer through,
Beside the river make for you
A tunnel of green gloom, and sleep
Deeply above; and green and deep
The stream mysterious glides beneath,
Green as a dream and deep as death.
— Oh, damn! I know it! and I know
How the May fields all golden show,
And when the day is young and sweet,
Gild gloriously the bare feet
That run to bathe . . .
                                 ‘Du lieber Gott!’

 . . . would I were
In Grantchester, in Grantchester! —
Some, it may be, can get in touch
With Nature there, or Earth, or such.
And clever modern men have seen
A Faun a-peeping through the green,
And felt the Classics were not dead,
To glimpse a Naiad’s reedy head,
Or hear the Goat-foot piping low: . . .
But these are things I do not know.
I only know that you may lie
Day long and watch the Cambridge sky,
And, flower-lulled in sleepy grass,
Hear the cool lapse of hours pass,
Until the centuries blend and blur
In Grantchester, in Grantchester. . . .
Still in the dawnlit waters cool
His ghostly Lordship swims his pool,
And tries the strokes, essays the tricks,
Long learnt on Hellespont, or Styx.
Dan Chaucer hears his river still
Chatter beneath a phantom mill.
Tennyson notes, with studious eye,
How Cambridge waters hurry by . . .
And in that garden, black and white,
Creep whispers through the grass all night;
And spectral dance, before the dawn,
A hundred Vicars down the lawn;
Curates, long dust, will come and go
On lissom, clerical, printless toe;
And oft between the boughs is seen
The sly shade of a Rural Dean . . .
Till, at a shiver in the skies,
Vanishing with Satanic cries,
The prim ecclesiastic rout
Leaves but a startled sleeper-out,
Grey heavens, the first bird’s drowsy calls,
The falling house that never falls.

God! I will pack, and take a train,
And get me to England once again!
For England’s the one land, I know,
Where men with Splendid Hearts may go;
And Cambridgeshire, of all England,
The shire for Men who Understand;
And of THAT district I prefer
The lovely hamlet Grantchester.
For Cambridge people rarely smile,
Being urban, squat, and packed with guile;
And Royston men in the far South
Are black and fierce and strange of mouth;
At Over they fling oaths at one,
And worse than oaths at Trumpington,
And Ditton girls are mean and dirty,
And there’s none in Harston under thirty,
And folks in Shelford and those parts
Have twisted lips and twisted hearts,
And Barton men make Cockney rhymes,
And Coton’s full of nameless crimes,
And things are done you’d not believe
At Madingley on Christmas Eve. . . . 
But Grantchester! ah, Grantchester!
There’s peace and holy quiet there,
Great clouds along pacific skies,
And men and women with straight eyes,
Lithe children lovelier than a dream,
A bosky wood, a slumbrous stream,
And little kindly winds that creep
Round twilight corners, half asleep.
In Grantchester their skins are white;
They bathe by day, they bathe by night;
The women there do all they ought;
The men observe the Rules of Thought.
They love the Good; they worship Truth;
They laugh uproariously in youth;
(And when they get to feeling old,
They up and shoot themselves, I’m told) . . .

Ah God! to see the branches stir
Across the moon at Grantchester!
To smell the thrilling-sweet and rotten
Unforgettable, unforgotten
River-smell, and hear the breeze
Sobbing in the little trees.
Say, do the elm-clumps greatly stand
Still guardians of that holy land?
The chestnuts shade, in reverend dream,
The yet unacademic stream?
Is dawn a secret shy and cold
Anadyomene, silver-gold?
And sunset still a golden sea
From Haslingfield to Madingley?
And after, ere the night is born,
Do hares come out about the corn?
Oh, is the water sweet and cool,
Gentle and brown, above the pool?
And laughs the immortal river still
Under the mill, under the mill?
Say, is there Beauty yet to find?
And Certainty? and Quiet kind?
Deep meadows yet, for to forget
The lies, and truths, and pain? . . . oh! yet
Stands the Church clock at ten to three?
And is there honey still for tea?"

 

 

British Fashion Icon Mary Quant Whose Designs Are Still Fresh as a Daisy — Visiting an Exhibit at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London

"The whole point of fashion is to make fashionable clothes available to everyone," 

Mary Quant

From miniskirts and hot pants to vibrant tights and makeup, Mary Quant took the sixties by colorful, riotous storm, launching a fashion revolution on the British high street and around the world. An exhibit at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London showcases over 200 garments and accessories, including unseen pieces from the designer's personal archive.

I was lucky enough to be in London for a few days of selfish pursuits which was a rare commodity for me in the midst of an overdue extended family trip to Sicily and the UK and a multi-generation family reunion to celebrate my dad's 80th birthday.

Inventive, opinionated and commercially minded, Mary Quant was undoubtedly the most iconic British fashion designer of the 1960s. A design and retail pioneer, she popularized super-high hemlines and other irreverent looks critical to the development of the 'Swinging Sixties' scene. Exhibit fashion collections include examples of her famous designs from across the 1960s and 1970s, on loan from women who responded to a call for original Quant designs hanging in their wardrobes. 

I'm not sure if my mum had any original Mary Quant outfits in her closet during the years of my childhood, if she did, she didn't hang on to them, but she certainly dressed in the Quant style and likely bought affordable Mary Quant tights and makeup. 

Quant was a self-taught designer, attending evening classes on cutting and adjusting mass-market printed patterns to achieve the looks she was after. Once technically proficient, she initiated a hand-to-mouth production cycle: the day's sales at Bazaar paid for the cloth that was then made up overnight into new stock for the following day. Although exhausting, this cottage-industry approach meant that the rails at Bazaar were continually refreshed with short runs of new designs, satisfying the customers' hunger for fresh, unique looks at competitive prices.

Quant's developing aesthetic was influenced by the dancers, musicians and Beatnik street chic of the Chelsea Set, and the Mods (short for 'Modernists'), a subculture that helped define London's youth culture in late-1950s Britain, with their love of Italian sportswear, sharp tailoring and clean outlines. Quant's first collections were strikingly modern in their simplicity, and very wearable. Unlike the more structured clothes still popular with couturiers, she made"relaxed clothes suited to the actions of normal life". Pairing short tunic dresses with tights in bright, stand-out colors – scarlet, ginger, prune and grape – she created a bold, high-fashion version of the sorts of practical outfits she'd worn as a child at school and at dance classes.

Quant is frequently credited with inventing the decade's most iconic look: the mini-skirt. Who first took hemlines north of the knee is up for debate, but she certainly was one of the frontrunners. 

Capitalizing on the sixties love affair with new materials, Quant was the first designer to use PVC, creating 'wet look' clothes, and different styles of weatherproof boots in her footwear range, Quant Afoot.

As London's boutique scene continued to build, Quant was cementing her position as a commercial and cultural powerhouse around the world. In 1962, she signed a lucrative design contract with American department-store chain JC Penney.

In 1990 Mary Quant was awarded the prestigious Hall of Fame Award by the British Fashion Council, recognizing her outstanding contribution to British fashion. She published her second autobiography in 2012, and became a Dame in the 2015 New Year's Honors list.

The printed dress above was made for the American market in the seventies. It would not look a stitch out of place today, lovely fall colors!

Red and white platforms are a little too rock and roll for me but I would love a pair of these multi colored heeled sandals and a red pair with ankle straps further on.

The Manhattan is perhaps my favorite. 

The Mary Quant exhibit runs through 16th February 2020. If you go, tickets are 12 pounds and it's a good idea to click here and book ahead to avoid lines or disappointment if the museum is too full. 

Mary Quant smashed fashion norms and traditions and her designs still have a lot of influence on contemporary designs.

Travel Pick — Visiting London? Take a Spy & Espionage or Wartime London Tour

London is known for its war time history and is rich with political heritage of World War II. If you're a history buff and/or a fan of spy/espionage stories (true or fictional, although it's hard to tell the difference, these days) and you're planning a trip to London, check out Evans Evans' collection of new, small group half day tours in which you have the chance to travel back in time to London's wartime era and learn about a side of the city that you never knew before. I quite fancy taking one of these tours & if I do, I'll be sure to share my experience.

Imagine yourself a spy as you learn about London's Cold War espionage or discover the devastating effects of the Second World War as an expert tour guide brings London's wartime story to life.

London's longest-established and largest sightseeing company invites you to explore London's intriguing, hidden gems from the past. With a group of no more than 16 guests, you'll experience a side of London that few know about, such as the dark, secret world of international espionage or the ruins, battlefields and monuments where iconic leaders and soldiers once stood during WWII. Small group sizes make for a more intimate and authentic way to connect with expert tour guides who will give you the inside scoop on historical monuments, landmarks and important wartime 

Spy & Espionage Tour of London: On this behind-the-scenes tour, explore the shadowy world of London with tales of treachery, tragedy and subterfuge. Learn about Britain's top intelligence agencies and the different roles they play in protecting the country. See the home of MI6 that was famously featured in several James Bond movies, the headquarters of MI5 and visit the public sites where spies exchanged top-secret information to the Soviet Union. Visit locations used by Intelligence Services to recruit their agents and be shaken and stirred by the stories of some of Britain's most infamous traitors and double agents. Your tour will finish in style at the St Ermin's Hotel where you see the former headquarter of MI6, and an original coded message written on silk hangers in the lobby. Afterwards, enjoy a vodka martini in the hotel's Caxton Bar where, in the 1950's, Guy Burgess handed over top-secret papers to his Russian handler.(3 hours, from April 1 – Oct. 31 and Nov. 1 – March 31) $95

Wartime London: History enthusiasts will never forget this iconic tour as they discover the devastating effect the Second World War had on the city of London. Expert tour guides bring the story of this devastating chapter in British history to life over 75 years later. Explore the ruins of a church destroyed during the bombing and the bomb damage from the First World War. You'll also see where Sir Winston Churchill delivered his VE Day speech to a jubilant British Crowd, important wartime headquarters such as Churchill's Cabinet War Rooms and Dwight D. Eisenhower's Supreme headquarters and Downing Street, where Neville Chamberlain famously broadcast the British declaration of war on Germany.Pass through Parliament Square en-route to Whitehall, where along the way you'll see the statues dedicated to notable Allied figures including Churchill, Eisenhower, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Sir Arthur “Bomber” Harris, as well as several monuments dedicated the Battle of Britain, Women of WWII and the Cenotaph- the site of Britain's national war memorial. (3 hours, from April 1 – Oct. 31 and Nov. 1 – March 31) $102.25

For more information and reservations, please visit www.evanevanstours.com or call Evan Evans at (866) 382-6868.

Top Pick — An Exciting Night of Shakespeare Shorts at The Phoenix Theater, Petaluma, Saturday April 6th, 2918

The Petaluma Shakespeare Company and Shakesprints are hosting a community event to bring Shakespeare to the people and his universal themes to our youth through a fun scene competition- A Night of Shakespeare Shorts- Scene Competition at the Phoenix Theater on Saturday, April 6th 2019 at 8pm. Join me there! 

In a nutshell jr. high, high school, college students and young adults from all over the Bay Area are set to compete to win $500 for Best Scene of the Evening, $100 for Best Comedic Scene and $100 for Best Dramatic Scene by performing a short scene from one of Shakespeare’s plays.  

They will be adjudicated by a panel of Shakespeare savvy judges from the Bay Area including Sheri Lee Miller from Spreckles, and Beth Kellerman Fouts from Marin Shakespeare.  

MC-ing the evening fresh from England, John Langdon, Petaluma’s Shakespeare expert will enlighten the audience through the Bard’s works with music by local musician Chris Newton and special guest performance by the talented film/stage actor Jeffrey Weissman.

There will be a free slice of birthday cake for everyone who attends in light of Shakespeare’s birthday month and a People’s Choice Award given for Best scene chosen by the audience.  Tickets are $10 Adults/$5 Students and can be purchased at the door and online at www.thephoenixtheater.com or www.brownpapertickets.com 

 

 

Celebrating the Bard's Birthday in Sonoma County with A Night of Shakespeare Shorts, April 6th, 2019

 

“A Night of Shakespeare Shorts” is a celebration of short scenes from the plays of William Shakespeare in the spirit of a competition at the iconic Phoenix Theater, 201 E. Washington Street,  Petaluma, CA where Harry Houdini, Enrico Caruso, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Huey Lewis and Santana have performed.

A variety of short scenes from Shakespeare’s plays interspersed with music by local musicians will be performed by a variety of participants.  Scenes will be adjudicated by a panel of Shakespeare savvy judges and participants have the chance to win $500 for Best Scene of the evening, Best Dramatic Scene $100 and Best Comedic Scene $100. 

Shakespeare Shorts is hosted by The Petaluma Shakespeare Company, Shakesprints and The Phoenix Theater on Saturday April 6, 2019.

Doors open at 7:30 p.m. Performance at 8:00 pm. Tickets $15 under 18 and $20 adults. All tickets include a slice of birthday cake.  It’s early but we have to celebrate William’s birthday when we can!

http://shakespeareshorts.brownpapertickets.com

What inspired A Night of Shakespeare Shorts?

"We were having a cup of coffee with Crispin of Shakesprints, thinking of what to do to celebrate Shakespeare's birthday in April and how we could bring Shakespeare's work back to the people he intended it to be for, which is everyone," says Petaluma Shakespeare Company.  "There are not a lot of opportunities for young performers to perform so we decided to create one for them."

A Night of Shakespeare Shorts (April 6th, 2019) will be a celebration of Shakespeare's plays, giving young performers from all over Northern California a chance to perform, be seen by Bay Area Shakespeare savvy judges from Marin Shakespeare, ACT, SF Shakespeare, and others, a chance to win money and pursue their love of theater.

The Phoenix Theater has a long history of promoting youth in Petaluma and the once upon opera, now skate club and music venue offers the contemporary vibe which is perfect for Shakespeare in the 21st century.  The Phoenix has a music program for youth so Petaluma Shakespeare Company decided to collaborate together by interspersing the scenes with music by local musicians, giving everyone an opportunity to perform. Of course there will be birthday cake too!  I mean it is William's birthday after all. 

There are two ways to support this wonderful new program. Purchase tickets on the brown paper ticket link above and attend and/or secondly, be a star and pledge to the Night of Shakespeare Shorts Kickstarter fundraiser, to boost the coffers to raise $1,000 for production costs and cash awards to the top players. Pledge as little as $10 or $50 to $100 for VIP seating, beverages and being a part of something special in our community. 

CLICK HERE FOR A NIGHT OF SHAKESPEARE SHORTS KICKSTARTER FUNDRAISER

Located in Petaluma, California, Petaluma Shakespeare Company is a non profit 501(c)(3) dedicated to put Shakespeare's timeless works into the hands of 21st century performers. It us the only free Shakespeare theater group in Sonoma County and is supported by an annual fundraiser and through donations. Past seasons of Free Shakespeare By The River under the stars at The Foundry Wharf, has enable the group to provide the community with theater culture, strengthen community bonds through shared theatrical experiences and create more compassionate global citizens.  2019 will be its 5th season and the group is excited to bring forth Macbeth.  Past productions ofTaming of the Shrew,  As You Like It, Henry IV part I, and All's Well That Ends Well  have brought collaborators from all of the Bay Area to bring Free Shakespeare By The River to thousands of audience members of all ages. 

Top Pick for Bay Area Holiday Events The Great Dickens Christmas Fair and Victorian Holiday Party — Opening November 17th, 2018 — Six Weekends & The Day After Thanksgiving

Festive diversion is just the ticket about now, don't you think?  This holiday season, the historic San Francisco Cow Palace once again transforms into Dickens’ London for The Great Dickens Christmas Fair & Victorian Holiday Party,  Now in its 36th season, The Great Dickens Christmas Fair runs Saturdays and Sundays (as well as the Friday after Thanksgiving) from November 17 through December 23, 2018, offering visitors an unrivaled, fully immersive holiday experience.

Travel back in time with this annual tradition for Bay Area natives and visitors alike. The Great Dickens Christmas Fair is a journey into the streets of Victorian London circa Christmas 1860. Visitorsexplore twilight-lit streets with shops, pubs, stages and dance halls filled with more than 800 Victorian characters and the aromas of roasted chestnuts and hearty fare.

“There is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as laughter and good humor." ~ Charles Dickens

My friends, The Patterson Family and their tireless and talented production crew have produced a new and quite wonderful short film on the behind the scenes building of The Dickens Fair. It never ceases to amaze me to stroll into this wonderland of Christmas past each holiday season — a feat of imagination,  temporary construction and design of a sprawling and meandering, Victorian Brigadoon.

Click here to view.  

Six Weekends — Opens Saturday, November 17
and runs Saturdays & Sundays through December 23, 2018,
including the Friday after Thanksgiving

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Online Select-Day Ticket Pricing:

• Adult and Senior General Admission (13+ yrs.): $30.00
• Children (5-12 yrs.): $14.00
• Children under 5 years are always free
• Pickwick Club 2018 Season Passes are also available online, through December 9, at $120.00 (a $390.00 value!).

 Admission Prices at the Gate

• Adult and Senior General Admission (13+): $30.00
• Children (5-12 yrs): $14.00
• Children under 5 are always free
• Pickwick Club 2018 Season Pass: $120.00 (a $390.00 value!) - available through December 9
• Adult Twilight Tickets, available after 3:00 PM: $18.00 (available only at the box office)
• Child Twilight Tickets, available after 3:00 PM: $10.00 (available only at the box office)

For information on "The Scrooge Special" and other discounts, please see Special Discounts page.

Choose from seven stages offering entertainment for all ages and tastes. Family-friendly entertainment abounds, from dancing at Fezziwig’s, to dashing sword-fighting in “All’s Well That Ends Badly” and the holiday pantomime “The Surprising Tale of Baron Munchausen and Mopsa the Fairy.” Head down to the other side of the tracks by the dockside and join the Cancan dancers and sailors at the bawdy Mad Sal’s Music Hall.

The Great Dickens Christmas Fair overflows with holiday magic for the youngest guests, offering hands-on craft activities, old-world games of skill and chance, and lively interactive shows in the Tinsley Green Children’s Area. Young audience members cheer the hero and jeer the villain at the children’s melodrama,  join Alice at the Mad Hatters’ Tea Party, or learn the tricks of the chimney-sweep trade from the Miracle Sweeps of London School.

Youngsters delight in meeting Old Father Christmas each day at one o’clock on the Father Christmas Stage, ride on a hand-powered Adventure Carousel, cheer the Toy Parade and laugh at the antics of an authentic British Punch & Judy puppet show.

Guests welcome the return of the Gilbert & Sullivan comic opera “Trial By Jury” in the Victoria & Albert Bijou Music Hall – one of the most successful one-act operettas of all time telling the story of ludicrous circumstances played out by characters who behave as if the events are perfectly normal. Be astounded by the world premiere of “Dr. Xander T. Culpepper’s Miracle Elixir Show Of Miracles,” but don’t expect to walk away with any of his miracle magical tonic; demand is simply too high! Also on the Pennygaff Stage, fresh from a year studying at the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Dickens Fair welcomes back the buffoonery of London’s most hilariously silly chimney sweep, Jim Chiminey!

Experience Mr. Dickens’ classic stories portrayed by hundreds of Living History characters throughout the streets. Encounter Mr. Scrooge, Tiny Tim, Oliver Twist, Nancy and many more of Mr. Dickens’ characters. You might even see Queen Victoria herself as she and her court progress through London. Then join Mr Samuel Pickwick himself and his fellow "Pickwickians" as they tour London, spreading hilarity and mirth. Stop by the illustrious Adventurers’ Club, Dickens Family Parlour, Great Exhibition Stage, genius inventor Professor Flockmocker’s Workshop and the internationally themed Silk Road Stage for exotic dance and special musical guest appearances.

Catch a song or two at the Paddy West School of Seamanship, then stroll down to Mad Sal’s Dockside Ale House where Mad Sal herself will be hosting bold new talents as well as bawdy favorites like the high-kicking dancers of the Le Cancan Bijou in the Mad Sal’s Dockside Music Hall. 

The gentlemen of Brass Farthing lift a frothy good ale with their rollicking songs and the ladies of The Gin Alley Sallys musically include you in their ‘Society for the Appreciation of Libation and Spirits.’  Later in the day, the extremely popular and outrageous “Saucy French Postcards Tableaux Revue” returns to delight adults over 18 with “Gods & Heroes,” a new episode in the private lives of Horatio and Letitia Everard.

“…Merry voices and light-hearted laughter range through the room…” ~ Charles Dickens

Eight Extravagant New Vacation Rentals on my UK and France WOW List — From the Cornish Coast to the French Wine Country with The Wow House Company

Big birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, family reunions . . . whatever it is you have coming up on your calendar in the next year or two, I can't think of many more gatherings more luxurious than celebrating in a dream house in the English or French countryside. 

Renowned for its collection of sumptuous holiday houses, all offering something a little extra, The Wow House Company has launched a brand new website perfect for those looking for a spectacular European vacation with friends and family in tow. 

With improved galleries and availability calendars, the new website makes booking a five-star house in the UK (or France) easier than ever before. To mark the website’s launch, The Wow House Company is offering eight new properties, six in the UK and two in France, each perfect for a luxury break, whether guests want to relax in style just a stone’s throw from the Cornish coast, or enjoy a boutique break for two in rural France.

 NEW WOW HOUSES in the UK 

All photos courtesy of the Wow House Company 

 Polpier (sleeps 16) – Facility-filled Cornish house with outdoor pool and clay tennis court

Dating back to the 19^th-century, Mevagissy’s Polpier has been luxuriously restored and offers guests somewhere extraordinary to enjoy a special celebration or holiday in the southwest.

The impressive building sits overlooking the harbour which is only a short walk and has eight en suite bedrooms and myriad reception rooms, including a large kitchen/breakfast room with sun terrace, which takes advantage of the stunning views.

Polpier also boasts a separate honeymoon suite, overlooking the apple orchard, complete with a super king en suite and wood-burning stove. The house’s gardens include a heated swimming pool, croquet lawn and clay tennis court. Price: from  around $8,300 for a week’s self-catering rental or short breaks from $4,850.

Penpol (sleeps 10) – Coastal chic and harbour views

Penpol is an elegant, spacious property with picturesque views of Mevagissey harbour, the wonderful landscaped gardens and the surrounding countryside. The coastal property is arranged over several levels, and there’s an additional Garden House with two en suite rooms and a kitchenette for guests who seek extra privacy. Airily decorated throughout in light, pastel tones, Penpol has a large country style kitchen with Aga, living room with French doors out on to the terrace and three en suite double rooms. Price: from around $2,500 for a week’s self-catering rental, or short breaks from around $1,800.

Belvedere House (sleeps 20) – Country Retreat for music-lovers in Norfolk

Located in the village of Snettisham, and within easy access of the north Norfolk coast, Belvedere House is a country house with a spectacularly luxurious and decadent interior, and one with a touch of the rock ‘n’ roll. Not only does the property boast nine individually-styled bedrooms, a large kitchen and dining rooms, a cinema room, but also a fully sound-proofed studio with chill out room, DJ decks and karaoke machine. Outside are a beautiful secret garden and an 8-seat hot tub with colour changers. Price: from around $7,200 for a week’s self-catering rental, or short breaks from around $4,900.

 

Baronial House (sleeps 26) - Tartan with a twist

Forget tired tartans and fusty old-fashioned interiors, Baronial House is a Scottish stately home with a difference. The interiors are bright, colourful and modern with pop art touches throughout, be that sumptuous colourful sofas in the large library or the chairs in the dining room upholstered with art works from McAlpine Miller’s residency at The Savoy Hotel in London. The house is surrounded by twelve acres of private grounds, just outside Callander, including woodlands and the river where guests can fish for salmon or trout. Clay pigeon shooting can be arranged on request. Price: from around $13,000 for a week’s self-catering rental.

The Barns (sleeps 18) - Private party pad in Norfolk

Designed around the stunning Spanish Garden, The Barns is a superlative holiday home that is truly at one with nature. Located just a short drive from the Norfolk village of Narborough, The Barns is an eight-bedroom, single story building decorated in a natural rustic way. Expect four-poster beds made from birch branches, high, beamed ceilings and with every room opening onto the enclosed courtyard garden, with covered hot tub. Price: from around $6,800 for a week’s self-catering rental or short breaks from $4,500.

 

River Severn House (sleeps up to 30) – Room for all in Gloucestershire

The perfect pad for an extended family party, River Severn House has a fun party vibe. One bedroom sleeps up to nine, perfect for children’s midnight parties, while the adults can pick from the other eight bedrooms. For those who tear themselves away from view of the River, the house benefits from an indoor swimming pool with French doors opening to the garden, a cinema room, a Bluetooth sound system and a games room. Just five miles from Gloucester and its excellent transport links, River Severn House is ideal for the overdue reunion. Price: from around $13,300 for a week’s rental, or short breaks from around $5,200.

 

NEW WOW HOUSES France 

Bijoux (sleeps 2) – Secluded love nest for two

Bijoux is located in the quiet but well-served village of St. Marcel Sur Aude, just a few miles from Narbonne. The one bedroom apartment has recently been furnished to a very high standard. Guests have their own private outdoor swimming pool and pretty courtyard. The stone walled courtyard, partly under cover and with a BBQ area and outdoor seating for al fresco dining, looks out over olive groves and vineyards. When couples can bear to leave their love nest, they can take their pick from the dozens of chateaux and wineries offering tastings and tours on their doorstep. Drive south for 20 minutes to the endless fine-sand Narbonne plage, with several summer-time restaurants operating right on the beach offering fine food, sun beds and cocktails. Price: from around $1,300 for a week’s self-catering rental.

 Villa Puisseguin (sleeps 10) – Grand getaway in France’s wine country

Just 10 minutes from Saint-Emilion and its famous wineries, the beautiful Villa Puisseguin is the ideal base for an epicurean exploration of France’s southwest. The property drips with charm, with stone walls, exposed beams and beautiful grounds and terraces for an al fresco dinner. There are five large bedrooms, plus a fully equipped modern kitchen, living room and a snug library. A secluded salt water infinity pool gives guests relaxing views over the neighbouring vineyards. Price: from around $5,300 for a week’s self-catering rental.

 

For more information on The Wow House Company visit thewowhousecompany.co.uk,

or call +44 (0)1242 220006.

 

Extraordinary Eilean Shona – Exclusive Stays on The Private Scottish Island That Was An Inspiration for J. M. Barrie's Neverland

The island of Eilean Shona is described as Neverland Found, being much-loved by the author and playwright, J.M.Barrie. Seven recently refurbished holiday cottages and the former hunting lodge in which J.M. Barrie stayed in the 1920s have been made newly available to rent and I can't think of a more enchanting and intriguing, rustic-luxe locale.

All photos courtesy of Eilean Shona 

It was here that the author created the screenplay for Peter Pan. During Barrie’s visit, he wrote of Eilean Shona, "We have mountains and lochs and boats and tennis and billiards and most of the Western islands of Scotland lying at our feet."

Now co-owned by luxury hotelier and art collector Vanessa Branson and Robert Devereux, the island is a magical place for a family holiday or for those in search of peace and quiet. It comes with enchanted moss-covered woods, wild open hills, and a beautiful white sandy beach on the south western tip of the island. Visitors can walk for hours without seeing another person.

The island is a natural haven for wildlife, plants and many rare trees brought from distant shores over a hundred years ago. It abounds with wildlife: an array of seabirds, deer, nesting sea eagles, red squirrels and rare pine marten. Criss-crossing the island is a network of secluded paths that wind through acres of woodland and over the heather-covered hills. Along its shores are numerous tiny inlets, coves and at every point there are breath-taking views forever changing with the tides and the season. Seals, families of otters, dolphin, minke whales and basking sharks can all be seen in the waters around Shona.

Though only a short boat ride from the mainland, this haven of peace and tranquillity offers guests a completely different world, away from the hustle and bustle of daily life. There are no cars, no televisions and no flight path. - just a small shop open during select hours for basic provisions and home-cooked meals. The former village hall is available for all to use should visitors be feeling social. It has a table tennis table, a dart board, some books and games and free access to the internet. 

In Eilean Shona House, which sleeps up to 20, fires blaze in every (living) room. This is comfortable, relaxed living on a grand scale. There is a billiards room, a grand piano in the drawing room and board games galore. And, unlike many Scottish country houses, there’s lashings of hot water for five vast baths, thanks to an eco-boiler fed with naturally fallen trees.

Each of the seven rental cottages that are dotted around the island has something special about it – a couple of them are off-grid. The Old Schoolhouse, (around $1,700 per week, sleeping 4) launched two years ago, is a luxurious conversion of the long-gone island community’s school. Wonderfully isolated, this two bedroom idyll is situated over a mile along the North Channel coast path and a 45-minute walk from the jetty where guests disembark.

One of the prettiest available is Tioram Cottage (pictured right, also from around $1,700 per week). Sleeping eight people, Tioram is set right on the shorefront of Loch Moidart and has recently been extensively modernised. Expect a flat screen TV, DVD player, white Egyptian cotton bed linen and towels, and large, sea facing windows with stunning views of the Loch and Tioram Castle. Tioram Cottage, a 5-minute walk away from the island pontoon, has its own private bay area, with a camp fire pit and picnic table.

 

PRICES

 

Main House: Six nights’ rental of Eilean Shona House with 11 bedrooms, based on 20 people sharing, £10,000  (around $13,000) regardless of season, including wi-fi and four return RIB transfers to the mainland. Prices are lower for reduced occupancy.  A three night short break for 8+ bedrooms in low season costs £4,500 (around $5,800) Chefs are available on request.

 

The Cottages: There are eight rental cottages on Eilean Shona, sleeping between 2 -8 people. Lead-in prices for one week’s rental of a cottage range from £680  (around $900) - £1,300 (around $1,700) including ferry crossings, as above, and use of the village hall with wi-fi.

The island is reached either by air or rail from Glasgow which is a three hour drive through the Highlands to Dorlin Pier where the island boat picks guests up for the five minute crossing. Alternatively take the Caledonian sleeper train from Euston to Fort William which is an hour's drive away, or make a dramatic entrance and arrive by helicopter.

For Eilean Shona bookings visit eileanshona.com, +44 (0)1967 431249.