Brush Up Your Shakespeare: The Wonderful, Witty World of the Stratford Shakespeare Festival in Ontario, Canada

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When we were planning our time in Toronto this year, we knew we couldn't pass up another chance to visit Stratford, Ontario and the annual Stratford Festival. If you want to see world class theater - Shakespeare, drama, or musicals - this is an excellent place.

A lot of history is packed into this small town of about 33,000 people. English-speaking Canadians created a small settlement in 1832, when a portion of the Thames River was renamed Avon and the settlement was called Stratford. It was incorporated in 1859. One interesting tidbit is that Thomas Edison grew up in nearby Port Huron, Michigan, and worked as a telegraph operator on the railway junction in Stratford in 1864, at the age of 17. Two years later, Edison moved to Louisville, Kentucky (where we stayed March-May of this year) and worked for Western Union there for a couple of years before moving to New York.

In the early 20th century, the town began to develop its distinct identity. A pair of mute swans were donated to the city, leading to the river's modern-day population of swans, ducks, and geese. The swans are penned during the winter and then paraded to the river in April each year. The town was visited by King George VI in 1939, and in 1976 Queen Elizabeth gave Canada swans, a pair of which were given to Stratford.

We moved to Michigan in 2000. When Kate was in high school, her English class took a trip to Stratford to see Love's Labour's Lost in 2003. She thoroughly enjoyed the trip, and we were intrigued. In 2004, Kate and I went with my parents to Stratford for a long weekend. That year, we saw Macbeth in the main theater and the Cole Porter musical Anything Goes in the Avon Theatre. The main theater is a large jutting stage for theater in the round; originally built in the 1950's (but then under a tent) it has 1800 seats, most of them offering good views. When Alec Guiness uttered, "Now is the winter of our discontent...." he launched the new Stratford Festival's first play in July, 1953. Many world-famous actors have performed there throughout the years. My parents - regular theater-goers - were impressed. We stayed in the dome room of the Queen's Inn that year, and shopped along the main street. Restaurant offerings then were mostly English-Canadian standard fare. I do recall dining at Raja, an East Indian restaurant. We enjoyed shopping at several small shops, especially enjoying browsing in an art gallery and a store selling indigenous Canadian arts and decor. Below are modern photos of the stage, the Queen's Inn, and Molly Blooms (now closed but the pub where we ate in 2004).

The musical, Anything Goes, was especially fun for me because it was one of the musicals I performed in when I was in High School (was in the chorus). It's amazing how the brain remembers the lines and the lyrics from so many years before.

After my Dad passed away in 2006, we enticed my mom to come up and join us for another trip to Stratford in 2007. That year, we saw King Lear, one of my mother's favorite plays, starring Tony-award winner Brian Bedford. We also saw The Merchant of Venice starring Graham Greene. I recall thinking King Lear was wonderful but found The Merchant of Venice did not quite hit the mark. Kate and my Mom saw Of Mice and Men (also starring Graham Greene) in the smaller but wonderful Tom Patterson theater (also in the round but more intimate) and gushed about it so much I immediately regretted not going. That year, we stayed in Majer's Motel, a more affordable option than the many hotels or traditional B and Bs. My mother especially enjoyed shopping in the many shops near the town center. Kate recalls that she bought an artsy bird bath even though it was not all all clear it would fit in the car with all of us.

In 2010, my Aunt Cathy & Uncle Frank traveled up from Louisville, Kentucky, to join us in a trip to Stratford. This time, Paul and I stayed in one room of a traditional Bed and Breakfast, and Cathy & Frank stayed in a different room in the same B & B. Stratford is home to many lovely Victorian homes, and many of them have been converted to B & B's. This one was just on the other side of the river from the Festival Theatre. We saw The Tempest starring Christopher Plummer - one of the highlight performances for me of all of our trips to Stratford. Plummer had just turned 80, and was in as good a form as an actor that afternoon as he ever had been in his career. We also saw the musicals Evita and Kiss me Kate. I had also performed in Kiss me Kate in high school - another Cole Porter phenom - so I had that wonderful muscle-memory of the show. Kiss me Kate is a play within a play set in the 1950's involving behind the scenes melodrama while a cast is performing The Taming of the Shrew. I don't remember much about the restaurants that year, except that we ate at a place with good and fancy food and my aunt, whose food tastes are simpler than the rest of us - dined on a $30 hamburger (about $55 in today's dollars). I couldn't find any photos from that trip, but I did find this post shortly after we returned home:

In 2014, we met friends Sue Helper & Randy Schutt, and Sue's family members Eleanor, Laura, Tom, Laura, and Natalie. Paul & I stayed in a different traditional B & B by the river. I remember there were 4 couples staying in the B & B (including the hosts) - a couple each in their 20's, 30's, 40's, and 50 (that was us). We noticed how the different generations had slightly different perspectives on the world, which was one of the nice things about staying in a traditional B & B.

That year, we saw Alice through the Looking Glass and Man of La Mancha (perhaps inspiring the future Rocinantes on the Road?) It doesn't look like we saw any Shakespeare, perhaps because the only Shakespeare play I would have wanted to see that year, A Midsummer Night's Dream, debuted a week after we were there. We had high tea with the family. Paul & I went out in a boat along the river and Sue & Randy joined us for one long walk along the river, and Eleanor joined us for a different walk along the river. We saw swan eggs hatching along the river. 2014 seems to be the only year - other than this one (2024) - that I have photos. This is because Sue's mom, Eleanor - an avid photographer - sent photos after the trip.

In 2017, Paul & I made a trip by ourselves on the way home from Toronto, where I had attended an international clinical law conference. We saw just one play - Romeo & Juliet. Amazingly, although I had read the play in high school, this is the first time I had ever seen it in live theater. I remember that the actor playing Juliet played her as a bratty, whiny, melodramatic teenager - which I thought made sense given her age in the play (15). The production also deliberately referenced parallels between the divisions that had become so apparent in our culture at that time, and the divisions that led to tragedy in the play.

Last month, Paul & I, once more, ventured into Stratford. Meeting Kate & Ben, but this time staying in an Airbnb apartment, we soaked in the theater, the little streets we've come to know so well, and the river. Having weathered COVID, Stratford is more vibrant than ever. The food has become quite trendy, and quite tasty. We ate at several really delicious restaurants.

We had dinner at The Revival House, which is located in a decommissioned church. Food, atmosphere, and service were terrific.

We also had dinners at Braai House and Cafe Bouffon, both excellent choices. We tried to eat at Bijou, after receiving a recommendation from friends, but could not get a reservation.

There are many good coffee shops. During previous visits, we frequented Cafe Balzac. This time, we were closer to The Livery Yard and Brch & Wyn, so we had coffee there several times. We also breakfasted at The Ashborne Cafe, and had a light snack at Fellini's. All good choices. The only breakfast spot we found a bit disappointing was Joe's Diner (and we generally do like diner food).

We had breakfast, lunch, and dinner at Foster's Inn. A solid choice, it was close to our Airbnb and across the street from the Avon Theatre.

As we had in years past, we took long walks along the River Avon, crossing over to Patterson Island to watch the ducks and geese. We didn't see any swans this time, but we did see a blue heron.

We shopped in the little stores, although some - the art gallery we so enjoyed, for example - were no longer there. We strolled through the streets, admiring the usual artful display of flowers and the historic buildings. We visited the Farmer's Market on Sunday.

As for the theater, it was the excellent experience we have come to expect. First, Paul & I saw Hedda Gabler. The name of this play was extremely familiar to both of us, but we realized neither of us had read the play nor seen it performed. We didn't know anything about it. We were in for an intense experience. Sara Topham - who we had seen play ingenue roles in prior years - was a powerhouse as Hedda Gabler. Performed in the small, intimate theater-in-the-round Tom Patterson Theatre, she frequently looked at the audience with blankness on her face. She only became animated when controlling the emotions and actions of others, usually to their detriment. The play made an impact on us, and we discussed it for a couple of days after seeing it.

When Kate & Ben joined us, we saw Romeo & Juliet at the main festival stage. It was longer and more intricate in plot than we had remembered - taking three hours to perform (including a 20 minute intermission). But the action was fast-paced, the young men full of surging hormones and the staging kept our attention throughout.

Saturday night the four of us saw La Cage aux Folles at the Avon Theatre. We were quite familiar with the movie, The Birdcage starring Robin Williams and Nathan Lane, which had always been a favorite of ours. But we had never seen the musical. It was a joy. The acting, singing, and dancing were right on point. The costumes evoked the right era (1970's San Tropez). All of the actors were phenomenal, but the two leads were especially moving. Sean Arbuckle (who we've seen in several plays in prior years) as Georges, wrestled with his powerful love for his son and his equally powerful love for his partner, Albin. Steve Ross, as Albin, was heartbreaking, funny, and fierce. I supposed the saddest part was when we realized the plot could be moved to 2024 without changing anything, leading us to wonder what, if any, progress we've made as a culture.

The final play I saw by myself at the Tom Patterson theatre. Sunday afternoon, after Kate & Ben departed, I decided to see Cymbeline. Paul wanted to rest, so I booked a last-minute ticket by myself. This is one of Shakespeare's plays that I had never even heard of. I knew I'd regret it if I didn't go see it when I had the chance. A good friend told me that the play is rarely performed because Shakespeare is seen to have thrown in a mish-mash of tropes from other plays: star-crossed lovers, gender-swapping, journey through the forest, suspected infidelity, and mixed identities, to name a few. But I thoroughly enjoyed it. When I read the synopsis, I thought it would be very hard to follow the plot. But the staging was great and Shakespeare's exposition was clear. The cast excelled. The young male lover was appropriately pining, and the young female lover was strong. Pisanio was exciting. The exiled lord and Cymbeline's lost sons were a joy to watch. Lucy Peacock as Cymbeline was a presence - an actor we've seen in many productions over the years, including Lady Macbeth. And, the villains were deliciously villainous.

The musical, Kiss Me Kate, has a funny number featuring gangsters Slug & Lippy (played in the 1953 movie by James Whitmore and Keenan Wynn), who are trying to collect money from one of the characters. They need him to perform so he will earn money to pay back their boss. The song, Brush Up Your Shakespeare, features the witty lyrics of Cole Porter. Written in 1948, some of the lyrics do not reflect modern views on consent in itimate relations. But, it seemed like the perfect accompaniment to this blog post. It is common to perform this song with only some of the verses, so I took out the ones I found most heinous and performed in role as Slug. I rationalize that Cole Porter, even in 1948, was making fun of Slug and Lippy's attitudes about relationships. You can see James Whitmore & Keenan Wynn perform the song here. I was channelling more of the energy of Michael Jibson & James Doherty at the Royal Albert Hall, however, when I made my recording. To see Kim perform Brush up Your Shakespeare, click here.