The theme for this year’s Santa Cruz Shakespeare festival is “Generations” and, as Artistic Director Charles Pasternak states, it “looks forward; each of these masterpieces focuses on the young inheriting the world.” As such, I brought my 10-year-old daughter to opening night. I was explaining the premise to her on the drive up to The Grove having just watched a televised view of the famous wrestler Hulk Hogan tear off his shirt on stage at the Republican National Convention.
I explained to her that one of the main characters, Orlando, is upset after his father has died because he is not given any of his inheritance, and so he challenges a professional wrestler to prove his courage. “A professional wrestler on stage?” The irony was not lost on her. I got to the part about Orlando’s older brother Oliver telling the wrestler Charles that he would be glad if during the match he were to break his brother’s neck.
“That’s enough. Don’t tell me any more. Now, I want to know what happens next.
YouTubers do this all the time.” And so we took our seats in the Grove, and from the first moment of the play till the famous epilogue, she was happily engaged in the unfolding story. The play is long, but it is beautifully staged and the actors are exquisite company.
They became celebrities to her in one night. As we saw them in attendance the following night she was starstruck and said: “I want to sit where the cool kids are sitting.” More than just a victory for.