All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts...
I went to see As You Like It with N last night. I'd read the play back in high school; I remembered that it was funny, and that it was a love story. I'd forgotten its complexities, and I'd never really experienced its humanity. (There is, as my Comedies professor often chides my classmates and me, a difference between reading a play and seeing one.)
It was more than a love story - at least, it far exceeded the sappy and somewhat predictable norm of today's romantic comedies. Sitting in the audience, I was watching people change. These characters were falling in love, of course, but they were deepening family ties, establishing friendships, and figuring out their personal identities along the way. The characters matured on stage; they grew up and lived happily ever after in five whirlwind acts.
As Jaques presented her famous monologue about the cycles of life, I couldn't help but wonder - what act of life am I in? And am I ever going to get a script?
In other news, the tree outside my window is blooming. I love springtime in New York.
