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Lush
7 reviews
Boulder, CO
Category: Beauty and Spas
Colorado Shakespeare Festival
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7 reviews for Colorado Shakespeare Festival
Need a solid summer date night - this is it.
Few notes:
1. Book early - they have a 50% discount for the opening night trio pack, 3 plays for cheap OR you can do the preview performances for half price as well
2. it's outdoors at one of the theatres, but has an awesome view of the flat irons mountains - worth it, even if it sprinkles a bit - bring a jacket with a hood boyscout.
3. these are comedic, and the actors have great timing
4. you get a very comfortable fold-up cloth seat and there are great views from every seat is seems.
I went last year and it was awesome, we had a few rain delays BUT, All the characters came back out with plastic rain bonnets and their Nike's - some were fluorescent. It was hilarious.
Want to do it right?
grab dinner in boulder before you go - however, go early - boulder is super packed for dinner on a weekend evenings, then park in a campus lot - makes life easier
We saw the preview (night before opening night) of Much Ado About Nothing and really enjoyed it. Great cast, interesting setting (the eve of the Spanish Civil War--1930's Barcelona), and loads of fun. If you think that Shakespeare is only for the high-brow types, you need to see this play!
We've also got tickets to Hamlet, the non-Shakespeare play, which is To Kill a Mockingbird, and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged). The other play in the 2009 season is Two Gentlemen of Verona--I would go if I had time, but it's not one of my favorites, so it's the one I'm missing this year.
Picnic on the green before the show and enjoy Colorado evenings at their best.
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6/12/2008
I just got my tickets for four of this summer's plays--we'll be enjoying Macbeth, Love's Labour's… Read more »
Absolutely lovely. Have a picnic on the lawn before hand and then head inside a building. You will be delighted when it opens out into the Mary RIppon Theater. The acting and direction are fresh and interesting . Saw To Kill a Mockingbird last night and it was fantastic.
I love Shakespeare! I love the outdoors! I love CU! How perfect is it that I can watch Shakespeare performed outside on a lovely summer night on the beautiful CU campus? I'll tell you! Totally perfect!
The 1,000-seat Mary Rippon Outdoor Theatre houses 3 plays in repertory from mid-June to mid-August with one more play (non-Shakespeare these days) on the Main Stage inside the 500-seat University Theatre.
I wish the casting folks would cast local actors a bit more often (we're just as talented as actors anywhere else, thank you kindly), but the productions are usually very enjoyable. One or two shows are usually relocated to another era and location, bringing out textual subtleties. In about '92 they did Two Gentlemen of Verona in the 60's with cute little Vespa scooters and far-out costumes. I loved it!
You can volunteer to be an usher and see the show for free. These spots fill up fast so call up and get your name on the list ASAP.
Bring a picnic basket (or buy a prepared dinner in front of the theatre) and have a picnic dinner in the grass of the Quad. Shakespeare himself strolls around to entertain diners with his sonnets.
The outdoor theatre has flagstone benches for seats (i.e. no backs) and the seat cushions that the users hand out don't really provide enough cush for the tush, so bring along your REI camping chair or something comfy to sit on. Also, it gets cold and the show will go on if it rains (and it frequently does) so bring something to keep you dry and warm.
Amanda summed it up pretty well - the Shakespeare Festival is just too good. Choose the outdoor theater if you come, since the atmosphere just can't be beat. I usually spring for the expensive seats. The shows are worth getting up front for.
This summer there were seat cushions available, which is absolutely key if you're gonna sit on a rock slab for a few hours.
Bring a picnic to eat in the grass before the show for the perfect experience. A picnic followed by an excellent play under the stars is hard to beat for a romantic date.
When you think of the many benefits of living in Boulder, you should put the Colorado Shakespeare Festival near the top of the list. Every summer, in the campus' groovy little outdoor Mary Rippon Theatre, some of the best and brightest actors and actresses from around the country come to Boulder to perform the Bard.
Of note is that each year, in addition to traditional performances, they offer interesting takes on the old master, such as 2005's update of "Twelfth Night" that set the old tale in the Caribbean in the 1930s.
The Mary Rippon Theatre is a great venue, and it's also good for other things. For example, during the warmer months we would have Spanish class outside in the theater, and it was a nice place to study between classes. But it truly shines beneath the stars at a CSF performance.
it's the real deal
