Shakespeare: The Tempest

I had heard good things about this group of young performers and suggested to my Shakespeare-passionate child that she might be interested in working with older kids who are similarly fascinated.  She agreed to go see the performance, then objected to interrupting her day of play to actually go, then finally sat in rapt attention the whole time, even reminding me afterward that she wanted to go talk with the director to express interest.  Her passion never fails to surprise me, especially when it goes beyond playing the play with her friends in her own performances.  (Her sister, on the other hand, announced loudly after the first act that she was bored and wanted to go home.  To each her own!) 

The performance was impressive with all of the actors quite good and older than I expected (some even in college).  Music, costumes, and staging were all excellent.  It was fun to see some of our friends on stage.  My Shakespeare-loving child appreciated all of this and liked the experience, yet concluded agreeably, "... but I still don't like The Tempest."  Agreed.  Sappy love-at-first-sight story, little action, little passion.  Lame by William Shakespeare standards, which usually heat our blood with excitement for the language, the emotion, and the sheer drama.  I love her agreeably critical response, her ability to distinguish between the excellence of the production and the underlying story.