Spiritual home

About a week before Christmas, we went to Stratford. Now, this is always an event to me, even more so this time as I'd worked out that it was over three years (three!!) since I'd seen a play at Stratford. I think something must have happened to distract me, but for the moment, I can't think what it was!

We'd booked some time ago to see Merry Wives, the Musical, as Judi Dench was in it, and she's someone I've always wanted to see on stage, and surprising as it may seem, I never have*. But we also made the most of it, nice hotel, lovely pre-theatre meal, shopping etc. The first test was getting 4 of us, plus luggage (pack light!) into the new car. It was really it's first proper road trip, after all it had never been to Stratford before, but it was equipped with a Shakespeare sticker**.

Once there, we had a walk into town, and got suitably excited by the Shakespeare Birthplace gift shop. Corinne bought finger puppets, and we worked out we could just about do every play from the selection of characters (except, perhaps, Othello).

We had excellent seats, and the play was fantastic. It's had mixed reviews in the press, but the audience were loving it. Predictably Judi Dench was amazing, and the part of Mistress Quickly had been extended for her. Her comic timing was impeccable, but she could also touch your heart with a song of memories. Alistair McGowan was also excellent as Ford, again with great comic timing.

Afterwards, it was too wet to stage door (from my long time experience, there is no shelter at Stratford) so we went straight to the pub, and some of us stayed there until we were pretty much asked to leave, along with the last few actors, returning to the hotel to perform the finger puppet version of Pyramus and Thisbe. A triumph, I believe!

I still love Stratford, and I feel like I belong there - I don't even mind the tourists. And when I see theatre of this quality, I just know I mustn't leave it so long before I go again.

*I was supposed to book for us to see her in 'All's Well' a couple of years ago, but was distracted again!

**The old car had Griffin, this one has Shakespeare, I think I've reverted to type!