Cereal Vandalism
Monday, February 25th by scott malia
In this blog, I frequently report or comment on the unusual lengths directors and actors go to in production to make Shakespeare unique. Also, I often share the various unusual ways in which Shakespeare is utilized in nonliterary and non-performance forums. In many ways, this blog is a record not just of Shakespearean happenings, but of Shakespearean fanaticism. Any time something becomes the object of great attention and acclaim, a fervent (and in some extreme cases, crazy) level of devotion is bound to develop. For example, I never thought I would be mentioning Shakespeare and Shredded Wheat in the same sentence, and yet here I am.
It seems that some people have been vandalizing Shakespeare’s birth house. Fortunately, the subject of this vandalism is a replica and not the original. It also happens to be something of a miniature version of it, standing only a few feet high. The other curious aspect about this replica is that it is made entirely of wheat. No, that is not a typo. The house was built and donated by Shredded Wheat. So, the first interesting point is that someone loved the Bard so much that they rebuilt his homestead OUT OF CEREAL. I’m trying to imagine what that meeting was like: “No, we can’t use Cheerios because of the holes. Corn Flakes are out, because they aren’t sturdy enough. Wait! I’ve got it!…..” The second point of interest is that someone disliked this tourist attraction enough to vandalize it. I’m not sure what kind of political or social statement this makes. Fortunately, the damage has been minimal since the vandals are mostly just tipping it over. Now, if these wheat-tippers wanted to create some real mayhem, they’d pour milk on it and let it soak.
