I Heart Shakespeare
Friday, February 8th by scott malia
It’s almost time. Men will be dashing to drug stores and supermarkets to pick up last minute gifts, cards and other sundries. Women will begin their collective eye-rolling at this panic, marveling how “the most romantic day of the year” still manages to take their mates by surprise year after year. Despite Valentine’s Day’s commercial veneer, many just want to feel special about the someone special in their lives. While the “Be Mine” heart-shaped candies and ubiquity of the color red in stores leave little doubt that the day has been largely consumed by commercialization, the day still manages to make people reflect on their relationships. Regardless of age, race, culture or orientation, couples must pick a side on Valentine’s Day, either for it or against it—and woe to the couple whose partners are not on the same side.
If overpriced chocolates, flowers and stationery are not your thing, the Orient Express’s British Pullman is offering a romantic dinner ride with Shakespeare a la carte. Scenes from his comedies (no doubt with an emphasis on romantic ones) will be presented by members of the Oxford Shakespeare Coompany. Instead of listening to Celine Dion or light jazz, adventurous romantics can take in samples of A Midsummer Night’s Dream or As You Like It. If you’ve every endured your significant other’s maladroit attempts at poetry (seriously, should the word “hot” ever appear in a poem), you may welcome the reprieve this unique entertainment offers. Who knows? Maybe Two Gentlemen of Verona’s aptly named character Valentine might even make an appearance.
