OkQueenMab

stratfordfestival-2013-romeo.jpg

Online dating meets Shakespeare! The possibilities are endless. How would the compatibility algorithm handle Kate and Petruchio? Does Viola's self-summary mention that she likes dressing up as a boy? Have Beatrice and Benedick blocked each other, or are they flirting furiously through private messages? Does Miranda's "Message Me If..." section just say "YOU'RE A MAN"?

This comic is inspired by the  Stratford Festival's 2013 production of Romeo and Juliet . Their season ends this coming week and they're offering $29 tickets for certain performances. Go while you still can! It's a long time till next May.

The Law's the Thing

stratfordfestival-2013-merchant.jpg

Featuring Portia from The Merchant of Venice, another one of Shakespeare's great cross-dressing heroines. I always wondered why Portia, after her triumphant legal victory in the courts of Venice, decided not to pursue a legal career. She was clearly more informed about Venetian law than any of the men in court, and could spot a sneaky, underhanded loophole from a mile away. And we're supposed to believe she goes happily back to Belmont to keep house for that well-meaning damp rag Bassanio? Pssssh.

This comic is inspired by the Stratford Festival's 2013 production of The Merchant of Venice . I've never particularly cared for Merchant  as a play; I'd previously seen two stage productions and one film version, none of which really connected with me. However, the Stratford production, starring Scott Wentworth as Shylock, was phenomenal and, for a self-proclaimed cynic such as myself, surprisingly powerful. If you're within striking distance of Ontario, it closes next week. Get your tickets now!

Obli-viola-ous

For those of you not familiar with Twelfth Night , it is one of the many plays featuring a girl who, for some obscure reason, decides to dress up as a boy, with the requisite hysterical consequences.   

In Twelfth Night, Viola pretends to be the boy Cesario and, on the whole, does a really rotten job. Even taking into account the fact that Viola would originally have been played by a boy, all the characters in the play keep commenting on how woman-like "he" is. Viola doesn't do herself any favors by repeatedly dropping huge hints like "I am not what I am", "I am all the daughters of my father's house", "I am almost sick [for a beard], though I would not have it grow on my chin", and so forth.  

Fortunately for her, the other characters appear to have all the perceptive abilities and deductive insights of a twig.