Much ado about something.

Something I shouldn't admit since I am such a theater fan, and always have been, is that I don't get Shakespeare. Not only don't I get it, I find it incredibly tiresome and often laughable, even the best productions. And worse, I suspect that most people that rush off to the latest Hamlet or Macbeth are not that enamored either.(Close and honest friends have admitted as much.)  Let us say that Shakespeare, like Tennessee Williams, is very entertaining, then each of the plays would be worth a production or two every now and then. But Shakespeare festivals in every major city? And dozens of Hamlets with everyone from Olivier to Mel Gibson. I mean how many ways can you chat with a skull. And if Shakespeare is so damned good why are they constantly trying to update it to some other locale or time period other than where the Bard based it. I don't question that Will wrote some fabulous speeches like "To be or not to be" and "Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow"  and I am crazy about everything Othello says just before he kills Desdemona. But do I really want to sit through the entire play and go through every "methinks" and "doth"for these little gems? No! I think the reason we are deluged with so much Shakespeare is that actors love doing it. One, it gives them a chance to emote. And, two, it's hard to tell if they're doing a good job or not. So call me a Philistine, a barbarian, a boor, I think that Shakespeare's plays, brilliant as they may be, are boring. And since I've probably already offended many readers, I might as well admit it: I don't like opera either.