A Midsummer Night's Dream

15 years ago

Neil and I were invited to see this play at the Webb

campus in Bell Buckle TN.

An old friend of ours, Lane Davies was directing and also

played the part of Oberon.

We left friday morning driving up with our best friends

and arrived in time to eat lunch at a delightful cafe

in Bellbuckle. http://www.bellbucklecafe.com/cafe.html

Accomodations were hard to come by and we were lucky to get

rooms at the Main Street B&B in Wartrace, a neighboring town.

It was an old victorian house or a painted lady. Intresting

and the food was wonderful. http://www.historicmainstreetinn.com/rooms.htm

Janet Fox, the Inn keeper made dinner reservations for us

at the Strolling Jim restaurant in The Walking Horse hotel in Wartrace and it was outstanding. The hotel isn't open yet, but soon.

We didn't know what to expect when we left to attend the

play, yes, we have seen Shakesphere's A Midsummer Night's

Dream many times before, but never before had we seen it

set in Athens GA in the 1930s and never before heard the

olde english language with a southern accent.

We've always teased Lane about his acting and especially

every year when he would be flown to Russia to be wined and

dined as a STAR because the Russians were enamoured of his

Mason Capwell character in the soap Santa Barbara.

I have to say that he did an outstanding job with his

old south concept and setting of Shakesphere's wonderfully

funny play and never ever have I seen an audience have more

fun and laugh so much as I did on friday night.

I laughed til I cried at Bottom's antics and the whole cast

was perfect. There were times when the audience's laughter

went on so long that we drowned out some of the actors.

Lane and his friend and leading lady came for breakfast

with us on saturday and they said that they were tempted to

peek from backstage to watch the audience.

When it ended I wanted it to begin again, it was so good.

It was a much needed trip, for me anyway, and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it.

I sincerely believe that if Shakesphere could have been

there he would have approved of Lane's choice of the setting

and the accents.

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Comments (7)

rob333 (zone 7b)
15 years ago
Sounds delicious. Shakespere in BellBuckle with Lane. Whodda thunk it? I wish you'd have called. It's a 30 minute drive for me Jan. Some day, we'll meet for lunch.
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mjmercer
15 years ago
Jan as you know, I've had a serious crush on Lane/Mason for many, many years. :o) I loved him on "Santa Barbara." It was so much fun when the writers would slip in some opportunity for him to do a sliver of Shakespeare now and then. His transition from one character to the other was flawless.

For a while the writers had Mason under the influence of an alternate personality: cowboy Sonny Sprockett. (Hey, it's a soap opera...you gotta willingly suspend your disbelief. lol) Lane got to show off his #$!!-kicker accent and mannerisms and he was spot on. lol

I will always marvel at the amazing on-screen chemistry he had with Nancy Lee Grahn. ;o)

Karen
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Janis_G
Original Author
15 years ago
Karen, Lane's favorite acting parts are Shakesphere and he is an excellent director.
He taught a class here at our college on Shakesphere
and it was a big hit.
Since we've known him all his life, it's hard for us to
think of him as anything but one of the Davies boys. I told him after this I'd have to show him more respect.

Robin, if I'd thought you'd be interested, I would have
let you know. Lane has done several plays in Nashville and
the Bell Buckle Shakesphere thing at Webb will be an annual event.
0
jazmynsmom
15 years ago
This would have been fascinating. I don't know which is more inpenetrable to me: Shakespearian English or Southern English! It would have been interesting to hear something with which I'm familiar through one lense of foreign understanding being presented through another.

A couple years ago Steve and I went to a reinterpretation of a Shakespearian play set in a Favre-crazed Northern-Wisconsin (Illinois-hating) summer tourist-filled fishing resort. It was hilariously spot-on.
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rob333 (zone 7b)
15 years ago
Jan, hon, I am always interested; especially you.

If anyone is ever in Tennessee, especially middle, let me know. My stomping grounds and I can show you around and get LF to entertain you. ;D
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Lisa_H OK
15 years ago
Oh wow! You know Lane Davies? A friend of mine had an absolute crush on him all during college. We taped Santa Barbara every day.

I'm glad you had a good time.

Lisa
0
Janis_G
Original Author
15 years ago
Michelle, I thought of you while we were there.
You would have loved it.

Lisa, we never think anything about knowing Lane, they are more like family to us.
0

A Midsummer Night's Dream

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A Midsummer Night's Dream

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rob333 (zone 7b)

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