Events & Courses

we are delighted that the Rude Mechanical Theatre Company will join us again on their summer tour – bringing their chosen play of Oberon’s Cure to the garden this summer.

Oberon’s Cure’ is based on Titania’s accusation in Act Two, Scene 1 of ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ that her husband Oberon has had an affair with ‘this bouncing Amazon’, Hippolyta, and is therefore an imagined prequel to Shakespeare’s play. It is basically about an old man who is not capable of resisting a beautiful young woman. Now when hasn’t that been in the news recently! But he is made to look ridiculous by his inadequacy – and the foolish lack of self-awareness makes him into a sad, pathetic individual. But there is forgiveness, too, as Titania teaches him a lesson and appeals to him to grow old gracefully (with her and not be always chasing after girls). But do we want to grow old gracefully? It is an old story, which people will recognise and laugh at because of its familiarity. There are things to admire too: Hippolyta’s wiliness as she wraps Oberon round her little finger and Briony’s child-like, innocent, but tough, determination to work out the confusion of life and emerge as a young woman.

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