The Wedding, The Birthday and an extra Bank Holiday

Everyone loves a good party and this past weekend in the UK, we have had more than one excuse to celebrate; A Royal Wedding, A Playwrite's Birthday and an extra Bank Holiday - and boy did we ever party!

As billions of people around the world tuned in to watch Prince William marry Kate Middleton, millions also took to the streets in London to see the Royal Procession and to take part in all the celebrations. In some places, special licences were obtained to close streets in order for the residents to hold a street party – something which I remember from the Silver Jubilee and Royal Wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer. The scenes shown on TV as thousands of people lined Pall Mall was quite amazing. People from all over the world had come to London to take part in the celebrations and the sea of union jacks all waving madly was really something to behold.

I must confess I did not get caught up in all the excitement as much I thought I would. I did watch the proceedings on TV and thoroughly enjoyed the incredible sights of Westminster Abbey, the beautiful and at times, quite ethereal music from many great British composers and I enjoyed watching the wedding ceremony itself – but at the end of the day, it’s all about an ordinary couple in love starting a life together. Ok, so this ordinary couple are one day set to rule the country and unlike most other newlyweds starting out, their lives will be closely monitored from now on, never being far away from a camera lens but, for them (and us) it was a day of celebration.

 Saturday marked a day that I was more excited to take part in – William Shakespeare’s 447th birthday celebrations in Stratford –Upon – Avon. William Shakespeare was born (and died) 23rd April but this year as his birthday fell upon the Easter Bank Holiday, his birthday celebrations were put on hold for a week.
It seemed that despite his age, or should that be that he died so many years ago, many people were eager to take part in the celebrations of arguably our Nation’s greatest play writers proving that whilst the man may be dead, his work lives on and is still celebrated today.

There was the procession through the town to the church where Shakespeare is buried, featuring many people dressed in traditional Tudor costume but also depicting characters from his plays. There were musicians and singers scattered throughout the town performing music from both Elizabethan and modern times and there were magicians, theatrical performances and Morris dancers – take away the modern shop frontages and at times it felt like you had been transported back in time. There was also a distinct British feel about the celebrations and at times reminded me of the May Fairs we used to go to when I was a child.


The main street and area near the Swan Theatre were decorated with bright yellow shields and banners each representing one of Shakespeare’s plays or characters; it was quite an incredible sight, especially as the union jack bunting was still flying from the previous days celebrations.

The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) had laid on many free events for families which included craft activities to make your own Elizabethan ruff or theatrical mask, or having a theatrical makeover by a member of their makeup team. There was also a chance to take part in transforming the Swan Room into a giant birthday cake to commemorate the event. Under the direction of the artist Shane Waltener, children were invited to design and make a decoration for the cake. It was an ingenious idea and looked very effective as the decorations were added to the walls of the room.

I particularly enjoyed a short trip on the Sonnet Ferry, a traditional chain boat that crosses the Avon – and supposedly the oldest surviving one in the country. As we crossed the river, a member of the RSC read sonnets to us – ours being “Shall I Compare Thee to a summer’s day, thou art more lovely and more temperate...”

I also enjoyed watching an outdoor production of Shylock V Antonio – The appeal. Set in modern times, Shylock, still in his traditional costume appears with his modern day attorney to have his appeal read against the original judgement made in the play The Merchant of Venice. Part of his argument was based on the fact that the trial had not been fair in that the person claiming to be an attorney (Portia) was not legally qualified at the time of the trial and had undisclosed connections to a friend of Antonio’s and was therefore biased in favour of him. The whole thing was very cleverly written with references to many modern day things such as people having gastric bands or colonic irrigation to help shift that “pound of flesh”. It was highly entertaining and seemed well received by the informal audience that sat around on the grass watching.

It was great to see how people, young and old and from many different countries joined together to celebrate the works of this man. Many people wore sprigs of Rosemary in their buttonholes (“Rosemary for remembrance” as Ophelia says in Hamlet) and I noticed that some of the park area in front of the Swan Theatre had Rosemary growing in it.

It was a wonderful day out and lovely to take part in such a fun day. It is interesting to note in hindsight, that I’ve become more interested in the works of Shakespeare as I’ve grown older. Whilst, unlike many of my classmates I did enjoy studying him at school, I think it’s only since I’ve grown older that I’ve learned to appreciate him more and gain a deeper insight into his work. In contrast, in my childhood I relished the street parties, the flag waving and all the celebrations of Kings and Queens and fairytale romances and whilst I still enjoy the pageantry, it doesn’t have that same magical feel to it.

So, on our last Bank Holiday (well at least for a few weeks) I intend to make the most of the gloriously sunny day and enjoy it whilst it lasts.