"Richard II" on the soggy fields of Cheyenne

Attended the Wyoming Shakespeare Theatre Company's production of "Richard II" this evening at the Cheyenne Botanic Gardens. The theatre company hauls its sets and equipment from one end of Wyoming to the other in one horse trailer. No easy feat.

Right about intermission time, the skies clouded up and rain fell. Half the crowd departed, but I was hooked on the story and wouldn't leave. Mac -- a family friend -- and I watched the rest of the show under a tree, not a great idea while lightning shot out of the clouds. But at least we weren't holding golf clubs.

"Richard II" all about kingship. What does it take to be a king -- and when is it justified to unseat a king? Richard II makes some wrong moves, pisses off some of the courtly lords who join the banished Bullingbrook in an uprising. Richard is never more charming than when he's deposed. Alas, he's murdered (must have a few bodies on stage in the tragedies) and then we are left with a feeling that all this didn't have to happen. Actually, it did. Without Bullingbrook usurping the throne, we wouldn't have the magnificent "Henry IV," parts one and two, and the much-quoted speech given by Henry V on the fields of Agincourt on St. Crispin's Day. And most significantly, there would be no scenes between Prince Hal and Falstaff.

Kings tend to get murdered in Shakespearean tragedies. Much mayhem ensues, which makes them so much fun. Summer and Shakespare go together like peas and carrots.