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arts and culture
Stratford: a classy weekend on the cheap
TRAVIS WEAGANT
Editor-in-Chief
I thought I was becoming an elitist when I
booked the tickets. How does this read: thirdyear law student takes a trip on Thanksgiving
weekend to a world-class Shakespeare festival, sees two productions, enjoys a dinner at
a restaurant that requires reservations weeks
in advance, and spends an afternoon perusing
boutique chocolate and book shops. “Shit,” I
thought, “this is going to make me look really
bad with all those social justice types.” I took
stock of my assets and liabilities to reassure
myself that I was still
poor. I ate some ramen
to atone for my financial sins. But the truth
is that my weekend in
Stratford was anything
but elitist, and wasn’t
even that expensive.
the reservation.
In a clash between my elitist and populist tendencies, I enjoyed seafood mac and cheese. The
combination of lobster, shrimp, scallops, gruyère, and enough cream to cause me digestive
distress was delectable. My date had fresh basa
with a pesto-based crust. Both cost less than
$20. In fact, for such stellar cuisine, the prices
were very reasonable. Including the entrées, half
a litre of wine, dessert, tax, and tip, it came to
less than $50/person. Not quite Jurisfoodence
cheap, I know, but the place definitely gets 5
atre to find the stage entirely redressed for the
evening performance of Fiddler on the Roof. Several members of my family had already seen the
performance, to their great pleasure. I was completely unfamiliar with the story, having never
seen the film. I had moderate expectations.
After all, at its core, the Stratford Festival’s
company is not a musical theatre company; it is
a Shakespeare company. Or so I thought.
Fiddler takes place in the village of Anatevka,
located in present-day Ukraine, around the
turn of the 20th century in Tsarist Russia. The
plot is inspired by
a series of stories
by Jewish folklorist
Sholem Aleichem.
In more ways than
this, however, Fiddler is a quintessentially Jewish story.
In the beginning,
the Jewish community in Anatevka
is insular, living
in a courteous but
uneasy peace with
their Russian neighbours.
Let’s start with transportation. The Stratford Festival operates
a daily bus service
between the Intercontinental Hotel and Front
and Simcoe Streets in
Toronto and the Festival’s three theatres.
Tevye, the main
It departs at 10AM on STRATFORD’S ICONIC FESTIVAL THEATRE WAS HOME TO FOUR PRODUCTIONS THIS character, devout
YEAR, INCLUDING THE THREE MUSKETEERS AND FIDDLER ON THE ROOF.
performance days, and
father of five daughreturns at 5PM, after
ters, and a goodthe matinée show. A round trip ticket costs sossbosses out of 5.
natured but perpetually downtrodden schlemiel,
$20. The fare is so low (less than a third of
holds fast to the traditions of his faith to make
VIA Rail’s lowest economy class fare to Strat- We attended the matinée performance of Alexhis difficult existence bearable. One by one,
ford) that the denizens of Stratford have joined andre Dumas’ The Three Musketeers before
three of his five daughters leave the family
festival-goers as a secondary market for the dinner. The humour-laden tale of 17th cenhome. The first, against the recommendation of
service. My girlfriend and I shared the coach tury French political intrigue is simultanethe village matchmaker, marries for love. The
with people of all ages, including postsecond- ously fluffy – full of skilfully staged combat,
second marries a revolutionary socialist. The
ary students heading back to Bieberville for bumbling, drunkenness, and dick jokes – and
camel’s back breaks when Tevye’s third daughThanksgiving (we can confirm that Justin was cerebral. After all, until the last few scenes, it
ter marries a Russian Gen F??R?BF?R6?RF??R????B???rF?V??6?( ?B6?V"v??6??bF?RF7F&F??66?V??p?'??&FW"?bF?RG6"??Wv?6?6???V??F?W2???f?????2?2G'V?&V???BF?R?6f?'GV?R?bF?P??fW"F?RV??&R???6?VF??rF?R??R???FWf???vRF???F?R6GW&F???&???r6?6?F?7G&B?W?????W2?W6?WFVW'2??Bv2S??WFW0?&R&?w&W76?fV???F??FFVB?BWfV?GV???f?&B???6GW&F?WfV???r?vRV????VBF???W"?bgV??V?f?'GV?FV???Bv2?6?&???VB2F?P?FW?'FVB?FW7??FV?B?fW"??2FVv?FW'2?@?B&V?:?( ?2&?7G&????&????F?v??b3( ?f??W&f?&??6R?( ?v??6??6VBGv???V?p???2FW?'FF????FWg?R?Bv?B?2?VgB?b??0?6?V?B&&V?7W7F??f??R?F????rW7F&?6??V?B6???G&V?&V???BW2???R?bv????B&V7W&f??G&rF?V?"&V???v??w2g&??F?V?"???P??6???rg&??6??&&??6??VB7B?F???2??&??r??BVF?&?R?f?GV?V?6R&?&?V???BF?P??B6WB?fbF?????6?W6????F?RV??FVB7FFW2??6?f?V6?f?"F??276W'F?????'WB7G&Ff?&N( ?2F?R??F?W"?bv???V?vvVB??7?&?FVBF?67W76????G&RfW7F?f?'&??w2F??W6?G2?bF?W&?7G2WfW'?v?F???2??F?W"F?&?Vv??WBF?RV?F?&RW&f?$?N( ?2??BfW'???V?F??r??WBF?RVF?V?6P??V"????bv???&R?V?w'??v?F??WB??F6?V????6R&?WBF?R7V'F?WF?W2?bv??v2( ?v??N( ?6???B?V?fVV??r??VgV??F?R&V6??2&P??Bv?B6??WF???rFV6V?BF?VB?F?R6?VW"?Bv??v2?W&V?( ?&WFV?F??rF?&Rv??B?( ?Gv?f??B?f?'7B&V6W6R?gFW"F?&VR??W'27V?@?f??V?R?b7W7F??W'2?v????v?BF?VB?W7B?6??w&GV?FRF?R6???B??7V66??7F?W7F&?6?vWGF??rF????rF?R6?&7FW'2?F?RVF?V?6R?0?&Vf?&R?"gFW"6??r?7&VFW2??6F?&?RFV??B??rF?V?R?bF?R?????2??F?W"6??V?B?fP?6??f??6VB?bFWg?R?B??26???V??G?( ?2&W6??f?"F?R&W7B?6W2??F?v????6?VF??r&V?:?2????v?&WGFW"?V?7???F?Rf6R?bF?67&???F????F?R67&?@?&?V?BU??F??2???B'F?f?6??W?6?W6?f?G????26??6?gV???bG??6???Wv?6??V??W"???6?VF?V6W76?FFVB?6WFV?&W"???R6??F???RgFW"F???W"?vR&WGW&?VBF?F?RfW7F?f?F?\+?6??F??VVB???W?BvP?????F???7F?&W"#??#2 ???F?R?&?FW"F?7F??