After a packed week of work that spilled over into the weekend, it was great to have some time to spend with friends this weekend. Sunday night my wife and I joined a few other friends for a local outdoor production of Romeo and Juliet at the Samuell-Grand Amphitheatre in East Dallas. Every year Shakespeare Dallas puts on a summer show at the park and we always try to go. It has rained almost every day for over a month in Dallas, but the weather dried up just in time for a nice cool summer night. This year’s production is a pretty sly contemporary version of R&J with Montagues and Capulets in full British punk gear. To their credit: it’s not a rip off of Baz Luhrmann’s 1996 movie version, but if you liked that movie, you’ll like this. All racy parts are played up a lot so you’ll definitely leave less bored than you were doing the 9th grade required reading.

If you are in the area, I strongly recommend the show. Half the fun is getting away from city stuff for a while to hang out in the park with friends. Most people come early with wine and picnics. (bug spray is a good idea too!) All the seats are on the lawn so you’ll want blankets and lawn chairs. The production runs though the end of July and tickets are only $7 (although donations are strongly encouraged). All the details are on the web site.