To eat an ice cream sundae topped with caramelized pears and pie crust or not to eat it?
That may be the question at Main Street Creamery & Cafe Aug. 5-15 when William Shakespeare’s “The Winter’s Tale” is being performed outdoors nearby.
The popular ice cream shop in Old Wethersfield, which loves a great theme, has a plan for the return of a William Shakespeare performance on the lawn of Keeney Memorial Cultural Center.
Time’s Fool Company, a troupe of professional actors, will perform Shakespeare’s “The Winter’s Tale” for free over two weeks.
Main Street Creamery & Cafe created a sundae for Aug. 5-15 when William Shakespeare’s “The Winter’s Tale” is being performed outdoors nearby. (Courtesy)
Warden’s pie is mentioned in the play as part of a feast and it is a pie made with a warden pear that grew on the English countryside.
So the creamery will play into that with a sundae that includes deconstructed pear pie topping — caramelized pears and pie crust — and another item called a razzle: a cup of ice cream with the mixture folded in.
“Every year we do a special menu depending on the theme,” of the Shakespeare play, said ice cream shop co-owner Kathy Clarke, noting they have fun with it.
Husband Mike Clarke, a former high school English teacher, added, “A wardens pear is a preserved pear symbolic of overwintering.”
Play director Wesley Broulik, who is also executive director of Oddfellows Playhouse in Middletown, said the food aspect is “fun” but the magic includes the whole experience, being outdoors with kids welcome, experiencing good theater. He said they incorporate a lot of elements of theater into the plays, such as “puppetry, music.”
Rehearsal for “The Winter’s Tale.” (Courtesy)
Rehearsal for “The Winter’s Tale.” (Courtesy)
Kevin Ahren as the Gravedigger in last summer’s production of “Hamlet” – he is also in “Winter’s Tale” this summer playing Polixenes, King of Bohemia. (Courtesy)
Show Caption
1 of 3
Rehearsal for “The Winter’s Tale.” (Courtesy)
Expand
“There’s something for everyone,” Broulik said. “There’s something about everyone being outdoors together. It’s just a really beautiful, lovely, magical way to experience these plays.”
He said it’s free and people can bring the kids so there’s nothing at stake. But if the kids don’t like it, they just can just go play in the outdoor space, he said. For many, the performances are a “gateway” to loving theater, he said.
The professional performers are paid by funds raised throughout the year.
Broulik said “The Winter’s Tale” is technically a romance that begins with tragedy and in the second half, which jumps several years. becomes a comedy.
“It ends on an upbeat note. How we get there is rough,” Broulik said. “For me the story and play is about second chances, getting a do over.”
Rehearsal for “The Winter’s Tale.” (Courtesy)
The free show runs Aug. 5-9 and August 11-15, and performances start at 6 p.m. with the exception of Fridays, which begin at 8 p.m. and are done by lamplight.
No sitter, no big deal. Bring the kids. For many it’s their first play.
Mike Clarke, who always sings the praises of the camaraderie that exists among the businesses in small town Old Wethersfield, said the creamery does something fun every year to coincide with the play.
“We all support each other,” he said. “It’s such a nice small town feeling (in Old Wethersfield).”
When the Shakespeare company did “Romeo and Juliet,” they offered a House of Capulet sundae (representing Juliet’s lineage and a House of Montague sundae (Romeo’s side). People ordered according to what side they were on and had fun with banter, the Clarkes said.
For the play, “As You Like It,” they sold layered sundaes where customers could choose any toppings or syrups they liked.
For “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” set in Greece, the treat of the day was a big piece of baklava with ice cream and caramel.
It all feels pleasantly familiar to the high school English teacher in Mike Clarke.
“Dealing with themes and literature has carried over to what I do now,” he said “It’s a nice way to interact with literature and be in that world.”
Dining and Cooking