By David Johnson
The St. Lawrence Shakespeare Festival is arguably the most beautiful place to see a play in Canada. Set in Prescott, Ontario, the theatre has the St. Lawrence River and slowly passing cargo ships as its backdrop.
Better yet, the festival offers up excellent theatrical productions of Shakespeare and other playwrights. My parents and I decided to check out the festival’s take on Sherlock Holmes and the Vanishing Hour.
We arrived about half an hour before showtime. The first thing we noticed was that people were carrying lawn chairs—the theatre is open-air with tiered seating.
Every level has space to put a lawn chair. We grabbed one of their courtesy chairs and were ready for the play. It was a light-hearted affair with Sherlock Holmes in Canada, collaborating with his friend, Joan Watson, to solve a case on the St. Lawrence River.
Fans of Sherlock Holmes will enjoy the many familiar characters. There were many laughs, and the acting was of a very high calibre.
Once the play was done, Prescott offered much to see. Nearby, a unique attraction called Prescott Pop Ups features a number of local businesses offering everything from handmade soap to stained glass. Of course, there were also a variety of food vendors as well.
We checked out several vendors and strolled along the St. Lawrence River, snapping excellent photos with the cargo ships as the background.
Prescott and the St. Lawrence Shakespeare Festival performances run until Saturday, August 16th.
It will definitely be on our list for next summer!
For more details, visit www.stlawrenceshakespeare.ca
Photo: Deanna Clarke
