Tonight Ruth, Sharen, Sue and I were off to the 8pm ballet performance of Romeo and Juliet at the Angela Peralta. To start the evening off we were having dinner at the Water’s Edge Restaurant.
Ruth, Sharen and I left the park around 5pm in a cab to head downtown and we made a quick stop in the Golden Zone to pick up Sue.
We were dropped off by the Plazuela Machado and I saw that they were setting up a huge music venue. I believe the Jazz festival is still taking place so that’s probably what it’s for.
Ruth leads the way to the restaurant.
The Water’s Edge Bistro for dinner.
The chalk board is full of all sorts of info. There are weekly cooking classes on Monday’s and Tuesdays and although I meant to do that this season I just never got around to it.
That’s Sharen and Sue enjoying a laugh. Sue was a late addition to this evening’s group. Ruth had bought a ticket for Sharen’s husband George thinking he’d be coming with us but he opted out of the ballet so she had an extra ticket. Sue sits at the table next to us at bingo every week so Ruth asked her if she’d like to come with us. Sue said she’s lived here for three years and has never been to the Angela Peralta Theatre so she said it was about time she went. Good idea!
We started of with some appetizers and drinks. Crab cake, goat cheese and roasted garlic and Asian wraps. Tasty.
This is my dinner and it is a piece of rare tenderloin on mashed potatoes with roasted vegetables. So what did I think? Well the beef wasn’t very tender, the potatoes are the new artsy half mashed, half lumpy which to me just doesn’t cut it. Lots of people seem to like that but if you’re going to mash them, mash them and if not leave them whole. The veggies were so, so and all of the food was lukewarm. Mediocre. It seems to me that a lot of the evening dining experience is about ambiance, setting and artsy presentation and less about the food. Maybe it’s just me but I expect my food to be piping hot on a hot plate. It was not busy yet so it wasn’t that the kitchen was overworked. I thought the same thing when our family went to Topolo and the food was cool and the plate was cold.
Ruth’s chicken with portobello which she admitted was also mediocre.
Sue had chowmein and said it was very good. I didn’t taste it.
Four lovely ladies having dinner!
Sharen had the Asian prawns on rice and she said it was also good.
I hardly ever eat out at night and so far I haven’t been impressed. Our Wednesday lunches seem to have been a much better dining experience for me.
Here we’re walking over to El Presidio so that Sue can have a look. She hasn’t eaten there and it is such a beautiful setting for dinner she wanted to see it.
Centro is just so beautiful at night with all the lights and perspective of the old buildings.
We made a quick stop at El Presidio (where I had the best lunch this season) and then headed off to the theatre. This art graffiti is on the wall across the street from El Presidio. Beautiful in it’s own way.
Just lovely.
Ruth, Sue and Sharen hot footing it to the Plazuela and at this point the band was playing. It was jazz and it was the kind I don’t care for. I like some types but not the type that sounds like everyone is playing a different tune.
A blurb about the artistic director of the Jalisco ballet company, Dariusz Bajer.
And so it begins….we are seated in row three so we have a really good view.
A street fight has broken out between the Montagues and Capulets who are enemies.
The fight is broken up by the Duke of Verona (played by artistic director Dariusz Bajer) who forbids them to continue with the confrontations.
He attempts to make them shake hands but it doesn’t go well!
Here Juliet dances with her nurse and plays with her doll.
A ball is thrown by the Capulets to introduce their young daughter Juliet to the Count Paris who wishes to marry her. The son of the Montagues, Romeo and his friends Mercutio and Benvolio arrive in disguise as Romeo hopes to meet the beautiful Rosalind.
Romeo sees Rosalind but when he sees Juliet he falls madly in love.
After the party Juliet waits for Romeo.
Intermission. Look at all the people….all the way up to the third balcony.
Juliet meets with Friar Lawrence and pleads with him to marry her and Romeo.
Romeo and Juliet are married.
The wedding night.
The fighting has continued in the square and Juliet’s cousin Tybalt has fought Mercutio and killed him. To avenge his friend Romeo fights Tybalt and kills him. Romeo is banished.
Juliet’s wedding to Paris is still to happen and so she asks Friar Lawrence for a sleeping potion that will make her seem dead until Romeo returns for her.
Juliet does not wake up on her wedding day and Romeo returns fearing that she is dead. Romeo kills Paris and and refusing to live without Juliet and takes his own life. Juliet wakes up to find Romeo dead and takes her own life. Whew….everyone is now dead!
I think these are the angels taking a bow.
Juliet and Romeo take a bow. Marissa Jimenez was absolutely wonderful as Juliet. A very accomplished dancer.
The whole cast takes a bow and there is warm applause for the performance. A wonderul presentation of Romeo and Juliet.
And now for the ride home.
We managed to flag down a red truck and settled on a price of 250 pesos for the trip. It cost 150 pesos in the taxi coming down but late at night you will always pay more. As we started off there were some people asking if some of them could join us as they were going out our way. Ruth stopped the truck and one guy got on. At this point another truck pulled up beside us and the drivers started talking and then our truck stopped. Our driver said it was too late and too many stops even though the extra guy getting off was out by us. Ruth tried to get him going and it all got a bit heated. In the end he kicked us off the truck…all five of us! The truck beside him picked us all up and we joined the rest of our extra guy’s group who had no problem taking us all the way to Cerritos and making some stops along the way. I don’t know what that was all about but if he didn’t want to go to Cerritos why did he pick us up. Ahhhh Mexico! In the end the driver ended up getting about 400 pesos when all was said and done. A pretty lucrative night….no wonder he was smiling!
All in all a good night and just another Mexican experience.
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