A-Midsummer-Night’s-Dream-at-the-Stratford-Festival_westmountmag.ca

Shakespeare and Shaw:
Two babes of a springsummer night

In praise of two playwright geniuses of the English language

By Byron Toben

Both Shakespeare and Shaw were born on the 26th day of a spring or summer month – William on April 26, 1564, and G. Bernard on July 26, 1854.

George Bernard Shaw

George Bernard Shaw – Image: Nobel Foundation, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Celebrate GBS with his famous quote, below, echoing that of Edna St. Vincent’s on candles (1920):

I rejoice in life for its own sake.
Life is no brief candle to me.
It is a sort of splendid torch
which I have got hold of for the moment
and I want to make it burn
as brightly as possible
before handing it on
to future generations.

… and WS, by viewing Stratford Festival’s current modernized Midsummer Nights Dream:

stratfordfestival.ca

… or the both together in Shaw’s mini puppet play Shakes vs. Shav, which opened the Malvern festival in 1949.

WS died at 52, GBS at 94 but they both live on forever with their dramatic works.

Feature image: Stratford Festival’s current production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, by David HouBouton S'inscrire à l'infolettre – WestmountMag.ca

More articles from Byron Toben


Byron Toben, a past president of The Montreal Press Club, has been WestmountMag.ca’s theatre reviewer since July 2015. Previously, he wrote for since terminated web sites Rover Arts and Charlebois Post, print weekly The Downtowner and print monthly The Senior Times. He also is an expert consultant on U.S. work permits for Canadians.

Clearly has launched Reincarnate, Frames made from Recycled Plastic.



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