Deeds of Darkness;
Deeds of Light

Contributors

Donna Fletcher Crow

Donna Fletcher Crow (US) is the author of forty-some books, mostly novels dealing with the history of British Christianity. She is the author of The Monastery Murders series; The Lord Danvers Victorian True-Crime series; The Elizabeth & Richard literary mysteries, GLASTONBURY,A Novel of the Holy Grail and more. www.donnafletchercrow.com

Fay Sampson

Fay Sampson (UK) is a writer of adult and children's fiction and non-fiction, including A MALIGNANT HOUSE, #2 in the Susie Fewings series, a British Crime Club Pick. http://www.faysampson.co.uk

Shaw Festival Continues to Delight

By Donna Fletcher Crow ~ October 7, 2014

Our last day at the wonderful Shaw Festival in Niagara-on-the-Lake. Great theatre and a lovely time relaxing. The examination of marriage continued today at the Courthouse Theatre with "The Charity That Began at Home" by St. John Hankin.

Hankin was one of London's leading playwrights a century ago, but is practically unknown today. His works are making a comeback, however, at the Shaw Festival. In this "comedy for philanthropists" Lady Denison and her daughter Margery, at the urging of the philanthropic clergyman Basil Hylton, "invite the dullest, most unpleasant people they can find to their house for the weekend. After all, anyone can be kind to the pleasant, but who will care for the mean, the boring and the disagreeable?"

As the weekend unfolds Margery becomes engaged to one of the charity cases and we are invited to think about true charity and marrying wisely.

For example:

"Things always go better as long as we help people. Don't they?"

"Do we do good for their souls or for ours?"

"One should help people because they need it; not because they deserve it."

"People must have some redeeming vices."

"Men don't change. They repent; but they don't reform."

Then dinner in a Canadian/Greek restaurant before Shaw's "Arms and the Man" at the Royal George Theatre.

What a great finale for our theatrical getaway! One of Shaw's most popular plays, two soldiers— from opposing armies—vying for the love of a romantic young woman, and at the Shaw, creatively set as if inside a cuckoo clock, giving it all a surreal quality. Shaw called the play "an attack on idealism" and certainly all the characters had to come to grips with a certain amount of reality to find their proper futures, but ultimately the fun was in seeing the absurdities of human nature and the triumph of the "chocolate cream soldier" who carries chocolates instead of ammunition. Well, he is Swiss, after all.

Then back to our room for a late supper by the fire.

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And now on to the Jan Austen Society of North America AGM in Montreal where I will be presenting A JANE AUSTEN ENCOUNTER, an Elizabeth and Richard Literary suspense
-Donna, October 8, 2014

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Deeds of Darkness;Deeds of Light