> > > Fencing is an excellent sport, although sabers are much more dramatic than foils for the most part.
> >
> > Definitely. Epee, of course, is by far the best, though. ;)
> >
> >
> > ~Chrysan"sure, we don't run at each other and scream quite as much as the sabreists..."themum~
>
> I'm going to have to find some saber and epee bouts to watch. I've only actually seen and participated in foil fencing, so I need to broaden my horizons.

Unfortunately, all this talk about fencing reminds me of a story.

More than 50 years ago, when I was in high school in Nashville, we did a production of Hamlet. Modesty prevents me from saying how good it was, but, trust me, it was better than you would expect from a high school cast. We even brought in a fencing instructor from Vanderbilt, just down the street, to teach the actors to sword fight. Not me. I carried a spear in a non-speaking part in the third act, but mainly, I built scenery.

There was the big sword fight scene in the last act which involved Hamlet and another actor. They fought all over the stage, and up and down the stairs. At one point they both jumped 13 feet off the castle wall to the stage below, where they continued slashing away at each other. I know how high that wall was, because I helped build it.

On opening night, my mother and sister were in the center at about row five or six, and according to my sister, my mother kept repeating "That's dangerous! That's dangerous!" all through the big fight scene.

To make matters worse, when the King got stabbed, the thrown fell backwards off a three-foot platform. That was not in the script, but he just laid there "dead" until the scene was finished and the curtain closed. Only then did we find out that he was unhurt. Most of the people were unaware that the crashing thrown was unplanned, and I guess many of them were also saying, "That's dangereous!" A little swordplay can really liven up a performance.
Howard