Jim Panttaja

Over our years of coming to the festival, we have seen five or six of August Wilson’s play. He wrote a cycle of plays, one for each decade of the 20th century. They have always been a highlight of our week. Fences is set in the 50s. The acting was perfect. The set incredible. The story is somewhat difficult. As you watch the lead mistreat one of his children, and mistreat his wife, you have a hard time at the end accepting his wife’s observation that he was doing the best that he could. But as his son came around to this observation, so did I. I was intrigued that though he had an affair, and that affair was important in showing his faults, it wasn’t what the story was about. It in some ways wasn’t important to the story. On the same day we saw The Clay Cart. This is an Indian play. The new artistic director wants to present new traditions to his audience, including world theater. The production is beautiful (and as always, the actors wonderful). The story is not elaborate, and fits with Shakespeare’s comedies with mistaken identify, and one person who is killed – but isn’t really dead. I wish I had more context for the play. I am thinking back to my comments on Our Town, and realizing that I need to make sure that I don’t believe that with this play I now understand Indian culture. I have gotten some small glimpse – but don’t know nearly enough to understand how to extrapolate my knowledge. It was interesting that on the same day that I saw Fences, this is another play where there is what we would view as infidelity (it is mostly a love story – but it turns out the man is married). But again, that infidelity is not really essential to the plot. Friday was also the opening of the outdoor theater season. We had viewed all of the outdoor plays earlier in the week in their last preview. But there is an extra buzz around the festival, and for dinner, the Feast of Will. This is a benefit dinner put on by the local Lion’s Club. We enjoyed a chicken dinner sitting in the park, with bagpipes and a choir. And after dinner, the Green Show included the renaissance dancing and musicians that we used to watch when we first started attending the festival 20 years ago. It was still enjoyable. Along with much of the rest of the audience – I had missed this music and dancing.

We have met a man several days in our hotel breakfast room. He is a grandfather, and was surprised that we had our grandchildren with us. He views this as a place for adults. Thursday was one of our days for the kids. There are lot’s of things for our kids to do, but the highlight is taking them to my sister-in-law’s ranch.

We take turns babysitting the girls during the plays. The time may be spent swimming (difficult this year because the 19 month old is not big on swimming), swinging and climbing at the playground, walking the labyrinth, having ice cream, and sleeping. And they certainly enjoy meals with us (often lunch in the park with everyone picking up their favorites on the way. If there are bits of rice – or whatever – dropped on the lawn, it doesn’t matter). And in the evening the green show. With the green show, they get a feeling of performance. If the music is lively, they may dance. And there is usually some snack while sitting on the lawn.

In the morning there is a breakfast room at our Inn. That allows us to slowly gather as different waves of people wake up, and have something available for the girls as soon as they need something. Sometimes they are early risers, other times, the last (ok – almost the last) to arrive. All in all, the girls are entertained, and throughout the week get quality time with aunts and uncles, grandparents and cousins. It is fun watching the different way that they interact with familiar people other than their parents (and for that matter fun to watch how they interact with their parents).

Ah – but back to the ranch. Melinda has horses, dogs, cats, goats, cows, deer, chickens, turkeys, doves and a camel (I am sure I missing something). There is always a walking tour – this year we arrived at feeding time (perhaps it is always feeding time), and my older granddaughter got to ride on Hank. Hank is 30, and used to be my horse.

But we did come here for the theater. We only had one play on Thursday. We saw Comedy of Errors. I view Comedy of Errors as  a diversion. It is about two sets of twins, separated soon after birth, searching for each other. They end up in the same far off town (in this case, in the old west).There is confusion as they are taken for each other. In the end it all works out (I hope I didn’t ruin that for you).

This is a great company of actors. I have mentioned this before, but having the depth of actors to populate an entire play with actors of this caliber is incredible. This acting was good, the physical bits were brilliant (sliding down stairs, use of a lariat, well timed chases). Though the placement of this is the old west was entertaining, it wasn’t totally satisfying. Some of the humor was not amusing. I have never been a fan of fat jokes, and this production was full of them. But the play is a diversion, and this production filled that role.