We have returned from the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland. I wish I had some deep insights to share with you from the time on the road, but I don’t. Just a few random notes about what we did and where we did it.

We drove up to Ashland from the Sacramento area last Wednesday, stopping at a park called Turtle Bay (strangely lacking in turtles), and arrived in Medford that evening. The plan we’d made called for us to stay in a TraveLodge in Medford, but one quick look at the place made us change our minds in a hurry. Ashland is a beautiful city; but Medford, about a dozen miles to the north of Ashland, is bug-ugly. We packed up ourselves and the car, made up some story about having run into some old friends who invited us to stay with them in Ashland, and made reservations with a Best Western in downtown Ashland to spend the vacation.

That hotel proved to be a great decision. It was within walking distance of downtown Ashland, only five minutes from the theaters and all the restaurants and shops, and more. It was more costly than the TraveLodge, but the closeness to the events made it worth the cost.

We ended up seeing a total of five plays. They were all outstanding; seeing theater done by true professional actors is a great thing, and even the play I liked the least — The Royal Family — was merely excellent instead of truly outstanding.

On Thursday night, we saw King Henry VI, Part One, one of Shakespeare’s history plays. I’d forgotten how intense those plays can be if they’re done well. I was enthralled by the storyline, even if some of the politics and history went over my head. It was performed in the New Theater, and we had front row seats, right close to the action. The actors were all superb, especially the fellow who played the French Dauphin, Chris Duval. He had the right amount of hysteria and seriousness to pull the part off, making me think he was somewhat lunatic while still taking him seriously as the potential ruler of France. The sneer of disdain he gave the English representatives at the end of the play was perfect.

Now I really want to see parts 2 and 3.

Friday, we saw The Visit, a rather dark play with some surreal elements about a millionairess returning to her childhood home to wreak a horrible revenge. I’m usually wary of plays that are labeled as “disturbing”, since the term usually means, “stupid”. In this case, however, I really enjoyed the play. There were enough comic elements to lighten the overall dark mood of the play, and the ending, while very disturbing, was perfectly written and well performed.

That night we went to see They Came from Way Out There, a musical play at the Oregon Cabaret Theater. We were served a delicious dinner beforehand, and then we watched the musical comedy about the paranormal. It was hilarious, and we both laughed our way through the entire play.

Saturday afternoon, we saw A Comedy of Errors. I have never seen such a brilliant production of a Shakespearean comedy; I haven’t laughed so hard at a stage play in years, and I’ve rarely felt moved to give a standing ovation; at the end of this truly inspired play, the entire theater stood. While all of the performers were great, Chris Duval (the guy who played the French Dauphin in Henry VI) was incredible as Dromio. This play kicks ass. If you get a chance to see this production, do not hesitate. Go!

The last play we saw was The Royal Family, on Saturday night. As I said before, it was not my favorite play of the trip, but I still enjoyed it.

Sunday, we simply hung out in Ashland and relaxed. Jennifer talked me into going to a day spa with her, where I got a massage and a scrub and all that. I feel all girly now. Afterwards, we went to an English-style pub in downtown Ashland where we sat and listened to live Celtic music for a couple of hours.

Yesterday, we drove back home, stopping by Lake Shasta to take a tour of the Shasta Caverns, which gave me plenty of inspiration for the Dungeons and Dragons game I’m going to be running on June 12. We arrived home at 7:00 or so, exhausted but relaxed and quite happy to be back home again.

Soon I hope to post a more expanded entry about the Shasta Caverns. Until then, I’ll just play with the Shakespeare Action Figure I picked up to bring to work with me.