The play is the thing

I had an enjoyable weekend in Stratford, Ontario at the Stratford Festival. I took the northern route through Port Huron and lots of rural roads in Ontario. There aren't a lot of traveler services on this route.

The motel was definitely one-star quality. Though clean, it was small -- the shower stall was so small that it was difficult to wash feet. I didn't need to spend much time there.

I got into town Saturday afternoon, in time for dinner before the evening play. This one was Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett. It isn't so much about waiting for someone who never appears, but more about the strange things they do to keep occupied while waiting. There is also the strangeness of characters who wander through on what seems like consecutive days but seem to have change a lot or don't remember the previous encounter. It was, of course, well done.

I had a leisurely Sunday morning with a late breakfast. I then followed lots of people on the walk around the lake, which took about an hour. I had time for a bit of browsing in stores before getting lunch at 1:00, in time for the 2:00 show.

The second one was Blithe Spirit by Noel Coward. Madame Acarti mistakenly conjures up Elvira, the deceased first wife of Charles. Elvira's presence causes all kinds of problems for Ruth, the second wife. It was a lot of fun, though featured a lot of yelling.

I had more than 3 hours between that show and the next. Since it was late Sunday afternoon, many shops and restaurants had closed. I stopped by my car for my umbrella and went walking in the drizzle. I found the Shakespeare gardens, which has signs explaining what plants were there. Some of those signs included quotes from Shakespeare that mention that particular plant. I scouted around for a restaurant both affordable and open. Still lots of time, so I sat in my car and read. Supper was at a buffet restaurant featuring Indian food.

The third play was at the small and fairly new Studio Theater, seating less than 300. The seats were highly sloped, so even those 9 rows back were just below the high ceiling. The play was Taking Shakespeare by John Murrell. There are only two characters, Murph and Prof. Murph is 24 years old and took a few years off before starting at the university. His mother, a dean in the university, feels he isn't "meeting expectations." So Mom calls Prof. to get him extra tutoring. Prof. is a crotchety lady close to retirement but who no longer has many students in her classes. Prof. is appalled that the Freshman English professor is trying to teach Othello, which requires much more maturity to understand. So we witness the tutoring sessions. Along the way I understood iambic pentameter. This was my favorite play. I was amused to see that the actor who played Murph also played D'Artagnan in Three Musketeers.

Since the motel was on the edge of town and I wanted a quick escape the next morning I asked the Stratford tourist office about breakfast restaurants in St. Marys, the first town on my way home. Alas, I didn't see it as I drove through town. So I ate some peanut butter and had brunch in Port Huron. Reminder: there are no restaurants around the first exit off the bridge. They're all clustered around the second exit. Guess which one I took.

Though I wasn't rushed, once back in the Detroit area I headed for my 1:30 appointment to have an ultrasound on my painful shoulder and neck. My health system now posts test results to my online chart. I think all those medical words mean I have a touch of arthritis in the area. I see a doctor about it all next week.

Then it was on to the nutritionist in Ann Arbor and a stop at the Whole Foods market. I got home at 6:00 in time to grab a quick supper before bell rehearsal at 7:00.