(Charm and TT at the Cedar City Shakespeare Festival doing our best Juliet impression - 2007.)
I love to go down to the Shakespeare Festival in Cedar City. Seriously - I love to GO down there. I absolutely abhor, despise, detest, and loathe the drive back in the dark, deer-infested night. I'm always so terrified that I'll end up hitting a deer or that I'll fall asleep at the wheel and kill myself. I know what you're thinking - "Don't hold back, Charm...Tell us how you really feel." Don't even get me started on the time it took us six hours to get from Cedar City to Provo...
Besides the awful drive back, the Festival is really great. I headed down with a friend and we started off with lunch at the Pastry Pub. Absolutely delightful! If you ever frequent Cedar City you MUST stop by the Pastry Pub for the good grub. Plus the slightly Shakespearean influenced decorations are kind of fun. :) However, I do not recommend the Baklava for breakfast...I made that mistake this morning with Baklava I purchased last night.
Our first show we attended was "Gaslight" - a Victorian thriller about a woman who is being driven insane by her husband. I was impressed with the leading lady - she handled the role very skillfully. Just the right touch of almost-hysteria, but she didn't cross the line into melodrama. That is a very difficult balance. And the set was amazing. Loved it!! (If you think you might enjoy watching a woman lose her mind, check out the film with Ingrid Bergman.)
Before "Gaslight" started, I ran into my Drama Queen Cousin and Aunt Art at the Festival quite unexpectedly. You never know who you'll see in Cedar City!
Then we walked around town and ate dinner at Cafe Orleans. Who knew you could get Cajun food in Cedar City, Utah! It was pretty good. I think they even had Tony Chachere's in salt shakers...it wasn't labeled, but I could tell what it was. :)
The evening show was closing night of Julius Caesar. To be honest, I wasn't really excited about seeing Julius Caesar - I like Will's comedies more than his tragedies. But you almost have to see a Shakespearean play when you go to the Shakespeare Festival. I did actually like seeing their version - all the costumes were modern suits and army fatigues. My favorite moment...In one of the first scenes Marc Antony comes bounding on stage (yes - he was bounding) in a Formula One car racing suit. Priceless! (I think reference is made to Brutus driving at a rapid pace in his chariot...hence the racing suit.) From a technical aspect, the lighting and sound were excellent. They had some ominous lightning at critical moments in the play, which was excellently executed. Also, during the funeral speeches they had a track which gave "voice" to the audience, which was a fun effect. Overall, it was pretty well done. But still not one of my favorite plays...sorry Will.
