Every summer my wife and I try to do a few things that are special and different to mark the time we share as a family with our two daughters in this journey of our lives. Usually, of course, it’s play — a weekend out of town, a party at the beach, a concert, a road trip to the Grand Canyon or a bigger vacation. But, as often as not, these things are simple and closer to home, just something that breaks the normal routines and serves as a reminder (I hope) of the value of choosing something different, trying something new and escaping from choices and patterns which, if unchecked, can lead to unexamined, uninspired existence. So this year, I had to chuckle when I saw that the Shakespeare Festival had jumped into genre-shifting for its offerings at the Redlands Bowl. “Titus Andronicus” as a Gothic vampire tale, “As You Like It” as a Western and “The Merchant of Venice” as a commedia dell’Arte.Here was a perfect combination of bold venture, classic art and community spirit.
