Lithia park is a lovely park. Perhaps the ideal of what a park should be the archetype by which all other parks should be compared. Convenient parking, a lovely waterway snaking through the space. Tons of wildlife! Often deer, I know I saw a turtle last time I was here. It’s conveniently located next to the Shakespeare Festival, Downtown Ashland. Ashland has a lot that reminds me of Astoria. Similar vibe. It’s definitley bigger. I have wondered if the North Coast would benifit from having a larger post secondary institution. Clatsop Community College has a great deal of potential, and it’s nursing program is widely regarded. But while the have a similar artsy almos cosmopolitan vibe. They are both confined and defined by their geography. But I expect to spend a bit more time at Lithia before I leave.

My Mom took me to the filmed version of Hamilton for the first time. I really enjoyed it, I’ll admit. I was dubious, more so because just listening to the tracks by themselves, the music really didn’t carry anything for me. But watching it performed, along with choreography, really lent greater context for the music itself. Loved it, so many good songs. My only dispointment was that the author of the piece who played the title character just did not seem to match the casting. The energy level of the entire cast was higher, and you could tell that these were skilled professionals in front of me. Not so much with the title character. The craft just wasn’t there, it never matched the rest of the cast. I’ll not speculate as to why, but I’d have liked to see this done with a change in casting just for that one part. I really wouldn’t change anything else. I loved that they didn’t lionize the title character either, and they really did highlight some of the more forgotten people in history. I did suspect anachronism but it didn’t feel too bad. Did make me feel like listening to Les Miserable though. There are a few songs I would try and listen to alone. King George, Thomas Jefferson, Burr and the Schuyler Sisters songs were all very good. The staging was minimal, which I liked. It didn’t require elaborate set pieces, but utilizes some very ingenious design and revolving stage to enhance the blocking and choreography to keep immerse the audience in multiple and hypothetical locations. Not much more I can really say about that. Still enjoyed it and would recommend it.