A wonderful day of driving in the beautiful countryside, seeing a great play, and visiting with a dear friend. We decided to drive to Cortland, NY today to see Jared Miller perform a role in a regional theatre production. It took about 3 1/2 hours to get there and I'm not sure exactly where we were, but just below Syracuse. Much of the drive was along the Mohawk River and the Erie Canal which runs from Albany to Buffalo. Thank goodness for GPS - you plug in the information and voila- you arrive.
We got to the theatre in time to pick up sandwiches and eat them at a picnic table before the show. We wanted to surprise Jared so he didn't know we were coming and we had a short reunion before the performance. Jared and Brian have been friends since they were little boys and we have adored Jared as we watched him grow up. He and Brian and their "gang" hung out at our house and we were there as they became teens, the college years and now adults. Last year Jared married a lovely gal named Sarah and we were unable to attend the wedding since we were working in Alaska. So when Brian mentioned that Jared was performing in upstate NY we had to go.
The Cortland Repertory Theatre is a gem. Housed in an old building in a small park, it has a charming theatre on the second floor. It seats about 275 and the chairs were comfy and roomy. The matinee audience was mostly seniors and we felt young in the grey hair crowd. The play was a hoot and we enjoyed the writing, direction and performances. I Hate Hamlet is a comedy with some funny characters and great lines. We loved Jared's character and the other five actors too. We particularly liked the ghost of John Barrymore dressed in his Hamlet costume complete with tights.
After the play we took Jared to a local outdoor BBQ place where we ordered and then ate at picnic tables on a manicured lawn with beautiful flower beds. All the other cast members were there too and we sat with the three women actors. Great conversation and then sadly our visit was over. Jared had an evening performance and we had to drive 3 1/2 hours back to Lake George.
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