Oh my. This was a bit of a trial to complete. I'm afraid that a quirky, driven, artistic visionary does not an author make. As a historical document this most definitely has value. And I suspect that anyone who knew and worked directly with Angus Bowmer will find this more charming and enjoyable than I did. But a reader divorced from the Ashland community - theatrical and otherwise - will find this hard going.
The writing style is frequently labored, circuitous and florid. Sentences can extend fo
Oh my. This was a bit of a trial to complete. I'm afraid that a quirky, driven, artistic visionary does not an author make. As a historical document this most definitely has value. And I suspect that anyone who knew and worked directly with Angus Bowmer will find this more charming and enjoyable than I did. But a reader divorced from the Ashland community - theatrical and otherwise - will find this hard going.
The writing style is frequently labored, circuitous and florid. Sentences can extend for many lines and can be awkward enough that one must re-read them immediately in order to understand their content. The tone tends to be very melodramatic, even when quite mundane matters are being discussed. (At several points "chills run up and down" Bowmer's spine, for example.) And this all leads to a fair amount of smarmy - even sycophantic - story-telling. A better title for any future reprinting (and I do not see this happening) might be "Ham And Cheese".
In the end one must give credit where credit is due: Angus Bowmer did for Shakespeare and America what nobody else before or since has managed, and we are all much, much richer for that. Regardless of what is and is not the product of his specific contributions, what exists today at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival is truly remarkable and without parallel. Bowmer's work as an administrator, producer, fundraiser, and legacy-builder is appropriately legendary. I'm not sure the same can be said for the man as actor. On the basis of this book, he comes across as a Costard always striving to be a Lear. "Blow, winds, and crack your cheeks. Rage, blow!" Indeed...
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This autographed copy has sat on my bookshelf since the late 1970's, when the author was still alive and participating in the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. It is not best-ever writing, but so much fun to learn about the Festival beginnings and to read names from the community that we know and have association with. A good history of an amazing theater!