Category: Books

Tidy Tidbits: Stage & Page

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LIVE THEATER—FARCE VS. FUN

This week we attended the last two performances of our Asolo subscription series.   Noises Off at the Wednesday matinee and The Cake the next evening.  I am not a particular fan of farce, but went to Noises Off with an open mind.  I thought it started out slowly, but then picked up and became funnier.  As usual, the set, the technical direction, and the timing were all impeccable.  This is a play that can only be pulled off successfully by accomplished actors and these actors were.  Nonetheless, it was not my cup of tea.

Bekah Brunstetter (breaking character.com)

Much more enjoyable was the performance of The Cake by Bekah Brunstetter. Set in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, it brings together Della, the owner of a cake shop, with Jen, the daughter of her late best friend, and with Macy, Jen’s fiancée.  Della is religiously conservative and married to the owner of a small plumbing business while Jen and Macy live in Brooklyn.  Macy is an ultra liberal black woman, and Jen is a conflicted transplant whose head and heart are divided between her new life in New York and her rooted upbringing in the South. How a request for a wedding cake, preparing to be a contestant on the Great American Baking Show, and a marriage that has gone stale, all collide is the stuff of humor and poignance.  Cindy Gold as Della (shown in the header photo) is fabulous, and Brunstetter’s characters are sympathetic even if you don’t agree with their views.  Provocative and definitely worth seeing!  The Cake runs through April 28.

RECENT READING

Washington Black by Esi Edugyan

A Canadian novelist whose parents were immigrants from Ghana, Esi Edugyan has written an exceptional novel about slavery and freedom.   The title character and narrator, Washington Black, known as just “Wash,” is a slave and field hand on a plantation in Barbados when the story opens.  He has no known relatives, and treatment there is harsh as fellow slaves are routinely tortured and put to death.  

Esi Edugyan (ideasfestival.co.uk)

In a stroke of luck, Wash is taken under the wing of the plantation owner’s brother, Christopher Wilde, to assist in his creation of a hot air balloon. Christopher, called ”Titch,” is more humane than his brother and treats Wash kindly.  He believes in human rights and freedom, but has chosen the child Wash solely for his small size and his potential usefulness on the balloon.  Little does he know, initially, that Wash is not only smart with numbers, but has a rare talent for sketching.  When Wash is the only one present at a notable death and a price is put on his head, Titch takes it upon himself to whisk Wash away in the dead of night.  Wash is now both free and a fugitive.  

The novel traces the journey these men, one still a young lad, the other a committed naturalist, take to America and then to the Arctic. When Titch abandons Wash there, Wash travels to Nova Scotia where he works part-time. He takes up drawing again, meets a young woman and her famous marine scientist father, and becomes involved in the founding of an aquarium in London.  Through all these amazing adventures, he notes that to others he is a always first a black man and a disfigured one at that. And he wrestles with how free he really is and puzzles over Titch’s disappearance.

Wash and Titch are vivid characters set against the backdrop of the mid 19thcentury. I found this highly praised novel both thoughtful and gripping. For more about what prompted Edugyan to write this novel, I recommend this interview on Fresh Air.   (~JWFarrington)

BOOK CLUB NOTES

In March, our book club read and discussed Transcription.  Opinions were mixed and a number of members found it slight or didn’t like it much. I personally found it clever and thought the characterization of Juliet, all of eighteen, an apt mix of smarts and naivete.

This month, Tara Westover’s memoir, Educated, was the chosen title, and we had one of the liveliest and best discussions ever.  While a few people didn’t care for it:  too painful to read, was it really all true, why did she stay with her family as long as she did, others found it very powerful.  There was some agreement that, like an abused spouse who stays with her abuser, these were still her parents and she was dependent upon them emotionally and had been made to feel she was worthless.  It wasn’t until her older brother who had left and gone to college, strongly suggested she could do likewise, that she made that a goal.  We also wondered what career path Westover will follow now that she has a PhD.

Tidy Tidbits: Books & Local Scene

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RECENT READING

Love is Blind by William Boyd

I have known of Boyd’s work and watched the TV production of Any Human Heart, but until now had not read any of his novels.  Love is Blindwas a very satisfying read.  Set in the years from 1894 to 1906 and in a variety of venues ranging from Edinburgh, Paris, Nice and a remote island, it details, as the subtitle states, The Rapture of Brodie Moncur.  A Scotsman with a domineering and abusive father, Brodie is a gifted piano tuner who escapes his gray tumultuous home life for the light and beauty of Paris.  

(thetimes.co.uk)

His talents enable him to find a job wherever he goes, and with a diagnosis of tuberculosis, he often needs to seek out warmer climes.  But what really propels and drives him is his obsession, call it love or infatuation, with a young Russian singer named Lika Blum.  The fact that Lika is in a relationship with one of his clients, the past-his-prime pianist John Kilbarron, doesn’t deter Brodie, and they enjoy brief periods of togetherness.  

Scotsman Boyd is a good storyteller and his prose provides enough local color to differentiate the various locales while detailing the changing times as automobiles replace horses in the early 20thcentury.  I found myself caring a great deal about Brodie and his peregrinations. (~JWFarrington)

Just Mercy:  A Story of Justice and Redemption  by Bryan Stevenson

In today’s news, there are more reports of prisoners wrongly accused or punished being released or having their sentences reduced.  Prisoners on death row for decades for crimes they didn’t commit or those whose punishments far exceeded what was just for the nature of the crime.  This was not always the case. Author and lawyer Stevenson was a pioneer in these efforts with his creation of the Equal Justice Initiative in the early 1980’s.   Based in Alabama, Stevenson and his small team challenged the death row sentences of innocent individuals and those who were sentenced when they were mere children, thirteen or fourteen.  

Bryan Stevenson (the sunflower.com)

An account of Stevenson’s work over more than twenty-five years, the book offers up details about some of the people whose cases he appealed, some successfully, some not.   The heart of it, however, is the story of Walter McMillian, one of his first cases, and a man who’d already spent several decades on death row for a murder he did not commit.  What Stevenson uncovers about faulty justice, indifferent lawyers and law enforcement officials, lying eyewitnesses, and easily led townspeople is chilling; what Stevenson is able to achieve for Walter and his family is a testament to perseverance and dedication.  This book, published in 2014, won several awards and appeared on six best books of the year lists.  Thanks to our Pennsylvania friend Mark for recommending it. (~JWFarrington)

LOCAL COLOR

MUSEUM EXHIBIT

If you’re a fan of animals, then you might trot over to the South Florida Museumto see the new National Geographic “Photo Ark” exhibit by Joel Sartore.  Gorgeous up-close photos of fifty animals (mostly taken in zoos) against stark black or stark white backgrounds.  The exhibit just opened to the public and runs into July.

POWERFUL THEATER

Set in Reading, Pennsylvania, against the backdrop of the 2000 presidential election and the financial crisis of 2008, playwright Lynn Nottage’s Sweat at the Asolo, packs a punch.  The language is raw and the emotions even more so.  Focusing on three women who are union workers in a local factory, two young men who are the sons of two of them, and the local bar where they all hang out, it’s a portrait of working-class America that many of us haven’t experienced. The bar set is realistic-looking and TV videos overhead as a transition between scenes make for effective staging.   I thought the acting was uniformly excellent.  We came out exhausted, but appreciative of the high caliber performances we see here. It’s a play that could be required viewing for all adults—it’s that good!  

DINING NOTES

A friend and I had lunch at Mar Vistarecently and it was lovely!  This waterside restaurant on Longboat Key has been totally remodeled and is almost unrecognizable.  It’s been spiffed up and is very inviting with three options for seating—inside, in the open air on a covered terrace, and fully outside at tables on the sand. We opted for the terrace and both enjoyed Cobb salads which were very fresh and tasty.  Service was pleasant and efficient.  To learn more, see the write-up in this week’s Herald Tribune.

Poke salad (courtesy TripAdvisor)

If you’re enough of a stalwart to brave St. Armand’s Circle during the season, then lunch at Shore is a great choice.  Located upstairs almost next door to Chico’s, the outside tables are airy with a view of the street.  The menu offers lots of fish and plenty of salads and sandwiches.  We three friends opted for a poke salad and the fish tacos with a green salad (instead of the menu fries).  The tacos were tasty and the service super-efficient.  Perfect for getting on with more shopping!

Note: Photos by JWFarrington unless otherwise noted. Header photo is a white-fronted lemur from the “Photo Ark” exhibit.

Tidy Tidbits: Books & Culture

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WHAT I’M READING NOW

I have two books going currently.  One is a book of essays by Janet Malcolm, a staff writer for The New Yorker, called Nobody’s Looking at You.  The other is Kate Atkinson’s latest novel, Transcription.  Several years ago I read her Life After Life which was excellent. 

Our island book group will be discussing Atkinson’s new novel shortly, and I’m really enjoying it.  Juliet, the main character who has been recruited to work for MI5 in 1940s London, is a delightful mix of innocence and wry humor.  Her job is to transcribe conversations being held by a group of fifth columnists.  We see her again in 1950 when she has a somewhat tedious job working on children’s programming for the BBC, but gets the sense that her past is re-visiting her.  I guess I’ll find out if it is or if she is imagining it.

Malcolm’s essays, often based on interviews, are easy and flowing and come across as simply put together. She is an excellent crafter of casual transitions which make the reader feel as if no work was involved.  Based on reading “Three Sisters,” I must visit the Argosy Bookshop, and “The Storyteller,” an extended piece about Rachel Maddow, helped me appreciate her reputation, even though I’ve never watched her TV show.  I have several more essays yet to read and when done will feel that I’ve spent time with this great storyteller. (~JWFarrington)

CULTURAL SCENE

I have always admired Caroline Kennedy.  She has escaped some of the foibles and missteps of others of the Kennedy family and has kept her life as private as possible for someone with her name.  Kennedy was the featured guest this week at the Town Hall lecture series, and I enjoyed her presentation. 

 She is not a particularly polished public speaker, but she came across with warmth and genuineness.  Her stories of being a child in the White House and her father’s reaching out to the Japanese captain responsible for the damage and death on the PT-109 were heartfelt.  As the U.S. ambassador to Japan, she was warmly welcomed there both because of her father and for being the daughter of a Pacific War veteran.  Most of us didn’t realize how delicate and fraught with tension President Obama’s visit to Hiroshima was.  

Aside from her family recollections, Kennedy’s message was about reconciliation and history and reaching across generational divides. She claimed that her grandmother, Rose Kennedy, was hands down the best politician in the family.  Overall, her talk was a soothing balm counteracting today’s rough political waters.  

Arthur Miller wrote his play, The Crucible,during the McCarthy era.  But, as numerous critics have stated, it seems relevant in whatever time period it is staged.  The Asolo Theater has done its usual superb job presenting this dark and tortuous piece of theater.  The set is dimly lit and stark with austere wooden tables and benches.  How young girls dancing in the woods get labeled as witches and how this spreads to accusations against other upstanding wives and mothers is both chilling and a strong reminder how “fake news” can too quickly become viewed as truth. Definitely a play for our time too.

Peggy Roeder as Rebecca Nurse (Asolo Rep)

Note: Atkinson photo from the Irish Times; Malcolm photo from the New York Times.

Tidy Tidbits: Music & Newport

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UNUSUAL INSTRUMENT

For many of us, our first response when you mention an accordion is an oompah band or the Lawrence Welk show and Myron Floren.  This week we had the distinct and unexpected pleasure of hearing a young Chinese woman demonstrate her virtuosity playing classical accordion.  Her accordion is both heavy and elaborate.  It weighs 45 pounds and has a keyboard on the left side and a whole series of buttons on the right.  Hanzhi Wang played a selection of classical pieces by Bach and Grieg among others that had been arranged for accordion;  if you didn’t see her, you would not have guessed you were hearing an accordion.  

 Wang earned music degrees in Beijing and Copenhagen.  Based in Copenhagen, she tours the world performing and has given master classes at the Manhattan School of Music. Hearing her was truly special!

RECENT READING

NEWPORT THROUGH THE CENTURIES

The Maze at Windermere by Gregory Blake Smith

I’ll start by stating that I loved this novel!  What Mr. Smith has done using Newport, Rhode Island, as the venue and presenting five different stories from five different perspectives in five different time periods is simply amazing.  Sandy Allison is a tennis pro in 2011 involved with three women, none of whom he initially sees as a partner for the long term.  Franklin Drexel, a gay blade in all senses of the term, aspires to marry a wealthy widow in 1896 Newport, although he has no desire for women.  

At just 20, Henry James is spending time in Newport (1863) and observing the scene and the people.  He develops a friendship with a young woman named Alice (same name as his sister) and keeps a journal recording his experiences.  A British officer, Major Ballard, is stationed in Newport during the American Revolution and is obsessed with his attraction to a young Jewess. 

Lastly, there is Prudence Selwyn, a young Quaker of 15 whose mother is dead and her father likely lost at sea. It is 1692, she has one slave, and she must figure out how to live her life and support the two of them.  Three of the stories are presented as diaries while the other two, Sandy’s and Franklin’s, are in the third person.  

Themes of love, lust, betrayal, and duplicity, along with how we present ourselves to the world and each other, echo in each individual’s life.  Windermere is modeled on an old mansion, but the physical aspects of Newport such as Doubling Point and the Jewish cemetery which recur down the years are historically true.  I found all the characters fascinating with the British officer being the least likable and least sympathetic.  

The novel is summed up, I think, in the last letter Henry James writes to Alice Taylor:

“…this sense I have that the hundreds of millions of us who breathe upon the earth are each a unique flame, that we are each uniquely composed within the caskets of our bodies and our minds, that each has an experience of the world as different as that of a fishwife’s from a foundryman’s, and yet we all live the same life (millionaire, artist, soldier, slave), we each of us strive to understand who we are why we are here, to love and be loved, and that, for all that striving, we are each of us lost in the mystery of our own heart.”

Gregory Blake Smith was not an author I was familiar with, but this novel came to my attention from a publisher’s e-mail.  Subsequently, I learned it was one of the Washington Post’sten best books of 2018.  For more on the creation of this work, here is a link to an interview with Smith from the Literary Hub.  (~JWFarrington)

Note: Header photo is Chateau-sur-mer in Newport from visitrhodeisland.com. Hanzhi Wang photo from opening nights.fsu.edu and book cover image from the publisher.