This was a fun week filled with theater, opera, dinners out and in, and long conversations with old and new friends.
SMALL SCREEN
After war in early 20th century Morocco, I’ve taken up a Kiwi crime series. The Brokenwood Mysteries (available on Acorn) are set on the North Island in a very small fictional town of the same name. Detective Mike Shepherd is new to the area and has two junior colleagues, Kristin Sims and D.C. Breen. 
Often turning up to provide background information and assistance is Jared Morehu, a young Maori man who doubles as a handyman.
Murder is on the docket whether it be drowning in a wine vat, dying on a golf course, collapsing on stage, or cast adrift on the sea. With four ex-wives and a bit of the city around the edges, Shepherd is passionate about country music and always has a cassette tape or two to pop in when he hops into his car. These episodes are long, an hour and a half each, but I’m caught up in the experience of life and death in this beautiful somewhat rural area.
NOT TO BE MISSED
Rhinoceros at the Asolo Theater. Ionesco’s absurdist play, first presented in 1959, has a simple plot line, but raises challenging questions for our time. How does one remain an individual and true to one’s values when everyone around you is joining the herd? Creatively staged and wonderfully acted, this production is both humorous and thought-provoking. We had the added pleasure of seeing this with good friends from Philadelphia.
As a graduate student, the Chief Penguin was a volunteer usher in Boston for five nights when the Metropolitan Opera came to town. He credits that performance of Bellini’s Norma, starring Joan Sutherland and Marilyn Horne, with sparking his love of opera. Earlier this week, we were at the Sarasota Opera’s production of Norma, and it was wonderful! 
The singing is not quite the level of those divas, but it was very good, especially Joanna Parisi as Norma. The staging was also nicely done. There are more performances of both Norma and Rhinoceros.
PRE-THEATER DINING
Two of our favorites for pre-performance dining are Muse at the Ringling and Louie’s Modern in downtown Sarasota. Muse is consistently very good for both lunch and dinner, and we’ve recently enjoyed both. The quesadilla is a frequent choice of the C.P., and I’m partial to their salads, particularly the green salad topped with grilled chicken and their Caesar. In the evening, entrees include trout, salmon, and short ribs plus they have crab cakes, always good, as an appetizer. Service is pleasant and efficient almost to the point of briskness. But they do want to be sure you make it in time for your play!
It’s “the season” as they say, so Louie’s is again offering their Modern Theater Menu (3 courses) for $30. It’s a good deal! The portions are a nice size and for each course there is a choice among three options. We’ve eaten this menu twice recently and the North Palm salad with grapefruit is a light starter, while the salmon with couscous and the chicken breast are both excellent. The chicken is accompanied by a silky mascarpone polenta and root vegetables. Dessert offerings include a warm chocolate cake and polenta cake with berries, both of which we’ve sampled. Muse and Louie’s are both part of the Tableseide group so there can be a bit of overlap between the menus—one example being the delicious and attractively presented burrata with heirloom tomatoes on a coral Himalayan salt block. 
WHAT I’M READING
Ann Veronica by H.G. Wells. Watch for more about this 1909 novel about a modern young woman in a future blog.
Notes: Brokenwood image from all3mediainternational.com, principals in Norma from mysuncoast.com, and burrata photo from sarasotafoodies.com. Header photo ©JWFarrington.
