MORE BESTS
As I indicated last week, the newspaper world is full of bests. Even our local paper, Herald Tribune, offered up a selection of the best books of the year. And the New York Times seems to have gone overboard with each of its distinctive sections having its own, “The Best of 2018” edition. On Sunday, “Arts & Leisure” had numerous articles including best classical music, best pop music, best television programs, best streamed television, best movies, best art exhibits and so on. This week the Wednesday “Food” section had its own best of the year features: best restaurants, “The Top Cheap Eats, Dish by Dish,” a listing of twelve remarkable wines, and the recipes that were the favorites of readers. I liked the Salted Chocolate Chunk Shortbread Cookies and the Beef and Broccoli stir fry. Something here for every taste and palate!
FABULOUS THEATER!
Asolo Repertory Theater always delivers and they did it again this week with energy and style. Their production of The Music Man was a tap dance lovers’ bonanza with frenetic footwork, lively music, and some lovely singing, particularly by Britney Coleman as Marian the Librarian. Noah Racey who plays Professor Harold Hill is a choreographer as well as actor and it showed; his professor was perhaps less brash than Robert Preston’s in the original movie, but still winning. And Marion came across as a more rounded character, less innocent sweet maiden and more complex woman with dreams and determination.
I would have said that The Music Man was lower down on my list of favorite musicals, but I enjoyed every minute of this production. There are still more performances between now and Dec. 29.
SMALL SCREEN
Silk (Amazon Prime)
Thanks to my friend Patricia for this recommendation. Martha Costello is one of a group of lawyers in a British firm plugging away defending clients in court cases and vying to become “Silk” or QC, that is Queen’s Counsel. Single and singleminded, she is hard driving, while her colleague Clive Reader, from a posh background, appears less dedicated and always with an eye for the female solicitors. Lording it over all of the office is Billy Lamb, the senior clerk, who makes case assignments and minds the books, or perhaps cooks them. I’m now into Season 2 of this BBC production and enjoying it immensely as it keeps me going on the treadmill!
Homecoming (Amazon Prime)
This original series from Amazon has gotten a lot of praise from the press and at least one award nomination for its star, Julia Roberts. The setting is a facility that runs a residential program for returning vets who have been diagnosed with PTSD or other issues. Roberts plays Heidi Bergman, a counselor there. Each episode is only thirty minutes long, and I can see why. Much of each episode focuses on her sessions with one or more of the residents, with occasional leaps forward to the present day when we see Heidi working as a waitress at a cheap joint.
What happened to make her leave the Geist program and why did one of her clients leave at the same time? We have now watched five episodes and while it’s well done, it’s also somewhat weird.
MOVIE TIME
Puzzle
We missed Puzzle when it was in theaters and so decided to pay the nominal rental fee of $4.99 to watch it here at home. Starring Kelly Macdonald, it’s a measured, deliberate film about Agnes, a married mother of two grown sons, who has little self esteem and no satisfying function in life other than serving at the beck and call of husband Louie and those sons. They show little appreciation for her efforts on their behalf and can’t understand why she might want more in her life. Until she receives a 1,000 piece jigsaw puzzle for her birthday and discovers she’s good at it!
Thus begins Agnes’, aka Martha’s, tentative steps toward independence, as she gains a male puzzle partner (Irrfan Khan) and ventures regularly beyond the confines of her own home and town. I liked this film a lot, although some might find the pacing slow.
