CLASSIC THEATER
Our Town
Most everyone of a certain age has been exposed to Thornton Wilder’s Our Town in junior high or high school. I recall that we read it in English class and may even have acted out a scene or too. When we were young, many of us (theater folks included) found the whole business dull. Therefore, I approached the Asolo Theatre production with skepticism. To my surprise, I enjoyed it much more than I anticipated.
The staging is spare, and a diverse cast made the residents of Grover’s Corners, New Hampshire, come alive. The stage manager describes the layout of the town and introduces us to the main characters, then steps in and out of the drama to move things along or to go back in time.
Yes, the play is dated. It is set in the early 20th century when milk was still delivered by a horse-drawn wagon, and mothers focused on preparing meals and raising children. But the themes of love, duty, and death it explores are universal. The last act, set in the cemetery with the dead talking to one another, delivers a gentle punch to the gut.
Unlike the stilted, formal presentations of this character I remember, Kenn E. Head imbues the stage manager with humor, verve and a bit of sass. He makes the role, and by extension the play, memorable! Performances continue through March 26.
BOOK OF THE WEEK
The Rent Collector by Camron Wright
I’m currently reading The Rent Collector, a novel for our local book group. It’s by an author I hadn’t known. Like the nonfiction work, Beyond the Beautiful Forevers, set in a trash dump near the Mumbai airport, the setting here is also a dump, but in Cambodia. People live in shacks constructed out of paper and cardboard, and they pick through the trash for items to sell or recycle. This is a more hopeful work and is also based on real people.
Sang Ly, the main character is learning to read, and she and her husband Ki Lim and their sickly son Nisay eke out their existence midst this challenging environment. Winner of several book awards, this is an absorbing and uplifting novel. (~JWFarrington)
EATING OUT
BOUTIQUE RESTAURANT IN SARASOTA
This cozy restaurant close to Sarasota Memorial Hospital offers an appealing menu of seafood and meat entrees which should tempt and satisfy any palate. Friends introduced us, and we were very pleased with our choices. I ordered Scallops and Shrimp Taulere on a creamy parmesan risotto with a chardonnay wine sauce. The scallops were large, the shrimp perfectly cooked, and the whole dish saucy in a good way. The Chief Penguin opted for Saltimbocca of Scallops (sea scallops) being a saltimbocca kind of guy.
Our friends each ordered the Mediterranean Shipwreck which was a grouper paillard, three jumbo shrimp, and a diver scallop all broiled on a cedar plank. Most entrees came with asparagus and yellow pepper strips plus a choice of the risotto or mashed potatoes. Other menu items range from a selection of salads to beef, lamb, duck, veal, and chicken entrees. Service was both professional and friendly. We’ll go back!
CASUAL LUNCH FARE IN BRADENTON
It was several years ago when we last dined at Central Café. In the interim, they have expanded their dining room and still serve a great variety of salads, sandwiches, and fries to die for!
We were there with friends and shared a heap of skinny fries. Two of us had the Caesar salad with either shrimp or tuna while others ordered the beet salad and the Californication sandwich (made of ahi tuna, bacon, and condiments). We arrived before noon, and within about fifteen minutes, the place was full! A perfect place for as much lunch as you’d like.
