Category: Theater

Sarasota Scene: Holiday Happenings

JWF 1 Comment

Fabulous Fun.  Asolo Repertory Theater’s production of Guys and Dolls is the perfect antidote for any lingering post-election blues.  Energetic, boisterous, lively, romantic, it’s hard to find enough adjectives to describe the sheer fun of it all.  I had never seen this musical before and was caught up in the music and the fast-paced dancing.   And pleased to discover that I even knew a couple of the songs, ”Luck Be a Lady,” and “Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ the Boat.”  The subtitle of the work is “A Musical Fable of Broadway,” and reflecting that, the action is set on Broadway and in a Salvation Army-like mission and features gamblers and show girls and the most unlikely of romantic pairings.  It runs until January 1, so if you’re local, treat yourself!

Christmas Concert

Tucked just in from Sarasota Bay, the Church of the Redeemer in Sarasota’s sanctuary is both elegant and cozy.   This week we attended “This Day, a concert of Christmas-related music by the Musica Sacra Cantorum, part of the church’s Great Music Concert Series which runs from December through next May.  This concert mixed the familiar, “The Holly and the Ivy”, “In the Bleak Midwinter,” and “Joy to the World” (all verses) with the new and the unexpected.  British composer John Rutter is one of my favorites (“All Things Bright and Beautiful”) and we heard his three-movement, “Gloria,” along with works by John Tavener and the hauntingly beautiful, “Shine on This Shining Night,” by Morton Lauridsen.  Much honored and lauded, Lauridsen’s name and work were previously unknown to me.

Bob Parrish, the choir director, is a warm and engaging presence at the podium.  The program was an ambitious one and at some points challenging for the singers.  But overall, an enjoyable paean to the season.

Fresh Fish

For fresh and tasty fish in downtown Sarasota, I highly recommend Duval’s on Main Street.  We’ve had lunch there a number of times, but dinner perhaps only once before.  This week we took our visiting friend Barb and were delighted.  It’s a place where when you walk in, the décor leads you to expect an acceptable casual meal.  In our experience, the food consistently trumps the ambience.

Two of us enjoyed the grilled red snapper with a choice of sides.  I opted for the lightly sautéed spinach (one of my favorite vegetables) and requested the fried green tomatoes.  They were not technically one of the sides, but were being offered in a modified caprese salad.  Also tasty were the corn and lobster mac and cheese and a Caesar salad (large enough to share).  Our waitress was charming and knowledgeable—the next day we spotted her at the Asolo Theater.  Small world.

 

Header photo:  http://www.bradenton.com/entertainment/article115230988.html; Brass:  Christmas-brass.jpg

 

Tidy Tidbits: Local Fare

JWF Leave a comment

BUY LOCAL

The Florida season is over, the snow birds have retreated north, and it’s quiet time for many local merchants.  If you live in Sarasota or Bradenton, remember to visit your favorite downtown shops and restaurants.  They need you and they really appreciate your business!

Two of my regular stops are Bookstore 1 Sarasota and the Artisan Cheese Company.  In addition to Stilton (a stately, elegant cheese) and creamy, nutty L’Amuse Gouda, we indulged in some soft cheese and, for the first time, tried the store’s own pimento cheese.  Now, I know of pimento cheese from Southern novels, have sampled it from several suppliers and have always been underwhelmed.  Louise said that her version flew out of the store as soon as she put it on the shelf.  Well, it’s scrumptious!  The right mix of cheese, enough bits of pimento, and a hint of heat make it positively addictive.  I’ll be back for more.

Louise & Parker Converse shop owners (www.artisancheesecompanycm)
Shop owners Louise and Parker Converse (www.artisancheesecompany.com)

At my favorite bookstore, a proper one with shelves of books and more books, magazines, a children’s section and tables of temptation, I was intrigued by at least six new novels.  I settled on two, one the latest from Lauren Belfer, while the Chief Penguin located the hefty libretto for Hamilton.  With somewhat lighter pockets, we left happy merchants and headed home.

HettyFeather_500x4003
Program cover (www.thelowry.com)

GIRL POWER  

For this year’s summer musical, Asolo Rep is presenting the U.S. premiere of Hetty Feather.  Based on a book by Jacqueline Wilson, it’s the story of Victorian girl Hetty’s tumultuous and, at times rollicking, journey from a foundling hospital to a foster home and then back to the hospital with encounters with the circus along the way.  Hetty is spunky and lively and always on the lookout for her real mother.  With exceedingly creative and clever staging (ropes, ladders and a suspended ring) and a very nimble and talented British cast, this is delightful family fare.

2016-05-14 16.22.55

SHOUT-OUT

While in New York, I finally visited Rizzoli Bookstore’s new location on Broadway not far from Eataly.  It is very spacious and all on one floor, but retains the feel of the old Rizzoli on W. 57th Street.  Dark wood bookcases, long tables of books and classic chandeliers.  I was told by one of the staff that they were able to save and re-use many of the fixtures including cases and lights, hence the familiarity.  They have a big space at the back (I’m assuming for events) with some comfy chairs and even several restrooms (another plus).  I enjoyed my time browsing and left with one of the several new novels I’d spied.  Definitely add it to your bookstore list!

WHAT I’M READING

Main Street by Sinclair Lewis.  I suggested this title (previously unread by me) to my west coast book group and found myself plodding through it.  Published in 1920 and Lewis’ first successful novel, it is the story of Will Kennicutt, a doctor in small town Gopher Prairie, Minnesota, and his younger wife, Carol.  She is from the big city and has problems adjusting to what she views as a provincial, gossipy, unsophisticated place.  She is both a romantic and a self-appointed reformer who doesn’t really know what she wants or how to accomplish her supposed aims.  A satirical study in gender roles and cultural mores in a different time, but with a perspective on social class that still has relevance.  Overall, I found it too long and very dense.

First Women:  The Grace and Power of America’s Modern First Ladies by Kate Anderson Brower.  For a relaxing change of pace, this breezy work is about the bonds, the correspondence, and the unlikely friendships between these First Ladies.  Each is unique in personality and style and each, as wife of the president, made the White House her home.  Not a lot of new information here, but an engaging look at the times they inhabited and the roles they played—from Jackie Kennedy to Michelle Obama.  Brower’s earlier book is The Residence about those who staff the White House.

 

Note:  Header photo and Rizzoli image by JWFarrington (some rights reserved)

Manhattan: Culture Notes

JWF Leave a comment

They say good things come in threes, so here you have a play, a film, and a novel.  All deserving of attention, and at least two, of kudos.

BRILLIANT THEATER

Last week we saw Hamilton and it lived up to all the hype. We were seated in the 3rd row of the mezzanine (best seats I could get last September without taking out a loan!)  which actually gave us a good view of the entire stage and the ability to see the dance routines from above. Lin-Manuel Miranda is one very creative guy and how he makes history come live! Even allowing for dramatic license, one will never think of these Founding Fathers quite the same way.

Mairanda is marvelous as the ambitious, verbose, self-centered, self-righteous Hamilton. Thomas Jefferson is foppishly funny in “What Did I Miss?” George Washington is appropriately reasonable and statesmanlike, King George is childishly amusing (got a lot of laughs from the audience), and Aaron Burr is smooth, sometimes slick, and oh, so envious of Hamilton’s rapid rise. The few females, the two Schuyler sisters and Maria, the object of Hamilton’s adulterous affair, have secondary roles although Hamilton’s wife Eliza Schuyler delivers several poignant songs.

My only criticism is that it was not possible to understand all the words, especially in some of the early numbers, and it was not always clear then what event precipitated that dialogue. We were part of an extremely enthusiastic audience, lots of families with kids and at least one school class, and the cast received many cheers and an immediate standing ovation at the conclusion. Definitely see it!!!

Postscript: I am now reading Ron Chernow’s biography of Hamilton on which the play is loosely based.

ENTERTAINING TRUTH

I would never ever vote for Anthony Weiner, but the new documentary, Weiner, which tracks his primary campaign for mayor of New York, is intense, funny at points, and vastly entertaining. Presenting the sexting scandal of 2011 with clips of press conferences and TV interviews, the film then goes deep into his daily life in 2013 as he mounts his campaign to return to public office and faces chapter two of the sex scandal. It is amazing to me that Weiner gave the filmmakers such unfettered access to his wife and son as well as to his campaign team. Call it hubris, craziness, or what you will, the man has charisma and determination despite being, literally, his own worst enemy.

SUPERB FICTION

Imagine Me Gone by Adam Haslett

Thoroughly enveloping. Madness, music, siblings and suicide. It sounds like a depressing combination, but rather than being depressing, Imagine Me Gone is a fully imagined portrayal of family dynamics told in the voices of the five family members. In this case, a father who is mentally ill, his wife, and their three children, all of whom bear the scars, be they scratches or full-blown cuts, of his affliction. The eldest son, Michael, is 36 and still single and suffers from his own mental issues. Sister Celia is wary of trusting in her own long-term relationship, and brother Alex is gay and seeking a stable place in the world. Initially each one invests time and mental effort in trying to assuage Michael’s anguish and in managing his anxiety and his ineptitude for daily life. Their mother Margaret goes into debt in her efforts to support her eldest son. Haslett’s writing is tender and exquisite, beautifully nuanced in his depiction of family relationships. You, the reader, feel for each member of this damaged family. But it is ultimately a story with hope. One of the best novels I’ve read thus far this year!

John, the father, about Alec as a kid:

The beast isn’t in Alec.  I have no way of knowing this for certain.  He’s too young.  Maybe I just don’t see it and don’t want to. But in his eagerness to please there is such squiriming energy and a kind of literalness.  He’s up on the surface of himself opening outward, even when he’s embarrassed, perhaps particularly so then, because he finds embarrassment so painful, he’ll do anything to get off the spot.”

Margaret reflecting on her work colleague, Suzanne:

She’s an unlikely librarian, her flair wasted, if not resented, by everyone but the high school boys and their fathers.   Early on, she decided that I was to be her ally against the forces of boredom and small-mindedness. I was too tired to resist.

 

 Header photo: Richard Rodgers Theater before all the seats were filled (JWFarrington)

Tidy Tidbits: Asolo & Morland

JWF 1 Comment

BACKSTAGE AT ASOLO

We had the opportunity to take a backstage tour at the Asolo Repertory Theater’s Mertz Theater earlier this week and it was fascinating.  There was a tech rehearsal in progress (just what it sounds like, all the technical aspects of the production—lighting, sound, projection, etc.—run through), and we got a peek at the set for the upcoming musical, Josephine as well as having the chance to walk around on stage and in the wings.  We also toured the costume shop (could have spent the rest of the morning here!) and Cook Theater which is the home of the Florida State University/Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training (what a mouthful, that is).

This three-year graduate program is one of the top ten in the U.S. and accepts only 12 students each year.  As part of their training, in addition to a season of plays at Asolo, they get six weeks of theater in London, the chance to make presentations in New York, and earn their MFA degree and an Equity card.  Impressive!  I really knew nothing about this program and wonder how many people in the area are similarly uninformed.  Next year, we’ll be sure to go to some of these student productions.  Kudos to Sarasota and to our tour host, Scott Guin.

JOSEPHINE

Josephine Baker was an American singer and dancer who became famous in Paris as a star performer at the Folies-Bergere during the 1930’s and 40’s.  A poor black woman from St. Louis, she was not welcomed or wanted in the white nightclub scene.  This is preview week for Josephine and we were there on the second night.  The production is an ambitious one for Asolo and both demanding and challenging for the technical team as well as the actors.  We enjoyed the show, as they say, but overall feel it will benefit from some more tweaking and tightening up as the week unfolds.  Less than two minutes into the opening scene, the fire alarm went off (probably due to stage smoke) and everyone, audience and actors, had to exit the theater for about 10 minutes.  I imagine this had an effect on the actors.

Despite everything I would recommend seeing it and wish that I could see it again in several weeks.  See it for the intricate sets and creative use of projection (newsreels, e.g.), see it for the stunningly gorgeous costumes and headdresses, see it for the four guys who have a heck of a lot of fun dancing, see it for Prince Gustaf of Sweden and the swan bed, see it to hear Deborah Cox as a multi-faceted Josephine.  Other standout performances were Lynette DuPree as the brassy, but savvy Bricktop, and Tori Bates, the simply amazing 11-year old who plays young Josephine and practically steals the show with her vigorous tapping and big voice.

 

IMG_8226

INDEPENDENT BOOKSTORES THRIVING

“These are heady days for independent booksellers, whose ranks have grown to 1,712 bookstores operating in 2,227 locations in 2015, compared with 1,410 bookstores in 1,660 locations in 2010, according to the American Booksellers Association.  Even Amazon.com Inc. has opened a bookstore in Seattle and has a second planned for La Jolla, Calif.”  One bookstore featured in this Wall Street Journal article has reduced the size of the stock on its shelves, but added a print-on-demand device, Espresso Book Machine, which provides access to hundreds of thousands of titles.  (April 20, 2016, “How Tech is Bringing Readers Back into Bookstores,” by Jeffrey A. Trachtenberg).

NOT QUITE BEACH FARE

Cynthia Harrod-Eagles is a prolific British novelist fascinated by history.  Over the past decade or so I’ve been reading my way systematically through her Morland Dynasty series.  Set mostly in Yorkshire, the first book, The Founding (published in 1980), opens in 1434 with a marriage that launches the dynasty and covers the period of the War of the Roses.  Each novel builds on the previous one and together they constitute a detailed lesson in British history—wars, social issues, governments and politicians, food and dress, all intertwined with the lives of successive generations of Morlands and their home at Morland Place.  The writing is straightforward and her characters are quite engaging, but sometimes the plots tend toward the formulaic.

To her credit, Harrod-Eagles has done extensive research and often you feel like you are part of the time being evoked.  I found the novels that dealt with the women’s suffrage movement especially absorbing.  Other times, I got bogged down in the specifics of yet another military battle.

I’ve now almost completed Book 33, The Dancing Years, set in 1919, which juxtaposes the club high life of the rich with the harsh realities of unemployment for others.  The series was popular from its inception and the scope kept being expanded partly because Harrod-Eagles covered shorter intervals of time in each book.  I read it was to continue up to WWII, but Book 35, the latest one, is set in 1931 so we’ll see.  She has also written a mystery series, several contemporary novels, and, most recently, a separate WWI series.

Header photo:  Mertz Theater (www.asolorep.org)