Category: TV

Carolina Capers: Watching at Home and on Stage

JWF Leave a comment

TV SERIES

Sisters in Conflict

Becca & Rosaline (pbs.org)

Maryland (PBS Passport)

When British sisters Becca and Rosaline get the call that their mother has died on the Isle of Man, they are both mystified and sad.  Why was she there so far from home and what was she doing?  On a journey of discovery, these very different people, Rosaline, an independent career woman, and Becca, a put-upon wife and mother, disagree and rub each other the wrong way as they struggle to parse out the strands of their mother’s life and better understand each other.  

I found the tension between the sisters and their disparate world views convincingly captured.  The sisters were well cast.   Seeing Stockard Channing as friend Kathy, she who played stalwart First Lady Abbey Bartlet in the The West Wing, was an added treat.  I found this 3-episode series engrossing and enjoyable.    

French Justice

Bellefond (PBS Passport & Prime Video)

Bellefond flanked by his students (entertainment-focus.com)

Prosecutor Antoine Bellefond is so stunned by a courtroom incident, that he takes a leave of absence.  When his niece in Provence calls him for help, he returns to his hometown where his brother-in-law has been accused of murder.  Along with three of his star law students, he takes up the case and works to prove Christophe’s innocence.  

Bellefond is a diffident yet caring individual whose placid façade occasionally lights up with a smile.  His and his students’ methods are unusual to irregular, and likely not always within the realm of the law.   I found it a different take on crime investigation mixed in with the students’ foibles and attractions, sometimes for one another.   In French with subtitles, the first season is just 2 standalone episodes.  Season 2, also 2 episodes, is not yet available.

RALEIGH THEATER

Justice Theater Project

Cabaret

The Justice Theater Project presents dramas about individuals affected by social injustice.  Their Cabaret, which the Chief Penguin and I had previously seen at the Asolo Theatre in Sarasota, was raw and intense.  Although set in Berlin during the rise of Nazism in 1929-30, it is timely viewing for today’s audiences.   

Sally Bowles & Kit Kat Klub dancers (asolorep.org)

Most of this company’s productions are presented on a small stage at the Umstead Park United Church of Christ.  The sets are minimal, and the sound system is basic, but the musicians and actors were passionate and fully engaged.  

I do think that the play itself spends too much time on introducing the Kit Kat Klub and the principals before it approaches the heart of the matter.  It was still a compelling performance, and Fraulein Schneider and Cliff Bradshaw were exceptionally well played characters.  Performances run through June 23rd.

Note: Header photo of TV screen courtesy of applicationsTV.

Manhattan: Politics, Fashion, & History

JWF Leave a comment

VIEWING: UK POLITICAL CRISIS

COBRA (PBS)

Anna & the PM (rottentomatoes.com)

If you like political drama and were a fan of the Danish series, Borgen, then you’d probably also enjoy COBRA.  A massive geomagnetic storm knocks out power to the entire U.K., and there are not enough new transformers to replace all the damaged ones.  Which section of the country will have to wait?  It’s a monumental crisis for British prime minister Robert Sutherland and his team, including chief of staff Anna Marshall.   

This 6-part series is action packed with nail-biting tension and personal drama.  Who is the man who just shows up on Anna’s doorstep?  What really happened to Georgia, the best friend of Sutherland’s daughter?  How far will Home Secretary Archie Glover go in attempting to become the next PM?  Finally, how does the prime minister deal with rioting and destruction and calm the country?

The title, COBRA, stands for Cabinet Office Briefing Room and is used as a code for an emergency meeting of the PM and all the cabinet secretaries.  There are some familiar faces from other British series such as Victoria Hamilton, the elegantly competent Anna, who appeared in The Crown and Lark Rise to Candleford.  

This is escapism that seems eerily possible! We binge watched Season 1, the first of three seasons.

EXHIBITION: EXOTIC FASHION

Sleeping Beauties (Metropolitan Museum of Art)

Dior’s Garden with a floral theme

The Costume Institute’s annual exhibit opens after the Met’s May gala.  The gala is always an extravagant display of fabric, color, and celebrities.  The exhibit also sometimes wows but not always.  This year, I appreciated the effort that went into making the exhibit immersive with a wide array of dresses from various periods and designers, but also the incorporation of videos running overhead, voiceovers, and other sounds relative to the theme of individual galleries.  Water lapping in the marine sections, insects buzzing in the nature section and so on.  Nonetheless, it was not an exhibit I loved.

Clamshell gown by Alexander McQueen
Dramatic butterfly gown
Poppies or perhaps roses?

The first space was narrow and very crowded (even though I was there right after the museum opened), so I moved through quickly.  I looked at the fashions but did not do much reading of the descriptive wall plaques.  Overall, I got the general impression of the theme, but made short work of what is a long and large exhibit.  

The gowns here are ones I found particularly striking, several of them showcasing flowers. One does wonder whether a woman could move at all in some of these creations!

EXHIBITION: SNIPPETS OF FREDERICK DOUGLASS

Isaac Julien’s Lessons of the Hour (Museum of Modern Art)

Tucked away into a small gallery on MoMA’s second floor is Lessons of the Hour.  British filmmaker and artist, Isaac Julien uses ten video screens of different sizes to present scenes of Frederick Douglass’s life and work.  Douglass was a 19th century abolitionist, an orator, and an author.  A Black man, he was the most photographed person of his era.  

Douglass’s life is not depicted linearly, and different images and texts appear simultaneously on the various screens.  It is possible to stand in the gallery for just a few minutes or sit on the banquette long enough to absorb more of the role this man played in the overall quest for equal rights for all people.  A worthwhile experience and one that is available into September.

Note: Header photo is a more traditional yellow Liberty gown from the 1880’s. All unattributed photos by JWFarrington.

Carolina Capers: On Plate & Screen

JWF Leave a comment

CHEESE, ANYONE?

Cary has the distinction of hosting the only pimento cheese festival in the United States.  Last Saturday was the 6th Annual Pimento Cheese Festival in the downtown park.  I don’t know where previous years were held, but this park was the perfect venue.  With live music, food trucks ringing surrounding streets, activities for kids, and, most importantly, an array of tables and tents where one could sample and then purchase tubs of pimento cheese, it was a happening place.

I like pimento cheese and some of the best I’d ever had previously was Cheese Louise’s version from Artisan Cheese in Sarasota, FL.  Last week, I sampled five or so of the ten available, making the rounds and enjoying the mini cup of cheese with a tiny spoon or a cracker.  Many versions included jalapenos in some form, often pickled.  After all my sampling, I ended up buying a small container of Wendy’s Wicked which was the first one I tasted.  The day was lovely, the park was nicely crowded, and it was a fun outing!

TV VIEWING

HISTORIC FIGURES:  A DIPLOMAT & A SEER

Franklin (Apple TV+)

Pensive Franklin (indiewire.com)

Franklin is an 8-part series about Benjamin Franklin’s time in France struggling to convince the French to support America in its war against the British.  It’s based on a book by Stacy Schiff about untrained Franklin’s role as a diplomat.  (Scholar Schiff is also the author of a biography of Cleopatra which received much acclaim and which I found fascinating.)

Here, Michael Douglas plays a very convincing 70-year-old Franklin—clever, sly, and still a printer at heart.  Temple, Franklin’s teenage grandson, accompanies him.  Initially awkward and inept, Temple settles in and becomes a keen observer on Franklin’s behalf.  But these two also have their tussles, reflecting their different generational outlooks and Temple’s lack of worldly experience.  

There are many characters, and it is sometimes hard to quickly know which French official or nobleman it is, and which side of the conflict he is on.  Nonetheless, with close attention, the series offers an inside look at the strategies and machinations required to bring the French on board.  We have watched through Episode 4. 

Einstein and the Bomb (Netflix)

(economictimes.indiatimes.com)

This hour-plus docudrama, Einstein and the Bomb, lays out key points in Einstein’s personal life and his theory of relativity.  It brings together the events that led him to exit Nazi Germany for England, then the U.S., and how the threat posed by Hitler coupled with his scientific knowledge impacted his thinking and his activism.  Starting in Princeton in 1955, Einstein reflects on his life, the aftermath of WWII, and reveals his doubts and sorrow over the use of the atomic bomb.

The film alternates between theatrical scenes and archival film, but all the words attributed to Einstein are his.  It’s a powerful piece of cinema.  One small annoyance is the flashes of numbers that precede the black and white historical film clips.  

This film made me wonder whether leaders in this country are fully cognizant of the damage that would be wrought by a second term for Trump.  Are our seers being heard?  Recommended!

ADVENTUROUS EATING #3

LAOTIAN CUISINE:  SAAP

Thanks to our son and daughter-in-law’s generosity, we had an extra incentive to try this hot new restaurant located just behind the Cary Downtown Park.  SAAP, which means “yummy” in Laotian, is the latest venue for Laos native and now longtime North Carolina resident, Lon Buonsanga.  Previously executive chef at a Laotian restaurant in Raleigh, he now owns his own place. 

Located in a high-ceilinged open space with a bar on one side, SAAP feels contemporary and bright.  It has received much laudatory press, and even early on a Friday night, the place was already busy.  

Crispy coconut rice (GCF)

The Chief Penguin and I ordered from the small plates menu section and loved everything we ordered! Between us, we shared excellent crispy spring rolls, tasty chicken satay skewers, and a new dish for us, crispy coconut rice with bits of pork to wrap in large lettuce leaves.  We will return to try the curries and steamed fish. SAAP is open for lunch and dinner.

Carolina Capers: Eclipse et al

JWF Leave a comment

WATCHING THE ECLIPSE

Sky watchers

The highlight of this past week was certainly the eclipse on Monday afternoon.  We were not in an area for a total eclipse but were expected to get 80-84% coverage.  It was a lovely sunny day with lots of blue sky.  The Chief Penguin and I walked to the downtown park, partly for better viewing, but mostly to be with other people.  We arrived just before 2:00 pm and quickly snapped up two of the electric green Adirondack chairs near the fountain.  

Several options for viewing

Not much happened for quite a while; then wearing our approved cardboard eclipse glasses, we gazed up and saw the sun being nibbled at by the black moon.  As time went on, more kids and families and couples gathered and found places to sit.  The blackness kept encroaching until around 3:10, we had just a fingernail sliver of golden sun left.  Quite something to see. 

Snoozing or studying the sky?

It never got dark here, but the sun did get dim and the air cooled a bit.  The weather was so salubrious, we stayed on awhile longer, checking every little bit to see the process slowly reverse as more of the sun emerged again.  An amazing experience!  The next one isn’t for another 20 years—odds are we might not see it!

INTERLUDE—MUSIC & FILM

Cary Town Band

One of the perks of living where we do is a wide assortment of free musical events and movies.  This week it was a concert by the Cary Town Band.  In existence since 1987, the band is made up of all woodwind instruments and boasts 50 plus players, all volunteers.  It’s led by a former member who brings enthusiasm, knowledge, and a bit of fun (think the occasional theme costume) to her conducting.  

This program featured music from composers like Sousa and Verdi to Elton John and John Williams all under the umbrella of people’s jobs.  Pieces included selections from the Lion King, Superman, Phantom of the Opera, and Die Meistersinger among others.  Cary Town Band presents four or five concerts a year including one for the Fourth of July.  This was a fun evening!  

Beyond Silence

The previous week we enjoyed a showing of the German film, Beyond Silence, released in 1996.  It centers on Lara, a young girl interested in music and particularly the clarinet.  She hears, but both her parents are deaf.  They three communicate by signing, and Lara’s parents rely on her for translating in interviews with her schoolteachers or when watching TV.  She aspires to study the clarinet in Berlin, and there is tension and then a rift with her parents.  It’s a sensitive portrait of coming of age and learning to navigate boundaries and limits. 

If the premise of this film sounds familiar to you, it may be that you’ve seen or heard of the 2021 American film, CODA (Children of Deaf Adults), which has some similarities, but the girl in it has a talent for singing.  Interestingly, CODA is actually considered to be a remake of the French-Belgian film from 2014, La Famille Belier, where the girl is also a gifted singer.  For those who are intrigued, it’s possible to buy or rent any of these films from Amazon or other sources. 

VIEWING NOTES

Nolly (PBS Masterpiece)

I watched one episode of Nolly, a series about an early British TV sitcom star who was suddenly let go from her show.  Much as I like and admire Helena Bonham Carter as an actress, I didn’t really get engaged with this production.  Nolly wasn’t very likable, too much of a prima donna, and the other characters seemed stale and dated to me.  Maybe the humor is too British or maybe it gets better in future episodes, but I had enough.  

Call the Midwife (Season 13, PBS)

Trixie, Nurse Crane, & Maureen (townandcountrymag.com)

Perhaps you think you’ve witnessed enough breech births and had too much sweetness and light to continue with this series.  The Chief Penguin occasionally has felt this way—but he continues to watch Call the Midwife with me.  So far, after three episodes, I think that Season 13 is a winner.  

Midwife often deals with serious medical issues of the 1960’s; in previous seasons it included Thalidomide babies and lung-infecting black mold.  This season when stalwart Fred becomes seriously ill, everyone is reminded of the importance of an up-to-date tetanus vaccine.  

After all these years, I’m fond of many of these characters from Sister Julienne to Trixie and Nurse Crane, and even Miss Higgins, who has loosened up somewhat.  They make for a winning cast of characters and continue to delight viewers like me!  Recommended!

Note: Unattributed photos ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved.)