Weekend in D.C.

Every time I go to Washington D.C., I wonder why I don't return more often.  The city is compact, beautifully European, and has great food.  I haven't been there since 2014 - when I was sent there last weekend for a writers conference, I jumped at the chance to go.  It was a tiring weekend, but a fun one, too.

It was a little hard to prep for the trip, though; the weather in D.C. has been insane!  It was 72 degrees the day I took the train down there, then the temp dropped to the low 30s for two days, then went back up to the 50s.  Packing became very difficult.  I ended up taking a rain coat, thinking I could layer and not have to carry my winter coat around on the warmer days.  It was not the right choice.  It didn't matter how many layers I had on, I could never make that rain coat warm enough.  Oh well, lesson learned.  Thankfully, my hotel was only four blocks away from the convention center, so I guess a brisk walk was good exercise.

I went down to D.C. the night before the conference started, since the first session was at 9am.  Happily, I rode with a former co-worker on the very convenient Acela, and we spent a fun evening hopping from here to there in the city.  We ended up at a restaurant I visited a long time ago (maybe ten years ago?) and where I have always wanted to return: Jaleo.  A tapas restaurant, Jaleo is one of Chef Jose Andres' first spots in the States.  It's been there for a while (since the early 90s, I think), but it has gone through some renovations since I've been there. It's now a trendy, buzzy-looking kind of place, but the food is still to die for.

I tried to make a reservation, but apparently we were there at the end of Restaurant Week D.C. (wait, WHAT?!), and so Jaleo was booked solid.  My friend and I decided to stop there anyway, to see if there was some room at the bar.  And there was - hurray!  We ordered a glass of sangria and three plates of tapas: the pan de cristal con tomate (bread with tomatoes), which is one of my very favorite things to eat anywhere ever; the croquetas de jamon iberico (fancy ham fritters); and the espinacas a la catalana (the most amazing spinach dish ever). The sangria was bright and fruity, with a depth of flavor from a little brandy, I think.  It was delicious and perfectly paired with all of our plates. The pan de cristal con tomate was wonderful - the bread was crispy yet light, and the tomatoes were sweet and tart at the same time. The ratio between the ingredients was perfect.  We could've just eaten ten or twelve orders of that and left happy.  But the croquetas were also SO good - tender and deep-fried, but also really filling with the dark, deep rich iberico ham.  We actually left one behind because they were so filling.  But the espinacas (spinach) may have been our favorite dish.  Again, it had everything - it had some sweetness from the sherry vinegar and the raisins, crunch from the pine nuts and raw apple, and bitterness from the sauteed spinach.  SOOOOOOO perfectly yummy, I feel like I should be able to make it myself, because it's deceptively simple.  But the proportions have to be perfect, so I think I'll just wait until I get back to Jaleo again.  And there's no way I will wait another ten years.  We also stopped at a gelato place on our way back to our respective hotels - I got a combination of cinnamon and caradmom gelatos - really really good together.  Fragrant, rich and a little bit sweet from the cinnamon, it was a perfect ending to a fun evening with a fun friend.

You know, we do a writers conference every other year at my job, and I thought a conference with 70 sessions and 600 attendees was big.  Clearly, I had no idea what I was talking about. The conference I just attended had 12,000 attendees and 550 sessions! It was insanely enormous!  It was hard to decide which sessions to attend, since there were so many happening at the same time.  As a newbie, I made the mistake the first day of going to a session in every time slot, without finding time to eat or regroup.  That made for a really long day, beginning at 9am and especially since the keynote address didn't end until 10:30pm.  But being in rooms with so many passionate smart people was pretty invigorating and I think I learned a lot.  I was so inspired by the keynote speaker, Azar Nafisi - she was charming, delightful and she gave a funny yet rousing and poignant speech.  I've purchased a couple of her books since I got back and am looking forward to reading them. You should Google her, she's amazing.

One of the best sessions I went to was actually a reading of work by trans and gender nonconforming writers.  The three writers - one poet and two essayists - were all terrific. They did the readings of their own work and they were so talented, as both writers and readers.  Each piece was beautifully rendered, all so moving and touching, yet also with humor.  The poem on bathrooms was a rallying call to arms, yet so sad and scary; the short story that basically told a skewed version of the movie Pretty in Pink, with the Molly Ringwald character as trans; and the other short story about a camping trip was also just beautiful and true.  I'm so glad I went to the readings and I wish I had gone to more readings while I was at the conference.  There really is nothing like hearing an author read their own work - the authenticity is always staggering to me.

I bought a lot of books while I was at the conference - not only are there sessions going on, but there is also a bookfair, filled with hundreds of tables of publishers, editors, journals and other programming interesting to writers.  I bought some books at publishers' tables, I got a new Jane Austen mug (score!), and I got some swag for a handsome work pal who loves the Paris Review. One of the sessions I attended the first day was by a not-for-profit called Voice of Witness, which (according to their website) "promotes human rights and dignity by amplifying the voices of people impacted by injustice. Through our oral history book series and education program, we foster a more nuanced, empathy-based understanding of human rights crises."  Their session was amazing and I immediately wanted to buy all of their books, which are anthologies of the transcriptions of the oral histories.  So I kept going back to the bookfair, hoping to find someone from Voice of Witness at their table, but every time I went, the table was empty.  I will definitely be buying some of their books from their website, but it was disappointing not to be able to talk to someone and share how excited their presentation made me.  Oh well. 

From the important to the not-so-important: I also skipped an evening sessions one night so I could have dinner with yet another former co-worker.  He and his wife treated me to an amazing dinner at Convivial.  This was another small plates restaurant, but the food was more of a Mediterranean mashup. We were told by the delightful server that we should order two plates per person, which seemed like a lot of food (and it was - by the time plates five and six came out, we were pretty stuffed), but it was so nice to be able to try so much of their food in one outing. They have an enormous menu, so it took us a few minutes to decide our food direction, but once we decided, we were really happy. We ended up with escargot in a blanket, which were tasty, of course - very garlicky little snails in wonton wrappers; latkes with celery root and cured lamb - AMAZING; leeks dijonnaise, which were deliciously soft and mild and yet tart from the dijon mustard; socca, which from my Italy trip I knew meant chickpea flour pancake, topped with beets, oranges, shaved fennel and green olives - delicious, especially on the crispy socca edges, though I did feel like the beets could've used the tiniest bit more salt; pickled rockfish with watermelon radish, passionfruit, green papaya and avocado - good heavens, this was one of the most delicious blasts of acidic yumminess I've ever had! Wow, is what I kept saying as I was eating this. We also had 'main' courses of grilled durade, fried chicken served 'coq au vin' and braised rabbit with spaetzle, which was my second favorite dish of the night.  But, really, everything was so delicious, as was the sticky toffee pudding and maple ice cream we got for dessert. We didn't need dessert, but hey, when in Rome.  Or D.C.

I had a great time in D.C. - wonderful food, interesting work, fabulous friends who I don't get to see enough of.  I need to make that train trip a more regular stop on my magical tour...

Preview Thoughts on The Glass Menagerie

I know that I have already mentioned, repeatedly, that The Glass Menagerie is one of my very favorite plays.  I adored the last Broadway revival with Cherry Jones (you can remind yourself of that review HERE.).  When I was just looking over that review, there were a few comments that stood out to me after seeing last night's newest revival.  I'll make mention of them below, though these thoughts won't go into too much detail because I saw an early preview - the show doesn't even open for almost a month. Although the script won't be changing, maybe other things will.  So I'll only talk about a few things, and, of course, there will be a robust mention of my seat neighbors, who could've been the worst group of people I've ever been surrounded by in a theater...

I'm a big fan of Sally Field, always have been.  I freely admit that when Norma Rae or Places in the Heart (or Murphy's Romance, for that matter) is on tv, I stop to watch.  I was lucky enough to see her in Albee's The Goat and I thought she was fantastic - I was actually pretty blown away by her.  She did Glass Menagerie at the Kennedy Center soon after that and I could kick myself for not going, everyone I know who saw it said she was wonderful. I'm also a big fan of Joe Mantello - his performance in the revival of The Normal Heart is one of the best I've seen. The fact that he's my age (ish) doesn't bother me at all for the character of Tom - it's stated right up front, at the top of the play, that this is a 'memory play.'  So, as far as I'm concerned, Tom (as the narrator) can be any age, as long as he gets the feel and the language right.  More on that later. I've also been very impressed with Finn Wittrock in the few shows I've seen him.  And, I was thrilled to read that they cast an actress with a disability as Laura.  I thought that would lend some real authenticity to the production.

Concept and staging spoilers are coming, so if you don't want to know how this revival is being presented, you should stop reading now.  You have been warned.

You should also be warned that there is only one line to enter the theater, whether you have your tickets already or not.  So if your tickets are at will-call, maybe arrive an extra couple of minutes early.  They seem quite committed to the 'no latecomers will be admitted/seated' policy.  I was also a little taken aback by the sign in the box office that said this revival is presented without an intermission.  I don't think I've ever seen the play in one act before, but ok. When I got to my TDF seat in the mezzanine, I was a little nervous to see just one cafeteria-style table on the stage, along with a smaller coffee table type thing. The rest of the stage was empty and we can see the blank walls of the back of the theater.  It looked like we were seeing a setup for a table read of the play.  Hmmm.  I just prayed this director wasn't going all Ivo van Hove on me (I think you can probably remember how unhappy I was with the Arthur Miller revivals that van Hove directed last season, though my opinion was the minority). That kind of production is rarely my cup of tea.

I found this photo, unattributed, on the 'net. I will remove if asked.

And, I'm sorry to say that this one wasn't completely my cup of tea either. Although this director did not completely strip Glass Menagerie of all context, there was very little to indicate time or place, which, hello, I think a Tennessee Williams play needs. This play is purposefully set before WWII, at a moment of great upheaval in the world and inside that St. Louis apartment. Having nondescript but contemporary sets and costumes just invites confusion, in my opinion.  Though, if I'm being honest, there were moments that I was completely and totally on board, that the poetry and lyricism in the language needed no adornment and I was thrilled as I so generally am at a production of this play.  So I guess I'm a bit torn about the production as a whole.

Where this play differs from my least-favorite recent van Hove, The Crucible, at least, is that this acting is superb.  All four actors are doing fantastic work.  At the moment, though, they're not necessarily doing it together or at the same time.  In my review for the last revival, I noted "...they are working as a unit and this production seems more an ensemble piece than usual." That is not the case with this current revival.  I'm thinking, though, with more performances under their belt, they will develop more chemistry and more of a cohesive whole.  There were moments of great chemistry and great openness, but it wasn't sustained throughout.  Of course, the strange cuts and transitions probably didn't help.


Joe Mantello is a truly world-weary, filled-with-regret Tom, and he brings wonderful shadings and irony to his line readings.  He had a nice rapport with the Gentleman Caller and you can see a tender rapport building between him and Laura, but it's not quite there yet.  Madison Ferris, as Laura, is making a fantastic Broadway debut.  She has muscular dystrophy and uses a wheelchair or is seated on the floor for most of the play - the ease with which she moves about her space is at odds with the unease of how she sees herself, and she is playing Laura with a clear-eyed strong, though flat, affect, in that she's the only realist in the play.  Tom and Amanda may talk about how Laura lives in her own world, but Laura is the dominant person in her own world and she calls the shots.  It's a different interpretation for me, but I really enjoyed it.  And watching her relax and getting into sync with Finn Wittrock's Gentleman Caller was such a pleasure.  The scene may have been less gentle and poetic, but more bald and stark.  It worked for me.  And Sally Field did not disappoint.  She was a funny, terrified, awful Amanda, all grasping hands and shouting at people as they walked away, but she was also tender and loving towards her children, underneath her fear.  I think that this ensemble will be amazing once they perform more together in front of an audience. And I will say that the affection they showed for each other at the curtain call moved me more than most of the play did.  Sigh.

Oh, but I hope they never have to perform in front of an audience like last night's.  Well, at least like last night's mezzanine audience.  How can I even begin?  The couple in front of me, who had clearly spent their Valentine's Day pre-theater time consuming lots of alcohol, were doing an Abbott and Costello routine for each other pre-show.  He asked her if she had ever seen the play before, she said no, he said it was one of his favorites, it's really funny. Then they proceeded to make out through much of the evening. The couple behind me, when they saw the slip of paper in their program that said there would be no intermission, were outraged that they wouldn't be able to leave at intermission.  So, ugh, this is what they did instead.  During the dinner with the Gentleman Caller, when the lights go out because Tom didn't pay the electric bill, the lights go out everywhere in the theater, too. While the characters were looking for matches for the candles on the table, for some reason, this couple (they were in the last row of the mezzanine) decided it would be the perfect time to get up and leave.  In the pitch black darkness.  And, I kid you not, one of them fell off the little step ledge into the aisle and the other fell over the back of the mezzanine railing!  There were yelps and thuds and the area around me was all abuzz with noise.  I guess the disturbance wasn't loud enough to reach the stage, but I still wondered if they would stop the show while all the racket was going on.  No. We all just missed the beginning of the Laura/Gentleman Caller scene.  Grrr.  Then, near the end of the show, during the quiet when Laura and Amanda are sobbing after Tom's exit, then Tom comes back in for his last, rueful monologue, someone's medical alert beeping kept going off. BEEP BEEP.  Then quiet.  Then Siri's voice saying, "I didn't get that."  Then people yelling at them to turn off their f*cking phone.  Then the people responding 'it's a medical alert!' Then BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP.  And I didn't really get to hear "blow out your candles, Laura," which really just ticks me off.

So maybe the horrible audience didn't help with my overall enjoyment of the play.  Maybe I would've liked it more if I were closer, since the play relies on the dialogue more heavily than usual.  I don't know, maybe I'll go back, which sounds stupid after my complaints. But I would like to hear the last lines, for pete's sake, and to see how the cast coalesces and I'd be really interested in getting closer to that different interpretation of Laura and seeing how it really works.  I'm so happy the producers gave such a wonderful opportunity to an actress who might not normally have it.  I'll be interested in hearing other's opinions as previews continue...

Winter Restaurant Week 2017 - lunch #3

I'm a bit behind on the blogging, sorry.  I had to go out of town for a work event, and was swamped before I left, so I didn't have to time to blog before this.  I'll try to catch up with things over the next few days (I also saw a couple of shows recently and had two wonderful meals in D.C.)...

I happily squeezed in one more Restaurant Week lunch before heading out of town and I happily combined it with a happy birthday lunch for a handsome work pal.  Lots of happiness abounded.  I wanted to make sure the place I chose would make my handsome work pal happy, so I went with the old tried and true steakhouse.  But I chose a new, upscale steakhouse, to satisfy us both.

from Charlie Palmer Steak's website

After going to Aureole last year, I've been on the email list of all of Charlie Palmer's restaurants. He opened a new one, Charlie Palmer Steak, a while ago, but they just moved to the Archer Hotel on 38th Street two weeks ago.  I thought it would be a good choice for a birthday lunch. Our booth was rather close to the entrance, and in a corner; I did wish we were a little further inside because I couldn't really get a good look at the interior decor from where we were seated, but when I poked my head around the wall, everything looked modern and sleek, with strong navy colors and mirrors.  I would see a little bit of the exposed kitchen later...

Our server was a charming fellow and gave us a rundown of the dishes.  For the first course, I chose the braised short rib with a red wine reduction and parmigiano-reggiano cheese.  They make the pasta in-house and it is DELICIOUS! The pasta was dense and chewy, in a good way, and the short rib filling was so tender and meaty, it was terrific.  I also loved the deep flavor in the red wine reduction - it clearly had been reduced for quite a while because it was quite thick and potent.  It was a wonderful first course and I even had enough to share.

For my entree, I had a hard time choosing between the chicken and the fish, because both dishes sounded incredible, but our server told me the chicken is one of Chef Palmer's specialties, so I chose that.  I also was quite keen to try the polenta side dish.  So the dish is called truffled chicken, and it was served on top of the creamy polenta, with a mushroom fricassee, and surrounded by chicken jus.  Oh good golly, it was delicious.  The chicken was prepared first via sous vide (cooked in a water vacuum thing that always looks cool on Top Chef), and then sauteed to get deliciously crispy skin on top.  The chicken underneath that crispy skin was so tender and juicy, it was great.  I didn't get a lot of truffle flavor, which was ok by me.  A little truffle goes a long way.  The polenta was so rich and creamy, with maybe a hint of cheese?  SO yummy and contrasted beautifully with the chicken.  The mushroom fricassee was a terrific contrast as well.  It had a very dark, rich, meaty quality, and just a tad crispy, to offset the soft polenta.  This was really a great dish and I can see why it's one of Chef Palmer's signature dishes.

The server came out to chat with us during the main course and I mentioned it was my handsome work pal's birthday, because, hey, you never know.  Our server also mumbled something about the chef being in the kitchen today and everyone was on their best behavior.  I said, 'hello, wait, did you say CHEF PALMER IS IN THE KITCHEN RIGHT NOW?!?!' I admit it, I go fangirl crazy over great chefs.  So our server pretended to give me a tour of the dining room, said 'look at how nice our kitchen is and...oh, wow, is that the chef? Hey, meet the chef!'  Chef Palmer was very nice, shook my hand, asked me about my meal and other restaurants where I've enjoyed Restaurant Week.  I don't think I acted too crazy, but who knows?  It was a real treat, though, at least for me.  My handsome work pal was maybe the tiniest bit embarrassed.  :)

For dessert, I got the cheesecake "pudding" because I thought it sounded yummy and I also ordered it because my handsome work pal got the other dessert offering.  It's always nice to share the wealth.  Our very nice server also brought another special birthday dessert for my work pal, complete with candle and chocolate-sauce-scripted-happy-birthday.  It was very sweet of them to do.  Our desserts were both very good and I think if graham cracker crumbs were on top of anything, I'd eat it.

All in all, it was a terrific meal and I would be happy to go back and try more food at Charlie Palmer Steak.  I think my dad would like it - the food is tasty and the restaurant space isn't pretentious at all.  Thumbs up from me.  I already miss Restaurant Week and can't wait until the summer version comes my way...

Winter Restaurant Week 2017 - lunch #2

When reading through the list of new restaurants offering specials for Restaurant Week, I was thrilled to see that Chef Jose Garces' new restaurant downtown, Amada, was included.  I adore Chef Garces' Chicago restaurant Mercat a la Planxa, of which there are several reviews on my blog.  I was alerted to his new restaurant in Battery Park City last summer, but hadn't been able to get there yet.  Happily, yesterday was the day (and for Restaurant Week, yet)!

My boss also loved eating at Mercat, so I invited him to tag along to Amada.  It's a bit of a trek to get there, much further downtown and further west than I was expecting, but once we got there, all was well.  It's a lovely spot, very airy and warm, with a nice amount of banquettes and tables that make you feel cozy but not cramped.  We had an end booth, so there was extra space for coats and my handbag; that was nice.  The ceilings are very high, but the sound has a good hum, instead of a loud bounce.  And there was very pleasant Spanish guitar music playing in the background.  The ambiance was terrific.

The Restaurant Week menu is great - there are so many choices, it was hard to decide!  I couldn't decide if I wanted to go all-protein, or add salads, or just stick with grilled things.  Finally, since a tapas meal is served to share, my boss and I just chose different things that we could share and get to experience more of the menu.  For my appetizer, I got the tortilla espanol, which is one of my favorite things, an egg and potato omelet. Yum.  It was served with a delicious saffron aioli.  It wasn't my boss' favorite dish, but that was ok, I got more!  My boss chose the jamon croquetas for his appetizer.  Boy, were they good!  They were small, but stuffed full of ham and cheese, and served on top of an amazing romesco sauce.  SO good.

We could each choose TWO second course plates, which was like hitting the jackpot!  I picked the hangar steak a la planxa, served medium with a wonderful chimichurri sauce, and the garlic shrimp, served with toast points.  Extremely yummy, though I confess to liking the beef more than the shrimp.  My boss chose the chorizo a la planxa and a short rib dish, served on flatbread with horseradish, parmesan, and bacon jam. Jeepers, that was AMAZING.  Talk about having every taste sensation on one plate! Delicious.  The chorizo was good, too, charred and rich, but paled next to the short ribs.  I couldn't finish all my food because I wanted to save room for dessert, but boy was it all wonderful.

When we were ordering dessert, since there were only two dessert choices, we knew we would just each get a different one and share.  My boss wanted 'his' dessert to be the tocinillo de cielo, a heavenly something-or-other with egg cream, vanilla cake, orange meringue, and pistachio, and he wanted 'my' dessert to be the tarta de chocolata, a chocolate tart with cocoa sablée, coffee and chocolate cream.  They arrived, beautifully presented in small glass cups, but after my boss tried his tocinillo, he wanted to switch. He didn't enjoy the consistency of the orange meringue, whereas I found it incredible.  I was happy to switch. The bite I had of the chocolate tart was also yummy, but the tocinillo was, to me, perfection after that lunch.  The egg cream was rich, the vanilla cake wasn't too sweet and it got a little bit soft sitting in the custard, and the orange meringue was just one of the most delicious things ever, a little bit sweet and a little bit sour and the tiniest bit bitter from the orange rind shavings on top.  I loved it.

So thumbs way WAY up on Amada.  I totally want to go back - the food there is so good and the service so pleasant that it would be worth the cost to go even when it's not Restaurant Week.  Don't get me wrong, I was happy to pay a discounted price for that delicious meal, but it's worth way more.  Maybe for my birthday?  Hmmm.  And I think I may take my mom the next time she's in town...  Two more Restaurant Week visits for this go-round and I'm so looking forward to them both! I also have a couple of shows coming up, plus a trip to D.C. on the horizon, so you'll be hearing more from me soon.  :)

Winter Restaurant Week 2017 - lunch #1

Heck, yeah, I'm excited for Restaurant Week to be back!  Time to try new restaurants! Eat three courses!  Make new friends!  Oh, well, I'm not so sure about the new friends part.  I did have a nice conversation with the bartender/host/waiter at yesterday's restaurant, though. Maybe we're friends now...

In the interest of trying different cuisines, I picked an Austrian restaurant for my first lunch:  Freud.  Plus, hello, who doesn't need a little Freud in their life right about now? The world is turned upside down and maybe a little psychotherapy is just the ticket. Along with some lingonberries.  I went down to the Village, just north of Soho, to try Freud and their Restaurant Week lunch menu.

The restaurant is very pleasant - spare in design, with nice wood and a lovely chrome bar. It wasn't full, so I had my pick of tables.  I chose a cozy two-top; when I looked up, I saw a huge mural that looked like something out of dream therapy!  I don't know if it was supposed to be flowers, or abstract, or what, but it was vaguely unsettling and lovely at the same time.  I'll put a photo of it below and you decide.

For my first course, I chose the curried butternut squash soup.  It also had fresno chilies in it, I think, along with a tasty brown butter crouton on top.  I thought the soup was delicious, though by the end, it was a little spicy for me. But the curry and the squash were so warming and delicious, they paired together beautifully.  At first I thought the bowl was perhaps a little, uh, petite, but the soup was very rich and creamy, and not heavy in the least.  It was a very nice starter.

I went back and forth over what I wanted for my main course.  I couldn't decide between the spaetzle and the wiener schnitzel.  I've wanted to try both at other restaurants, but haven't yet.  I finally settled on the wiener schnitzel.  It was the lingonberries that sealed the deal. The schnitzel itself was enormous, with a very yummy and well-seasoned breading.  It also came with a cucumber/yogurt salad, potato salad, some mixed greens and the lingonberries.  It was an extremely filling, and tasty lunch, hitting all the sweet/sour/salty/bitter notes.

Dessert had two choices, tiramisu or apple strudel.  Obviously, I was not going to order tiramisu at an Austrian restaurant. They have sacher torte on their regular menu, so I was a bit disappointed not to be able to try that, but the apple strudel was quite tasty.  The puff pasty maybe was a tad well-done on the bottom, but the apple filling was delicious, not too sweet and nicely studded with cinnamon and raisins.  It came on top of a lovely vanilla sauce and alongside some fresh whipped cream.  I was pretty full by this time, though, so I didn't really finish.  Well, I didn't finish the strudel.  I did finish the whipped cream.  I am a whipped cream fan from way back.

I enjoyed my lunch at Freud - it's not really a workday lunch place, though.  They weren't in any hurry, which was nice, but I was there quite a while.  I got a lot of reading done. I'm fortunate that I can take a lengthy lunch break and not get in too much trouble at work over it.  I guess they figure it's only a few times a year; when it's NOT Restaurant Week, I generally eat at my desk, which isn't good for you either.  But I would definitely go back to Freud and would love to try some of the dishes on their regular menu, especially the spaetzle and the sacher torte.  I'm really looking forward to my upcoming restaurant adventures - stay tuned!

from Freud's website

Review - Jitney

Trying to pay off my remaining debts from my Italian adventure, I'm a little behind in my theatergoing for this year. I'm going to be picking up the pace soon - I did see a show last week (which I may chat about in an upcoming review of another show, so stay tuned) and Restaurant Week has started, and I have a couple of reservations to try new spots.  But last night, I was thrilled to get to see the Broadway debut of August Wilson's Jitney.  You'll have to forgive this review, though, I'm a little out of practice...

Jitney is the last of Wilson's plays from his 'Century Cycle' to be presented on Broadway. Strangely enough, it was the first play he wrote in the cycle.  When Wilson passed away in 2005, I had to write a small piece about him for a work event, so I made sure to read all of his plays before writing it.  I adored reading Jitney and have been waiting all this time to see it (I've seen all the other plays in the cycle). I'm happy to say it was well worth the wait.

I believe I've mentioned many times before that I love August Wilson's plays.  I love the language and the magic.  I love the specificity of the characters, yet the universality of the humanity.  I love the low-down humor and the high-brow Shakespearean monologues. I love it all and I can't believe I've had to wait since 2013 to see one of his plays (the production of The Piano Lesson at the Signature Theater that year was one of my theatrical highlights). Revivals of August Wilson plays should be as frequent as revivals of Shakespeare or Arthur Miller, in my humble opinion.  I just can't get enough.

photo credit: Sara Krulwich

Although I'm basically a plot girl, I loved watching Jitney unfold. There is a plot, of course, but it's not really the driving force of the play.  The characters and their relationships are what is special. After only a couple of minutes, I felt like I knew all of these characters and I could've spent all day and all night with them, hearing their stories, and watching their interactions with each other.  The delight the characters took in each other (or the antagonism) was fantastic, as was the delight the actors took in each other. There was a palpable chemistry, and a crackling energy, to the entire cast which extended even into the curtain call.  It was quite lovely.

photo credit: Joan Marcus

Jitney takes place in a storefront car service company in a rundown Pittsburgh neighborhood.  Each of the employees/drivers come in and out of the shop with stories to tell and unique lives to live. The actors are all perfectly cast, and give such full and rich performances, it is amazing. There was the neighborhood gossip, who was funny and witty, but who had a mean and desperate streak underneath; the young Vietnam vet who is obviously hiding something, but what he's hiding is not what anyone expects; the bon vivant who runs numbers from the storefront's phone; the old-timer who just can't get himself out of the bottle; and the car service's head man, a retired mill worker who is the glue of the community.  Ratched-up dramatic tension is presented when his son is released from prison after serving a 20-year sentence for murder.

photo credit: Joan Marcus

There were layers upon layers upon layers of storytelling in the characters' dialogue - there weren't a lot of the majestic monologues that Wilson's plays are known for, but the ones that were in Jitney were stupendous. First among equals were the speeches in the scene between the father and son at the end of the first act - the father never visited the son during his 20 years in prison and the son has come back for reconciliation and remembrance.  How they each handle the reunion is truly breathtaking and heartbreaking.  John Douglas Thompson and Brandon J. Dirden were spectacular.  They were even more tragic in their following scene. Needless to say, I was a sobbing mess by the end of the play.

I also laughed.  A LOT.  The young woman's monologue about buying a house was hysterical, and the neighborhood gossip, Turnbo, was a riot when he wasn't scaring me. And we only see the hotel doorman, Philmore, a couple of times, but my goodness, was he funny and sad all at the same time.  The whole play was funny and sad all at the same time.  Just like life.  That's what I love about August Wilson's plays - no matter how fantastical they can sometimes be, they're just like life.  No person is just one thing, and no decision has just one outcome.  I feel like I'm eavesdropping on fascinating lives, and real people, when I'm watching his plays come to life, and I love that.  I cried at the end of the play for the characters and also for the fact that I don't get to live in his worlds often enough.  That really has to change.  Not only are the plays superior drama, but they're also so timely right now.  Jitney takes place in the 1970s, but much of what the characters are going through is what African-Americans are going through now.  Still. Again.  We need our artists to tell these stories now and there's no one better at telling the stories than August Wilson.  Even if he isn't here, his words and love for humanity still is, inside his plays.  Please, everyone, go see Jitney.  It's fantastic, plus, we need to show producers that we want, we NEED, to see August Wilson's 'Century Cycle'!  Right?!  

Happy New Year!

Hello, internet friends, happy 2017!  I hope everyone's holiday was a safe, happy and warm one.  Mine had its ups and downs, but being with family (well, most of them) is always a treat.  I don't have much planned for the near future, though Restaurant Week is just around the corner and I do have tickets to a couple of shows starting in early February.  But I did kick my year off with a bang last weekend - I headed out to the Barclays Center in Brooklyn for some tennis!

I hadn't been planning to get tickets to the PowerShares QQQ Cup, but when a steep discount (thanks to my USTA membership) came my way at about the same time as my delightful year-end bonus, I decided 'what the heck'! I've never been to the Barclays Center before and I've never seen a tournament on the seniors tennis tour before, either. I was especially keen to see John McEnroe and Jim Courier play, both of whom were favorites of mine but I never got to see them play at the US Open.  So, all signs pointed to a good time.


Of course, knowing my luck, I wasn't surprised to see that the first blizzard of 2017 was happening on the day of the tournament.  I didn't really want to go out into the blizzard, especially since I haven't gotten my nice snow boots repaired yet, but I also didn't want to miss the tennis.  Then I remembered that the subway stop is just across from the Barclays Center entrance (I'd noticed it before when going to BAM), so how bad could the commute be?  Well, not bad at all, I'm happy to say!  It did take me an hour to get there, but at least there were no weather delays and the entrance to the arena was well-lit and pretty snow-free.  I exited a block away from the arena instead of across from the entrance, but it wasn't so bad. After an hour on the subway, it was good to stretch my legs for a minute.

There was practically no line at the security entrance, and very few people in the arena itself.  I had done a little research on the concessions at the Barclays Center and was disappointed to see that most of them were closed.  I did finally find one open stand and it was busy-ish, but not too bad.  I picked up a bottle of water and some bagel chips and went to find my seat.  Which was SO close, I was shocked!  The arena is much smaller than I expected - none of the seats were very far from the court.  But I loved being so close.  The arena was about half-empty, I'm sorry to say, and it was hard to get much excitement going with so much dead air, but the crowd certainly perked up for the second match.

The first 'semifinal' was between James Blake and Andy Roddick. You may remember I wasn't a huge fan of Roddick's during his career, but I do admire how he's handled his life post-tennis.  I was, however, a huge fan of Blake's.  I always enjoyed watching him play, and I think he's a great ambassador for sport.  His habit of hurridly fitting in 400 words a sentence, when maybe ten words would suffice, always makes me giggle.  I have to admit to feeling a little depressed that these two guys, playing on the 'seniors' tour, are young enough to be my son.  Sigh.  Moving on.

It was a pretty well-played set, with still potent serving from Roddick and still-powerful forehands from Blake.  Blake moved to the net more during this set than he did during his entire career, I think.  If he had been as willing to move forward when he was playing, he might've done more damage.  Maybe.  Anyway, the match was pretty even, with some really good rallies, but Blake unexpectedly broke Roddick's serve in the final game and won the set. The crowd liked that, since Blake is a New Yorker, and they appreciated the effort of both guys.

After the first set, there was a contest for regular joes to try to return Roddick's serve. That was pretty funny.  I'm sure these guys all thought, I bet I can do it! And they all completely whiffed.  Ah, guys. After that little bit of entertainment, then the second 'semifinal' got underway - Jim Courier v John McEnroe.  Of course McEnroe was the heavy crowd favorite, being a big NY icon and also just a colorful character. McEnroe was on fire during this match, Courier kept getting frustrated and at one point dropped his racket and screamed 'what is going on?!'  McEnroe just wasn't missing a thing and he served great.  He still has such quick reflexes and soft hands at the net, his volleys were gorgeous.  I kept trying to capture them in a photo, but never really did.  But I was just captivated by his elegance on the court.

The crowd was thrilled that McEnroe held on to win his match against Courier and would play Blake in the final deciding set.  Now, even though the crowd was sparse, there was some noise happening.  I'm guessing that all the beer that some of the crowd consumed had a little something to do with it, too.

The final match was also good, with some terrific rallies, but Blake was just that.much.better (and younger, but, hey).  He had one return, I think on break point, that was amazing!  Even McEnroe had to clap.  McEnroe may have been the slightest bit tired by the end, but he acquitted himself well against a much younger guy.

Even with the sparse crowds and the lack of concessions, I had a grand time at the event and I'm ever so glad I decided to brave the weather and go.  I would totally go to another event at the Barclays Center again, since the size is really perfect, and I'd love to see another seniors tour tennis event, too!  My new year is off to a great start - let's keep it going!