Garden 2012 Week 3.
Another week, another garden update! We didn’t plant anything new this weekend, but we are keeping a sharp eye on the newly emerging seedlings to make sure the recent cold dip didn’t do too much damage. The reddish tint on some of the blueberry leaves and flowers you can see in the third photo may be a sign of a little cold damage. Luckily, most of the plant seems fine.
Some action shots this week: (1) a sugar snap pea coming in strong next to its waiting trellis, (2) lettuce seedlings getting thick (soon I will have to think about thinning them), and (3) Isaac hand-pollinating some of the blueberry flowers with a paintbrush. We don’t get very many honeybees or other pollinators on the roof, and the blueberries have been low-yielding the past couple of years because of it. Last year we tried hand-pollinating some flowers, and all of those turned into berries. This year we’re going to try to cover them all!
“Your nose is . . . very big.”
“Cyrano de Bergerac” by a French playwright called Edmond Rostand is the classic love triangle story. You may already be familiar with it, or you might have seen the Steve Martin movie based on the play, “Roxanne.” In brief, the story’s namesake is a brilliant swordsman and poet, who would be every woman’s ideal man…except for his giant schnoz. He agrees to help his tongue-tied-though-handsome friend win over the heart of a beautiful woman whom in fact they both love, and comedy and tragedy ensue. The Arden Theatre Company in Old City Philadelphia recently put on a re-translated and re-adapted production of the play, and I was really excited to see it with my great friend Vera.
The new version has been updated in some ways, and has stayed true to the original in others. The language and tone has been updated to appeal to modern audiences, but the story stays true to the original sequence of events (rather than the Hollywood ending in “Roxanne”). I thought the actor playing Cyrano had a certain Robert Downey Jr-esque quality about him that was perfect for the role (and made me start wondering if they’ll think of that for a remake in between Sherlock Holmes movies). The cutting, witty repartee was matched by elegant and swift swordfighting choreography. The crowd was a bit obtuse, though, not quite getting the play (I even heard one woman behind me saying “they just don’t shut UP, do they?” during a slightly longer monologue of Cyrano’s), so I hope the cast didn’t get too bummed about the low energy levels because I thought they totally rocked it.
Before the play, Vera and I went to Serrano for dinner, which is only 2 blocks from the theatre. (It took me far too long to notice the lyrical sympathy between the name of the play and the name of the restaurant!) The food was tasty but perhaps slightly small-ish portions. It is a reasonable option for vegetarians, allowing you to substitute tuna steaks for many of their dish and meat preparations. They also have a large set of vegetarian appetizers you can order for a meze platter. The bar menu was impressive, and apparently they have late-night live music in the club upstairs, called Tin Angel, that they also own. A big bonus I didn’t know about in advance was that you can get 10% off your bill if you are heading to the Arden that evening, which our server totally hooked up for us. All in all, a great night!
Garden 2012 Week 2.
Here is another snapshot of some of the beautiful plants we already have growing this spring: (1) the purity candytuft is filling out nicely, (2) lettuce seedlings just pushing up through the soil, (3) and (4) blueberry flowers popping out of buds everywhere. We planted a small planting last weekend, just some lettuce, spinach, and sugar snap peas. These are all cool-weather veggies which should do ok even if we get more chilly weather–we’ve been so lucky with warm weather so far that I wanted to get a good start in case it got too warm for some of these plants too soon. Maybe we’ll be lucky and have an extended growing season this year. The longer it takes to get hot, the better our poor plants will like it, as they really have no shade up on the deck and tend to get pretty well baked. I had wanted to also plant bok choi seeds last weekend (also cool-weather plants), but I was all out! I’ll stick them in the shade of some bigger plants later and it should be ok for them.
A Play, a Pie and a Pint at the Society Hill Playhouse by Tiny Dynamite Productions: Restaurant Shorts.
As I mentioned in my earlier post about the first “A Play, a Pie, and a Pint” show we went to, the series ran through March and centered on the concept of having a beer and a slice of pizza while watching a one-act play.
The next show we caught was called “Restaurant Shorts.” In a series of short plays, this show topped that by having 5 individual plays within the one-act time slot. I would call each play more like a little vignette than anything else. A small cast of 3 played the parts in all of the 5 shows, and seamlessly transitioned from one character to the next. I though the “Sure Thing” play was very cleverly done: the concept was a man and woman first meeting and making small talk; as one or the other said anything that might be a warning sign or dealbreaker, the maître d’ tapped a bell and they would rewind a few sentences and try again. It was fast-paced and very funny.
The “Serial Bride” was also a stand-out for me, involving a woman on stage describing her perfect upcoming wedding and hinting as to how she may or may not have coerced people into making sure she got all the trappings she wanted for her special day. For example, she described how she couldn’t wait for her copy of the wedding dress Princess Diana wore to arrive, and how she hoped the designer’s child, who happened to be missing, would be found soon (like, maybe, as soon as the priceless dress was delivered to her). In today’s wedding-crazed world, this play somehow seemed to slyly and neatly tap into the underlying sinister side to all the hype about “having your perfect day.”
I have to say the last piece “The Philadelphia,” wasn’t that much of a hit with me, since it spent most of its time sideways-badmouthing Philadelphia (“You never ask for what you want in a Philadelphia, you’ll never get it!”). But the other two were nice enough, and really, the two I described would have been enough for me to give the show four stars. In general, we absolutely loved the concept of “A Play, a Pie, and a Pint” and thoroughly enjoyed the shows we saw. I can’t wait for next year’s season!
A Play, a Pie and a Pint at the Society Hill Playhouse by Tiny Dynamite Productions: Being Norwegian.
My former coworker put me in-the-know about a delightful series of one-act plays put on by Tiny Dynamite Productions in Philadelphia called “A Play, A Pie, and a Pint.” The name brought to my mind visions of old-fashioned British-style pubs and the ever-present pot pie (actually delicious), but it turns out “pie” in this case refers to pizza pie (and, well, just one slice). Still, for the very affordable price of $15 per ticket, you get that slice of pizza, a bottle of beer or soda of your choice, and the play itself; it certainly seemed like a clever concept and unusual experience. We made it to two of the four shows they ran, one for each week in March, and loved them both.
The first one was called “Being Norwegian,” and was written by playwright David Greig. The entire play took place in the apartment of a single guy who had just brought a woman back to his apartment for the first time in quite some time. The woman’s claim that she is Norwegian and how it impacts her daily life or sets her apart from those around her is the source of the title of the play. The two people are at first just as awkward and hesitant as any two people might be in such a situation, but as the scene plays out, it becomes apparent that both people are terribly alone, carrying their own baggage and looking to trade with someone else for a while. I found the scene in which the woman briefly breaks down to be intensely realistic, and the whole play really resonated with me. Not necessarily because I have experienced what they experienced, but the notion of two lost souls reaching out to each other across the sometimes darkness of human existence struck a chord for me. Very compelling acting and dialogue!
We ended the night with a meal at “Vedge,” a recently-opened vegan restaurant not too far from the playhouse. The couple who owns this restaurant had run another one that Isaac and I missed out on ever getting to try, but the food at Vedge was extremely good. We didn’t even realize it was vegan until dessert, when I asked for skim milk in my cappuccino and the server told me they only had soy milk. Be warned, though: the portions are quite small, so be prepared to spend a little extra and order more than you think you’ll want!
William Shatner live at the Kimmel Center!
How do I even begin to write this post? Nothing I can say will be as awesome as it was to be at this event: I had the amazing opportunity (along with a couple hundred other people) to see William Shatner‘s one-man show, “Shatner’s World,” when he came through Philadelphia. The Merriam Theatre (at the Kimmel Center) is a large venue; I was up in the highest balcony, but with Shatner being so much larger than life in his usual way, it was not too much of a hindrance for me to enjoy this show. The show was a 2-hour monologue (by the great Bill Shatner) in which he tells the story of his life and acting career, mostly from the beginning to the present-day, but with some bouncing around to tie themes together from different periods of his life. At times different images or videos projects onto the screen behind him, and at times he used the on-stage rolling chair to ride around or simulate laying back in bed contemplating life. His delivery was in the usual Shatner style: enthusiastic, bellicose, animated, and witty, with his signature halting pauses. He tells much in the show not so much by the saying as by the demonstrating. He apparently wrote the show himself, and it comes across as a sort of stream-of-consciousness approach to retelling a life by focusing on the turning points and critical memories as pivots for how he developed as an actor, a father, a husband, a philanthropist (according to him, we should all be environmentalists before it’s too late), and a human. Highlights for me included the mental image of a young(er) Shatner chasing a rat out of his RV in pajamas while trying not to wake his 3 young daughters, and the stories of how his first and second albums got made, plus the show ending with Shatner doing a rendition of the track “Real” from his 2004 album “Has Been“. Thanks, Bill, for the memories, the inspiration, and now, the inside look!
Ticket stub for William Shatner's World in Philadelphia.
Spring in the air and buds on the vine.
Spring has officially sprung, and to prove it, here are the first signs of life we saw when we finally emerged from our winter cocoon and braved the roof deck: (1) a number of our perennials warming up, clockwise from top center: purity candytuft, chives, dwarf coreopsis, and mint (partially obscured); (2) slightly blurry pic of the mega-bud-loaded blueberry bush; and (3) a close-up of the candytuft facing the sun. I am so ready for spring and so excited for this year’s garden!
Mütter Museum in Philadelphia.
Perhaps a funny way to celebrate our 7-year anniversary (of dating), but Isaac and I headed over to the infamous Mütter Museum in Philadelphia for the afternoon to check out all the medical oddities that The College of Physicians of Philadelphia have been collecting since Dr. Mütter himself donated his own collection in 1858. We had heard about the place from a few out-of-town friends; apparently, after the Liberty Bell and cheesesteaks, it ranks right up there as a top Philadelphia tourist attraction. I don’t think either of us were completely wowed by the museum, as it was rather small and cramped, with items packed into glass display cases which hordes of people were crowding around to get a glimpse. Perhaps Saturday afternoon is a busy time to go, but neither of us love crowds and it was a bit too dense for our tastes. Another disappointment of the museum was how many of the items were made of wax. I can appreciate the need for medical models that doctors can study and get close to (versus organs permanently sealed in jars of formaldehyde), but I was expecting to see more actual specimens. In general, it was, not too surprisingly, a gross-out fest, with even wax items looking fairly lifelike and gruesome. The coolest things in my opinion were the skeletons showing off dysmorphia, such as gigantism, dwarfism, and scioliosis.
We topped off the day (after a slight stop-off at Capogiro for an affogato and a gelato to settle our respective stomaches), with a visit to Circles Thai restaurant (BYOB) in South Philadelphia. The place was fairly unassuming: a small tiled space, formerly a café, with small wooden tables and chairs, down a small residential street off Broad Street. We ventured out of our normal milieu to get to this place because it boasted a “tempeh satay” appetizer, and vegetarian satay is not something you commonly see, but the peanut sauce is delicious. We loved everything we ordered and I really do want to go back. The last interesting note is that I believe Circles began as a Thai take-out place, which location is just across the narrow alley, and looks a marked amount shadier than the restaurant. As we sat near a side door, we realized that the servers were bringing dishes, covered for protection against the chilly air, from the neighboring shop, as the restaurant location itself has no kitchen. Certainly an unexpectedly circuitous arrangement, but don’t let that stop you from trying it out! We had a very lovely anniversary dinner there after all.
“If that’s the future, you can have it.”
I don’t usually post about movies I’ve seen but this had to be an exception. I saw “The Artist” at the neighborhood Charles Theatre in Baltimore, MD, and absolutely loved it. Though it won Best Picture for 2011 (and about a million other Oscars), I know people have critiqued it for being a bit clichéd, what with the un-original focus on the transition from silent films to talkies in the late 1920s to early 1930s, and a bit overwrought, what with the at-time fantastical storyline. I thought it was a wonderful breath of fresh air after all the overproduced, big-budget action flicks or low-brow humor movies that have seemed to dominate the box office for the last, oh, couple of decades. The actors being relatively unknown (until now!) helped with my feeling of immersion, as these seemed like just regular people in another world, and their expressiveness and emotive acting, necessitated by the form but by no means overdone, really affected me. I found myself near tears when (spoiler alert: mouse over this text to see it). In all, I thought it was a sweet, emotional, romantic movie with a nostalgic feel and would highly recommend it for a rainy afternoon with a nice glass of wine and some tissues!
Ticket stub for The Artist from the Charles Theatre in Baltimore.
The Mousetrap at the Walnut Street Theatre.
Last weekend Isaac and I went to see Agatha Christie‘s famous murder-mystery play, “The Mousetrap“, at Philly’s Walnut Street Theatre. The play holds the record for being the longest-running play ever, having been continuously playing since 1952 in London. I actually saw it with a friend in 2000 while visiting London and was excited to hear it was being staged in Philadelphia. The Walnut Street Theatre is an intimate setting and we enjoyed our seats in the last row of the orchestra section. Set in a guest house or inn in the English countryside that has been snowed in by a huge storm, the play is a comedy / mystery and keeps you guessing up until the end as to who may be the killer. I thought the set design was beautiful and the actors did a great job portraying the unusual cast of characters, each of whom has their own unique foibles and mystique. My only complaint was that the action seemed to drag at times due to how this production handled the long-ish monologues or dialogues between a couple characters while others were elsewhere. I didn’t recall any moments like that in the London production, but it could have been a matter of time making those scenes fade in my memory.
In general, I thoroughly enjoyed the play. It’s quite a fun, quirky play, and at the end of it, the audience is asked to keep the identity of the murderer a secret for future audiences. But if you’re ever going to see it, don’t look the play up on Wikipedia, as that article definitely lists the identity of the murderer!
A note for those who may be interested: the Walnut Street Theatre tickets are normally about $60-80 per person, but they have $35 tickets available for the same day to help them sell the remaining seats (see the details here). Isaac and I took advantage of this deal for this show and it was well worth it!
