|
|
Special to the Alexandria Times
Jordan Wright
November 14, 2010
 Nancy Robinette and Sherri L. Edelen in Walter Cronkite is Dead.Photo credit Scott Suchman. Maggy and Patty don’t like each other very much. They are cut from different cloth. Maggy, played by two-time Helen Hayes award-winner Nancy Robinette, is a tight-lipped, broad-hipped disdainful pedant, whose society roots provide fodder for Patty’s rural Christian-based Tennessee-bred political notions. The setting is the stained glass windows and soft yellow color of the Cesar Pelli-designed National Airport in Washington DC, where our disparate travelers meet when their respective flights have been weather delayed. They share a table and gut-spilling conversation. Patty is hostile to Maggy’s elitism and Maggy to Patty’s boorishness, until they let down their hair after some mutual tippling. Patty bashes the actress, Maggie Smith as being too high-falutin’. Maggy could be Maggie Smith herself.
The wine-swilling Maggy mourns the end of pre-Walter Cronkite days when people dressed properly for dinner and the theatre in gloves and gowns, while the feisty motormouth Patty, played with rat-a-tat timing by Sherri Edelen, bemoans her daughter’s alienation. Country wise Patty is an over-explainer…too much information for the staid Maggy…until they swap the anxieties, failures and neuroses that construct their personal lives and discover that they are not all that dissimilar. Scratch beneath the surface of a middle-aged woman, playwright Joe Calarco seems to say, and you’ll find a lonely, frightened, frustrated widow… in this case two of them.
”Walter Cronkite is Dead” made me nostalgic for the brilliant writing and acting in the old TV sitcom “The Golden Girls”, with its weekly life lessons in men, children, politics, and sex-after-50 as seen through the eyes of Bea Arthur, Betty White, Rue McLanahan and Estelle Getty. And though there are no more seasoned actors than Edelen and Robinette, the comedy here feels strained, as their characters in turn point out each other’s faults and pat each other on the back in dizzying fashion.
Calarco uses a quote from Walter Cronkite to explore the political landscape in his play, “In seeking truth you have to get both sides,” Cronkite sagely said. Yet Calarco pokes and probes our oversimplified media-defined profiles of Red and Blue States and comes up empty-handed. He seems to ask, “Are they really opposites or merely frustrated voters with a different message?” In this play the lines become blurred as the cold hard assumptions Patty and Maggy make about each other are merely glossed over through sympathy or pity.
There is self-examination, as when Maggy’s long-repressed spirit emerges, “I want some chaos in my life,” she pleads. “My borders need to change!” And Patty shows self-determination as she travels without her grown daughter for the first time. But the comedic relief comes with a bittersweet price in this existential exercise being promoted as a comedy.
You may note as I did that Calarco has managed to get his play written, produced, cast, directed, staged, slotted for an opening, and promoted in a major venue in a little over a year since Walter Cronkite passed away. Was he prescient or is it that easy to write and mount these days? Very encouraging for up and coming playwrights! In any case the production is a tribute to his ability and notoriety and that of the two cast members for whom he specifically wrote this piece.
Special to the Georgetowner and Downtowner
Jordan Wright
November 2010
Little Morso’s Turkish Delights
 Sleek, chic little Morso - photo by Jordan Wright Morso is a tiny jewel box of a restaurant. Its hip modern décor is sleek, its bar, cozy and chic, its cuisine scrumptious, its prices gentle. A parking lot is right across the street and it’s in the heart of Georgetown. What more can a hungry, stylish diner ask for?
 Grilled Zatar-spiced Octopus at Morso - photo by Jordan Wright Favorites: Ezme, a mixture of roasted tomato and pine nuts with orange and red pepper; creamy Babaganoush, the traditional eggplant made with roasted eggplant and pistachio oil; Baked Moussaka; heavenly Wood-grilled Fresh Squid filled with fresh herbs and burrata; perfectly grilled and tender Zatar Spiced Octopus with white bean puree, green olives and cilantro; Lamb Shish Kebap (yes, the spelling seems odd but that’s the Turkish word for roasting) served with bulghur and addictive sweet red onion with zatar and a killer dessert called Irmik Helva that is made with shredded phyllo, pistachios and boasts a semolina custard. It is to die for. I can’t be held responsible if you miss out on this sweet treat!
 Baked Moussaka at Morso - photo by Jordan Wright On the list for next time: 8 different kinds of Brick Oven Pides (Turkish-style pizzas); Octopus Pilaf with Swiss Chard and Scallions; Grilled Boneless Whole Branzino; and handmade Manti. Manti are beef dumplings and here they are served with warm yoghurt, paprika oil and sumac. There is also a Swordfish Kebap, which is a fish high in mercury. So if you do have it and it is really good, please only order it once a year!
Glitch: There was a reception in the bar area for around 40 university alumni for the first hour and a half we were there. The manager apologized profusely saying he had planned for only 20 guests. Though it was a cute group of well-mannered alums, the bar is open to the dining area and it can be noisy. If you are planning a romantic evening without a distractingly high decibel count, ask if the restaurant is hosting a reception when making your reservations.
Sweetbite Creamery Poised to Up the Cookie Ante
I was introduced to Ashley Allen and Tricia Widgen, partners in Sweetbite Creamery, at the new Bethesda Central Farm Market where they will be selling their delicious ice cream sandwiches till the market shutters on November 23rd for the season when you’ll find them at the Oakton Market in Bethesda and on the menu at the Mayflower Hotel.
 Molasses pumpkin ice cream cookie treats from Sweetbite Creamery The young local entrepreneurs met at George Washington University’s Business School and started their collaboration only a few months ago. They’ve been catering parties and putting together holiday gift packs with assorted flavors, and will even deliver a minimum of one dozen of their original flavors such as Baked Apple Snickerdoodle, Molasses Pumpkin, Sweet Potato and Marshmallow, and Salted Caramel to your home.
Rising Star Chefs Hold Gala Rooftop Tasting
 Winner Executive Chef Matt Hill of Charlie Palmer Steak - photo by Jordan Wright Recently some of the area’s notable chefs including David Varley of Michael Mina’s Bourbon Steak at the Four Seasons, Bertrand Chemel of 2941, Dean Maupin of Keswick Hall at Monticello, John and Karen Shields of Town House restaurant and Benjamin Lambert of Restaurant Nora, to name a few, prepared a few of their signature dishes on the tented rooftop of Charlie Palmer’s Steakhouse. Out-of-town chef Jason Alley of Comfort restaurant in Richmond, whose Beef Cheeks braised in juniper and ginger beer, was a favorite among some of the food writers, gave me his secret. Pork stock! Yes, for the beef! Road trip to Richmond anyone?
 Matt Hill's winning dish - photo by Jordan Wright Or maybe you’d prefer to cruise down Route 81 to Chilhowie, VA for Karen Shields’ heavenly Parsnip Candy Ice Cream concoction served with coconut, banana pudding, sponge cake, almond cookie, and lemongrass sorbet. I counted nine separate methods to create this dessert and though all the chefs’ recipes were included in the program, don’t try this one at home unless you want to be chained to your kitchen like a yard dog to a tree.
Each creation, including the swank desserts, was paired with wine, beer or specialty cocktails like the “Mulberry Street” created by PS 7’s mixologist, Gina Chersevani. The early fall evening was hosted by the ubiquitously charitable, Todd Gray, of Equinox. The winning chef was Matt Hill from Charlie Palmer’s for his Prosciutto-wrapped Canadian Pork Tenderloin with cauliflower puree and preserved cherries.
Kudos that the event overlooking the dome of the US Capitol was as green as could be with recyclable bamboo dinnerware.
Michel Richard Opens Third Restaurant in Tysons Corner
 Michel Richard in his newest kitchen at Michel at the Ritz-Carlton Tysons - photo by Jordan Wright Michel Richard of Citronelle and Central Michel Richard, flush with celebratory glee, served up some delicacies earlier this week at his eponymously named new restaurant in the Ritz-Carlton Tysons Corner. Richard has tapped one of my favorite chefs, Levi Mezick, formerly of The Jockey Club (see my July story on Mezick) to be his Executive Chef.
Zaca Mesa Wines
 Zaca Mesa vineyards in the Santa Ynez Valley Brook Williams is the CEO and wine grower at Zaca Mesa Winery and Vineyards nestled in the Santa Ynez Valley. He is a blond blue-eyed California guy with an enthusiasm for wine that came later in life after over twenty years on the financial side of winemaking for super-size wineries like Gallo, Kendall-Jackson and Beringer. You could say he’s a convert in a lot of ways.
For the past seven years along with winemaker, Eric Mohseini, Williams has nurtured the grapes on the estate’s 750 acres. His wines are 100% estate grown and bottled using sustainable winegrowing practices and organic products.
“When we started out in the 1990’s we got our cuttings from Randall Grahm and afterwards discovered they were Viognier not Roussanne,” he told me at a one-on-one wine tasting in the Blue Duck Tavern Lounge where I sampled seven Zaca Mesa wines.
“Later we got cuttings for our syrah from Gary Eberle. Zaca Mesa was the first to plant syrah in Santa Barbara County back in 1978.” “In fact our syrah sales have gone up 80% this year. It is our most popular seller.” I found it has a lovely flavor profile of cassis, espresso, mocha and sage, but the 2006 should be put down for a few more years to fully appreciate.
As we spoke we nibbled and sipped over an exceptional charcuterie and cheese platter consisting of a luscious silken prosciutto, mortadella, soppressata, cured olives and tomatoes. Cheeses sampled were Humboldt Fog, Bayley Hazen Blue, Oma from the Von Trapp Farmstead, Nancy’s Hudson Valley Camembert, Organic Red Hawk triple crème made by Cowgirl Creamery, and the local Everona Dairy Piedmont.
I particularly liked the 2006 Roussanne. The grape is a Rhone variety, not well known in the States, but should be soon since it captured a “Best White of Show” at Hilton Head this spring.
Try their award-winning 2007 Z Cuvee made with 57% Grenache, 31% Mourvedre and 12% Syrah with its raspberry, blueberry, blackberry and light pepper notes. I picked it up at the Home Farm Store in Middleburg this week where I stopped to order an organic Ayrshire Farm heritage breed turkey for Thanksgiving dinner.
Enjoy these wines with dinner at such top restaurants as the Lafayette Room at the Hay Adams Hotel, Charlie Palmer’s Steakhouse, Black Salt and Veritas Wine Bar where they offer over 70 wines by the glass.
For purchase at Arrowine and Wegman’s in VA, and in DC at Ace Beverage, Cleveland Park Liquor and Wines, and Bell Wine and Spirits.
Rigoni di Asiago Fruit Jams, Honey and Chocolate Hazelnut Butter
It seems every chef in the country is fiddling around with “Nutella” in their desserts. This chocolate hazelnut spread has been a favorite in Italy since its invention in the 1940’s. During the war years, chocolate was pricey and hazelnuts were prolific in the Piedmont region of Italy, and this recipe could stretch out both ingredients.
It debuted in the US three decades ago it has become a popular way to sneak a bit of protein in kids’ diets with a slathering of the “gianduja” spread on toast.
For over 80 years the Rigoni family have produced eight varieties of organic honey (like chestnut, pine and eucalyptus), and seventeen different organic jams (crave the fig, gooseberry and pomegranate) on their ancestral farms in the Cimbrian Plateau of Asiago, Veneto. They have recently brought to the US market an entirely organic version of the spread they call, “Nocciolata”. It adds 15% more hazelnuts than Nutella and is richer, more luscious, and has a deeper flavor too. Try frosting your cupcakes with it. I did…and it was heavenly and quick!
Jordan Wright
November 15, 2010
 Chris Matthews (MSNBC) and Kevin Spacey protraying Jack Abramoff in Casino Jack. Photo credit to Yulia Mikhalchuk. Cage rattler, fire breather, access-peddler and former restaurant owner Jack Abramoff, is the subject of the new film “Casino Jack”. It’s a slick, taut, expose of his rise and crash career in the political arena and should be compulsive viewing for the freshmen, and women, congress who have just arrived in town for their orientation and swearing-in.
If anyone was ever hoist by his own egotistical petard it was this uber-lobbyist to the slick, powerful and unknowing patsies, who has been serving his five-year plus sentence in Cumberland Federal Prison. Abramoff who believed, “The influence we wield is more important than the air you breathe.” has probably been hearing that from his current jailers.
The recent DC screening, attended by celeb Kevin Spacey, Chris Matthews, Joan Harmon, Elizabeth Bagley, Vicki Kennedy and Lani Hay, was hosted by The Creative Coalition and Lanmark Technologies. Matthews, who cautioned incoming pols, “You’ve got to come here with a moral compass.”, held a Q and A with Spacey who portrays Abramoff.
Spacey defined the role of Casino Jack as having, “ some myths, some truths and some red herrings.” He clones Abramoff with brio and sleaze.
The film proved to have sound advice for local political wives when Abramoff wife, Pam played by Kelly Preston, tells Jack, “We have no friends, we only have people you do business with.”
 Robin Bronk of The Creative Coalition and Lani Hay of Lanmark Technology, Inc. Photo credit to Yulia Mikhalchuk. Rachelle Lefevre does a fine job portraying DC journalist and public affairs consultant, Emily Miller, who single-handedly brings down their House of Cards. And Jon Lovitz as Adam Kidan, their smarmy cohort, is delicious.
But perhaps the most revealing line of the evening came when Matthews quipped, “Self-deprecation is one of my ruses.” So that’s how he catches his interviewees off guard!
Abramoff has been working at Baltimore’s Tov Pizzeria since June. He’ll be released from a local halfway house next month. Last known employment for partner-in-crime, Mike Scanlon, brilliantly played by Barry Pepper, was as a lifeguard in Rehoboth Beach. Could it be he’s looking out for sharks circling the waters? (Can you put the words “sun” and “cruise” in a sentence?) Seems it pays to be vigilant.
Jordan Wright
November 2010
 Sylver Logan Sharp - photo credit to Roy Cox Photography  Lori Williams at her CD launch of Healing Within at MetroStage- photo by Phelan Marc Three separate CD launches this month took me from Alexandria, VA’s MetroStage to Easton, MD’s Avalon Theatre.
Lori Williams has performed with the greats – Keter Betts, Jerry Butler, Jazzmaster Slide Hampton and Ben E. King to cull but a few from a long list of collaborations. In this recent concert she performed the numbers from her debut CD, “Lori Williams, Healing Within” at MetroStage earlier last month to a hugely receptive audience.
William’s sensually sophisticated style is nuanced with her gospel roots. Watching her slink across the stage you just have to lean back and wonder how such tremendously complex and rhythmic vocals can come from her tiny frame.
In a twofer Sylver Logan Sharp, a flaming redheaded minx formerly of the disco band Chic, opened for longtime friend Williams. The sizzling Sharp performs Tuesday nights throughout November at the Bohemian Taverns. She will make you jump out of your seat and root for every impossible note she hits.
 Erin Dickins at the Easton's Avalon Theatre Break out the martinis and the silver cocktail shaker for song stylist Erin Dickins who thrilled the packed house at the art deco Avalon Theatre in Easton with songs from her newest CD, “Nice Girls”. Dickins sophisticated scat, swing and ballads remind the listener that she was one of the founding members of Manhattan Transfer. With a nine-piece backup band that has more industry awards than an evening’s worth of Grammies, Dickins tore the place up, tossing her signature pearls to the crowd. She has performed with the likes of James Taylor, Linda Ronstadt, Bette Midler, James Brown, Randy Neuman, Roberta Flack, Peabo Bryson, Barry Manilow, Leonard Cohen, Dr. John, Paul Butterfield and Levon Helm.
Special to the Alexandria Times
Jordan Wright
November 6, 2010
 Oklahoma! Illustration by Douglas Fraser Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater’s choice of Oklahoma! as its inaugural show for its glamorous new theatre complex has been questioned around town for weeks. I’ve heard comments ranging from, “I can’t imagine why they would do that old show for their first big spectacle!” to “It’s been staged in every high school in America!” Well, all that is true and irrelevant too.
Oklahoma! set on the Great Plains of the Midwest, is certainly one of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s quintessential American musicals and it is only fitting that Arena Stage would choose such a theme to reflect their American Theater nomenclature. With its sweeping score and themes of land rushes and pioneer settlements (who doesn’t know its theme song “where the wind comes sweepin’ down the plains”), this production seeks to reflect those times with a multi-racial cast that is, as the playbill instructs us, more in keeping with early frontier demographics.
At the Fichandler Stage, a theatre-in-the-round built to accommodate 683 seats, there is no waiting for the curtain to rise. The view to the stage is both immediate and intimate. This is both good and bad for the performers, sets, and props, as every glitch is magnified. As well actors must execute four turns during their lines and numbers in order to play to the 360 degree audience, and there is much east, west, south and north-ing in order to achieve this style of presentation. But as no seat is more than eight feet from the stage the audience’s response is visceral.
The incomparable and multi-award-winning performer E. Faye Butler brings her soaring voice and powerful stage presence to the character of the country-wise, no-nonsense Aunt Eller who’s both gentle as a mother lamb and mean as a snake when crossed. Though we meet her on the steps of her porch churning butter, believe me, you would not want to be in her sights when she’s toting a gun.
 The company of the Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! October 22-December 26, 2010. Photo by Carol Rosegg. And while there is no doubt in anyone’s mind that Eleasha Gamble has one of the most tender and beautiful voices around, a perfectly modulated honey-toned sound that could challenge a nightingale, I found her portrayal of Laurey to be one-dimensional and without subtlety. She lacks the coy factor necessary for us to believe she gives a hoot about Curly. (In all fairness she jumped into this role with two day’s notice.) Yet her voice shines in the duets “Surrey with the Fringe On Top” and “People Will Say We’re in Love”.
But much of the strength of this production’s success comes from the supporting cast. Nicholas Rodriguez as Curly was vocally outshone by secondary cast members, Aaron Ramey as Jud Fry and Cody Williams as Will Parker, whose voice was resonant and expressive. Williams, slim as a minute, ripped up the stage with back flips, leaps, high kicks and soft shoe along with the cast’s other crack dancers. This reviewer thought he and local high school junior June Schreiner, who plays Ado Annie like a fierce and adorable little minx, were captivating together.
Aaron Ramey’s Jud, the dark and brooding farmhand, showed both depth of emotion and breadth of vocal range. Another standout was Nehal Joshi’s comic relief as Ali Hakim, the Persian peddler and ladies’ man.
There are no sets in this version of Oklahoma! leaving it to the audience’s imagination, a tall order for the seasoned theatergoer who has seen spectacular sets designed “as high as an elephant’s eye”. Yet gratefully, this production embodies vitality and high energy, including breathtaking choreography, thanks to Parker Esse and David Leong’s brilliantly executed fight scene.
Special to the Alexandria Times
Jordan Wright
November 9, 2010
 The actors in the first photo are, left to right, Diane Linton Sams, James McDaniel and David James. Photo by Ari McSherry. My memories of the Academy Award-winning Kurosawa epic film of the same name, gave me pause that this could be pulled off as a one-act play on a stage whose size looked more like an afterthought. What could the theatregoer divine from a stark black backdrop ornamented by a smattering of floor to ceiling stalks of bamboo? I meant not to prejudge but to pack a suitcase full of curiosity.
In this pared down production James McDaniel, David James and Diane Linton Sams seamlessly portray nine characters. McDaniels as priest, deputy, husband and mother; James as woodcutter and bandit; and Sams as wigmaker, wife and shaman weave an intricate tale full of truths, half-truths and outright lies in this powerful story reminiscent of Japanese Noh theatre.
In the ancient city of Kyoto a trial is underway for the murder of a Samurai warrior and the rape of his wife. Suspicion hangs over the bandit, the Samurai and his wife in this elegant and stark thriller. Motives are debated and self-serving explanations are rampant. Events flow backward and forward in time while each character explains their version. Yet there is only one real witness, the bandit. And his version of the events, along with the real or imagined tales from the other participants, is in question.
The wigmaker, priest and woodcutter devise their individual theories on the murder and rape based on their egotistical and self-serving views of life. In “The Films of Akira Kurosawa” by Donald Richie, the great director once said of his film version of Rashomon, “Human beings are unable to be honest with themselves about themselves. They cannot talk about themselves without embellishing.” The sentiment is echoed by the Holy Man, “A man doesn’t look for his soul in a mirror.”
An exchange between the Wigmaker and the Woodcutter informs the audience.
Wigmaker: Which one of these stories do you believe?
The Woodcutter: None makes any sense.
The Wigmaker : Don’t worry about it. It isn’t as if men were reasonable.
 The Actors, from left to right, David James, Diane Linton Sams and James McDaniel. Photo by Ari McSherry This small but tightly acted play is further enhanced by two Hayashi musicians, played by Randy Sena and Jung Weil who sit cross-legged on opposite sides of the stage paralleling the shifting roles with a series of percussive sounds. Sena and Weil use a collection of instruments to dramatic effect, among them a Cuban drum, a gavel, a recorder, a child’s lyre, Japanese wooden clappers and a copper gong as spotlighting and kimono costume changes cue the audience to the changing characters.
Rashomon was adapted for the Broadway stage by husband-and-wife collaborators Faye and Michael Kanin in 1961. Michael was the brother of Garson Kanin and worked with Ring Lardner Jr. After a long career writing screenplays, Faye went on to be president of the Academy for Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. At 93 years young she lives in Baltimore, MD.
Rashomon is a compelling production that explores the mysteries and foibles of human interaction and its subsequent interpretation. Perfectly cast and dramatically directed and costumed by Howard Vincent Kurtz, it is highly recommended.
Weekends through November 21st at The Lab at Convergence, 1801 North Quaker Lane, Alexandria, VA 22302. For tickets and information call 703 838-2880 or visit www.PortCityPlayhouse.com.
|
