(l-r) Doug Bowles “Warbler” and Alex Hassan “Pianoodler”
Doug Bowles and Alex Hassan are back on Maple Avenue’s Creative Cauldron with more laughter, merriment, touching songs and stories, and where they’ll perform the beloved songs you know and some you haven’t yet heard from their research into the lost and forgotten songs of the ‘Great American Song Book’. The show is part of Creative Cauldron’s ‘Cabaret Series’ which features a cabaret or concert every summer weekend.
Alex Hassan ~ Pianoodler
A few notes on the amazing Alex Hassan: As current president of the Northern Virginia Ragtime Society, Alex Hassan has been thoroughly immersed in the musical styles and arrangements of the 20’s and 30’s for over four decades. As a renowned collector of over 50,000 pieces of popular sheet music wedged between the World War I and II, Hassan recreates the spirited and glorious melodies of the Golden Age of popular music.
Amongst the highlights of his musical career, Alex counts performances at the Smithsonian, the Scott Joplin Festival in Sedalia, MO, where he will return this year, New York’s tony Player’s Club, Toronto’s McMichael Art Gallery, Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage, England’s Aldeburgh Festival, and the Husum, Germany “Piano Rarities” festival.
In the 1990’s and 2000’s, Alex recorded regularly for the UK company, Shellwood. Currently, Hassan has three solo piano CDs that are available on the Operetta Archives label, along with one recorded for the Pittsburgh-based Rivermont Records. Alex has also written program notes for CD reissues of notable 78 rpm performances by syncopating pianists of the past. Alex’s flying fingers will do their usual magic with recent arrangements of his own piano solos.
Doug Bowles
Doug Bowles is a tenor extraordinaire and much sought-after Musical Director with an extensive background in voice and theater who serves on the faculty of both Howard University and the Catholic University and who has directed nearly 200 musical productions. His collaboration with Hassan has taken the performers around the country and across the pond performing songs by 1930s composers from Harold Arlen to Fats Waller to George Gershwin. Bowles’ entertainment company SingCo Music represents Bowles’s hot jazz and swing band “Doug Bowles and his SingCo Rhythm Orchestra”, a multiple Wammy-nominated orchestra that has performed at many venues including the Glen Echo Spanish Ballroom, on The Voice of America, and at The National Archives. Bowles has also appeared with noted, Grammy Award winning band leader, Vince Giordano and his Nighthawks, (Boardwalk Empire, The Aviator, Prairie Home Companion, Bessie). www.dougbowles.com
The guys will be joined by the dulcet voiced actor/singer, Jennifer Timberlake who has performed around the DC area including at The Kennedy Center, Olney Theatre Center, Round House Theatre, The Washington Stage Guild and Adventure Theatre. Timberlake counts both Patsy in Always…Patsy Cline and Carrie in Carousel as her favorite roles.
As usual, the warblers and ‘pianoodler’ will introduce you to amazing “new” songs of the 20’s and 30’s. This performance will also be the world premiere of two new transcriptions/arrangements of songs by beloved 1920’s songstress, recording artist and famed Broadway performer, Esther Walker, as interpreted by the lovely Miss Jenn. Thrill to a rarely heard, but exquisite tune by Jerome Kern, and a fabulous selection of tunes you will no doubt want to sing along with.
You Can’t Go Wrong with Two For a Song!
Two shows only. Friday July 12th at 8pm and Saturday, July 13th at 8pm at Creative Cauldron, 410 South Maple Avenue, Retail 116, Falls Church, VA 22046. For information on this show and upcoming summer cabarets and concerts call 703 436.9948 or visit Creative Cauldron web booking,
Celebrate Wimbledon at the Fairmont and Bastille Day at the Sofitel Both Events on July 14th
On Sunday, July 14th Georgetown’s tony Fairmont Hotel is planning a British invasion to honor the 2019 Wimbledon Championships. From 11am till 2pm guests will view the men’s finals on the big-screen in the hotel’s stunning garden courtyard while feasting on traditional British fare including flutes of champagne, Pimm’s cup and G&Ts.
Spectators will view the men’s finals on huge screens while trying out their backhand and forehand on a miniature tennis court. Wearing green, purple or white will make you eligible for prizes for the best garden party or tennis attire. Overnight stays, dinners and brunches are some of the prizes to be ‘lobbed’ at the winners. Tickets are $25 per person.
Executive Chef Jordi Gallardo and his team will feature an all you can eat $25pp array of passed delicacies without any ‘foot faults’!
Traditional, Finger Sandwiches
Salad Buffet with Salmon, Smoked Trout and Sirloin Steak
Scottish Eggs
Lamb Chops and Sausages from the Grill
Fish and Chips
Mini Pork Pies
Pastry Chef Charles Froke plans an extensive dessert buffet. Here’s the scrumptious menu.
Strawberries and Cream Station
Scones with Clotted Cream
White Chocolate & Cherry Tennis Balls
Summer Berry Trifle
Sticky Toffee Pudding Cake
English shortbreads
Strawberry rhubarb crème
Bottomless Pimm’s cups and mimosas are $15 pp or sip on the Juniper G&T or Thiénot Brut Champagne at $10 each. Live entertainment provided by the Dom Petrellese Quartet playing British favorites.
Some go all out with fabulous costumes! Here’s Louis XIV the “Sun King” at last year’s Bastille Day Party at the Sofitel
Want to leave London for Paris? At the Sofitel Washington DC on Lafayette Square the Bastille Day celebration kicks off with their 2nd Annual Bastille Day Picnic in the Opaline Bar & Brasserie from 2 till 4pm on July 14th . The deluxe hotel will pull out all the stops with French music, French picnic fare, champagne, rosé, fun photo ops, a caricaturist and more. Prizes will be awarded for best parasols and best French attire.
Full disclosure: I am a descendant of Edward Teach aka Edward Thatch aka Blackbeard.
Okay, now that my admission of partiality is out of the way, I can talk about why the world premiere of Blackbeard is a rousing success. First and foremost, Lyricist John Dempsey (Brother Russia, The Witches of Eastwick, The Fix) and Composer Dana P. Rowe (Dempsey’s collaborator on the same award-winning shows) have chosen the consummate swashbuckling blackguard to lead us into a hilariously unconventional fantasyland of pirates and their amours. Directed by Signature’s Artistic Director Eric Schaeffer, this turbo-charged adventure is based on the legendary exploits of the infamous 18th century privateer.
Awa Sal Secka (Shanti), Kevin McCallister (Caesar), Chris Hoch (Blackbeard), Christopher Mueller (Jake), and Lawrence Redmond (Samuel) in Blackbeard at Signature Theatre. Photo by Christopher Mueller.
Punctuated with dazzling pyrotechnics, the snicker-snack of gleaming swords, and booming cannons so thunderous that the floor actually quakes beneath your feet, this lusty new musical introduces us to the life of the dastardly pirate, Blackbeard.
Maria Egler (Morgan), Lawrence Redmond (Samuel), Christopher Mueller (Jake), Ben Gunderson (Garrick), Awa Sal Secka (Shanti), and Kevin McAllister (Caesar) in Blockbeord at Signature Theatre. Photo by Margot Schulman.
Conceiving a plan to conquer the British navy and achieve notoriety, Blackbeard seeks out his former lover, Dominique, a dazzlingly alluring temptress who rules the high seas. His aim: To gain access to her sorcery and recruit an army of the undead. Her aim: To secure her freedom from the island where he abandoned her and conscript him to bring her three precious jewels. To achieve this perilous feat, Blackbeard must travel to the kingdoms of Japan and India and confront the Norse gods of Scandinavia.
Nova Y. Payton (Dominique) in Blockbeord at Signature Theatre. Photo by Christopher Mueller.
Accompanied by Roger, a clever young stowaway, his trusty African Captain Caesar, Karl, a curiously reticent sailor, and a scurrilous band of ne’er-do-wells, Blackbeard travels across stormy seas on his perilous mission.
Veteran Broadway actor Chris Hoch (War Paint, Amazing Grace, Matilda, Shrek: The Musical, Beauty and the Beast, Dracula), with his marvelously commanding voice and stage presence, gives us an imposing Blackbeard, while leading lady Nova Y. Payton blows us square out of our seats with her powerhouse singing and fierce portrayal of the payback-seeking Dominique who enchants Blackbeard in the sultry number “Spellbound’. Equally engaging is Lawrence Redmond’s finely tuned portrayal of the Old Man and Bobby Smith as Ódinn, the Viking ruler, who engages Blackbeard in an uproariously comical drinking contest in the number “Valhalla” – “Val-ha-ha-ha-la”!
As bold and colorful as these pirates is Paul Tate Depoo III’s set design. Rigged with ship’s lines for clambering and a massive ship’s prow, the two-level set is wonderfully atmospheric.
It’s all tongue-in-cheek as this band of buccaneers takes us on a wild ride to exotic ports of call.
Ben Gunderson (Lt. Maynard) and Chris Hoch (Blackbeard) in Blockbeord at Signature Theatre. Photo by Christopher Mueller.
Highly recommended. A rousing adventure with a memorable score.
Ten actors play over 60 roles. With Chris Hoch as Blackbeard; Nova Y. Payton as Sally/Dominique; Rory Boyd as Roger; Lawrence Redmond as Samuel/Old Man; Kevin McAllister as Caesar; Bobby Smith as Karl/Ódinn; Maria Egler as Morgan/La Mer; Ben Gunderson as Garrick/Lt. Maynard; Christopher Mueller as Jake/Kamikase; and Awa Sal Secka as Shanti/Kali Maa.
Conducted by Jon Kalbfleisch; Choreography by Matthew Gardiner; exceptionally costumed by Erik Teague; Lighting Design by Chris Lee; Sound Design by Ryan Hickey; Orchestrations by David Holcenberg & Scott Wasserman; Fight Choreography by Casey Kaleba.
Through July 14th at Signature Theatre (Shirlington Village), 4200 Campbell Avenue, Arlington, VA 22206. For tickets and information call 703 820-9771 or visit www.signature-theatre.org.
Twisted Melodies, a dramatic interpretation of the last day of Donny Hathaway’s life, touches us on so many levels. As a consummate songwriter and performing artist, Hathaway was one of the most enduring talents during the height of the 1970’s R&B scene. An accomplished pianist, soul, blues and jazz singer, and collaborator with Roberta Flack (The Closer I Get To You), he borrowed from his gospel roots reinterpreting his melodic memories into one of the most recognizably appealing sounds of the decade. For area audiences it’s a special treat to experience this powerful production and revisit some of his music, as Hathaway was well known in DC circles where he attended Howard University during the Civil Rights era.
Making its DC premiere at Mosaic Theatre in association with New York’s famed The Apollo Theater, its writer, star, and musical director, Kelvin Roston, Jr., presents an indelible foray into Hathaway’s psychological turmoil. Roston’s skill at becoming Hathaway’s doppëlganger captures the artist in his most fragile period after he had been hospitalized several times with a diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia and was living on a dangerous cocktail of medications that served only to increase his fears and insecurities.
Set in a New York hotel room where Hathaway is surrounded by his demons – a ghost named Duke, disembodied voices and fears of his room being bugged – the terrified singer fights to keep it together on the eve of his comeback. “I gotta focus! Twist it into melodies. Everybody is depending on me.” Interspersed with songs by Hathaway and other artists – Leon Russell, George Clinton, Stevie Wonder – played on an electric piano, Roston dramatizes Hathaway’s decline as both an artist and father.
Roston’s tour de force portrayal of a tormented soul in full-blown crisis mode is skillful beyond imagining. Not only is his beautifully written script filled with passion and raw emotion, but more incredibly, he takes on Hathaway’s entire persona in what would be a physically and emotionally draining role for any actor. Along the way, he reaches out to the audience, as though we are a part of his rehabilitation. As his “angels” and “muses”, he calls out to us for support, acknowledging our presence as he strives to transform his anger and weakness into beauty.
Highly recommended.
Directed by the award-winning Derrick Sanders, Set Design by Courtney O’Neill, Costumes by Dede Ayite, Lights by Alan C. Edwards, Sound by Christopher M. LaPorte, and Projections by Mike Tutaj. Presented in co-production with Baltimore Center Stage and The Apollo Theater.
Through July 21st at the Atlas Center for the Performing Arts in the Theresa and Jane Lang Theatre – 1333 H Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002. For tickets and info on post show discussions, special rates and discounts visit www.MosaicTheater.org or call the box office at 202.399.7993 ext. 2. Valet parking at 1360 H Street, NE.
Jordan Wright June 2019
Photo credit: Jordan Wright
East Indian Glamour at Punjab Grill ~ Gâteau Bakery Café & Tea Room Brings Bespoke British Tea Time to Old Town Warrenton ~ High Street Café – Latin-inspired Brasserie in Georgetown
Punjab Grill
Glamorous table setting at Punjab Grill
As a great admirer of Indian cuisine (inspired by my mother who turned down a marriage proposal from the last Maharaja of Sarila , I have been delighted with the wide variety of Indian restaurants around DC. Dining at the award-winning Rasika or Indique or Bombay Club (think days of the Raj) spring to mind. Even casual spots like Indigo and Pappe – which all are on my short list. Travel outside city limits and a new Indian restaurant seems to pop up every month. The more exposed we are to the joys and complexities of Indian food, the more we want to try a new one.
Tandoori Tiger Prawns at Punjab Grill
Punjab doesn’t tumble neatly into any of these categories. It stands alone as a temple to Indian fine dining with its luxe décor – Hermés plates, napkin rings and gold-handled silverware – and well-trained, crisply uniformed waitstaff. If I were hosting a dream dinner party it would be luxuriating in its private dining room where 150,000 miniature, convex mirrors reflect the light from dozens of candles and low-lit chandeliers, and where a long dining table inlaid with mother-of-pearl creates a glimmering, shimmering ambiance that reeks of regal sophistication. Dubbed the ‘Sheesh Mahal’ or ‘Palace of Mirrors’ it accommodates ten of your nearest and dearest.
Punjab Grill’s Chutney Flight
Another dining room – dubbed the ‘Passage to India’ is inspired by the private railroad car journeys through India taken in the comfort of royal saloons. Each table is supported by a hand-carved marble base, sourced from the same mines as the Taj Mahal. Its walls are artfully decorated with beautifully carved wooden latticework.
Malabar Macchi- Chilean Sea Bass with jaggery cumin glaze, Brussels sprouts thoran and kokum coconut sauce
A translucent onyx bar at the entrance beckons you to order one of their delicately-spiced cocktails. Decorated with marble inlays and aglow with amber lighting from within the stone, it makes for a dramatic introduction to the dining rooms where dishes are treated as works of art.
Aloo Tikki Chaat surrounded by pomegranate seeds
A must-have starter is the sampler of six distinctive chutneys – mango, pineapple, mint yoghurt, ginger tamarind carrot pickle, turnip pickle, radish pickle and laccha onion surrounding an assortment of crisp “breads” – poppadum, dosa crisps and naan grissini. The pink one is tinted with beet juice.
As beautiful as the dishes are, they are not mere window dressing. The food is divine – a tribute to Executive Chef Jaspratap ‘Jassi’ Bindra’s modern twist on Indian cuisine.
Punjab Grill, 427 11th Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20004. Reservations are recommended. Call 202 813.3004 or visit www.punjabgrilldc.com Valet parking is available at dinner.
Gâteau Bakery Café & Tea Room
Gâteau Bakery Café and Tea Room in Warrenton, VA
I met owner Lora Vennettilli Gookin at a Gold Cup event in The Plains, Virginia a few years ago. I had been gobbling up her delicious pastries while visiting the Airlie tent and was introduced to her by a mutual friend. Lora let me know she was opening a bakery in Old Town Warrenton and was in the process of restoring a historic building in the center of town. She promised to contact me when it was ready. Fast forward two years later and Lora made good on her pledge and that was how I came to experience Gâteau Bakery’s delightfully delicious afternoon tea.
Owner/Baker Lora Vennetilli Gookin in front of the historic bank’s vault where she houses the collection of cups and teapots used for tea service.
A short drive out from DC, and a world away from the stresses of the city, the charming bakery plus tea room is situated near the Fauquier Courthouse and Fauquier History Museum and Old Jail, both of which are worth a visit. Built in 1860, the bakery itself with its interior brick walls is housed in what was once the Bank of Warrenton. On one side you’ll find the tea room on the other near the entrance a gift shop, takeout bakery and a café serving soups, salads and sandwiches.
Baba au rhum at Gateau Bakery
Lora is a superb pastry chef and enterprising baker. All the scrumptious baked goods are baked by Lora and her well-trained staff of bakers. In the bakery section you’ll find lots of flavors of cakes (caramel cakes!) and cupcakes (coconut chocolate almond!) plus savory treats to take away – cupcakes, muffins, biscuits, cookies, cakes and classic desserts like baba au rhum. For those with specific food issues or allergies, you can still have your cake and eat it too with gluten-free, dairy-free and/or vegan options. For my friend and I, the exquisitely prepared afternoon tea is what we came for. Take away sweets can wait.
Different levels of the tea experience are offered. I recommend you go all in with the Royal Tea featuring cucumber sandwiches, mini savory puff pastries with tomato, basil and mozzarella, scones (flavors at the whim of the chef), Virginia ham and sweet potato biscuits served with mustard butter, curried egg salad, mini chocolate tarts with shortbread crust, and an assortment of cookies and scrumptiously rich cake bites. It is a tea lover’s dreamland heightened by the freshly whipped cream and seasonal fruit jams.
The bakery and gift shop at Gâteau
Twenty-five varieties of tea grace the menu. Your selection is brought to the table in an individual pot, kept warm with hand-knit tea cosies Lora has made in England. Each pot and cosy are unique and tea varieties are custom made exclusively for the bakery by Green Alchemy Herb & Mercantile Company owned by nearby Lovettsville residents, Sarah and Peter Roussos, a former chemistry teacher. Be sure to take home a few of these unique teas. The Roussos’s ‘American Chai’ has been patented and is the perfect morning sip.
The Royal Tea at Gateau Bakery
Lora also serves a Children’s Tea, which is the best way to introduce your child to the finer things in life (including good table manners). The Gentleman’s Tea is more meat- and cheese-centric and features bison sliders and smoked gouda grits washed down with a sprightly pilsner. For those craving something with a bit more punch, the bakery has a full-on liquor license that includes cocktails, wine, beer and champagne.
Once a career civil engineer who, encouraged by friends, attended pastry school in Scottsdale, Arizona, Lora has her own style. Though many of her pastries are of the classic variety, this is not your average corner bakery. On-trend sweets as well as gorgeously decorated multi-tiered wedding cakes that are her most popular items. Lora is committed to the best quality ingredients – many of which are locally sourced. A visit to her website reveals more about her exacting practices. “All of our cakes, fillings and frostings are skillfully made from scratch using select organic ingredients, no shortening, unbleached and unbromated flour, aluminum free leaveners and non-GMO ingredients.”
Gâteau Bakery Café and Tea Room is located on 12 Culpeper Street, Warrenton, VA 20186. Reservations are recommended for afternoon tea. Call 540 347.9188 or visit www.1gateau.com
High Street Café
The bar at High Street Café
Imagine my surprise to find Georgetown’s old Paolo’s turned into an American brasserie with a Latin flair. It’s like having culinary Europe at your doorstep. Veteran restauranteur Manuel Iguino is back and center stage. (Nearly a decade ago he served the pounded plantain dish mofongo at his Puerto Rican-influenced restaurant Mio.) Whether sitting on the patio smack dab on Wisconsin Avenue (perfect for people-watching) or perched at the intimate bar, or nicely cosseted on a banquette, Georgetown’s hustle-bustle is at eye level. Located in the heart of Georgetown’s toniest environs, his latest venture, High Street Café, affords diners a sunset view, an accomplished chef, Gerard Cribbin, and an ambitiously creative cocktail program by Beverage Director, Carl Townsend.
Cribbin, who once cheffed a few blocks away at Filomena’s making fresh pastas, drifted farther south. After stints in Greenville, SC, a noted foodie destination where he was chef and co-owner of Gerard’s, he cooked at The Lazy Goat and later became the executive chef at Coal Fired Bistro. For now, he’s back in the nation’s capital. Let’s hope he stays. At Coal Fired Bistro his seafood bisque became all the rage. It’s one of his specialties and on the menu here. Cribbin has his own way of interpreting the dishes we think we’re familiar with. A starter of tuna tartare was a surprising refresher. Not your usual raw fish dish, this version becomes elevated with the addition of tiny cubes of sweet mango and a silken dressing of orange cream.
Scallops with wild mushrooms, sherry cream, spinach and saffron risotto
A wide array of menu items (I spotted lechon pizza!) beckons, but I drilled down on a calf’s liver starter. Now there are a lot of things that can go wrong with this rarely encountered delicacy – a chef that thinks it’s okay to substitute beef liver (too bitter), overcooking (tough as shoe leather) and near-raw onions.
Calf’s Liver with caramelized shallots
The onions must be caramelized through a process of long, low and slow cooking. For those who are equally as discerning about liver and onions, I can report that this one was sheer perfection and served with caramelized shallots. Even better, as these tiny bulbs yield a sweeter result.
Tuna Tartare with mango, orange cream and baby kale
Another dish I measure a restaurant’s chef by, is Spaghetti alla Vongole. Cribbin prepares it with the tiniest of sweet clams, plenty of garlic, seasoned bread crumbs and a charred lemon on the side. Memorable. A dish of perfectly bronzed scallops with wild mushrooms and sherry cream and risotto was oh, so rich and delicious too.
Spaghetti alla Vongole
Although I was racing off to the theatre and I usually forgo a drink when I’m working, I wanted to try, on this very hot day, just one mojito. It’s a good way to test a bar’s credibility as too often this classic Spanish cocktail is dumbed down by a lazy bartender who plants a solitary sprig of mint and calls it a day. Townsend’s was a veritable garden of mint and limes and super hydrating.
High Street Café’s Mojito
Here are a few of Townsend’s specialty summer cocktails: ‘Mai High Tai’ with Novo Fogo Cachaça, Dry Curaçao and orgeat; ‘Seasonal Buck’ with Gin Lane 1751 ‘Victoria’ Pink Gin, lavender and ginger beer; ‘Ponce Old Fashioned’ with Don Q Añejo Rum, turbinado and bitters; ‘Spicy Guava Pisco Sour’ with Soldeica Pisco, Ancho Reyes and sichuan syrup; and ‘Paloma-rita’ with Rooster Rojo Tequila, lime and grapefruit soda.
Two house-aged cocktails presented by High West Whiskey are also featured – the ‘Chili Aged Manhattan’ with High West American Prairie Bourbon, vermouth and Amargo de Chile; and the ‘Caribbean Negroni’ with Don Q Gold Rum, Tiki Lovers Dark Rum, amaro blend and vermouth blend.
A return trip (with alcohol) is definitely on the horizon.
High Street Café – 1303 Wisconsin Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20007. Call 202 333.0256.
Studio Theater’s new Milton Theatre is looking to attract a summer crowd and last night it did. Called SHOWROOM it is a casual space offering specialty cocktails and snacks at the bar. Olney Theatre Center’s production of Every Brilliant Thing, by playwrights Duncan MacMillan and Jonny Donahoe, is a one-man, one-act play about suicide and was the first of the off-beat performances of the season. Pleasantly ensconced at café tables lit with candles, the youngish crowd had bought their drinks and looked ready for a Friday date night that promised audience participation. Touted as a comedy, it seemed as though fun was just around the corner.
Alexander Strain and an audience member in Every Brilliant Thing. Photo: Teddy Wolff.
So, maybe I should have had what they were drinking, or snagged one of the cards that was handed out in advance to a smattering of guests so they could call out some of the “brilliant things” Alexander was grateful for while his mother lay in hospital after another suicide attempt. But for me, no amount of jokes or self-deprecating comedic schtick could subtract from the fact that a family was being torn asunder by a mother’s crushing depression and nothing could stop that fateful train from jumping the tracks.
Alexander Strain and an audience member in Every Brilliant Thing. Photo: Teddy Wolff.
Thinking about my feelings for the play, I drifted off to sleep that night and had a dream about it – a dream as quirky as the play itself. I dreamed that Amy Schumer was in a play she had written and was eager to get a group of us into the theater to see it. She described it as a story about her mother’s suicide. We didn’t want to see her act out her personal tragedy, but she begged us to participate. We entered the theater (in Greece, no less) and the more we listened, the more we wanted her to stop. Because though it seemed to be alleviating her sorrow, we couldn’t bear to hear the whole dismal story.
The audience and Alexander Strain in Every Brilliant Thing. Photo: Teddy Wolff.
That’s what this play is about more or less, except that the audience is conscripted to shout out these brilliant things like “ice cream”, “staying up past bedtime”, “things with stripes”, etc. Much of the time these non-actors couldn’t be heard across the room. My seatmate turned to me on several occasions with a quizzical look, as if hoping I would tell him. That left us wondering what the brilliant thing was that Alexander as the child, who later presents as a teenager, and ultimately a college student with his own crushing depression, might have said.
I’ll grant you it might seem like a healthy psychological exercise to look for the sunny side of life while everything around you is crumbling, but nonetheless, it doesn’t work out in the end for Alexander, even though a woman from the audience has been asked to play his dying dog’s vet, another has been asked to play his guidance counselor, and a man is challenged to play Alexander’s father, a man so removed from his child’s life, he closets himself away when the going gets tough.
Audience members and Alexander Strain in Every Brilliant Thing. Photo: Teddy Wolff.
Once in college Alexander learns of Goethe’s notions about suicide and subs an audience member to play the part of his college professor. He references ‘social contagions’ and agrees with the notion that we are unconsciously affected by the behavior of our peers – as in copycat suicides. It’s called the ‘Werther Effect’ after Goethe’s notable character. As Alexander tells us, “Children of depressed mothers have a heightened sense of stress.” It would be good to keep this warning in mind when writing a play about suicide.
The evening’s oddest moment came when a pretty girl who was asked to pretend she was Alexander’s girlfriend didn’t understand how the game was played. Everyone else in the audience had understood they were to parrot the words he voiced aloud to them but even after he repeatedly fed her the lines, she opted to concoct her own responses until she finally had that aha moment and played along. LOL… or not.
Alexander Strain and an audience member in Every Brilliant Thing. Photo: Teddy Wolff.
So, see it if you’ve never known anyone who has committed suicide. That’s my warning. Just be sure to order a cocktail first. Who knows? You might find it amusing.
Directed by Jason Loewith and starring Alexander Strain.
Through July 7th at Studio Theatre – 1501 14th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20005. For tickets and information about the remaining shows in the run, visit www.StudioTheatre.org or call 202 232.7267
