Theatre Weekend

So this weekend's 5 show weekend turned into a 4 show weekend.  However, that wasn't a terrible thing.  I really wanted to see Godspell Friday night, but after a long week, it just wasn't in the cards.  However, the next 2 days totally made up for it in terms of quality.

Yesterday was Off-Center's City Center's Production of Assassins.  I'd never seen this show before and I'm still not sure I understand what I saw, but I admit to loving it.  It was weird, and sarcastic, and a little in poor taste, but the cast was outstanding.  I came for Steven Pasquale, who was brilliant as always.  That man's voice is pretty perfect, and he's great with the annoyance and sarcasm on stage.  So he was a perfect choice for a snarky John Wilkes Booth. But the rest of the company was also amazing.

My favorite part was a line sung by the balladeer "Every now and again the world goes wrong, every now and again a mad man comes along..."  At which point the crowd went wild. It's the perfect description of where the US finds itself right now.  Nice lyrics, Sondheim - who was apparently at the evening performance along with Josh Groban.  I missed them both by going to the matinee - boo!

And the last show of the weekend, was an olf favorite of mine "A Midsummer Night's Dream."  Now, even though it's a favorite, I had no desire to go whatsoever.  It was to be performed outside (it was 89 today) and it was going to be in a sketchy (or so I thought) part of town, and I would be going by myself (everyone else realized it was too hot and too far...)  However, I'm so glad I went.  The show was fantastic!  The Baltimore Shakespeare Company put on a great production.

I know exactly how hot I was, so I can't imagine how hot the performers were, but they never let it show.  They seemed to be having so much fun, which is always a good mark of a great show.  In the end I'm so happy I went, and I can't wait to attend another one of their productions!

Noises Off

I just got home from one of the funniest performances I've seen in years!  Noises Off at the Everyman Theatre in Baltimore was just so much fun.  I've been doing some work with them for the last few weeks, but tonight was the first time I had the chance to see them perform.  Then I was treated to a Cast Conversation after the fact with the lovely company members that had spent the previous 2.5 hours making everyone laugh very, very hard.  Such a great way to spend an evening!

Stoop Storytelling Fun

This evening I attended the Stoop Storytelling event at Everyman Theatre, and I just have to say that it was funnier than I had even imagined it would be.  The theme of the evening - since the Everyman is currently doing Noises Off - was The Show Must Go On.  So all 8 performers told a story about doing live theatre.  Some were actors, and some were crew but all 8 were hysterically funny.  

During intermission, the organizers chose 2 volunteers and gave them 3 minutes to tell their own stories. In instances like this, these volunteers are often not so great. However, the 2 gentlemen that told their stories, were as funny as the performers themselves.  They could not have been better chosen for the evening.

All in all, I came away in awe of these performers, and a little jealous that they have the nerve to do something like this while I do not.  Even if I could overcome the massive amount of stage fright I have, I wouldn't have a clever story to tell.  Maybe I'll work on that piece of the puzzle first.  That seems a lot easier than overcoming the fear of people in general...

Spring Theatre Preview

I have to say, the next 6 weeks or so are definitely the weeks of theater - in an already very busy theater year.  Whether it's free BroadwayWorld shows that I'm reviewing or shows that I've purchased tickets for, it looks like I'll be quite busy.  Of course, there are worse issues to have.  So I thought I'd let you know what I'm seeing and why I'm seeing it and then check in after the fact to let you know how the shows were.  Some I'm thrilled about while others I'm not so sure - those are usually the ones I'm being dragged to by my friend who, as she puts it "comes from a place of yes." : )

First up, Hello Dolly!  with Bette Midler, Gavin Creel and David Hyde Pierce.  Somehow, I've never seen this show, so I'm not entirely sure what it's about.  However, this cast is full off of amazing people that I'm super excited to see. However, I'm reserving judgement because Im fairly certain this show is going to steal all the Tony's from my Falsettos and I'm none too thrilled about that.

~ Waitress is finally going to be seen.  I really wanted to see this when it first opened. Then I saw the preview last year at the Tony's and wasn't really in love with it.  It also helped that tickets were costing more than the usual $100 threshold so I was avoiding it.  But the friend who comes from a place of yes, loves Sara Bareilles and I love Chris Diamontopolos so we finally decided to buy tickets.  I feel like the pie at the concession stand is enough to make me love it.

~ Then it's on to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.  I have always loved this movie however, I've seen clips and I'm not exactly loving what I'm seeing.  Keeping my fingers crossed that it's as good as I'm hoping.

~ Next up is the immersive production of Sweeney Todd, which is a show I've never seen before.  Also, I'm terrified about the word "immersive" ever since I was forced to go to HT Darling's Interactive Museum  Not sure what to expect but if they start to include me in the show, I'm out!

~ Then, an old favorite that I can't wait to see again - Jesus Christ Superstar at the Signature Theater in VA.  This production looks so amazing, but I'm super biased when it comes to this show.  Every production I've ever seen I've loved.

~ At some point, I'm seeing a show (one I'm being dragged to) called Laura Bush Killed a Guy.  And for some reason, when these tickets were purchased we were asked to make some sort of cookie to bring with us, which has us confused and intrigued.

~ For BWW, I[m seeing Noises Off at Everyman (looks Phenomenal!), Stoop Storytelling at Everyman (super fun!) and See How they Run at Vagabond Players (Looks like a fun farce!)

~ And then in England, we're seeing Hamlet with Andrew Scott (Moriarty from Sherlock) which I'm keeping my hopes us is better than Benedict Cumberbatch's version.  

~ There will also be a dabbling of opera in England unfortunately, because the only show that's playing at the Minnack Theatre in Cornwall when we're there is La Traviata.

And then I think July is still pretty open, with the return to NYC in August for a 2 show weekend. Unfortunately, one of those shows was going to be Amelie, but since that's closing, we'll need to find something else.

There you have it - quite a full schedule, but so fun!  Can't wait to tell you the good, bad and ugly about them all soon!

AVAM Fun

I've lived in Maryland my entire life, and sometimes I think I've been living under a rock this entire time.  There are so many places in this state that I've just never explored.  I'm hoping to change that this year.  First up is the American Visionary Arts Museum.  This super cool museum is located in downtown Baltimore and I'm thinking quirky would be the best way to describe its installations.  I've only ever been inside once, but I honestly don't remember the outside being as awesome as it is.  I was early meeting friends for a wine fest today, so I took a few minutes to wander around the museum's outdoor crafts and fell in love with all the art. Can't wait to get back and actually go inside this time!

Can you just imagine how cool this building would be in the sunlight rather than clouds?

Obligatory AVAM Selfie

Street Art!

This is the inside of the glass tree above - so cool!

Something New

Tonight was the very first time I attended an event that was intended for the press.  I've been to other shows on press passes but that just required me to see a show for free.  Tonight was all about interacting socially - in person (not so good...) and online (sorta good...)  I have to say it was a blast and I can't wait to do it again!

I was asked to live tweet a new theatre announcement for a small theatre company in Baltimore City.  They were having a cocktail party, and wanted someone to be there to cover the festivities online.  We settled on Twitter to cover the event, since the people at the theatre would already be Facebook Live-ing.  I'm much more comfortable with tweeting anyway - I was terrified of the prospect of having my voice or my face on camera - even by accident.

For the most part, the live tweeting went pretty well.  If I had to grade myself, I'd give me a 6 or a 7.  I'm not fabulous, but I'm definitely not awful either.  It doesn't sound like it would be, but it's a wee bit stressful.  You need to keep track of hashtags, and handles, then you need to keep track of who's saying what and make sure you're attributing quotes to them.  Also, there's the spelling names correctly and proofreading to make sure everything is spelled correctly and is grammatically correct.  These are all of the thing I'm thinking about as I tweet so if they're not Lin Manuel Miranda-level clever, now you see why.

Anyway, the whole evening from start to finish was a blast.  I was reminded again, of just how much this theatre community rocks and just how kind and open these people are.  I hope opportunities like this keep popping up because they continue to make my heart very happy!

Unknown Territory

Today, courtesy of BroadwayWorld (look for the review later this week) I had the chance to visit the Vagabond Theatre in Fells Point to see The Odd Couple.  Neil Simon plays are always fun and funny, and this one was no different.  The acting and the setting were great.  Whenever I visit Fells Point, I always ponder why I don't visit there more often.  After the 15th time of rounding the block looking for a parking spot, I usually remember.  The parking is awful!  However, on such a beautiful day it was no wonder - everyone was out enjoying the beautiful weather and being on the waterfront!

Maybe, just maybe I'll get a little less annoyed this summer with the parking and head down there more often.  With all the circling of the block, I definitely found at least a dozen yummy restaurants to try!

Saturday Catch-Up

The reason I've been writing so sporadically is because computers are simultaneously lovely and annoying.  Mine decided to do a nose dive and for some reason black screen every 20 minutes or so.  I have no reason for this other than the gremlins are getting restless.  That's the beauty of working for a tech company - loads of computer nerds to fix things when you need them to.  Of course, when those computer nerds are in the midst of a huge work load, you wait until they have time to fix things.  We're going on 2 weeks now...

Luckily, I do have a work computer which is also having some gremlin issues.  It doesn't actually like to charge you see.  And since my house is built ridiculously annoyingly, no chairs are near outlets.  So it's a bit of a pain to find a spot to write that doesn't require me to be completely uncomfortable while doing so.  That's where I am right now.

Aside from ever present technology issues, everything seems to be going smoothly here.  I've been lucky to see loads of theater this month.  Like I said, some were good and some were odd.  You can find my full reviews of Rent and HT Darlings Magical Musaeum over at BroadwayWorld.  The coolest thing to come out of either of these shows is that my review was quoted in their Press Release.  It was fun to see my sentences there!  Maybe this writing thing is going well?...

Anyway, added to the list for April is The Odd Couple at the Vagabond Players tomorrow.  Love that play so I'm hoping for a great production!  Before that, there'll be some fun time in Annapolis soaking up this beautiful weather.  Then after, hopefully some more writing - as long as the gremlins let me do so...

No Day but Today

Every single time I see Rent, I turn into a blubbering mess. Every time! I know what's going to happen and exactly when it's going to happen, and yet it still kills me each time. Tonight's production was the 20th (!!!!) anniversary tour at the Hippodrome. And while it wasn't my favorite, it was pretty darn great! Even though it wasn't my favorite, tonight's show hit me a whole lot harder than usual. I'm still not sure why that happened but I was pretty much crying straight through the entire second act. I'm sure I'll be looking rough tomorrow...

But it's so worth it to have that experience again and to get the same chills in all the same places in the story. For anyone that's wondering - it still stands up and it's still absolutely beautiful from start to finish!

The Strange got Stranger

Tonight I was locked into an old museum while people in steam punk gear showed me fake exhibits of artifacts from a different planet and others in creepy ghostish costumes wandered around and succeeded in creeping me the heck out by just existing near me.  This was my evening of being brace and open to new things....I lasted 45 minutes before I couldn't hold in the nervous laughter anymore and needed to escape before I exploded.

What I learned in this experience is that the new wave of interactive and immersive theatre is so not my thing, and that I'm most assuredly not a hipster so I'm not sure why I keep trying hipster things and expecting a different result. It's insanity on my part, I'm sure.

Tune into to BroadwayWorld this weekend for the whole story on my evening of the bizarre. I assure there's so much more to say....

Mortified Baltimore!

Last year, right around Valentine's Day I discovered Mortified! Baltimore.  This group gets together to share their most mortifying and embarassing stories about love, family, friends, and just about anything else you can think of. Last Valentine's Day the theme of the night was love, and I had never laughed so hard in all my life.  It was so funny, that I just knew I had to go again.  Unfortunately, every few months something would come up and I'd miss their engagement.

However, this year at Valentine's time again, I was able to make it work with my schedule and finally see these amazing people again.  And again, it was a night full of laughter and some cringing.  This year's theme again was love so all of the participants read from letters, or journals or book reports that they had written when they were little about being in love with first boyfriends or girlfriends, about first kisses or just about what they shouldn't be doing at camp.

What blows me away is the fact that these are just regular people that choose to try out and go through this process of sharing their most embarassing stories with the world.  I wouldn't even be able to read something I had written now in front of an audience, let alone something as cringe-worthy as a journal entry from 20 years ago.  But these people are gutsy and very funny and pretty darn awesome!  And maybe by watching them, a little of their gutsiness will rub off on me!

A Trivial Saturday

Remember, when I mentioned that we had made the Trivia semi-finals again?  Well, that was today.  Usually that's a happy thing - however when the morning brings ice and terrible accidents everywhere, it becomes a bit of a stressful thing.  However, after a delay of about an hour, things went on without a hitch.  

This quarter's semi's were held at Horsehoe Casino in Baltimore.  Have I mentioned how much I hate that stupid casino?  Each week at trivia where we usually play, we have a lovely waitstaff, an awesome host, fun opponents, and yummy (if not entirely healthy) food to eat.  When it's semi-final time, we get stuck at the casino where the waitstaff are quite forgetful and slow, the hosts are so slow, too many opponents to chat with, and the food is relegated to about 5 specific items (a special menu is created for the trivia people) and something I don't care about but lots of other people do - the free shots you get when you win the toss- ups are actually a dollar here at the casino.  So you see, it kinda stinks.  However, it's the semi-finals, so you just have to go!

So you might be wondering, how it all went.  Well...there was some good and some bad.  By the end of the first half, we were in second place - a vast improvement over the last time we were at the semi-finals.  We were hot and were feeling pretty good about our knowledge.  Then the second half comes and blows it all to smithereens. I suppose I should clarify.  For the most part the second half went well.  It was the last round, where the points are worth 2, 7, 12 with a 6 point bonus for getting all 3 correct.  Yep, in that round we didn't answer a single question correctly.  Not one.

So, by the very end, our second place became 9th place with only the top 5 teams going to the finals.  So sad.  But it's actually a positive.  First, the next 2 Saturdays are Christmas Eve and New Years Eve - when the heck were they even going to have the finals.  And second, each time we go we improve - that totally means we're going to make the finals next time, right?  It's either that, or this week was a Christmas miracle. I'm not really sure which...

Festival of Trees

One of my most favorite Christmasy events in Maryland is the Kennedy Krieger Festival of Trees that's held at Timonium Fairgrounds each year on the weekend after Thanksgiving.  Loads of businesses, companies, individuals, families and schools get together, design a tree and then the trees are shown off at the big event.  Attendees can buy the trees or just wander around and ogle at the creativity.  I'm much more an ogler than a spender, but thank goodness lots of other people are spenders because the event makes thousands each year for Kennedy Krieger's schools and treatment centers.  

 I don't remember what tree this guy hung on, but he's the cutest Rainbow Fish ever!

 We were standing in front of an emoji tree.  I was being an emoji.  No one else was joining in...

My favorite was this cactus tree that was decorated with calaveras and other fun things with the theme of Feliz Navidad.

 This one of the Grinch and Max stealing the toys rounded out my top 3 favorites.  The Grinch was popular this year since it's the 50th anniversary in 2016, but this one was by far the cutest of all the various Grinches.

 The ornaments on this tree were all made of book pages.  It was pretty and creative but I was slightly distressed by the destruction of books...

 This was my other favorite.  It was entitled Who's Stealing Christmas? and it was covered in case reports of bad guys from Christmas movies, like the Grinch, or Jack Skellington.  What was even cuter was the "evidence bags" full of evidence of their crimes, like green fur left over at the crime scene.  So creative and just the cutest!

Baltimore Fleet Week

There are definitely times when it's not bad living so close to the port of Baltimore.  This week was one of those times.  The Port of Baltimore tried to recapture some of the magic of the Star Spangled Celebration of a few years ago and hold their first Fleet Week complete with Navy ships and the Blue Angels.  Ordinarily I'm a huge fan of boats and air shows, but today with the weather being absolutely gorgeous and the sky being perfectly clear, it was even more perfect.  

The Harbor looked even more gorgeous sparkling in the sun with all the ships hanging about.  And it was really nice to see the military guys chatting with kids and their families. Even the Canadian military was on hand to give tours of their boats.  Being so close to the home of the Navy in Annapolis, you sort of lose sight of just how special it is to see ships and planes up close like this, but during a celebration like Fleet Week you realize just how awesome they really are!

A Maryland Girl Sees Jersey Boys

I'm not usually a big fan of "juke box musicals."  Juke Box Musicals use the music of a band or a singer and shoe horn a story into a group of their songs.  It tends to be painful and a huge stretch of the imagination. For reference see "Movin' Out" - HUGE fan of Billy Joel, HUGE disappointment of a musical.  

For this reason, I wasn't overly excited about Jersey Boys.  I assumed it would be just like Movin' Out.  The story of the Four Seasons through their own music.  And I just wasn't feeling it.  Though, as it turns out, I was wrong.  Jersey Boys is a juke box musical but they flipped the script a bit.  Their story is mostly spoken.  The only time you really hear their music is when the band is singing it on stages or in recording studios.  It's actually pretty well done.

I will admit, the first half dragged a bit.  There was a lot of music and not much action.  However, after intermission, they really pulled it together.  The actors playing the 4 Seasons, were sensational!  Franki Valli is known for having the highest of high voices, and I was shocked they were able to find someone with that voice to play the part.  He and the other 3 sang beautifully, and if they wanted, they could totally tour together  - perhaps in a 4 Season tribute band...

Anyway, the show really won me over in the end.  The big 11:00 number was "Who Loves You Pretty Baby? with the whole cast on stage, which was particularly great.  Then to make me love them even more, they encored to "Oh What a Night..." my all time favorite!  Such a fun song and such a great cast!  All in a all, a fabulous night at the theatre.

PS - If you're ever in Baltimore and plan to see a show at the Hippodrome and you're over the height of 5 feet, be prepared for a very uncomfortable evening...I'm pretty sure the theatre was built by builders that forgot people have legs.

Baltimore and Books

So often, when Baltimore is in the spotlight, it's because of something bad has happened - usually a terrible murder, or riots or even drug deals gone wrong.  It's hardly ever for wonderful things.  Don't get me wrong, wonderful things do happen here.  They're just not as interesting to report I suppose.  It's easier to have everyone think Baltimore is exactly like The Wire (I'm looking at you Bourdain!)

However, today something wonderful did happen and most stations chose to report it.  Carla Hayden, the chief librarian at the Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore City became the Librarian of Congress.  She's the very first woman and the very first person of color to hold what may very well be the coolest position in the entire world!  Just imagine getting to spend your days with all those books! It sounds heavenly!  But I digress...

She is an all around awesome human being and I'm super proud to say I'm from her State. When everyone else is saying that libraries are dying, and technology is the new king, she's found a way to bridge the divide.  She's given technology a home among all the books and she's shown that libraries can still thrive in this new tech-heavy environment.

On top of her openness to new ideas, she also has a loving spirit which helped her decide to open the doors to the Enoch Pratt Library last April when the city was rioting.  She thought the library could act as a safe haven for those trying to avoid the violence. She showed the children that came through those doors that they'd always have a home in the books and stacks of that library.

A hometown girl building a career around getting people to read and to love books? I mean really, how can you not like her!?  

Pier 6 Fun

Some weekends I go pretty much the entire 48 hours without doing anything exciting at all. Other weekends are chock full of fun, like this weekend for instance.  Last night was the DC fun and tonight was the Baltimore fun.  Since they built up the Harbor East part of the city, concerts at the Pier 6 pavilion on the water have gotten a lot more inclusive and fun. Instead of purchasing a ticket to the concert, you can now go down with chairs and nice picnic, and sit across a small canal and listen to the music from there.  I've been hearing about this phenomenon for a while but never tried it until this evening.  And seeing as it's been a fairly cool summer so far, it was a fabulous way to spend a Sunday.  Sunset, friends, on the water and Barenaked Ladies - I love summer!

Secret Supper Redux

A few months ago, my friend Jennifer and I went to the Baltimore Secret Supper.  The premise is this - you pay ahead for a 4 course dinner with wine pairings, then you don't actually find out what restaurant you'll be eating in until the night of the dinner.  The last time we fortunate enough to get to try Aggio by Bryan Voltaggio.  While the entire meal wasn't perfect, there were definitely some highs about it.  

Tonight's dinner was held at Cunningham's in Towson, which was already a bit of a downer because Towson is so much farther than downtown Baltimore. I'd like to say the meal made up for it, but it really didn't.  Nothing seemed to go together at all.  And while I'm sure others enjoyed the food, I wasn't a fan of the mish-mash menu filled with ingredients that weren't my cup of tea.  Also, seeing as I wasn't drinking the wine, I really wasn't getting anything out of the evening at all.  Even the service wasn't up to par with Aggio.  

It was a huge restaurant so I can understand being a little slow, but after sitting down at 7:15 we didn't receive the first course until after 8:00. That meant we didn't get to finish the dessert course until well after 9:00.  At Aggio I was home by 9:00. In the end, Jennifer and I had a nice evening chatting, but the next time we've decided to just try a restaurant we've been wanting to try instead of waiting to win the foodie bingo.

* As you can see, clearly I'm no foodie photographer.

Shh! It's a Secret

One thing I do love about Baltimore is its thriving food scene.  We have tons of great restaurants and loads of fun food events like the Emporiyum or the Food Truck Gatherings. This year yet another awesome event has been added to the roster: Baltimore Secret Supper. Sponsored by the Baltimore Sun, diners reserve a seat and pay a set price.  Then on the very morning of the event, diners will finally find out where the dinner will be held.  And not until you're actually at the restaurant, will you find out what you'll be eating. It's a risky concept if you're picky, but my friend and I were up to the challenge.

We were quite lucky to find out that the supper we would be attending this evening was being held at Aggio (also known as one of the restaurants in Bryan Voltaggio's fleet of restaurants, and the one I've been dying to try!)  When we first arrived we were given a signature cocktail (something with carbonation, vodka and mint - not my thing) and shown to a communal table.  From there, we were served the best food of the night.  And these were just the appetizers. The Parmesan funnel cake and the foccacia with whipped burrata and mortadella mousse were out of this world. I literally could have been content to eat nothing else but more of the same for the rest of the night.  But there were 4 more courses with wine pairings to come.  Well not wine pairings for me, I stuck with iced tea (as usual...)

First up was fluke marinated in beet juice, with chile, lime juice and wasabi burrata.  I was willing to go with them on the fluke but the beet juice and wasabi were just a little too much for me. 

Then it was on to more beets - roasted this time with burrata, grape leaves, and pistachios.  Way too many beets for me - in that the entire dish was one big warm beet.  When did beets become the next big ingredient?

Finally the pasta dish - now you're speaking my language.  This dish was handmade pasta boiled in red wine (instead of water) with chicken sausage and a 63 degree egg.  My favorite of the evening.  Runny eggs just make everything that much richer and more delicious!

Last up was a dessert of pannetone, pistachios and gelato.  Good, but where's the chocolate?  Every dessert needs chocolate in my opinion.

Even though I wasn't crazy about the menu, I have to admit it was quite fun getting a chance to try these fancy schmancy dishes.  I never would have ordered them myself but I loved getting a chance to see how beautifully plated and conceived they all were.  All in all, a great event and I'm anxiously awaiting the next to see where it will take us.