Luck be a lady with me...

Early in August I was trolling around Goldstar looking at what fun could be had at discount prices.  I was thrilled to find half-price tickets to the Wolftrap production of Guys and Dolls. The Wolftrap Foundation for the Performing Arts puts on some of my favorite summertime activities.  It's primary locale, Filene Center, is an outdoor amphitheater with both Pavilion and lawn seating.  Lawn seats for most performances can be had for $25 or less and it doesn't hurt that it's 10 minutes from our house.  We try to get there at least once every summer, more frequently if possible. Since we hadn't been yet this year, this seemed like the perfect opportunity.  So we scored two tickets and decided to make a date night out of it.

The show was adorable.  Wolftrap doesn't attract the big names in musical theater like the Kennedy Center, but they still put on a solid production.  With four "lead" roles and a number of heavy supporting roles, this really is a company show.  The woman who played Adelaide played up the "dame" quality of her character very well.  Nathan Detroit was the perfect gambler, relishing the underbelly of New York life.  But the standout for me was the guy who played Sky Masterson.  Reading his bio, we found that he'd played Jean Valjean in Les Mis on Broadway.  This role requires a big, rich voice with the simultaneous ability to be sweet and tender.  He brought the same qualities to Sky.  Tender and warm in one moment singing with Miss Sarah and brash and saucy while chastising Lady Luck in "Luck Be a Lady."

I loved the shows rendition of "Luck Be a Lady", probably because it's the version with which I am most familiar.  B, on the other hand, disliked it totally.  He's a fan of the Sinatra version. In the show, Sky scolds Lady Luck for her past misdeeds, while the Old Blue Eyes version sounds more like he's out to seduce her.  Both are exceptional versions of the song, but our preferences were clear from the opening line.

It was a great show.  Solidly cast, funny and charming.  Even the venue was great.  The only downside to our otherwise lovely datenight, was the older gentleman sitting to my left who insisted on signing along the entire first act.  And I think he was a little hard of hearing, because he didn't do it quietly, under his breath. He might as well have been on stage.  Thankfully, there were some empty seats in the same section that we took up to enjoy the second act in blessed silence.

A view of the stage during intermission

Wicked wins!!

Months ago, N and I put together a group to get tickets for Wicked at the Kennedy Center.  Combine the group rate with membership at the KenCen and we were able to get pre-sale tickets that placed us in the Center Orchestra for the show.  Great seats!

This musical, intended as the prequel to The Wizard of Oz, tells the story of how the Wicked Witch of the West came to be.  To keep the story alive for those that haven't seen it, I won't share any more than that on the synopsis.  But if you haven't had the chance to see this fantastic production do it before the opportunity is lost. Catchy songs like "Popular" and "Loathing" played well opposite some genuinely sweet and tender moments like "I'm Not That Girl" and "For Good" leave you riveted to the stage.

And if you're lucky enough to see Dee Roscioli play Elphaba, well, the experience will be complete.  This actress/singer has played the role of Elphaba in more productions than any other, including Idina Menzel who originated the role.  She is wonderful! Her rendition of "Defying Gravity" gave me real, honest to God, chills.   The only tiny flaw in the whole production was the actor who played Fiero.  While I'm sure he is quite talented, he just couldn't keep up with Elphaba and Glinda's soaring vocals making him the blur in what was otherwise a show cast with stunning clarity.

And for my parent friends out there - this is an AWESOME show to get a kids hooked on theater.  I was surrounded by kids ages 5 and up.  Any musical with upbeat music, a good moral and child-appropriate material (do NOT take your kids AVENUE Q, even though it has puppets) are great kid musicals. But by adding in the familiarity of the "Wizard of Oz", this show becomes even more accessible leaving a great opportunity to get your kids started on a love of the arts that will stay with them long into adulthood. I should know, I saw my first musical at age 4 and have never looked back (Thanks, Mom!).
 

Rub and grub

We started our day with a trip to the Spa for an 80 minute deep tissue massage for me and a 50 minute deep tissue massage and gentleman's facial for B.  Hello, relaxation, nice to see you old friend.  It was bliss.  And for the fifth time in recent memory, I had a masseuse tell me that whatever my job is, she was glad she didn't have to do it.  Gotta love so much tension in your shoulders that you are pitied by the person massaging you.

By the time we finished at the Spa it was nearly lunch time. Since we had a fairly extravagant dinner planned, we decided to let my Dad pick something "light."  I'm still laughing at how this panned out. He has been RAVING for years about this "little place in the Mirage that has the BEST tiramisu."  Turns out that "little place" was...wait for it...California Pizza Kitchen.  Seriously?!? Apparently  he had no idea this was a chain (and I'd argue not a very good one!) and that he could get that "excellent tiramisu" right down the street from his own home.  At this point we were already locked and loaded for a what was a pretty C+ lunch, but my Dad was happy so we went with it. And in fairness, a Caesar salad is a Caesar salad for the most part.

After lunch we spent another good chunk of time in the Sports Book betting in the dogs and horses.  We took a short go at craps again, only to be put back in our place (and in about 10 minutes).  So finally we settled at a roulette table to play for a while before dinner.  The short version of events? We didn't win and we didn't lose.  We were able to play with just a small amount of cash for about an hour and a half.  In the end, we walked away from the table more or less even.

We headed back to the room for quick power nap in advance of our 7PM reservation at Aureole and then our 930PM show at the MGM.  Since we were still on East Coast time, we knew we'd need a little mid-day rest to make it to midnight (3AM in our bodies).

After our short naps and a few minutes getting ready we all met back in the lobby for dinner at Aureole. This was our second trip to the Charlie Palmer restaurant in the Mandalay Bay and this trip proved even better than the last. We were given a lovely table in the middle of the restaurant with a great view of the multi-story wine cellar for which the restaurant is known.  Actually, I think it's known for the method of wine retrieval, performed by staff known as "wine angels" strapped into harnesses ascending and descending the many stories of wine.  The collection is so tremendous, in fact, that they don't bother to print a wine list and instead bring you an e-tablet to make your wine selections. 

Deciding on wine meant deciding on dinner first.  For our first course, B chose an American Wagyu Beef Carpaccio served with confit tomato crostini and grilled spring onions.  I chose the Rosso Bruno Tomato and Artisanal Burrata Salad. Burrata is like a smoother, creamier version of Bufala Mozzarella and is one of my favorites.  Both my Mom and Dad passed on the first course but joined us in ordering incredible mains.  For dinner, B chose a Seared Ahi Tuna loin served with a potato gratin and a Muscat Grape Verjus (translation: tasty, tart grape explosions!).  The grapes provided the most amazing contradiction of flavor with the tuna but somehow it was perfect. I never would have put those two ingredients together on a plate, especially with all the pepper in the crust on the tuna, but wow.  B's dish stole the show. 

My mom and I had close runners up. My mom ordered a grilled NY Strip served over ratatouille with rosemary garlic pesto.  Served medium rare, it was perfectly prepared with a salty crust on the outside.  I chose pan roasted salmon served over a Dungeness crab and corn risotto.  It was awesome!!  And as much as I tease him about his chicken-consuming ways, even my dad, who ordered the lemon roasted chicken breast, had an excellent meal.  Between all of our fabulous food and a well chosen Willamette Valley Pinot Noir, we had a wonderful meal. I would happily go back to Aureole for a third or fourth or fifth time. 

After our extravagant meal we parted ways with my parents for our show at the MGM.  As a part of our Vegas.com package we had scored free tickets to KA, the primal Cirque du Soleil show.  I've seen a few Cirque shows in the past, all of which have been enjoyable.  But this show stood out even among the best Cirque shows.  It was visually stunning in a way that cannot be described adequately. You just have to see it.  I can't imagine the money that went into building the "stage" that flipped, turned and eventually became completely vertical all while the performers moved with it as part of the scenery.  What a tremendous way to cap off a great day of vacation!

Cymbeline Redeems

As you may recall, the last Shakespeare Theater production Nicole and I saw was Candide at Harman Hall.  And my review wasn't exactly glowing. But the season has been redeemed by Cymbeline.  The story of a king, but really of a king's daughter, from the opening scene you wonder is it a tragedy? A comedy? A romance? It really knows no classification.

A lesser performed and infrequently read play of Shakespeare's written near the end of his career (or so it is believed, there is still question as to when it was actually penned), it weaves a tale of virtue, forgiveness and redemption set against the back drop of treachery, maliciousness and war. Highlights of the production includes what I can only describe as a "Jersey Shore"-style Cloten, the egocentric, lustful and ridiculous son of the Queen, who seeks the hand and virtue of his step-sister, Imogen, our pure and true protagonist.  Deliberately written as the comic relief, the artistic director took tremendous anachronistic license to underscore the character's impotence by exchanging a slow-moving red motor scooter for the valiant steed you know the self-impressed Cloten pictures for himself. 

Other stand outs from this performance were the unwitting sons of King Cymbeline, raised as mountain men with the kind of social skills that provide for moments of pure hilarity. But more potent than their comedic value, is the almost child-like innocence with which they view the world.  They live without complication and see the world in the same way.  They are the "set of clear eyes" through which the audience can experience the characters in their most unfettered forms.

Last, but certainly not least, was Gretchen Hall, the extremely talented actress that played Imogen.  Her portrayal of the heroine, around who's virtue the entire plot turns, was sweet and tender as the character requires.  Yet her tenacity and grit come through even the tenderest of moments, making her a force to be reckoned with as both Posthumus's devoted wife and King Cymbeline's wandering daughter.  All in all, her performance was stellar.

Running through March 6th, Cymbeline is worth every penny.  Check it out.

P.S. This post marks my 100th! Sort of like the 100th episode of a long-running TV show, I feel like I should have a cake to celebrate. Maybe I'll make a new cake I've never tried and blog about it. Thoughts?

Sunset Boulevard soars

For Christmas, Nicole and I exchange theater tickets. For her gift, we saw The Master and Margarita done by the Synetic Theater and for my gift, the Signature Theater's Sunset Boulevard.  For those unfamiliar with this popular Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, it tracks an aging, mentally-ill silent movie star, Norma Desmond, searching for a comeback in mainstream movies at what turns out to be any cost and the out-of-work 30-something writer who crosses her path.

For this show, the Signature assembled a power-house cast, led by Broadway institution Florence Lacey as Desmond.  Haunting and macabre in parts and sweet and vulnerable in others, this show takes its place in a long line of tremendous runs the Signature has offered these past few years.  The high point, in a performance packed with them, was Lacey's performance of "As If We Never Said Goodbye", followed closely by the moment at the end of the show where you watch her, playing an already weak and ill woman, come completely unglued.

All-in-all, two thumbs up to the Signature's still-running rendition of Sunset Boulevard.  If you're in the DC area and enjoy musical theater, even at the theater's sometimes steep prices, this show will not disappoint.

If I'm being candid, Candide was...

Slow. Plodding. Sluggish. Ick.

With the many cheap theater deals DC has to offer, Nicole and I decided to take advantage of a $15 deal to see Candide at the Shakespeare Theater's Harman Hall.  Neither of us were interested in this at full price since reviews had been mixed.  However, for that price we figured, why not? How bad could it be? And to be a fair it wasn't bad.  It was ceaseless, never-ending, long, but strictly speaking, not bad.  Rife with comedic low-hanging fruit and oddly arranged musical numbers (did I mention this was the musical version?), this show left something to be desired - that something being several hours of my life back. 

But the bright, shiny, star-worthy spot of the show, was Lauren Molina as Cunegonde. With serious vocal chops, her soaring soprano and quirky comic deliveries kept my eyes glued to the stage even as I checked my watch wondering how a novella could take 3+ hours to stage.  Ms. Molina was truly a joy to watch and, moreover, to hear.  And the best part, you ask?  Well, she went to the University of Michigan of course.  Way to represent the Wolverines!

Little Shop of Horrors!

As promised in a previous post, I owe a review of Little Shop of Horrors and Ford's Theater. 

Survey says, "What a fun show!"  And I agree.  We saw one of the first preview performances, and overall it was a great, fun, springtime show.  Built on the backs of a small ensemble, Little Shop delivered some great voices, with special nods to the husband and wife duo, Christopher Kale Jones and Jenna Coker-Jones that brought Seymour and Audrey to life; some great laugh-out-loud moments not least of which was the belting of "Dentist!"; and some morbid hilarity in the form of the giant "Audrey II" plant manned by two separate puppeteers!  All in all, it was a cute, funny (if not a little morose) production of an old favorite.

 (The pic that adorned our programs and tickets)

The theater itself reveals little of what it was in Lincoln's days, having been renovated many times over the years.  But the Presidential box remains, roped off and vacant, paying homage to our fallen leader.  As one of the few historical sites in DC I had never visited, this place appealed to me and I'm glad to have seen it. 

Sin City Spectacular - Part 2

Tuesday was my dad's last day in Vegas and we spent a good chunk of time with him in the sports book or playing craps.  For dinner we took off to Bally's Steakhouse, his favorite Vegas spot, for a nice meal before he headed for his red-eye back to Michigan.  The food was good.  I have a hard time with steakhouses because Ben makes such incredible steaks.  I find it hard to justify paying such high prices for something we can do as well at home for far less.  But my dad seemed to enjoy his meal and it was nice to take him out for once rather than the other way around.

(Ben and I on the bridge between NYNY and MGM with the Strip behind us)

(Ben and my dad, same locale)

After dinner he headed to the airport and we hit the monorail for the Flamingo to see our second show of the trip, X Burlesque.  Short review - this show is for people who are too chicken to go to a strip club and want to fool themselves into thinking that they are somehow more virtuous than people walking the streets of Vegas, wallets weighted down with singles.  Fun show, decent music, six women with bodies I would pay to have.  But there was still a pole and a lot of boobs, let's not fool ourselves here people.  Just go to a strip club.  After the show we hit the craps table again for a great night, which made up for a whole lot of less than great play we'd done the preceding days.

Wednesday dawned later than our usual early rising time, certainly the result of a late night.  But it turned out to be great.  We headed to the Paris for breakfast, played craps fairly successfully there for a while and then headed back to the NYNY.  More craps, a little more success.  I know it doesn't sound very exciting, but Ben and I were having fun standing next to each other watching the dice get thrown.  Laughing and winning!

For our last night in Vegas we had tickets to the Lion King at the Mandalay Bay.  An amazing show! Preceded by the best meal I have EVER had on this continent (I am therefore discounting some of the incredible deliciousness we encountered in France and Italy this year, etc.).  We enjoyed three courses and wine pairing at Fleur de Lys, Chef Hubert Keller's Las Vegas branch of his renowned San Francisco restaurant.

(Courtesy of their website - the inside of Fleur de Lys)

We began with a champagne aperitif.  The perfect thing for me - I LOVE BUBBLES!  Our first course included Ben's trio of foie gras that included a foie gras cappucino and my braised veal cheek and yukon gold potato ravioli, paired with Sauternes and Italian Rosé, respectively.  Our mains included Ben's halibut with chorizo oil paired with a sauvignon blanc and my roasted guinea hen with asparagus risotto paired with a buttery chardonnay.  Our last and final perfect, incredible course was a shared chocolate souffle with sweet glasses of raspberry liqueour.  I have never, even been so blissfully happy after a meal in my life.


We ended up our trip quietly, with a little more gambling and lot of ambling around the city just enjoying being together and away from work.  It will be a while before we get another vacation, so we tried to soak up every last minute of relaxation before we boarded our crowded Southwest flight home.

Sin City Spectacular - Part 1

We arrived in Las Vegas after a long but uneventful flight and met up with my Dad at the New York New York.  Now yes, Ben and I like to gamble.  But as growing foodies we were as excited about the food as any of the rest of the Sin City experience.  And we wasted no time getting into it.  First night, dinner at Aureole, a Charlie Palmer restaurant located in the Mandalay Bay.  Any Top Chef fans out there may recognize the restaurant as one this season's chef cooked in, complete with the most incredible wine cellar run by "wine angels" who rise through its vertical construction in harnesses.

Our meals were fantastic - burrata and heirloom tomato caprese, grilled salmon with corn succotash and crispy potato, perfectly frenched and prepared rack of lamb, even my dad's chicken was exceptional.  But the highlight of the evening was the wine. It stands out as perhaps the best Pinot Noir I've ever tasted.  2006 Talbot Sleepy Hollow Vineyard Pinot Noir.  It retails for about $30 a bottle (with nauseating markup at any restaurant) and is worth every penny.  We capped our night off with some roulette and for the first and last time that weekend Ben walked away from the roulette table a winner.

Monday morning started with a trip to the spa.  Massages and facials! The perfect way to start a vacation.  After, we enjoyed lunch at Caesar's Palace at Bobby's Flay's Mesa Grill.   Not as upscale a selection and we were worried that my very picky dad would struggle with the Southwestern food, but he hung in with us, enjoying what he called, "the best burger he'd ever had."  Highlights of this meal include Goat Cheese Queso Fundido with a myriad of peppers and a blue corn pancake filled with barbequed duck.  Again - YUM!

Interior of the Mesa Grill, complete with open kitchen

Goat Cheese Queso Fundido and Blue Corn Pancake filled with BBQ Duck

We spent the afternoon at Caesar's playing roulette and then the sports book with my dad at Mandalay Bay betting on dog racing.  Part of me struggles with the playing the puppies because I know they often aren't well treated, but my dad consoled me by pointing out that there was nothing I could do for those dogs in that moment so I might as well put down my dollars in hopes that a bigger purse would keep the winning, showing and placing dogs well kept and cared for another day.  I realize this is a rationalization if I've ever heard one, but someday I'll rescue a greyhound and balance my puppy karma again.

We ended our evening with Phantom of the Opera: The Vegas Spectacular! at the Venician.  For all of you classic Phantom lovers, you wouldn't object to this show.  Essentially, it's the same Phantom less one or two of the more boring songs but including all the favorites, "Think of Me", "Angel of Music", "Masquerade", "All I Ask of You" and "Music of the Night."  And true to its billing, we didn't have to wait long for the "spectacular."  Every performance of Phantom begins with the auctioneer introducing the chandelier and its history and offering the bidders some "illumination" at which time the chandelier rises from its covered home on the stage to hang in its original place.  This is standard.  What this production added however, was a sight to behold.  Rather than just raising the original chandelier to the ceiling they assembled a FOUR TIERED chandelier (the additional three tiers had been suspended in various places across the theater's ceiling) over our watching heads.  By the time our eyes had returned to the stage, all the coverings had been removed and we were seated again in the Paris Opera House waiting to hear Carlotta sing "Think of Me."