Not Shakespeare at the Shakespeare Theatre Company

For the last two years, my cousin, Jennie, has been my theatre buddy.  She's in med school, I work long hours, but with a lot of back and forth prompting, we have made it to a fair number of Kennedy Center and other local theatre events. 

We had seen one or two shows at the Shakespeare Theatre Company in DC each year, but this year took the plunge and bought season tickets.  STC's mission is, not only, to bring Shakespeare's classics to life, but also to produce some of the works of his lesser known contemporaries.  Their shows are held either at the Lansburgh Theatre or at their new theatre in Sydney Harman Hall (both near the Verizon Center).  The productions are remarkable...spectacular sets, great acting and (some) insertion of modern dialogue make the 17th and 18th stories relevant and entertaining for their 21st century audience. 

Lansburgh Theatre

This week, after a pre-theatre dinner at Fiola (I could live on the tuna carpaccio) we were off to see "A Servant of Two Masters", a 1745 play by Carlo Goldoni.  Goldoni was born in Florence and wrote many plays in the Italian Commedia dell'arte style.  Later in life, after a feud with another playwright, Goldoni moved to France, writing plays for, among others, Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. 

Carlo Goldoni

"Servant.." is set in Florence and revolves around a pair of star-crossed lovers, Beatrice and Florindo.  Beatrice's brother forbade her to marry Florindo and was killed, by Florindo, in a duel.  Beatrice then came to Florence, dressed as her dead brother, to collect his money and find (and marry) Florindo.  Beatrice's cross dressing throws a wrench in the marriage plans of Clarice and Silvio (Clarice had been promised to Beatrice's brother).  Keep in mind, that these aren't even the main characters.  The principal character and star of the show is the lowly servant, Truffaldino.    Truffaldino's only love (at the start of the show) is food.  He, too, is kept from his love, in his service to not one, but two, masters each of whom is unaware of his service to the other.

"Servant.."'s set is, intentionally spare, focusing attention on the over-the-top costumes and slapstick comedy.  I will preface this by saying that I tend to be a purist when it comes to old plays.  I get annoyed with modernization of the dialogue and insertion of too many current references.   These abounded in this play, but I loved it all the same.  I can honestly say that I've never had a "laugh out loud" theatre experience like this.



Jesse J. Perez as Florindo, Allen Gilmore as Pantalone, Paul Reisman as a Waiter, Steven Epp as Truffaldino and Rachel Spencer Hewitt as Beatrice in the Shakespeare Theatre Company’s production of 'The Servant of Two Masters,' directed by Christopher Bayes. Photo by S. Christian Low.

The play's run was extended for a few weeks through July 8, 2012.  Even if you miss this show, it is well worth looking into other STC shows.  This is a gem of the DC theatre scene (their 2012 Tony Award for best Regional Theatre is testimony to this).  If you're on the fence, check out the annual free show in August.   http://www.shakespearetheatre.org/about/ffa/

Artomatic 2012

Artomatic is finally back after a 3 year hiatus.  If you enjoy art (and this has the good, the bad and the ugly), this is a fantastic way to spend a day.  It is, bar none, one of my favorite DC events.  For those who haven't been, Artomatic is an unjuried show of art from more than 1,000 artists.  The location shifts year to year, typically being held in a building under construction or one slated for demolition.  This year, it's 10 floors of fun in Crystal City a block and a half from the Crystal City Metro station.   In addition to the visual arts, there are also bands, lectures, Peeps (see #5 below) and wine tastings.

For the Artomatic neophyte, here are a few choice pieces of advice:

1.  Go with an open mind.  Some of the work is awful (or, to be more charitable, not my taste), but there are some remarkable things on display.   Even if you don't find anything that you would hang in your living room, I guarantee you'll see things that make you smile (or, possibly cringe). 
2.  Wear comfortable shoes...and that is coming from me, the queen of fashion before comfort.  It's 10 floors, people, the verticle equivalent of the National Gallery.  Here was my choice:

3.  Eat your Wheaties (or latte, or whatever).  Yes, there is sustenance available on site (including adult beverages), but this is an endurance event
4.  Make a day (or a date) of it.  For the 2009 festivities, my Mom and I went on the fourth of July and got to watch fireworks from the top floor...a great view.  The building is open until 10 PM on Wednesday and Thursday and 1 AM on Friday and Saturday which makes it a great event for a night out.  It is closed on Monday and Tuesday and only open from noon to 5 PM on Sunday.
5.  Don't forget the Peeps!  The Washington Post Peep Diorama Finalists are on display.  These alone are worth the trip. http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/magazine/peeps

Tour de Peeps
by Andrea Erdmann and Eric Werner

It's only open a few more weeks.  Last night June 23rd, 2012.  http://artomatic.org/

Here are a few of the memorable works from this year...

This room contained a desk, lamp and printer. 
Each visitor prints a poem and, by week 3
when I visited, the walls were covered with them.

My poem



Radio Bike by David D'Orio

Luis Rosenfeld
http://graffitiwarehouse.com/

Worf as Marilyn...oh, yes, this and much much more.

 

Voyeurism in the Afternoon

I had the day off today and spent a lazy morning home hanging out with the dogs.  By the afternoon, I was feeling the need to take advantage of the not-too-offensive June weather and head into the city. A few minutes later, I was on an Orange Line train headed toward the Smithsonian.  My plan had been to see the new George Bellows Exhibit at the National Gallery (stay tuned for that later), but I got sidetracked on the ground floor of the West Building by I Spy, a photography exhibition featuring images people on the street. 

http://www.nga.gov/exhibitions/ispyinfo.shtm



The body of work from six photographs spanned almost 80 years from the Walker Evans 1930s hidden camera shots of people on the subway and streets of New York to Robert Frank's glimpses of people seen from the window of a bus to Beat Streuli's present day videos of people leaving the subway.   Most of the older photos were taken surreptitiously, but even those in which the subject gave permission for the photo, manage to capture an authenticity and transparency of emotion that is so hard to capture.  I was struck by how sad most of us look when we aren't putting on a show. 

If an afternoon of people watching is your cup of tea (and, really, who's going to say no to that?), this is exhibit is well worth a visit.  Open through August 5, 2012