Helping to Give a Second Chance at Nick’s
• August 21, 2013

The ladies of Sip With Socialites raised funds for Second Chance Employment Services Aug. 4 at the newly renovated Nick’s Riverside Grille at Washington Harbour. Brunch attendees received a gift certificate for a “Perlman” signature facial, compliments of Med Spa at Dr. Ronald S. Perlman. Trish McEvoy of Nordstrom at Montgomery Mall provided makeup touch-ups. Other gifts included a certificate to Nick’s Riverside Grille and one to Tony & Joe’s Seafood Place as well as tickets to Washington Nationals vs Atlanta Braves. [gallery ids="101430,154598,154600,154594,154590" nav="thumbs"]

Metro Cooking Kick-off for Capital Area Food Bank
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On Aug. 7, chef and owner Victor Albisu hosted a happy hour for supporters of the Capital Area Food Bank at Del Campo, where first lady Michelle Obama and two guests had lunched the previous day. Discounted tickets were available for the Grand Tasting Pavilion on Nov. 3, a new feature of the Metro Cooking DC Cooking & Entertaining Show at the Washington Convention Center, which will feature 40 of D.C.’s outstanding eateries with a portion of ticket proceeds donated to the Capital Area Food Bank to help their fight against hunger in our area. [gallery ids="101428,154650,154627,154632,154636,154639,154648,154644" nav="thumbs"]

Dana Tai Soon Burgess Dance Company at NGA
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In honor of Diaghilev and the Ballet Russes, on Aug. 11 DTSBC performed the premiere of Revenant Elegy on the East Building mezzanine. The work, a visual and psychological exploration of “inner landscape,” was inspired by the hidden attitudes about youth and aging in George Balanchine’s Le Bal from the Ballet Russes’ final 1929 season. Artistic director Burgess is chair of the Department of Theater and Dance at George Washington University and a cultural envoy for the U.S. Department of State. His company has appeared at the United Nations, the White House and internationally.
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Nothing But ‘Pale with Love’ for ‘Much Ado About Nothing’
• August 15, 2013

If William Shakespeare were around today, and after someone had explained to him what movies are, there is no doubt he would be very pleased with Joss Whedon’s interpretation of his comedy “Much Ado About Nothing.”

We have all probably read “Much Ado About Nothing” once, probably in high school. Allow me to refresh your memory. War heroes Claudio and Benedick have just returned home, where Claudio is reminded of his strong love for Hero, the daughter of the governor, and Benedick engages once more in a war of wit with Hero’s cousin Beatrice. Like any Shakespeare comedy, there is confusion and irony and a wedding, but I won’t spoil it all for you.

Whedon’s adaptation puts lovers Claudio, Hero, Beatrice and Benedick in a modern setting, a favored choice for most of today’s Shakespeare adaptations, but that’s where the similarities to most other adaptations ends.

The entire film is in black and white, which in this case only helps the viewer. Without the distraction of color, the audience can focus solely on the story, how the characters are interacting with each other and what the characters discover about themselves. We are able to pay more attention to the actor’s actions, which pays off marvelously in a critical scene of both Benedick and Beatrice (played by Alexis Denisof and Amy Acker, respectively) eavesdropping on separate conversations about their love lives. The easy-on-the-eyes gray scale also lets the dialogue shine through, as Whedon chose not to use modern-day English and instead stuck with the bard’s own words. This isn’t, of course, the first film to keep the same language. But the use of the original language and lack of color, both harkening back to older days of film, somehow give this film a very contemporary air.

There was a slight murmur through the audience when it became apparent the dialogue had not been updated, but it soon died down as everyone adjusted and settled in to enjoy the film.

And enjoy is definitely what you will do when you watch this film. Whedon offers a refreshing retelling of the story, something we have come to expect from this director. For those unfamiliar, Whedon brought us 2012’s Cabin in the Woods and the superhero blockbuster The Avengers, but is also known for television’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Many of his projects reach cult status due to his talent of creating relatable and beloved characters whose storylines raptly involve the viewers.
It is also a common fact that Whedon likes to reuse actors, so to say, and he chose an excellent cast once again for Much Ado. Aside from Denisof and Acker, the film has Clark Gregg (The Avengers) portraying a humble and doting father to Hero, Sean Maher (Firefly) as antagonist Don John, Fran Kranz (Cabin in the Woods) as lovesick Claudio and Jillian Morgese (The Avengers) as the quiet Hero. Perhaps the best boast Much Ado has though, is Nathan Fillion (Serenity) as Dogberry, the bumbling and asinine watch-guard for the family, who brought a round of applause when he first appeared on the screen and continued to bring the laughs every time the camera panned to him.

Each of the actor’s talent and Whedon’s directorial choices combine to tell an entertaining romance that engages its audience, never making them bored or annoyed, but instead anticipating and intrigued. There is no doubt that even the most stubborn moviegoer will find one thing he likes in this film, and can convince anyone that Shakespeare can be fresh and loved in any year.

“Much Ado” could make a great family outing, provided everyone in the family is mature enough to understand the language and sit through the few risqué scenes that grant a PG-13 rating. Overall, it is a must-see, while it is in theaters. Its limited release began June 21, and the film is yet another masterpiece from Joss Whedon.

‘Pump Me Up’ Opening Revels in ’80s Subculture
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Scenes collided at the Corcoran’s “Pump Me Up: D.C. Subculture of the 1980s” at the exhibit’s opening reception Feb. 22. The exhibit chronicles D.C.’s graffiti, Go-Go and hardcore punk scenes from the late 1970s through the early 1990s and was curated by Roger Gastman, a graffiti historian from Bethesda, Md. Georgetown native Henry Rollins, deejayed the night with a selection of ’80s jams. Rollins grew up on 30th and R Streets, NW, across from Montrose Park.

Rollins, of hardcore punk group Black Flag, and Ian MacKaye of Minor Threat and Fugazi, both worked in Georgetown businesses when they were young adults, first at the Georgetown Theater and later at the Haagen-Dazs, a location now occupied by Avocado Cafe. Rollins recounted how the two went to the Bayou to see Bad Brains open for the Damned in June 1979.

“They were terrifying,” said Rollins. “Our jaws were on the ground.”

The night reunited a lot of participants and enthusiasts in ’80s subculture.

“Pump Me Up” will be on display at the Corcoran Gallery of Art through April 7.

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“Metamorphoses”: Splashing Humor, Drama, Love Into Our Oldest Tales at Arena
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All things considered, it’s tempting to say that director-author-adapter — and, oh, just genial genius — Mary Zimmerman has the Midas Touch when it comes to bringing to the stage our dreams, our oldest stories, our gods, our myths, oldest jokes and sorrows.

Of course, after seeing “Metamorphoses,” Zimmerman’s astonishing and remarkably durable version of the 2,000-year-old “Metamorphoses” by the Roman poet Ovid (based on David Slavitt’s translation) at Arena Stage, set in a raging, slithering, slappy-sloppy giant water- and emotion-filled pool, you might not ever use that phrase again.

The tale of King Midas — and the tragic reality of having his wish fulfilled by a god — is one of the many myths and tales which spring to life in Zimmerman’s production. You could say it’s yet another of her collaborations with the authors—sometimes nameless, sometimes not—of our most essential beliefs, myths, legends and stories. Certainly, “Metamorphoses” is characteristic of her own touch and tools of the trade, she brings us to stories by which in the telling we are awed, shocked, moved, sometimes to tears, reconciled, filled here and there with laughter, both refined and coarse. She does it often with children’s toys, remnants of costumes, cloth, context and storytelling so old that it seems brand new, language that is at once just a step away from chants and intonation, and as vernacular as a an unfettered blogger.

We have seen Zimmerman in action before in Washington: “Argonautika,” “Candide” and at Arena the year before around this time with “Arabian Nights,” so full of magic, jokes and the sadness of a lost civilization.

We know the stories here, and almost immediately accept the setting, this giant pool of volatile, versatile, sweet birthing water, nearly a character in a play where characters splash with abandon. They roust and roil and disappear under the waves, come to grief and forbidden love, and are transformed, metamorphosed into forever. The pool, quite near front row audience members at the in-the-round Fichandler, is rarely still or peaceful. The result is that those audience members are offered towels but still are startled by splashing water — much like the action in this theater and play: you never know exactly what will happen next, where, when or how.

This is a play, first produced at Northwestern University, in which Zimmerman has invited here and there the Greco-Roman gods to mingle—why else is Zeus (aka Jupiter) referenced? Then again, you could say this is part of the theme here after all, which is one of transformation. That theme makes the play about life its own self: we recognize these sons and daughters of gods, but also merchants, fools, drunks, lovers, parents, louts and swains and sailors and actors as ourselves.

So, when in the thick of things, we meet Phaeton, he’s complaining to his shrink about his father, the sun god Apollo. Feeling guilty that his son has been bullied at school, Apollo asks him, “What do you want?” Phaeton smartly answers, “I want the keys to the car,” like any overconfident kid. But the car is the sun, of course, and Phaeton definitely isn’t ready to drive, burns the earth and falls to his death.

This is done with humor, as are the multiple disguises Vertumnus adopts to get the attention of the wood nymph Pomona, whom he loves but who ignores all his guises. It’s one of Zimmerman’s trademarks to get you to laugh at some basic level—there’s the “what’s-in-the-bag” playfulness and the wedding joke in “Arabian Nights.” But in the end, first and foremost, this production is about loss and transformation, about grief and how we manage to endure life and the burdens given to us by the gods.

All manner of stories will stick with you—I suspect it depends on state of mind and station. For me, the transformative tales haunt you into stillness. Thus, the powerful tale of King Ceyx, who is drowned on an ocean voyage his much beloved wife Alcyone begged him not to take. After ghostly visitations and an abundant display of grief and sorrow, the gods take pity and transform the couple into seabirds. (Alcyone’s father, the wind god Aeolus, calms the air and seashore so that she might nest with ease; hence our word, “halcyon.”) The familiar tale of Orpheus and Eurydice—told twice to include the German poet’s Rainer Maria Rilke’s version, who doubles down on the sadness—makes your hold your breath as Orpheus fails to retrieve his bride from the underworld by breaking the rule not to look back.

The most wrenching and shocking tale is that of Myrrha and her father, King Cinyras. Myrrha, a bounding teen uninterested in love and suitors, angers the goddess Aphrodite and is cursed to lust after her father. That lust and its consummation are depicted in a furious interaction in the pool, it’s looks physically dangerous and emotionally disastrous.

The production ends in a kind of vision, a hopeful dream of sheer beauty, light upon the water, a vision that opens up hearts to hope and makes souls transparent. We see them all then, a cast that is singularly and uniformly excellent, overcoming physical challenges—the water, the water, the air itself, the slippery path—to keep it real. I would single out Ashley Lathrop as Myrrha (and Midas’s daughter) who breaks your heart twice, Geoff Packart (he had the lead in “Candide” and “Liberty Jones”), an appealing and romantic heroic figure as King Ceyx, and Louise Lamson as Alcyone and Raymond Fox as Midas.

Because we have always told stories around campfires, in our hearths and homes, in liturgies and celebrations, between the covers of books and sacred texts, in ancient arenas, theater in its present and past forms has always seemed to be the place where we come to believe that what we see before us is both an artifice—artful and powerful—and a mirror through which we can fly, or in the case of this “Metamorphoses,” swim.

“Metamorphoses” runs at Arena Stage through March 17
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Helen Hayes Nominations: Some Surprising Omissions
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Just when you think you might have a handle on the annual Helen Hayes Awards and the plays, artists and companies which get nominations every year, they throw you for an Oscar-like loop—you know, the one where Ben Affleck wasn’t nominated for a best director award for “Argo.”

This year’s major mysteries for the 29th annual Helen Hayes Awards announced earlier this week would appear to be the omission of veteran and oft-awarded and nominated actor Edward Gero for his bravura performance as the expressionist painter Mark Rothko in the Arena Stage production of “Red,” which was also not on the list of nominations for outstanding resident production, although director Robert Fall did get a nod for the production.

Stranger still was the fact that Synetic Theatre—the Georgian-led (as in the Republic of Georgia) troupe which specializes in highly stylized and totally original plays without dialogue and silent Shakespeare, which annually gets a slew of nominations and usually wins quite a few of them,—did not get a single nomination, an unlikely and odd turn of events strange enough to be called mysterious. It’s not likely that the company experienced a huge dropoff in quality in term of artistic excellence all at once, but there you are.

But, on the other hand, you can’t really complain about results per se—what the nominations almost always reveal is the excellence, the range and the sheer variety and size of the Washington theatre community. It’s a big tent approach. This year, Toby’s Dinner Theatre in Columbia, Md., with its production of “The Color Purple” got eight nominations in a category usually dominated by Signature Theater, which was right up there, too, with seven for its production of “Dreamgirls.”

Then there was Imagination Stages, a theatre specializing in plays for young people, which landed two best directors for musicals (as opposed to musical direction) for Janet Stanford and “The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe” (also up for a best ensemble award) and Kathryn Chase Bryer for “Rapunzel.”

Arena Stage itself led with a total of 18 nominations if you’re counting—with a variety of nominations for several plays, including “My Fair Lady,” “The Music Man,” “Pullman Porter Blues,” “Red Hot Patriot” and “One Night With Janis Joplin” among seven productions. Kathleen Turner—star turn—was nominated for best actress in a resident play, and Mary Bridet Davies—star turn—was nominated for outstanding actress in a musical for playing—let’s say channeling—Janis Joplin.

Direction seems to have been a stickler—six were nominated for outstanding director of a resident musical, including Toby Orenstein (founder of Toby’s) and Lawrence Munsey, and eight were nominated for best director of a resident play—Shakespeare Theatre Company’s artistic director Michael Kahn for “The Government Inspector,” and Ethan McSweeny for “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and Christopher Bayes for “The Servant of Two Masters,” all Shakespeare Theatre Company productions among them, along with Aaron Posner, Robert Falls, Kirsten Kelly and John Vreeke.

Here’s your lineup for top resident musicals: “1776,” a top notch, clear-eyed production from Ford’s Theatre; “The Color Purple” from Toby’s Dinner Theatre; “Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris” from MetroStage; “Dreamgirls” from Signature and “Spring Awakening” from Keegan Theatre.

And here’s your lineup for top resident play: “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” Shakespeare Theatre Company; Woolly Mammoth’s scintillatingly staged wrestling drama “The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity”; “Invisible Man,” Studio Theatre’s nervy and moving adaptation of Ralph Ellison’s novel; Theater J’s powerful “Our Class” and Folger Theatre’s Wild West set production of “The Taming of the Shrew.”

For a complete listing of the awards, visit theatrewashington.org. The Helen Hayes awards will be presented April 8 at the Warner Theatre.

Bulgari Hosts National Museum of Women in the Arts
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The Women’s Committee of the National Museum of Women in the Arts held its first meeting of the year at Bulgari in Chevy Chase Jan. 18. The meeting was devoted to auction items for the April 26 gala celebrating the museum’s 25th anniversary. Women’s committee president Fran Usher welcomed NMWA Founder Wilhelmina Holladay, Women’s Committee founder Ruthanna Weber, Ambassador of Bulgaria Elena Poptodorova, former Ambassador of Macedonia Ljubica Acevska Novello and Gamila Karjawally, who had been the liaison with Bulgari. Store Manager Andrea Mitchell showed a video and discussed the collection. Guests then enjoyed Bellinis and canapés prepared by Design Cuisine. [gallery ids="101138,140575,140570" nav="thumbs"]

Mari Vanna Opening Party
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On Jan. 16, a new Washington treasure of a restaurant, Mari Vanna, hosted a friends and family preview in its second U.S. location at 1141 Connecticut Avenue. The three-level eatery is named after a fairytale grandmother of Slavic legend who welcomed hungry travelers. The first floor has an attractive bar, high-top tables and open-air kitchen. The second floor or “Imperial Suite” is more formal dining and the upper level an enticing disco. The decor is cozy with old Russian tchotchkes. The menu promises such traditional Russian dishes as piroshky, homemade blinis and beef Stroga- noff accompanied by signature cocktails and vodkas galore. [gallery ids="101139,140622,140616,140610,140604,140597,140591,140635,140584,140640,140645,140577,140650,140628" nav="thumbs"]

The Creative Coalition ‘Night Before Dinner’
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D.C.’s new Russian eatery, Mari Vanna D.C., hosted the Creative Coali- tion’s Inauguration “Night Before Dinner” with Svedka Vodka. The dinner served as a way to welcome the hosts to town the night before the Creative Coalition Inaugural Ball. Celebrity guests in attendance included Creative Coalition president Tim Daly, Paula Abdul, John Leguizamo, Omar Epps, Marlon Wayans, David Arquette, Wayne Knight, Sen. Paul Strauss, among others. [gallery ids="102581,119796,119829,119789,119818,119804,119812,119824,119835" nav="thumbs"]