Around the World in 80 Days

Thursday, Triad Stage night! Another evening using the season pass. People tire of hearing me blather on and on, but I will continue to scream it from the rooftops: I HEART TRIAD STAGE!!!!!

An amusing romp following Philleas Fogg in 1872 and his wager to travel from London around the world via steamer and train. A witty and comedic production, with various pitfalls befalling Mr. Fogg along the way. A table from the set doubles (quadruples?) as boat, elephant, train, etc. The actors really appeared to have a whale of a time stimulating your imagination by pretending to be speeding (in 1872 terms) across the world.

Quite fun. As usual.

One lonely December 2009 post

Post #601.

Been a while, eh? You still come around here? You still on the edge of your seat waiting for an update? Or have you given up? I wouldn't blame you. Why keep coming back when I don't update anything for over a month. This being said, the muse to type something relevant or witty or newsworthy on these very pages has seemingly disappeared. The urge and wanting to do so is gone. Those who follow my oh-so-interesting (sarcasm) adventures already do so on the interwebs via The Facebook or The Twitter. Here on The Blogger?....I just don't "feel it" at the moment.

So maybe in 2010, there will be an update on a brewday or a movie or something interesting I've done. But for the most part, the urge to share these types of things on this medium has subsided greatly. I guess I'll be around, just not so often. Try not to wait up.

So to recap December 2009 in one fell swoop:

The Fantastic Mr. Fox / Chargers game / Great Lakes beer school / Steelers game / Dave Matthews Band concert film in 3-D / nasty snowstorm that canceled my yearly A Christmas Carol theater excursion / wicked bronchitis.

Here's to an improved 2010. Finally, a vigorous and hearty FUCK YOU to 2009 and the events that threaten to ruin me as the entity you previously knew.

Oleanna

Triad Stage season pass night, this time for David Mamet's Oleanna. A two-person play of "he said / she said". College professor and young co-ed. What happened? What can be proven? What crime is defined? Each sees the proceedings with their own eyes: How could the professor DO that to the student? How can the student try to RUIN the professor?

The characters names are Carol and John. So what is Oleanna? Oleanna is a utopian vision of society. Whose vision are we striving for? Whose dreams should be squashed in reaching these heights?

An uncomfortable performance. Couldn't get comfortable in my seat watching it. But that's the point.

Picnic

First show in the new Triad Stage season for William Inge's Picnic occurred, and the season tickets were used Saturday night. Before the show, the Managing Director made his customary announcements before the performance, and in addition to the usual speech he added that they were having drawings from among the season pass holders, and MY NAME was picked for a weekend stay at either the swanky O.Henry Hotel or the Biltmore Hotel here in town. Wow....great. Just....great. Too bad this couldn't have happened BEFORE the shitstorm of my recent life occurred. Anyone want to hang with me in a Greensboro hotel for a weekend? I'll show you a good time. ;-)

Anyway, this post is basically a little "hey this is where I went" and not a full "let me delve deep into the storyline and ponder the meaning" because frankly I was cast into a rather shitty mood beforehand and could not adequately pay attention throughout. I give serious thought to paying again to see it and really concentrate on the story, etc.

Basically, a 1950s rural Kansas town has a community picnic scheduled and a dashingly handsome man blows into town and, willingly or not, sends everyone into various states of upheaval. “I feel sort of excited…I think we plan picnics just to give ourselves an excuse—to let something thrilling happen in our lives.” -–Mrs. Potts

Triad Stage "Meet and Greet Your Seat"

Short post tonight. Short and sweet.

Spent a nice afternoon today at Triad Stage. It was the "orientation day" if you will for season pass holders to check out your seat, tour the theater, have some hors d'oeurves, pick up the information envelope, and pick up the Triad Stage Foundation donor packet. Whew. A lot of fun. At first I balked at the idea of renewing with Kimberly. I refused to renew our passes together. But I just love this theater so much. After much reflection, I just can't stay away from Triad Stage...no matter the marital situation.

The 2009-2010 season is as follows:

	Picnic by William Inge September 6 - 27
	Oleanna by David Mamet October 18 - November 8
	Beautiful Star: An Appalachian Nativity by Preston Lane original music by Laurelyn Dossett November 27 - December 23
	Around the World in 80 Days by Mark Brown from the novel by Jules Verne February 7 - 28
	Ethel Waters: His Eye Is on the Sparrow by Larry Parr April 11 - May 2
	Providence Gap by Preston Lane original music by Laurelyn Dossett June 6 - July 4

Tartuffe, or "The Hypocrite"

The 2008-09 Triad Stage season ends with a bang with the 17th century play by Molière. The director's notes (and personal experience these past few years) say this is only the 2nd pre-mid-19th century play performed at Triad Stage; they are dedicated to the more "modern drama". So, this 1664 play gets a modern revival. The French-to-English translation utilized is from 1870, but there are marked nods to modernity throughout: iPods, fist bumps, Honeymooners references, all make it "the bomb", er, I mean "da bomb".

The focus?

The Golden Mean
A main theme in Tartuffe is one of Aristotle’s philosophical theories, which states that virtue is a point between two vices. For example, love should be neither obsessive nor careless. And, Aristotle said:
“It is better to rise from life as from a banquet— neither thirsty nor drunken.

The plot? The background?

Orgon is a very happy man. He has a lovely family, a beautiful new wife, an incredible fortune and a spiritual advisor who promises him eternal bliss. Unfortunately, he is about to lose it all. He’s fallen into the trap of a pious imposter, the hilarious hypocrite Tartuffe. Preaching piety, two faced Tartuffe is plotting to steal Orgon’s fortune, marry his daughter, seduce his wife and take over his home. Can anything stop him? Triad Stage presents one of the world’s funniest comedies and dares to shake up a theatrical classic to find its very contemporary heart.

Really one of the more uplifting and mood-elevating plays seen here. This is not to say that previous ones were bores, but this was the first in a while to elicit guffaws, giggles, and outright laughs throughout.

A joy. What a way to finish a season!

The Blonde, the Brunette, and the Vengeful Redhead

An ambitious Triad Stage performance. A one-woman performance. One woman, many wigs, many costume changes, many accent changes, many behavioral differences. Amazing she kept everything straight!

It was dubbed a "comedic thrill ride", but there weren't many laugh lines or humorous anecdotes. It was rather intense and dramatic and borderline dark. Not quiiiite so sure where the comedy lie, but that very declaration prompted discussion, which is always good with theater.

The synopsis:

Every action has a reaction.
One crime has many points of view. One moment of passion alters several lives forever. One gifted performer plays seven very different roles in this international hit. After Rhonda Russell’s husband leaves her, she suspects him of cheating. Overwhelmed with emotion, she takes matters into her own hands and everyone pays the price in this captivatingly brilliant and heartfelt play about loss and ultimate redemption.

A scorned wife takes her revenge, but on the correct woman? Lives entangled, stories intertwined, characters meeting in passing actually are part of the fabric of a larger story. Kudos to the actor Kate Goehring for her riveting and enthralling performance(s). It was a treat.

I love Triad Stage.

Ghosts

Sunday night saw the next installment in the Triad Stage season passes: Henrik Ibsen's dark and disturbing drama from the late, late 1800s Ghosts. I was wondering what I was in for upon reading some of the blurbs in the playbill, such as this one, my favorite:

“An open drain; a loathsome sore unbandaged; a dirty act done publicly; a lazar-house with all it doors and windows open…candid foulness…offensive cynicism…Ibsen’s melancholy and malodorous world…Absolutely loathsome and fetid…Gross, almost putrid decorum.”

–London’s Daily Telegraph, 1891, anonymous editorial

Wow, what the hell am I in for?

A dark and dreary play with such heavy topics as incest, lies, sexual infidelity, such advanced stage syphilis that mental status changes are quite evident, and the begging by a son to his own mother to kill him with an overdose of morphine. Quite the pick-me-up!

I don't even know how to describe this. A woman who, upon pressure from the pastor, stays with a husband against all common sense. Incestuous relations, kept secret for so long, finally ooze forth and taint all those involved. The disease that disturbs them, that mental disease and secret affliction that was passed from father to son, the advanced stage of disease that causes one to beg for their own death. So very dark and intense, and yet throughout the performance I sat there with an uncomfortable bewildered look upon my face. I understand that the theater is meant to provoke emotion and produce discussion, but this one really left me spent and exhausted.

Listen to some info from Triad Stage director Preston Lane on our local NPR station WFDD and their program Triad Arts Up Close: http://wfdd.org/audio/tauc/tauc0310.mp3

Black Pearl Sings!

Tonight was the next performance in the Triad Stage season pass tickets. Frank Higgins' play Black Pearl Sings! about Susannah, a woman who, with a grant from the Library of Congress, travels to prisons to record African-American folk songs for posterity's sake...and hopefully personal glory. Pearl, an inmate for the past 10 years, sings with a glorious voice and enamors Susannah. Pearl also is hoping to contact her missing daughter, a losing proposition within the prison walls. Susannah also is hoping to find that one old song that could be traced to Africa itself as it came across on a slave ship. Susannah and Pearl forge a relationship where each one has something the other wants: Pearl barters with Susannah to help find her daughter, Susannah barters with Pearl by using her government contacts to secure her release.

Pearl's release occurs, with the condition she stays under Susannah's care; a form of "slavery" in Pearl's eyes. The two go to New York to ply their trade and earn money; money to help fund the search for Pearl's daughter. When a reviewer likens the performance to the unveiling of King Kong to an uppercrust audience, you can palpably sense the discomfort. What are we doing this for? Do we sell our souls for acceptance? Do we fully barter what we have and offer up what the other TRULY wants? Do we offer up that nugget that we hold that the other is really looking for, or hold onto it for ourselves?

Frank Higgins' interview on our local NPR station's Triad Arts Up Close: http://wfdd.org/audio/tauc/tauc0126.mp3

An evening of apparitions

It's kind of a crappy photo, but the flash really didn't take from the view from my 3rd row seat at the High Point Theatre Saturday night for yet another performance of A Christmas Carol. Quite possibly my all-time favorite holiday play/book/movie. I take that back, it's EASILY my all-time favorite play/book/movie. It was the George C. Scott cinematic version on TV that got me hooked, and ever since I have strived to see whatever version I can.

Anyway, after work, it was a trip to Liberty Steakhouse and Brewpub in High Point for some Oatmeal Stout and a huge ass slab of meatloaf. Liberty is by far the least of our immediately local brewpubs: Foothills, Natty Greene's, then Liberty. I'd venture to drive the hour to either Carolina Brewery locations in either Chapel Hill or Pittsboro before Liberty. Most of their beers are subpar in my opinion, but their Oatmeal Stout and their seasonals are tasty. The current seasonal is a Light Carb Light Lager, so I passed. Oatmeal Stout goes better with meatloaf and mashed potatoes anyway. Besides, I was in High Point anyway, so why not?

After dinner, it was the quick jaunt from the brewpub to the other side of High Point University and the theatre. Another quality performance, although I was sad to see the theatre just a smidge over half full. Half full! It's opening weekend, people! Come on out and support the arts! That was a little disheartening to see, as I immediately worry that the plug will be pulled and they'll cancel it next year.

Between the Greensboro tree lighting last night, and A Christmas Carol tonight, the holiday season is truly underway for me.

(And looking back on last December's posts, looks like I missed out on one year exactly (2007's performance to 2008's) by a mere two days: http://thehouseofgordon.blogspot.com/2007/12/business-establishment-of-scrooge-and.html)

Recent hiatus

Sorry to have been so long in between posts. The inspiration to type on these pages has dulled considerably. An official "funk" has occurred.

I'm sure the process will revert and blogging will return in earnest, but for now it's just not there. The House of Gordon will try to trudge through the fog and dark clouds, so hopefully all 4 or 5 of you will check back occasionally for updates.

In the meantime, what we've been doing this past week or so:
- Triad Stage's performance "Bell, Book, and Candle"
- sampled the carbonated Chocolate-Vanilla Imperial Stout and declared it awesome
- weekend jaunt to Alexandria, VA
- Nine Inch Nails concert here in Greensboro
- bottled Razzmatazz Raspbeery Ale
- bottled Vintage Hop (2007) Pale Ale

-Chris

The Night of the Iguana

Saturday night was the first performance in our 2008-09 Triad Stage season pass schedule: Tennessee Williams's The Night of the Iguana. A ramshackle hotel on the Mexican Pacific coast near the jungle in the early 1940s hosts a vertiable gaggle of folks down on their luck: a widowed hotel manager, a defrocked minister, a hopeless painter and her 97-year old poet grandfather. The only characters having a good time here were actually German vacationers celebrating radio reports of the burning of London during the Battle of Britain. Two Mexican "hotel boys" capture an iguana from the jungle, tie it to the hotel, and fatten it up in hopes of slaughter and a good meal. The iguana lurches against the rope, making a grinding, sanding noise. The iguana is at the end of its rope, what is its future? And what of the characters and their respective ropes?

A little long. Chris enjoyed the first act, but not the second. Kimberly was exactly the opposite. And least we both agreed dinner at 1618 West Seafood Grille was delicious beforehand.

Bloody Blackbeard

Sorry to be so tardy since our last posts. Things have been unruly and busy for us lately and time got away from the computer and edge-of-your-seat updates as to our goings-on. So here's the latest:

Sunday night June 29 saw the House of Gordon cash in a night of our season passes for Triad Stage and their world premier production of Bloody Blackbeard. We arrived with subtle trepidation. Laurelyn Dossett, a local musician and member of the bluegrass band Polecat Creek wrote the score for the play. Bluegrass + Gordons do not mix.

Luckily, the music wasn't all that "twangy" and we actually enjoyed it. Some musical selections:

Can't Love a Bad Man Good
Poor Margaret's Incantation
Remember My Name

It was basically a synopsis of the life, mythical or otherwise, of North Carolina's adopted son Edward Teach, i.e. Blackbeard. It was long. Quite long. It did not hold Kimberly's attention for the entirety of the evening, for her right temple was buried in Chris's left shoulder for a good portion of the performance.

The official tidbit:

From England to the Caribbean to the Carolina Coast, Edward Teach forged a blazing career as the most dreaded pirate of all time. North Carolina's infamous adopted son was a daring blend of terror and gallantry. To his victims, he presented an image of the devil incarnate; but he was putty in the hands of a beautiful woman. His high seas adventures, port city romances and deep buried treasure are the stuff of legend. The creators of Brother Wolf and Beautiful Star turn their attention eastward, weaving tunes and tales together and uncovering the mostly true and totally thrilling history of the pirate called Blackbeard.

Chris found it entertaining, yet long. Kimberly enjoyed what music she was awake for, but found it much too long and drawn out for her liking.

From the Mississippi Delta.

Our usual Triad Stage season passes are the "2nd Saturday" shows, however on May 10th Chris is working 2p-10p. So instead we switched our performance to Sunday May 4th: From the Mississippi Delta.

These are the tales of home and of family, of courage and of adversity. These are the memories of a courageous woman in turbulent times. Civil rights activist and Pulitzer Prize-nominated playwright, Dr. Endesha Ida Mae Holland takes us on the journey through her life. Phelia, a girl born into the depths of poverty in the heart of the segregated South, finds her painful childhood and reckless adolescence are transformed by opportunity and courage as the Civil Rights movement sweeps through the Delta. Three actresses play all the characters- black and white, young and old, men and women who make this world come alive in an eloquent and impassioned journey filled with story and song.

We entered the theater with subtle reservations, as we were fully expecting a "downer" and a sad tale. However, even with some sorrowful particulars, it was all in all a celebration of one's interesting life and the successes of overcoming struggles and adversity. Three actresses portrayed all comers: from male field workers to doctors to carnival-goers to everything in between. A well-acted play with some talented actresses showing off their range. A treat.

Doubt

Saturday night was the next performance in our Triad Stage season pass, and it was the play "Doubt" by John Patrick Shanley. This play has won both a Pulitzer and a Tony award. It was just 90 minutes with no intermission, and was truly one of the better plays we have seen at Triad Stage in some time.

Doubt. How does one accept doubt in their lives? How does one react with instances of doubt? Does one tackle the underlying fear, or do they stubbornly reject any doubt and blindly drudge on? This was the story of a New York Catholic school in 1964. A progressive priest longingly looks forward to the radical changes of Vatican II, opening up the church and school to the community. A gruff and "old school" nun principal clings to old time beliefs and regimens, holding on to isolationism. A young new nun teacher struggles with her own zeal for teaching and her superior's requests to become more rigid and cold. The mother of the school's only African-American student just wants her son to "make it until June" to graduate and make it to high school.

The prinicpal doubts the motives of the progressive priest. The young nun doubts her skills as a new teacher after repeated interactions with the principal. The priest doubts the principal is adept to lead the school into a new era. The mother doubts whether or not her son has been taken advantage of by the priest, the only man who has acted as a mentor to him.

The only one without doubt is the principal concerning the suspected priest-child sexual liaison. Or is she indeed as doubt-free as she thinks she is?

This was great. The four actors really excelled in their performances; so much so that it inspired us to contact Triad Stage and let them know that this play was one of the best ones we have seen there. Outstanding.

Mrs. Warren's Profession

Sunday night found the Gordons hitting the town for dinner and the theater. Dinner was at the new(er) seafood restaurant "1618 West Seafood Grill" in Greensboro. Sadly, there is no website to link you to, but suffice to say it was damn tasty. "Better than Bert's Seafood?" Kimberly had asked a colleague at work. And to our surprise, it virtually was. Not as many shellfish items as Kimberly would have liked, but her bravery in trying more "fishy fish" was rewarded. An appetizer was split: scallops on risotto cakes with greens and applewood bacon. Kimberly ordered the flounder accompanied by shrimp and cheese grits, roasted red pepper, and a cream cheese mousse. Chris enjoyed the black grouper with black bean spring rolls, zucchini, and a sweet corn sauce. Delicious. With wine, beer, and dessert it was $100 well spent.

Then it was on to Triad Stage to see another of our season pass performances: the George Bernard Shaw play Mrs. Warren's Profession. Written in 1894, this play still holds up today with the notions of powerful women, educated women, and their aspirations for themselves. Triad Stage's website described it thusly:

A mother with street smarts and a daughter with a college education go head to head in a comic battle that is still as provocative and amusing as when it scandalized the world in 1894. Shaw, a master of wit and ideas, creates an unflinching portrait of working women and the men who seek to love or control them. At first impressed with her mother's grit and entrepreneurial zeal, proper young Vivie must confront the truth about her mother's profession (the world's oldest) as she seeks to claim her own independence.

Not once was the term "prostitution" mentioned, but rather it was implied with tongue firmly implanted in cheek. An entertaining play, and an altogether wonderful evening for a date. Of course, every time Chris hears the playwright's name "George Bernard Shaw", he giggles quietly and is immediately transported to a Monty Python sketch:




"You shine out like a shaft of gold when all around is dark."

The business establishment heretofore known as "Scrooge and Marley"

Saturday night December 8th saw the Gordons make their way again to High Point, NC and the High Point Theatre for a production of Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol". This and the Nutcracker ballet are two of the most endearing holiday performances we enjoy greatly. "A Christmas Carol" at the HPT is celebrating their 30th anniversary this year, and local actor Allan Edwards, pictured above as Ebenezer Scrooge, once again played the part splendidly.

The Gordons met our friends Greg and Louise at Giovanni's restaurant in Greensboro (or is it Jamestown?) for yummy Italian fare before going. Chris beat the pants off Kimberly with his Lobster Ravioli kicking her Crab Meat Linguini all about the face and head. Score one for the husband in this round of the "Who Wins?" dinner competition.

Louise had never seen "A Christmas Carol" before. Ever. I don't know who was more excited for her to see it: her or Chris!

"A Christmas Carol" is part of the North Carolina Shakespeare Festival at the High Point Theatre, of which the Gordons were once season pass holders; that is until Triad Stage opened up in Greensboro and we switched allegiances. It had been a while since we've been to the High Point Theatre, and it was good to return for such a festive evening.

God bless us, every one.