8.10.09 My Top Ten RIGHT NOW
1. PLAY Ruined
Incredible. This Pulitzer Prize winning play deserves all the massive praise it has received. Combining well drawn out characters with gorgeous life affirming live music, the story of women struggling to survive in a male dominated world comes to shocking and haunting life. As Mama Nadi, Portia commands the stage, creating a stunning portrait of a woman who has learned what has to be done to make sure there’s food on the table. But it is newcomer, Condola Rashad (daughter of Phylicia), who steals the show with her grace and beauty as a ruined woman blessed with a brain and the voice of a songbird. This play with music simply does not let you go, while you’re watching and long after, to the point where I wish there had been no intermission despite the two and half hour running time. With performances and stories this strong, you just want to let the whole experience flood over you without a single interruption.
2. TV Sugarland: Live on the Inside
As with most concert specials, this one is a bit too kinetic for its own good, but with that dynamic duo commanding the stage, it doesn’t matter where any of the hundred cameras are placed. Jennifer Nettles sounds incredible live, that twang ringing just as true and raw as it does on the records. Her and Kristian Bush’s chemistry is real and rewarding as they make their through the set looking genuinely happy that success has brought this massive crowd to them. Moving through their hits like “Joey,” “All I Want Do,” and “Love” they also throw in awesome covers of R.E.M.’s “Night Swimming” and “The One I Love,” the latter turned into a gentle guitar melody in the likes of Simon & Garfunkle or the Indigo Girls. The highlight is the dramatic opening and jam session style they brought to “Genevieve,” the band joining the duo center stage to harmonize. And so what if this ABC special was just one big advertisement for the new live album, it worked on me… expect a full review next week!
3. MOVIE Let The Right One In (2008)
I’m pretty tired of this whole vampire craze going on right now, but this movie stands out as something completely different. While playing into the blood sucking myth, the nocturnal nature of the beast, the need for blood, having to be invited in, etc., this film subverts it through filmmaking, smart editing, sumptuous cinematography, all combining to leave the horror in your head where it is all the more poignant. Playing off the desolate wintry Swedish landscape, this film slowly plays out over a series of portraits, beautifully composed shots that reveal true horrors the longer you look. All of which makes a straightforward story of bullies and vampire love absolutely extraordinary. Don’t let vampire fatigue keep you away from this little gem.
4. FOOD El Nuevo Portal
I have been shown the light when it comes to the Cuban sandwich, and it comes straight out of this Carroll Garden restaurant. The bread is perfectly toasted to crunchy goodness. The shredded pork is moist. The thin layers of ham add delightful saltiness. The mayo and pickles are a delectable counterpoint. And when layered all together, well, there’s simply no reason to go anywhere else. Beyond that, the menu is standard, but extremely tasty, like the drunken chicken or the steak and peppers, which as I learned from a foodie friend can quickly be converted with a little ingenuity into a spicy delicious Philly Cheesesteak sandwich. I sometimes want to take the F train out there just for a taste of all that goodness.
5. MOVIE Life After Tomorrow (2006)
Did you ever wonder what happened to all those orphan girls and Annies from the hit Broadway show? Probably not, but after watching this short documentary, you’ll be glad someone answered that question. It moves from the mundane, stage door moms, to the shocking, stories of backstage sex, of going to Studio 54 at the age of 10, of rollerskating in front of the bordello next to the theater. It’s an interesting look at theater culture and the effect on kids, making you quite worried for all those Billys and their struggle after returning to real life. But the most touching moment comes from Kristen Vigard, who was the original Annie in the workshop at the Goodspeed Opera House before they restructured the show and dropped her for Andrea McCardle (who is absent from this film). It’s clear that these childhood stings continue to haunt these people everyday in fascinating and probably many unexplored ways, but at the same time, such a gift to have been a part of theater history.
6. FOOD Café Cluny
Nestled in the northern portion of the West Village, this café is a perfect brunch spot when you just want the coffee to keep flowing and the conversation as well (which means you really should go with someone you like). The cute country escape serves the usual breakfast goods, but of the most delicious variety. I strongly recommend the eggs benedict, so perfectly cooked so that the outside is nice and firm while the yolk just prettily oozes onto your plate. Served with amazing hashbrowns that are like gourmet versions of the lunchroom variety, it’s all just one big party for the mouth. A perfect way to start a weekend day right.
7. TV Roast of Joan Rivers
It was an uneven evening of comedy, but by the end of it, I have to admit my side was splitting quite a bit. Kathy Griffin ably hosted the rag tag group of comedians as they lampooned each other as much as the guest of honor, in a night filled with plastic surgery gaffs and jokes about aging comedians. Relative unknown Whitney Cummings did an excellent job ripping through her set as did Brad Garrett of Everybody Loves Raymond fame, finding just a little too much humor in some seriously racist jokes. But really, who doesn’t enjoy a good racist joke once in awhile? And then there was Melissa Rivers, the butt of many a joke of the evening, who surprisingly did a nice job once she took the stage, certainly better than Mario Cantone’s odd brand of gay-centric humor and Tom Arnold’s seeming inability to spit a joke out. But the crowning glory is Joan herself, as no one has better made fun of themselves and everyone they know than she for all these glorious years, a trailblazer who manages to still be worth watching.
8. FOOD Klee (for brunch)
In the ever-expanding world of brunch places, this one makes it to the top of my list repeatedly. Part of it is that people don’t know about it (so shhh) so you can always get a table. The other part of it might be that they serve the tea and coffee on elaborate silver platters with each person receiving their own milk and sugar… such wonderful excess! And then again it could be because the food is unreal. The cornflake crusted French toast with bananas and Vermont maple syrup (also served in elaborate little pitchers) is so mouthwateringly good that I wake up on Sundays craving it. The wood stone over baked eggs and beans is good but ordinary and the three egg scramble doesn’t quite compare to the neighboring Cookshop version. But the Green Market frittata is quite tasty, filled with country bread knödel, herbs, cipollini onions and a side of greens. And because what’s breakfast without bacon, you simply must get the crispy apple-wood smoked bacon strips… mmmmmmm
9. MUSICAL 9 to 5
This piece of theater is light, so beyond light that it almost evaporates. Unfortunately it seems like no one was sure what this was supposed to be, either a family friendly big budget Broadway show (which is how it looks and sounds musically) or a true to the original adult comedy about the power of women (which is how it sounds, book wise). All that said I still walked out the show with a massive smile on my face and the theme song running through my brain on eternal repeat. Allison Janney can’t sing or dance, but man can she act, tearing through the Lily Tomlin role with grace. But it is Megan Hilty filling the big bra of Dolly herself that steals the show, finding the same heart in the brassy Backwoods Barbie character. Dolly’s score has lovely moments, but it would have been truly incredible for the country great to write songs that worked in the theater rather than trying to write theater songs. No, this show wont change your life, but you’ll have a good time none the less.
10. TV Big Bang Theory
In the desolate wasteland that is summer television, I’ve been watching a lot of the CBS stock of comedy (when did they become the center of sitcoms?) Big Bang Theory stands out for its braniac absurdity, colorful characters and overwhelming heart. It is truly Jim Parsons, recently a recipient of an Emmy nomination, who makes the show with his shockingly too intelligent Sheldon, completely devoid of a normal sense of humor, the ability to sense sarcasm or really to function as a normal human being on any level. As an actor, he manages to find that sweet spot between obnoxious and endearing, and his physical abilities are astounding, making me laugh with just one goofy awkward smile employed to stop himself from saying what he really thought about a colleague new found success. Not the genius of a classic sitcom, but a pleasurable way to pass half an hour.
