Supporting the Theater this March

This month I saw three different plays in Washington, DC! I have always been a big fan of the theater, and that love of the arts has grown even more since the pandemic, since we weren't able to see shows for so long!

Here's what I saw:

Image found here

Gloria: A Life at Theater J

I really only knew that Gloria Steinem played a major role in the feminist movement in the 1960's and 1970's. So I was very excited to see this show all about her life! I enjoyed how the play took you through her whole life's story, and I learned a lot. I had no idea that she had basically lived in abject poverty with her mother after her parents divorced; the two of them lived in a house with no heat, and Gloria had to take care of her mother, since it sounds like her mom had several mental health issues. I also learned that the Constitution of the United States is based off of that of the Iroquois Nation: our states were like their tribes, and representatives from those smaller groups would make decisions for the larger population. That was brought up in the show because, supposedly, when a few Iroquois representatives went to Philadelphia to help with the creation of our Constitution, they asked where the women were, since only men were at the meeting; in their culture, men and women are equal, and they don't even use different pronouns to differentiate between the sexes. Facts I never knew! The play of course focused on Gloria, but it also pulled in other feminists of the time, such as Dorothy Pitman Hughes, Flo Kennedy, and Wilma Mankiller. It was empowering to learn about all these women who helped fight for women's rights so I can lead the independent life I have now, although it's quite disappointing how our society is moving backward on that front (donate to Planned Parenthood!). I thought Susan Lynskey as Gloria did an amazing job and really embodied the character. I highly recommend this play. There are just a few more days to catch it, so get your tickets now!

The Wolf and Little Red Riding Hood, just a few of the fairy tale characters in this show! Image found here.

Into the Woods at the Kennedy Center

I was able to get discounted tickets for this show, so I sort of bought these on a whim. I didn't know much about the story; I think I saw the movie years ago, but all I could remember is that it's a mix of fairy tales put together. I thought the cast of this show did a great job; I especially liked Katy Geraghty, the pudgy, sassy Little Red Riding Hood, because she could emote so well! I also appreciated the creativity the show, like the puppeteering of the cow and the big shoes representing the giant's wife; so clever! I will admit that I was really tired that night, so after the first act, I went online to read what happened in the second act so I could decide whether to stay the whole time. Essentially the first act has a happy ending for all the characters, and then the second act is the not-so-happy side of fairy tales. The first act could truly be it's own story, like with the Nutcracker ballet: you can leave after the first act and feel satisfied with a full-circle story. But I stayed for the second act, which of course was darker. A lot of the music is actually the same in both acts, but the notes are different to give a spookier vibe in the second one. I'm not the biggest fan of musicals (except for Disney), but I still liked this show.

Here's a video of Katy singing:

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Beauty & The Beast at the Synetic Theater

This is one of my favorite fairy tales of all time, mainly because the female protagonist actually gets to know the man she falls in love with (instead of just seeing Prince Charming once and falling head over heels). I saw a play of this famous story at the Warner Theatre in 2015 (read that blog post here), which had all the songs from the Disney movie (the original cartoon, I mean. Sure, I saw the Emma Watson live-action movie (I wrote a blog about that, too), but nothing compares to the good-ol' 90's version). Anyway, since I love this story, I was excited to see that Synetic was doing this show. I was able to get $20 tickets (winning!), and since I was already in Crystal City for the Junior League's Tossed & Found trunk show that day, it was super-easy to go right to the theater afterward.

My favorite part about Synetic's plays is that they are so creative! As you can see from the photo and video above, in this show they use lots of silhouettes throughout the entire play, showing the castle in the distance, or showing how the prince turned into the beast (and vice versa), and more. There were also two large ramps on stage that were moved around and used in multiple ways: as chairs, as hiding places, as spots for parkour moves. That was neat! I also liked how two of the actors were under the table during Belle and the Beast's dining scene, and as the Beast would bang on the table, the actors under the table would move up and down to enhance the movement of the table, jostling it to the point that Belle storms off. It's just fun to see what people's imaginations can create!

And Synetic is known for its silent shows, so the movement of the actors is so important. The dancing was wonderful (Irina Kavsadze as Belle is a beautiful dancer), and the fight scene at the end was very well choreographed (Irina Tsikurishvili is the playhouse's choreographer). And while most of the characters are silent, Rachael Small as the witch was the narrator, and she was so good! She was kind of creepy but in a graceful way, playing the scorned lover of the prince (although it was really the prince's dad who banished the witch, not him, but anyway...). Even though we all know how the story goes, having the narrator pop up throughout the show almost like a fairy or nymph kept all the parts of the story cohesive. I really enjoyed watching this show (90 mins, no intermission). You can still get tickets for a few more showings!

I can't wait to see what next month brings!

Recipe: Red Velvet Hugs Blossom Cookies

I signed up for the Crazy for Crust e-newsletter ages ago. I usually just store the emails in a folder, thinking I'll look back at them (I never do). But when I saw this featured recipe, I knew I wanted to try it. It sounded so easy, and who doesn't like red velvet?

Ingredients

• 1 15-16 ounce box Red Velvet Cake Mix any brand
• 2 large eggs
• ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter melted or softened
• About 30 Hershey’s Kisses unwrapped (I used vanilla frosting Hershey's kisses)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or silpat baking mats and set aside.
2. Mix together cake mix, eggs, and butter using a hand mixer or stir it by hand. The dough will be thick.
3. Scoop 1 tablespoon sized balls onto your cookie sheets. Chill for at least 30 minutes. If you bake them right away they’ll spread just a bit too much.
4. Bake about 8-10 minutes until tops just start to crack. Err on the side of underdone! Immediately press a Hershey’s Kiss onto the top of each cookie. Let cool completely. 
5. Store in an airtight container up to 3 days or freeze for up to 1 month.

The batter was enough for 24 cookies. I did chill the dough for just over 30 minutes, and I baked them for only 8. But even then, it seemed like the dough had spread too thinly, and that the top had baked just a little too much for the Hershey's kiss to sink into the dough easily (it seemed like the kiss was almost just sitting on top). And while the cookies seemed too baked on top, the inside was still gooey, so a bit undercooked (although soft, which I like). Since the cookies needed to be hot in order for the kisses to fit in, the heat started to melt the chocolate, so the kisses did not keep their shape (especially when I was putting them away for storage). AND the red color of the cake WILL dye your mouth red, as if you had eaten a cherry candy or something like that. 

Are these cookies yummy? Yes. But are they a new household favorite? No.

Recipe: Eggnog Pie (No bake!)

I left the lid on to keep it safe, hence the reflective top!

Since today's is Pi Day, I thought I should, well, make a pie! Since I'm on a kick using eggnog (see my blog posts for cookies and bread), I thought I'd continue the theme. I found two recipes that were very similar, one on the Meatloaf and Melodrama blog and the other from Kitchen Fun with My Three Sons blog. For this blog post's purposes, I have listed the first recipe below:

INGREDIENTS

• 1 prepared pie crust
• 1 3.4 oz box vanilla instant pudding mix NOT stovetop!
• 1 ½ cups eggnog one and one half cups
• 2 cups whipped topping, like Cool Whip (thawed) light topping may not set
• dash nutmeg

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In medium-sized bowl, combine eggnog and pudding mix, and beat with electric mixer until thick
2. Sprinkle in some nutmeg
3. Fold in whipped topping until mixture is fluffy and color is pale yellow
4. Spoon mixture into pie crust, and smooth with spatula until even 
5. Refrigerate for 4 hours or until firm. You can also refrigerate overnight or until ready to serve

Now, I will say that I used alcoholic eggnog for this. That's why I still have some far long after Christmas! This is refrigerated-stable alcoholic eggnog, almost like a Bailey's Irish Cream or similar liqueur. So it wasn't thick like real eggnog would be, but the whipped topping thickened up the mixture.

At work we are having a friendly pie competition, and although I have never made this recipe before, I entered it into the contest. But perhaps that wasn't the best idea, since this pie is VERY strong with the alcohol: a little sliver will do! We'll see if my pie wins the crown!

Gay Men's Chorus of Washington Performs Whitney Houston

Image found here

When I first learned that the Gay Men's Chorus of Washington, DC (GMCW) was going to perform a concert in honor of Whitney Houston, I was immediately interested. I love so many of her songs, and since I'll never see perform live (God rest her soul), this may be as close as I'll ever get.

Clearly others were just as interested, because when I arrived at Lincoln Theatre, the line was down the block and around the corner! But we all made it in on time; the show started 10-15 minutes late. I had a seat in the balcony that was all on its own to the side, which was kind of nice! I hadn't been feeling well, so isolating like that (and wearing my mask!) made me feel better about going to the show (I didn't want to miss it!).

The show started with Gabriel Lopez as a soloist singing "I Wanna Dance with Somebody." It was... disappointing. I guess I (naively) had thought that the group would sound closer to the original. No man can sing like Whitney! And the whole group sounded kind of flat. And that was the case throughout the show; transforming the songs through a choir set-up made them sound monotone. Perhaps this is because the key or range of the song had to be changed for men's voices? It was just sad how the life and vitality of these songs seemed to be removed from this performance, which I know wasn't the intent of the group at all. 

I also was a little put off by the dance numbers by 17th Street Dance, which is a dance ensemble that is part of GMCW. As a supporter of the arts, I guess I am so used to watching professional artists. It's unfair for me to compare these performers to professionals, since they aren't; they're just doing this for fun. But watching these dancers was like watching kids at a dance recital; they're wearing the costumes and they know the moves, but the timing wasn't on point, and some of the moves weren't done with enthusiasm (more like going through the motions). I understand that they were doing their best, but at times it was hard to watch.

Ryan Smith was the soloist for "How Will I Know," and he had the best voice and showmanship of the day. He was a real performer, both in singing and dancing. I was very impressed! The group also sang "The Greatest Love of All," which I had to learn and perform in middle school, so that brought up some memories! And of course they sang "I Will Always Love You," though I'm not sure why they didn't end the show with that song. I also wonder if they will sing that one during their next show when they honor Dolly Parton, since she wrote it. Two birds, one stone!

During the songs, I enjoyed watching the ASL interpreter. That in and of itself is a performance, too, almost like a dance. And I feel like it can help teach people some phrases in ASL, since songs' choruses naturally repeat themselves. I feel like I could show my boyfriend, "I will always love you," in ASL now! And of course that made me think of "You complete me" from Jerry Maguire (and the sparkly scarves the singers were wearing made me think of Love Actually, when the choir of teachers put on holiday scarves before singing backup to the famous "All I Want for Christmas is You").

In between some of the songs, a few of the performers would give little speeches, which I really liked. Drew Hastie spoke about his depression when working as an anesthesiologist, and he talked about how this group and community helped him. Thomas Reiker told a funny story about dressing in his father's suit and singing in the snow à la The Bodyguard and his father seeing him; Thomas said his father was surprised when he came out, but he reminded his dad of that day in the snow: how could he not know? And Kevin Thomason reminisced about the time he bought a $20 ticket to see Whitney in concert in Atlanta, and remembered how she walked down the aisle next to him and put her hand on his shoulder. He said he's been chasing that feeling ever since; I can understand that!

Here is a video from the local news for a little snippet:

Although the show may not have been everything I expected, I still really enjoyed it! I'll definitely go to some of their other shows in the future!