Smithsonian National Zoo: Parting shots

 On my way down the hill I stopped to buy a pretzel.  Slathered it in mustard and reflected on the visit.  Anytime you visit a zoo you will never know what you will see and what you won't.  If you go expecting anything, and especially something iconic--like Giant Panda's or a certain Baby Asian Elephant calf; you may very well be disappointed.  You must always remember that you are a guest in their homes.  

On the upper region of the zoo, there is a longstanding hill with a circular trail around it.  It, along with another smaller adjacent area on the lower side has formed the heart of African Animals at the zoo.   This is an area that has been under renovation now for over a year.  Most recently home to a major Cheetah habitat, along with homes for Griffon Vultures, Addra Gazelles, Sitatunga, Lesser Kudu, Oryx, Abyssinian Ground Hornbills, and Grevy's Zebra.  

Over the privacy fence, you can get a sense of what the new habitats and holding structures will look like.  Of what I could see thrilled me.  Besides it's flagship public facility here at the National Zoo, the Smithsonian National Zoo also has a very large campus in nearby Virginia where it homes several Endangered species like Cheetahs, Oryx, Addra Gazelles, Przewalski's Horses, and others.  It's not open the public.  But it is where much of the actual work of breeding and transferring animals between zoos to ensure genetic diversity and thus the survival of critically endangered species occurs.  Similar satellite facilities are associate with other Zoos like the San Diego Zoo, the Columbus (OH) Zoo, the Pittsburgh Zoo, et. al.

Leaving the zoo the road passes by the opposite side of this renovation.  A similar privacy fence was in place, but you could still clearly see both holding buildings with the same design and lots more of the stylized shade umbrellas.  

Finally, reaching the bottom of the hill and visiting the Great Cat habitats, I found both Lions and Tigers napping away the warm, humid afternoon.  

For many years, a Dynasty of Lions held court at the National Zoo.  In recent years, the Alpha male and female have died.  The present Pride is clearly in flux.

Smithsonian National Zoo: Small Mammal House

 A concept that has grown out of fashion with many zoos.  The idea of placing smaller animals together under one roof seemed like a good one when it first appeared.  Now, most zoos prefer to keep smaller animals in configurations that reflect their conservation status.  As a result, the early 20th century Small Mammal Houses have been disappearing, being repurposed, transformed, or simply razed.  I am in the camp that loves to see zoos repurpose and renovate these often well-crafted and historically fascinating buildings.  

An example of a zoo that has retained this aspect of its heritage while creating state-of-the-art habitats for small mammals is the St. Louis Zoo; and another in the middle of making these upgrades is the Toledo Zoo.

The Smithsonian National Zoo is doing as well as any zoo in upgrading this building, which also has the advantage of being large with adequate to generous habitats.  In addition, as a result of previous upgrades, there are a handful of connected outside clement-weather habitats for some of the species.  The building was originally constructed in 1937 using PWA  (Public Works Administration) funds provided through President F. D. Roosevelt's New Deal post Great Depression initiatives.  In 1983, upgrades were made primarily to the building's aging electrical, HVAC and plumbing systems.  In 2010, a more comprehensive renovation designed to celebrate its 75th anniversary in 2012 was undertaken.  The interior flow and design of habitats was re-imagined and retrofitted.  This created many new and larger habitats.  

A Fennec Fox (Vulpes zerda), native to the region around the Sahara Desert in northern Africa.

A pair of male sibling Collared Lemurs (Eulemur collaris), Bentley and Beemer.  The boys are 5-years-old.  Collared Lemurs have a life-expectancy of 20 to 25 years in the wild, and up to 36 years under human care.  The zoo is also home to colonies of Ring-tailed Lemurs, White and Black Ruffed Lemurs and Red Ruffed Lemurs.  

A Red-rumped Agouti (Dasyprocta leporina)

Dwarf Mongoose (Helogale parvula)

Slender-tailed Meerkat (Suricata suricatta)

Emperor Tamarin (Sanguinus imperator)  Or...as I like to call them the "Lorax" Tamarin!

Olney Theatre Center: A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder

 I'm not sure what it was that I was expecting.  I really didn't past the name of the musical a damned thing about it, and what I had imagined it was about couldn't have been further off the mark.  The story starts on the day that our murderous protagonist's mother died.  Just in from the funeral a knock on the door.  One of his mother's dearest friends brings him news that he is not who he thinks he is.  He is heir, 8 times removed, from a fabulous fortune complete with an estate and titles!  A far cry from the hand to mouth existence that he and his mother had eked out over the years.  And all that stands in the way is nine untimely deaths...

Oh My God!  I can't remember when I've had such an amazing time at the theater!  It used to be...and I'm talking 10, 12 years ago...that summer meant the theatre season in the DMV was over.  Like all of France in August, everyone turned off the footlights and went on hiatus until school picked up again.  And for many companies, this is still true.  But a few have discovered that a 12 month season can be especially lucrative in the quiet summer months, and Olney Theatre Center is one of these winners.  And it's not just a knock-off to satisfy starving theaterphiles.  The production values of this show were as strong, beautiful and complicated as anything I have ever seen in the DMV  Super shout outs to John Coyne the scenic designer who gave a stage within a stage within a stage that morphed seem less and seemingly effortlessly from one unique tableau to another.  Brava! Sarah Cubbage for gorgeous costumes that transported the actors right into the heart of their story-telling as finely arrayed as if they were royalty.  And I'm going to go one further in recognizing behind the scenes folks by naming the Stage Managers and Assistant Managers who kept all the balls in the air all the time, right on time.  Well done! Ben Walsh, Rebecca Talisman, Sara Gehl, and Karen Currie.  

The cast: Again I'm just in awe of every single member.  The Chorus was absolutely delightful in both their delivery of some of the funniest numbers in the show, but also in executing the choreography.  Another shout out to Ashleigh King for her design of the movement, which never seemed to cease, but always stopped in just the right configuration.

Both Sumié Yotsukura as Sibella Hallward, the erstwhile protagonist, Monty Navarro's, adulterous lover, and Sadie Koopman as Pheobe D'Ysquith his cousin and up-right love interest were intense, committed polar-opposites who gave the murderously ambitious Monty a run for money with wit, passion and great humor.  Donna Migliaccio is a local legend with a respectable list of Broadway, touring, regional, and DMV productions to her credit.  If memory serves, I first saw her play the Nurse et. al. in a production of "Sunday in the Park with George," maybe 20-25 years ago now.  Her voice is powerful with an operatic range that playing the supporting role of Miss Shingle, the longtime friend of Monty's mother felt like a gift to the production.  Then she sings "You're a D'Ysquith" with Jacob Tischler who portrays Monty, and you realize just how much joy she took in taming this very challenging number and making the difficult seem a smooth as butter.

So this brings me to Monty, and the actor who brought him to life.  Jacob Tischler had barely completed his first sentence on stage and he had me!  He was every inch the full embodiment of Monty D'Ysquith Navarro with all of his discoveries, desires and dreams he gave us a tour de force performance.  It was physically demanding and yet his beautiful baritone voice flooded the theatre with all the warmth of well aged bourbon.  I knew he killing people!  And I couldn't wait to see how he offed the next candidate.  Like a rocket to the top of my watch list, I will look forward to seeing him perform again.

Which brings us to the roles of Asquith D'Ysquith, Jr., Lord Adalbert D'Ysquith, Reverend Lord Ezekiel D'Ysquith, Lord Asquith D'Ysquith, Sr., Henry D'Ysquith, Lady Hycinth D'Ysquith, Major Lord Bartholomew D'Ysquith, and Lady Salome D'Ysquith Pumphrey; ALL of which were played by Tom Story.  I have a rather complicated relationship with Mr. Story even though we've never met and he has no fucking idea who I am!  I first experienced Tom in a production of "Oliver!" at Arena Stage, around 2014, 2015 (?).  A delight performance.  And then I kept seeing him in other productions over the years at nearly all of the major (and some minor) DMV theatre companies.  Sometimes, he was good.  Many times he just was Tom (again in my "for whatever it's worth" opinion).  But once you see an actor's personality guiding in the same way their choices from one character to the next, you cease to see the character.  You only see the actor.  From the observer's perspective it would seem to feel like you've hit a ceiling in your craft so that technically, you've got this; but creatively...you're stuck.  It got to the point that I would avoid seeing a show if Tom was one of the principals, because I didn't expect anything new.

In all fairness, there are a couple of other actors in the DMV that I feel much the same about.

Then there was a time when I didn't see his name pop up in productions that I was interested in.  I knew he'd also been doing some directing for local productions.  In November of 2024, he was part of the creative team/cast that developed a play at Mosaic Theatre called "The Art of Caring."  Another actor, Susan Rome, was part of this, and I adore her work.  So I went.  It was a transformative experience.  The cast worked together to create an experience, one in which they wove their own journeys into a collective them.  My sense of Tom was renewed.  Based on his contribution to this production I forgave myself for my ensconced opinion and decided to stop my bias on his behalf.  I know, so self-serving, but let this be an object lesson for us all.  I share it in the spirit of transparency and with the hope that in way big and small, we can all engage in growth.  And scene!

Back to the play at hand.  Tom was magnificent!  I've never seen him better.  He embraced the range of characters with complete abandon and simultaneously gave each a plausible, distinct and engaging personality.  I'm just going to say it now:  If doesn't win "Best Actor in a Featured Roll in a Musical" this year--he will have been robbed!  To delineate the exclamation point on this, I have never seen an actor captivate an audience with their off-the-charts farcical physicality like he did in not one, but two grand dying scenes.  It was awe inspiring, once I wiped away the tears of shocked laughter.

In case it's not apparent; I LOVED this production.  Unfortunately, it closes tomorrow, Sunday, August 23rd.   

Jacob Tischler as Monty and Donna Migliaccio as Miss Shingles explaining Monty's true Family Tree...

Monty Navarro encountering on of his many D'Ysquith heirs played by Tom Story...all of whom he is committed to murder.

Tom Story portraying Lady Hycinth D'Ysquith to the sheer delight of EVERYONE!  She's so resilient that Monty has to kill her TWICE. 

Monty as Phoebe D'Ysquith (Sadie Koopman) with whom he becomes easily infatuated.

In the boudoir of Sibella Hallward (Sumié Yotsukura) is long-time lover who is also married to another man.

But even the best duplicitous life must come to an end.  In Monty's case it was down with the song, "I've Decided to Marry You."

A climactic scene at dinner with Monty as the guest and last D'Ysquith heir hosting!

We end where we began...a jail cell.

Smithsonian National Zoo: Aviary, part 3 of 3 - South American Coffee Plantation

 The heart of the new Bird House at the Smithsonian National Zoo is an open space full of tropical flora designed to mimic the environment on the South American end of New World Bird migration.  The former Bird House also featured a central aviary and some of the elements from the previous space remain.  But the variety and sheer joy you can experience in the midst of so many beautiful and lively creatures is hard to fully describe.  So like the previous post, I'll let the pictures tell the story, with this caveat.  I will do my best to identify the species; however, there was a whole lot of molting going on, so it was not always obvious.

Rose-breasted Grosbeak (female)

Pheucticus ludovicianus

Band-tailed Pigeon

Patagioenas fasciata

Blue Grosbeak (female)

Tennessee Warbler

Leiothlypis peregrina

Black-bellied Whistling Duck

Dendrocygna autumn

Turquoise Tanager

Tangara mexicana

Blue Grossbeak

Passerina caerulea

A parting view of a male Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum).

Smithsonian National Zoo: Aviary, part 2 of 3 - Wetlands

 The next room features both ducks and songbirds that might be found in both coastal and interior wetlands.  This would be my third visit since the new Bird House opened, and I must say there were more species this time than I've seen before.  Again, the birds are completely free to fly anywhere within the space that includes two different water features, both with shorelines and plenty of live native vegetation.

A peninsula with a water feature is the main habitat.

An adjacent area under a skylight is a favorite of various songbirds.

A pair of Ruddy Ducks, Oxyura jamaicensis

Woodthrush

Hylocichla mustelina

Carolina Wren

Thryothorus ludovicianus

Red-winged Blackbird

Agelaius phoeniceus

Red-winged Blackbird (female)

A range of Ducks: Canvasback (Aythya valisineria), Northern Pintail, (Anas acuta), Redhead, (Aythya americana), Gadwall (Mareca strepera)

Smithsonian National Zoo: Aviary, part 1 of 3 - The Coastal Shores

 Anyone who keeps up with my Zoo posts knows that I have two particular structural loves at the zoos and aquariums.  First, Herpetariums, a.k.a. Reptile and/or Amphibian Houses.  And Second, Aviaries!  

Sometimes the quality of one or both of these can determine my impression of the entire facility.  

I love them because they are animal experience dense.  And when done well, both the visitor and the residents have wonderful experiences.  Of Course, a shitty version of either is pure hell.  Animals kept in cages... unacceptable.  Birds arrived at the National Zoo as early as 1900.  They were displayed in dispersed cages at first, and then those were clustered into a bird focused area.

The 1928 entrance is preserved in the lobby.

The Bird House, as the National Zoo in Washington, DC calls it, was first opened in 1928.  It was the height of the money rich, "roaring" 1920's!  The design and details were magnificent, and the birds were kept in spaces that allowed for maximum movement at the time.  Over the years up-grades happened and when I first visited it in the late 1990's, it was a passable, if dated Aviary.

What I couldn't see was how the bones were wearing thin.  The infrastructure was in need of a major upgrade, and in for a penny, in for a pound seemed a reasonable approach, versus the all too familiar "band Aide" option.  So in 2017, the Bird House closed.  

The new design was intended to occupy the original foot print, incorporate as much of the original, architecturally brilliant and historically significant building as possible, while also making across the board state-of-the-art upgrades based on a Gold Standard LEED rating.  Price tag?  $69,000,000.00!  The most expensive and ambitious project ever undertaken at the zoo.  Though I grant that factoring in inflation, this is an arguable statement.  

Enter the fuck-fest that was the Covid pandemic, and timelines are screwed.  But even this came to it's fruition in 2023.  The new design, full of features that create a sense of flight, is dedicated to the migration of birds across the Western Hemisphere. 

It is divided into three interactive, multi-species regional habitats.

1) The Delaware Shore: With a winding path through a room with large coastal shoreline water features that mimic tidal movements.  Natural plantings, multiple species of fish as well as both shore birds and coastal song birds.  

2) Prairie "Pot Holes": features a look at interior wetlands, but the bulk of the birds presented are more likely to be found in near Atlantic Ocean marshes of the eastern Piedmont (the Carolina's, Virginia, Maryland and Delaware).

3) The South American Nexus of annual migration, the Brazilian highland Coffee Plantation.  This fills the historic heart of the original Bird House, and focuses on species of song birds with long-range migration routes.

It is so easy to completely lose one's self in the magic of these environments, that I have to divide this record of my visit into three parts.  So we commence our visit with the Delaware Shore!  

The design guides visitors on a migration of their own starting with a turn to the right.  Wall text throughout is in both English and Spanish.  Que Perfecto, no?

This leads to a room with huge portraits of birds.  The perfect place to assemble a group of school children prior to entering the interactive bird spaces.

WELCOME TO THE DELAWARE SHORE

The right side habitat.  A similar configuration is on the left and birds are free to choose where to spend their time.  Natural like supports a natural cycle of day and night.  All the vegetation is living, and again, the aquatic features are home to various fish and have a built in tidal motion mechanism so that you can watch as the sea grasses ebb and flow--but wait, there's more.  The strength of those currents also varies to better mimic the actual tidal forces.  It's honestly like nothing else I have ever seen anywhere.

Black-necked Stilt

Ruddy Turnstone

Sanderling

Sanderling pic photo-bombed by a Semipalmated Plover! (far right)

Americans Golden Plover

The close-ups don't fully depict the absolute flocks of shore birds that inhabit the space.  The are, like their Songbird companions, oblivious to the humans passing through which gives visitors who who care to linger amazing opportunities to view their natural world in an exceptionally well designed facsimile.

Blue Bunting

The Blue Bunting Preens in the company of a Yellow-rumped Warbler

Black-capped Chickadee