Mosaic Theatre: Bars & MeasuresMaître

 "Bars & Measures" is the perfect example of what Mosaic Theatre in Washington, D.C. does when it does what it does best: Choose a play by a relatively new playwright that deals with complex cultural issues in non-linear ways that leaves the audience satisfied by a wonderful performance and yet stirred and unresolved with an experience that offers as many questions as answers.  Catch your breath.  

"Bars and Measures" is based on a real post-9/11 incident wherein the government infiltrated a mosque, sought out the most dissatisfied members of the community and then suggested a means to obtain justice illegally as a way to bait their marks.  Then the arrests and the high profile trials meant to make the rest of us feel safer.  It's not an easy subject, even now over 20 years removed.  This story is about two bothers: Eric and Bilal.  Eric loves classical music, Bilal is a well respected jazz musician.  Eric remains with the culture of their childhood, Bilal converts to Islam.  Bilal is arrested, and Eric stands by his brother visiting him in prison where Bilal attempts to convert Eric to the religion of jazz, all the while maintaining his innocence.  At trial, the government's evidence up-turned the lives of both men and rents asunder the power of familial loyalties.

The set is a simple and effective one-piece with defined zones representing different places.  The cast is made up of 4 actors, the two principle players and then two more who cover a handful of incidental characters.  The most significant is Sylvia, a woman who comes to Eric to ask him to be her accompanist. She is a secular Muslim, and as the story exposes the fault lines between the brothers, Eric's actions also destroy the relationship he has come to have with Sylvia.  The remaining supporting creative aspects of the production were good in that they were without distraction.  In the end, isn't that what every good designer wants?  To just be unnoticed.

To a person, the quartet of actors brought their talent and their A-game to the performances.  As I mentioned over diner afterwards, they inhabited the characters so seamlessly, that I never doubted they were who they said they were.  I don't know that there's a better compliment you can give.

The play opens with Eric (Joel Ashur) visiting his brother, Bilal (Louis E. Davis) in prison.  The guard (Afsheen Misaghi) always present, always looking on.

Eric remembering his older brother in simpler, happier times.

Eric developing a relationship with Sylvia (Lynette Rathnam)

Bilal explaining his situation as Eric looks on.

AN EPILOGUE OF FRIENDSHIP & EPIPHANY

Perhaps the best part of this experience was having it with 3 long-time friends and enjoying an early dinner at a nearby artisanal Pizzeria.  Friends with an interest and experience in theatre eager to process the play.  The natural starting place for a excellent conversation and fellowship.  

And a word to the Pizzeria, Mozzeria, all of the front staff are deaf; maître'd, and wait staff.  I first realized that the maître'd was deaf when we entered and asked for a table for four, his eyes locked on to the face of the person speaking and then quickly confirmed by sweeping his gaze nearly imperceptibly across our party, turning, he used his hand to bid us follow him.  My first thought, and with Gallaudet University nearby, was "wow, he's deaf.  How wonderful."  The server arrived and announced her deafness to us.  And that's when I mentioned that the maître'd was also deaf.  Soon it became apparent that the entirety of the front staff was also deaf.  I have to say, it was such a lovely experience.  Deaf folk make up such a small percentage of our neighbors.  Most of us never have a deaf friend.  And when we do encounter them, they are like exotic foreigners with a secret language of the hands and silent lips.  It's easy to fail to realize just how this single aspect of their lives is not the defining characteristic.  In an environment where the presence of people who are deaf is normative, I suddenly gained a deeper appreciation and gratitude for the resilience and humanity of deaf folk.  It may sound completely ridiculous, but I never before considered what agency for a deaf person navigating life in a aural world looked like. Shame on me.

Dinner: Swiss Steak over Rice.

 

Constellation Theatre Company: Incognito

 I'm not sure what I expected, because I came with no expectations.  All I knew was the title of the play: "Incognito."  And faith in Constellation Theatre Company to select and produce a quality piece of theatre.  I am happy to report that my faith was well place; although, I'm still not quite sure what I experienced.  You see, the play--in one continuous act taking 100 minutes--is a bit of an enigma.  Written in short vignettes that are woven together a little bit like a jenga tower. With each snippet more of the puzzle is revealed.  A puzzle comprised of three actual events/people and then turned with poetic license and embellished with fictional characters to heighten the emotional connection with the audience.  So you have the scientist who took Einstein's brain, along with two British men who suffered unusual brain conditions, one made extremely worse by the intervention of a surgeon.  You'll be forgiven if after 100 minutes you walk away as I did not knowing exactly what to think of it all.  Which, of course, if the point.  It's not what to think, but you continue to think about what you just experienced.

For the actors, of which there were only four, the challenge was playing multiple, diverse, and linguistically unique characters whose stories are hinted at from lives lived on both sides of the pond.  And here, I give a little extra kudos to Marcus Kyd who pulled off two very convincing dialects of British English, one posh and the other like that spoken by the actor Alan Cummings.  Each of the actors: Mr. Kyd, Kari Ginsburg, Ixchel Hernandez and Gerrard Alex Taylor were amazing.  To successfully depict so many characters, returning to most of them intermittently throughout, is no small fete.  The entire plausibility of the play depends upon it.  To a person, they were mesmerizing.  

The costumes were contemporary in design and shared a similar palette with tones shared randomly between the cast.  The set was made of what appeared at first to be marble blocks with for doorless "closets" against a wall dividing the stage area from backstage.  The boxes are all lit from within with a variety of colors that change with the mood and location of the scenario.  Above that stage area rows of incandescent light bulbs that also when on and off and grew brighter or duller with the needs of each moment.  Light firing like the electric pulse of the human brain. 

While the premise may not be everyone's cup of tea, the production was spot on.

Set Designed by Nephelie Andonyadis

Each actor ready to enter the stage area and begin the stories.

Gerrard Alex Taylor, Marcus Kyd, Ixchel Hernandez and Kari Ginsburg

Marcus and Kari with Albert Einstein's brain

Gerrard and Ixchel

Slow Cooker Retro-style

 I've had this slow cooker for over 40 years.  And it's still as wonderful as it was the first time I used it.  Today?  Swiss Steak.

Olney Theatre Center: Kinky Boots

 Wow!  Just wow!  I'm not ashamed to say that I was first person in the packed house to jump to my feet for a much deserved standing ovation.  For anyone unfamiliar, and honestly, I had only the vaguest of ideas what it was about (a shoe factory that makes kinky boots and wins Tony Awards).  The story is of a young ne'er-do-well, Charlie, who finds himself suddenly the inheritor of a shoe factory that he doesn't want and that has no one to buy its shoes.  A chance meeting with a Drag Queen, Lola, and suddenly Charlie's factory has a new direction.  Getting there comes with bumps and dips in the road, but in the end all's well that ends well.

While I was uninitiated, most of the very enthusiastic audience knew what they were getting into.  Lots of teenage girls and middle aged women in knee-high boots, for example.  A real mix along with the usual geriatric crowd that weekend matinees seem to cater to.  Normally, I'm one of the younger members of the audience, although this time, thanks to my recent birthday, I was able to purchase the ticket with the senior discount.

Of the particulars, the sound was iffy--the only real disappointment.  My seat was smack dab in the middle of the first row of the mezzanine that put me about 12 fee above and 20 feet away from the edge of the stage.  The perfect place to see the whole show at once; and you'd think it would be a good place to hear it, too.  Not that it was bad, per se, just noticeable in an annoying way.  The set was gorgeous and my first thought was that it reminded me of Onley's production of "Sweeney Todd."  My instinct was spot on, Milagros Ponce de Leon was responsible for the scenic design of both.  The Costumes!  Designed by Kendra Rai, who took home the top prize in the DMV's annual Helen Hayes Awards in 2012, 2015, and 2018 has another winner on her hands.  Magnificent.

Of course, what's a show without performers?  Here I'm going get specific, although all involved were delightful and wonderfully talented.  Together they formed a true ensemble, as well.  But I'm going to keep to two of the actors.  Vincent Kempski who played Charlie.  Before commenting on this performance, I want to say that Vincent is a talented musical theater actor and has a wonderful voice.  He also happens to have been a high school student at St. John's College back when my friend was the school Media Specialist.  She knows him as Vince.  I first encountered him as one of the Apostles in Signature Theatre's 2017 production of "Jesus Christ Superstar".  Apparently recognizing both his talent and his potential Signature proceeded to keep him busy.  Over the years I've also seen him in "Billy Elliot," "Assassins," and just this past December "Into the Woods" where he stole the audience's hearts as Cinderella's Prince.  Each show a larger roll, and better performance.  Stepping outside of Signature's esteemed bubble, taking the reigns of "Kinky Boots" for Olney was a brilliant choice for all involved.  Vincent was pitch perfect vocally, dramatically, comedic-ly.  And though we've never met, nor does he have a clue as to who I am, I couldn't help but feel a sense of pride for him in all that he's accomplished, and wonder at what awaits him in the future.

The pillar of the show is Lola, the leader of a troop of Drag Queens called the Angels.  The roll went to Solomon Parker III, another local talent who has also performed in a handful of Signature's productions, I've seen him in three, most recently as Harpo in "The Color Purple".  Honestly, when I made that connection, I had to ask myself, "really?"  So different and so utterly convincing were both performances.  Even within this single show, Solomon was given the opportunity to go from fierce diva to insecure, uncomfortable in his own skin, man.  He is a shoe in for Best Actor in a Musical, and he sets the bar for whomever will win.  

I wish there were more press photos; however, the show just opened on Thursday, and the fact that this was only their third performance--the sky is the limit!  The show has already been extended through March 26.

Lauren (Alex de Bard), Lola (Solomon Parker III) and Charlie (Vincent Kempski).

Ensemble number.

Solomon Parker III

Lunch: Cheesy Spinach Puff Pastry Pinwheels

 

Breakfast: Eggs Benedict

 

Eighth Circuit Federal Court 2023

The Eighth Circuit runs the mid and upper western watershed of the Mississippi River from Arkansas to Minnesota covering 7 states divided into 10 districts.  Their are a handful of facts regarding the Eighth Circuit.  The division of states in some some cases in antiquated and wasteful.  I've not mentioned my larger ideas around redistribution of resources and boundaries, but it makes absolutely no sense that Iowa has two districts and Minnesota is maintained in one given the relative size and populations of the two states.

The Eighth Circuit covers a very white swath of the United States with some very interesting demographic anomalies like the largest populations of Somali and Hmong Americans in the nation residing in Minnesota, and the influx of Hispanic residents to Iowa.  The impact of all three is limited against the overall numbers, but nonetheless worth noting as a future force trend.  Also the Eighth Circuit is the first to have a sufficient number of Native American residents to register at 1%.  Of course, nearly 6% of South Dakota's residents are Native American, but their presence is diluted against the populations of the other other states within the circuit.  This, in spite of large numbers in Minnesota and North Dakota, too.

In terms of Gender parity, the 8th Circuit is rather dismal.  There are notable exceptions like Southern Iowa and Minnesota on an individual District level.  It's Appellate Court is the most male, white, and Republican appointed in the nation.  

In this environment, with a majority of Republican Senators representing these states and some of them aggressively hostile toward the Biden Administration, looking at you, Josh Hawley (R-MO) and you, Tom Cotton (R-AR), the likelihood of empty seats getting filled with qualified candidates who's views are moderate to progressive are nil to none.  Where Senators are more reasonable, compromise has already proven possible.  Besides Minnesota with its two Democratic Senators, Southern Iowa has successfully seated a new District Judge thanks to the cooperation of Republican Senators Graham and Ernst.  Bottomline, in a circuit desparitely in need of Gender Parity at the very least, are the Senators (all Republican) from Arkansas, Missouri, Nebraska and South Dakota willing to work with the Biden Administration?  And if not, I can think of no better argument for the dissolution of the courtesy known as the "Blue Slip" option.  An unconstitutional tradition that allows any Senator to block any District Judge nominee for any reason without any need to even state it or mount an argument to justify it.  

Without further ado, the graphics.

Based on these ratios, the safest place to live is Minnesota and the most lawless is South Dakota.  Let that sink in!

Footnote: I made these graphics back at the end of January and since then seats have opened up in Nebraska, and both Eastern and Western Missouri.  By the end of June, two more seats will open up in Eastern Missouri.  

Generally speaking the Ratio of White judges is in line with the population overall.  The adjustment to bring parity would mean that the two open seats would be filled by an Hispanic Justice and an Asian Justice, though neither of these choices would best reflect the populations of South Dakota or Arkansas.  

Prologue Theatre: The Cake

 What a lovely little play.  We all know the story of the baker who won't bake a cake for an LGBTQ wedding.  This isn't THAT story, it's a story of that predicament.  Translated to North Carolina, we meet Della who owns a pie shop and is about to compete on the TV Baker competition.  The daughter of childhood friend, Jen, who returns to town with her fiancé, Macy; and they need a wedding cake, but Della love Jesus and she's just not ready to come around.  Enter in her husband, Tim who's beliefs about right and wrong as just a smidge further to the right of Della's, and you have the basic scaffold.  What you don't have is this delightful treatment of those elements.  Little by little, each character reveals more of their personhood creating an honestly interesting, not overly ambitious story.

The set was lovely with portions that slid away to reveal other rooms like chambers in the human heart. 

The cast was wonderful, each creating a character worthy of the audience's empathy; however, the tony goes to Nicole Halmos as Della.  Her portrayal of the sincere and conflicted baker who's world is thrown into an existential crisis by the advent of Jen and Macy was enjoyable and courageous.  In short, I loved it!

Full cast: Tim (Sam Lunay), Della (Nicole Halmos), Jen (Tara Forseth), and Macy (Sabrina Lynne Sawyer).

Della dreaming of being on the baking competition show.

 

Jen confronting Della in the Cake Shop.

Judge DeAndrea Benjamin Confirmed

 

Seventh Circuit Federal Court 2023

 We're at the halfway point in our review of the state of the Federal Circuit Courts at the midway point of the Biden administration.  The Seventh Circuit is comprised of three states divided into seven Districts:  Western Wisconsin, Eastern Wisconsin, Northern Illinois, Central Illinois, Southern Illinois, Southern Indiana, and Northern Indiana.

The distribution of Judges to Population varies widely.  The District of Northern Illinois is the third largest in the nation after Southern New York and Central California, while nearby Western Wisconsin is among the smallest with just two seats.  It's a limited club including, Vermont, Idaho, Northern Iowa, and North Dakota.  Northern Illinois used to share the same number of judges as Eastern Pennsylvania until a couple of months ago, when it was granted a new seat, its 23rd, by act of Congress.

The variation in rations of Judges to Citizens is the most disparate of any Circuit.  Are the good folks of Green Bay twice as criminally minded as those of La Croix?  And possibly more to the point, are the people of Milwaukee?  You see this pattern in many places and it begs the question: Does to the court exist only to respond to criminal activity, or once in existence, does it participate in a complex and ever more deeply entrenched dance of generating criminal activity in order not simply to justify its size, but to maintain its capacity in order secure the economic livelihoods of all the sectors of law and order that become dependent upon it?  There's probably a better way to state that, but you get what I mean.  Further, by this reason standard of comparison, living in Southern Illinois is the most dangerous place of all!--from a Federal Law Enforcement point of view.

In terms of partisan appointments, former President Trump got 17 nominations through, and thus far, Biden has placed 7.  With open seats and pending retirements that number could rise to 13.  Assuming Biden does fill those seats, the Democratic appointments will hold a 35 to 24 advantage over Republicans, yet be a 4 to 7 minority on the Appellate Level.

42% of the Judges are Female, however, the ratio on the Appeals Court currently sits at 50% with an open seat that could make the 7th Circuit Appeals court majority female for the first time in its history depending on who President Biden nominates.

Connecting the dots, Biden has once again brought some much needed diversity to Circuit, most especially at the Appellate Level adding the only Racial Diversity to what had been an all white bench.  When it comes to the actual racial/ethnic make-up of Wisconsin, Illinois and Indiana as compared to the Circuit Court: 74% of the population are white, and 72% of the Judges are; 12% of the population is Black and 18% of the Judges are; 10% of the population is Hispanic and 5% of the Judges are, and 4% of the population is Asian and 5% of the Judges are.

Dinner: Beef Barley Soup with Roasted Mushrooms, etc.

 

Dinner: Roasted Chicken Breast Fillet with Onion, Mushrooms & Yukon Gold Potatoes, and Warm Bread Salad with Arugula

 

Sixth Circuit Federal Court 2023

The Sixth District is comprised of four states divided into nine Districts, two each for Michigan, Ohio, and Kentucky; and three for Tennessee.

The ratios of Justices to Citizenry are less variable than with other districts, but still surprisingly inequitable.

The Sixth District is one in which President Trump made significant appointments to.  President Biden's nominees have been focused on bringing racial and gender diversity to the Circuit.  

The ratios of Racial/Ethnic groups and Justices aligns very well.81% of the population is White, 82% of the Justices.  14% is Black, and the same percent are judges.  3% of the population is Hispanic compare to 1% of the Judges, 2% is Asian compared to 3% of the Judges.

Fifth Circuit Federal Courts 2023

 

Within the pantheon of Federal Circuit Courts, there are two circuits that stand out. The Fifth and the Ninth.  The Fifth is considered to be the most Conservative (think, Republican) and the Ninth is the bastion of all things liberal (a.k.a Democratic).  Of course, these considerations, while not entirely devoid of truth are nonetheless limited and like so many things political, incomplete.

The Fifth District is comprised of three states divided into 9 Districts.  The coverage is wildly disparate.  Like so many other districts.  My favorite example is the comparison between Louisiana and Maryland.  Both states have comparable populations.  Maryland is a single District, while Louisiana is divided into three Districts.  Maryland has a total of 10 Judicial Seats, and Louisiana has a combined total of 22 Judicial Seats!--over twice as many.  

The question that this brings to my mind is inevitability.  The old "If you Build It, they will come."  What produced the crazy disparity between the two states?  Is it a result of historical patterns combined with a need to justify the work force?  A work force whose purpose as justice also creates and supports another industry.  I am speaking of the criminal prison industry in the form of Federal Penitentiaries, in this instance.  There is so much more that can and must be explored in this.  The numbers reveal a pattern based on an historical bias with a clear fiduciary consequence.

The Obama Administration was able to find compromise candidates with Republican Senators in this District.  To date, the Senators from Mississippi have also made nice.  It remains an open question whether or not those from Texas and Louisiana can.  My money would be on those from Louisiana.

The Disproportionate ratio between men and women by appointment is not a result of the greater percentage of Republican or Democratic appointees.   In fact, more of the women currently serving as judges were appointed by Republican Presidents.

The racial/ethnic composition of the Fifth District is tenuously White at 44%.  The percentage of white judges reflects the old paradigm of colonial overlords at 69%!  Black judges are at 13% and should be 16% or three more judges.  Hispanic Judges are 14% and should be 36% or 22 more judges.  Asian judges are the closest to being in parity, but one more judge would satisfy the equity factor.  The one judge who claims Native American Heritage fulfills the percentage of Native Americans in the Fifth District.

Dinner: Cincinnati-Style Chili

 

Made with cinnamon and served on Angel Hair Pasta with cheese.  Usually it's a Sharp Cheddar, but today I used a Pepper Jack.

Fourth Circuit Federal Courts 2023

 

The Fourth Circuit of the Federal Judiciary covers a region from the southern Mid-Atlantic states down across the Piedmont of the Carolina's.  Five states divided into nine districts.  And though they surround Washington, DC, the District of Columbia is not included in their mix.  Rather, DC has its own dedicated Federal Circuit Court that I like to think of as the 12th Circuit.

The ratio of judges to inhabitants vary widely and in part are throwbacks to history when populations were quite different and travel was mainly undertaken on horseback or a horse-pulled carriage.  For example, the fact that West Virginia is divided into two districts (Northern and Southern) and served by a total of 8 seated Justices with a population a quarter as large as neighboring Maryland with only 10 seated Justices is a nod to a time when travel across the "mountain" state was far more arduous than it is today.

Additionally, the swelling population of North Carolina has far outpaced the addition of Judicial seats to its three District Courts, with the Eastern District having one of the greatest disparities in the nation.

The Fourth Circuit has a deeper slate of Judges than the previous three with two each appointed by Presidents Reagan and Bush-the-Elder.  In the political party affiliation game, Democratic Presidents hold a 7 seat lead over Republican Presidents, with a strong likelihood that President Biden will be able to nominate and confirm at least three more new Judges.

Biden's aggressive nomination of both female and minority candidates has begun the long overdue process of bringing gender parity and racial diversity to the Fourth Circuit.  The image of the fading blue of White Jurists in the Ethnic/Racial Demographics table depicts this darkening of the old hegemony.  It balanced circuit, factoring in the 3 open seats, 2 more of the total would need to be held by Asian Justices, and 5 more by Hispanic Justices.  The ratio of Black Justices is on the mark.