Wednesday, June 28, 2023
Lunch: Leftover Meatloaf
Tuesday, June 27, 2023
My Little Garden Zoo Additions to the Asian Trail
These additions, along with the others from the Aviary and Herpetarium bring the total to 27 species.
Monday, June 26, 2023
My Little Garden Zoo Another Addition to Australia, Land of Wonders
This addition brings that total of species in this section of the zoo to 15.
Sunday, June 25, 2023
Theatre J: One Jewish Boy
I know, you're already sensing the "BUT" in the room... I'm not going to go there just yet.
Let me talk about all of the great stuff first! The play is well written. It's dialogue is often so natural that the humor catches you off guard and the pathos cuts like paper, sharp and unexpected. The sequence of scenes flows back and forth in time with the two characters Jesse the well raised, player wannabe Jewish boy and Alex, the bi-racial devil may care with a righteous indignation against social injustice. Their interactions twist and turn like a dervish between passion and love and passion and discord. There was never a moment when the actors left me thinking the were Danny and Alanna. From the moment the dialogue began, they were Jesse and Alex. And as they moved forward and backward in time they were younger and older versions of themselves. These were brilliant performances.
The set was deceptively simple. Indistinct cubes that could become various things. A background of blank canvases ready to become whatever the scene required through the use of projected images. The hallmark was a simple shelf running along the back wall of the room. With every scene some article was left there, building of a sense of clutter, of history, of the progression of the life they were living together.
Ok...first, a minor annoyance. The actors were beautifully coached in a British accent--not posh, Jesse's was a mellow Northwest Highgate and Alex's more Southeast Greenwich immigrant. I was impressed by the care taken in this aspect of the production; however, it didn't suite the audience. Many lines were lost in the unfamiliarity during moments where the dialogue ran smartly over top each other. Practically the discernible word was "fuck". Leaving the theatre I was listen for commentary, and more than one comment alluded to not being able to understand what was going on all the time. Again, midday matinee at the Edlavitch Jewish Center? Median age 73. But this is really nitpicking, compared my main complaint.
From that moment to the divorce they move in together, support one another in moments of indecision and career moves, and have a son. There's a lot of love there. Strangling it is the trauma. Jesse's trauma erupts after a Jew bashing incident in which he is randomly beaten by a gang of black youths who specifically taunt him with Jewish slurs and Nazi references. It is an experience he cannot move on from. For Alex, it is the endemic misogyny and racism that has dogged her and beat her down for her entire life--even up to almost dying in childbirth because her description of her own pain was ignored by the white doctor and nurses. In the end, the trauma wins the day. In spite of their passion, in spite of their son, they cannot break the toxic power of the trauma.
Well, sigh... Perhaps profoundly true, I found it also pathetically cynical. I don't need sunshine and roses. I know life can suck the fucking hope out of a rainbow. I already know that. I also know, that out of the darkest abyss, even the slightest spark of light, can refract the most dismal deluge to create a little rainbow again. I wish Stephen Laughton with all of his brilliant talent also knew that. I wish he had found a way to teach it to Jesse and Alex.
Wednesday, June 21, 2023
Tuesday, June 20, 2023
Saturday, June 17, 2023
MLGZoo Saturday Afternoon Visit
Wednesday, June 14, 2023
Tuesday, June 13, 2023
Monday, June 12, 2023
My Little Garden Zoo: Aviary
Usually, I set up a series of little planters and stones around the center of the table on the deck and create there an "aviary" for MLGZoo. Of course, some species of birds end up elsewhere along the way. This year I have habitats out and about for Common Ostriches, Greater Flamingos in the "African Adventure" area, Gentoo Penguins in "Icons of the Americas," and Southern Cassowary in "Australia, Land of Wonders." Additionally, I have a mini aviary of birds from South America in the "Icons of the Americas" hosting 3 species of Macaw (Scarlet, Hyacinth, and Blue & Yellow), and 2 species of Toucan (Keel-billed, and Toco). The table aviary is a mix and with the 9 aforementioned species beings the total avian offerings at the MLGZoo in 2023 to 22 with it's 13 unique bird species.
ICONS OF THE AMERICAS