Cherry Valley Lodge

 This past weekend, we had brunch at the Cherry Valley Lodge.  I had the buttermilk pancakes and had bananas and pecans added in.  You could choose from 5 different toppings to be added for fifty cents each.  It was quite yummy.

Steve had the had the signature cherry bread french toast.   It contained three different types of cherries and was battered in Kahlua.  It was good.

A Stop in for Jeni's Ice Cream

We stopped by a Jeni's to relax away from the summer heat.   In my dish are brown butter almond brittle, bramble berry crisp, and the buckeye state.

I'm really happy that the store has expanded so much.  I remember when they only had one ice cream stand in the North Market in Columbus.   Now they have branches outside of the city and pints are available at Whole Foods and Heinen's. 

Seminar

We just got back from seeing Seminar at the Beck Center.  That was powerful.   The show is billed as a comedy, but I think it's more of a drama.   It's played without an intermission.   4 writers in the making at private writing seminar with a thoroughly unpleasant teacher, who was once a big name in the business.   I laughed some, but mostly I felt angry.   I really just wanted to really deck the teacher for being so abusive, offensive, and mean.

Lessons gleaned from this show: 

• It is often about who you know.
• You have to go beyond your comfort zone.
• Sleeping with the teacher can get you places. (Yuck.)

It's an abusive show, but ultimately constructive with a happy ending.

The Cunning Little Vixen

We got tickets to the last performance of the Cunning Little Vixen by the Cleveland Orchestra! This was absolutely amazing!   No wonder there was national coverage by both the New York Times and NPR!   I've never seen anything like it!

The backdrop started off looking like the usual stage at Serverance Hall.  But it was just a projection of what is usually on stage!   There were 3 jumbo projectors that had flawless scrolling images between them.

The backdrop had holes and doors in it that allowed the opera singers to have animated animal bodies.  It was extremely clever!   It was like being in an impressionistic cartoon.

There were of  course people playing humans on stage.   The props that they had were even constructed to match the art style of the projections.   At one point a character threw a log into a face hole in the projected fireplace.  The fire projection then roared brighter.  It was a great effect!

This show was wonderful and I was extremely fortunate that I got to see it. Click below to see some of the behind the making of the Cunning Little Vixen.

Informed Consent

Just got back from seeing Informed Consent by Cleveland Playhouse.   It is the centerpiece of their New Ground New Theater Festival.   Good theater makes you feel something.  This was an amazing play, but it is not a cheery work.  In fact, I left feeling quite angry at the main character.   The play is based on a true story too.

Informed Consent is about a gross violation of informed consent.   The main character, Jillian, is a genetic anthropologist who lost her mother to early onset Alzheimer's disease.  She is going to develop the condition herself.   She gets a job to study an American Indian tribe for diabetes.  Blood to this group is sacred.   She then selfishly writes a hugely vague informed consent document and runs additional tests, embarrassing the tribe, causing emotional distress, and openly disagreeing with their mythology.

There are only 5 actors in the show who play multiple roles.  They also serve as chorus and narrator group.  This is an excellent show, especially if you are in the medical profession.   Informed consent is very very important.  This play shows how that violating it can break so many more things than trust.

Jersey Boys

Hi everyone! Quick post today.   We saw Jersey Boys this afternoon.   This is actually my third time seeing it.   I consider it to be one of my favorite musicals of all time.  I grew up listening to Motown and the music of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons.   Steve and I danced to to "Too Good to Be True" at our wedding as our first dance.   The first time I saw the show, it was a present for our seven year dating anniversary.  

It's truly a wonderful show.   Gives a nice history of the group.   I think they even tweak the delivery of lines to fit with the times.  It's good to see a favorite show again.

Flashdance the Musical

We just got back from seeing Flashdance the Musical.  I learned a lot about the cultural phenomenon today.   For instance, the movie was made with very low budget and was not expected to bring in much money.  However, because the dance sequences were aired on MTV, it quickly made millions of dollars. 

The sad part about the story is that the girl who was the inspiration for the movie sold away her rights for only $2,300 dollars when the film was in production.  She never saw a penny after it became a cult favorite.

The choreography was wonderful and the costumes were fun.   However, I feel like the plot wasn't as strong as it could be (the show has not been to Broadway).  Particularly, I didn't feel very connected to the two characters in the B story.   It was enjoyable overall.  If you are a fan of the original movie, you will love this show.