Opera Riff-Raff, 7-Shot Symphony, A Naughty Basement Party, and 2 Gingers Whiskey

Photo by Bunny

MY WEEKENDS SEEM TO BE STARTING earlier and earlier each week -- Wednesdays lately. But I'm nursing a cold, so this week I started hopping-to on Thursday. From the amount of people downtown later in the week, Thursday has been the new Friday for some time now anyway.

If I may, I'd like to comment on the state of Downtown Minneapolis -- specifically the southeast corner of the infamous Block E. This location has been home to many entities, Hopscotch Grill being the most recent failed business. Now that Hopscotch Grill is closed, opera music plays on exterior speakers outside of the dark windows, presumably to dissuade any ne'er do-wells from loitering on the corner. Each time I pass by this corner I'm a bit sad that the top-hat-and-tails crowd hasn't claimed the territory as their own. I think I would quite enjoy some opera riff-raff.

This weekend was a busy one for Bunny and me.

Thursday we headed over to the Loring Theater for The 7-Shot Symphony performed by local physical theater troupe Live Action Set. Aside from an energetic live band and a few wardrobe pieces -- mostly hats and duster-style longcoats -- the stage is just about as barren as the dusty plains on which these stories are set. When members of the cast aren't acting as characters, they themselves become the set pieces by making shwooshing wind noises and moving their hands like tumble weed, for instance, or the swinging doors of a saloon. Though this show is a Western, the characters are characters from classic myths. Between the old-style western shoot-out scenes, there are plenty of tender moments and the members of Live Action Set transition swiftly between the multiple storylines. See it if you have the chance.

Friday night was exciting, as it was the world debut of Basement Porn Party, a play written by Bunny and I. We're fans of chaos and have been experimenting making Fast, Cheap, and Out of Control theater and I am happy to report that Basement Porn Party certainly delivers. Scott Pakudaitis found and directed a wonderful and willing cast and, most importantly, provided his very own basement in which to stage the play. This show's audience is very limited in number and is restricted to invite-only. On a personal note, let me extend my apologies to the after-party and cast for leaving a little earlier than expected. My cold was acting up and I had to go home to circle bed and cling to a hot cup of whiskey-spiked tea.

Kieran and 2 Gingers

Bunny and I took a brisk late-morning walk Saturday to meet with Kieran Folliard, owner of The Local, The Liffey, Cooper's, and Kieran's Irish Pub. He'll be debuting yet another business venture -- not a new pub, but something to drink at his pubs: whiskey. Let there be no mistake -- there is no shortage of whiskey in any of Folliard's pubs. (For those of you who don't know it, The Local sells the most Jameson in the world.) With the help of Cooly, the last remaining independent distillery in Ireland, Folliard took great care in creating something worth sipping: 2 Gingers Irish Whiskey. "I wanted something that could stand on its own two feet," Folliard said. And, after having a healthy-sized sample (Bunny and I brought home a bottle), I would agree that it's good to have whiskey that can stand on its own -- even if, after a few generous tastes, you cannot.

2 Gingers is undoubtedly distinct from all of the other brands of whiskey I've tried. It is smooth and, as Folliard says, "It has an edge to it." But it's a savory edge that is soon subtly overtaken with a sweetness that isn't too sweet. I definitely took pause before my next sips to enjoy the aftertaste. This is a great whiskey to drink on the rocks, but it also mixes well with ginger ale to create the Big Ginger, The Local's signature drink. 2 Gingers Irish Whiskey will be available at all of Folliard's Irish pubs beginning March 16.

The pounding of hard-shoe Irish dancing filled the rotunda of St. Paul's Landmark Center on Sunday for The Day of Irish Dance. Various rooms were dedicated to musical performances, readings, and even a small Irish marketplace, but the main rotunda was dedicated to the many local students of Irish dancing. Ranging from toddlers to 20 year olds, girls topped with tightly curled wigs and dressed in colorful dresses embroidered with Celtic knot patterns took the stage throughout the day to perform. Finished with their set, some of the girls, still donning their hard-soled dance shoes, climbed the marble steps of the Landmark Center with such force that it sounded like a herd of horses had figured out how to use hammers during a stampede. Feeding my delight for chaos, I thought this was perhaps the best part of the festival.

Photo by Bunny

My weekend concluded Sunday evening at the Guthrie Theater. David Hyde Pierce spoke on stage in conversation with Joe Dowling, the theater's Artistic Director. Pierce shared stories from his college years at Yale, where at first he trained as a concert pianist. Dowling asked how that lead to an acting career. "Well, what was key," Pierce said, "was that I wasn't a very good concert pianist."

He shared several stories from the beginning of his career as a theater actor, to his transition into television and film, and then back into theater. He told a few anecdotes from his time working on the television show Frasier, as well. Influenced by his fellow actors, he learned how to be a wine drinker. "I was never a wine drinker because I so thoroughly love alcohol," Pierce said. After hearing that, I found it funny that he didn't immediately know he wanted to be an actor.

It's almost Wednesday, and Thursday, of course, is St. Pat's. There is certainly a wild adventure or two lurking in the coming days. Stay tuned.

George Washington's Teeth and an Oscar Party at Hotel Ivy

ACTIVELY SEEKING OUT LOCKS OF PRESIDENTIAL HAIR is by no means a goal of mine, not yet anyway, but I've seen a fair share by happenstance.

In 2006, for instance, I was in New York City visiting a restaurant that has since become a favorite of mine, Fraunces Tavern (order the house salad). Because this tavern was the site of many historic events, they have a museum upstairs for anyone who wants to find out more about them. One such event took place on December 4, 1783. On that date, General George Washington bid farewell to the members of the Continental Army. And sure enough, a piece of the general still resides there: a lock of strawberry blond hair. Washington was a red head. How interesting!

And when I lived in the French Quarter, I visited the Ripley's Believe It Or Not Museum which is home to a snip John F. Kennedy's locks as well as a sample off of Jackson's glorious coiffure.

My most recent Presidential hair siting happened at the Minnesota Historical Society's newest exhibit, Discover the Real George Washington: New Views from Mount Vernon. The exhibit shares quite a bit about Washington's younger years as well as a look at Presidential life at his Mt. Vernon home. There are life-sized forensic wax models of Washington representing various stages of his life -- including a young Washington set upon a taxidermied horse. On Sunday the exhibit was packed with people learning more about the nation's first president and the details of his impressive leadership skills as a young man. Although this may sound crass of me, I must admit that I meandered through most of the exhibit rather quickly. I was most looking forward to seeing the only surviving full set of Washington's dentures. My brisk pace did halt rather suddenly at one point however, most likely the result of Pavlovian conditioning, when I caught the site of a whiskey still.

It was a replica, but no matter, what the hell was it doing here? Turns out George Washington was not only a military and political man, he was a successful agricultural entrepreneur as well. As a result, he began to distill whiskey at his Mt. Vernon home. Since I had Washington's troubled periodontium on my mind, I couldn't help but wonder if he drank whiskey to help ease his pain.

I grew up knowing Washington had dentures and never thought much more about it, figuring it was an inevitable result of a time in which dental hygiene was barely a concept. Mostly I thought it was a time in which people didn't care about dental hygiene or, even if they did, they may not have had access to the proper tools.

As a result of this exhibit I found out that Washington in fact took dental hygiene very seriously; he made a point of always having a toothbrush and brushing powder with him. What luck this poor guy had, I thought. He actually makes a point of taking care of his teeth and still ends up having the worst teeth imaginable. Bad genes, maybe? My older sister had to have something like 17 teeth pulled when she was growing up. If she had grown up in the 1800s, how would that scenario have worked out? Probably not so good. But she would have been able to go to college on Tooth Fairy money alone, so at least there's that.

Anyway, in addition to highly abrasive brushing powder, he most likely used boar hair toothbrushes. It's well-known that Washington had reoccurring toothaches, but I wonder if he further irritated his mouth to such an extent that his teeth and gums just couldn't take it anymore.

There is an entire semi-circular room devoted to Washington's tooth situation, the center piece of which looks like it could have come from the Tut exhibit a few blocks away at the Science Museum of Minnesota. Under a pyramid-like column of glass are Washington's dentures, and they look agonizing. Real teeth (from where!) and carved ivory teeth are embedded in lead. Small metal springs mimic the human jaw's natural hinges toward the back of the mouth. I wonder if they pinched the inside of Washinton's cheeks. Additionally, his gums rested on flat lead surfaces. I can only assume the springs had enough tension to keep the dentures pressed to his upper and lower gums and he had to exude an unnatural amount of force in order to bite down. A guide in the museum pointed out a portrait of Washington and told everyone to look at how his closed mouth bulged around the lips. It was because of his ill-fitting and painful dentures.

Coco with Ultra Violet.
Photo by Bunny

SPEAKING OF BULGING LIPS, this Sunday evening marked the 83rd annual Academy Awards. There were a few parties in Minneapolis, including the only official Academy-sanctioned Oscar party in the Twin Cities at Hotel Ivy. Bunny and I attended this party, which was sponsored by the Aegis Foundation. Proceeds from evening were equally divided and donated to the Smile Network and the Link.

Barbara Davis, best known as the spokesperson for Ken Davis's BBQ, MCd the event between commercials. She seemed particularly interested in the emotional instability of the various mom characters in this year's batch of movies. At one point, between various bits of Hollywood gossip, she asked "What's with the mom bashing this year?"

Blooming Barbara Davis.
Photo by Bunny

Davis wore a close-fitting green silk gown and a matching brimless cocktail hat that appeared to be blooming with red fabric petals. Along with a handful of people in outrageous outfits, she stood out among the cocktail dress crowd. Thank goodness for that. Though it was a loud, well-attended party, it wasn't particularly rowdy. Despite the boxes of free popcorn, nobody thought to throw it at the screens whenever someone they didn't like won an Oscar. I thought for sure a drinking game would erupt -- take a sip every time the music interrupts someone's speech! But, alas, it was a well-behaved bunch.

Visit the Washington exhibit at the Minnesota Historical Society. I went on Family Day, so there were many activities and demonstrations going on, including this dance that was popular at the time George Washington was President.

See what I wore to the Oscar party via The Minneapoline.

Tutankhamun: The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs

On Saturday I spent a while meandering through dimly lit rooms viewing ancient Egyptian artifacts at the Science Museum of Minnesota's latest exhibit, Tutankhamun: The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs. There were brighter lights dotting each room in order to highlight the artifacts, one of which was an honest-to-goodness ancient toilet seat. I gazed at it for a moment, seeing similarities in shape to our modern version and thought, "Yes. Yes, I suppose that would work just fine."

Suddenly I was picturing scantily clad Egyptians trying to maneuver going to the bathroom wearing their heavy gold accessories. Why wasn't there an ancient toilet paper holder? Didn't they have to wipe? Maybe they WERE aliens! My mom sometimes comes to the conclusion that they were aliens, but aliens wouldn't think a giant scarab beetle pushed the sun up from the underworld every day now would would they? I don't know about you, but I've never exactly pictured people of an advanced ancient culture having to take time out of their day to go potty. But here I was, staring at the actual device they used. Don't you love museums?

Tutankhamun is filled with amazing artifacts -- 100 to be exact -- found in Howard Carter's 1922 excavation of King Tut's tomb. There are masterful sculptures that I envisioned flappers looking at for fashion ideas, finely crafted beaded and gold jewelry, and even the boy king's smallish white bed and throne. There's something about staring at an object while knowing it is THE object Tut used that is just so exciting. Kind of like when I saw the actual B3 organ used in the song Green Onions when I went to the Stacks museum in Memphis.

There were many pieces on display that caused me to shake my head, or drop my jaw, or otherwise spasm in wonder. Including one piece that has never traveled outside of Egypt until now. Think of that! Or the little coffinette in which Tut's stomach was enclosed. Of course the bejeweled coffinete is now empty and so is on display slightly opened. I recall there being a drippy smudge inside of it and can't help but think it's some sort of result of the acid in Tutankhamun's stomach.


And then there's the exact replica of Tut's mummified remains, printed from a 3D printer based on actual CAT scan measurements of the body. In some ways I think that is even more impressive than the actual remains of Tut.

There are mysteries surrounding Tut's death and the exhibit does a nice job of presenting what those mysteries are along with the realities of what could have been the cause. There are conjectures as to his death being the result of malaria, or a bone disease that was showing signs in his foot, but there is nothing definitive. In fact, the ancient culture tried its best to erase Tut from history, which is fascinating, considering King Tut is the first thing people think of, besides the pyramids, when the subject of Egypt comes up today.

As you will see in the care of this exhibit, Tut's posessions -- and I imagine the actual mummified Tut -- are still being treated like royalty 3,000 years after his death. It makes you think, however briefly, that maybe the Egyptians were on to something when taking such care in preparing for the after-life.

Visit the Science Museum of Minnesota.

Spectacular! Spectacular! Party with the Minnesota Opera and Tempo

 The Minnesota Opera's Tempo program is perfecting parties. Tonight they transformed The Varsity into a Hollywood Bohemian dream-scape in conjunction with their upcoming opera, La traviata -- the very opera that inspired the movie Moulin Rouge. It was a cold and windy night and the Varsity had a line around the block, but everyone who made it in was welcomed with a cozy, candle-lit atmosphere complete with fortune tellers, burlesque dancers, and Tango performers. And that was just to get the evening started.

Bunny had a short numerology session and before grabbing drinks and hors d'oeuvres and settling into one of the horseshoe-shaped booths, we got our photo taken by a lady from FairShadow Photography who had set up a theme booth. Music by Cafe Accordian Orchestra played a lively set, then red and black-clad Tango dancers took over the stage and showed off their intricate moves before two be-feathered showgirls escorted Joshua Dorothy, the Tempo board chair, onto the stage to speak a bit on the details of the organization.

"They expect me to talk now," Joshua said, short of breath. "But I don't know how I can after that." It's always fun to watch what happens to Josh when he takes the stage. At the last Tempo Party, dubbed Opera Bootcamp, the host demanded he do push-ups. I suspect that his breathlessness tonight was much more pleasant. Tenor Brad Benoit, who was accompanied by pianist Jeremy Reger, captivated the audience with a couple of songs from La traviata.

Foxy Tann, the Boss of Burlesque MCd the event, taking the stage at intervals throughout the evening in a jeweled dress and her signature giant hairdo. At around 10pm she introduced the screening of Moulin Rouge -- the version starring Nicole Kidman and Ewen McGregor. I had never seen this movie before and was delighted at how absolutely bonkers it is. Suddenly the psychelic lights on the wall made more sense. Bunny ran out to the corner store and bought a bag of popcorn while I replenished our cocktails.

From our vantage point, we could see peoples' fingers, elbows, and arms dripping over the crowded balcony as the movie began. Chandeliers and disco balls twinkled from the ceiling and soon, not surprisingly for a music-based party, people in the audience were swaying in time or singing along with the movie's soundtrack. During a few of the scenes, dancers came out and performed before the big screen.

When the movie ended, Foxy Tann again took the stage. "Are you crying?" she asked, wiping a tear from her face. She quickly made sure to let us know that the evening was not over, but in fact was just getting started. The movie screen rolled back up into the ceiling and Chrissy & Shawn, who make up the "booty-shakin' jams" DJing duo, DJ Unicorns. And I can confirm that, indeed, booties promptly began to shake.

Tomorrow I'm off to the Tut exhibit at the Minnesota Science Museum. Stay tuned.

Happy Hour at Sea Change

 TODAY BEGAN WITH HAPPY HOUR. Perfect, no? After rumors were confirmed that indeed John Waters was just a few blocks away at the Walker Art Center, Bunny and I immediately plotted what dive bars we should scope out in the hopes of catching a glimpse of him. But the blips on our radar -- Twitter -- went silent before we even began our trek. So instead we sipped scotch and nibbled on some olives and cheese at D'Amico in the Chambers Hotel. Then we wandered over to Kieran's Irish Pub for some champ before our brisk walk to the Guthrie's restaurant Sea Change to continue making the hours happy. So much for dive bars.

Sea Change has recently instigated a brand new happy hour with an earlier starting time and it's sure to be a hit. From Sundays through Thursdays from 8:00pm to 11:00pm, Sea Change happy hour specials include $5 Absolut or Jameson cocktails, $5 red or white wine, $3 Grain Belt Premium Beer and $5 burgers and fish sandwiches. There were quite a few journalists who made it out to this happy hour sampler, too, and I made an observation that local restaurateurs may like to know: Twin Cities' journalists are oyster fiends. Erik Anderson, the chef at Sea Change, couldn't replenish the iced critters fast enough. After finding out that he is currently among the nominees for Food & Wine's The People's Best New Chef Award, I couldn't wait to taste the other samples he had planned for the evening.

My favorite was the fish sandwich; the breaded fish patty was delicious and simple in its presentation on a fluffy white bun with a pickle and sauce. The burger has much more action between the buns, as it were, with cheese, bacon, and caramelized onions. Since this was a sampler night, the burgers and fish sandwiches were miniature. I was told they will be bigger for the actual happy hour.

But, as Tallulah says, I never eat on an empty stomach.

Although Sea Change's special happy hour cocktails are not classics, they are well-crafted with a choice of either a vodka or whiskey base. Because of the ginger beer and mint that makes up their Jameson cocktail, it tastes a bit like a Moscow Mule jumped into an herb garden. I'm curious about what gives this drink its pretty pink color.

The vodka-based drink was much more of a citrus-flavored drink, like a very stiff Absolut lemonade with an alcoholic-bite -- something to make the back of your jaw tingle. This drink made everyone think of summer and we glanced outside, dreaming about the weather that will soon permit outdoor seating. Instead, only the colossal image of Arthur Miller peered back at us from the frigid outdoors. One attractive lady and I ended up exchanging our When-I-Met-Arthur-Miller stories, and it turns out his eyes were very much focused at the same angle whenever he was around a lady.

Our reminiscing was cut short when one wild-haired guest broke a glass full of white wine. Everyone knew it wasn't because the drink was bad, but it did seem to signal that the party was a success. (A broken glass of Jameson, on the other hand, would have been something to cry over.) Another round of oysters appeared on the counter top and distracted everyone from the matter altogether.

Not ones to quit partying when a good party comes to an end, Bunny and I found some playwright friends enjoying a late night bite in Sea Change after the happy hour sampler came to an end. The place was rather busy at this time, as Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, one of the shows currently playing at the Guthrie, had just let out. I was lucky enough to meet a couple of the leading men in the cast at this time, too. James T. Alfred, who plays the character Levee, and Penumbra founding member Abdul Salaam El Razzac, who plays Toledo, were nice enough to sit and share jokes and stories over champagne until the lights in Sea Change came on full blast, letting the four of us know this after-party party was over. And a note to James: I hope your invite for port still stands.

Opera party tomorrow. Stay tuned.

Trash-Talking Queens: The Minnesota Opera's Mary Stuart

Let me clarify this post by saying that, despite my completion of opera boot camp, I am still a novice in the area of this theatrical form. So I am writing about my experience of seeing the Minnesota Opera's production of Mary Stuart as an inexperienced opera-goer in the hopes that it will encourage others who are brand new to opera to go see this show, or at least an opera somewhere at some point.


Two angry queens. Judith Howarth as Mary Stuart and Brenda Harris as Queen Elizabeth.

THE STIGMA ATTACHED TO OPERA IS AN INTERESTING ONE. Sure, there is a large fan base for this art-form, but there are also many people who snub it, assuming it is boring or over one's head. But opera is based in raw human emotion, which most of us have access to, and the added bonus of being set to beautiful music.

Take Gaetano Donizetti's Mary Stuart, the Minnesota Opera's latest production beginning January 29, 2011 at the Ordway. It's the story of Queen Elizabeth I (Brenda Harris) and her half-sister Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots (Judith Howarth). These two queens have a lot in common, including their hatred for one another, their love for the same man, and their interest in the same throne. All of this culminates into a vicious verbal throw-down at the end of the first act.

"You're a whore!" Mary Stuart shouts at Elizabeth. "You bastard!" Not exactly inaccessible or snobby language there. And it's great to hear those words set to such intense music performed by members of the Minnesota Orchestra.

This is an Italian opera, and though the action on stage manages to convey most of what is going on, it is helpful to read the super titles. For those of you who have not been to an opera, super titles are like closed captioning. The words are translated to English on a small screen above the stage. And it is fun to discover just how heated the language gets in this show.

Howarth and Harris each display their emotions, from fear to deviousness, concern to murderous rage, as effortlessly as they maneuver their voices through grand cascades of notes. Jessica Jahn took great care with the costume design. Queen Elizabeth exudes the grandeur of a queen, especially in one gown that seems to be made of gold. Mary Stuart is lavishly dressed as well, but in what looks to be mourning attire. The chorus is dressed in cold monochromes, sterling hues of blues and purples. It seems the attire is as moody as the characters themselves.

In the second act, we find that the fight between the two queens has solidified Elizabeth's wishes to end Mary Stuart's life. And at first Mary seems okay with this because then she won't have to look at Elizabeth ever again. Talk about angry! But soon Mary calms down and prepares for her demise with more honest feelings of fear. And though the townspeople proclaim Mary Stuart is dying an innocent, it's not all that cut and dry (pardon the pun). In a previous scene, Mary confesses to taking the life of one of her husbands. In real life, Mary Stuart is suspected of killing three of her husbands (divorce was looked at more seriously as a sin back then, after all.)

This is a bare-bones description of the plot, and there are so many more confessions between the two main characters and the men in their lives. For a more in-depth description of the plot, here is the synopsis on the Minnesota Opera's website. But watching the plot between these two famous and unbalanced queens unfold in person will be a much more exciting experience.

PS. There were cartoonists in the audience during this performance. Check out some of their work on The Big Time Attic Blog.

December 11, 2010 Blizzard

I ENDED UP NOT MAKING IT TO WORK. At about five blocks out, I decided it was too treacherous to continue on and headed back home. Glad I made the decision when I did, too, because that's exactly when work called saying they were closing early for the day.

That constant crackling noise is the snow hitting the Ziplock bag I covered my camera with. A great way to block out the wind noise! Has me thinking for future outside filming in drying conditions, I should cover my camera microphone with a piece of scotch tape!