Next Up : Empty Plate in the Cafe du Grand Boeuf
Next Thursday, I’m headed back to the Arden to see “Empty Plate in the Cafe du Grand Boeuf”. Here’s the description from the Arden’s webite.It’s 1961 and Victor is a wealthy American expatriate living in Paris. He owns the fabulous Café du Grand Boeuf – the world’s greatest restaurant reserved solely for his private use. He arrives one summer evening after a trip to Madrid in a very bleak mood. As his fastidiously French staff fusses over him, he announces his decision to starve himself to death! This dark comedy celebrates the joys of cooking, sex, bullfighting and the works of Ernest Hemingway in a remarkably poignant, bittersweet tale of the absurdities and contradictions inherent in being human.
I admit, this looks a little high-brow to me. I’m not looking forward to this play as much as I was to “Six Characters in Search of an Author”, but heck with live theatre, you just never know !
Interested in checking it out too ? Get your tickets here. It runs through Dec 9th (wow, long run)
Democratic Presidential Debate in Philly Tonight
The Democratic Presidential Debate comes to Philly tonight ! Now granted, I’ll admit that I don’t follow politics as closely as I should, but having the debate in my home town certainly does spark a little interest !According to the Philly Inquirer, looks like the debate is going to be on Drexel’s campus, and will be broadcast live from 9pm to 11pm on MSNBC. Looks like you can also catch the debate on MSNBC’s Debate Homepage.
Six Characters in Search of an Author (Theatre Review)
I went to see “Six Characters in Search of an Author” yesterday at the People’s Light & Theatre in Malvern. I must admit, I was pretty excited about seeing this play, and consequently had some high expectations. It didn’t disappoint. I had fun, from start to finish. Lots of laughs, and a couple of really scary moments !I already covered the Basic Plot last week. While waiting for the curtain, I learned this play was actually written in the 19th century, and People’s Light is performing a modern adaptation.
In short, the play spends part of it’s time arguing the difference between reality and illusion, and the rest of the time arguing with itself. Not sure what I mean ? Look at it this way : You are very familiar with the character Tevia from Fiddler on the Roof, right ? Well, there’s also an actor who plays Tevia. Now picture both of them on stage, arguing with each other about the best way to stage the production. Part existential, part comedy, and totally fun ! Now picture the same thing, only instead of one character, it’s six, and you have to throw in the Stage Manager, Director, and the Lighting Guy in the booth at the back (who is hilarious, by the way). At one point, the six characters completely take over the stage, and in frustration, the actors actually come out into the house, and grab some random seats ! Tons of action, lots of laughs, and if you care to engage, lots to think about.
On the down side, I must admit the play was kind of long. Like I said, I had a great time throughout, but once or twice during the 2nd act, my mind wandered for the briefest of moments…
And the end : The end was brilliant. I absolutely loved the way they got everyone off the stage. I was incredibly moved ! But here’s the kicker. The very, very last line of the play really puzzled me. I felt like it totally didn’t fit, and kind of brought me out of the moment.
But would I go see it again ? Absolutely !! It just got extended, so you’ve got another week. Definite two thumbs up. Go get yourself some tickets !
Monologue Slam at Fergie’s Pub
My girl Meg competed in the Monologue Slam at Fergie’s Pub on Wednesday night. What’s a Monologue Slam, you may ask ? Good question, I really didn’t know either. Here’s the idea : each competitor performs a rehearsed 2-3 minute monologue of their choice. There’s a panel of 3 judges and the best monologue takes home the cash !Meg performed a short bit from “The Dreamer Examines his Pillow” (great title, eh ?). I think she did a GREAT job, and so did the judges. She won !! Woohoo !!
You can see more of her stuff at http://www.meghanheimbecker.com
-Chad
Regatta Cancelled
We just got word that the Head of the Schuylkill Regatta got cancelled. The water is rising, and rising fast, so it’s not safe to row. Bummer !! I was really looking forward to racing today.Believe it or not, this is the 2nd year in a row that this Regatta got canceled due to bad weather.
Head of the Schuylkill !
I’m racing in the Head of the Schuylkill this weekend ! This is one of the biggest rowing races during the Fall season. I’m racing in the Mixed Masters Quad event with Steph, Trish, and Mike. Our race is at 4:40pm, so here’s the planned schedule :4:00pm - Launch from our Boathouse (Bachelors Barge Club)
4:40pm - Start race (there are about 10 boats in our race - Staggered start)
4:55pm - Cross Finish Line (300 feet above Boathouse Row)
The race is long (3 miles) so it can be challenging to watch. One of the most fun ways is to follow along on a bike, but watching from the finish line is also fun and relatively convenient to the city. If you’re looking for us, I will be wearing my favorite orange baseball hat (I sit in seat #3) Bring binoculars if you have them. Oh yeah, and take pictures of me !
The Traffic Map (How to get to Race via your Car)
Also on race day, a six-bus free shuttle service will operate continuously in an anti-clockwise direction throughout the loop depicted on the Traffic Map.
More Sony Bravia Ads
I found some more Sony Bravia ads… I can’t get enough of these things ! While I’m not a huge fan of Sony as a company, it’s just so nice seeing a company working hard to earn the right to advertise to me…Sony Bravia Bouncy-Balls Commercial (2:30)
“Making Of’” the Bouncy-Balls Commercial (6:44)
Sony Bravia Bunnies in New York Commercial (1:29)
“Making Of” the Bunnies Commercial (1:33)
Sony Bravia Ads (Viral Advertising)
I was talking about Viral Advertising a few days ago. These are commercials that are so darned cool that you can’t help but watch them…. Another good example are the Sony Bravia ads. Sony Bravia is a brand of TV’s, and they’ve been doing a bunch of really good advertising spots. For the most part, the ads are not being shown in the US, but you can’t see them on YouTube (gotta love the internet)Sony Bravia Ad (Exploding Paint) (1:10)
The “Making Of” the Exploding Paint Commercial (5:17)
Suzanne Roberts Theatre Open House
So how many times do you get to see the opening a brand new major theatre in a big city like Philadelphia ? Not often. And better yet, how many times do you get to stand on the stage ? Hardly ever (unless you’re a super-cool actress). Well, I got to do both!We went to the Suzanne Roberts Theatre Open House today for a quick tour. Looks like it’s going to be a great space ! The theatre is about the size of the Wilma, which is to say that it’s just slightly bigger than intimate and slightly smaller than unwieldy. Honestly,I think it’s a great size. You feel like you’re really there, no matter what your seat (and it looks like there isn’t a bad seat in the house).
The theatre itself is done in warm-to-neutral browns, and the seats are pretty darn comfortable. The stage looks impressive. There’s a full two-story fly space above the stage, wide wings on both sides, and a full trap space under the stage floor, which is all to say that there’s lots of space for good scenery changes. BTW, I learned all this from the nice tour lady… I would have had NO idea !
I took a few pictures, so you could check it out for yourself.
New Theatre Open House (Free)
There’s a new, big theatre opening up on Broad Street this month !It’s called the Suzanne Roberts Theatre, and it will be the new home of Philadelphia Theatre Company. It’s across the street from the Wilma, on the 1st floor of the new Symphony House condominium tower. The address is 480 South Broad Street (Broad & Lombard Streets).
It runs from 1pm to 8pm on Sunday (Oct 21st), and there’s a long list of events throughout the day, but I’m just going because I love Philadelphia, and want to see it’s newest theatre space. Should be fun ! I’m planning to get there sometime close to 1pm (maybe they”ll even have free food ?!?!)