Review of 1950's Songbook at The Ordway

Quote of the Day:  True music must repeat the thought and inspirations of the people and the time. George Gershwin

Photo courtesy of Ordway Media

The Ordway Center for the Performing Arts has a great program called The Broadway Songbook. They have done musical medleys from such Broadway greats as Irving Berlin, Cole Porter and Stephen Sondheim. They are currently showcasing "Musicals of the 1950's" which some consider to be the height of musical theatre. With musicals such as The Sound of Music, The Music Man, Guys and Dolls, The Pajama Game,West Side Story, and The King and I it's hard to argue against that sentiment. They mix in a few sleepers as well. Some shows didn't have the staying power of Guys and Dolls, or they aren't as easily done by every high school, college, and community theatre. A bit of trivia from last night is that Guys and Dolls is performed somewhere every day of the year! Most of us could hum the tune to Sit down you're rocking the boat, or 76 Trombones from The Music Man. Some songs from the era made it into mainstream music as it was recorded by the greats of the time like Rosemary Clooney singing Hey There, or Frank Sinatra crooning Luck be a lady tonight.

My sister Joy and I enjoyed the song selections, although, we felt the whole performance went a bit long. Granted, we have a long drive back to Brainerd when it's over, but I could see areas where editing/cutting would improve the overall experience. While I like learning some musical theatre history during these performances, this time it went too in depth, particularly about shows that I've never seen or even heard of and will likely never be performed again. James Rocco, producing artistic director and host for the evening, put together many great numbers and did his research on the 1950's musicals. Still, we don't need, or really want, to know everything about the era. Most of us are there to hear our favorites.

Our favorite of the evening was when Jennifer Baldwin Peden sang Adalaide's Lament, her love-sick solo from Guys and Dolls. We were convinced that she'd played the part in her career. In fact, what I enjoyed the most about the performance was the little bit of dialogue they'd often use as they were getting into the songs and characters. The accompanist and musical director of The Ordway, Rayond Berg, deserves his own standing ovation as he seemingly effortlessly brings the singers and audience through the various repertoire of this musical period. 

The Ordway is going through a construction phase. They have torn down their intimate 300 seat McKnight theatre and are replacing it with a 1100 seat concert hall. For The Broadway Songbook, which was normally held in the smaller theatre, they had the audience sitting on stage with the performers. It was a little awkward. We could see the performers enter from the dressing rooms and wait for their entrance. Once they were in their places at the back of the stage, they felt more removed and harder to see from our seats, which were at the front of the stage and to the right and not all that comfortable. When you're setting up seating, think about giving people a bit of space between each other. Most people aren't as small in the seat as those padded metal chairs, and we're Midwesterners, afterall, and need our elbow room. A better intimate arrangement would be to have us surrounding the performers on three sides, so we all feel closer and part of the performance, or have us all sit in the comfortable seats in the front section and create a smaller stage environment that we can all enjoy.

The Broadway Songbook is running October 17-20, 2013. Coming soon to The Ordway is Liz Wright and Raul Midon, October 25, the Yemen Blues, October 29, and Andrew Lloyd Webber's  The Wizard of Oz, Dec. 4-29, 2013.

Go. Create. Inspire!

Journaling Prompt:  What are your favorite musicals or songs from musicals?

Chicken with Baby Peppers (Pollo al Peperoni in Bianco)

There are so many variations to this great dish.   I actually make two different versions.  This one is "in bianco" or which is often times referred to as, "without the addition of tomato."  Either way, it's fabulous.   A quick browning in the pan, the addition of your peppers and into the oven it goes.  In the time it takes to have a cocktail, set the table and get ready for dinner, it's ready.    Here is last night's version.
Ingredients:  4 person serving
12 small chicken thighs, cleaned, skinned and dried with paper towels.  I like to use local chickens.  They are much smaller than the store variety.   Make serving size adjustments, if you must. 
3 teaspoons of salt
3 teaspoons of pepper (more or less if you prefer)
About 12 baby peppers, julianne sliced, the size of matchsticks if you can.
4 large cloves of garlic diced.  You may use one large diced onion if you like
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
One cup white wine
3 tablespoons olive oil
One large skillet (oven proof), with an oven proof lid

Pre-heat your oven to 375 degrees.   Heat your olive oil to medium/ high.  Add your garlic and stir until fragrant.   Carefully remove the garlic from the pan.  You just want flavor.  You don't want to burn the garlic. Salt and pepper your chicken on both sides and carefully slip them into the pan.    Brown on both sides for about 6 minutes per side.
Carefully add your peppers and give them a mix.

Add your garlic back to the pan and give it a mix again.  Add two tablespoons of red wine vinegar.  
Add one cup of white wine and let evaporate to about half.   
Place a lid on the pan and place in the oven for 45minutes to an hour.  Check your pan after 45 minutes.   If somewhat dry, add some water.   If you see alot of liquid, uncover the pan and let reduce.   If your chicken, looks done, remove your chicken first and let the liquid reduce.   Check your chicken with a fork.  If it falls of the bone, it's done.   

You should still have some liquid left in the pan.  Let it rest 12-15 minutes before serving.   Place your chicken pieces in a serving dish, pour some of the delicious pan juices over the chicken and sprinkle with a combination of fresh herbs.  I used Basil and Parsley. 
Serve with some crusty bread.  You won't be able to resist.
Buon Appetito!

Special Note:  You can add fresh tomatoes after adding the wine too.  You will have to add a few minutes extra to your cooking, before it goes into the oven.  You can even coat your chicken pieces with flour.  I don't ever use Green peppers in my kitchen.  They are overall, unpleasant, due to their thick skin.  Their slightly higher acidity levels make them hard to digest too.   I like to add some capers to this dish when I have them on hand and omit the vinegar.  I like to keep it simple and uncomplicated, after all, it's all about these  beautiful, colorful,Peppers.

 

Kids in the Kitchen- Some Hopeful Math

The refrigerator door opened. The kitchen faucet turned on. CLING. CLANG. BAM. The noise of her mother freeing a glass bowl from an impossible stack and closing the cabinet door was confirmation enough. Lyla knew I was starting dinner and from across the kitchen, I saw her eager face. My whole body slumped into an unspoken PLEASE. NOT TODAY. My overwhelmed mother-heart broke as I sent her offer-to-help away to find one of her sisters--someone to entertain her. The kitchen was already a mess and I barely had enough time to shove something into the oven without adding the wonder of childhood to the equation.

I sure hope the final math works out okay. That the disappointments had around our kitchen island add up to significantly less than the tender, beautiful moments.

This morning Lyla stood on a chair next to me not-so-lightly greasing the bread pans. Last night's leftover maple-walnut squash was about to become three loaves of bread. 

When you're three, there's no better way to feel loved and accepted than baking something with your mom--at least that's what Lyla told me. Only not in so many words. Not in any words at all, really. Her eyes sparkled and her every move seemed to involve a twirl, a flourish, or some sort of embellishment. Her message was clearly discernable, beckoning me into her world where stickiness doesn't matter and time is irrelevant. 

Perched on her left elbow, she cocked her head, smiled up at me and licked the butter from her fingers.

I've spent years in the kitchen, shoulder-to-shoulder with three-foot chefs dancing precariously atop kitchen bar stools. Countless eggs have been cracked onto the floor. Pounds of flour have missed the bowl and each of five tongues have discovered why NOT to lick it up.

My older children have become quite the gourmets--whipping up last-minute tasty creations during the busy school-year while I am somewhere between basketball practice and gymnastics or during the summer when they each sign up for an entire week of meal planning, budgeting, shopping, and food prep.

Beau is quite independent.

Sophia is coming along pretty well, too. I love how she perches on one leg at the stovetop. She must have seen me in the very same pose at least a hundred times.

Tyjah still needs quite a bit of watching-over, but everyone loves his lemon-pepper Hake. It's his specialty.

Halle finds herself right about where Lyla is--dancing on the kitchen bar stool and licking butter from her fingers.

I think the math will work out. I think sometimes the most precious, beautiful moments are so subtle that they get lost in the busyness of everyday life with five kids. It's one of the reasons my fingers tap away so incessantly at my keyboard late into the night. Much like an awareness of our blessings can help us discover even more of the beauty of this life, writing about my children and husband forces me to look more closely at our family and at the beauty hidden in the seemingly trivial and unabashedly sticky.

Heartland Symphony Orchestra Fundraiser, November 1, 2013

Quote of the Day:  If music be the food of love, play on! William Shakespeare

I'm helping to promote a fundraiser event for The Heartland Symphony Orchestra that will be held in the Brainerd lakes area. I'll share the info below. You can also visit their website for more information and tickets. A menu paired with music from around the world, I'm in!

The Heartland Symphony Orchestra is sponsoring a fundraiser at the Pavillion at Cragun's Legacy Golf course on November 1, 2013 called Taste of Nations.  Ensembles made of players from the HSO will play music from 5 different countries which will be followed up by a 5 course meal of food from these nations.  The play list contains the following:

1  "An Elizabethan Songbook" and it's 4 movements played on the trumpet and trombone and with a piano accompaniment. The composer is Eric Ewazen, an American composer, but the piece is based on 4 English folk songs from the Elizabethan period.

2. Mozart's Adagio from Concerto for Clarinet and Schumann's Fantasy Piece (for clarinet) with piano accompaniment. 

3. Pieces by Telemann are being played by a violinist, viola, and accompanied by our conductor, Sergey Bogza on the piano.

4. A piece called Algues by the French composer Bernard Andres is being played on the harp and oboe.

5. Our conductor and pianist, Sergey Bogza, is playing Tchaikovsky's October from The Seasons.

 

The evening will begin with a silent auction/happy hour from 5:30 to 6:30.  Here are a sample of the items up for auction at this time.

 

1) Conduct Star-Spangled Banner on the Spring Concert, "Around the World with HSO"

includes: two 30 minute lessons with Maestro Sergey Bogza, conducting HSO in rehearsal and leading HSO in Star-Spangled Banner on the Spring Concert. ALso includes a DVD and an audio recording of the performance.

2) Two opera tickets to the Bartered Bride of Bedrich Smetena. Saturday Nov.23, 2013 at Ted Mann Concert Hall. Conducted by Sergey Bogza.

 

3. A guided fishing trip from Leisure Outdoor Adventures for the silent auction. It will be a 4 hr 1-3 ppl trip in the Brainerd Lakes area with an opportunity to upgrade. Valued at $295

 

Take advantage of the Early Bird special by purchasing tickets before October 20 for $60 at the Bridge of Harmony Music Store and the Brainerd Daily Dispatch and online at www.heartlandsymphony.org.  Tables with preferential seating for 8 can be purchased for $480 which will include 2 bottles of wine.  After October 20, the price of tickets will increase to $70. 

 

"A Taste of Nations" promises to be an enjoyable evening of music and food in a more intimate setting than the larger concert hall.  It is a great way to show support for the hard work of the HSO and to personally meet our very interesting and fun new conductor, Sergey Bogza.

 

This event sounds like a delight for all the senses! I will be there with my camera, appetite, and grateful ear. I do love listening to the strings.

The Heartland Symphony Orchestra's Winter Concerts are:

Saturday, Dec. 7, 2013, at Little Falls High School, 7:30 pm

Sunday, Dec. 8, 2013 at Tornstrom Auditorium in Brainerd, at 2:30.

Go. Create. Inspire!

And, support your local artists!

Journaling Prompt:  Do you play an instrument? What got you started? If you don't play, what instruments are you drawn to, or would live to learn how to play?

Book Binding

"They came today,"  he said standing over me in the hall. It was Thursday evening and I was folded over on the floor outside of the children's bedrooms, waiting for them to fall asleep. They were almost there.

I reached up to take the thick hardcover book from my husband's left hand--one of two we were expecting from Amazon. He was holding the second in his right hand.

"Awesome. I'll be down in a minute." I opened the cover and was immediately sucked in.

Wes had come home from work just in time to say good-night to the kids and the two surprise baby fish that had appeared in Tyjah's fish tank. This had caused a huge stir at bed-time, with children running from bedroom to bedroom to relay minute-by-minute updates.

"One's behind the heater!"

"The big fish is chasing them!"

Tyjah's face brimmed with all the concern and pride of a new father.

Wes smiled at me knowingly as he passed by me again in the hallway and I listened as he made his way back to the couch at the bottom of the stairs. Even though I knew we would both be completely absorbed in our own books for the rest of the evening, I couldn't wait to be down there with him.

But sleepy children can come up with all kinds of ways of staving off the heaviest of eyelids. And, of course, the new fish didn't help. It took a while longer before I, too, made my way down the stairs. Shrugging off the option to have the second couch all to myself, I walked to the other end of the couch where Wes was stretched out. Without looking up from his book, he turned on his side and tucked his feet toward his chest to make room for me. 

We sat in comfortable silence, broken occasionally as one or the other of us offered up an interesting word from our reading.

"Affability" one of us might say aloud. 

To which the other would invariably respond, "that's a good word."

Sometimes I would look up wanting to share an impressive passage with him, but seeing him absorbed in his own book, I held back. 

" Are you going to read this book?" He interrupted. "Because I really want you to read it, too, so we can talk about it."

Ten minutes disappeared into the stillness.

"Ah!!! I REALLY want you to read this book!" 

I smiled from behind my own book at his lack of patience.

Ironically, the hardcovers held up between us do more to bind us together than separate us.

Chapter ten. Eighty-three pages into my new book, I thought I'd better check the time. I didn't want to because I knew it would lead to me putting my book down. But Wes's breathing had grown heavy on the other end of the couch and I knew it must be later than I hoped.

I sat up. His eyes were closed and his book had fallen to his chest, but the squeeze of his hand on my ankle told me not only that he was aware of me, but that he didn't want me to go.

I quickly went through the routine of getting ready for bed then joined him again downstairs.

************************

It was Sunday when he opened the book that I had just finished and insisted that he MUST read. See? It works both ways.

How Wes approaches a new book is nothing short of ART.

He sat beside me, turning the book over in his hand, respectfully inspecting its binding. He removed the jacket carefully, tenderly ran his index finger over the embossed title on the spine, then just as carefully, folded the book back into its protective wrap. He read the back cover, then opened the front cover and read the flap. Slowly he turned through the first few pages--the blank ones and the title page. He checked the date of publication and then finally...began reading the preface.

I am so happily bound to this man.

Review of Tribes at The Guthrie Theater

Quote of the Day:  Two quotes from Helen Keller
Although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it.

Literature is my utopia. Here I am not disenfranchised. No barrier of the senses shuts me out from the sweet, gracious discourses of my book friends. They talk to me without embarrassment or awkwardness. 

The cast of the Guthrie Theater's production of Tribes, by Nina Raine. Directed by Wendy C. Goldberg, set design by Alexander Dodge, costume design by Anne Kennedy and lighting design by Josh Epstein. October 5 - November 10, 2013 on the McGuire Proscenium Stage at the Guthrie Theater, Minneapolis. Photo by T. Charles Erickson.

Tribes, written by British playwright Nina Raine, is a contemporary play set in North London about family, love, and living with different abilities. The above photo shows the entire cast. Mom, Dad, three kids, Daniel, Ruth, and Billy, and Billy's girlfriend, Sylvia. Naturally, they are sitting at the table, having dinner with Sylvia for the first time, and the drama ensues. Billy is the only deaf person in a hearing family. His mom, Beth, taught him how to speak and lip read. He doesn't sign to communicate. Sylvia is a hearing child born to deaf parents. In her family, it is genetic, and she watched her sister go from hearing to deaf. She is now becoming deaf and already knows how to sign very well because she grew up signing with her parents. She doesn't lip read very well. It is amazing to watch Billy's and Sylvia's worlds coming together and how his family reacts. 

This play, which is so much about communication, shows how hard it is for people to communicate with each other, no matter what language they're trying to use. The cast (family) is literally surrounded by words. The set looks like the inside of a library. Books line the walls from floor to ceiling. The parents are writers and readers. Daniel is working on his thesis. Ruth is trying to interpret the French lyrics to an opera song that she is learning. Billy is learning sign language, and Sylvia is learning to lip read and to adjust to another way of living and communicating.

Interestingly, the language that some of the characters use is crude, which could shut out and offend some audience members. And, yet, what is not spoken packs an even more powerful punch. While I wouldn't be comfortable watching this show with anyone younger than a high school student, I think that all ages can relate to trying to fit into all kinds of dynamics and worlds around them. In my favorite scene from the play, Sylvia admits that she can no longer hear the nuances of music. It is all becoming noise to her. Then, she sits down at the piano and begins to play. The family surrounds her, shutting out Billy, and as she strikes each chord, the books around them light up. It was fascinating to watch. It's like her music connected with other ways of communicating, and it made me think how one art form inspires another. Maybe, as one way of communicating disappears, another appears.

Tribes is a play for anyone who has ever felt misunderstood. It is about dysfunctional love, and how we all have barriers and ways of coping and loving and living. It is playing at the Guthrie Theater, October 5 - November 10, 2013. This cast is phenomenal in bringing Nina Raine's story to life. These six people: John McGinty, Sally Wingert, Tracey Maloney, Stephen Schnetzer, Hugh Kennedy, and Anna Reichert, really seem like a family with all its quirks and ways of loving each other and pushing each other away. The Guthrie has done well to bring this contemporary play by a female playwright to its stage and a new story for its audiences to enjoy and find a connection. Well done.

Go. Create. Inspire!

Journaling Prompt:  What barriers have you had to overcome?

Artichoke Tart

 
 It's always about Artichokes at my house, anytime of year.  A  savory tart is always one of my favorites.  They are a little labor intensive due to the steps involved.  Although Artichokes are out of season, they never are out of season at my house.

I like to have Pie Crusts (Pate' Brisee),  in my Freezer and ready to go at anytime.   If you are using store bought pie crusts, be sure that there is no sugar in your product, as it can alter your end result considerably.   If you are making Pate' Brisee, you can wrap them in plastic wrap and keep in your freezer for up to a month.   Prebake your crust for 15-17 minutes and let cool.  In the meantime, gather your ingredients and prepare your filling.
I like to keep the  cooking water from certain vegetables in my freezer.  I especially like to do this for artichokes, as it's not every day you are preparing them.   I like to keep it handy for adding flavor to Artichoke Risotto or Artichoke pasta dishes.  I often do this while they are in season and artichokes are in abundance.     The cooking liquid adds great flavor to frozen artichoke hearts.  Do not use the canned variety.  I even have fresh artichoke hearts cooked and frozen.  Today, I used a mixture of fresh and frozen.   Yes, I had to buy an extra freezer for all this extra planning.
If you do not have the extra cooking liquid, you can use vegetable broth.   Here is the recipe to a great, savory tart.
Ingredients:  8 small fresh artichokes, cleaned and cooked (water method),  for about an hour.  Reserve your water.  
If you are finding artichokes expensive in your area, just buy one.   Clean, cut, boil and reserve your water.  You can search here on my blog "Artichokes," for directions on how to clean them properly.  You will need about 2 cups of cooking liquid. 
A large skillet 
 A 9 or 10 inch Quiche pan about 2 inches or so deep.   
Here is a similar one to mine.   I love the non stick, don't you? About 8-10 artichoke quarters or about 15 or so frozen artichoke hearts.   I used a combination of fresh and frozen, cut down in similar size.

3 tablespoons of oil
2 teaspoon of salt
2 teaspoons of pepper
1/4 cup diced onion
1/2 cup diced carrot
1/4 cup diced celery
4-5 large eggs, room temperature
1/2 cup Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
2/3 cup whole milk Ricotta
Method:  Texture is everything, when it comes to a savory tart.   Unlike Quiche, which contains cream, Italian tarts can be slightly more dense, almost meaty without the use of meat at all.  Great for those of you who are vegetarians.   This tart is the perfect example.
Heat your oil in your skillet to medium/high.   Carefully mix in your carrots, celery and onion until fragrant.   Add one teaspoon of salt.  Carefully add your cut up artichokes.  Add the remainder of your salt, pepper and mix.   When your artichokes are almost stuck to the pan, add your artichoke liquid, a little at a time.   Keep adding until almost dry again.   Set aside and let cool. 
In a standing mixer, mix together your eggs, Parmigiano Reggiano, Ricotta cheese until somewhat smooth. 

Prebake your pie shell for 15-17 minutes.   I love to use non-stick, removable bottom pans.

Cook your artichokes as directed above.

 

Combine your eggs, ricotta and cheese.

Line your cooled tart shell with your artichokes.  

  

Place your tart pan in a parchment lined baking sheet.   This is to protect your oven from overflow during baking, cutting down on cleanup.

Gently pour your egg mixture over your artichokes.

I like to sprinkle a little extra Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.   That greenery isn't parsley, it's celery, right out of my garden.  You can use what you like. 

 

Bake in a Pre-heated 325 degree oven for 30 minutes or until set. 

   Let cool before serving.

Here is another look inside.  It's the perfect take along lunch as it can be eaten room temperature.

Buon Appetito!