Triad Stage triumphs with "Anna Christie"

GREENSBORO, NC -- I went to see Triad Stage's production of Eugene O'Neil's Anna Christie on Saturday.

O'Neil's plays famously give actors and audiences plenty to chew on. With Anna Christie he takes us on a soul wrenching exploration of failed people certain they are beyond redemption and what they discover about the restorative power of forgiveness, both extended to others and given to ourselves.

It would be easy to take the serious themes of Anna Chrsitie and sink a production into one-dimensional gloom. Under Preston Lane's able direction, however, the play succeeds brilliantly at reaching the depths of existential angst while bobbing back up to moments of glimmering hope and twinkles of love. This beautiful interplay has us wondering until the very end if we are in for a tragic or uplifting story.

The play's real triumph is the acting. It is not easy to draw characters who are, in many ways, repugnant and yet have us pulling for them. To be at once convincingly decayed and yet inspire affection and hope, as does this cast, requires a complexity that is often out of reach for all but the best of professionals. Gardner Reed as the prodigal Anna and Gordon Joseph Weiss as Chris, her drunken barge captain father, craft such overwhelmingly complete and robust characters that they manage the rare feat of being more real than real whilst maintaining believability and credibility. Truly, these are awe inspiring performances.

Supporting actors Christine Morris, a professor at UNC-Greensboro, as Chris' crusty drinking buddy and Matthew Bellows as Anna's hothead suitor deliver compelling performances. Morris also was the production's vocal coach. Weiss and Reed's characters were enthralling in no small part because of their voices. From Weiss' wonderfully authentic Norwegian accent and Anna's perfectly blended Norwegian-born/Minnesota-raised dialect, to Weiss' snorts and chortles and Anna's breathy sobs, to the extent these perfected vocals were fostered by Morris' coaching, her greatest contribution may have been off stage.

Anna Christie runs through March 2nd. Tickets may be purchased online. The play is presented in three-quarter round which might tempt one to avoid seats on the sides, but the production was blocked (staged) so well that sight lines were never a problem from our seats stage right and, since this is where one is closest to the stage, you may find you enjoy, as did I, the more intimate proximity of section 101 (or section 211, stage left). No matter where you sit, Anna Christie is a great story with stellar performances. You should not miss it.

Changing diapers

GREENSBORO, NC -- Ben Holder, candidate for city council at-large, and I were discussing the situation regarding the Greensboro City Manager's boneheaded decision to unequally and unfairly put the records requests and questions asked by non-incumbent city council candidates on a special webpage—publicity and scrutiny from which incumbent candidates are exempted, as the Manager has explicitly said—and of her request of city staff to notify her office whenever a candidate asks for information.

Ben and I were both bothered by the fact that, while we each have some important matters of public interest, health and safety we want to discuss during the public speakers' portion of the next City Council meeting, we find ourselves compelled to address this most recent mess instead -- again. (For me, the last detour was to address Mayor Robbie Perkins' refusal to stand up for Greensboro against WGHP's and WFMY's sensationalized fabrications of "hundreds of teens fighting" in downtown Greensboro.)

It's hard to move forward, to get any momentum, when you are constantly having to pit to fix a flat tire. It's like we have drivers who keep intentionally running over debris or, to use a golf analogy, we are constantly having to help our team captain find her ball in the woods.

Ben put it best: We have to keep changing diapers. Everything else has to wait when there is a poopie mess.

That's the Greensboro we have now. Mendacious, small and too often distracted by avoidable messes.

Instead of an inspiring effort to involve the community at-large in raising funds for a downtown performing arts center, we had to pull over to fix the flat caused by the Mayor, the News & Record and others who said there was already $20 million raised for the project when that wasn't true.

"Bring her in here, boys, we got a tire down."

Instead of reaching the green in two with a chance for birdie, City Attorney Mujeeb Shah-Khan shanked one hard into the woods with his lawsuit attempting to stop the publication of Yes!Weekly newspaper. Access to public records, already woefully bad, ground to a halt, money was spent and the cause and extent of the reasons for the suit remain, to this day, unclear.

"Keep looking, ya'll, it's got to be around here somewhere."

Now, instead of heading into election season with everybody on a level playing field, The City Manager has inappropriately inserted herself into the process, tainting what should be sacrosanct fairness and creating another unnecessary diversion.

"Just a minute, kids, the little one has made a mess."

But here's the thing: Mistakes happen. People make bad decisions on occasion. Heck, I've had my share, no doubt. It's how one responds that matters and that's where Greensboro stumbles—a lot.

Why did we not see:

• The mayor come forward and say, "I was wrong to tell the people at the East Greensboro Summit that $20 million in private contributions had been procured for a downtown performing arts center. That' wasn't true. We are a long way from that, actually, so let's all pull together and start raising some money."
  
  

• The City Attorney tell City Council and the public, "Our attempt to silence Yes!Weekly newspaper was against Supreme Court precedent prohibiting prior restraint and we erred in trying to stop their publication," instead of buffaloing City Council and the public about what they did and why, as he did.  (Holder still wants a clear public explanation of what transpired that led the City to think it needed to take such extreme action. I do too.)
  
  

• The mayor step up and say, "WFMY and WGHP should not have exaggerated what happened downtown. If they think I said there were up to five hundred teens fighting, they misunderstood. There were a few fights, involving a few people over a period of many hours that sent some crowds running at times."
  
  

• The City Manager say, "I didn't think it through. It's unfair to use city resources to put some candidates under public scrutiny and not others. We'll stop."
  
  

But, no. Instead, the very people who are supposed to be our "leaders"—people paid good money to do a good job—double down on their mistakes or ignore them and allow them to stand, uncorrected, to Greensboro's detriment. Their colleagues and bosses on City Council are no better. What, other than spite or ill intent, causes the kind of intransigence we see repeatedly in response to errors from our civic leaders? I'm at a loss.

McDonald's ruins the milkshake

McDonald's has taken their iconic shake and added the word "cafe" to it, which apparently is McDonald's-speak for "shrinking a large to the size of the previous medium." The old large was 32 ounces, the new "large" is 22 ounces (a single ounce larger than the old medium) and the top fifth is filled with whipped cream you don't want.

On the other hand, the generous single quarter-sized slice of tomato on their premium burger made up for it. Not.

Forty Creek Barrel Select

A couple of years ago, I discovered the joys of Scotch Whiskey. My still limited samplings have me favoring well aged single malts. The good stuff is expensive though and since North Carolina ABC stopped carrying the very good $22 10-year Tamdhu, I've been at a loss for an affordable replacement. (12 year Highland Park is beautiful but its $45 price, while still a great value, puts it into the "special occasion" category for me.)

My fallback "everyday" whiskeys had become Canadian whiskeys—Canadian Club, Seagrams*, Black Velvet.

Last night was the first time I noticed Forty Creek Barrel Select Whiskey among the Canadian whiskeys and its $19.95 price encouraged me to pick it up and read the label which described:

A whiskey where aromas of honey, vanilla and apricot fuse with toasty oak, black walnut and spice. The flavour is rich and bold on the palate and is completed in a smooth, long finish.

I was pleased to find that this whiskey offers the flavors and complexities I enjoy from Scotch. To my very uncultivated pallette, I might have even guessed it to be a Scotch, had I not known. For depth of flavor and price, I recommend Forty Creek Barrel Select.

[* Update: Seagrams is a fine domestic whiskey, not Canadian—as everybody knows]

Soggy Doggy

What a great concept, a self service dog wash. Such is the new Soggy Doggy (2511 Battleground Ave.). Prices range from $15 to $35 depending on the weight of your dog.The place provides state of the art walk-in bath tubs, aprons, nice shower heads, shampoos, cream rinse, wash cloths, towels, ear wash and cotton balls, and drying tables with adjustable blowers—in short, everything you need to give your dog a thorough cleaning. Owner Susan will even give you some tips on proper bathing techniques.

Another Earth

If a parallel Earth came into reach that held the possibility of a life as you but without the mistakes you've made on this Earth, would you go there? That's the question faced by Rhoda in the independent film Another Earth (currently available in Red Box).

The screenplay was written by Mike Cahill and Britt Marling, with Cahill directing and Marling turning in a wonderfully layered performance in the leading role. The film requires some willful suspension of disbelief (the second Earth floats into view in the sky, close enough for a rocket trip), but play along and you are rewarded with a poignant exploration of loss and love. The coming together of passionate directing, writing and acting—of Marling and costar William Mapother—make this film a rare gem, a movie that inspires mature joy and wonder without typical Hollywood sentimentality.

Dining gems in Brevard, NC

At the tail end of our recent camping trip, Kathy and I stayed in a little cabin at the edge of the Dupont State Forest, about 15 minutes from Brevard, NC. On Saturday night, we ventured into town and found two interesting looking restaurants on a residential side street between the small but active downtown and the Brevard Music Center. With both menus looking delicious, we had a hard time deciding which one to patronize. As a "compromise" we left the one that served brunch until the morning and chose Hobnob for dinner.

Seated on the front porch, we were waited on by a most excellent server. Familiar with the food in every detail, knowledgeable about the available spirits and attentive without being obsequious, it was a delight to have her guide us through our selections, starting with a smooth but robust local ale (Asheville -- Highland Gaelic Ale).

The temptation of ingredients grown down the block inspired me to try the gazpacho and my date the green tomato soup. We really liked both, but the chimichurri with the accompanying bread was out of this world. "Olive oil, parsley, carrots and the rest they won't tell us," our waitress explained.

For our entrees, Kathy had the daily trout special, a generous encrusted fillet drizzled with a tomato caper sauce. I had the Coque au Vin. Everything was cooked to the perfect doneness (including the tricky spinach) and expertly flavored.

Coque au Vin at Hobnob in Brevard, NC.

Sorbets, cakes and puddings were offered for desert, but I had my heart set on a chocolate dipped soft serve from the roadside dairy bar -- called "Dairy Bar" -- we had seen on the way in.

The next morning, we returned to try Marco Trattoria next door. We had Keanu Reeves for a waiter, but he was friendly, prompt and made us feel right at home. He recommended home fries as a side, advice I took and which Kathy ignored in favor of the polenta; rich and creamy, Kathy made the better choice.

Kathy ordered the eggs benedict with beef tenderloin and béarnaise sauce and I the poached eggs on crab cake with dill hollandaise sauce. Kathy said her's was the best meal of our trip (my campfire grilled burgers didn't stand a chance). Dill is one of my favorite flavors and it, the runny yolk and the chunky crab meat were in glorious culinary harmony.

Poached eggs on crab cake at Marco Trattoria in Brevard, NC.

Brevard is about 30 minutes south of Asheville. If you find yourself there, visit either one or both of these restaurants for a wonderful experience.

The Mason Jar

I tried the new Mason Jar restaurant (1310 Westover Terrace) today. The service was friendly without going overboard and that was about the best thing the place has going for it -- at least, as far as one lunchtime visit can indicate.

The Mason Jar serves southern diner style food. One might guess that by their name, but some indication on their signage or windows might help, we were not sure until we walked in and saw the daily specials sign board. (Why not put that in the window?) The dining room was simple and a little too warm for a summer's day, but it's the food that matters and my date described it best: uninspired. It most reminded me of Your House up the road.

We both ordered sandwiches, a grilled pimento cheese and tuna salad, both of which were tiny and underwhelming. The homemade potato chips were overpowered by the flavor of cooking oil. The fries were a little better, not quite as greasy. Ho hum.

I haven't scratched The Mason Jar off my list. I'd like to go back to try one of the daily specials like Meatloaf (Mondays) or Pot Roast (Thursdays, I think) and maybe there are some real gems elsewhere on the menu. But it seems to me that this type of restaurant has two paths to success, either riff on the theme and kick it up a notch (I'm thinking Smith Street Diner's BLT with pimento cheese or their double burger with Velveeta) or, if it's going to be kept simple, at least get the flavors right and serve a hearty portion -- like the old Alpat used to. Otherwise, it's just a nicer looking and friendlier Your House.