Losing the Game

Tuesday I went to Brandeis to see Losing the Game (Sarah Moon). Every year they produce a new play written by someone in the playwrighting program, and this was it.

And it was wonderful, a much higher quality than I remember for other new plays offered in previous years (which is not to say the others were bad, at all; it's just that they didn't sparkle). It's running through Sunday evening at Brandeis, and I highly recommend it. (If you want to go and get in touch with me in advance, I can get you a twofer, also).

The plot [this is too general to be spoilers, if anyone should go see it] is about a woman trapped in society's idea of what a wife should be, how the Game should be played. She realizes that her whole life is boring and meaningless, and she needs to escape. And the rest of the play is her escape, first through dreams (escape to the circus, and then on to BigCity, to find the movie star) which strengthen her to take the final step. The script has some wonderful dialogue, and the actors made their stylized characters work very well.

The set was a fun one, with a partial screen towards the back, a roll-in tree, and tables, and such, much done in bright colors. There were two poles, with rungs, at either side of the stage. The sound was a tad loud, but otherwise fine. Lighting was also fine.

Costuming was excellent, even down to the stage crew in evening gowns and feathers, who doubled as party guests in one scene. I particularly liked how the patched pants of the clown included a square drawn on it with the words "patch to come" :-).

Bit by a cooking bug

I got inspired this afternoon. Why? The weather is balmy, I had interesting vegetables, I reorganized part of my kitchen, I could use things up before Passover.

I made:

• steamed Brussels sprouts
  
• brown rice
  
• cooked strawberries and cranberries with dumplings (very juicy strawberries, as it turns out)
  
• an improv Mexican-ish casserole: sauteed onions and red peppers, ricotta, black beans, the end of a jar of spicy red pepper and eggplant spread, Frank's hot sauce, a can of crushed tomatoes, and most of a bag of crushed unsalted blue corn chips that had been rejected by the eating public [edit: also, mozzarella]
  
• an Asian green related to broccoli somehow (there were florets and yellow flowers; not sure if it's autumn poem or not) sauteed with onion, powdered ginger, black pepper, and soy sauce
  
• turkey meatballs cooked with onion, chopped spinach, pine nuts, raisins, nutmeg, cumin, coriander, and black pepper. I was a bit rushed, so I didn't do much with the meatballs other than adding them to the rest of the stuff. I don't know where this idea came from... I hope it'll turn out ok.

Shabbat shalom and/or good weekend!