Antony and Cleopatra

Yesterday I ushered for ASP's Antony and Cleopatra at the Modern Theater, downtown. I hadn't been to the space before; it's a very nice place. ( more about the theater )

The set was fairly minimal, with a round platform on one side (clear in the middle, with descending lights above it), and the back of the stage lined with what looked like mattresses divested of everything but their springs. There were a lot of other lights as well, some of them too bright for me because I was sitting off to the side with the other ushers. As is usual for them, ASP had actors not only on the stage but in the walkways, and even on the balcony at one point.

Costuming was creative historical, in that it was definitely evocative of Greece and Egypt while not necessarily being completely period accurate. I was surprised, however, that Cleopatra wore a long robe at one point that was, um, extremely sheer over a skirt but nothing else.

And in fact, that reflected the tone of the dynamic portrayed between Antony and Cleopatra, which wasn't just about love, but included power plays and some light domination too. There are still parts of this play I don't like (that whole "reports of my death have been exaggerated" thing can be used once (Romeo and Juliet), but twice feels too easy; deus ex machina foreshadowing with soothsayers; Antony's bowing to political exigency in his second marriage; etc.), but this was a fascinating production. I'm always curious to see how the sea battle is handled*: they chose a pantomime with three masked figures carrying three boats to much canned-audience appreciation (and later the live audience appreciation as well). It worked pretty well.

In short, worth seeing if you like the play.

* My favorite included long waves of fabric held at each end for water, while my least favorite had video of some (land) animals fighting.

Random

I'm planning for a regular Shabbat this week, but I hear some people are preparing for Rapture. I wonder what menu would be most appropriate for a rapturous seudah?

Anyone local interested in a yarn swap? (That would be fibers, not pirate stories :-)

Yesterday I got to see a friend's new place in Dorchester (*wave*); it's a fabulous place (I'm totally envious of all the storage space, cross breezes, and light). I was already downtown for the play, and since I add places onto my mental map better if I travel the street there, plus since it wasn't actively raining at the time (I was incredibly lucky in my walk timing all day, actually), I ended up walking instead of taking the T there. I hadn't realized just how unpleasant a few bits of Dorchester Avenue are, but a lot of other places seemed pretty nice. I T'd home (really quick, even late on a Sunday night), but still totaled 9 miles walking, which felt great.

Last week included a bunch of good things, including social time with people (some new, some not), helping a friend move, welcoming a friend back from tour, and receiving a wonderful painting from klingonlandlady (yay for a hat barter :-) that totally rocks my world. ( photo within )

Rhett Dashwood has searched Google maps for images to make an alphabet. Love it.

Best liqueur presentation suggestion (what, you thought I'd have a food-free post?!): hollowing out thick cross-sections of cucumber to make cups, and chilling them with heirloom yellow tomato-basil liqueur inside, perhaps garnished with a chive blossom, or with a touch of feta at the bottom.

28 = 40₇
And with the help of some friends who tend to mention it on FB daily, still with a bracha, even :-)