Scapin
The funniest man alive
Bill Irwin, currently starring in Scapin at ACT, is without a doubt the single funniest physical comedian alive.
Geoff Hoyle, who worked with Irwin ages ago in the Pickle Family Circus, is the second funniest man. He co-stars in Scapin, too.
Jud Williford, Irwin’s partner-in-crime in this play, is the third funniest man in the world.
And then there are 8 other very funny people on stage, too. If that wasn’t enough, they got a couple of volunteers from the audience and the big guy with the suspenders was hilarious.
My sides hurt. My jaws hurt. The human body isn’t supposed to laugh that hard and that long.
Molière wrote the framework of this play, and Irwin and friends have brought in their own frantic style of comedy and a slew of modern references. A lifetime of mime and improv have provided Irwin with the theatrical chops to make even the most inane of plots hysterical.
I can talk about this play for ages, but so much of the humor is physical that you just have to see it. Go. Go now, it won’t last but another 3 1/2 weeks.
Guns or butter?
I saw this article by Thomas Friedman in the New York Times today, and wanted to share:
China is doing moon shots. Yes, that’s plural. When I say “moon shots” I mean big, multibillion-dollar, 25-year-horizon, game-changing investments. China has at least four going now: one is building a network of ultramodern airports; another is building a web of high-speed trains connecting major cities; a third is in bioscience, where the Beijing Genomics Institute this year ordered 128 DNA sequencers — from America — giving China the largest number in the world in one institute to launch its own stem cell/genetic engineering industry; and, finally, Beijing just announced that it was providing $15 billion in seed money for the country’s leading auto and battery companies to create an electric car industry, starting in 20 pilot cities. In essence, China Inc. just named its dream team of 16-state-owned enterprises to move China off oil and into the next industrial growth engine: electric cars.
Not to worry. America today also has its own multibillion-dollar, 25-year-horizon, game-changing moon shot: fixing Afghanistan.
Now which of those investments do you think will have the higher payoff in 20 years? Which nation will be better off?
The days of America being the world’s policeman are, or most certainly should be, long past. It’s time we took care of ourselves and our children and their children.
No cigar
Close. Damn close. Right down to the wire, but the Chargers couldn’t make the key play with 15 seconds to go.
Now we’re at a dead stop in traffic trying to get back to the airport before the pilots run out of time they are allowed to work in a day.
Back and forth
The chargers got a td, then made the two point conversion to tie the game.
The Seahawks ran the kickoff back 99 yards to go up again.
My heart can’t take much more of this.
Start of the fourth quarter
Seahawks leading 17-12. They ended the first half with a td, and ran back the second half kickoff for another.
Best thing so far were the wiener dog races at halftime. Six dogs took off, in 6 different directions.
A bottle of diet coke is $4 here, 20% less than at ATT Park.
It isn’t cold here, just a little cool. Overcast but not raining. This stadium is covered over the seats but open over the field. A very nice stadium indeed.
The woman behind us has “stadium vision”, a handheld device that provides replays and stats on a handheld device. It’s really vey cool–I guess you rent it for the game.
11:41 to go, five points to make up. Tension is rising.
First quarter
We’re at the stadium. Flying in a small jet sounds more glamorous than it is–the plane is tiny, the seats are tiny, I’m not tiny. When a speaking contract for Sarah Palin surfaced recently, she specified a jet no smaller than a Lear 60. Now I know why.
Off to the football game
Gail’s son Toby goes to school in Seattle. Her son Ross is the worlds largest san Diego charger fan. Since the chargers are playing the Seahawks today, it was foreordained that we would have to go to the game.
The fun part is how were getting there–Ross is picking us up in a private jet so we don’t have to waste any time in airports or security.
Toby will pick us up, then out to lunch and off to the game. Stay tuned.
Off to market
Tracy and Gail discussing the finer points of figs.
Daniel and Tracy own Nibblers Eatery, our favorite local boite. Being the devoted foodies and locavores they are entails at least one trip a week to the San Francisco Farmers Market, and we go with them occasionally. Like today.
Held at the the Ferry Building, the Farmers Market is open Tuesdays and Saturdays. Since today was so warm and beautiful, it felt like the entire population of the City was there to find some fresh veggies for dinner. If you are in the restaurant business, you can get a parking pass which gets you a place right up front, making life easy.
The Farmers market is home to vendors from around the state, as far away as Riverside. They are selling fresh fruits and vegetables, meats and poultry, cheese and other dairy products, oils, spices, herbs and baked goods. A couple of local restaurants have essentially permanent operations, setting up complete restaurant kitchens and tearing it down every week.
Farmers markets and the modern foodie movement bring us opportunities and choices enough to addle your pate. Go to the grocery store and buy a peach, you have two choices: yellow or white. They taste about the same. Go to the Farmers Market, there are 30 kinds of peach. Freestone or Cling, a variety of colors, modern or heirloom, pure strain or hybrid. Every one of them is will taste “peachier” than what you will get at Safeway.
A Gillogly Avocado
The only avocado I ever knew existed was the Haas. Today I saw both the Gillogly, which looks like a gourd, and the Reid, which is twice the size of the Haas and reportedly fleshier but with less oil. We bought one of each, which will ripen in a few days. I’ll let you know how they taste.
Creative re-use of egg cartons to shelter delicate figs
Figs come in many persuasions, and they have become one of the in foods in trendy restaurants vying for their Michelin star. The really hip are bringing empty egg cartons to cradle the delicate little darlings on the dangerous trip home.
The Bay Area has many farmers markets, almost every day of the week. The one at the Ferry building is perhaps the largest and most developed, with a breadth and depth of products on off that can’t be duplicated anywhere else. Since everyone is offering samples, you can pretty much stuff yourself on fabulous fruits and tasty treats–it’s better than Costco. Pick a Saturday morning and give it a try. If you’re still hungry, you can go the Slanted Door for lunch, or stop in the caviar shop for some blinis and beluga.
The end of Aida
We’re home.
Got lucky–turns out that Momo restaurant, right across from the park, has valet parking. $11 if you’re having dinner, $20 if you’re going to the park. I took the deal in a heart beat, and when the opera was over we just crossed the street and got our car. Regular parking is about $20 anyway, so it wasn’t even extravagant, and we were on the road in a flash.
Oh yeah, you want to know how to opera turned out.
Radames, refusing to renounce his love for Aida, was convicted of treason and sentenced to die. Amneris was very unhappy, but couldn’t do anything about it. Radames was shut up in his tomb still alive, only to find Aida waiting there for him, to share his/their last hours together in loving bliss. Everybody dies. The end.
Okay, so it isn’t the greatest plot. The sets and costumes were beautiful. The music was by turns stirring and heart-rending. I even came to like Amneris, who makes the shift from shrew to broken-hearted lover smoothly in Act III.
I got to walk on the field on the way out. I resisted the temptation to slide into 3rd base. A good time was had by all.
Aida act III
I haven’t mentioned what a magically perfect night it is. Full moon rising over left field. Shirtsleeve warm. No wind. Could not be more perfect
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Aida’s father persuades her to get the secret invasion plan from Radames. She plays hard to get and manipulates him until he blabs the info. Pharaoh and the priests find out, Radames is arrested while Aida flees.
Amneris offers to get Radames freed if he will forswear Aida nut he refuses out of true love. Even so, Amneris pleads for his life, to no avail so far.
More will be revealed in the next act.
Totally Unauthorized 