tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40810986275371220182024-03-17T23:01:12.941-04:00Washington SpeaksReviews and notices of events in Washington, D.C. including, but not limited to, the performing arts, speakers, authors, lectures, meetings, books, movies, cycling, hockey games, exhibitions, buildings, and an occasional post about other places and things.Patricia Lesliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17795504134889183749noreply@blogger.comBlogger915125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4081098627537122018.post-51779508405119437452024-03-05T23:16:00.688-05:002024-03-08T10:16:06.637-05:00Olney's 'Soprano' is a scream!Carolann M. Sanita and Tom Patterson in Lend Me A Soprano at Olney Theatre Center/Teresa Castracane It's that good, that charming, that delightful! As my friend Sheila says: "I don't want 'preachy' at the theater; just give me fun." This, Sheila, is fun. From left, Rachel Felstein and Carolann M. Sanita in Lend Me A Soprano at Olney Theatre Center/Teresa Patricia Lesliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17795504134889183749noreply@blogger.com02001 Olney Sandy Spring Rd, Olney, MD 20832, USA39.1447623 -77.044319510.834528463821151 -112.2005695 67.454996136178835 -41.8880695tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4081098627537122018.post-20898600837992021172024-02-21T23:55:00.655-05:002024-02-25T10:39:33.196-05:00See Smithsonian's '1898' before it closes Sunday!Queen Lili‘uokalani of Hawai'i (1838-1917) by William F. Cogswell, 1892. Loaned by Hawai'i State Archives.It’s the 125th anniversary of the Spanish-American-Cuban-Philippine War and to celebrate the anniversary, the National Portrait Gallery has up a fantastic show, U.S. Imperial Visions and Revisions, of maps, periodicals, photographs, portraits (!), and more. The conflict is Patricia Lesliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17795504134889183749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4081098627537122018.post-20324960199192144022024-02-08T07:59:00.167-05:002024-02-08T23:23:36.494-05:00A sellout crowd rhapsodizes over Baltimore Symphony Orchestra's GershwinWayne Marshall leads the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra at Strathmore, Feb. 3, 2024/By Patricia LeslieIt was the first time I had seen a conductor play an instrument during a performance, but that’s what he did.When the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra paused during Rhapsody in Blue, conductor/pianist Wayne Marshall played two solo arrangements which were not altogether pleasing to the entirePatricia Lesliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17795504134889183749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4081098627537122018.post-5358688507065768002024-01-29T22:49:00.263-05:002024-01-31T15:09:35.908-05:00Love fest at the National Symphony Seong-Jin Cho takes his seat to begin Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major, Op. 58/By Patricia Leslie, Jan. 26, 2024The Kennedy Center was hopping Friday night with Chinese dance and music in the Opera House, tick, tick ...BOOM! at the Eisenhower Theater, the National Symphony Orchestra at the Concert Hall and plenty of ushers to smile, greet us, and answer questions like, "which way to Patricia Lesliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17795504134889183749noreply@blogger.com02700 F St NW, Washington, DC 20566, USA38.8958482 -77.05568269999999110.585614363821158 -112.21193269999999 67.206082036178856 -41.899432699999991tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4081098627537122018.post-61169341164914865192024-01-15T22:25:00.616-05:002024-03-05T23:17:30.336-05:00Eating at a 5-diamond restaurant in CanadaThis was served first and I am not sure what to call it since it was not listed on the menu, but it was delicious/By Patricia Leslie, Dec. 23, 2023Eden at the Rimrock Resort Hotel in Banff National Park in the Canadian Rockies is one of only three AMA Five-Diamond restaurants (and the Eden, more than once) in all of Canada, and the only one in western Canada to Patricia Lesliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17795504134889183749noreply@blogger.com0300 Mountain Ave, Banff, AB T1L 1J2, Canada51.1515995 -115.559940728.894530758326653 -150.7161907 73.408668241673354 -80.4036907tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4081098627537122018.post-67310520564028081992024-01-07T15:26:00.017-05:002024-01-08T02:40:57.469-05:00Holiday lights still gleam in Centreville at NOVA ParkThere's more than just lights at the 2023 Bull Run Festival of Lights/By Patricia Leslie At the 2023 Bull Run Festival of Lights/By Patricia Leslie At the 2023 Bull Run Festival of Lights/By Patricia LeslieYou've still got time to pile up a carful and drive through NovaPark's Festival of Lights in Centreville with a discount of $10 to get you in cheap ($20) this last weekend, Patricia Lesliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17795504134889183749noreply@blogger.com0Bull Run Regional Park, 7700 Bull Run Dr, Centreville, VA 20121, USA38.8017139 -77.49154229999999210.491480063821157 -112.64779229999999 67.111947736178848 -42.335292299999992tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4081098627537122018.post-25159568351053794022023-12-05T23:51:00.605-05:002023-12-16T13:40:08.879-05:00 A play for all seasons: Folger's 'Winter's Tale' Hermione (Antoinette Crowe-Legacy) and Polixenes (Drew Kopas) talk stayovers in Folger Theatre's The Winter Tale; Brittany Diliberto, photoShakespeare is alive and well at the newly renovated Folger Theatre, inaugurated by one of the master's so-called "problem plays," simply defined as a mixture of drama and comedy, a "tragicomedy," the latter scattered throughout Patricia Lesliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17795504134889183749noreply@blogger.com0201 E Capitol St SE, Washington, DC 20003, USA38.8892957 -77.002756310.579061863821153 -112.1590063 67.199529536178844 -41.8465063tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4081098627537122018.post-27902850891923988792023-11-04T16:26:00.325-04:002023-11-08T11:27:39.657-05:00Alexandria's 'Young Frankenstein,' the hit of the season! Dr. "Fronkensteen" (Noah Mutterperl) and Inga (Claire Jeffrey) take a buggy ride in Young Frankenstein at Little Theatre of Alexandria/Photo by Matt LiptakAttention, theater lovers and others: rush, do not tarry, but go straight to the Little Theatre of Alexandria‘s website for tickets for Young Frankenstein, if there are any tickets left. You can send me Patricia Lesliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17795504134889183749noreply@blogger.com0600 Wolfe St, Alexandria, VA 22314, USA38.80131 -77.04687600000001210.491076163821155 -112.20312600000001 67.111543836178839 -41.890626000000012tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4081098627537122018.post-80646276870755586052023-10-27T23:31:00.060-04:002023-10-28T00:40:00.431-04:00Vienna's charming 'Golden Pond' Carolyn Corsano Wong is Ethel, Michael Mehaffey is Norman, and Matteo Hope (on floor) is Billy in Vienna Theatre Company's On Golden Pond/Shayne Gardner, photoNorman is a grumpy old man. He’s nearing the end of his life, almost 80, and what’s it worth anyway? Life is no fun. He’s fortunate to have a cheering, enthusiastic wife, Ethel, who’s always helping and encouraging him to look on thePatricia Lesliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17795504134889183749noreply@blogger.com0120 Cherry St SE, Vienna, VA 22180, USA38.9008267 -77.260330710.590592863821158 -112.4165807 67.211060536178849 -42.1040807tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4081098627537122018.post-44359061672477252482023-10-14T23:28:00.173-04:002023-10-19T11:10:13.030-04:00 Olney's ghoulish gal terrified us allFrom left, Lolita Marie, Tommy Bo, and Eymard Cabling in The Brothers Paranormal at Olney Theatre Center/Christopler Mueller, photoAt the Olney Theatre Center during the second act, I was so taken by the story I never lifted my pen to take a note.The Brothers Paranormal is a Halloween story for the thinker, with a thickening plot, twists and turns that I dare say there is Patricia Lesliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17795504134889183749noreply@blogger.com02001 Olney Sandy Spring Rd, Olney, MD 20832, USA39.1447623 -77.044319510.834528463821151 -112.2005695 67.454996136178835 -41.8880695tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4081098627537122018.post-83458147245420495152023-09-22T23:59:00.140-04:002023-09-25T23:46:15.058-04:00Anderson House remembers the Sullivans The Sullivan brothers on board USS Juneau: From left, Joseph, Francis, Albert, Madison, and George Sullivan, U.S. Naval Historical Center, created Feb. 14, 1942 on the day of the ship's commissioning/WikipediaThe 1944 movie, The Sullivans, was renamed, The Fighting Sullivans/From a poster at Anderson House's exhibition, Affairs of State: 118 Years of Diplomacy at Anderson Patricia Lesliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17795504134889183749noreply@blogger.com0Waterloo, IA, USA42.492786 -92.3425774999999914.182552163821157 -127.49882749999999 70.803019836178848 -57.18632749999999tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4081098627537122018.post-36403531554802310572023-08-24T23:44:00.016-04:002023-08-25T14:58:54.854-04:00Gottlieb's 'Avid Reader' highly recommended for the wordyLike so many other memoirs, I was led to Avid Reader: A Life (2016) by the obituary of the author, Robert Gottlieb (1931-2023), the exalted editor, writer, and publisher of many modern classical titles and periodicals, including, but not limited to, the renowned LBJ series by Robert Caro, the fifth and last volume already ten plus years in the making. Research takes time, Caro is Patricia Lesliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17795504134889183749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4081098627537122018.post-57727580375141348922023-08-16T22:56:00.813-04:002023-08-22T22:45:58.488-04:00National Gallery's curator talks Philip Guston Philip Guston, Painting, Smoking, Eating (detail), 1973, collection of the Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam Close your eyes and visualize for a moment stubby fingers and heads, cigarette butts, an eyeball here, some shoes over there, a lightbulb, flabby, cartoonish fleshly colored characters and parts and what or who comes to mind?Just the strange world of Philip Guston (1913-1980) Patricia Lesliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17795504134889183749noreply@blogger.com04th St NW, Washington, DC 20565, USA38.8911966 -77.017128210.580962763821155 -112.1733782 67.201430436178839 -41.8608782tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4081098627537122018.post-11170478840636195062023-07-21T22:34:00.056-04:002023-08-03T08:06:58.465-04:00Extended by popular demand! Olney's 'Fela!' Duain Richmond as Fela Kuti and Melody A. Betts as Funmilayo in Olney Theatre Center and Round House Theatre's Fela! By Teresa CastracaneStrap on your seat belt, baby, and join the fun and dance at Olney Theatre Center with the best of 'em at Fela! the new stage show which will leave you breathless…and maybe several pounds lighter. And the run is extendedPatricia Lesliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17795504134889183749noreply@blogger.com02001 Olney Sandy Spring Rd, Olney, MD 20832, USA39.1447623 -77.044319510.834528463821151 -112.2005695 67.454996136178835 -41.8880695tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4081098627537122018.post-55417291738617527032023-07-12T23:24:00.509-04:002023-07-20T17:05:33.428-04:00Interview with Dante's curator at the National Gallery of ArtAt the entrance to Going Through Hell: The Divine Dante at the National Gallery of Art/By Patricia LeslieBefore the show closes Sunday in the West Building of the National Gallery of Art, come and see Dante's Hell and the effects of his poem, The Divine Comedy, on artists and writers which they created over several centuries. By two years Covid delayed the opening Patricia Lesliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17795504134889183749noreply@blogger.com0Washington, DC, USA38.9071923 -77.036870711.976350406973179 -112.1931207 65.838034193026814 -41.880620699999994tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4081098627537122018.post-66602181064811371672023-07-06T17:44:00.994-04:002023-08-05T15:03:34.720-04:00Eating my way through southeastern EuropeThe table is set for us at a winery/olive oil farm, Restaurant Kameni mlin, in the Konavle region near Dubrovnik, Croatia/Photo by Patricia LeslieOur first course at Kameni mlin. Also on on our menu were veal cooked "under the bell," potatoes, vegetables, and kontonjata ("quince cheese")/By Patricia LeslieWatching the entertainment (below) at Kameni mlin/By Patricia Leslie ThePatricia Lesliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17795504134889183749noreply@blogger.com0VWXR+RV Gojevići, Bosnia and Herzegovina43.8995828 17.942161819.15879430005581 -17.2140882 68.640371299944178 53.0984118tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4081098627537122018.post-74741277990798002012023-07-04T10:25:00.151-04:002023-07-05T23:38:32.580-04:00Washington's July 4 music, art, and folklife Singing with the Ozarks at the Smithonian Folklife Festival is a big hit/By Patricia LeslieHymnals are available to sing along with the Ozarks at the Smithonian Folklife Festival/By Patricia LeslieYou may enjoy sidewalk music near the American History Museum at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival/By Patricia LeslieMore sidewalk music at the Natural History Museum at the Smithsonian Folklife Patricia Lesliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17795504134889183749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4081098627537122018.post-45484021725912061122023-06-29T23:53:00.378-04:002023-07-04T07:57:34.612-04:00Ceilings are tops at the National Gallery of Art Luigi Garzi, 1638-1721, Saint Catherine of Siena on a Cloud, 1696-1697, National Gallery of Art, purchased as the gift of Robert B. Loper and Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund, a study of Saint Catherine who is awestruck by her namesake Saint Catherine of Alexandria, appearing in the ceiling fresco, The Mystic Marriage of Saint Catherine of Alexandria [to the Christ Child] Patricia Lesliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17795504134889183749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4081098627537122018.post-64293019805443344882023-06-26T23:35:00.036-04:002023-06-27T17:37:19.998-04:00Fringe is back!Egads! It's The Shape of Water returning to DC in living color! Actually, no, it's Arma Dura, one of the acts at 2023 Capital Fringe as he showed up at the preview party. Arma's costumes are well worth the price of admission. More, below/By Patricia Leslie Arma Dura, one of the acts at 2023 Capital Fringe, descends into the Fringe preview party/By Patricia LeslieCome Patricia Lesliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17795504134889183749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4081098627537122018.post-67092690882967199752023-06-17T23:53:00.334-04:002023-06-19T12:14:16.810-04:00Marvelous 'Marvin Gaye' at the Kennedy CenterLuke James at the Kennedy Center's tribute to Marvin Gaye/By Derek BakerLuke James singing Marvin Gaye and Emily King as Tammi Terrell were gettin' it on last night, singing and rockin' in the outstanding Marvin Gaye tribute at the Kennedy Center's Concert Hall, all the while tantalizing each other with "Your Precious Love" while the audience clicked their Patricia Lesliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17795504134889183749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4081098627537122018.post-36805945105857736572023-05-27T14:08:00.004-04:002023-06-30T00:08:12.699-04:00British photos show underclass stories of 1970s and 1980sMartin Parr (b. 1952), Peter Frazier, New Brighton, Merseyside, 1984, chromogenic print, National Gallery of Art. This makes me particularly sad. There's a crying baby begging for attention while his mother/caregiver sunbathes, needing a break, no doubt. The clash of humans with different needs. The baby won't stay a baby for long. Pick her up, Mother!Karen Knorr, (b. 1954,Patricia Lesliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17795504134889183749noreply@blogger.com0Washington, DC, USA38.9071923 -77.036870710.596958463821153 -112.1931207 67.217426136178844 -41.880620699999994tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4081098627537122018.post-47016985809213249132023-05-24T23:53:00.005-04:002023-05-25T00:00:00.966-04:00In Memoriam: Tina Turner, 1939-2023 The Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, April 2, 2022/By Patricia LeslieKayla Davion was Tina Turner in The Tina Turner Musical at Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, New York City, April 2, 2022/By Patricia LeslieKayla Davion was Tina Turner in The Tina Turner Musical at Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, New York City, April 2, 2022/By Patricia LeslieKayla Davion was Tina Turner in The Tina Turner Musical Patricia Lesliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17795504134889183749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4081098627537122018.post-13422809976531030752023-05-21T21:40:00.473-04:002023-05-23T11:12:40.210-04:00Manassas presents exquisite 'Swan Lake' The Manassas Ballet Theatre performs Swan Lake/Manassas Ballet TheatreIt's seldom that I cry at a ballet, but it's seldom that I see one like Swan Lake as presented by the Manassas Ballet Theatre and Orchestra. It tore at my emotions, extracting unexpected physical responses as they were affected by outstanding music and dance.It was Peter Tchaikovsky's classic Patricia Lesliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17795504134889183749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4081098627537122018.post-75135742495517268662023-05-13T22:40:00.252-04:002023-05-16T11:24:39.878-04:00The non-EU open embassies were betterThe European Union Delegation building at K and 22nd was the only "open embassy" I found Saturday which had no waiting, perhaps because it was far (relatively speaking) from the embassies and because it's not an embassy!/By Patricia LeslieBetter for shorter wait times, more food and drink, more tours, more interiors, almost three times as many open (59 v. 24) which helped spread out the crowds Patricia Lesliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17795504134889183749noreply@blogger.com0Washington, DC, USA38.9071923 -77.036870710.596958463821153 -112.1931207 67.217426136178844 -41.880620699999994tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4081098627537122018.post-29742697127972931822023-05-12T23:59:00.101-04:002023-05-13T08:50:20.706-04:00A national azalea garden in Washington, D.C.Part of the azalea collections at the U.S. National Arboretum/By Patricia LeslieLavenders at the U.S. National Arboretum/By Patricia LeslieAzaleas at the U.S. National Arboretum/By Patricia LeslieA haven for peace and nature seekers who want greens on the grounds which rise towards the sky and provide beautiful natural color can be found within the city limits of Washington, D.C. at the &Patricia Lesliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17795504134889183749noreply@blogger.com03501 New York Ave NE, Washington, DC 20002, USA38.9113511 -76.967186511.982118549223944 -112.1234365 65.840583650776054 -41.8109365