Only in DC! Bach and Frederick the Great

Adolph von Menzel, 1815-1905, Frederick the Great Playing the Flute at Sanssouci, 1852 with Carl Philip Emanuel Bach on  harpsichord, Carl Graun (standing, between two ladies on the left), Johann Quantz (far right) and Franz Benda (second from right), all portrayed in Theatre Royal Bath's The Source at Shakespeare Theatre Company/Wikipedia, Alte Nationalgalerie, Berlin.

To see British theatre on stage in Washington, one may go immediately to the Shakespeare Theatre Company's website and purchase tickets for the outstanding production by Theatre Royal Bath which has crossed the pond, bringing with it the troupe and a royal star who deliver one of the great performances of the season in Washington, D.C., its only U.S. venue. 

Sir Trevor Nunn (you do remember his Cats and Les Misérables?) directs.

The star is global winner Brian Cox and the show, The Score  by Oliver Cotton, based on a true encounter between Johann Sebastian Bach (Cox) and Frederick II, King of Prussia (Stephen Hagan) in 1747 when the two met in  Potsdam.

Real-life husband and wife, Brian Cox and Nicole Ansari-Cox are Anna Bach and Johann Sebastian Bach in Theatre Royal Bath's The Source at Shakespeare Theatre Company/By Theresa Castracane

Certainly, set designer Robert Jones and lighting designer Johanna Town must be students of Vermeer and his window works since they duplicate the painter’s haunting shadows and lighting in the opening scene with Bach and his wife, Anna (Cox's real-life wife, Nicole Ansari-Cox) seated inside their home in Leipzig, complaining about the outside clamor they hear emanating from the king's soldiers whose commotions upset residents. (Sophie Cotton is sound designer.) 

Bach is like a fuse waiting to be lit.  He’s unhappy, gruff and mad at the world.  His daughter (never seen) is ill, yet he must leave her and go visit the king who has summoned him to Potsdam. 

Anna pushes her husband out the door.

Like many artists who'd rather be doing most anything else, Bach resists visiting “your highness,” but, alas! The king wants to meet the musical genius.

In conversation, it's not long before Bach (1685 –1750) , the moralist and strict Lutheran, challenges the atheist king (1712-1786) to atone for his soldiers' rape of a blind 14-year-old girl in Leipzig, and the king responds, so what? "These things happen."

Bach is the good; the king, the bad.  Bach, morality; the king, unscrupulous, but, maybe, towards the end, scrupulsome? 

His father, Frederick William I, the "soldier king," had brought his son up "to be a man," treating him brutally, shunning his son’s interests in the arts and prohibiting Frederick II's pursuit of culture, even beheading II's rumored homosexual lover in front of his son.

Nevertheless, Frederick II became a great musician, a composer and a flutist in his own right.

Hagan's performance was absolutely captivating as king, to see him move around the stage like a stag, the very best of any king I’ve seen, a stunning portrayal of Frederick II, and coming close to riding roughshed over the star.

He is strong, he is arrogant, he is confident as he flings himself upon a chair and extends both arms, his legs, splayed. And when he stands, his arclike posture  commands all the personalities around him. But he is the king.

Jamie Wilkes is Bach's subservient son, Carl Philip Emanuel Bach, a convincing rendering of an offspring who competes with other court composers  (the king’s sycophants, Christopher Staines, Matthew Romain, Toby Webster) utilizing the history of Bach I and the king, to participate in an outrageous bet about his father’s talents.

From left, King Frederick II of Prussia  (Stephen Hagan) with court composers (Christopher Staines, Toby Webster, and Matthew Romain) in Theatre Royal Bath's The Source at Shakespeare Theatre Company/By Theresa Castracane

From left, Voltaire (Peter De Jersey) and Johann Sebastian Bach (Brian Cox) backed by court composers (Christopher Staines, Toby Webster, and Matthew Romain) in Theatre Royal Bath's The Source at Shakespeare Theatre Company/By Theresa Castracane

Voltaire (Peter De Jersey) who lived for a while with Frederick II, declaring him to be "a philosopher-king," and exchanging many letters with him,  pops up every now and then in a lusty, comedic presentation to add doses of humor and lighten the score. (The play has lots more humor than anticipated.) 

Jones's exceptional sets and costumes match the luxury of von Menzel's painting.

The similarities to today’s American society and leadership leap to mind several times during the play, watching opposites contrast between the main characters, good and evil, and the conflicts between the people and a ruler who cares little about them and their wellbeing.

Other cast members are Juliet Garricks, Will Kerr, Jordan Kilshaw, Claire Morrissey, Max Pink, and Geoffrey Towers.

I can’t recall ever listing a casting director but kudos to Ginny Schiller! 

Other artistic team members are Cordelia Monsey, associate director; Theatre Royal Bath Productions, Len Blavatnik, Danny Cohen, producers; Laura Smith, Felix Dunning and Lorna Earl, stage managers.

 

What: The Source

 

When:  Now through Oct. 25 (extended), 7:30 p.m., Tuesday – Sunday; 2 p.m. every Saturday and some Thursdays and Sundays

 

Where:  Shakespeare Theatre Company, Harman Hall, 610 F Street NW, Washington, DC 20004

 

How much:  Tickets start at $39

Duration:  About 2.5 hours with one intermission

 

For more information:  Ph. 202.547.1122,  7 days a week, 12–6pm

The maestro would not approve: 'My Name is Alfred Hitchcock'

Cohen Media Group's film, My Name is Alfred Hitchcock is for Hitchcock (1899-1980) connoisseurs only. Unless moviegoers like looking at the maestro’s face in the same photograph repeatedly which consumes about a third of the film. 

It's as if writer/producer Mark Cousins couldn't think of anything or anybody else to fill the space.

Alistair McGowan does an excellent job mimicking Hitchcock's voice. Film credits let viewers know the monologue is not Hitchcock speaking although you'd swear the voice was Hitch's.

 

The film is too long and could be shortened probably by a third (eliminating his face), however it lacks adequate biographical information about Hitch and his wife, Alma (1899-1982) with whom he appeared to have a  close relationship. 

Reading Hitch's bio on Wikipedia, it seems I Am Alfred Hitchcock did not give Alma enough credit for contributions to her husband's success.  (Calling Zelda Fitzgerald!) 

What happened to their daughter, Patricia (1928-2021)?

Notwithstanding (!), there are few movies like this which make me want to “take action” and see every film the subject ever made, many which are clipped here and screened for only a few seconds, to whet my appetite.  It reminds me of holding a piece of steak in front of a German Shepherd and not letting him or her eat. 

All the big stars are here:  Paul Newman, Janet Leigh, Cary Grant, James Mason, Peter Lorre, Albert Einstein (!), and many more.

Half of the movie titles were new ones for me. Please, take me to the Hitchcock Festival.  I wouldn't be surprised to find a cruise for Hitchcock lovers.  Please, take me to it.

Reviewers at Rotten Tomatoes gave I Am a 93% but since there were fewer than 50 reviews submitted by members of the audience, the "people's rating" (the one that is more important) is absent.  The few reviews by "the people" may be explained by its British origination, however, it was released in 2022 but only released in the U.S. in October. 

The music by Donna McKevitt far exceeds the quality of the film.

patricialesli@gmail.com

 

Olney'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 Castracane 

Upon my arrival at the Olney Theatre Center and from the moment I spied the luxurious set, I was happy to have a few moments to sit and swoon a bit with no action on the stage, enthralled by the opulence, the exaggeration, to admire and take it all in, and catch my breath. 

A set which was fit for royalty with the chair rail, the arched doorways, chandeliers, the French provincial look of gay Paree, the view outside the windows, and the vases (pronounced vaaa-sis, darhling) overflowing with flowers, a heavenly contrast for my eyes fixated on the gray drabness of winter on my way to the Olney, awaiting spring and here it was!

"The rich are different from you and me." 

Say it again, Scott, but enough about Andrew Cohen's set, already!

From left, Tina Stafford, Rachel Felstein, Dylan Arredondo, and Carolann M. Sanita in Lend Me A Soprano at Olney Theatre Center/Teresa Castracane 

I loved, loved, loved Lend Me A Soprano! Hilarious and with the acting, the costumes, the plot, combined, it's absolutely smashing. 

Hometown playwright Ken Ludwig has done it again, written another fantastic play, this farce based on his successful Lend Me A Tenor, which won two of nine or ten Tony Award nominations (depending upon which Wikipedia site you read), and opening in London in 1986 three years before it reached Broadway. 

Tenor has been translated into 16 languages and has run in 25 countries, and it's not necessary to know a Tenor to enjoy a Soprano.

Soprano is a delightful escape with Shakespeare thrown in (both playwright and director are Shakespeare scholars, but don't let that keep you away), mistaken identities, doors opening, closing, mismatched persons, and the list goes on.  (Shakespeare knowledge is not required for pure enjoyment.)

Lucille Wylie (Tina Stafford), is a strong, domineering woman who's also the Cleveland Grand Opera's manager and absolutely beside herself with worry that the diva hired to sing the title role in Carmen for a "one night stand" will not show up. 

The time is 1934.  

Suddenly, there's commotion and ... boom!  

Enter, please, the diva Elena (Carolyann M. Sanita) and her perfectly stereotypical husband, Pasquale (Dylan Arrendondo), a big, robust fellow with a voice to match. 

Like the fiery Italians they are with passions inflamed, their ardor knows no bounds, and they continue their argument upon landing, surprise!

Elena becomes "incapacitated," unable to perform, and who's this?

Jo (Rachel Felstein) is Mrs. Wylie's assistant, an "understudy" who comes to the rescue and away we go.

Not only are we treated to hysterics, but beautiful singing, including duets by Ms. Felstein and Ms. Sanita (and how I wished for more! Musical direction is by Christopher Youstra).

In and out of bed(s) and couches they roll and one of the most hilarious characters is "Leo" (Tom Patterson), who struts his talents (in several ways), gathering more likes with every appearance as his apparel takes off (?). 

He is Jo's boyfriend, but wait, that is Jerry (skillfully acted by understudy Ben Topa when I saw Soprano), so maybe Leo belongs to Elena when her husband is "away"?

Sweet "Julia" (Donna Migliaccio) is the opera guild president, who makes a late arrival on set to temper things, dressed in a beautiful gown with a crown on top, reminiscent of New York's Chrysler Building.

Meanwhile, the impish, mischievous bellhop (Natalya Lynette Rathnam) pops in every so often, producing more audience laughter whenever she's on stage.

Soprano debuted worldwide in Houston in 2022 with the same Olney director, Eleanor Holdridge, and aren't we lucky to have her experience? ("Practice makes perfect"! She's also "local," chair of the Catholic University's drama department.)

Chandelier lights (by Alberto Segarra) dim and glow, depending upon who is where.  And the costumes!  Oh, la, la!  Sarah Cubbage has made them more than adequate for a Met gala, gowns, resplendent in exquisite designs. Larry Peterson was wig designer. 

Other members of the creative team are Ashara Crutchfield, assistant director; Matt Rowe, sound designer, and Ben Walsh, stage manager.  

Also, Robb Hunter, fight choreographer; Helen Aberger, intimacy choreographer; Melissa Flaim, dialect consultant; and Tori Niemiec, assistant costume designer.

At the end, Mr. Topa received special recognition from the cast while the rest of us wildly applauded the entire cast and team for a  marvelous show.    

What: Lend Me A Soprano

When: Now through Mar.10, 2024, at 7:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday matinees at 1:30 p.m.

Where: Main Stage, Olney Theatre Center, 2001 Olney-Sandy Spring Road, Olney, MD 20832.

Tickets: Start at $40 with discounts for seniors, students, military, and groups.

Ages: PG-13 

Refreshments available.

Parking: Free, lighted and plentiful on-site

Duration: About two hours with one 15-minute intermission

For more information: 301-924-3400 for the box office or 301-924-4485

patricialesli@gmail.com

Vienna's hilarious open and shut show

From left, Bob Cohen, Janice Zucker, Bruce Alan Rauscher and Dave Wright in Vienna Theatre Company's Unnecessary Farce at the Vienna Community Center/By Matthew Randall

It’s a bedroom romp-o-rama!

For a laugh-a-minute good time, head for the motel rooms, see the action, and watch the jamboree unfold in a dive of a place where the crazies jump and hide and keep you in suspended animation wondering who's gone where.

And, what's next?

It's delightful, it's delirious, and very funny by the name of Unnecessary Farce now onstage at Vienna Theatre Company where the cops, the lovers, an accountant and, of course! the politicians and a sneaky criminal chase one another from room to hall to room and back again, in and out of beds hoping to catch the criminal(s) in the act. (Which act?)

They run and hide behind eight doors, reminding me of a commercial break at a Capitals' hockey game to "find the puck." (Huh?)  It's easy to get lost in this swingathon.

From left, Liz Owerbach, Dave Wright, Bruce Alan Rauscher and Kate Bierly in Vienna Theatre Company's Unnecessary Farce at the Vienna Community Center/By Matthew Randall

Eddie Page makes his directorial debut at the Vienna theatre, drawing on these actors' strengths and passions (!) to flatten the possibility of any weak-willed characters in the adult comedy.  (There are none.) 

Take the Scotsman (Bob Cohen) who speaks gibberish. Was it just me who couldn't understand him?  

But, no, those on stage couldn't interpret his remarks either except for Vienna debut actor, Kate Bierly, as a policewoman who repeats in rapidfire order the Scotsman's words, winning applause in the middle of a scene for her incredible memory and performance. 

Theatre favorite Bruce Alan Rauscher is another cop, quite effective at stuttering and repeating words as he tries to find his pants.  (His pants?)

Liz Owerbach is the "hot, very hot" (!) animated accountant, Karen, who almost manages to snag a two-for-one deal, caught by video in suspicious circumstances with another officer (Dave Wright) who rolls in and out like the rest of 'em.

Not to overlook the mild and bumbling, appropriately named mayor of the unnamed town near D.C., Mayor Meekly (Steve Rosenthal) and his lovely wife (Janice Zucker), the mayor enjoying some of the benefits of the romps he observes and interrupts.

Producer Laura Fargotstein helps to ensure the show rocks all night long.  

At the end, you may think you are bouncing on a bed, but for sure, you'll be chuckling, happy you spent a good time in the old town tonight.

Other members of the production team are:

Larry Grey, stage manager; Susie Poole, assistant stage manager; Ari McSherry, lighting; Adam Parker, sound; Helen Bard-Sobola and Charles Dragonette, properties and Dragonette, set decoration; Michelle Harris, costumes; John Downing, set; Robin Maline, hair and makeup; Mark Adams, dialects; Michael Page, fight and intimacy choreographer; Art Snow, special effects; De Nicholson Lam and Beverly Benda; set painting.

What: Unnecessary Farce by Paul Slade Smith

When: Friday and Saturday nights at 8 p.m. through May 6, 2023 with Sunday matinees at 2 p.m., April 30 and May 7, 2023. The May 7 show will be sign-interpreted with reserve seating in the front row. Email lily.widman@viennava.gov or call 703-255-5738 for reserved seats.

Where: Vienna Theatre Company, Vienna Community Center, 120 Cherry St., SE, Vienna, VA 22180

Tickets: Buy in advance at www.viennava.gov/webtrac, or in person at the Vienna Community Center or at the door, if available, $15.  

Language: "X" 

Audience: For mature teens and adults

Duration:  About two fast hours with one 15-minute intermission.   

For more information, please call: (703) 255-6360

patricialesli@gmail.com

 

'Lettice' Alexandria's stars entertain you again

From left, Patricia Nicklin is Lettice and Rachael Hubbard is Lotte Schoen in Little Theatre of Alexandria's Lettice and Lovage/Matt Liptak, photo

Patricia Nicklin is a frequent actor on stage at the Little Theatre of Alexandria and she's up there again, this time as the star of Lettice and Lovage, a British comedy Peter Shaffer wrote for Dame Maggie Smith.

In 1990 Ms. Smith won the Tony Award for her performance of the daffy lady whose circumstances bring her together with another goofy woman, Lotte Schoen (Rachael Hubbard), their conversations, frictions, and relationship the story describes.

Whew!

And that's what you might say after listening to these two swat word circles for a while.

Ms. Nicklin is Lettice, a tour guide at an historic English country house where the detailed Ms. Schoen objects to Lettice's embellishments of events, and away they go.

Naturally, common ground is found between them and a common drink which Lotte consumes a lotte of the concoction Lettice brings to the table.  

Ms. Hubbard's portrayal of a increasingly drunk lady is spot on!

When it all goes pear-shaped, you know something's up!

Joan Lawrence has fashioned dowdy costumes to fit these two whose characters need no more sparkle anyway. 

Indeed, they are jolly good sports at chin-wagging.(?)

For a fan of British humor, this script will tickle your fancies, I dare say. 

As they say across the Atlantic, Lettice is "a picnic short of a sandwich."

Other cast members are James Blacker, Tegan Cohen, Colin Davies, Nicole "Nicki" Gray, and Nicole Lamberson.

The production crew:  Hilary Adams, dialects; Kirstin Apker, set decoration; Juli Tarabek Blacker, director; Julie Fischer, set design; Allison Gray-Mendes, properties and technical director; Kira Hogan and Ramah Johnson, stage managers; and JK Lighting Design.

Also, Janet Kennelly, assistant set painter; Chanel Lancaster, hair and makeup; Manuel Medina, sound; Dan Remmers, master carpenter; sheri ratick stroud and Griffin Voltmann, producers; Mona Wargo, set painting; Robin Worthington, wardrobe coordinator; and Russell M. Wyland, rigging.

When: Now through March 18, 2023, Wednesday - Saturday nights, 8 p.m.; Sunday matinees, 3 p.m.

Where:  Little Theatre of Alexandria, 600 Wolfe St., Alexandria, VA 22314

Tickets:  $24, weekdays; $27, weekends (These prices include fees.)

Masks are required in the auditorium and strongly encouraged but optional in other areas of the theatre.  

Language:  Rated "G" 

Duration:  About 2.5 hours with one 15 minute intermission

Public transportation: Check the Metro and Dash bus websites. Dash is free to ride and has routes which are close to LTA.

Parking: On the streets and in many garages nearby with free parking during performances at Capital One Bank at Wilkes and Washington streets.

For more information:  Box Office: 703-683-0496; Main Office, 703-683-5778 or boxoffice@thelittletheatre.com

patricialesli@gmail.com

Make way for Alexandria's 'Blue Stockings'

Paul Donahoe (Mr. Banks), Ilyana Rose-Dávila (Maeve Sullivan), Madeline Byrd (Tess Moffat), Melissa Dunlap (Celia Willbond), Tegan Cohen (Carolyn Addison) in Little Theatre of Alexandria's Blue Stockings/Photo by Matt Liptak

A "blue stocking" in 19th century England was a derisive term meaning a woman who eschewed "wifely duties" and pursuits of the home to advance her own intellectual goals, namely, that of mind enrichment and learning. 

You sometimes hear the term today.   

In this Women's History Month, the Little Theatre of Alexander brings to the stage, Blue Stockings, the first play by Jessica Swale (b. 1982) which presents four young ladies who pursue a higher education, amidst ridicule and attacks by "gentlemen" students who, then as they do now, set about to mold the women, according to their desired tastes. 

"She wants to be a scientist; alas!  She's a woman!" Tsk! Tsk!

Ilyana Rose-Dávila (Maeve Sullivan), Melissa Dunlap (Celia Willbond), Elizabeth Replogle (Miss Blake), Tegan Cohen (Carolyn Addison), Madeline Byrd (Tess Moffat) in Little Theatre of Alexandria's Blue Stockings/Photo by Matt Liptak

The setting is Cambridge University at the first female college for women, Girton College, established in 1869. (It would be another 79 years before women would be accepted at Cambridge [1948].) 

The first scene of the play opens at what appears to be the university or a prison, maybe both.

The drama hits several themes, including females who ride bicycles (this is a theme?) and want to gain their independence, seeking opportunities to attend and graduate from the university. 

Change is hard to tolerate in most circumstances, and these "gentlemen" are going to have none of it!

At least, most of them.

(Back row) Tegan Cohen (Carolyn Addison), Melissa Dunlap (Celia Willbond), Madeline Byrd (Tess Moffat), Ilyana Rose-Dávila (Maeve Sullivan)

(Front row) Robert Heinly (Dr. Maudsley/Professor Collins), Anne Hilleary (Miss Bott/Mrs. Lindley), Michael King (Holmes), Ali Cheraghpour (Edwards), James Blacker (Lloyd), Paul Donahoe (Mr. Banks)  in Little Theatre of Alexandria's Blue Stockings/Photo by Matt Liptak

Enter "Dr. Maudsley" (Robert Heinly), based on a real character, and soon to bear the hatred of most audience members. He questions, he undermines, he belittles the women in his gruff and domineering manner with a commanding voice, seizing every moment, every spotlight and devouring all the attention whenever he's on stage. 

He is thoroughly disgusting and it takes only seconds to grow to hate him.  I believe it was he who said, "This is a lecture hall, not a laundromat," but he was 65 years too early since the term was not used until 1934.

Meanwhile, to counterbalance this most unlikable of unlikables, is "Professor Banks" superbly portrayed by Paul Donahoe, a humorous fellow who exercises patience and support for the women and their goals.

Mr. Donahoe's seesawing hand and arm motions, flung out like the wings of a pterosaur, add energy and enthusiasm to his character.  He is a hero in the time of none (or, one). 

Liz LeBoo as the real-life "Mrs. Welsh," the college head mistress, makes for a stern, yet sympathetic leader.

I loved "Miss Bott" (Anne Hilleary), a perfectly good chaperone and women's hall advisor, so typical in her physical appearance and garb, not as blind and deaf as she seems (like most house mothers!). 

Madeline Byrd is "Tess Moffat," one of the four young women who receives most of the attention and earnestly carries out her duties as a discriminated woman. 

Some humor arrives when the librarian (Joel Durgavich) loudly shushes everybody in the grand manner of yesteryear. 

The British accents came across as unaffected and realistic, not pretentious and overdone, as they often are.

Costumer Joan Lawrence dressed the women according to the times, but the men's apparel seemed to diverge from the era.

Initial derogatory comments about women brought some murmurs of laughter from audience which made me a little uncomfortable that anyone would laugh at these remarks in the 21st century. We still have far to go.

A provocative production which I did not anticipate would bring me to tears, but there they flowed in the last scene, leaving me to think I'm a lucky gal to live now, instead of then! 

Other cast members:  Madeline Byrd, Ilyana Rose-Davila, Melissa Dunlap (also, the dance choreographer), Tegan Cohen, Ali Cheraghpour, James Blacker, Michael King (also fight captain), John Paul Odle, Michael Townsend, Elizabeth Replogle, Khalia Muhammad (also, assistant to the director), Michael Rufo, Will Cooke, Manus Nunan, and Hilary Adams (also, assistant director).

Also in the production crew: Lloyd Bittinger, Margaret Chapman, Christine Farrell, producers; Marzanne Claiborne, director;  Meredith Kirchner, Joan A.S. Lada, stage managers; A.K. Camper, Steve Lada, assistant stage managers and (Lada) combat choreographer;  Margaret Snow, wardrobe chief; Domenica Marchetti, language coach; Robin Maline, hair/wigs/makeup; Franklin Colemen, lighting; Donna Reynolds, property design; Charles Dragonette, set design and dressing; Jim Hutzler and Jeff Nesmeyer, set construction; Diedre (De) Nicholson-Lamb, set painting; Alan Wrap, sound; Art Snow, special effects coordinator; Beverley Benda, vocal coach, Russell M. Wyland, rigging.

LTA's Covid-19 Attendance Policy requires all persons to provide proof of full vaccination AND to wear a mask inside LTA (including during the performance).

What: Blue Stockings by Jessica Swale

When: Now through Mar. 19, 2022, Wednesdays through Saturdays, 8 p.m.  The Sunday 2 p.m. performance on Mar. 13 is sold out!

How much:  $21, weekdays; $24, weekends.

Where: The Little Theatre of Alexandria, 600 Wolfe Street, Alexandria, VA 22314.

Duration: About 2 hours with one 15-minute intermission.

For more information: Box Office: 703-683-0496; Business: 703-683-5778. Email: boxoffice@thelittletheatre.com or Asklta@thelittletheatre.com

Patricialesli@gmail.com

patricialesli@gmail.com

Rating the Trump books

I haven't read the estimated 4,500 Trump books which is the amount the Guardian estimates has been published since he took office in 2017, but I have read a few which I rank for you below.

My choices are based on new information, style, interest, content, documentation, readability.

If you only have time to read one, the best, most interesting, the one which is most captivating, whose author still commands a daily audience (if you follow him on Twitter) is:

1.  Michael Cohen's Disloyal: A Memoir: The True Story of the Former Personal Attorney to President Donald J. Trump. It's short and fast. In retrospect (I read it last year), I can't believe it's 432 pages for it seems like half that, which gives you an idea of the speed per page.

2.  John Bolton's The Room Where It Happened:  A White House Memoir, filled with lots of anecdotes and behind-the-scenes glimpses of what went on when Mr. Bolton spent 17 months in the Wild House. Lots of unexpected humor by means of the author's snarky comments. 592 pages.

3.  Mary Trump's Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World's Most Dangerous Man.  She, of course, is his niece and a clinical psychologist.  Very quick. Short and not so sweet. 240 pages.

4.  Bob Woodward's Rage. A little dry in places, but, if you get this far, worth a read. 480 pages.

4.  (A Tie with Woodward's) Peter Strzok's Compromised: Counterintelligence and the Threat of Donald J. Trump.  I listened to this book by a former FBI assistant director.  Why the author doesn't sue Trump for defamation is beyond me. Perhaps Trump's office at the time protects him who can say whatever he wanted since that's what his content is. 387 pages.

I read about half of Brian Stelter's Hoax:  Donald Trump, Fox News and the Dangerous Distortion of Truth until I finally realized (dumb me!  Read the sub-title!) it really was about Fox and who cares about Fox? Mr. Stelter is the host of CNN's Reliable Sources which airs every Sunday at 11 a.m. and which I try not to miss. 448 pages.

If you have recommendations and/or comments, please write up!  Thank you.

I be done with Trump and his books (I hope!).

patricialesli@gmail.com

GALA's 'Tango' is out-of-this-world

Rosalía Gasso and Alejandro Barrientos/Their photo

There's no need for dance lovers to travel to Tokyo this summer since GALA Hispanic Theatre brings the Olympics of dance to Washington with astonishing  performances by professional tangoists, musicians and the costumer, Jeanette Christensen. 

Who needs a script when music, dazzling dance, and dress carry you to fantasyland? Like the swirling dancers, the music and costumes combine in Ella es tango to present an electrifying tango show.

Marcos Pereira and Florencia Borgnia/ Photo, Daniel Martinez

GALA's founding producing artistic director, Hugo Medrano, has written an original musical revue (that he directs) about some of last century's female composers/vocalists/tangoists who competed in the male-dominated world to make themselves seen and heard so they could advance in their chosen profession, even disguising themselves as men (not the first - nor the last - time this has been attempted).

Mariana Quinteros and Patricia Torres are the duo of  top vocalists in the show whose best melodies are their duets. 

Marcos Pereira and Florencia Borgnia/Photo, Daniel Martinez

The featured ladies are portrayed by GALA company members, Lorena Sabogal as Libertad Lamarque (1908-2000), Krystal Pou as Camila Quiroga (a fictional character); Patricia Suarez is Tita Merello (1904-2002), Cecilia Esquivel is Azucena Maizani (1902-1970), and the brief biography of another tango artist, Mercedes Simon (1904-1990), is included. 

In song and dance they tell us their sad stories to present what we came to see and to hear.

Rosalía Gasso and Alejandro Barrientos/Photo, Daniel Martinez

The dancing is what brought us to the spectacle and it, combined with music by members of the Pan American Symphony Orchestra, perform in tandem with the script to captivate the magic and allure of the night to star. 

World acclaimed choreographers and teachers, Alejandro and Rosalía Barrientos are the dancers accompanied at times by Marcos Pereira and Florencia Borgnia, world tango championship finalists, who have many of their own solos.

Swirling tails, dresses, legs, and arms flash by, leaving astonished theatregoers in their wake, happy to witness magnificence.

The numerous shimmering, glittering costumes alone make the price of admission well worth the cost, and it's not just the females who come dressed to kill: The men's costumes are equally as outstanding in their glimmering jackets and ballroom tuxedo whites.

Musical direction and orchestration are by Sergio Busjle of the PASO; conducting is Argentine composer Ariel Pirotti; choreography is by the Barrientoses; and texts are by Argentine playwright, Patricia Suárez Cohen. 

Claudio Gustavo Aprile, the assistant director, appears in various male roles.

Other creative team members are Clifton Chadick and Exquista Agonía, scenic design;  Christopher Annas-Lee, lighting; Dylan Uremovich, projections; Nicolas Onischuk, additional media; David Crandall, sound; P. Vanessa Losada, stage manager; and Tony Koehler, production manager.

Ella es tango is presented in Spanish with English subtitles. 

What: Ella es tango (She is tango)

Masks:  Required.  Temperatures taken at the entrance.

When: Now through June 20, 2021, Wednesdays through Saturdays at 8 p.m., Sundays at 2 p.m. with open milonga dancing after the show on Wednesday, June 16.

Where: Gala Theatre, 3333 14th St NW, Washington, DC 20010.

Tickets: $45; $30 for seniors (65+), military, and students; $30, group sales (10 or more). To purchase, call (202) 234-7174 or visit www.galatheatre.org. 

Handicapped accessible

Duration: About two hours with one intermission

Metro stations: Columbia Heights or McPherson Square and take a bus or the Circulator from McPherson Square up 14th, or walk two miles and save money and expend calories! Lots of places to eat along the way.

Parking: Discounted at the Giant around the corner and additional parking at Target, both on Park Road, NW.

For more information: Call (202) 234-7174 and/or email info@galatheatre.org

The production was made possible with support from the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities.

patricialesli@gmail.com