Easter Entertainment: "Crowns" at The Lincoln Theatre

If you’ve never seen it, you are in for a treat.

Lots of action, color, whimsy, a good plot, and music define the return of this wonderfully delightful presentation of Arena Stage.

The voices! The hats! The costuming! They will keep you enthralled.

I had a great time and especially favored the omission of an intermission which seemed to make the production livelier, but how?

Just to see the hats and gorgeous dresses is well worth the price of admission (as low as $27).

My friend Claire did not think it was as sharp a production as the one she saw several years ago, but it charmed me.

Initially, I feared the voice of Zurin Villaneuva (Yolanda) might not meet expectations, but she soon proved me wrong. The sporadically visible musicians on elevated platform in mid-stage added a lot of flair and dynamics, and the constantly changing entrance doors gave way to new suggested sets in clever fashion.

The lovely Lincoln Theatre and its history help explain a portion of the show's karma which infused the audience on opening night with positive vibes right from the beginning. And Ben's Chili Bowl next door got us off rompin being that I was high-fivin' it with the cashier while I waited on my order.

The Lincoln and Ben’s are part of Adams-Morgan and the U Street neighborhood which can energize the comatose with their different shops and people, and explains why I was dancing down the aisle before showtime.

Just go see "Crowns" yourself now, and tell me you didn't have a good time. Hurry up: It ends April 26.

"Blossoms by Bike"

An energetic, enthusiastic tour guide, Erica, who had only been on the job a week, led a group of 17 bikers from the 12th Avenue “Bike the Sites” shop at 1100 Pennsylvania Avenue over to the Tidal Basin and beyond last week on a grey, drizzly, cool day to see the cherry blossoms in their glory.

Despite the weather it was a delightfully good day to ride and see Washington’s springtime beauty. And for the time involved (two hours) it beats walking or riding in a car because we saw so much.

From the Tidal Basin we skipped over to Hains Point and even on a weekday saw few parking spaces. We rode to the tip of the Point and back to the front of the Jefferson Memorial taking in some of the what seemed to be highly inappropriate music being performed on stage: country rock. From there we weaved in and around hundreds of pedestrians around the Tidal Basin, and following protocol, Erica said, walked our bikes through the FDR Memorial. A few moments later, we stopped at the Japanese Lantern, the official site to launch the festival every year, Erica said.

She made stops every so often to give us a chance for a drink of water, to catch our breath (I guess, although the flat surfaces left no one breathless, I don’t think) and to tell a brief history and description of many sights we could see: the Jefferson Memorial, the old cherry blossoms with their knotted and curling trunks, and from across the Potomac River, the Air Force Memorial and the Pentagon.

It was a glorious tour with the only negative, the many, many tourists along all the trails making some stretches dangerous as we rode, and sometimes walked, in single file.

Except for me, all bikers were tourists with several in family groups ranging from about age 6 to mid-60s. To me the cost exceeded the value and would be more reasonably priced $5 less than the $32 charged adults to get more bang for your bike.

For the fee you get a bottle of water, a helmet, a bike, and a bag attached to the bike for carrying valuables plus the tour, however, contrary to the Washington Post Grab and Go Guide March 27, no snack was offered.

The State Societies Greet Cherry Blossom Princesses

Ms. Tennessee Cherry Blossom Princess Mary Clayton Davenport(orange jacket in right foreground) attended the Monday evening fete along with princesses from California, Kentucky, Alabama, and South Carolina

By The Queen of Free


It was not the place to be for those over age 30.

The congressmen who addressed the crowd while I was there were all over age 30 which may explain their rapid departure, like mere seconds after they spoke, not even appearing the least bit political or bothering to wait and shake the hands of those who feed them.

But wait, these were, likely, not constituents but mere Capitol Hill aides who are up here, not down here, and do they even vote? Average age: 25.

The event was to welcome the cherry blossom princesses from Tennessee, South Carolina, and Alabama whose state society members got together to exchange pleasantries and refreshments, all funded by lobbyists, thank you very much, in the foyer of the Rayburn House Office Building on Monday evening.

Rep. Jim Cooper (BD), Rep. Lincoln Davis (BD), and Rep. Phil Roe (R) all from Tennessee spoke briefly and ran out. Hmmmm, it was a Monday night which counts as one of Congress' eight days off a week, so fast Congressional getaways to go vote could not have been the reason.

The acoustics were so bad you couldn’t hear what they were saying anyway although each said a few words from a podium into a microphone.

Where were the senators? I guess it was too far for them to walk.

It was a much smaller event than last year’s, because, a Tennessee State Society officer explained to me, last year’s party was hosted by eight state societies, and Monday’s, only three. The beverages were about the same, but the hors d’oeuvres, much paltrier (smaller variety, no shrimp, paper plates (did we have paper plates last year?)). The economy, you know. Even the lobbyists are affected! Oh, dear.

Whatever, it was fun to greet and meet new faces and learn new things while munching, drinking and gazing upon the Capitol, the grounds, and the gorgeous blossoms which filled the long windows.

Mary Todd Lincoln at The National Portrait Gallery

By The Queen of Free

She was the subject of a portrait talk at the National Portrait Gallery Thursday evening.

Standing in front of this sketch by Pierre Morand which is part of the “One Life: The Mask of Lincoln” exhibit, Erin Carlson Mast, the curator of the Lincoln Cottage, presented a biographical sketch about Mrs. Lincoln whom Ms. Mast knows quite a lot about.

Mrs. Lincoln had 10 years of schooling; President Lincoln, one, Ms. Mast said. Mrs. Lincoln came from a wealthy family in Lexington, KY, and her Confederate roots were problematic. Like her husband, she loved the arts, literature and the theatre. She had her own “redeeming qualities,” Ms. Mask said.

She mentioned the military presence in the background of what looks like Lafayette Square in the 1864 sketch.

The crowd of about 40 packed the small gallery and strained to hear every word of the presentation. Mostly it was middle-aged women and a few men who attended.

How nice to be in surroundings where Mary Todd Lincoln was not castigated as a bad influence, and crazy, dazed, manipulative, extravagant, unfriendly, evil and what are some of the other adjectives used to describe her? Oh, yes, lest I forget, she may have had a hand in her husband’s assassination. He married her, didn’t he?

In May Catherine Clinton, the author of Mrs. Lincoln: A Life published this year, will speak about her book at Lincoln’s Cottage.

A Portrait Gallery representative told me the museum has received a lot of interest in its First Ladies portraits which the Portrait Gallery is trying to beef up.

Next up at these wonderful Thursday 6 p.m. “Face to Face” talks is Toni Morrison’s portrait, to be presented by Warren Perry April 2.

A Good Time at Ben's Chili Bowl

There was a party going on!

Now, seriously.

It was my first visit to Ben's and man, the place was rocking. Now, seriously. We were on our way to the Lincoln Theatre next door to see the Arena Stage production "Crowns" on opening night.

The whole neighborhood is a happenin' place!

The cashier was a whoopin' and a stompin'. The music was a 'rockin' and the cooks and servers were a swayin'. There must be a party goin' on! At the cash register I danced with the cashier on opposite sides of the counter throwing my hands in the air to match his.

So many people crammed in, a "crowd control monitor" stood at the entrance to temporarily stop customers from entering because there was no place to sit, the back room was reserved for a big party, and the lines in front of the counter to order doubled up.

A jivin' and a boppin', the place was a hoppin'. For a good time, go to Ben's! Did I mention the half smokes? Worth every dime, just to dance in a restaurant without room.

Cezanne and The Ballet in Philadelphia

The crowds line several aisleways on both sides of the hall to see Cezanne





The best $200 I’ve ever spent:

An all-day outing with the Smithsonian Associates to see the new Paul Cezanne show at the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the ballet, “Cinderella,” performed by the Pennsylvania Ballet at the 150-year-old Academy of Music, “the oldest grand opera house in the United States still used for its original purpose.”

A magnificent day in every way. We went up via chartered bus, leaving from the Air and Space Museum at 6:45 a.m.

The tour leaders were Ursula Rehn Wolfman, a frequent lecturer around town on all things about the arts and literature, and Harvey Walden of the Smithsonian.

The title of the art show is “Cezanne and Beyond,” and its only venue is Philadelphia. You are looking for Mont Sainte-Victoire? I counted eight (and a half; one may have been Mont Sainte-Victoire in the background) and likely missed a couple.

I suppose the words “and Beyond” mean to encompass some of the artists Cezanne influenced for many (!) of their works are in the show, too: Picasso, Matisse, Ellsworth Kelly, Jeff Wall (mind blowing light boxes: the clarity!), Giorgio Morandi, also now appearing at the Phillips. To the unsuspecting “and Beyond” may be even more of an attraction if one knew all the others included.

At times though they can dwarf the master with their own adaptations of Cezanne’s paintings which are juxtaposed after, in-between, and before the followers'. If this makes no sense, please go and see for yourself.

On our visit we had a personal escort to squire us around and give short talks about many of the paintings before we ate a delicious lunch at the Museum with exquisite service.

Our next stop: Sergei Prokofiev’s ballet where many adorable little girls in all their ballet finery breathlessly awaited the performance, too.

It was all enthralling: The dancing, the lighting, the sets, the costuming (on loan from a Texas company, Edward Barnes, one of the dancers told us afterwards in a "private audience"). And the music! Not taped but performed live and in person (ahem) by the ballet company’s own orchestra. Everything merged to make a beautiful production in a glamorous hall. Beatrice Jona Affron was the conductor.

I could have looked much longer at the lovingly rendered coach which was drawn by four “horses” and which did not stay on stage long enough for me to grow weary of it. The step”sisters” (actually males) provided delightful humor with their antics and “gowns.”

If you think for one nanosecond that because the Cezanne show doesn't end until May 17, that the crowds will be smaller now, dream on. We visited on a Saturday morning, and I don't know how the Museum could have crammed more in. At about $24/head, the Museum is raking them in, and that's good, given the state of the arts these days. You go, Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Pennsylvania Ballet, never disappointing, thoroughly entertaining and producing beautiful memories, visuals, and sounds of a lovely springtime day in Philadelphia.

Van Gogh Film Premiere in Washington

It was a sold-out audience at the Natural History Museum’s IMAX theatre on St. Patrick’s Day Night. We came to see anything about Van Gogh; we were not disappointed.

The title was "Brush with Genius," and it was the Washington, D.C. premiere.

The music, the telling, the art, the scenery gave much to delight. The paintings became the scenes which became the paintings in gentle descriptions. All told by Van Gogh "speaking" mostly from the letters he wrote describing his life, his passion, his tribulations.

Many galleries in the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam served as locale for some scenes all of which were filmed on location in the Netherlands and in France. Many of the paintings were new to me. Van Gogh “said” his passion near the end of his life drove him to paint sometimes three canvasses a day.

Effectively interspersed throughout was actual filming of the movie by the co-creator (with Francois Bertrand), Peter Knapp, passionate Van Gogh aficionado.

By the minute (about 40 total) it was likely the most expensive movie I've ever seen, however, the value far exceeded the cost. Another hit by the Smithsonian Associates!