Tuesday, June 12, 2018

Pictures! Washington Capitals Stanley Cup Championship Parade

 Alex Ovechkin hoists the Stanley Cup on Constitution Avenue behind the White House in the Washington Capitals Championship Parade, June 12, 2018/Photo by Patricia Leslie
  At the Washington Capitals Championship Parade, there was more than one sign for "Ovechkin for President" on June 12, 2018.  What would Putin think?/Photo by Patricia Leslie
  At the Washington Capitals Championship Parade, there was more than one sign for "Ovechkin for President" June 12, 2018/Photo by Patricia Leslie
 Waiting on Constitution Avenue for the Washington Capitals Championship Parade to begin, June 12, 2018. Those around me and I decided we were brilliant to go to the start of the parade under the trees (shade) and with plenty of room (at least for a little while before the parade started) at the fence to receive towels and beads.  Go, Caps!  I got there about 9:30 a.m. for the 11 a.m. start.  We got to see the three planes from the Air Force fly overhead, but it was a seconds' only viewing since the trees obscured most of the flyovers and the planes flew not up Constitution, which would have been really cool, but across Constitution near the Potomac River before the parade's starting point at 18th/Photo by Patricia Leslie
 One of several "Ovechkin for President" signs seen at the Washington Capitals Championship Parade, June 12, 2018. /Photo by Patricia Leslie
This was not the only "Ovechkin for President" sign seen at the Washington Capitals Championship Parade June 12, 2018. /Photo by Patricia Leslie
Famed announcer Joe Beninati in Washington Capitals Championship Parade, June 12, 2018/Photo by Patricia Leslie
The Eastern High School Marching Band in the Washington Capitals Championship Parade, June 12, 2018/Photo by Patricia Leslie
Capitals team members Andre Burakovsky #65, Parker Milner #33, and Brett Connolly #10 in the Washington Capitals Championship Parade, June 12, 2018/Photo by Patricia Leslie
Capitals team member Phillipp Grubauer #31 at the front of the bus in the Washington Capitals Championship Parade, June 12, 2018/Photo by Patricia Leslie
Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser threw out the first pitch in the Washington Capitals Championship Parade, June 12, 2018/Photo by Patricia Leslie
The Budweiser Clydesdales in the Washington Capitals Championship Parade, June 12, 2018. Thanks to Budweiser's sponsorship of the parade/Photo by Patricia Leslie
 The Budweiser mascot and fire truck in the Washington Capitals Championship Parade, June 12, 2018/Photo by Patricia Leslie
 Capitals team member T.J. Oshie #77 with his daughter on far left and teammate Alex Chiasson #39, and ? in the Washington Capitals Championship Parade, June 12, 2018/Photo by Patricia Leslie
 Capitals team member T.J. Oshie #77 with his daughter and ? in the Washington Capitals Championship Parade, June 12, 2018/Photo by Patricia Lesli
 Capitals team member T.J. Oshie #77 with his daughter and ? in the Washington Capitals Championship Parade, June 12, 2018/Photo by Patricia Lesli
 Capitals team member T.J. Oshie #77 with his daughter and teammate Alex Chiasson #39 in the Washington Capitals Championship Parade, June 12, 2018/Photo by Patricia Lesli
Members of the Ballou High School Marching Band in the Washington Capitals Championship Parade, June 12, 2018/Photo by Patricia Lesli
 Capitals team member Lars Eller #20 in the Washington Capitals Championship Parade, June 12, 2018/Photo by Patricia Leslie
 Another bus in the Washington Capitals Championship Parade, June 12, 2018/Photo by Patricia Leslie
 Another bus in the Washington Capitals Championship Parade, June 12, 2018. They've been here since 1974/Photo by Patricia Leslie
 Members of the Washington, D.C. Fire Department's Pipes & Drums, in the Washington Capitals Championship Parade, June 12, 2018/Photo by Patricia Leslie
That's Coach Barry Trotz on the far right with Capitals team member Jakub Vrana #13. It seemed weird that Trotz was not riding on the last bus with Capitals owner Ted Leonsis and the Capitals' captain and alternate captains, but maybe not so weird since Trotz is in the catbird seat and can ride wherever he wants to ride in the Washington Capitals Championship Parade, June 12, 2018.  We hope you stay, Coach Trotz!  Update: June 18, 2018:  With Trotz' announced departure (sad face!), his ride on the Not Number One Bus is not so surprising,  I guess, but as my aunt used to always say:  Always go out on top and Trotz did just that.  Fare thee well, Coach Trotz.  I hope your team wins the Stanley next year to show these snide Snyder Cap owners you were the best and well worth the money.  Let them have their assistant coach.  You think he'll get to the playoffs?  Naaaaaahhhhhh.  For one shining moment, the Caps were on top in D.C.  In less than a week, it's over/Photo by Patricia Leslie
Capitals Coach Barry Trotz and team member Jakub Vrana  #13, in the Washington Capitals Championship Parade, June 12, 2018/Photo by Patricia Leslie
"Slapshot" drove his own vehicle in the Washington Capitals Championship Parade, June 12, 2018/Photo by Patricia Leslie
 Here comes the last bus with the team captain Alex Ovechkin hoisting the Stanley Cup with a little help from alternate captain Nicklas Backstrom in the Washington Capitals Championship Parade, June 12, 2018/Photo by Patricia Leslie
The last bus with the team captain Alex Ovechkin at the front with the Stanley Cup and (on Ovechkin's right) alternate captains, Nicklas Backstrom and Brooks Orpik.  Capitals owner Ted Leonsis is on Ovechkin's left and that may be Ovechkin's wife at the corner of the bus next to Leonsis  in the Washington Capitals Championship Parade, June 12, 2018/Photo by Patricia Leslie
The last bus with the team captain Alex Ovechkin at the front with the Stanley Cup and (on Ovechkin's right) alternate captains, Nicklas Backstrom and Brooks Orpik.  Capitals owner Ted Leonsis is on Ovechkin's left and that may be Ovechkin's wife at the corner of the bus next to Leonsis  in the Washington Capitals Championship Parade, June 12, 2018/Photo by Patricia Leslie
 Alternate captain Brooks Orpik #44, hangs off the back of the last bus in the Washington Capitals Championship Parade, June 12, 2018.  To his left is alternate captain Nicklas Backstrom #19/Photo by Patricia Leslie
 Hoisting the Stanley Cup again in the Washington Capitals Championship Parade, June 12, 2018.  Every time it went up, the the screams from the crowds went up/Photo by Patricia Leslie
 The last bus in the Washington Capitals Championship Parade, June 12, 2018/Photo by Patricia Leslie
 The last bus in the Washington Capitals Championship Parade, June 12, 2018/Photo by Patricia Leslie
 Alex Ovechkin hoists the Stanley Cup on Constitution Avenue behind the White House in the Washington Capitals Championship Parade, June 12, 2018. It was fitting that he raised the Cup at the White House when several "Ovechkin for President" signs were seen during the day at the parade. If Trump thinks Ovechkin is competitive, Trump might start calling Ovechkin bad words like he uses for everybody else.  No, wait, Ovechkin is Russian.  Never mind/Photo by Patricia Leslie
 Alex Ovechkin hoists the Stanley Cup on Constitution Avenue behind the White House in the Washington Capitals Championship Parade, June 12, 2018/Photo by Patricia Leslie
 Looking towards the corner of Constitution Avenue and 15th during the Washington Capitals Championship Parade, June 12, 2018/Photo by Patricia Leslie
 On the National Mall after the Capitals Championship Parade, June 12, 2018/Photo by Patricia Leslie
 On the National Mall after the Capitals Championship Parade, June 12, 2018/Photo by Patricia Leslie
T.J. Oshie, Nicklas Backstrom, and Braden Holtby on the big screen on the National Mall after the Capitals Championship Parade, June 12, 2018/Photo by Patricia Leslie
Captain Alex Ovechkin raises the Stanley Cup again to the delight of the hundreds of thousands of fans on the National Mall after the Capitals Championship Parade, June 12, 2018/Photo by Patricia Leslie

Thursday, June 7, 2018

You don't have to be Jewish to love Herndon's 'Bad Jews'

The cast in NextStop Theatre's, Bad Jews, from left, Noah Schaefer, Elizabeth Kate Vinarski, Sophie Schulman, and Vitaly Mayes/Photo, Lock and Company

I loved these Bad Jews, and at the end, the single word which popped into my mind as emotions swept me, was "powerful" which was the word a woman two seats away said out loud.

If two of us think so, it's got to be.

Three cousins meet in New York after their grandfather's death to try and sort things out.

In one corner of the boxing ring stands Daphna (Sophie Schulman), the wicked witch of the show whose mouth runs negative non-stop, and on the other side is Cousin Liam (Noah Schaefer), equally as domineering and loudmouthed, although kinder and gentler, qualities which Daphna has no knowledge nor possession

To convey some idea of the power of the script and director's Cristina Alicea's skill with Ms. Schulman, it takes just a short while for the audience to develop intense dislike of Daphna and increasing astonishment over her choice of words.

What happened to her?  Was she ever loved by anyone?  Has she ever loved? Liam wants to know.

Just like a dog (but not a Golden Retriever), Daphna constantly grooms her hair all over the place, spinning her web and taking ownership.  Liam complains.

Where is the vacuum? And the civility?

Liam's discourse is spellbinding, such that I hoped his head's protruding blood vessels did not explode when he did.

Adding balance and levity to the scenery are Liam's brother, Jonah (Vitaly Mayes), and Liam's girlfriend, Melody (Elizabeth Kate Vinarski) who is as pretty as her name implies, with all the freshness and innocence of a blooming yellow rose, in contrast to a suffocating insecticide.  (Kind of like the Good Witch and the Bad Witch in the Wizard of Oz, or Melanie and Scarlett in Gone With the Wind, although Scarlett to Daphna is baking soda to cayenne pepper.)

Bad Jews takes place in a contemporary studio apartment right on Riverside Drive which overlooks the Hudson, with stylish kitchen, entryway, living area, and ceiling and hallway lighting to easily divide transitions and script. (Kudos to scenic designer Jack Golden and lighting designer Sarah Tundermann.)

Costume designer Kristina Martin dresses Daphna all in black, of course (at least, to start the fireworks which glow better in the night) which match Daphna's hair color.

Since many of the lines seem to be lifted from our national dialogue and chieftain, I imagined that playwright Joshua Harmon wrote it within the last year, however, it opened off-Broadway in 2012, and he wrote it the year before.     

The dark comedy is filled with messages which hit us in the gut and remind us what it's all about.
I imagine many of us have a Daphna in our midst, or a variation of her (why is it always the woman?) which made me happy at the end, knowing my family is not quite as bad as Liam and Daphna's. We mostly treat each other with respect because, like my mother used to say:  If you can't say something nice, then don't say anything at all.

This NextStop Theatre production continues to strengthen Herndon's growing reputation as a suburban center for professional theatre in Washington.

Other Bad Jews crew members are: Caitlin M. Caplinger, assistant director; Jonathan Powers, sound designer and composer; Laura M. Moody, stage manager;
Kristen Hunter Fitzgerald, assistant stage manager; Sarah Kamins, properties designer; Casey Kaleba, fight choreographer; and master electricians,
Jonathan Abolins and Maeve Nash 

What: Bad Jews


When: Thursday through Saturday nights at 8 p.m. and Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. through June 17, 2018. A Saturday  matinee will be presented at 2 p.m., June 9.

Where: NextStop Theatre Company, 269 Sunset Park Drive, Herndon, VA 20170 in the back right corner of Sunset Business Park, near the intersection of Spring Street/Sunset Hills Road. Right off the Fairfax County Parkway. A wee big hard to find on a first visit, so allow an extra 15 minutes. The program notes that GPS map systems often give incorrect driving directions once inside the Sunset Business Park. From the "Taste of the World" restaurant, circle counter-clockwise around the building and look for maroon awning.
 

Free parking: Available near the door.

Admission: Tickets are $35.

Duration: About 90 minutes without intermission
 

Language rating:  X, like Samantha Bee's and plenty of it

Sex and skin:   None

For more information: 703-481-5930 info@nextstoptheatre.org

patricialesli@gmail.com




































































































































Tuesday, June 5, 2018

Women composers featured at free noontime concert, June 6, St. John's, Lafayette Square


Composer, organist, and teacher Margaret Vardell Sandresky of Winston-Salem, N.C.

Selections by three women composers are the program for a free concert Wednesday, June 6, at St. John's Episcopal Church, Lafayette Square beginning at 12:10 p.m.

The three composers are  
Grażyna Bacewicz (1909–1969) from Poland, Clara Schumann (1819–1896) from Germany, and a living artist, Margaret Vardell Sandresky (b. 1921) from Salem College, Winston-Salem, N.C. 

The U.S. Air Force Strings under the direction of
First Lieutenant Philip Emory will perform Symphony for String Orchestra (Bacewicz), followed by organist Ilono Kubiaczyk-Adler to play Prelude and Fugue in B-flat major, Op. 16 No. 2 (Schumann) and Dialogues for Organ and Strings (Sandresky).
Organist Ilono Kubiaczyk-Adler



 

Dr. Kubiaczyk-Adler began studying piano at age 8 in her native Poland and started organ studies at 16. A winner of national and international competitions, she holds a doctorate in musical arts (Arizona State University), two master's degrees, and professional diplomas. She is the associate music director at All Saints Episcopal Church in Phoenix.

Lt. Emory is a flight commander based in Washington, who began violin studies at age 4. He holds a master's degree in conducting from the University of South Carolina and has traveled the world as an artist.

                     
St. John's Episcopal Church, Washington, D.C./Photo by Patricia Leslie

Wednesday's performances will conclude St. John's First Wednesday series for the year.  Look for an announcement of next year's artists and save first Wednesdays on your calendar.

St. John's was founded in 1815 and is known to Washington residents as the yellow church at Lafayette Square. It's often called the “Church of the Presidents” since beginning with James Madison, who was president from 1809 to 1817, every president has attended services at the church, and several have been members. A plaque at the rear of St. John's designates the pew where President Abraham Lincoln often sat when he stopped by the church during the Civil War.

Benjamin Latrobe, known as the "father of American architecture" and the architect of the U.S. Capitol Building and the White House porticos, designed St. John's Church in the form of a Greek cross.

The church bell, weighing almost 1,000 pounds, was cast by Paul Revere's son, Joseph, in August, 1822, and was hung at St. John's that November where it has rung since. Wikipedia says two accounts report that whenever the bell rings on the occasion of the death of a notable person, six male ghosts appear at the president's pew at midnight and quickly disappear.

Dolley Madison, wife of President Madison, was baptized and confirmed at St. John's, according to the National Park Service, which calls the church "one of the few original remaining buildings left near Lafayette Park today."

For those on lunch break Wednesday, food trucks are located at Farragut Square, two blocks away.

What: First Wednesday Concert featuring
music by women composers by organist Ilono Kubiaczyk-Adler and the U.S. Air Force Strings 
 
When: 12:10 p.m., June 6, 2018

Where: St. John’s, Lafayette Square, 1525 H Street, NW, at the corner of 16th, Washington, D.C. 20005

How much: No charge

Duration: About 35 minutes

Wheelchair accessible

Metro stations: McPherson Square (White House exit), Farragut North, or Farragut West

For more information:
Contact Michael Lodico at 202-270-6265 or Michael.Lodico@stjohns-dc.org or 202-347-8766
 
patricialesli@gmail.com

Sunday, June 3, 2018

'Most Boring' Oscar goes to 'Let the Sunshine In'


"Sunshine"? What "sunshine"? The "sunshine" done got let out of this movie, as in, it's always cloudy in these parts.  Or nighttime and dark, dark, dark.

Where did they come up with this misnomer?  I've got a better title: Purposeless Woman Rolls In and Out.  

This is a slow-go, pitiful excuse for a movie with just one single piece of redeeming social value, namely the recording of Etta James' "At Last" sung while the "heroine" (Juliette Binoche) dances solo, soon joined on the dance floor by a nameless buck who looks a lot like Mick Jagger (okay, two pieces of "redeeming social value").


Other than that two-minute splice, this ain't got nuthin' goin' for it. (A double negative which means a positive, but in this case, it's a double negative.)

"Isabelle" rolls in and out of bed with:

1. A married sleezebag who bears a resemblance to Harvey Weinstein. (Come on!)
2. An actor who "has regrets" (sure, bro') since he's breaking up with his wife
3.  I lost count.  I think Mick Jagger was about #7.
4.  Her ex 
5.
6.
7. (Maybe Mick?)
8.
9.
10. zzzzzzzz .....zzzzzzzzzz
ad infinitum

At the end, my pal, Terry, woke up from a two-hour nap just in time to ask: "Where'd the black dude come from?"  Who knows?  I didn't think I fell asleep, too, but maybe I got in some shuteye, because suddenly, on her elbow Isabelle had grown a new beau who wanted to take it "slow."  


Yeah, right. "Slow" like in this excuse for a movie!  This was actually worse than that dreadful cat movie of several years ago, and it has got to be really bad to exceed that one in boringness.

Save your money and your time. This got an 85% critics' rating at Rotten Tomatoes (natch; their rating is why I went!) and the audience gave it a 22%!  The audience always wins which just goes to show you that Rotten Tomatoes has gone rancid on us.

patricialesli@gmail.com