Food and Spectating
It’s been quite a holiday week here in the snow-free mid-Atlantic. We celebrated Jewish Christmas with Chinese food at Peter Chang’s in Columbia, then saw Wicked: For Good, which was enjoyable, but paled in comparison to Hello, Dolly! at the Olney Theatre.
Honestly, if you want to be thoroughly charmed by a live production this season, I highly recommend this new staging of the classic Broadway musical. Most people (myself included) can sing at least a verse of the title song, but would be hard put to conjure up any other details of the play – the plot? Other musical numbers? Nope. But I couldn’t stop myself from smiling, cheering, and applauding all through this production.
The choreography is amazing, performed with charm and boundless energy; the singing is enchanting; the staging and costumes are spectacular. Nova Y. Payton is a knockout as Dolly, and every one of the supporting cast is top-notch. Go see it if you can; it’s playing through January 4.
Other Entertainment
I consider food shopping a form of entertainment, especially when I find products which appeal to my sense of the absurd. These are usually movie or other media tie-ins, which often have an air of desperation to them. This shelf of Wicked cake-pop/cupcake mixes is a prime example of the genre.
The gimmick to these mixes is that, until you buy them and cook them, you don’t know whether you are on Team Galinda or Team Elphaba. Pink or green? Either one would be equally unpalatable, IMHO.
So, wandering into Harris Teeter the day after Christmas, we were greeted with row after row of reduced-price leftovers, ranging from the sublime to the who-would-ever-buy-that?
I had no idea how diverse Hershey’s kisses had become until I saw these. Not to mention the variety of Reese’s and other kinds of chocolate.
But I did indulge in a box of discounted Lindor truffles and, Stop Press! A pair of gloves with little LED lights built in!! Now I can flash with the best of them!
My Neighborhood, and I’m Not Ashamed to Admit It
Two houses directly across the road from each other in Sandy Spring have indulged in rival displays. I don’t know them, so I can only speculate about the level of rivalry going on here, but you’ve got to give the award to the house with the Abominable Snowmonster.
Now, both these displays are lit at night (and the inflatables blown up), so the daytime pictures can’t show the full effect, but I’m not dedicated enough to brave the cold and dark. You’ll just have to imagine the lit Bumble (that’s the Snowmonster’s nickname, according to my daughter). Trust me, he’s impressive.