Supermarkets are a fount of inspiration for Catillation. Here’s a collection of the weirder movie tie-in products I’ve noticed in Harris Teeter and Giant lately.
Wakanda Forever, Even If It Never Was
I’m a little tardy in posting about the Dozen Cousins products, so they are probably no longer available in HT. As with so many of these tie-ins, they’re ephemeral, cynical cash-grabs, or maybe (if you have an exaggerated sense of the absurd as I suspect I do), the ultimate ironic hipster statements.
White Rice for the Black Panther
There were two products from A Dozen Cousins on offer: “Wakandan Coconut Rice” and “Wakandan Jerk Seasoning” and who’s to say they’re not? I can report on the taste of the Coconut Rice sauce mix only because I found a few packets on the reduced rack a week or so after I took this picture. It was mild to the point of unobtrusiveness.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Petits-Fours
This display wins the prize for most cognitive dissonance in a movie tie-in for this year, hands-down. “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Mutant Mayhem Cake Bites” conjure visions of the Turtles sitting down to tea: cucumber sandwiches (with the crusts cut off), crumpets with clotted cream perhaps, Earl Grey tea (hot), and a lovely assortment of dainty little one-bite iced cake morsels. I could kind of see myself eating one, if I closed my eyes against the green icing, but HT hasn’t reduced them yet.
Green Cake for Ninja Turtles
Ready for Their Close-Up
Here’s a question: can the Mutant Turtles raise their pinkies as they drink their tea? Which segues nicely into:
The Pink Swoozes Into Giant Food
And finally, a Barbie tie-in: a display of “Barbie x Swoon Barbie Pink Lemonade” greets shoppers in the Giant lobby. I’d never heard of this brand of monk fruit-sweetened drink, and I’m already tired of Barbie references (full disclosure: I haven’t seen the movie yet, but I’m planning to soon). But there was one can perched pertly on the reduced rack, only slightly dented, so I sprang for it.
You Would Think It Was Pink
But You Would Be Incorrect.
The first thing you notice is that the drink isn’t pink, although the ingredients list includes strawberry juice and “vegetable juice (for color).” It tasted nothing like lemonade, pink or any other color, and had an off-putting chemical aroma, matched by the taste. I wouldn’t willingly drink it again. Maybe monk fruit is an acquired taste? This is one piece of ephemera I won’t miss a bit when it’s gone.
There I was at the Olney Farmers Market, chatting with Tom Farquhar of Sandy Spring Gardens, one of our organic growers, discussing tomatoes. He mentioned a theory of his, about why field-grown tomatoes taste better than those grown in greenhouses or high tunnels. I’d heard it before, but it has more credence coming from a farmer: the stress field-grown tomatoes encounter from changes in temperature, moisture and sunshine combine to make them tastier than those that lead a comparatively pampered life.
He offered me two examples of a variety called Cherokee Carbon to taste-test myself, one field-raised and one from indoors, on the condition that I report the results back to him. Now, I’d be the first to admit that this tiny sample of test subjects (two), and experimenter (one) is highly unscientific. But was I about to refuse two free tomatoes? No, I was not.
The Contenders, with My Field Notes
First, though, a little background. Although I’d long been acquainted with one of the parents of this hybrid heirloom, the Cherokee Purple, the other was new to me. A little googling showed me that I’m not as up on my heirlooms as I thought I was. Carbon is not some brand-new discovery. The Cherokee Carbon is available from a bunch of growers, and comes highly recommended. Here is the description from the Gardens Alive! site:
A cross between two heirlooms, Cherokee Purple and Carbon Tomatoes, Cherokee Carbon Hybrid Tomato is one of the best-flavored tomatoes we’ve tasted. The 10-12 ounce, purple beefsteak fruits have a wonderfully complex flavor. They’re excellent for eating fresh and tomato sandwiches. A 2005 “Heirloom Garden Show” best-tasting tomato award winner, Cherokee Carbon is an early variety that produces high yields of fruits with less cracking and blemishing. The indeterminate plants grow 5-7 feet tall and require staking. 75 to 80 days to maturity.
So they’ve been around since at least 2005. What have I been missing?
The tomatoes Tom gave me could be described as “ugly,” which we cognoscenti know is just a synonym for “much tastier than big, unblemished, bright red fruit.” They were on the small side according to the Gardens Alive! description, weighing in at 4-5 ounces each. They were also dead ripe, begging to be eaten right away, so I got to it.
Each Cut in Half
And in Bite-Size Pieces
I just used a sprinkle of salt over all, and consumed each piece, alternating the test subjects. They were both delicious. I would welcome either one as part of a sandwich, salad or just on its own. But as for which tasted better? At least for these two individual fruits, the field-grown tomato had more complexity of taste, a greater depth of flavor, than the other. You’re right, Tom! Field-grown is the winner!
Mess Hall is not easy to get to by Metro. You get off the train at Rhode Island Avenue and cross the tracks on a graffiti-covered pedestrian bridge, then walk along the Metropolitan Branch Trail, jog left at the brewery, traverse an alley not yet fully converted from its erstwhile industrial life, and end up at a former warehouse with MESS HALL painted in large, friendly letters on its brick wall. The line down the block is the tip-off.
I had been aware of Mess Hall for some time. It’s a communal space for the development of small food businesses. It provides access to an affordable commercial kitchen for startups, ghost kitchens, the development of restaurant concepts, a base for food trucks, and an event space for food and beverage related pop-ups, takeovers, markets, festivals, and parties. Like this one.
This last version of New Kitchens on the Block was the ninth opportunity to try the wares of a slew of emerging eateries all at once. There were samples of food served along with signature cocktails or beer from each. All the food was tasty. While some of the stations were equally balanced with food and drinks, others seemed to put less thought into the liquid portion than the solid.
The spring weather was nice enough for folks to spill out into the alley to eat, drink, and schmooze, which was a good thing, as the inside space was a smidge small for the crowd.
Eating and Waiting in Line
Sitting and Eating Inside
And Outside, Eating and Schmoozing
Here are my admittedly subjective impressions of the food, in no particular order:
San Pancho by David Perez and Carolina McCandless of Cielo Rojo: We’ve had delicious food at Cielo Rojo, a hole-in-the-wall in Takoma Park, when we could get in, so I was delighted to learn that it will be moving to a larger space down the block. San Pancho will replace it in the old space. At NKOTB, two kinds of burrito were on offer: chicken with 30-ingredient mole sauce (impressive), or vegan with house-made tofu chorizo (meh), paired with mezcal and jamaica agua fresca-based margaritas (yum!).
San Pancho Station
The line for San Pancho was much longer than for the two stations flanking it. Both of those happened to feature raw fish. Did this reflect the taste preferences of the audience? Never mind, more fish for me!
One of those fish stations was Two Nine Omakase, offering cured salmon with poi vinaigrette, and a fruity cocktail with District Made vodka. How do you incorporate poi into vinaigrette? Maybe it’s better not to ask! Anyway, it was delicious.
Salmon Ready for Its Closeup
Two Nine Plating
Urai was the third station of this trio, offering scallop crudo garnished with borage flowers. “Borage for courage,” counseled the old herbals, and I nominate Urai for some of the tastiest, as well as prettiest, food. Their cocktail was right on point as well: fruity, and garnished with more edible flowers.
Still the Prettiest!
Photogenic Drinks
Mallard (ham hock), Alfreda (pepperoni balls), Mahal (pork belly) and Elena James (corned beef prime rib with blue cheese!) all offered meaty bites. Also, a Korean BBQ Concept by Kevin Tien. And now I have to admit that my notes failed me. If he revealed the name of his new place at NKOTB, I didn’t catch it. Sorry!
Mahal’s Meaty Station
Elena James Station
Elena James Meaty Plate
But I can reveal the name of Matt Baker’s new venture: it’s Non Se, and he was passing out plates of Chilled Mussel and Shrimp Salad accompanied by Gin and “Chef’d Up” Tonic. At that point, I had reached my alcohol limit, so I can’t render my opinion of the drink, but it did use District Made gin, so it had to be good. The seafood salad, with a piquillo vinaigrette, was a delicious dish to wrap up my tour of the District’s edgiest new eateries.
Chef Matt Baker and His Sous
I’m already looking forward to the next iteration of NKOTB, and to exploring the services of Mess Hall.
The geography of the stage provides a schematic of the moral landscape in August Wilson’s Radio Golf, now playing at Round House Theatre. As the opening action (set in a new real estate development office): at stage left, Harmond Wilks (Jaben Early) hangs a portrait of Martin Luther King, Jr. over his desk; stage right, his business partner, Roosevelt Hicks (Ro Boddie), enshrines his hero, Tiger Woods.
Now that the two main characters have staked out positions on opposing ethical compass points, the action of the play presents a series of moral choices embodied by Wilks’ wife, Mame (Renee Elizabeth Wilson), local resident Joseph Barlow (Craig Wallace), and a carpenter, Sterling Johnson (Kevin Mambo).
Ro Boddie (Roosevelt Hicks) and JaBen Early (Harmond Wilks) in August Wilson’s Radio Golf at Round House Theatre. Photo by Margot Schulman Photography
Elder Barlow claims the last house standing in the way of an ambitious urban renewal project which Harmond has worked for years to bring to this Pittsburgh neighborhood. All he needs is the official designation of “blight” to begin demolition. Barlow, however, insists the house’s deed has never been transferred. His position as the presenter of a moral dilemma drives Harmond’s exploration of the somewhat shady dealings involved in the property transfer for the development. Will Barlow accept belated payment to clear up the issue and let demolition go forward? No, he won’t.
Johnson also has a connection to the condemned house, but he is a less-vivid character than Barlow. Although he represents a slightly different angle of argument for preservation, both Barlow and Johnson firmly occupy center stage. Mame Wilks, underutilized as Harmond’s wife, bears some of the consequences of Harmond’s (not yet reified) decision, but ultimately decides to trust him to make the right one.
As for Roosevelt Hicks, his avarice – symbolized by worship of Tiger and all things golf – drives his deals with wealthy White millionaires as the front (“blackface”) for their schemes for Federal tax benefits to buy radio stations, as well as his blinkered version of Harmond’s dilemma. He sees no advantage in allowing that historic house to stand.
Now, which will be the greater good: new housing, a Whole Foods Market and Barnes and Noble (oh, pangs of nostalgia for when a bookstore was a name to conjure with!), or the preservation of a rundown but fundamentally sound old house? Seemingly-eternal questions of gentrification vs. preservation are not going to be settled by a two-hour play, but I guarantee you will be both entertained and provoked to thought by this excellently written and acted production.
Cast and Crew Pose for a Group Picture
Round House has once again developed a cafe menu tailored for this production. There are only a few direct mentions of food in Radio Golf, but the food and beverage manager, Frank Manganello, has made the most of them. An ode by one character to fried chicken has been transformed to BBQ Chicken Pierogi. Another, to bread pudding, has been transformed to (ahem) Bread Pudding.
On the beverage side, Mr. Manganello has sourced two wines from the McBride Sisters Winery. Robin and Andréa McBride had been raised apart, one in California and one in New Zealand, but decided to start a winery when reunited. They now run the largest Black-owned wine company in the United States.
And just for Opening Night, a surprise: the boring old dessert buffet was replaced by a Cookie Table! For this venerable Pittsburgh tradition, the dessert table at weddings and other festive events is supplied by celebrants bringing a variety of cookies. In Round House’s case, 35 varieties of cookie, 900 in all, were baked to order by Sunflower Bakery in Rockville. They train young adults and teens with learning differences in pastry arts, hospitality and related industries, and judging by these cookies, do an excellent job.
Nine Hundred Cookies
One of Everything!
Just a Few in Close-Up
I named sugar cookies, macaroons, brownies, blondies, chocolate chip (of course), jam thumbprints, rugalach, raspberry crumb bars, and others equally decadent and delicious. Gift bags were thoughtfully provided to take home (you can only eat so many cookies at once, after all!)
Radio Golf by August Wilson is playing at Round House Theatre through July 2, 2023.
And now I’m sorry I used “Anticipation” in the headline for my last post, because this Saturday’s event at Mess Hall in DC levels-up the feeling by about an order of magnitude!
New Kitchens on the Block will be an opportunity to get a taste of emerging restaurant concepts by some very successful chefs. It’s the ninth edition, and each iteration has had a new lineup. Here is this one’s:
A To-Be-Named Mediterranean Concept by Matt Baker (Gravitas, Michele’s) Mahal Afro-Filipino BBQ by Jerome Grant (Sweet Home Café, Dacha Restaurant Group) San Pancho by David Perez and Carolina McCandless (Cielo Rojo) A To-Be-Named Korean BBQ Concept by Kevin Tien (Moon Rabbit) Elena James by Colin McClimans and Danilo Simic (Opal, Nina May) Alfreda by Russell Smith (The Source, CUT by Wolfgang Puck) Mallard by Hamilton Johnson (Honeysuckle, American Son) Two Nine by Zach Ramos and Amy Phan (Ama Ami) Urai by Ben Plyraharn (Newland, Maketto)
There will also be beer by Right Proper Brewing Company, and cocktails powered by spirits provided by District Made Spirits.
It’s this Saturday, June 10, and tickets are being sold for two separate two-hour sessions; 12-2 p.m. and 3-5 p.m., at Mess Hall, 703 Edgewood St. NE, Washington, DC 20017; messhalldc.com
There are also a limited number of VIP tickets available, which include a bonus ticket to an exclusive afterparty at Right Proper’s Brookland Production House & Tasting Room, a short walk from Mess Hall.
For months now, two opening events have been eagerly awaited in these parts. Salt and Vine, the new restaurant in the Olney House, has been soft-opened for dinner for about a week. The other, Olney Winery in Ashton, now projects opening “sometime between June and July.”
Update on The Winery
The Olney Winery’s interior is just about finished. It has a neo-neon kind of vibe, thanks to some very cool backlighting behind the bottle racks in the front room. The new oven is up and cooking pizza. The chef, Tim Couzens, has developed a small menu of snacks designed to go well with wine.
Chef Tim and His Oven
Inside the Tasting Room
The Old House is New Again
Salt and Vine promises to raise the level of dining in this part of the county. The chef and owner, Tom Zeppelli, gave me a tour the other day and described the extensive renovations that were made to the historic structure, while remaining true to the nature of the property. Research revealed that the house once had a front porch, so it was reconstructed. Along with a large ground-level patio, it’s now one of several options for outside dining. There’s also a second-floor balcony around the back.
Front Façade with Patio and Porch
And More Outside Options Around the Back
The interior’s two stories have light-filled rooms (some fit for private dining) full of high-style, minimalist, but comfortable-looking furnishings.
For those of us who remember when Ricciuti’s occupied the space, there’s little left of the interior from those days except the wood-burning oven. “Don’t call it a pizza oven, because we are planning to use it for more than pizza,” said Chef Tom. And, indeed, there are only three pies on the menu, but many other courses, from antipasti to dessert.
The Wood-Fired Oven
Interior: Sleek But Comfortable
There is a full bar, and a wine program. “The wines are mostly Italian, except for Champagne,” said Tom. What about Prosecco? I asked. “Oh,” he said, “We have Prosecco on draft!”
I had never been to the Cherry Blossom Parade before, so I was looking forward to this year’s production – and the Sakura Matsuri was conveniently located a block away. Both were so full of sensation and sensory overload that it was quite an overwhelming day. The parade didn’t have much of a food connection, but the Matsuri made up for that.
No Food, Lots of Spectacle
The parade was a visual spectacle. From the press corral, we could see both the marching phase of each unit and the performance area in front of the viewing stand, where We Were On National Television!! So, here are some of my personal favorite highlights.
The press was invited to arrive early to capture some of the preparations, which allowed me to get a few candid shots. Rain had been forecast, but the parade had a postcard-perfect sky after a slight sprinkle.
My first experience of the day was running into a clutch of volunteers holding enormous cherry blossom balloons.
Cherry Blossom Pink Against the Sky
Being slightly early gave me a chance to watch workers pasting decals down on the street to mark the place for the performances,
The Streets Are Marked With Flowers
and to notice a flutter of girls in elaborate antebellum Southern belle costumes waiting to take part in the opening number.
The Mobile Azalea Trail Maids, Just Before Showtime
“Are you going to be dancing?” I asked one. “No,” she replied. “We’ll be promenading!” And so they did.
The Opening Number
There were many marching bands, interspersed with some unique and (my favorite) quirky groups. The parade Grand Marshals were Mickey and Minnie Mouse (take that, governor of Florida!) Among local shout-outs, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton riding in the car I have lusted after since I was a teenager, a worshipful company of Almas Shriners going from the sublime to the ridiculous, the Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps, and the DMV Onewheel Riders.
Don’t Mess with These Mice!
Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton in A Classic Mustang Convertible
Why DO They Like Those Funny Cars?
The 3rd United States Infantry Old Guard Fife & Drum Corps
The DMV Onewheel Riders and Their Little Dog, Too!
Several balloons made their appearance. My favorite was this Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle, although the program did not specify which Turtle it was. My daughter assures me it was Michelangelo.
Teenage Mutant Balloon
Japan was represented by several floats, two of which supported members of taiko drum groups. The Tamagawa University float stopped for a very brief but exciting number.
Drumming and Dancing
Among the several performances in front of the viewing stand, the standout had to be the dynamic singing and dancing of Michael James Scott, starring as the Genie in Aladdin at the National Theatre.
Michael James Scott Performs in Front of the Petal Porches Float
And did I mention quirky? (I mean, besides the Onewheelers.) The Gym Dandies Childrens Circus of Scarborough, ME wowed ’em with unicycle and balancing-ball acts. And guess who came along in a cherrypicker? My favorite park ranger, Superintendent Jeff Reinbold!
She’s Juggling While Hula Hooping and Balancing on a Big Ball, All At the Same TimeThat’s Superintendent Jeff Reinbold in the Bucket. I’m jealous of his ride, too.
And now I must confess that we had to leave early. A combination of hunger, too much sun, and the need for indoor plumbing drove us away and towards the National Gallery’s bathrooms. The last thing we saw as we crossed the street was a group of Metro pylons being positioned for the march. I guess they were going to promenade.
Pylons on Parade
Find Food (and Many Other Things) Here: The Sakura Matsuri
We headed straight for the food booths, with a stop at the gelato stand. Eat dessert first! Dolci Gelati (same as last year) was selling green tea and ginger flavors. Then we continued on to the taiyaki booth, which happily did not have as long a line as last year. We enjoyed ube- and pandan-custard flavors of the fish-shaped waffles.
Lunch!
The Matsuri itself, however, seemed lots more crowded than last year. As we made our way to the stage hosting the food demos, we encountered some impressive cosplayers. They were delighted to pose.
Anime Warrior
Another Anime Warrior
Elegant Gothic Lolitas
Koji. No, I didn’t know what it was either, but Robert Cabrales educated his audience on this traditional Japanese flavor enhancer. Made by fermenting rice and salt with aspergillus spores, there are many health benefits claimed for it, but Mr. Cabrales emphasized the qualities of tenderization and umami it imparts to proteins and other ingredients.
He began the demonstration by unpacking a huge tomahawk-cut steak which had been marinating in koji and placing it on a grill. Then, while the audience was tantalized by the aroma of sizzling meat, he explained how a koji marinade breaks down the tough elements and seasons the meat.
Robert Cabrales Unwraps the Steak
Cabrales Koji uses traditionally-crafted cedar boxes to ferment the rice, and does not add any other ingredients, such as sugar or alcohol, which might be found in commercial koji. It’s produced locally, in Virginia, and is available to order or at Rice Market in downtown DC.
The Steak Gets Its Close-up
Then, as they say, the proof was in the eating. That steak disappeared amid great appreciation.
And Meets its Destiny
Wandering through the Japan Smart Infrastructure Pavilion, there was yin to the yang of traditional food, a display featuring Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata and food eaten in space. Stewed chicken, beef curry, cooked plain rice, soy sauce: the pictures on the packages looked tasty. I’d like to try them someday, just in the interest of research.
As you ramble on through life, brother, Whatever be your goal, Keep your eye upon the doughnut, And not upon the hole. – The “Optimist’s Creed.”
It’s not easy following that advice while watching Jennifer Who Is Leaving, part of the New Play Festival at the Round House Theatre. Notwithstanding its setting in a hyperrealistic recreation of a somewhat seedy Dunkin’ Donuts location complete with the familiar stock, and its early section full of comic monologues, bratty old-fart behavior and antic dancing, it’s ultimately an unresolved problem play for all four of the characters.
I came into the theatre wondering if the other two cast members would be upstaged by the two veteran actors, Nancy Robinette (Nan) and Floyd King (Joey), but Kimberly Gilbert as Jennifer more than held her own. Annie Fang as Lili was also impressive in a smaller part, and impresses in her delivery of a monologue later in the play.
I watched Nan instruct her husband by phone on household matters and mop the floor to the tune of “Dancing Queen;” Joey act out as the obstreperous, wheelchair-using old guy afflicted with dementia; Jennifer pretend to cope with being employed as Joey’s caretaker while waiting for the tow truck for her broken van, and Lili obsess over her looming SAT’s (“I HAVE to get into Oberlin!!”) – all while admiring the skill of the actors and wondering where this play was headed.
But then it took a turn which changed the tone entirely. After a dual tirade about the unequal load assigned to women in marriage and the inadequacy, or unwillingness, of their husbands to help, Jennifer confesses that there is no tow truck coming. She had driven past her exit out of despair with her life and desperation to escape it. While Joey is locked in the bathroom, Jennifer begs Nan to help her, and Nan sacrifices her vacation fund and her ancient car to give Jennifer a 30-minute lead on lighting out for the territory. Whether this ploy will be successful, the audience is left to wonder.
Floyd King (Joey), Nancy Robinette (Nan), Kimberly Gilbert (Jennifer), and Annie Fang (Lili) in Jennifer Who Is Leaving at Round House Theatre. Photo by Margot Schulman.
Jennifer Who Is Leaving is playing at Round House in repertoire with On the Far End. Both are world premieres of works designed to provoke thought, and introspection, in the audience.
The Fourth Wall Bar and Café is featuring a menu designed to reflect the themes of both plays. Far End has a Native American focus, so there are dishes with New World ingredients such as cornbread, potatoes, chilis, and corn on offer. For Jennifer, set in New England, clam chowder, Boston cream pie, and cocktails with cranberries and coffee (for the late-night setting of the action) are featured. And, of course, donuts.
The Opening Night Crowd
Donut Holes for Everyone!
The Cast and Crew Pose for a Group Picture
Jennifer Who Is Leaving is playing at Round House Theatre through May 7.
While the blossoms at the Tidal Basin have come and gone, other, later blooming trees around town are still putting on a show. Even my chokecherry tree is looking especially good this year.
My Chokecherry Tree
And the Cherry Blossom Festival here in the Nation’s Capital still has many events scheduled. See the official website (https://nationalcherryblossomfestival.org/) for a full listing. I’m looking forward to the Parade and the Sakura Matsuri next Saturday.
There was a swell event held to kick off the beginning of the festivities. It began when the Mayor arrived on a cherry-pink bus, the culmination of a barnstorming tour of East Coast cities meant to raise the profile of The Most Incredibly Pink Tourist Attraction You Ever Saw (not the official motto).
Cheery Cherry BusHoopla for the Mayor
There were short speeches by dignitaries including Mayor Bowser; Diana Mayhew, President and CEO of the National Cherry Blossom Festival; and Koichi Ai, from the Embassy of Japan. Then the Big Reveal was presented by Jeff Reinbold, superintendent of the National Mall and Memorial Parks. He was assisted by a troupe of terrifically enthusiastic dancers known as Dance For Life, from Delaware. The dates had to be adjusted slightly because of the unusually warm weather, but that didn’t dampen anyone’s enthusiasm.
Her Honor
Diana Mayhew
Park Ranger Reinbold
The Blooming Dates Revealed
As a food writer, I was most impressed by the breakfast spread provided by the Conrad Washington, DC Hotel. The cupcakes, yogurt parfaits, fruit, and agua fresca, all in shades of the color of the day, were as delicious as they were attractive.
Cherry Colored Breakfast
And Coffee, of Course
The Cheery Agua Fresca
In the hallway, the dancers were posing in frames. On my way out, I passed them posing in front of the hotel sign in a very photogenic arrangement.
Pretty as Pictures!And In Front of the Hotel
Am I ever ready for the winter to be gone? Spring It On!
Well, as far as I’m concerned, the Olney Theater has been going about the advance publicity for A Nice Indian Boy the wrong way. Right up until last week (a few days before it opened), it was all about romantic comedy, inclusivity, and Indian wedding dancing.
And it is! But then they sent along a video to the mailing list of two actors eating samosas laced with hot sauce, and guess what? There’s lots of food and cooking involved, too. So of course I had to see and review it!
I was not disappointed. Even before the action begins, as the audience is finding their seats, cooking is happening on stage. As the aromas penetrate the Mulitz-Gudelsky stage (Olney’s black-box theater), the mood is set for exotic yet familiar attitudes and situations. The south Indian family faces the universal emotions involved in reconciling with a seemingly-unfit addition and a possibly disastrous subtraction. But I mentioned it’s a comedy, remember? So it all works out in the end. And the cast really gets a work-out in the end, as well.
Naveen (Carol Mazhuvancheril) and Keshav (Noah Israel) meet cute at the Hindu temple. Naveen’s parents are still getting used to having a gay son, so his new relationship might be seen as a test of their traditional attitudes towards a new addition to the family – but there’s an even further complication: Keshav, although raised by Indian parents and culturally assimilated (he speaks fluent Marathi), was adopted as a child. His dirty-blond hair and white skin make him a hard sell to Naveen’s folks, especially his father, Archit (Abhimanyu Katyal). But! They both love to cook! It could even be said that cooking is Archit’s love language.
Abhimanyu Katyal as Archit and Lynette Rathnam as Megha in “A Nice Indian Boy” at Olney Theatre Center. Photo credit: Ryan Maxwell Photography
Much tsoris and angst (all of it funny, some of it poignant) ensue as Archit and Megha (Lynette Rathnam) struggle with the gay coupling and their daughter Arundhathi’s (Jessica Jain) possible uncoupling from her conventional but unhappy marriage. The funny lines and thought-provoking ones fly at a pace that keeps us amused and thinking. The faintest hint of cultural appropriation, with echoes of Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, and wistful longing for unfulfilled aspirations, keep the action grounded.
Abhimanyu Katyal (Archit), and Noah Israel (Keshav) in “A Nice Indian Boy” at Olney Theatre Center. Photo credit: Ryan Maxwell Photography
Visual surprises abound, with clever staging tricks expanding the tight (almost claustrophobic) sets. The best gag is the refrigerator door which opens to reveal a Hindu temple – this works on several levels, subtly reinforcing the food:nurture:spirituality axis.
The pivotal scene of conciliation between Archit and Keshav comes over dinner preparation, with Keshav convincing Archit to try some new variations on the old traditional recipes. We can see Archit’s mind stretching to accept new variations on old living and loving arrangements, as well.
And then! The dancing! Need I mention the Best Song Oscar for the wedding dance scene in RRR? There may have only been five dancers, but the energy was proportionally equivalent. A wonderful finale to a wonderfully entertaining play.
A Nice Indian Boy plays at Olney Theatre Center through April 9. Olneytheatre.org
