Monthly Archives: April 2014

Henry IV, parts 1 and 2 (Shakespeare Theatre)

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The Shakespeare Theatre in Washington, DC has been putting on Henry IV, parts 1 and 2 these past few weeks. We took our kids to see both performances, and here are our collective family thoughts.

For those unfamiliar with the plays, Henry IV has deposed (and probably killed) his cousin, Richard II and ascended the throne. His oldest son and heir, Prince Hal, carouses in taverns with Lord John Falstaff. The plays trace the growth and maturity of Prince Hal from “party animal” to king.

The second of the two plays is much more somber in tone, as Hal comes to terms with his responsibilities and sheds his old life and friends. Both plays are excellent productions. Edward Gero (who has played Scrooge in Ford’s Theatre’s annual production of “A Christmas Carol” for several years) is Henry IV. Stacy Keach plays Falstaff. Prince Hal is played by Matthew Amendt. The acting is well done and restrained. It is easy to play Falstaff as a caricature (and he is for much of Part 1), but his buffoonery is shown for the weakness it is in Part 2. Similarly, playing Prince Hal requires a deft touch so that you understand and appreciate the wild youth but also understand and appreciate the prince’s growth into a king. His role is the emotional linchpin of both plays. Henry IV is seen initially in Part 1 as a strong and decisive ruler, and it is only in Part 2 that you see the unease and insecurity of a man who won the throne by force as opposed to inheriting it.

Our fifteen year old daughter much preferred Part 1 over Part 2. In fact, she completely disagreed with Prince Hal’s decision to turn his back on his old friends and banish Falstaff. The drunken carouser was much more interesting to her than the responsible king. <sigh>

Our twelve year old son also preferred Part 1—mainly because there was a battle scene in it. He liked the broad comedic value of Falstaff (which mostly vanishes in Part 2). Much of the issues of responsibility and maturity went over his head, but shedding friends is not his style, and he also disapproved of Prince Hal for doing so.

Jim and I generally preferred Part 2 over Part 1. The coming-of-age theme resonated with us in a way that it understandably did not with our children. This was an extremely well done production, and we highly recommend seeing it.

Awesome Con 2014

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Because Jim and I are awesome parents, we took the kids to Awesome Con at the Washington Convention Center on Sunday, April 20. This was an interesting sociological event. Awesome Con is unlike Star Trek conventions, which are dedicated to one show (more or less) and are totally obsessed by that one narrative (not that I’m admitting to having gone to Star Trek conventions, mind you).

Awesome Con 2014

Awesome Con 2014

Awesome Con is mainly devoted to Dr. Who fans (or Whovians, as they like to be called) but there are also some Star Wars, Disney, and Sherlock (the BBC version) fandoms there as well. We saw a trio costumed from the Disney movie “Up” (Kevin—the bird, Russell, and the Ed Asner character), lots of Dalek and Dr. Who costumes, and the occasional convention-as-an-excuse-to-dress-in-skimpy-outfits costumes.

We also saw J. August Richards, better known as Mike Peterson/Deathlok in the television show “Agents of Shield.” He could not have been nicer, chatted with the kids, told us that his makeup took 2 hours to put on and ½ hour to take off.

Jade with August Richards (aka Deathlok)

Jade with August Richards (aka Deathlok)

Marcus with August Richards (aka Deathlok)

Marcus with August Richards (aka Deathlok)

We really had a lovely time at Awesome Con (well, maybe the kids and I had a nicer time than Jim, who is not as enamored of the nerd crowd as the rest of us). It was certainly a unique, although fun, way to spend Easter Sunday!

Hope all of you had a lovely Easter as well! (Although not necessarily at Awesome Con.) 🙂

Book Review: The Last Lion, Volume 3 by William Manchester & Paul Reid

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The Last Lion 3: Winston Spencer Churchill: Defender of the Realm, 1940-65The Last Lion 3: Winston Spencer Churchill: Defender of the Realm, 1940-65 by William R. Manchester

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

William Manchester wrote the first two volumes of his planned Winston Churchill biography (The Last Lion: Visions of Glory and The Last Lion: Alone) before suffering several strokes that resulted in his inability to continue writing. This third volume was written by Paul Reid based on Manchester’s notes and research and covers Churchill’s life starting with his return from political exile during World War II to his death.
In some ways, Paul Reid had an impossible task. William Manchester was a lyrical writer, a master of prose, who managed the near impossible feat of making non-fiction as much of a pleasure and as easy to read as fiction. Fans of the first two volumes were eagerly awaiting the final volume, which cover the events of World War II that made Churchill’s reputation.
While this final volume is not as beautifully written as the first two, the exhaustive research and the compelling world events make this volume almost as readable as its predecessors. While I may have some quibbles with the author’s interpretation of events (I think, for example, that he is unnecessarily harsh in his characterization of Clementine, Winston’s wife), the judgments are always based on factual evidence, and reasonable minds can differ over interpretation.
For some reason, Americans have always held Winston Churchill in higher esteem than the British. This biography does not flinch away from some of Churchill’s less endearing characteristics nor does it plunge into hero worship. It manages to walk the fine line of recognizing the subject’s faults while also acknowledging the debt that is owed to him.
I highly recommend this trilogy for anyone who wants to learn more about Winston Churchill and his role during a pivotal time in world history.

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Children’s Ball 2014

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The Children’s Ball, a fundraiser to benefit the Children’s National Medical Center, was held on Friday, April 11 at the Ritz-Carlton in Washington, DC. The Ball was co-chaired by Yousef and Abeer Al-Otaiba (the UAE Ambassador and his wife) and Amy and Bret Baier.  There were over 900 people in attendance with a lengthy waitlist as well.

Thanks to the wonderful co-chairs, the Ball broke a DC fundraising record and raised $10.7 million for Children’s National Medical Center. The live auction included a Labrador puppy (which our children were strictly banned from bidding on).  Yousef announced at the end of the live auction that he had called the Crown Prince of the UAE and the Foreign Minister on his way to the event, and both agreed to contribute $1 million each.  And as a final surprise for the guests, Jennifer Hudson performed for the crowd, including a stunning rendition of one of my favorite songs, Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen (better known as one of the songs on the Shrek soundtrack).  🙂

Jim is Chair of the CNMC Board of Directors for another 2 months and 9 days, and this is one of our favorite events of the year.

Here is our family at the Ball:

Children's Ball 2014

Children’s Ball 2014

The kids also got to invite their friends. Here is our daughter’s group (minus one):

Jade & her friends

Jade & her friends at Children’s Ball 2014

And here is our son’s group of friends:

Marcus & his friends

Marcus & his friends

You can learn more about Children’s National Medical Center at www.cnmc.org.

Spring Break in the United Arab Emirates

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The UAE might come across as a strange choice for a spring break destination, but we chose it for several reasons.  First, it’s a warm climate destination and after the winter we’ve had, none of us had any desire to go somewhere cold.  Second, we thought it would be a good experience for the kids.  We go annually to Asia and the last several spring breaks, we’ve covered the major European cities.  So, we thought this would be an excellent opportunity to experience a very different culture.  (And, did I mention it would be warm?)

You can find out more about what we saw and did in the UAE Travel Tome (and in the Travel section of the page).

Our impressions of the UAE were uniformly positive.  The residents are extremely friendly and helpful.  They are intent on making sure you are enjoying yourself and that your needs have been met.  It’s also a family-based culture, so kids are welcomed just about anywhere.  And the UAE is very much an open and tolerant culture, not uniformly true across the Gulf.  The Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi, in addition to being a stunningly beautiful mosque, is an extremely welcoming mosque, where the staff eagerly answers any questions you may have about Islam or the mosque.

Grand Mosque

Grand Mosque

Grand Mosque

Grand Mosque

And there really isn’t anything you can’t get in the UAE as an expat.  Even pork products are available at certain grocery chains in a separate section that is clearly labeled for non-Muslims.  🙂

Pork products for sale!

Pork products for sale!

There are a few drawbacks.  While women wear the abaya (the head-to-toe covering) out of choice and not out of requirement, it is still a male-centric culture.  An American expat we know—a divorced mother who is single parenting her two children—mentioned how difficult it is to get visas for her children because she is sponsoring them, not the father.  There also is a clear division between the Emiratis and “the help.”  The non-Emiratis—the Filipinos, Pakistanis, Malaysians, etc. who help make the country operate—are treated very much as second class citizens.  We were clearly labeled Americans as we happily chatted with drivers, security guards, and any other friendly staff members.  And there is the necessity of being the biggest, the largest, the tallest, the most over-the-top of everything.  I understand the need to forge a national consciousness and national identity for a country that was formed in 1971.  But it can be wearing, after a while, especially after chatting with a Filipino driver who hasn’t seen his two sons in over 2 years because he can’t afford to fly back to the Philippines to see them.

Overall, though, we had a fabulous trip, gained much in the way of new experiences, and had a wonderful time!

Burj Khalifa

Burj Khalifa

swimming with the dolphins in Atlantis Dubai

swimming with the dolphins in Atlantis Dubai

 

Be Our Guest restaurant (Disneyworld)

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One of the newest restaurants in the Magic Kingdom in Disneyworld is the Be Our Guest restaurant, located in the Beast’s castle in the new part of Fantasyland.  We were lucky enough to get a dinner reservation due to a cancellation when we were last there in March.  Dinner was quite the spectacular evening.

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To begin with, there are 3 dining halls to eat in.  There is one room resembling the Beast’s room in the castle, complete with a petal-dropping rose.

There is a second room that looks like the room Belle could have eaten her first meal in.

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And the third room is the main ballroom of the Beast’s castle.

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The dinner menu is surprisingly cosmopolitan for a Magic Kingdom restaurant (but, after all, this is France, and dinner is never second best).  We started off with appetizers consisting of the Assorted Cured Meats and Sausages.  The menu says it serves two, but the servings are so generous that the dish can easily serve four without a problem.

assorted charcuterie

assorted charcuterie

But we also added the seasonal salad trio, which consists of a roasted beet, gold raisin and orange salad, a tomato and roasted shallot salad and a watermelon, radish and mint salad.  The consensus around the table is that the watermelon, radish and mint salad was the best of the three, although all were good.

trio of salads

trio of salads

The boy ordered the grilled strip steak with garlic-herb butter and pommes frites and the rest of the family all had the braised pork served coq au vin style (eight hour slow cooked pork with mushrooms, onions, carrots and bacon served with pureed cauliflower and seasonal vegetables).  The steak and pomes frites expert pronounced the steak to be excellent, and the pork was flavorful and tender.  Again, serving portions were very generous.

braised pork

braised pork

And, finally, there is dessert.  Who could resist ordering the “grey stuff” when it’s offered on the menu and guaranteed to be delicious?  It turns out that the “grey stuff” is excellent buttercream frosting on top of a rich chocolate brownie.  We also ordered the chocolate cream puff for kicks, but the grey stuff was clearly the winner.

the grey stuff

the grey stuff

chocolate cream puff

chocolate cream puff

the grey stuff as solo act

the grey stuff as solo act

On top of that was Disney’s characteristic friendly service.  Our waitress was attentive, friendly, and chatty.  You can also have your picture taken with the Beast after your meal.

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The restaurant also has a kid friendly menu (it is Disney, after all).

If jamming as many rides as possible into a day is your goal when at the Magic Kingdom, eating here is probably not a good idea, as the experience is leisurely.  But for a delicious meal or for a Beauty and the Beast fan, this is a delightful dining experience.  We highly recommend it!

Book review: A Play of Piety by Margaret Frazer

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A Play of Piety (Joliffe, #6)A Play of Piety by Margaret Frazer

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It’s impossible to review this book without the context of the previous five in the series (A Play of Isaac, A Play of Dux Moraud, A Play of Knaves, A Play of Lords, and A Play of Treachery), not to mention the context of the Dame Frevisse mysteries, in which Joliffe first appeared. And there’s the fact that this is the last Joliffe mystery, as Margaret Frazer died last year.
I’ve enjoyed both the Dame Frevisse and the Joliffe mysteries very much throughout the years. The writing is spare, almost austere, but elegant. The characters are full of life and so well rounded. And the history is impeccably researched (as far as my amateur historian self can tell) and well integrated into the story. If the plots in the later books are not as intricate as they were in the beginning of either series, the pleasure I found in the characters more than made up for that.
A Play of Piety is no exception. Reading the book was bittersweet, knowing that no more would be forthcoming. And either because of that or because of the writing, I found the secondary characters compelling and enjoyable in their own right. Margaret Frazer’s descriptions of medieval hospitals are detailed and fascinating, showing how much of our “knowledge” about the state of medieval medicine to be incorrect. And if the mystery itself was not as well plotted as some of her other books, the characterizations and the descriptions of the details of medieval life more than made up for it.
I am sorry that this is the last of Joliffe and the players. But I am grateful that the author has given me such pleasure over the years with her writing.

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Movie review: Captain Phillips

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I know, I know, Captain Phillips has been out for months.  But getting to a movie theatre takes an immense amount of effort for me (you actually have to show up at a certain place at a certain time and sit in the dark for 2 hours).  Reserved seating helps some, though.

This time, I didn’t see Captain Phillips in the theatre but on a plane.  And my opinion is that the movie was seriously snubbed by the Academy Awards.   Even though you know how the movie ends (or you do if you pay attention to current events), the suspense the movie generates is impressive.  And, in fact, the rescue of the captain is not the focal point of the movie.  Instead, the movie focuses on the motivation of the Somali pirates and the interplay between the captain and his captors.

Tom Hanks does his usual masterful acting job as the captain, and the supporting cast, especially the actor who plays the lead pirate, Muse, is strong.  Fans of the erstwhile television show, “The Unit,” will be amused to know that the actor who played the Delta Force member, Mac (Max Martini) plays the Navy SEAL leader in this movie.

If I had one quibble about this movie, it would be that the writers try to play on our sympathies for the Somali pirates.  I recognize that they have fewer options to scrape out a living than we do in the United States, but picking up a gun and robbing/extorting/threatening merchant vessels and their crews is not the answer.  And I was a tad resentful that the writers would try to be quite that manipulative.

But, as I said, that would be quibbling.  Overall, the movie is well written and well paced with excellent acting from all the principals.

I rate Captain Phillips as an excellent movie and give it a solid A.

Book review: Sizzling Sixteen by Janet Evanovich

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Sizzling Sixteen (Stephanie Plum, #16)Sizzling Sixteen by Janet Evanovich

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I really like this series. The main characters are well-rounded and often goofily humorous, the dialogue is crisp and witty, and the plots are well paced. It’s a perfect beach read (or, as I like to say, excellent mind candy).
Sizzling Sixteen is no exception. The plot is more urgent than normal (instead of just chasing after skips, Stephanie’s way of earning money is at stake) and some of the ancillary characters get more developed in this book.
I enjoyed this latest installment to the series, but there are some plot twists that are getting a bit old. The Joe Morelli v Ranger dilemma just makes me want to shake Stephanie and demand that she choose and stop angsting over it. And the plots aren’t particularly complicated. But, overall, it’s an entertaining book when you’re looking for a fun read that’s not too intellectually demanding.

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