Daily Archives: 11/18/2010

(Community Matters) Evidently Steven’s good karma allowed us to score really great seats (returns) to one of the few remaining performances of Song of the Goat Theatre’s Macbeth at London’s Barbican Theatre. It’s quite unconventional – think beautiful athletes and voices of an accomplished compline choir meet Shakespeare.

Song of the Goat is a current star of the avant garde theater movement.  They devised a musical interpretation of the classic using  Gregorian, Benedictus, even near-contemporary music with strong movement and a Japanese flavor. Before the play Steven and I were given a tour of the very minimalist set and met the lone musical accompanist who alternated between a Korean kayagum, a custom flute, a brass device which uses water to distort sound and is played with a bow, and a drum.  The musical accompaniment is near perfect.

The Rudes are teaching me to let go of literal translations and always logical interpretations.  I thoroughly enjoyed tonight’s performance – especially the striking voices of Gabriel Gawin (Macbeth), Anna Zubrzycki (Lady Macbeth) and Ewan Downie (Banquo).

(Community Matters) After a quick drop in to Paris (Steven has this thing for a particular pencil shop – I for a Japanese lunch restaurant), we’re here – a home away from home, the Fielding in Covent Garden.

Of course we’re booked to the nines – theatrically.  Tonight Macbeth, tomorrow The Readers’ Wifes Club, Saturday matinee: Priscilla (have to finally see this before I see Paul Boskind’s production in NY), evening: Hamlet at the Royal National Theatre.  And, darn sure we’ll have multiple meals at Amouls, hopefully with our friend Zeina.  I’m still trying to convince her mother for the garlic chicken recipe or to cater my 50th.

Today thru Sunday, all about Steven Tomlinson – he’s worked his tail off since we left home

(Community Matters) completely cut & pasted:

11/1/2010: Why Israel is a Rogue State, Gabriel Latner
The Cambridge Union Society held a debate on the motion that “Israel is a
rogue state” on October 21st.  The Balfour Street blog describes what happened:
In the end, the proposition was defeated, but the event didn’t proceed
without an unusual twist. It seems one of the members of the side in favor
of the proposition, a student who was apparently selected at random (or
not at random), decided to argue the point from a decidedly pro-Israel
perspective.

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(Community Matters) Schwarzer Hahn Restaurant reportedly the top restaurant in Germany’s Rheinland/Pflaz region – no arguments from either of us after dinner last night.  Chef Neugebauer and manager Andres Weber (pictured here) dish out their delicacies like jewelers display and coddle their most precious stones.  Love that Andres spent plenty of time with us, discussing my likes and dislikes before deciding which wines to pair with each course. The food so spectacular it really does exceed my range of taste and discernment.  And, we were introduced to complex, fine wines (all from the region) including sparkling pinot noir, riesling (natch), sauvignon blanc, a gran cru cuvee of pinot blanc & chardonnay and a table made cuvee of riseling brut and sweet riesling – he called the latter a troll schappen [I’m sure I wrote down wrong but phonetic].  Evidently the latter a regional tradition among friends who pass around the concoction before separating.

I’m gonna record each course below but this is for my own archival purposes.  Admittedly, not so interesting to anyone else.

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