August: Osage County

Last Saturday Mark & I went to see August: Osage County, the new play on Broadway by Tracy Letts (Bug, Killer Joe). I went to see it mainly because of the buzz surrounding it and due to the fact that it was on every theater critics top 10 list for the year. Thankfully, the critics were all correct in their recommendations. We LOVED this play !!!! The story is basically about a disfunctional family reuniting at their homestead in Oklahoma when their father goes missing. The script is full of twists and turns as all of the families dirty secrets are revealed. This is black comedy at it's best! The acting by virtually all of this ensemble cast (many of whom you'll recognize from all the bit parts that they've done) is superb - especially by Deanna Dunagan who plays the pill-popping mother Violet Weston. This lady MUST win the Tony this year! The only minor dissapointment for me come from Madeleine Martin who you may recognize as the daughter Becca Moody on Californication. I love her on that show, however she basically recreated that character here with all it's deadpan angst which made me wonder how limited this budding actress really is. I hope she improves with age. The set resembles a giant dollhouse with action taking place in various rooms. Very effective staging here. Bear in mind that this show is in 3 acts with a running time of 3 1/2 hrs with 2 intermissions. Take it from someone who doesn't like sitting through long stuff though - this one FLIES by! If you only see one show this year before the Tony's, make sure it is August!

Happy Birthday To Our Little Mascot!

Frannie turns 3 today!

Let's Kick Off 2008!

Happy New Year everyone!

I'm jumping right on this today, trying to get back in the habit of posting. On deck today is a review of Insieme, a farely recent addition to the theater district brought to you by the team behind Hearth in the East Village (which I reviewed almost a year ago).

I went to Insieme for my department holiday lunch at the end of last year. The concept of the menu is just like at Hearth - on the left side of the menu are the more classically prepared Italian dishes while the right side is more modern interpretations. I started off on the classic side with an appetizer sized portion of spaghetti al'amatriciana - one of my favorite Italian dishes. I wasn't disappointed (and actually wished I had chosen this as my main!). The pasta was perfectly al dente and the sauce had just the right amount of kick. I stuck with the classic side for my main as well which was a branzino arrosto - a filet of roasted Mediterranean bass simply prepared with lemon and rosemary over a bed of patate contadina (a fresh tomato salad). Keeping with the classic theme for dessert, I went with the trio of ice cream/gelato (vanilla, pumpkin and ginger). Each flavor was mouth watering in it's own right however when eaten together it came off as pumpkin pie - SPECTACULAR!

Everyone at the table enjoyed their meal immensley. A few other dishes of note included the beef tartare, the beet salad and the braised short ribs. The room is very minimalist white however is still quite comfortable and service was top notch. This one is going to be a theater district staple for me, so check it out next time you are in the area for a show!