Had a jam-packed weekend with my brother Terence, who came up for a visit from Frederick, Md. On Friday we caught up over beers at the Emerald Inn, which would be my local Irish pub -- replacing Peter McManus in Chelsea -- if not for an unfortunately placed bathroom that frequently makes the bar area unbearable. (WTF?)
On Saturday we walked to our local theater, the Beacon, to see comedian Mark Normand. Damian and I happened to see him in November as part of a benefit for the National Coalition Against Censorship and thought he was pretty funny for a non-female, non-gay stand-up. It turned out my brother was a fan, so we snagged the last three tickets on the final night of his sold-out run.
And then on Sunday we caught the matinee of "Aristocrats" at the Irish Repertory Theatre. I'm not very knowledgeable about theater -- I did see "The Aristocats" when I was child! -- but the show is part of a three-play series of works by Brian Friel (1929-2015), who has been likened to an "Irish Chekhov."
While I don't know much about Chekhov either -- Woody Allen's "September" was modeled on Chekhov's play "Uncle Vanyabeen" (1899), so by the transitive property I guess you could say I'm on it -- I do know dysfunctional Irish families quite well, and thoroughly enjoyed this modest production -- which was helped by the fact that Casimir (Tom Holcomb) and Willie (Shane McNaughton) were most easy on the eyes, and Alice (Sarah Street) was a scene-stealer as the family alcoholic.
So great to see my brother. And there's nothing like an out-of-towner to make you take full advantage of this fair city of ours! xo
1 comment:
It was such a treat to run into you all Saturday evening. Sorry if I invaded your space but just had to say hi. We saw Appropriate and How to Dance in Ohio during our short weekend visit. Both were very enjoyable. Take care! -Chattanoogan
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