Last year, I introduced two of my friends, Ibti - she of the http://abikeablefeast.blogspot.com/ - and Molly - whom I met at the DC Shorts Festival. They have something in common: Liberia. Both had worked there and their convesation about it looked very heavy and sad. Now I know why. I saw the play Eclipsed last night at Woolly Mammoth, a week after seeing the film Pray the Devil Back to Hell there. It's funny, when Woolly is good - Dead Man's Cell Phone, No Child..., Mike Daisey's stuff - they're real good; and when they're bad, they're real bad. Eclipsed is in the real good category. Five excellent actresses come together to tell the story of Liberian women, through the eyes of the wives of one warlord. Their plight is a moving one, and their choices are incredibly tough. If the play tends to be slightly didactic in telling this history, it makes up for it with passion, warmth and an atmosphere that transports you to this horrible country. The accents take a little time to get used to, but what we miss in dialogue, we get back in grit. It only has two weeks to go - please try to see it.
Juliette Binoche appeared on Charlie Rose last night. Talk about someone who never ages. I mean how long ago was the movie Blue? (She actually mentioned the late genius director Kieslowski, writing one of her new poems in his honor.) I perked up after she spoke of her new movie, Paris, directed by Cedric Klapisch. He is one of my favorite directors - if you can, rent Chacun Cherche Son Chat (When the Cat's Away). It's a lovely story about a woman who loses her cat in a Paris neighborhood and has to go meet her neighbors to try and find him. I used to have great neighbors - now I hardly know them. Unfortunately, Chloe is too old to make it very far away.
In Ibti's organic honor, I will put in a promotional word for Friday's fundraiser for CommonGood CityFarm. They are only asking $15 and it's for a great cause. I may try to get over there after the Georgetown galleries.
Other events worth noting:
+ Many of the WalkingTown DC events this weekend need reservations. It's worth checking out the schedule.
+ Zero Hour at the DCJCC will have two PWYCs - the Friday matinee and next Tuesday evening.
+ Bike & Brunch has a Happy Hour next Wednesday evening at RiRa in Clarendon. It's Comedy Night there, not that a typical B&B Happy Hour isn't funny in itself (lots of romantic tanglings - not enough time to delve)
+ Faccia Luna now has half-price wine on Tuesday and half-price beer on Wednesday.
+ On Sunday, Irish arts group Solas Nua will have a preview to their December Film Festival, from 3-6 pm at Flashpoint. Free. They're a fun group of people.
+ Thai Embassy in Georgetown has free events this Saturday, and then Cinthia has a meetup there next Saturday for The Culture Club.
+ Free performance of the National Players Much Ado About Nothing at Olney Saturday night
+ Monday at 7:30 the DCJCC will screen Holy Land Hardball, a well-received documentary about Israeli baseball. Who knew?
Stay tuned later in the week for reviews of film No Impact Man (with director tonight), Studio Theater's Moonlight and Baader Meinhof Complex.
** the crossroads of culture and community in the Washington DC area **
No comments:
Post a Comment