The Liar Is A Charming Villain

As I trotted from the concession stand to Alder Stage at the Artist Repertory Theatre with hands full of shortbread, coffee, and a magazine-program for The Liar, I found my seat without crumbling the delicate cookie or spilling the hot coffee on the intimate stage, set only a few feet from the front row. I …

Abandoning Expectation

The delusion we have of expectation and reality is that they ever meet. They are strangers and star-crossed lovers at best. Even if the details of our day go almost exactly as we’ve planned them, some minor discrepancy will splinter the mold, no matter how loose-fitting we make it. Unforeseen interactions can take us from …

Global Politics and Questioning Moral Standards

A Review of The Invisible Hand  Truthfully, the world of economics and global politics have yet to become a genuine interest in my so far short life.  These subjects, for whatever reason, do not really piqued my curiosity in any sort of visceral or intellectual fashion, and could never be associated with my all-too-common response …

When You Can’t Hear Outside the Noise

For some reason, I keep confusing the name for “Slaves” when I am thinking about Tribes, the play currently running at Artists Repertory Theater in Southwest Portland. Supposing it was called “Slaves” instead, perhaps—aside from the controversial connotations of that word (not to be taken lightly)—we could still be discussing the same play. Often with …

In Spirit of Being

I’m nearing my seat as my ears are met by the buttery notes of Bing Crosby’s “Love in Bloom.” I quickly nestle in, Merlot in hand, shortbread awaiting an eager tongue. With each bite I can taste the familiar richness in his voice. With each trumpet solo I’m sent to a place I haven’t visited …

Family Ties and The Mariel Boatlift

Five men and one woman traveling from Cuba to Florida are stranded on a fishing boat aimlessly drifting off course after a troublesome storm. They are exiles from Cuba during the summer of 1980. Captain Rolando Conesa is rescuing estranged family members with his son, Roli. They are not aware that they have been set …

No Man to Save Women in Intimate Apparel

We are talking about a woman whose life rests in the hands of another woman but risks her life for the hand of a man. Thirty-five year-old African-American woman, Esther simply wants to find love, to be married, and to take some time off from work. She is blessed with skills on the sewing machine …