9 Shirlington: [Title of Show] at Signature Theatre

So we had another Plate 2 Stage outing a little sooner than we thought.

I received an email sent to alumni from Signature Theatre's Overtures program with a ticket offer to see their production of [Title of Show] a couple of weekends ago.

I suggested to Sam we turn it into a "blogging" afternoon, and that we eat at T.H.A.I. Shirlington beforehand.

[Title of Show] was originally presented in 2004, at the New York Musical Theatre Festival. In a nutshell, it's a musical about two guys trying to write a musical. Metro Weekly reviewed it back in April, and there's also a blog you can check out.

So instead of rehashing information that's already out there, I'll just share some personal thoughts.

First, this is one of those shows that puts me in my musical place. I think I know musical theatre, and then I see a piece like this and realize how little I know. That being said, even if you aren't aware of come of the conceits that might be used (such as choreography from the opening of A Chorus Line use in the opening number, appropriately titled "Untitled Opening Number") the actually plot and dialogue remain engaging, as Sam shared with me.

And the script doesn't just brake the fourth wall, they hit it out of the ballpark. Kudos to the cast, particularly their music director. There were so many moments, and choices which made each character particularly quirky, and endearing in different ways.

Also, after a good deal of what might seem like predictable and entertaining jokes and singing and dancing, for me in particular, the show dug a little deeper than I expected. Maybe it is because of my current endeavors in grad school for Arts Management, but genuine conflict started to creep in between characters, shifting from the initial struggle in the joint endeavor of simply getting a show up.

But when the show starts addressing what happens when success starts to beckon and you realize that not only do you have different understandings of success, but the different paths that you might have to take from partners and friends once thought to be quintessential and an inseparable part of your vision and life.

Not only looking at the danger when friendships are endangered by the professional relationships, but on a larger scale, look at the state of artists and new work in America, and the struggle between doing what we love and doing what we have to do to live. The irony is that while ideally the two are the same, until the arts are valued and supported the way that they should be, artists and the art that we create will be subject to the whims of economic hardship, paying bills, rent, health care, retirement, and all those things other sectors until recently might have taken for granted.

The ironic part is that the economic situation, while affecting arts organizations, have probably affected artists less than others, because we're used to juggling multiple jobs, of having to hustle to make ends meet, to stay busy and pay rent, of living within our means.

Yes, whether you realize it or not, if you've seen [Title of Show] and didn't understand the state of the artist before...well you learned a little something new, and maybe even had fun too.

And you have until June 27th to catch this; you can buy tickets here.

9 Shirlington: T.H.A.I

One of the few disadvantages of not having a car in DC is that nice places like Shirlington, VA are not very accessible. But thanks to JR, who does have a car, I was able to experience a day out in downtown Shirlington. The pedestrian area displayed a wide range of restaurants so choosing one was difficult. JR recalled a Thai place he used to go to after rehearsals with Synetic Theatre so we decided to go for lunch at T.H.A.I and experience the Food, this time, before the Art.

The weather was good enough to sit outside. T.H.A.I had a good outside-seating area for chilling and having a great meal in the middle of downtown. The restaurant was also nice from the inside (simple and elegant decor), but why have your meal indoors with such beautiful weather outside?

We started off with a couple of Thai Iced Tea. The black tea came with the milk and syrup separately. This is a great option for people who think that Thai iced teas are too sweet or too creamy and would like to add in as much milk or syrup as they like. Plus, adding the pure white milk into the brown-orange tea has some cool visual effects!

Now, to eating. The Spring Rolls we ordered as appetizers were lean and long and served with a side of sweet carrot sauce. God I love Thai Food! The spring rolls were hot and delicately crunchy. The sweet carrot sauce was delicious and I made sure that the spring roll was thoroughly covered with the sauce on every dip.

Again, I love Thai Food! (I love it so much that I forgot to take a picture of the dish above before digging in!). One of my favorite dishes is Thai Green Curry with Chicken. It's spicy, creamy, tangy, basily/gingery...what's there not to like? The green curry at T.H.A.I was yummy. To be more descriptive, the 'creamy' element was the most prominent of all. I wished that the dish had a stronger kick of 'spicy' but the generous amount of vegetables and chicken left JR and I very satisfied.

We asked for the check but I decided to take a look at the dessert menu in case I come again (and I will!). I saw something amazing - Thai Fried Roti Dough with Taro Ice Cream. I was already full but I'm always willing to make room from something like Thai sweet roti...and with taro ice cream? For that I'm willing to utilize my second, and third stomachs! The hot sweet roti came topped with a moderately sweet scoop of taro ice cream, towered with a taro chip. The combination was so good! I'm willing to come back to Shirlington just for this dessert. I better start saving for a car...