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...

8 Rosslyn: Metamorphosis

So for the first time, Sam and I went to see a theater for the second time.

The last time we saw Synetic was back in february, for their production of Antony & Cleopatra.

This time, we caught them at the Rosslyn Spectrum, where they are the resident theatre company, for their production of Metamorphosis.

While I still have my book of Kafka short stories from high school, Metamorphosis still remains the only one I've read.

Never one to do things literally, turning this short into a full-length stage production involved adding an unexpected character, Kafka himself. Over the course of the piece, the story parallels events going on in his own life, including certain trials and tribulations embodied in George Samsa's dilemma.

The stage, turned the first floor vertical, providing the audience a birds-eye view of Samsa in his room, as he scuttled about providing us with Synetic's signature physicality.

However, the design limited the amount of ensemble movement, particularly the images of group dynamics and solidarity which the theatre company is known for.

While the show was Synetic-esque, it definitely proved to be the vision of a director who was not Paata Tsikurishvili, and nor should the two be compared. However when the work of a company has a specific feel and aesthetic over the years, it's hard not to.

All that being said, Metamorphosis was a strong work, and made for an artful, insightful, and entertaining evening out.

8 Rosslyn: Tomo Sushi

JR picked me up from work after a long day to go and see Synetic's production of Kafka's Metamorphosis at the Rosslyn Spectrum Theatre. I was mentally exhausted after a stressful day at work so I left the restaurant decision to JR. I told him that I'm in the mood for something light and healthy so he had a great idea to grab sushi at Tomo Sushi.


We walked in Tomo as it was closing but the staff was kind enough to accommodate our quick order. We didn't want to exploit their kindness so we decided to take our sushi back home. Plus, I thought my apartment was more Japanese-y than the restaurant (the setting and décor of Tomo was nothing special).


I started boiling water for green tea and Miso soup as soon as we got home. Both were warm and soothing – very satisfying especially for a rainy day. We started munching on the Edamame and I thought that they were fun, moist, and very good to eat between every sip of tea.

I'm not that big of a sushi person and the year I spent in Japan did not even change that. Sushi snobs cringe at the sight of Californian Rolls, but I say bring 'em on! Tomo Sushi also offered NY Rolls and Philadelphia Rolls, but at the end of the day, I really didn't see any difference between a roll and another – they all tasted alike. We also ordered some simple and "traditional" sushi – the Egg Sushi was my personal favorite. The egg offered a pleasant sweetness and the seaweed that tied the egg to the sushi rice was nice and slightly crunchy.

JR and I decided not to write about restaurants from which we do take-out but this was an exception since we wanted to be considerate of their closing time, and leave as soon as we got our order. I don't know though whether I would've enjoyed the experience if we ate at Tomo Sushi. As I previously mentioned, there was nothing special about the place. It was also nice to go back home and chill, especially after the intense Kafka play. Back at my small, cozy DC apartment, we had our Korean-made Japanese food while Bob Marley was grooving in the background. It was perfect. Sorry Kafka… but life is beautiful.

7 College Park: Plato's Diner

We planned another adventure outside of the District, this time to College Park to see Gesel Mason's amazing dance performance “Women, Sex, and Desire: Sometimes You Feel Like a Ho, Sometimes You Don’t” at UMD’s Kogod Theatre. The decision to go was last moment, so I didn't have time to do my research on good eats in the area. But a couple of UMD kids (including JR) suggested Plato's Diner so Plato's Diner it was!


As I was taking pictures of the banner outside, a guy came up to me and said that what I was doing was inappropriate since I haven't gotten any permission from the restaurant to take pictures. We later saw him inside the diner and he voluntarily added that if this were his house he would've shoot both us. There was a short silence after which he started laughing and said that we can take all the pictures we wanted. He then walked into the back kitchen of the diner. What a welcoming. We then pursued our way into the diner, passing some fake, tacky Greek columns and frescos. I know that a diner is not a place to expect high-end taste, but the potentially cute and funky concept of a ‘Greek Diner’ went the wrong way… for me at least.


I didn't feel like getting something heavy so I settled for the Greek Salad with the Greek Sausage. The salad greens were nothing special. The dressing that came on the side had pieces of salmon in them, which looked out of place and suspicious, so I decided not to add it on the salad. The sausage was the only ingredient that could've redeemed the salad but a plastic-y taste overwhelmed my taste buds as I took the first bite. I didn't want to give up but the second and third bites had that same awful taste of plastic :(


JR got the Baked Hellenic Moussaka (stuffed eggplant) with a side of salad (normal… actually, better than my salad) and soup (fine). The eggplant was actually good. I appreciated the rice and meat stuffing - it made the dish substantial. I gave up eating my salad so JR was kind enough to share his dish with me. I think that I might have actually eaten most of it :)


I believe in an ideal that all restaurants are good at the end of the day. Even though what we've ordered were mediocre and didn't make me want to come back to Plato's, I give the diner kudos for their complementary bread. They were really good! The soft and fluffy rolls were amazing with butter.

So in conclusion, we left College Park with two good things; a great dance performance and good bread. Sorry about the generally negative review… but to quote Gesel: Sometimes you feel like a ho, sometimes you don't.

7 College Park: Women, Sex & Desire

Actually, the full title of the piece is "Women, Sex and Desire: Sometimes You Feel Like a Ho, Sometimes You Don't."

You can check out more info for the piece and its process at Gesel Mason Performance Projects' site.

Anyway, although the majority of the audience was set up facing the stage, there were a select number of seats set up on the side giving the performance space a bit of a thrust feeling (no pun intended).

In addition to the dancers, there was a live singer/narrator giving voice to the piece. Dancers at times also interjected bits of dialogue among the movement. At one point a dancer took her seat on my lap, but that was as interactive as it got.

The two acts were separated into "The Show", and then "Home" (I believe...I'll have to check the program). It was a bit of a reflection on the front that women, and people in general, put up, and then that side of ourselves we show when we're in our element.

There was nudity which Gesel, herself, opened the piece with. Although, at first, the way the light hit her, you couldn't tell whether she was clothed or not, as she face upstage. It wasn't until she moved and the contours of her body shifted the shadows which might have hid the trace of fabric that you realized she was indeed naked.

Gesel's presence flits in and out of various other sections, becoming what I interpreted as a kind of Eve/all-woman figure.

A very interesting piece, I think it's essence was efficiently touched upon in the post-show dialogue. I'm going to botch the actual exchanged (which probably means I should right these a little more immediately after viewing a piece), but it equated to this. One question was asked about whether a woman could refer to herself as a ho, and Gesel responded in the affirmative. The questioner (a middle-aged, white haired, Caucasian man) then asked, if it would be permissible for him to call her a ho.

In a somewhat assertive, but not aggressive, manner, Gesel said something like, "We'd have to talk about that."

Forgive me my pun but, it isn't so simple as to simply say, "A ho is in the eye of the beholder".

Even just to have a conversation about being a ho, you have to dissect exactly what a ho means, and to whom.

An awesome piece and one whose growth I look forward to following!!

6 Logan Circle: The Commissary

I've gone out to eat at the trendy Logan Circle area a few times but never off 14th Street. Although P Street also has its good share of food establishments, I haven't made it to any (The huge Whole Foods in the middle of the block might have overshadowed the restaurants surrounding it). JR and I planned on catching a show at Studio Theatre one day so I thought that it would be a good opportunity to explore where's good to eat on P Street. We went for the Commissary.


As I stepped in, I wondered whether this place was a bar, a restaurant, or a café. The Commissary combined all three under one roof – Americana restaurant at its best. The crowd seemed diverse and the ambiance was cool. It's the kind of place where you can grab a beer with your friend then move to the sofas to plug in your laptops and chill. The menu was written on big boards that decorated the restaurant walls but we opted for checking out what the Commissary has to offer on their normal table menu.


We started off with the Guacamole & Salsa with Chips. They were just fine. They actually made me nostalgic for the excellent guacamole I had with some friends at Rosa Mexicano a few weeks ago (which so far, is the best guacamole I had in DC). The portion was also small and we were left with no more salsa nor guacamole for the extra tortilla chips early on throughout the appetizer :(


The Bowtie Pasta with Broccoli & Andouille Sausage looked really good but JR beat me to it – He decided the moment we walked into the restaurant :) It was really really good! The pasta was hot and moist, the sausage savory, and the broccoli on the side was buttery with just the right amount of salt. It was so good that the "one bite" I requested from JR ended up being two, three, four…you get the idea.


I am not a burger person and I don't usually order burgers unless someone recommends it, but I saw the Goat Cheese & Sun-Dried Tomato Burger and thought it might be delicious (see, I'm not a burger person). I actually thought that the burger was vegetarian but the beef patty was topped with goat cheese and sun-dried tomatoes (or more accurately, a small piece of one sun-dried tomato). As I took a big bite out of the burger I was able to taste all the ingredients but the sun-dried tomatoes. It wasn't till I reached the very center that I got a taste the tangy yummy-ness of the tomato. But to be honest, the combination of all ingredients did not do anything for me. It was anti-climactic.


JR was craving for something sweet so he got a piece of the Apple Pie with a Scoop of Vanilla Ice Cream. It seemed to satisfy his craving but the "one bite" that I promised to take didn't make it to the second. The pie was just fine.

I don't know whether I'll make it back to the Commissary or not. It's definitely a convenient place to grab dinner at before seeing a show at Studio Theatre (or grabbing a drink afterward) but I personally have had more memorable dining experiences at other places around Logan Circle.