Tag: Things to do in RI

Locale Profiles: The Tree House Tavern and Bistro — An Irresistible Enigma

A little bit of Vermont found on the side of Route 117 in Warwick

One way or another you know this place. Perhaps you’ve noticed it after getting your Porsche serviced at the dealer across the street. Maybe you’ve seen the television commercials, in which young couples gaze into one another’s eyes as they clink glasses and enjoy the romantic ambiance. Possibly it’s popped up on Yelp when you’ve searched for eclectic restaurants in Warwick.

I first noticed the Tree House Tavern and Bistro on my drive home from the Kent County Y. There it was – an oasis amidst a concrete jungle of Dunkin’ Donuts and luxury car dealerships – a quaint restaurant/tavern resembling a Vermont country inn. What is this place doing on Route 117 in Warwick? I had to know.

So on a random Saturday last fall, I convinced my husband to bring our sons there for breakfast, and the atmosphere did not disappoint. The word “cozy” does not begin to describe this place. The main room (the only room in which you’d want to sit), was filled with festive décor and interesting knick-knacks, all of which fit the fall season. The cocktail menu offered a plethora of choices that made you want to don an LL Bean sweater and sit by the outdoor fire pit long after the sun set: hot chocolate drinks, pumpkin martinis, spiced wine and an impressive selection of craft beers. I felt transported to a leaf-peeping weekend up north as I pictured myself sipping mulled wine around the fire while my kids drank hot chocolate and we mingled with other guests on a crisp fall night. So what if the clientele seemed a little long in the tooth? I felt like I was on vacation … in Warwick! I vowed this would be my new place.

Sadly my dreams began to crumble. The service was excruciatingly slow – a nightmarish scenario when you’re dining with children. Those elderly patrons, who previously smiled at us, were now casting glares as my 3-year-old fussed in his chair and loudly discussed the contents of his diaper. Then came the food, which was mediocre at best. To top off the disappointment, we learned that reservations for dinner are an absolute must. This would not be my new place after all.

Recently I decided to give it another try. Even though it was a Thursday night, I decided not to take a chance and called ahead for a table for two. The hostess informed me I’d be getting their last table, as they had live entertainment and were at maximum capacity. Huh?

As we walked in I noticed they changed the décor from fall festive to après ski meets Irish Cottage. The ambiance, however, was just as warm and inviting, and the drink list just as exciting. I’m happy to report that the food and service had also vastly improved since my last visit. Our server was friendly and proficient, and everything we ordered was delicious – from the sweet and salty pulled pork nachos, to the incredible savory duck pizza and the salad with fresh roasted vegetables. The highlight for me was dessert –a chocolate pretzel martini: Godiva chocolate liqueur and Frangelico with a chocolate drizzle and a salted rim. Ridiculously good. My dining partner opted for one of the 18 dessert choices displayed on two large trays. Though baked in-house, the dessert had a not-so-fresh flavor, as though it had been sitting in the fridge just a tad too long. I’d suggest sticking with cocktails to end your meal.

Will I go back? Most likely, yes. I’m admittedly drawn to this bizarre enigma of a restaurant. Is it a tavern or a bistro? Is it geared toward families and young couples or the cast of Cocoon? Is it a special occasion type of place where reservations are required or can we drop in for a cocktail? I’m uber-confused, yet I sort of love it.

One thing I do know, if you’re looking for someplace hip and cool, this is not the place for you. Don’t let that list of craft beers fool you. However, if you want to be ironic for the night, or pretend you’re in Vermont, or know what it’s like to have an AARP card, I can’t recommend this place highly enough. The food is fairly unique and tasty, the drink menu exhaustive and the ambiance can’t be beat. Be sure to make a reservation and request the main room. If nothing else, you’ll have something to Yelp about.

Tree House Tavern and Bistro, 1094 Centerville Road, Warwick

March 11, 2014
This Weekend We Improvise

Head Trick Theatre’s production of Tonight We Improvise is 1930s improvisation modernized

Some theater strives to create the illusion of reality – to coax the audience into forgetting that they are watching actors on a stage, and immerse them in the story and emotions playing out before them.

Other shows break the fourth wall, addressing or involving the audience directly, and acknowledging the play’s a play.

Tonight we Improvise doesn’t even have a fourth wall, a fact jokingly referenced by a few of the characters. Even the first three walls don’t really exist.

This rarely performed work of “meta theater” is a modernized translation by Rebecca Maxfield, who also directs and plays the director. It’s translated from Luigi Pirandello’s 1930 Italian play, specifically with a black box theater like 95 Empire in mind. While the language used by the actors has been thoroughly modernized compared with other translations (“Fuck you” replacing “The Devil take you,” for example), the play within a play remains a product of 1930s sensibilities, exploring an abusive relationship and the scandalous pursuit of opera singing, subjects which often rely on 1930s context for their dramatic implications.

I had the doubly profound honor of watching a dress rehearsal of the show last night. Take a show that’s about putting on a show, then watch the cast and crew planning to put it on, and you feel a bit like you’re watching a Twilight Zone episode from inside theTV. What was part of the rehearsal, what was part of the rehearsal within the play, and what was part of the play itself? Even the players may not be entirely sure. Although, for a play with “improvise” in the title, a surprising amount of the action is scripted – there seems to be significant leeway for the cast to roll with the unexpected. In my viewing, one cast member was unable to make the dress rehearsal. The lighting technician/stage manager (Marissa Grier), script in hand, was drafted and pulled from the lighting board to fill the role. It felt like a part of the planned improvisation, but was, in fact, actual improvisation that felt seamless. Confused? That’s part of the fun.

Performances are uneven, but include a few stand-outs. A couple of local theater veterans (Paula Prendergast and Stuart Wilson) anchor the piece, and the three sisters – Mommina La Croce (Audrey Del Prete), Totina La Croce (Victoria Norris), and Dorina La Croce (Morgan Capodilupo) – toggle with delight between roles, displaying an infectious enthusiasm. One of the most difficult challenges an actor can face is trying to act like he or she is acting. The entire cast meets this challenge when they transition from characters-as-actors to actors-as-characters. Del Prete proves particularly adept at returning the audience to a state of suspended disbelief, and bringing to life the dramatic intensity of her character’s plight.

As much an intellectual exercise as a theatrical production, this short (less than 90 minutes) play is a departure for the typical theater-goer and an interesting conversation piece for those who want to consider what it means to act, to direct, to stage a theatrical experience, or to improvise.

You can read more about Tonight We Improvise and the production company, Head Trick Theatre, at AS220: http://www.as220.org/residence95-presents-head-trick-theatres-tonight-we-improvise

Friday, March 7 @ 8pm
Saturday, March 8 @ 2pm + 8pm
Sunday, March 9 @ 2pm

CAST and CREW:

Mommina La Croce: Audrey Del Prete

Rico Verri: Derek Colantuono

Mrs. Ignazia La Croce: Paula Prendergast

Mr. Palmiro La Croce: Stuart Wilson
Totina La Croce: Victoria Norris

Dorina La Croce: Morgan Capodilupo

Mangini: Dave Weeks

A Cabaret Singer: Pu-Ning Chiang

Director: Rebecca Adrian Maxfield

Stage Manager: Marissa Grier

Photo Credits: Ryan Walsh

March 8, 2014
The Art of the Noodle: Ken’s Ramen

Ken’s Ramen is on top of their noodle game

In a region where Japanese cuisine generally doesn’t stray far from sushi and hibachi, Providence finally has its much anticipated ramen noodle house. Ken’s Ramen has landed in Downtown Providence, merging Japanese traditionalism with the steaze of urban-American street and skate culture.

“As the Creative Director of the Ken’s brand, I designed the interior,” explained Will CMO and head chef of Ken’s. “I get inspiration from Parisian high couture men’s fashion [and] high street-wear labels.” The self-described minimalist created a menu and space on the premise of high-end design — keep it simple; the devil is in the details. A small menu is perfected and stimulated with powerful flavors while an equally small space is given character by its classic and modern hip-hop bumping over the speakers while chefs prepare food traditionally, with chopsticks.

Ken’s storefront is giving Providence a preview with a full-menu soft opening in the first week of March, with a grand-opening TBA.

Motif: Word is Prov has been waiting for your opening for quite some time now. Why the delay?

Will: A combination of things. 1. Our team traveled around the world for couple months (Asia, NYC, LA) to gain inspiration, build character, experience, and to simply try the best ramen shops at an international level. We wanted to make sure everybody is on the same page with the ramen game. 2. Construction: we were contemplating whether the space should be a noodle bar or a closed kitchen. Glad we went with the bar. 3. Sourcing premium imported Japanese ingredients (e.g., high quality bonito flakes and bamboo). Finding these items was a little tough; however, getting distributors to ship to Providence was the hardest.

Who designed the menu? What’s the inspiration?

I designed the menu. We took our favorite ramen shops in each city around the world and incorporated the flavors and techniques together. And of course, we gave everything a Ken’s flair.

What’s the general reaction you get from the items on your menu?

Excitement. For people who haven’t experienced ramen before we want to surprise them.

So the quality of the noodle is everything in the art of ramen. Where do yours come from?

They are custom-tailored noodles made domestically by Sun Noodle Company in New York (based in Hawaii). We visit them on a weekly basis to tweak and perfect our noodles. They are the best. [Sun] supplies 85% of the finest ramen shops in America, like Momofuku in NYC, Totto Ramen in NYC, Tsujita in LA and Daikokuya in LA.

What would you urge customers to try for the full Ken’s experience?

The Tsukemen, or The Dipping Ramen. Dip thick yellow noodles into accompanied super-rich Katsuo, which is a brothy, flavorful sauce.

As authentic Japanese are you are, there seems to be a little American-flair as well. The Ken’s spread sauce on the Yaki-Buta Bun (soy braised pork belly and fresh greens on a steamed Asian bun) almost makes it taste like a Japanese Big Mac.

Since you asked, my response to that is, “IN-N-OUT, baby!”

Who’s Ken?

Ken-san is our mentor and founder.

Ken’s Ramen

69 Washington St, Providence

Cash Only

March 6, 2014
Brewery Sherpa Will Guide You Through Your Travels

Local Rhode Islanders develop Drinking Sherpa; the app that helps people discover breweries, wineries, and distilleries in their area.

It’s no secret that the latest start-ups in RI are mostly breweries — Proclamation! Whalers and maybe Tilted Barn. But the best kept secret these days is Drinking Sherpa, the umbrella company that developed Brewery Sherpa, Distillery Sherpa and Winery Sherpa, locating apps that will change your life. So to give you some context, I’ve just met with the Drinking Sherpa founders, John Varlaro and Brandi Davis, after a very successful collaboration night with RI Girls Pint Out. The bartender came over and mentioned they have Stone Enjoy on tap. Needless to say, we were powerless to resist his offer. Over the latest round of libations, we wax intellectual about the RI tech economy, the brewery boom and other aspects of community and camaraderie in the local economy. Here is the conversation that followed:

Chris Meringolo: What if someone asked you, “What is Brew Sherpa?”

John Varlaro: I would jokingly correct them and say, “I apologize, but it’s Brewery Sherpa.” (laughs)

CM: Okay, so what is Brewery Sherpa?

JV: It spawned from our frustrations with not being able to find breweries, wineries and distilleries. So it actually comes from a larger problem that Brandi and I experienced as tourists. Two Septembers ago, we were on our way to New York when I shook Brandi awake and said, “Alright I’ve got some ideas.” In about two hours we were pitching these ideas.

Brewery Sherpa is an app and website that helps people find these destinations, because part of our philosophy is that these places are destinations. Sure we want you to experience the libation, but it’s also about the journey to us. That’s really where libation-tourism comes in; we’re not the only ones who are willing to travel.

CM: How did you come up with the name Brewery Sherpa?

JV: We were watching some documentaries on Nepal and Mount Everest. And so I said to her, “Wouldn’t it be great if there were an app and a website that helped people find these destinations?” And so all of the sudden we were thinking about sherpas. Sherpas help people summit, they help bring them up Mt. Everest, and very quickly we came up with Brewery Sherpa, Winery Sherpa and Distillery Sherpa, because we’ve been to all three and we love going to all three. Drinking Sherpa is the umbrella brand. We felt the name encompasses all three of those.

CM: So is libation-tourism a phrase you concocted?

JV: Yes, it is. We also own the URL (laughs). I think the name empowers those who visit these places, but maybe never thought of it as a type of tourism. Because this is an area of tourism that is growing with the growth of breweries, wineries and distilleries, as well as the growth of hand-crafted drinks at bars. You can go to a bar to really experience a revival of true mixology. People are willing to travel to do that and I think that’s the trend that we’re seeing. We want to foster that.

CM: So when did you guys start to become libation-tourists?

Brandi Davis: 2008, probably

JV: I think our first experience doing something like that was with wineries. We went to North Carolina to visit Brandi’s family and we were struggling to find wineries. We realized not a lot of them had their own websites and if they did, they didn’t have a lot of information.

CM: Why start Drinking Sherpa in Rhode Island?

JV: Because we’re from Rhode Island, and I think we’re very focused on supporting the RI economy. There are a lot of beautiful things happening in RI and we want to help support that.

CM: If you were stranded on a desert island and only had a 12-pack, what would you choose?

JV: A canoe and a paddle. (laughs)

CM: A 12-pack of beer.

JV: A motorboat.

CM: That’s not a beer.

JV: That’s a difficult question. I would not be true to myself if I told you I knew the answer to that.

BD: My gut instinct is Three Philosophers by Omegang.

There was plenty more that was discussed, and you can read the full interview on our website. The app can be downloaded on Android or iOS (Apple) for free. Keep your eye on @drinkingsherpa for info about events around the state. Happy travels!

February 4, 2014
Flower show meets Auto Show

Classic cars added to accent flowers displayed in Rhode Island Flower Show.

The theme of this year’s Flower Show at the Rhode Island Convention Center is Vintage Gardens. The unique floral installations created by landscape artists and designers displaying their craft will be paired with automobiles that reflect the concept and period of the garden in which they will be placed. There will be 20 cars. Most are vintage, reflecting the thematic foundation of the show. Like the flowers and plants that will surround them, the cars are works of art, carefully restored and tended like a fine garden, with exacting attention to detail and color, perfectly accessorized. Cars and gardens will be paired by era, and there will be cars from every decade from the 1920s to the present. Some of the beauties that can be seen will be a 1920 Ford Model T, a 1928 Ford Model A, a 1937 Ford Coupe, a 1945 Chevy pick-up truck, a 1959 Edsel, a 1957 Corvette and a 1966 Camaro.

In addition, the fifth floor of the convention center will showcase some very special cars, including a 1913 Cadillac, a 2012 Ferrari, and a 1950 Rat Rod. The automobiles will accent the already visually appealing Flower Show, will provide a unique decorative accent, and will increase the appeal of the show to a wider audience.

February 4, 2014
Where the Flowers Bloom

“If you smelled one flower per second, it would take approximately one week, four days, 13 hours, 46 minutes, and 40 seconds of constant sniffing to get through the whole show.”- Director Maury Ryan, says about this years Rhode Island Flower Show.

Take a moment to imagine a lawyer. Just a stereotypical lawyer, all wrapped up in some expensive suit, briefcase in hand, his/her cold, calculating eyes scanning the horizon for the next big legal bonanza. All logic and no emotion, really.

Now plop that same lawyer in a field of flo

wers. Tulips, maybe, or wild dandelions. Make him/her bend low to the ground and breathe deep the earthen aromas. Imagine a corner of the briefcase hitting the ground as the lawyer kneels down to stick a hand into the dirt, feeling the grit catch beneath his/her perfectly trimmed nails. An awkward scene, yes? Two distant worlds colliding to create an unexpected visual experience.

But it’s that exact sense of unexpectedness that Maury Ryan, both a lawyer and the show director for the Rhode Island Flower Show, seeks to create, year after year, at the convention center. And he’s sort of a judicial and horticultural genius.

“The show began about 20 years ago,” says Ryan. “It was started by someone who eventually went on to work with Down East, the magazine. He started the show out west, in San Francisco, and then had the opportunity to do it here. Eventually he left for the magazine and I took it over about 12 years ago.”

Now, one would imagine that someone with a blooming career as a lawyer would only take on the responsibilities of an annual flower show if they in fact loved flowers, right? Like really loved flowers. Planted them all around their house and gave them away as birthday gifts, that kind of thing. But no. Ryan simply chuckles when asked about his love of flowers and says, “I’m a master gardener, though I’m not a great gardener, but I do like flowers.”

Plenty of people like things, though, without going to such extreme lengths as taking up the mantle of mega-convention maestro. (Hell, plenty of people love things without doing the same.) So why run the flower show? What, for Ryan, is the point?

“Every year is a challenge. It really has little to do with what my interests are from a horticultura

l perspective,” he admits. “It’s the challenge to have the best flower show we can put on.” He goes on to compare the Rhode Island Flower Show to the one in Boston, which runs from March 12 through 16, claiming that his show has more space for activities, lectures, demonstrations and so forth.

And the comparisons continue:

“The Philadelphia flower show is a week later than ours, and that goes for 10 days. The Boston flower show is a week after that. There’s another flower show in Connecticut on the same day as ours. We have a better show than they do, and they’re about the same size physically as we are.” He quickly adds, “But we do talk to the other shows, and we’re friendly.”

Friendly or not, Ryan seems to be out for flower show blood, and he clearly spends much of his time analyzing and improving each of the Ocean State’s flower conventions.

“We are the largest indoor event in the city of Providence, and we’re the largest event at the convention center. We take the entire thing over. Our gardens have grown [each year]. Our marketplace, it’s one of the largest of all the flower shows in New England. We are certainly the largest acting garden show in the area.”

Can you just picture his chest swelling with each statement? This guy really loves his convention. And that love shines through in both the presentation of the show and the way in which the show is vetted for quality. For example, Ryan does not put up with artificial flowers. No, sir, he nips that problem in the bud.

“We try to not have artificial flowers. One of the gardeners may have an area that they want to cover, so they use fake flowers. As soon as we find that out, we get rid of the flowers. All of the flowers must be real. The flowers have to be in bloom by the time they’re at the show, or just after the show begins.”

To put that statement in perspective, Ryan claims that this year’s show will boast one million flowers, in addition to 80 yards of mulch, 100 tons of boulders, and “enough grass to cover a football field.” If you smelled one flower per second, it would take approximately one week, four days, 13 hours, 46 minutes, and 40 seconds of constant sniffing to get through the whole show. That’s a crazy amount of real, living flowers stuffed into one convention center.

And on top of that, industry professionals from around the country come to the show to speak, present leading ho

rticultural information, and provide an all-around informative experience. So not only does Ryan have to worry about flowers blooming on t

ime, he also has to accommodate such flower-power celebrities as the Beekman Boys, Ellen Ecker Ogden, Roger Swain, Warren Leach, Melinda Myers and others.

“I’m especially excited for the famous Beekman Boys,” Ryan says. “They’re one of our principal speakers.” (For the unaware, the Beekman Boys have a reality TV show about running a farm, and they also won the 2012 Amazing Race.) “They should be a lot of fun.”

So that’s it, right? That’s enough for Maury Ryan’s plate. Successful lawyer, flower show director, competitive event planner — the list couldn’t possibly go on.

But it does!

Even while the Rhode Island Flower Show is still in its planning stage, Ryan must set some part of his attention toward the annual Great International Spring Beer Festival. Because, you know, he’s also the show director for that, too.

“That originally came about because of a client of mine, years ago. We came up with beer can trading cards, and that eventually evolved into putting on a beer fest. We were really the firsts of the beer fests. And back then, craft beer wasn’t really in full swing at the time, other than Sam Adams. So that evolved, too.”

There’s more:

“We also produced hard cider, probably seven or eight years ago. It was called Lovecraft Draft Cider.” When asked if he enjoys Lovecraft’s work, he casually remains neutral, neither a raving cult worshipper nor a literary snob. “I’m always busy,” he adds with a laugh.

And that, this writer must admit, may be the understatement of the year. Without a doubt, Maury Ryan oozes passion for personal projects, a fact evident by the annual success and growth of the Rhode Island Flower Show.

So whether you casually enjoy the smell of fresh cut flowers in a vase or daydream of a field full of bright, blooming flowers, there is something for everyone to experience at this exquisite show.

Maury Ryan has most definitely seen to that.

February 4, 2014
An Iliad Wrestles with Modern Questions in an Ancient Voice

Homer’s tale Iliad becomes a touchstone and a metaphor for all wars in An Iliad presented by the Willbury Group.

Theater is a collaborative experience, even if the end result seems centered on one person. Even a self-penned, self-designed (and, in this age of no-overhead marketing, self-promoted) piece needs extra eyes to ensure that ego does not trump ambition. Only a known entity can command an audience simply by showing up, and that’s why Gurney’s Love Letters exists. But, for one person to walk onstage and simply tell a story (and a classic story at that) for an hour and a half takes either celebrity of the highest order or a production vision that only a full-on collaborative team can see to fruition. Homer’s Iliad may not leap to mind as readily as A Christmas Carol, but with the appropriate scorecard in the program and a number of cultural touchstones (i.e., Achilles, the Trojan Horse, etc.) that most will recall, it’s not altogether impossible to remember the important plot points of the epic battle poem and, in the right hands, be enthralled by a dramatic retelling.

An Iliad, as the name suggests, is not a straightforward retelling of the Trojan War and its attendant (often supernatural) brouhaha, but a judicious blend of modern vernacular and topical references with the salient plot points of the original and a dash of ancient Greek to spice things up. The intention of the authors, Lisa Peterson and Denis O’Hare, was not to modernize Homer, but to use his tale as a touchstone and a metaphor for all wars and how a common thread binds endless generations of soldiers and civilians, regardless of where and when the battle is set. The device mostly works, and true to its form, comes across as much more engrossing as a live event; one suspects that, on paper, it may seem almost too precious for its own good. In this case, however, Wilbury Group and Director Clara Weishahn have delivered more than what is on the page and allowed what could be simply a tour de force opportunity for a local actor to be a fully realized production.

The local actor in question is Matthew Fraza, recently recognized for his directing talents with Epic’s Six Degrees of Separation as well as Mixed Magic’s finely tuned Zoo Story. Fraza is given the unenviable task of portraying The Poet, a ragged journeyman singing the songs of the epic battles, hoping that each retelling may be his last. The Poet is Bard, Fool and Barfly all wrapped up in one engaging package, bellowing out dactyls and spondees while buying the next round. “This went down well in Gaul,” he confides, surrounded by a set that is appropriately sweeping in its grandeur, resembling a ghost ship, with gauzy white sheets of fabric cascading over scaffolding recycled from at least two recent Wilbury productions. While the ropes and cloth promise movement and shape-shifting, they are mostly evocative set dressing aside from some spare business by The Poet, used to amplify certain points or serve as instant drag for Fraza’s amusing retelling of more feminine moments. All is white and earth tones and scenic designer Jacqueline Frole has matched Sylvi Re’s costuming to create an overall effect of earth and sky, where the gods meet lowly mortals. Matching the white of the fabric is the only other character in An Iliad, The Muse (Evan Lunt), almost angelic in his appearance, perched atop the scaffolding, mute save for his swooping cello underscores. So, while Fraza has the lion’s share of the work here, the overall effect is not of a one-man show, but of a play that supports the facile storytelling of an individual surrounded by ghosts and gods, heroes and corpses, music and all the elements of the universe. Jason Eckenroth’s lighting and sound design is subtle, but suitably supportive of Fraza’s verbal flights of fancy.

As we become more and more enmeshed in The Poet’s tale, the actual words, like much poetry, become almost irrelevant. Fraza explores peaks and valleys, a booming voice echoing off the cavernous walls of the Cultural Center only to end in a mesmerizing stage whisper. Like jazz, we know the basic tune, so we are okay being lost in Fraza’s riffing, secure in the fact that he’ll catch us up to the main theme before we all go over some circumlocutory cliff.

Weishahn does not allow Fraza to stay in one place for very long, and he is in constant motion throughout. However, when it counts, he is stock still and making sure to catch the perfect silhouettes provided by Eckenroth’s spare lighting. These are the moments when the vagaries of not just the Ilium campaign are brought to bear, but of how these mythic events relate to our own existence. The fact that soldiers from East Greenwich have gone off to far flung battlefields, never to return, has never been disputed, but not often given this context. Is dying for a lie in the desert any more or less ludicrous than a giant hollow horse? There were no weapons of mass destruction and if they simply gave Helen back, no one would have had to fight and die. These ideas are all intertwined in An Iliad — that wars are based on the principles of pride, some inflated sense of honor, and often, just jealousy. A recurring motif here is the image of bodies piled up high, and while World War I is only briefly mentioned in a litany of all the world’s battles, the comparison of endless and futile trench warfare and the stagnation of Hector and Agamemnon’s armies cannot be unseen.

An Iliad is not a tale of heroic battle, as its source material is, but a painful tale that must be told to all who would listen in the hopes that each retelling will be the last. It’s “a blur of kills,” war after war piling up in the books, ensuring that the Poet and his grubby suitcase of bleak verse will continue to roam the land. The singer has become the song, and all of our empathy, in the end, is for him. For he is the only one singing the song of our fallen dead. Who will sing for Iraq and Afghanistan? Who will sing for Syria and South Sudan? Are these tragedies no less epic and the whims of the gods no less mercurial now as they were ages ago? The dots on the map may constantly shift, but the song remains the same.

The Wilbury Group presents An Iliad, through February 8 at The Southside Cultural Center, 393 Broad Street, Providence. Visit thewilburygroup.org for tickets and details.

February 4, 2014
Curling — Like Chess on Ice

Editor’s note: With the Winter Olympics taking center stage for the month of February, Jim Hummel gets a primer on an emerging fan favorite: the sport of curling.

A strategic game carried out on ice, however ice skates need not apply.

It is a polite sport for the most part. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t a lot of yelling.

And plotting.

“I love the strategy behind it,” said Kathy Brady, who helped found the Ocean State Curling Club five years ago after watching lifelong curlers in action on a vacation to Quebec. “There’s a lot of thinking and it’s chess on ice. I like the strategy, but I also like that you get exercise.”

That you do. And after spending a couple of nights watching club members in action, it seems more like aerobic chess on ice. The club, which has grown to about 70 members, takes over the Cranston Ice Rink for two hours every Thursday and Friday between October and March.

“Anyone can learn it,” Brady said. “The first time I was on a team, I played with an 85-year-old man who still got down on the hack and delivered a normal stone.”

The curling lingo can be a little intimidating, so we decided to get a rundown on what to expect when you tune into curling during the Olympics in Sochi, Russia.

The heavy round thing that takes center stage in a match is called a stone or a rock. It’s made of granite and weighs 42 pounds. In Canada curlers enjoy rinks made solely for them, but here they have to share the ice and usually follow hockey practice. So club members spend the first 20 minutes or so preparing the ice, which is crucial to a good night of curling. The Zamboni does the initial clearing, then a pebbler waters the ice to create the surface the rock will slide on.

Then somebody who knows his way around a blow torch heats the rubber hack, which is imbedded in the ice and is used to push off when launching a rock.

The first order of business is to get the rocks, which are stored in wooden crates adjacent to the rink, out on the ice and cooling. Teams have four members that include the skip, which is the captain, and a vice skip. Plus two sweepers. Every match begins with a handshake before the players settle in. Each throws two rocks per match.

“It’s very genteel. You start by shaking your teammate’s and your opponents’ hands and you end by shaking as well,” said Brady, assuring us there is no trash talking.

The object is to get as many rocks closest to the center circle of the house, which means there is a lot of bumping. In some cases the last rock thrown – by the skip – can determine a match. The center circle itself is called the button.

And what about all of that sweeping? When a player throws the rock it has a natural curl. Brady says the sweeping can affect speed and direction. “Sweeping causes friction against the ice and it actually makes the stone go farther and straighter.”

Gordon Walsh is the current club president. He is a golfer, and never tried curling until he came to one of the club’s learn-to-curl nights back in 2009.

Jim Hummel: What was it that intrigued you about curling?

Gordon Walsh: The strategy. There’s finesse to it – you’ve got to think about what you’re doing.

JH: When you first started, was it what you expected?

GW: It was a lot harder. I thought it was going to be a fairly easy sport and a couple of minutes into it, I knew it was going to be a lot harder than I expected.

JH: What was the challenge?

GW: There’s some physical challenges to it. You see them on television they get into that graceful slide down on the ice. Some of us aren’t that graceful, but you can make it work. The difference between throwing it not far enough and throwing it too far is not much; it’s a lot of touch. It’s like putting on a putting green.

Walsh admits it’s not for everyone, but encourages people to give it a try – and he expects increased interest when the Olympics get under way. “When I walked in I said, ‘I want to play.’ At my age, I’m still making new friends because new people join the club each year.”

February 4, 2014
Let Run the Ink

Tattoos have spread like wild fire throughout our culture as an artistic expression of the person who bears the ink as well as the tattooer. The 1st Annual Anchors of Hope Body Art Expo will look to expose the talents of local tattoo artists.

Long has it been since a tattoo symbolized irresponsibility and a lack of respect for society. These days — for the most part, anyway — tattoos have moved into the mainstream spotlight for artistic appreciation. From CEOs to social workers, lawyers to laypeople, the sweet, sweet sight of inked flesh has transcended its muddy past, to become as respected as it is revered.

A fact, mind you, made all the more obvious by the building hype for the upcoming First Annual Anchors of Hope Body Art Expo, a three-day tattoo bonanza (February 28 through March 2) at Fete bringing together the best in the industry.

At the heart of the expo is a “tattoo style competition,” says Chops Gray, director of Marks of Identity, the local tattoo shop behind the expo. Tattoo artists attending the expo are given a certain amount of time each day to create at least two tattoos based on daily-changing categories. At the end of the time slot, industry professionals judge the creations, and winners have a chance of being published in Tattoo’d Lifestyle Magazine.

“So on Friday, for example, the competition runs from 2 to 9 pm, and they have to start the piece and finish in the time slot,” says Chops. “Categories that day include horror, realistic, food, floral, small color, and small black and grey.”

And remember, a tattoo requires skin. Which means that all of these creations must be permanently inked onto someone’s arm, leg, thigh, wherever. For this reason, the expo becomes an interactive experience with audience members, as willing participants for the tattoos are needed.

“If walk-ins want to come get inked, they definitely can come,” says Chops. “They can go to our Facebook page to see little collages of contact info created for the artists who are in the show. Contact the artists through that, so they can predetermine who wants to come in and get a piece.”

Since the expo runs until 2 am, Chops admits that artists can legally tattoo long after the competition time slots end. “If [the artists] really want to work and get their name out there, they can do it until then.”

Starting at 9 pm, after the tattoo competitions end, there will be live musical acts, along with a competition for body paint artistry. “If girls want to be painted –” says Chops, quickly adding that “anyone” can participate, “– they can contact me at Marks of Identity.” First place winners will be published in Tattoo’d Lifestyle Magazine.

All of this exposure is exactly why Chops created Anchors of Hope. He believes the tattoo world has exploded with popularity, and the number of participants at larger tattoo festivals can make it nearly impossible for an individual artist to make a name for him/herself.

“The bigger shows, if you put the time and money into getting a booth, it’s hard to get noticed. There are so many special guest artists, and in a huge show like that, you don’t get the opportunity to be noticed. In this show, we’re giving artists that opportunity.”

Although the show is already filled to the brim with tattoo artists, Chops is happy to hear from individuals looking to participate in the festival’s future expos. “I already have more festivals planned out, so artists should start contacting me today.”

With such avid, passionate tattoo artists as Chops Gray around, it’s exciting to think about where the tattoo industry will continue to go. This writer certainly finds himself already addicted to the touch of ink, and can only hope that it grows all the more accepted with each passing Anchors of Hope festival.

“We’re trying to be the Anchors of Hope for what real body art and tattoos are,” says Chops. “For the artists who are painting, drawing, tattooing, we’re doing this for them.”

Hosted at Fete (103 Dike St, Prov) from Feb 28-Mar 2. Tickets cost $13 per day, $5 for kids under 18, or $30 for all three days. For more information, find Anchors of Hope on Facebook or call Marks of Identity at 401-273-3200.

February 4, 2014

Le Providence French Film Festival

Find a piece of French culture right here in Providence during the French Film Festival.

Kicking off its 19^th year, the French Film Festival in Providence will run 19 films at the Cable Car Cinema on South Main Street over several days from February 20 to March 2. It’s an eclectic assortment of selections designed to appeal to a wide variety of viewers, according to Richard Manning, film archivist at Brown University who serves as co-director of the festival and has been involved “since day one.” Features include modern and historical dramas, coming of age romances, documentaries, and even a couple targeted for young adults.

The principal sponsor and benefactor of the festival is the Sevaux Fund at the Modern Culture and Media Department at Brown, in co-operation with other Brown and RISD departments including French Studies. The festival is “definitely a communal project,” said Manning, who credited Sylvie Toux with the original inspiration although she is no longer with Brown. The selection process of films for the past four or five years has been handled jointly by Shoggy Waryn, who is Toux’s successor in the French Studies Department, and by Manning. Since its second year, the festival has been held consistently in late February and early March to maximize its appeal to students on campus who have not yet left for Spring Break nor become preoccupied with end of semester tasks. Despite the festival’s close ties to the academic community, it is open to the public and derives about 20% of its revenue from ticket sales, Manning said.

Highlights

Le Dernier des injustes (The Last of the Unjust): Directed by Claude Lanzmann who is known for Shoah (1985) – widely acknowledged as the definitive Holocaust documentary – and for Sobibor, Oct. 14, 1943, 4 p.m. (2001), this new film by the now-88 year-old director uses interview footage he filmed in 1975 of Benjamin Murmelstein, the last “elder” of the Theresienstadt concentration camp. The Nazis wanted a “model” camp that they could exploit as a showpiece to demonstrate to the international press how well-treated Jews were in concentration camps, and Theresienstadt was that camp. Murmelstein was appointed by the Nazis as, in effect, senior prisoner, which left him subject to charges of collaboration after the camp was liberated.

L’Ordre et la Morale (Rebellion): Directed by Mathieu Kassovitz, this is a docudrama based on the disastrous French military response to the Ouvéa cave hostage taking in 1988 by guerrillas demanding independence for New Caledonia. The story is a thriller told from the point of view of the lead hostage negotiator.

Thérèse Desqueyroux: Directed by the late Claude Miller as the final film before his death, it is based on the 1920s novel by François Mauriac which was, ironically, notable for using the then-new conventions of cinema, such as flashbacks, as narrative literary techniques. It is an historical drama about an intelligent woman trapped in a marriage to a husband who cares only about appearances and reputation at the expense of everything real.

Jeune & Jolie (Young and Beautiful): Directed by François Ozon, this is a coming-of-age film whose central character is a girl of 17 who decides to explore her sexuality by losing her virginity to a German boy but finds the experience numbly disappointing, and so embarks on a secret life of prostitution.

Far from Vietnam: A remaster of a classic 1967 collaboration among famous French directors Joris Ivens, William Klein, Claude Lelouch, Agnès Varda, Jean-Luc Godard, Chris Marker and Alain Resnais, this film was an openly political attack on the United States’ war in the former French colony

Lautence Anyways: Directed by Xavier Dolan, this unusual French-Canadian film is about a romance between Frédérique and Laurence, the latter of whom identifies as transgender and wishes to live as a woman rather than a man. Frédérique takes the news badly at first and ends the romantic relationship, but eventually takes an active role in teaching her former boyfriend Laurence how to dress as a woman, put on makeup, and otherwise find support.

Aya of Yop City: A young adult film co-directed by Marguerite Abouet and Clément Oubrerie, who created the original graphic novel that inspired the film, Aya follows a girl in the recently independent Ivory Coast during the 1970s, as she experiences the excitement of de-colonialization.

La Cite rose (Asphalt Playground): A young adult film directed by Julien Abraham about a 12 year-old boy who lives in a housing project with his family on the outskirts of Paris. His life becomes complicated when he falls for a girl in his class as school.

Cable Car Cinema, 204 South Main St, Providence, RI 02903

Tickets: 401-272-3970 or http://www.cablecarcinema.com

Schedule

Thu	02/20/14	06:30 PM	Jeune & Jolie (Young & Beautiful)
Thu	02/20/14	09:00 PM	The Meteor

Fri	02/21/14	04:00 PM	Queen of Montreuil
Fri	02/21/14	06:30 PM	Thérèse Desqueyroux
Fri	02/21/14	09:00 PM	L’Ordre et la Morale (Rebellion)

Sat	02/22/14	12:00 PM	Aya of Yop City
Sat	02/22/14	02:00 PM	Haute Cuisine
Sat	02/22/14	04:00 PM	Far From Anywhere
Sat	02/22/14	06:30 PM	Cycling with Moliere
Sat	02/22/14	09:00 PM	La mer à l’aube (Calm at Sea)

Sun	02/23/14	12:00 PM	La Cite rose (Asphalt Playground)

Sun	02/23/14	06:30 PM	Présumé coupable (Guilty)
Sun	02/23/14	09:00 PM	Bowling

Mon	02/24/14	06:30 PM	Populaire
Mon	02/24/14	09:00 PM	Far from Vietnam

Tue	02/25/14	06:30 PM	The Meteor
Tue	02/25/14	09:00 PM	Queen of Montreuil

Wed	02/26/14	06:30 PM	La mer à l’aube (Calm at Sea)
Wed	02/26/14	09:00 PM	L’Ordre et la Morale (Rebellion)
Thu	2/27	2:15 PM	Le Dernier des injustes (The Last of the Unjust)
Thu	02/27/14	04:00 PM	Cycling with Moliere
Thu	02/27/14	06:30 PM	Le Dernier des injustes (The Last of the Unjust)

Fri	02/28/14	04:00 PM	Far from Vietnam
Fri	02/28/14	06:30 PM	Far From Anywhere
Fri	02/28/14	09:00 PM	Jeune & Jolie (Young & Beautiful)

Sat	03/01/14	12:00 PM	La Cite rose (Asphalt Playground)
Sat	03/01/14	02:15 PM	Laurence Anyways
Sat	03/01/14	06:30 PM	Bowling
Sat	03/01/14	09:00 PM	Présumé coupable (Guilty)

Sun	03/02/14	02:15 PM	Blue is the Warmest Color
Sun	03/02/14	06:30 PM	Ayiti Toma

February 4, 2014

Tag: Things to do in RI

A little bit of Vermont found on the side of Route 117 in Warwick

Head Trick Theatre’s production of Tonight We Improvise is 1930s improvisation modernized

Ken’s Ramen is on top of their noodle game

Local Rhode Islanders develop Drinking Sherpa; the app that helps people discover breweries, wineries, and distilleries in their area.

Classic cars added to accent flowers displayed in Rhode Island Flower Show.

“If you smelled one flower per second, it would take approximately one week, four days, 13 hours, 46 minutes, and 40 seconds of constant sniffing to get through the whole show.”- Director Maury Ryan, says about this years Rhode Island Flower Show.

Take a moment to imagine a lawyer. Just a stereotypical lawyer, all wrapped up in some expensive suit, briefcase in hand, his/her cold, calculating eyes scanning the horizon for the next big legal bonanza. All logic and no emotion, really.

Homer’s tale Iliad becomes a touchstone and a metaphor for all wars in An Iliad presented by the Willbury Group.

A strategic game carried out on ice, however ice skates need not apply.

Tattoos have spread like wild fire throughout our culture as an artistic expression of the person who bears the ink as well as the tattooer. The 1st Annual Anchors of Hope Body Art Expo will look to expose the talents of local tattoo artists.

Find a piece of French culture right here in Providence during the French Film Festival.