Kid Victory at Signature

Dear Imaginary Friends.

Kid Victory, now playing at Signature Theater, is an odd combination of disparate elements. 

First, it is a musical. But it is a musical about a pedophile who kidnaps, rapes and beats an underage teenage boy. 

Yes, it is a musical. 

It tackles the themes of faith, homosexuality, anonymous sexual dating sites, Vikings, lawns ( yes, I said lawns), and families dealing with teenage angst. 

I personally felt very uncomfortable watching the pedophile kidnapper singing about his "love" for his victim. 

One has a hard time not squirming with mortification. Yet, there are some positives. The actors all deliver stellar performances, especially the main character, who totally nails teenage boy angst. His face is a map of his thoughts. 

Signature Theater in Arlington loves to explore the occasional edgy theme, but perhaps there is a limit of good taste, that would be welcome. 

Please, no more musicals about sexual predators. 

Your imaginary theater critic,

Patsie

The Blue Rooster

Dear Imaginary Friends,

Have you ever wanted to buy a Blue Rooster that never needed to be fed? 

Well, here you are: a bona fide 

 blue rooster, housebroken, available for adoption. 

Copyright 2015, Patricia Uchello

C'a d'Azan

Nestled on the waterfront of Sarasota, Florida, is the magnificent home of John Ringling: the C'a d'Azan. Mr. Ringling and his wife Mabel adored Italy and Venice in particular. The architecture and furnishings both reflect their taste. 

Mr. Ringling was the thirteenth richest man in the world. He and Mabel had an extensive art collection, which they left to the state of Florida. 

Dale Chihuly

Dale Chihuly's outdoor glass sculpture is featured in a reflecting pond outside of the Virginia Museum of Arts outside Richmond. It is entitled "Reeds."

The Blow Up House: Deflated

What happens when the inflatables deflate? This blow up house had a very saggy Christmas; what a deflating experience!

LIttle Red Hen

I am at work, and this was my focus today: a little red hen, obviously free-range, taking in the scenery. This 8" x 8" oil on canvas is a simple composition of figure on ground. The shape of the negative space must compliment and not overwhelm the positive space.

This tiny panting is a winner, I think; it just needs a few touches after it dries.

Graffiato's Goes Creative

Dear Fellow Foodies,

If you watch Bravo TV's "Top Chef," you may have heard of Mike Isabella, a young creative chef who puts his own flavors on traditional Italian cuisine to bring it into the twenty-first century. 

Pizza has never seemed more creative than here, with far ranging options including cauliflower, squash, arugula, and even calamari pizzas. Side dishes excel, with a delicious roasted Brussels sprouts with pancetta that I found to be extraordinarily tasty. 

Mike has restaurants in both Richmond and Washington DC, as well as his Greek place Kapnos, which I hope to visit sometime soon. 

Trendy and tastefully industrial inside, his restaurants are deliberately noisy, so this is not the place to have a quiet chat with your lawyer, your grandma, or your first date.