An August Wilson play is always appoint-viewing. Add in top-flight Portland actors, (many of whom have done several Wilson productions over the years,) and you have unmissable, (and dearly-missed) theater. Wilson's often lyrically beautiful dialogue is the main-course. But, the dazzling implementation of the magical-realist themes should also not be given short-shrift. It's a classic, and deservedly so. As such, it almost seems arrogant of me to add any personal feelings. But, I must say, of PCS' scheduled Season, "Gem of the Ocean" was the one I most fervently hoped would not be a casualty of CoVid. If ever there was a show worth venturing out for, this is it.
The Crippled Critic
Your source for reviews of film, concerts, and theatre from an unusual perspective -- the wheelchair seats.
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Saturday, March 12, 2022
Saturday, January 29, 2022
"The Great Leap" @ PCS
Take 2!
I tried to attend Opening Night of ArtistsRep/PCS's production of "The Great Leap." The show was called off at Curtain for positive tests.
It was worth the wait.
"The Great Leap begins as a sports-story, but becomes far more: A story about parents and their children amid the backdrop of Revolution. Playwright Lauren Yee is a voice I haven't otherwise encountered, and "The Great Leap" made me wonder what audiences had missed with "'Cambodian Rock Band" a musical by Yee, set to premiere Pre-Lockdown, and not yet mounted at PCS.
The Great Leap" is worth your time. It's full of the kind of drama we've missed for so very long.
Saturday, January 8, 2022
"Murder on the Orient Express"
"Murder on the Orient Express" is the play I was looking most forward to, as live performances slowly crackled back to life on local stages. An added bonus is that this show is directed by my former teacher David Sikking.
"Murder" is the kind of play I associate most with Lakewood Theatre since I first began going in earnest. The classic Agatha Christie tale, with its snowbound train is perfectly suited for a Winter's night. While I am far from a Christie expert, (my tastes gravitate more toward the grittier Raymond Chandler,) I'd say that "Murder on the Orient Express" is likely her best.
As I sat in the theatre, waiting for the show to begin, I reflected upon how this was an ideal way to cautiously resume "normalcy." I was proven right. It really felt like "we're back!" I urge you to join me in that feeling. It's like feasting after a fast, and what a feast it is.
Wednesday, April 7, 2021
Crippled Critic Ice Cream Review: The Village Ice Cream Factory
With stages and screens still dark for over a year, this website has gotten no use. The Crippled Critic himself, as an immunocompromised individual, has been under extraordinary lockdown since mid-March 2020. Then when I became eligible for the vaccine, it reached full-effectiveness on Feb 20th, 2021. Soon after, during an unseasonably warm March day, I ventured out to Multnomah Village Ice Cream Factory. My ever-vigilant twin sister, who knows of my obsessive-love of Blue Raspberry Slurpees/Icees, noticed that they had a Blue Raspberry flavor on a day she passed by. On this day, that flavor was not on the chalkboard. I had a Cookie Monster milkshake instead. ("Cookie Monster" is a delightfully decadent twist on Cookies & Cream, with a far more extensive list of cookies, I am certain it would do its muppet namesake proud.) Nikki, (the aforementioned twin,) decided to bring home a couple pints to-go. Among the pre-packed pints, was Blue Raspberry. Oh. My. God. I think this flavor typifies the unusual--but never veering into bizarre--flavors that Village Ice Cream Factory serves. I love this place. Hopefully, as Summer approaches, they'll be open longer hours than their current hours of 3:00 PM to 8:00 PM M-F, & 12 PM-8:00 Sat-Sun.
The Village Ice CreamFactory
Multnomah Village
7709 SW Capitol Hwy
Portland, OR 97219
(971) 279-5047