Evita is a Must See

Four Season Theater’s most recent production, “Evita” is a definite must see.

Problem is, it closed today. There’s 1 matinee and if you’re at all a fan of this show, you owe it to yourself to be at the Wisconsin Union Theater for today’s performance.

I’ve been a fan of Four Season Theater since I saw one of their first productions a few years ago of Ragtime at the Middleton Performing Arts Center. The current production, Evita, is of the same caliber. In my humble opinion this is one of the best “community” theater organizations ever in Madison.

First the highlights-Chad Grote as main character Che is right on the mark. His vocals are clear, concise and wonderful to hear. His emotional control of the character comes through clearly in every scene and makes him a joy to watch as a true singer/actor vs. an actor who can sing somewhat or a singer who can slightly act. His the real deal and his talent shines through. My only criticism is the bad hair he dons for the role. I don’t believe it was his own as it looked very wig-like. If that’s the worst thing I can find in his performance, I had to look very hard!

L. Joe Dahl performance of Peron is equally as strong. His downplayed, subtle stage presence was perfect against the strength of character in Eva. Vocally he was right on the mark as well. Again, a strong addition to an already wonderful cast.

Amanda Poulson truly steals the show as Eva Peron. She actually almost made me feel sorry for the character as she fell ill in the story line, and most of you know the rest. Vocally again very strong and wonderful to listen to. Her command of the lyrics were clear and concise as well—a must in pulling off a show like this.

Other notables were Robert Goderich as the used Magaldi. His slightly schmaltzy rendition of a tango singer was right on the mark. Samantha Mae Bock, as the jilted mistress of Peron truly grabbed the audition in her performance of “Another Suitcase in Another Hall”.

The large cast (29 actors) was strong as well both vocally and surprisingly, in their choreography. Not always easy to pull off in community-type theater. Once again Four Seasons did it all very well.

My only critic of the show would have been the orchestra—not always as strong as the cast came across and quite often too loud to be able to hear the singers….there were some beautiful orchestrations within the show but the opening number “Requieum” made it seems as if the orchestra wasn’t quite ready for the show last night.

Don’t let that stop you, though. Evita is sure to please.

Showtimes are today, August 23, 2009 at 2:00 p.m. Get your tickets by clicking here.

Myles Teddywedgers…A Great Lunch Downtown

If you find yourself on the square at lunch time, don’t overlook the unassuming triangle shaped storefront at the top of State Street where State/Carroll and Mifflin Streets all intersect. This unassuming little “hole in the wall” is some of the best food I’ve had.

What is it? Why it’s Myles Teddy Wedgers Cornish Pasty located at 101 State Street.

What’s a pasty? First it’s pronounced “pass-tee” and certainly is not to be confused with something that might adorn certain stripper body parts. It’s a traditional Cornish meal made to be eaten while on the move. Sort of the Cornish version of a burritto I’d think. In the traditional form it’s a pastry “turnover” stuffed with meat, potatoes and onions. Myles puts a different spin on this traditional fare with offerings of a “Big Cheesy” with mozzarella cheese, ground beef and pizza sauce. The Veggie Wedgie for those wanting a meatless option and a Chicken Pie filled with chicken, peas, corn, carrots, cheese and a white cream sauce.

The Super Pizza is an awesome lunch on the go and my current favorite. 1/2 a Teddywedger is more than enough for even the biggest appetite. I always save room for dessert of an M&M Cookie. They are made fresh daily and are worth the trip in to the store just for a cookie.

I’ve tried some of the other pasties as well. The traditional is very good. The crust is flaky and light and the fillings are robust.

Top this all off is the friendly staff and you’ve got a really great, inexpensive dining experience.

Nick’s-A Friendly Place On State Street

Since moving downtown a little over 1 year ago, I’ve found that I tend to wander back to the same places for lunch week after week.  One of my favorites is Nick’s Restaurant at 226 State Street.  What do I like about Nick’s?  A lot of things.  Their pricing for one, their beer selection (but not always at lunch for me) as another.  The fact that there’s still some great Greek menu items is yet another.  Finally the friendliness and laid back attitude of the staff and clientele is really what brings me back in.

Stopped there today on my walk back from the hardware store.  Sat at the bar and ordered a Gyro with fries and a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale.   The gyro was a plate full of pita, meat and the freshest tomatoes I’ve had since last summer.  The food came out within 5 minutes of my order and was good to the last forkfull.

Lunch came to $12.96

What surprised me is that there were only 6 other diners the entire time I was at the bar.  This was noon hour in central Madison.  Where was everyone?  The thought that lunch might go away at Nick’s scares me.

It’s nothing fancy.  In fact it has the friendly feel of my old hangout in Chicago, The Golden Waffle at Broadway and Peterson Avenues.  It’s like the place on “Rules of Engagement” where the main characters always seem to eat.  I love that feeling as a local “hang out” in the middle of the city.

Don’t miss the Fish Fry on Friday nights as well.  It’s very good and it won’t kill you budget for food either.  Add a brandy old fashioned to your meal and you’ll truly get a Wisconsin Friday night experience.

Talula-Place for Good Food

I’ve ventured to the near east side on 2 recent occasions to try dinner at the recently opened “Talula” in the site of the old CJ’s restaurant off of Cottage Grove Road (802 Atlas Avenue).   In between the the closing of CJ’s with it’s tudor exterior and the opening of Talula, Mexican restaurant of the Dells, Mexicali Rose tried to make a go of it in this space.  The only remaining artifact of this failed attempt was that they painted the building a bright pink with green trim (I guess it was probably rose color vs. pink).  Anyway, this is now a very distinctive building amongst the more industrial setting of Atlas Avenue.

My first visit was with a dear friend the night of my birthday, December 23.  Upon entering it was clear that not much had changed with the decor from the CJ’s days.  That’s OK with me as it gives the place a sort of laid back charm.  There is the addition of interesting artwork and it seems as if the owner’s are committed to allowing local artists a chance to show their stuff on the walls of the restaurant.  Again feeding in to the laid back charm in my opinion.

The staff is very friendly.  The bar area is huge.  There is live music on many nights of the week and even a “trivia” night on Tuesdays.  (see the pattern of laid back here?)

The menu is interesting.  Recently Talula got rave reviews as 2008 best for it’s pasta dish, by the Capitol Times. But the menu is varied.  It runs the gamut from some very interesting appetizers (spicy edamame, fresh guacamole with chips) to a great burger menu.  On Friday’s they serve a fish fry with choice of Ocean Perch or Haddock.  Both very good and very popular.  They have also won a great review by MadisonFishFry.com.

This past Friday a number of folks in our dining group chose the entree size salads and each one was a great choice for it’s freshness and creativity.  I’m a fan of the jalapeno vinaigrette dressing that comes as one of the many home made salad dressing choices Talula offers.  Besides the great pasta entree they also offer a great choice of additional entree meals.  All so far have been very good.

Haven’t tried the desserts yet but I’m sure on a future visit we will. 

This is a not to be overlooked dining destination on the near east side of Madison.  For friendly staff, a laid back atmosphere, a great bar and a wonderful menu, Talula is a winner.

Overture Center Has Big Week

The entertainment/arts season in in full swing in Central Madison.  Here’s what’s happening this week alone at our wonderful Overture Center for the Arts:

David Sedaris

Tuesday, October 7, 7:30 pm

Since first gaining national attention reading his original pieces on NPR’s This American Life, David Sedaris has established himself as one of America’s preeminent humor writers. Along the way, he has penned best-selling collections of stories and essays, including the wildly popular Me Talk Pretty One Day. His work appears regularly in such magazines as Esquire and The New Yorker. By turns prickly, bruisingly honest, and poignant, the one constant is that Sedaris is always, well, hilarious.

Check out our events page http://www.overturecenter.com/0809/1007sedaris.htm to link to video of Sedaris’ interview on Letterman and The Daily Show, audio clips from NPR and his answers to 10 questions from TIME magazine (he’s never seen the internet!? – wow). 

Ricky Skaggs & Bruce Hornsby

Thursday, October 9, 7:30 pm

Ricky Skaggs is a legend in bluegrass and country music, and Bruce Hornsby has sold more than 10 million albums and teamed up with top artists ranging from Chaka Khan to the Grateful Dead. In 2007, the pair worked together on the self-titled album Ricky Skaggs and Bruce Hornsby, drawing rave reviews from critics and enthusiastic response from fans everywhere. The duo, backed by Skaggs’ top-notch band Kentucky Thunder, presents bluegrass classics, Hornsby tunes reworked as bluegrass, and other gems from this unexpected collaboration.

For links to the artists’ website and video on YouTube, check out our events page http://www.overturecenter.com/0809/1009skaggshornsby.htm

The Magnetic Fields

Saturday, October 11, 8 p.m.

More info: http://www.overturecenter.com/0809/1011magneticfields.htm

Children’s Theater of Madison

Looking Glass Land

October 11-26

More info: http://www.ctmtheater.org/onstage/08-09/lookingglassland.html

Nathaniel Bartlett: Marimba + Computer

Saturday, October 11

More info: http://www.nathanielbartlett.com/

Kids in the Rotunda – Children of the Sun – Deaf and Hard of Hearing Drum Troupe

Saturday, October 11, 9:30 and 11 a.m., 1 p.m. • FREE

1 pm shows are sign language interpreted

Every Saturday during the school year, Overture Center offers free arts programs designed for children and families at 9:30 AM, 11 AM and 1 PM. Our popular performing arts series for children and families offers a relaxed, kid-friendly environment in which to enjoy a diverse lineup of local and regional musicians, storytellers, jugglers, theater troupes, magicians and dancers. The 1 PM performances are sign language interpreted. This week features Children of the Sun – a deaf and hard of hearing drum troupe. This event is FREE.

More info: http://www.overturecenter.com/kir.htm

Stephen Schwartz and Friends-A Wonderful Night of Singing!

Stephen Schwartz

Part of the season at Overture Center this year is a series of performances that are cabaret themed.  The first in the series happened last Thursday night in the beautiful Capitol Theater.  This show “Stephen Schwartz and Friends” was a true delight!  If you ever wondered what it would be like to be invited into the living room of one of Broadway’s most successful and prolific composer/lyricist (Wicked/Pippin/Godspell/Working) Thursday night was truly that.

Schwartz, in a very relaxed way told stories of his music, performed songs both well known and not so well known.  Joining him were 2 incredibly gifted and well known performers as well.  Debbie Gravitte, Tony Award winner for Jerome Robbins’ Broadway and Scott Coulter, one of the best cabaret performers and voices I’ve heard in a long time both graced the stage with their phenomenal performances and strong and enjoyable voices.  All in all the night flew by because of the great talent we got to enjoy on stage in the Capitol Theater.

Don’t miss the rest of this series.  The wonderful Sally Mays will be performing on November 6, 2008 and David Burnham will be here on February 19, 2009.

My only disappointment was the theater wasn’t sold out for this great show.  Kudos to the programming staff at Overture for bringing such wonderful musical talent to Madison.

This Keller Williams will pack the house, not sell it

…was a headline that caught my eye this morning in 77 Square magazine published by the Capital Times here in Madison.  I especially love the fact that the author, Rob Thomas, calls Keller Williams Realty a “real estate giant”.  Not bad for a company that only started here in the Madison market less than 6 years ago.  Here’s the entire article from 77 Square-  Darren Kittleson

Rob Thomas

September 16, 2008

It’s not that Keller Williams is antisocial. He liked other musicians just fine.

He just didn’t need them. Williams is best known for taking just a guitar on stage with him and enthralling audiences — including regular stops in Madison at least annually — with his finger-bending guitar and tongue-twisting lyrics, a sort of Gilbert and Sullivan meets Bonnaroo.

But now Williams has a band, featuring former String Cheese incident bassist Keith Moseley, guitarist Gibb Droll and Leftover Salmon drummer Jeff Sipe. The quartet just released a live two-CD/one-DVD set, succinctly called “Live,” that stretches out a bunch of Williams’ songs, including “Tribe” and “You Are What You Eat.”

Jam-band fans should be very pleased, especially since the lineup is coming to the Barrymore Theatre, 2090 Atwood Ave. at 7:30 p.m. next Wednesday, Sept. 24. Tickets are $25 through the Barrymore box office or its outlets, by phone at 241-8864, or online at www.barrymorelive.com.

Cornmeal will open the show.

(And in case you were wondering, this Keller Williams has nothing to do with the real estate giant of the same name, outside of getting first dibs on the Keller Williams entry on Wikipedia.)

Staycations…Having Fun On 1 Tank of Gas

This past weekend we did what many are doing this summer–traveling nearby for a “staycation” get away.  On Friday we drove to Wisconsin Dells for an overnight stay at the Wilderness Resort and Waterpark.  We were guests of the resort in that we’re considering our next real estate investment in the condos for sale that are part of their “rental pool”. 

Before we invest, we decided it would be best to experience the resort.  It didn’t disappoint.   I never realized how massively large this resort truly is.  They dub the resort “America’s Largest Waterpark Resort” and I believe it.  I think we counted 4 or 5 large indoor waterparks and as many outdoor parks to explore.  They claim over 500,000 sq. ft. of waterpark throughout the resort.

With a newly expanded convention center, the highly rated Field’s at the Wilderness restaurant and this summer’s opening of what being touted as one of the best new golf courses in Wisconsin, Wild Rock, the Wilderness Resort looks to be a solid investment.

Best yet, it’s only 1 hour north of Madison.  Truly a get away on a tank of gas!

Fresco…Worth Another Try

When Fresco opened atop the Madison Museum of Contempary Art a few years ago, I was excited!  What a cool location for what looked to be a very hip and trendy new downtown eatery.  We tried it a few times and were underwhelmed by the menu, prices and service.

A few weeks ago, on a beautiful summer night, we decided to give it another try.  We’ve been back 2 times since. 

What changed?

I don’t know.  The menu is still creative and service seems to have improved dramatically.  The first night back at Fresco we were treated with their new $5 menu.  It seems in the last hour of operations, a different menu is available.  It offers an array of $5 martini’s, $5 tapas and -$5 entrees.  It is perfect for a lighter late night dining experience.

If you haven’t stopped by in a while, it’s worth another try.  I hope it continues.  They seem to be doing things right.

Thoughts on a Great New Restaurant

We have had the pleasure of dining at Madison’s newest Mexican restaurant “El Pescador”.  What a treat!This new treasure has opened in the past 2 montbs in the location formerly housing “Las Palmas” at 2810 E. Washington Avenue.  The interior hasn’t changed much but the food was wonderful!  I enjoyed the “cocktelle de campachana” which, in my opinion is the perfect summertime dinner.  Served in a jumbo margarita glass this entree was full of fresh shrimp, octopus and avocado, all swimming in an ocean of perfectly seasoned tomato sauce.

My companion ordered the grilled red snapper prepared “de diablo” style with a very hot red sauce.  The entire snapper came to our table with it being perfectly grilled.

If you’re a seafood and fresh fish fan, you must try this new discovery!

Oh, yeah, the margaritas were killer as well!

It’s now been reviewed!

State Journal Review