Manhattan Moments: Drama, Art, & Food

THEATER: AN AMERICAN CLASSIC

Death of a Salesman (Broadway, Winter Garden Theatre)

Arthur Miller’s play, Death of a Salesman, was written in 1948 and has been presented in theaters and on television and as a film many times since.  I vividly recall seeing Lee J. Cobb in the title role with Mildred Dunnock as his wife Linda in the 1966 TV production.  And I have always had a special fondness for Arthur Miller’s work, partly because in the 1930’s, he was my grandfather’s student in an English class at the University of Michigan.  

Miller and My Grandfather

Out of the 50 students in that class, Grandpa felt certain that Arthur Miller had a future career as a writer.  As an undergraduate, Miller entered and won a prestigious Hopwood Award for his creative writing.  In the classroom, my grandfather was best known and appreciated for his caring mentoring of his students.  Later, he became dean of students and then Secretary of the University.

Growing up, my family made many visits to Ann Arbor. I always enjoyed seeing and hearing from my grandfather what was new on the campus. And I reveled in time spent perusing the shelves of his overstuffed home study. Stacks of books and magazines and newspapers (Saturday Review and Manchester Guardian) were piled on the floor, and the entire surface of his desk was always covered. For me, it was like being in heaven surrounded by all that reading material!

Death of a Salesman 2026

This past week, the Chief Penguin and I went to see the newest production of Death of a Salesman starring Nathan Lane as Willy Loman and Laurie Metcalf as Linda.  Nathan Lane has an extensive set of credits for theater, movies, and TV.  Most recently, he played the theatrical and bombastic Ward McAllister, arbiter of high society, in the TV series, The Gilded Age, which I watched in its entirety.  The C. P. and I have also had the pleasure of seeing Laurie Metcalf on stage in Three Tall Women and A Doll’s House, Part 2.  Ben Ahlers’ Broadway debut as Willy’s son Hoppy was a pleasant surprise.  Ahlers plays footman and clockmaker Jack Trotter in The Gilded Age.

This production is a powerful one of memories, flashbacks, and unfulfilled dreams.  The set is spare consisting mostly of a red sedan and a few tables and chairs.  It has an empty, eerie quality, reflecting perhaps the hollowness of the family’s quest for success.  From the start, it is clear that Willie is unraveling and his end is near.  He is failing in his job and is frustrated and angered by older son Biff’s inability at 34 to find employment and keep it.  After all, Biff was a star football player with a bright future ahead of him, or so Willy believes.  

In reality, Biff has succumbed to the same delusions of grandeur as his father, based on the premise of being very well liked, not merely well liked, as the key to success.  Linda, wife and mother, is the linchpin who keeps this family from crumbling.  She supports and cajoles Willie, scrounging and scrimping to pay the bills, while he berates her.  In contrast to the Lomans, next door neighbor Charlie and his son Bernard are hard-working, goal-oriented, and successful.  

Although the setting is just after WWII, the themes remain relevant for today, and with a focus on Willie’s memories/hallucinations, thoughts of dementia come to mind.  It is impossible not to be moved by Nathan Lane’s performance; sobbing was heard around us.  

The play has received 9 Tony nominations and runs into early August.  We highly recommend it!  See it if you can, or if you’ve never read it, it’s easily available on Kindle or in paperback.

ARTIST & INVENTOR

Marcel Duchamp (MoMA)

MoMA’s retrospective of Marcel Duchamp’s work is the first in this country since 1973.  Duchamp lived from 1887 to 1968, and like his contemporary Picasso, had a tremendous impact on art and the various forms it took.  His early works included landscapes and portraits of various family members, representational works where people and trees are identifiable.  

Landscape
Duchamp’s Father

Then Duchamp changed directions toward more abstract works, some Cubist, like his Nude Descending the Staircase No.2, the second image below. 

Sonata (mother & sisters)

Later he focused on the invention of things and devices and an approach he called “precision optics.”  

These later works I found both odd and interesting. This exhibition runs into late August.

A SIMPLE LUNCH

Three Guys Restaurant

Another day, after spending time at a nearby exhibit, we decamped to Three Guys, a trendy diner on Madison Avenue, for lunch.  This is a very popular eatery, and it’s best to snag a table or booth before noon.  Teenagers, mothers with little kids, and rising young women congregate here for lunch and laughter.  Generally, there are a few men sprinkled around, but mostly, it’s a bevy of females.

I had one of the best sandwiches ever! It was grilled bacon, cheese, and tomato on white toast.  The bacon was crispy, the cheese oozed just enough, and the tomato was ripe and juicy.  It’s a sandwich I almost never order, but it was perfect.  The Chief Penguin ordered his usual grilled bacon and cheese with a side of cole slaw.  Service here is prompt and friendly, meaning no delays in getting your meal.

Note: Photos ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved.)

Manhattan Moments: Night at the Opera Plus

TULIP TIME

Striped tulips
Red & pink tulips
Cream tulips

Spring in Manhattan usually means a surfeit of tulips.  This year is no exception.  Despite rain and wind which have beaten down some blooms, we still discovered colorful arrays here and there.  In Central Park, in the Jefferson Market Garden, and in the occasional street-side bed.  

A NIGHT AT THE OPERA 

Our midweek outing was a modest adventure.  A night at the opera, it included a walk in Central Park, dinner, the last performance of this contemporary opera, and a bus ride home.

Curtain time was 7:30 pm.  It was a pleasant afternoon, so we decided to walk through Central Park from the east side to the west side to Lincoln Center.  I thought it would take much longer than it did.  We had time to wander around outside the Lincoln Center complex and arrived early for our early dinner reservation.  

PRE-THEATER DINING

Café Fiorello

Café Fiorello is directly across the street from the center.  I expected it to be acceptable red gravy fare, but nothing special. It was so much more! First off, the waiter seated us in at a small booth set for 4 tucked in a corner.  More space than most couples received and a bit away from the main fray.  He was humorous, and when we ordered drinks said that June would make them, and he’d be back.  The Old Fashioned and my glass of pino grigio were fine (actually, the Chief Penguin’s Old Fashioned was the best he’d had in a long time!)  We were told that robot June did all the measuring so that the cocktail recipe was the precisely the same every time.  Not sure if we believed him or if he was stringing us along.

In any case, the meal was very good!  We shared a Caesar salad nicely dressed.  

My chicken piccata and his chicken marsala with porcini were both luscious as was the large half-order of spaghetti with pesto sauce.

 By the time we had finished, the restaurant was bursting, every table fully occupied, and conversation almost impossible.  A popular place and we’d happily go there again—without the opera as an excuse.

BOLD CONTEMPORARY OPERA

Innocence (Metropolitan Opera at Lincoln Center)

Innocence by Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho (1952-2023) is a short opera in five acts performed without an intermission. It is set in Helsinki during a wedding, ten years after a school shooting, with flashbacks to the event and recollections from the survivors and victims.  It’s a powerful piece staged on a revolving multi-story set with windows and rooms on all sides. Central characters include Marketa, one of the victims; Tereza, substitute waitress at the wedding reception and mother of Marketa; Tuomas, bridegroom and brother of the shooter; his bride Stela, and his parents.  At the opening, Stela is unaware of the family’s connection to the tragedy.  

The score is not particularly lyrical, but includes a wide variety of percussion instruments including drums, while the singing is varied and in different languages. Noteworthy is Marketa’s part which includes the poignant and sometimes raucous-sounding calls of rural herders.  The school students frequently speak their parts in various languages.  Susanna Malkki, the conductor for these Met performances, is also Finnish and was composer Saariho’s longtime collaborator. The opera’s subject is somber, but the performance an unforgettable experience with some hope at the end!

When we exited the theater, it was raining a bit.  We had several options for getting home which included the subway or an Uber.  Fortunately for us, the M66 bus was at the corner with a line of opera goers waiting to board.  We were some of the last people it could accommodate. The trip was just 15 minutes to a stop a short walk from where we are staying.  Success!

MAY DAY DEMONSTRATION

Laborers demonstrate

On May 1st, people demonstrated in cities across the country in support of workers, urging priority for workers over billionaires.  We were walking to Union Square from Three Lives, one of our favorite bookstores, and decided to go via Washington Square Park.  Up by the arch, laborers were out in full force in bright orange shirts with plenty of signs denouncing the current administration and inveighing against fascism.  Loud music added to the noise of the crowd, but all was peaceful.

Signs and demonstrators

Note: Photos ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved) except the Met’s photo of the stage set.

From Manhattan: Watching & Eating

RECENT VIEWING

FRENCH DETECTIVES TRIUMPH AGAIN

Astrid Season 5 (PBS Masterpiece)

Astrid & Raphaelle (pbs.org)

Season 5 of Astrid has been available for some months now.  I started watching it a while ago and only finished it this week.  It’s a satisfyingly rich season with the usual array of quirky and weird murder cases, but what makes it special is the tight friendship between Astrid and Raphaelle both on the job and in their off hours.  Raph is a talented detective with keen insights, but Astrid’s ability to delve into the tiniest details and provide unseen connections gives them the additional info needed to solve the crimes.   

Add in the issue of Astrid’s relationship with Tetsuo, his return to Paris, and their moves toward a stable future together.  This, coupled with Astrid’s unexpected response to some old memories, brings to the fore more details of Astrid’s youth.  All in all, an excellent season with a cliffhanger ending.  How soon can we expect Season 6?  Highly recommended!

CLASSIC ADVENTURE TALE BROUGHT TO LIFE

The Count of Monte Cristo (PBS Masterpiece)

The Count (pbs.org)

I never read The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas, nor this other adventure story of his.  Nonetheless, the Chief Penguin and I are enjoying The Count of Monte Cristo immensely.  We are about halfway through this series of 8 episodes.  The acting is superb and the story suspenseful.  

When seaman Edmond Nantes is unjustly accused and sent to prison, his fate seems sealed.  How he manages to escape with the aid of Abbe Faria (played by a well disguised Jeremy Irons) is both clever and creative.  If you’re up for a rousing historical adventure story, this would nicely fit the bill.

20th CENTURY HIGH SOCIETY 

The Forsytes Season 1 (PBS Masterpiece)

I was a bit dubious about this rendition of Galsworthy’s saga and found the first episode a bit busy introducing so many members of the family.   With episode 2, I settled in and thoroughly enjoyed it. Here, Irene is a ballerina, rather than a pianist or piano teacher, and very free-spirited—at least until she marries Soames.  Saomes Forsyte initially comes across as nicer than in some other versions I’ve seen, but that changes later.  

Aunt Ann, the matriarch, is forceful and dominating (mostly in a good way) and her question to Irene: “Do you know what it means to be a Forsyte?” is spot on.  I love Francesa Annis in this part.  Louisa, the dressmaker, and Jolyn’s love from the past, is fleshed out and plays a bigger part than in the novel.  She’s an admirable independent business woman, possibly more a reflection of the contemporary world than the early 1900s.  

Frances, Jolyn’s wife and mother of 18-year-old June, is a complex character, whom you both admire (she’s strong willed and a survivor) and possibly dislike (she’s cunning and manipulative on Jolyn’s behalf at times and for her own desires.)

Frances & young Jolyn Forsyte

She covets the influence and power her position gives her.  And June, young June, is still portrayed as someone naïve and unacquainted with the darker aspects of society.  

All in all, I found this series a fascinating portrait of this family in transition and loved the greater focus on the women.  Season 2 is already in the works as several issues remain unresolved.   

EATING OUT IN NYC

DINER FARE 

Eat Here Now (Lexington near E. 63rd)

Interior of Eat Here Now (tripadvisor.om)

One probably doesn’t think of diner and Upper East Side in the same breath, but Eat Here Now is a genuine diner.  You enter and step down two steps below street level and, if you are a regular or semi-regular, you are immediately warmly greeted.  In our case it’s: “Where have you been?  We haven’t seen you in a while.” The place feels family-run and provides fast efficient service, delivering big portions and well-brewed coffee.  

The Chief Penguin usually orders a grilled bacon and cheese sandwich with a side of coleslaw.  I’m less predictable and have had a tuna melt or some form of scrambled eggs.  Yesterday, we both ordered Reubens, his traditional and mine on white toast.  I think we overlooked the “Knife and Fork Sandwiches” heading on the menu because these were the largest version of Reuben I’ve ever seen.  Open-faced and piled high with corned beef, sauerkraut, and melted cheese with a mini ramekin of Russian dressing on the side.  They were overwhelming to say the least.  Tasty, but a bit more than our appetites required.  Nonetheless, we will have at least one more lunch here while we’re in town.

TRADITIONAL FRENCH BISTRO

Brasserie Cognac (Upper East Side)

Brasserie Cognac is one of our favorites in this neighborhood.  Cozy with several small rooms and tables and diners crammed together, it consistently delivers elegant comfort food. Last evening, we indulged in some cheese gougeres, light airy puffs of pastry, and fried calamari to start.  Crispy but not too and not over breaded or tough; in a word, perfect.  

Rotisserie chicken (gourmandsyndrome.com)

For entrees, we both ordered the rotisserie chicken stuffed with mushroom fricassee accompanied by mashed potatoes and green beans.  The  C. P. substituted French fries with his chicken.  The dish was luscious and just right for this cold, rainy night.  

We had no one on either side of us when we arrived, but shortly a couple was seated to my left, and then a table of five with a boisterous, but friendly, host took their places on the right.  The dining room filled up completely, and the noise level increased.  We were almost finished with our meal and would soon leave the mild chaos behind.  We will return at least once more this visit.  I have a date with their escargots!

Carolina Comments: Music, Books, Pizza

MUSIC IN THE PARK

(americanbrassquintet.org)

Each spring, Chamber Music Raleigh holds one of its concerts in a public park.  Last Sunday, we spent a most pleasant two hours in Ritter Park in Cary listening to the American Brass Quintet.  The weather was warm, not hot, and metal picnic tables under a canopy provided seating, shading us from the sun.  

The quintet consists of two trumpeters, two trombonists (one a bass one) and a French horn player.  The players are all men except for Hillary Sims on trombone.   Their selections were varied, most of them new to us, and wonderful, especially David Biedenbender’s four movement piece, Sacred Geometry, composed in 2022.

AUTHOR TREAT

Evans (goodreads.com)

Earlier this week, I enjoyed a Wake County Library webinar with author Virginia Evans.  Her novel of letters, The Correspondent, became a surprise bestseller.  It’s one of the best books I’ve read so far this year and, after seeing Ms. Evans on the screen, I’d be happy to reread it.  

Evans answered questions that had been submitted by readers as well as those of the librarian moderator.  She told us that the character of Sybil, the letter writer, came into her head fully developed (not always the case) and was inspired by her mother-in-law.  She hoped that by the ending, readers would feel that despite sorrows and disappointments that Sybil had a life well lived.

The novel took a long time in the writing, and it was on her 36th birthday, that she was notified that the publisher accepted it.  Today, Evans is 39, a resident of Winston Salem and the mother of two young children; her life has become something of a whirlwind.  Throughout the conversation, she was real and unpretentious and someone it would be a delight to meet in person.  

READING: ANOTHER WELL-LIVED LIFE

The Book of Charlie: Wisdom from the Remarkable American Life of a 109-Year-Old Man by David Von Drehle

Charlie White at 103 (time.com)

What is it like to meet your across-the-street neighbor at 102 years old and be friends with him for seven years?  Von Drehle and his family moved from Washington, D.C. to the outskirts of Kansas City, Missouri in 2007.  Charlie White was their neighbor, and his son-in-law lived next door to them and also became a friend.  

Born in 1905, Charlie’s life spanned an amazing array of changes and inventions from the first automobiles to the development of penicillin to the first computers.  He became a doctor when there were no antibiotics, and medicine consisted mostly of providing care and kindness for anything other than easily tended cuts and scrapes. 

He suffered the early loss of his father and two difficult marriages, yet he rose above these and persevered.  Charlie is a case study in resilience and confidence. He seemed able to let the past go and see ahead to what made sense to do next.  He was sanguine when necessary and always enterprising. Von Drehle tells Charlie’s story but also uses it as a way to relate American history over the past 100 years.  An inspiring read! (~JWFarrington)

PIZZA—THE REAL THING!

The Chief Penguin and I joined my sisters and one spouse (the other was at a glass workshop) for lunch in Carrboro on Saturday.  Destination: Pizzeria Mercato.  This small unadorned place serves some of the best pizza I’ve eaten outside Italy!  

We all started with one of their tasty salads.  C.P. and I opted for the panzanella which included green beans and slices of beet with leafy greens and croutons in a luscious smooth dressing.  

We then ordered margherita pizzas with prosciutto while the others went for mushroom pizzas.  They are generously sized, so we all had extra slices to take home.  The crust is thin and crisp, and the toppings not overdone, making for a lighter version of this Italian favorite. 

Note: Pizza photo ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved.)