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Green Day
Spring and the glory of local leafy greens. Outdoors:
Enduring
Love Lord Leebrick Theatre's production of The Tragedy of Romeo & Juliet closely follows Shakespeare's classic tale of star-crossed lovers and the all too human elements of love and revenge, tragedy and comedy, but with some restructuring by the show's director John Schmor. Shaving the script to 12 roles and 21 scenes, Schmor's adaptation stylishly integrates Shakespeare's poetic verse with a mélange of contemporary dialogue.
The action takes place on an attractive, yet functional single set that, through the use of lighting and a few props such as paper lanterns or a bed drape, serves as the solemn interior of a church, Juliet's bedroom and balcony, a party site, the streets of Verona, and in the final scene, a crypt. The theater's horseshow seating invites the audience into the action, and the players make use of this arrangement to enter and exit from all sides. Quinn Mattfeld is altogether charming as lovesick young Romeo. Mattfeld shows superb capability at handling an array of complex emotions with convincing intensity — from the earnest and likeable suitor to the inconsolable lover. Likewise, Cassie Schwanke is fabulous as Juliet. Like Mattfeld, Schwanke also easily balances comedy and drama. Her tearful scenes are not only heart-wrenchingly credible, but Schmore's script provides another dimension to her character that blends her sweet demeanor and playfulness with a strong, less victimized role. Ian Hanley and Jasper Patterson are impressive as Romeo's sidekicks Mercutio and Benvolio, respectively. Together they make a dynamic comedic team, but it's Hanley who stands out. Looking like a cross between a swashbuckling pirate and Jim Morrison, Hanley's rambling homily about life and love are high points in this production. Mindy Nirenstein also does a first-rate job as Juliet's nurse. The rest of this fine cast includes John Muellner as the Priest, Joshua Vargas as Paris, Cameron Carlisle as Tybalt, Ron Hart as Father Capulet, Denise LaCroix as Lady Capulet, Greg Foote as Father Montague, Sharon Wetterling as lady Montague, and Marlowe Johnson as the altar boy. Cellist Matthew Wilkonson performs live music. Whether following the classic script or some other variation, Romeo and Juliet exemplify our expectations of youthful infatuation — the first breathless kiss under starry skies; the unexpected obstacles, and the realization that while ours may not have ended in tragedy, it was still painfully heartbreaking. The theme changes a bit down the road. Farce, folly, and a timely examination of the duplicity of society are the focus of Molière's The Misanthrope, playing at the UO's Robinson Theatre. The play opens on Philinte and Alceste, who are discussing the hypocrisy of their time. Alceste has become cynical of the motives of people — he despises their faux sincerity masquerading behind showy displays of flattery and courtesies, yet he faces a conundrum. He is hopelessly in love with Célimène, a coquettish young widow who exemplifies all that Alceste detests. Célimène has a weakness for engaging in scandalous and spiteful gossip and is the object of desire of several men, including Alceste's friend Oronte and a pair of frivolous marquis who flatter and indulge her. Yet Célimène's charm outweighs her faults and Alceste is weak with love. What is more, Alceste discovers that telling the truth comes with a price. His honestly lands him in hot water for commenting on a simply dreadful sonnet written by his friend Oronte. Because Alceste refuses to flatter him, Oronte punishes him with a lawsuit for telling the truth. Christopher Hirsh is amusingly energetic as the beleaguered Alceste. Hirsh emotes with ultra dramatic flair and demonstrates his expertise at physical comedy. Likewise, Andrew Beck puts in a strong performance as Philinte, straight man to the absurd and often comically disgruntled Alceste. Leticia Maskell is exceptional as the coy, yet razor sharp Célimène. Gushing dreadful poetry and wearing the most outlandish hat, Ian Armstrong is picture perfect as Oronte; and Margie Kment is charming and sweet as Eliante, Célimène's good and reasonable cousin. Sarah Griner is terrific as Célimène's foil Arsinoé. A high point in the play is a caustic exchange of witty gibes between the two women, complete with a scoring panel of judges. Alexander Dupre and Elizabeth Helman as Clitandre and Acaste, respectively, are delightfully silly as Célimène's fawning suitors. Rounding out the superb cast is Edward Volkert as Du Bois, Alceste's jittery manservant, Mindy A. Linder as Célimène's personal assistant Basque, and Parisse Boothe as a messenger of the Marshals of France. More than 100 people were involved in this lavish production — and it shows. From the elaborate and finely detailed period costumes to the grandiose set, The Misanthrope is a tour de force.
Green
Day Eating seasonal produce in Oregon is either feast or famine, and early spring is a time of year when the pickings are slim. Local apples, pears, squash and root crops, those tried and true standards, are available in health food stores, but for real freshness, now is the season for greens.
I first ventured into greens in my 20s, after an anti-vegetable childhood. Swiss chard was my first love and is still one of my favorites: It has mild and tender leaves and the Bright Lights variety has lovely rainbow colored stems. It's great raw in a salad or in a cheesy savory tart. I've tried recipes, from France and Italy, where Swiss chard is cooked into a sweet tart. The chard should be chopped and either steamed over water, blanched until tender, or sautéed in a little olive oil or butter before being placed in a tart shell, sprinkled with orange zest or golden raisins, topped with a sweetened custard and baked. The stems can be steamed and eaten with butter and garlic like asparagus, or diced and sautéed as you would onions. The season for chard only lasts a few more weeks, so don't miss out. Kale was my next step. Eating it for its nutritional value was enough at first: It is the Super Green. It's chock full of vitamins and minerals in high concentrations: calcium, potassium, beta-carotene, and other antioxidants, and it's very high in fiber if you don't cook the heck out of it. The flavor can be bitter raw, though once I start nibbling on it with some balsamic vinaigrette it's hard to stop. Steaming or stir frying takes the edge off. Tender young kale grown in your own garden is so sweet and juicy even the pickiest of kids (my Cap'n Crunch nephew for example) can graze freely. Kale is easy to grow: It takes little space, has deep roots and a strong back-bone, and keeps producing into the chill autumn. Collards are my latest sweetheart. The recipes I first found made me doubtful, especially those with more ham hock and salt than greens. However, if you're looking for a low-fat, vegetarian version, or just some variety, a mess of greens also goes well with caramelized onions and tamari and sesame seeds. Collards are more similar to cabbage in taste and texture and also make a hearty slaw. They can be eaten raw in salads if you dice them up (cut out the stem and roll the leaves into a tube to save time.) Collard greens' nutrients are not as concentrated as kale and neither is its flavor. It's not nearly as bitter. Its shape makes for great wraps — I've even had a very chewy sushi wrapped in collard leaves. Add a few diced leaves to your soup, salad — anything — and welcome the bitter fresh taste of springtime to your table. Bright
Lights Swiss Chard Relish Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the garlic and cook over moderate heat until softened. Add the chard stems and onion, season with salt and pepper and cook until the onion softens, about 4 minutes. Stir in the raisins, vinegar, honey and half of the mint. Cover and cook until the chard is crisp-tender, about 1 minute longer. Transfer to a bowl and let cool, then mix in the remaining mint. Lasagna
with Greens 2 Tbs. olive oil Sauté the onions in the oil until tender, quickly stir in the garlic and herbs. Remove from heat. In a large bowl, mix the cheeses, then add in the onion mixture. Coat bottom of a 9 x 13 pan with tomato sauce. Place several large greens leaves in the bottom of the pan, then alternate layers of filling, sauce and greens, ending with a thin layer of filling topped with optional grated pecorino romano cheese. Bake covered for about an hour at 350 degrees.
Noisy
Nature Folks who aren't skiers or snowshoers can get restless in the winter months because they don't know about the incredible hiking opportunities right here in the Willamette Valley. In the early spring when the Cascades are usually quiet and still under a deep blanket of snow, the William Finley Wildlife Refuge south of Corvallis is a riot of sights and sounds. A number of easy hikes, tons of wildlife, and a short drive (just about 30 minutes) make this a great destination for people with kids. And if you're a bird watcher, you've found paradise.
Directions: Take Highway 99W north from Eugene for approximately 25 miles. Right next to milepost 93, take a left onto a gravel road at the sign for the refuge. Drive 1.3 miles and take another left on Finley Wildlife Refuge Road. On this road, it's another mile and a half to the refuge headquarters. From here you can make up your own tour traveling along the refuge's road system (there's no traffic). Major attractions are Cabell Marsh, Cattail Swamp and the Beaver Pond. There are three major recommended hikes that are described in brochures you can pick up at viewing areas on your drive in. If you've been to Finley before, you'll notice that a number of new viewing areas, educational panels and other recreational facilities have been added in the past year. The Woodpecker Trail begins less than a mile past the refuge headquarters. This 1.2 mile loop will take you through a bog, oak woodlands, and grassy meadows filled with flowers to an observation deck built around a giant Oregon white oak with views across the Willamette Valley to the Cascades beyond. Other loops will take you from 2 to 4 miles over much of the rest of the refuge, which consists of former agricultural lands managed to produce food for migrating water fowl, oak savannahs, bottomland ash forest, some second-growth Douglas fir, old-growth big leaf maple and the largest tract of native Willamette Valley wet prairie left in the state. Almost all of this type of habitat has been paved over or converted to agricultural uses over the past century. Finley, along with the Ankeny and Baskett Slough refuges near Salem, are some of the only real estate left that harbor endangered species like Fender's blue butterfly, Kincaid's lupine, Willamette daisy and Bradshaws lomatium. A particular focus at Finley is providing habitat for Canadian dusky geese, which are notable for their narrow range — they summer only in the Copper River Delta, and winter exclusively in the Willamette Valley. On a good day you'll see herds of Roosevelt elk, bald eagles and western meadowlarks. The Finley Refuge is peaceful, but it's not quiet. Honking geese and shrill songbirds are ubiquitous. Most days this time of year, it's one of the noisiest and most exciting places in the valley. |
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