The Magic Play at Portland Center Stage

This past Friday, I went to see The Magic Play at Portland Center Stage, running through April 1. The Magic Play follows a young magician (performed by actual actor/magician/illusionist Brett Schneider – this role was written for him) trying to get through a live show just hours after his partner (actor Sean Parris) has left him. As the performance progresses, he confronts the fact that the tricks of his trade don’t serve him as well when it comes to building truthful relationships. You the audience bear witness not just to a dozen demonstrations of magic throughout the show, but also the effects of a heartbreaking love story.
Brett Schneider as The Magician in The Magic Play at Portland Center Stage. Photo by Patrick Weishampel/blakeye.tv courtesy of Portland Center Stage at The Armory. Script By Andrew Hinderaker Directed by Halena Kays
Brett Schneider as The Magician in The Magic Play at Portland Center Stage at The Armory.
Photo by Patrick Weishampel/blankeye.tv courtesy of Portland Center Stage at The Armory. Script By Andrew Hinderaker Directed by Halena Kays

The play is different every night because there are multiple points where audience participation is called for that can affect the energy of the show and the ending. Here’s a bit of a hint/sneak peak of a scene early on that shows a bit of the magic of Brent’s prowess with cards while simultaneously interacting with an audience volunteer and telling a story and acting the emotional connection with his fellow actor/partner character.

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Picks for Portland Dining Month 2018 + Giveaway!

Portland Dining Month 2018 is almost here! Every year since I’ve been going (since 2012!), I do my due diligence reviewing who are the participants. I’m trying to help you out by sharing my work – this year more than 120 local restaurants are participating. This year, not only will I share my picks for Portland Dining Month 2018, but thanks to partnering with Travel PortlandI am doing a Portland Dining Month giveaway that nets you a $70 gift card to a Portland Dining Month participant! Giveaway has completed – but my recommendations are still good for all of March
March is Portland Dining Month 2018
A full list of participating Portland Dining Month restaurants and their menus can be found at the official Portland Dining Month list and map on the Travel Portland website. As usual, making a reservation though the Portland Dining Month website can also benefit the local community. Travel Portland has partnered with OpenTable for the eighth year. A donation will be made to Oregon Food Bank for every online reservation booked at participating restaurants through PortlandDiningMonth.com – just click on the OpenTable reservation button next to the restaurant listing.

I highly encourage using this, not just for the fact you are doing good to fight hunger by using the OpenTable online reservation systems, but some places can get pretty busy so to avoid an annoying wait, make reservations with whoever takes them to spend less time waiting and more time dining. OpenTable is free, you even earn points that you can redeem for gift certificates, I’ve been using them for years! There have been times my miraculous ability to make a reservation for my dining group within minutes has made me a hero – and it was because of OpenTable’s list of restaurants in an area and who has openings.

Laurelhurst Market Portland Dining Month 2015 first course of Roasted cauliflower arancini with radicchio caponata, roasted red pepper aioli and arugula Laurelhurst Market Portland Dining Month 2015 second course of Ten-hour braised beef shoulder with potato pancake, warm oyster mushroom salad and beef jus Laurelhurst Market Portland Dining Month 2015 third course of Honey panna cotta with candied fennel and fennel seed brittle
Three course dinner from Laurelhurst Market in a previous Portland Dining Month year

How I made the list: I review the menus each participant will offer for Portland Dining Month. Some restaurants make the list because their deal of three course dinners for just $33 is a huge savings from their regular prices. They must also offer intriguing menu options that either show off their strengths or can even be specials just for Portland Dining Month.

March is Portland Dining Month 2018

Just because it’s not on my list doesn’t mean it’s not a good place for you to go. Sometimes it just may be their Portland Dining Month dishes are regularly on their menu but at not enough of a price difference from regular prices (which I also count if the dishes are available at discounted prices at happy hour, or a special deal on a weekday) to make my list. Other times I may think some of their regular menu options are better then the Portland Dining Month dishes they are serving up. It may still be perfect for you to try and a wonderful experience. This list is just my humble opinion and my taste. Without further ado, here are my picks for Portland Dining Month 2018.
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Kodachrome at Portland Center Stage

Last week was the world premiere of Kodachrome at Portland Center Stage. The production runs until March 18, 2018 at the downstairs intimate Ellyn Bye Studio. Kodachrome was developed from a submission to the 2015 JAW (Just Add Water): A Playwrights Festival,  an annual festival supporting new plays and helping to incubate new works. What was then a script named Colchester now has grown up, renamed Kodachrome, and is in full production a few years later.
Kodachrome at Portland Center Stage: poster for Kodachrome, Art by Mikey Mann

The story takes place in a small town called Colchester, and is narrated by Suzanne, the town photographer. We follow her through the interconnected stories of a dozen people in the town, with the townspeople played by the 6 fellow cast members doing double  or sometimes triple duty (well, all except for Suzanne). Kodachrome is a play that definitely has many parallels to Our Town with its snippets of longing, look at love in various stages, and appreciations for small moments that are universally recognizable to us all. I think the play does better then Our Town in that there are excellent use of certain props though – especially the super effective use of flowers and petals, and over-sized symbols of love like a ring or perfume bottle.

The backdrop of the basic stage scenery are multiple screens showing photos, and is the nod to Kodachrome, the special Kodak film. I definitely liked the idea where at some points we would see and hear Suzanne snap a photo of a particular detail of what was happening on stage, and we would see it appear on one of those screens, captured to remember the moment. It seemed to promise two art shows at once – performance art with the play and art gallery.

Kodachrome at Portland Center Stage, L-R: Lena Kaminsky as The Photographer, John D. Haggerty as The Perfume Maker and Tina Chilip as The Waitress. Photo by Patrick Weishampel/blankeye.tv courtesy of Portland Center Stage at The Armor
L-R: Lena Kaminsky as The Photographer, John D. Haggerty as The Perfume Maker and Tina Chilip as The Waitress in Kodachrome at Portland Center Stage at The Armory. Photo by Patrick Weishampel/blankeye.tv courtesy of Portland Center Stage

This action photography took place a few times, but I was expecting to happen throughout as a consistent theme, rather then mostly towards the beginning and at a couple fun interactions with the audience. Other times, the screens would switch to almost stock photos that helped establish the environment of the scene, from Perfume Lab to Diner or Hardware Store etc. But the photos didn’t noticeably connect to the interactions happening on stage with a new photo added to the repetitive stock mix representing the moment. So I was a little disappointed that wasn’t carried throughout, given the name of the play.

When it came to the various interactions of the character pairs falling in or through or out of love, you can totally believe the same actor or actress is embodying a different a character in the tow. This is true even as they interact with essentially the same castmate in multiple circular love triangles but as another character.

For particular standouts, Ryan Tresser draws a clear line between The Gravedigger and The Young Man and is able to demonstrate the humorous physical moments but also the poignant hurt of each of the men distinctly. Sharonlee McLean also wonderfully draws the perfect picture of the different kinds of yearnings, and how those yearnings change through the course of the play, in both her portrayals of her placid, still waters run deep Mystery Novelist, and in contrast with her passionate Florist. Even when she’s saying nothing at all, you know which character she is.

My favorite part was that love can be awkward – and Kodachrome doesn’t shy away from how crazy but adorable those moments can be. Love can be painful, and cause exquisite suffering, and as Kodachrome shows us, also tenderness, boldness, dwelling in the past, plans for the future, laugh out loud moments, questioning of what is the best way to live life and what kind of love is enough to be happy, and how it connects everyone.

As always, there are a couple additional events available related to Kodachrome at Portland Center Stage if you want to have a more active experience then just watching in the audience. Check the Upcoming Events Calendar for full listing of all events.

  • Tuesday, February 20 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. Happy Hour with Blue Sky Gallery viewing photographs with some complimentary snacks and drinks. FREE
  • Sunday, February 25 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. Happy Hour with Portland Darkroom FREE
  • Saturday, March 10 1 – 3 p.m. Film and Darkroom Printing Workshop is not free, but it’s $25 and each workshop attendee will have the chance to take a portrait, have a portrait taken of them, learn how darkroom enlarging works, and create their very own “The Armory” branded gelatin silver postcard to take home

Kodachrome runs for 90 minutes with no admission, and is performed Evenings: Tuesday – Sunday at 7:30 p.m Matinees: Saturday and Sundays at 2 p.m., Thursdays at noon, but check their schedule for exact times.

You may also want to book tickets for a new exciting play coming up called The Magic Play running March 3 – April 1 that promises a hybrid of a play and a magic show, literally with the cast including an actor who is also a magician and illusion designer!

 

 

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Can Font Happy Hour

Can Font opened to a huge buzz last year, bringing Spanish cuisine, specifically Catalan cuisine, to the Pearl District in Portland. This week they are launching a happy hour menu, so I wanted to highlight their offerings. You will be able to enjoy Can Font Happy Hour Tuesday-Thursday 5 – 6 PM and 9 – 10 PM and new, they will be open on Mondays and serving All Day Happy Hour (Mondays only, and it’s only the happy hour menu available) from 5 – 10 PM.

Can Font Happy Hour includes various Montaditos, a tapas of bread mounted with various ingredients. This is the Montadito de Llom with grilled Catalan bread, tomatoes, Iberico cured loin Can Font Happy Hour - Patatas Bravas with potatoes, brava sauce, garlic chips, and optional add on of Filet Mignon

Can Font has quite the pedigree – there is also an original Can Font in Barcelona that is Michelin recognized that Chef Josep Vidal opened there. Then, Chef Josep moved to Portland, and partnering up with investor and fellow co-owner Vladimir Zaharchook-Williams, now here in Portland we have our own oasis of Catalan cuisine at Can Font. What makes Can Font different from other Spanish restaurants in Portland is that they are really dedicated to bringing in many of their ingredients and products used from Spain, including a lot of their seafood and wines.

Can Font Happy Hour menu is now available in the bar area. The most popular cocktail is the Spanish Manhattan with Maker’s Mark bourbon, Atxa vermouth, Licor 43, and orange bitters Can Font Happy Hour menu is now available in the bar area. width=

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Bar Casa Vale Brunch

I’ve shared previously how I enjoy the tapas and the drinks at Bar Casa Vale, but this weekend they are launching a new weekend brunch. From now on they will be serving up, in addition to their all day happy hour on Sunday, brunch from 10 AM – 3 PM on Saturdays and Sundays. I recently attended a media preview that let us share a taste of some of the offerings, so here’s my report back on some of the items. As usual, the menu is subject to change – I think they do tweak the dinner options pretty often by swapping out what is on flatbread or toast and such, so go open-minded. Based on my meal here, I am sorta thinking this is now the best hungover brunch spot in Portland.
Bar Casa Vale Brunch is served on weekends, Sat and Sun 10-3 Bar Casa Vale Brunch cocktail of Tea Cobbler with Brandy, hibiscus, and citrus Bar Casa Vale Brunch Chocolate Toast with pistachio and olive oil Bar Casa Vale Brunch Grilled Sardine Toast with potxta beans, calcot, and 'nduja
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