- Knopf
- We’re not worthy!
Virginia Woolf’s Orlando seems all but impossible to make into a play. It’s Woolf’s most fun book, but it’s also about a person who lives 500 years and changes gender and lives a whole bunch of lifetimes. But Profile Theatre’s produced Sarah Ruhl’s adaptation of Woolf’s novel, and it sounds like my naysaying is completely unfounded. “In fact, the single most impressive thing about this production is not its comedy or its emotional truth, but just how effortlessly the direction, design, and performances evoke the particular smooth frenzy of Woolf’s best work in Orlando,” writes Thomas Ross in his review. “To cover a life, even the stretch from 16 to 36 years old, is an achievement, but Woolf spans 500 years of history, Ruhl demands that it be done virtually without a break, and director Matthew Zrebski & Co. prove that it’s the only way to do it. Despite being meticulously choreographed, it feels fresh and real and totally natural.”
Do you know what a beholder is? I didn’t, until Senior Editor Erik Henriksen sent me this horrifying link. You’ll need to see it to truly appreciate the headline on his review of Michael Witwer’s biography of Dungeons & Dragons creator Gary Gygax, Empire of Imagination. Erik’s review doubles as a helpful guide on creative decisions to avoid while writing a biography. He writes, “Empire of Imagination hits a speed bump whenever Witwer tries to describe Gygax’s mindset, be it at Gygax’s wedding (“He quivered a bit as he stared into the eyes of his bride-to-be. He could hardly believe it, but she was his—the prettiest girl in town”) or on his deathbed, where “a dark-robed figure” points to a chessboard (“‘Wanna play?’ said a raspy voice that chilled Gary to the bone”).”
Conversely, Portlander Margaret Malone’s writing sounds like an object lesson in literary fiction featuring cantankerous women and Nice Guys™. “Malone’s writing could be seen as a close cousin to the work of Tom Drury, Mary Robison, or Denis Johnson—stories that casually draw you in and leave you wanting more,” says Joshua James Amberson of her latest. “People Like You feels like being let in on a secret that won’t stay secret for long.” Malone reads at Powell’s on Sunday.
PATTI SMITH LOVES COFFEE. That’s what I learned from her new memoir, M Train, which you should certainly read if you read anything, but especially if you’re a Patti Smith freak like me. Here’s a definitely-not-exhaustive list of Smith’s coffee haunts, from my review: “a trendy café in Chicago, a Detroit 7-Eleven, Korean delis and a now-shuttered café in New York, and a Berlin coffee shop that also serves vodka and caviar.” Seriously, reading Smith’s book is like a soothing balm for the caffeine-addicted among us. Today, as I crouched outside a loading dock while drinking my sixth (?) cup of the day, I thought cheerfully to myself, I don’t have a problem. I’m just doing what Patti Smith would do! Smith speaks tonight at the Newmark Theatre.