creditors

we don't have them - thank god! but we do have tickets for the season for Remy Bumppo and their latest production is of Strindberg's "Creditors" which we saw Thursday night.

 

From the website:

Strindberg does comedy with a vengeance.

Before The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, before Ingmar Bergman, before even the phrase "Swedish noir," came Creditors, a sexy, twisting tale of psychological manipulation and revenge. Not that Strindberg saw it that way – he told his publisher the play was "humorous, lovable, all of its characters sympathetic."

A mysterious doctor advises a young sculptor that his marriage to an older woman is destroying not only his art but his masculinity. Determined to disprove these doubts, the young husband confronts his wife about her flirtatious behavior and starts an avalanche of acerbic wit and sexual power plays, headed to a shocking final revelation.

Creditors is the spiraling story of a ruthless psychological assault, a step-by-step march into a mental and sexual abyss. Strindberg may have seen the play as comedy, but it is humor as dark as midwinter Sweden. We’re proud to present the Midwest premiere of David Grieg’s witty new adaptation that drew raves in London and New York.

the reviews were all positive- including several "highly recommended" so we had expectations for the evening that were....

severely disappointed! - NOT FUNNY - despicable characters - the husband was pathetic the wife was obnoxious and the ex husband a psychopath... but hey maybe some people might find that funny. The performances were excellent - the play SUCKED....

upon arrival we were told the play would be performed without an intermission by ten minutes into it we knew why- so there would actually be someone in the theater to see the second act- dreadful! Perhaps the worst play we have seen there (I missed the "sex with the goat" one)

However the set was lovely:

look for me around May 1st- we are off to NYC and Paris for ten days-- but I promise good photos to return to....

before we run out

of town - I wanted to do the recap of the Goosefoot meal last night--  you would think that in the now more than 40 courses we have eaten there that one thing might have been less than perfect but you would be wrong- Chris Nugent ensures that every dish he and his team prepare is perfect!

here is the menu from last night:

goosefoot 9-course Menu

amuse-bouche

lobster/scallop/licorice root/curry

shrimp/preserved garlic/rosemary

white asparagus soup/potato/truffle essence

loup de mer/leek/yuzu/tapioca

duck breast/spiced beluga lentils/ginger/compressed apple

angus beef/heirloom carrots/goosefoot/cumin/shallot jus

roquefort cheese/goji berry/hazelnut/pear/port

blood orange/cassia/kaffir lime/citrus

chocolate/passion fruit/coconut/ice wine

 

 

and here are some photos:

 

 

 

Lovely meal on a really bad weather day- the soup alone was worth the journey!

 



what weighs 311 pounds?

and takes two men to maneuver it through your door?

well that would be Phil's computer desk and new "office" all in one!  - so last Sunday I flew to Florida because the delivery of this last large piece of furniture for our condo in Florida was supposed to take place on March 26th- BEFORE we returned to Chicago on April 1st... but.....

the item wasn't shipped until April 5th and so I headed back to Florida on a cheap SW ticket and picked up a Priceline car and drove to meet the arriving piece- and yes it was manhandled in  to the house by two guys who knew what they were doing-

and here are some photos- from the website - because the desk is sitting alone in an otherwise empty room with a high ceiling and you really don't get the sense of how "full office-like" it is from my photos of the empty desk- LOL

so the main reason we chose this desk was because it has the fold down door that works as a return - extra space for working.... or laying out papers for your favorite cat to sit on (LOL)

 

you can kind of see on the photo that the key board drawer has a double pull out so the keyboard can also be covered up and used as a work surface (say for instance if you had TWO cats who wanted to help you with your work! )

 

so anyway- that is what I was doing in Florida for the last two days- home late last night so I could be here in time for several upcoming events- including Goosefoot dinner tonight and a Remy Bumppo play tomorrow night and... then off to NYC and Paris... so stay tuned

 

and just for the record - here are my own photos - perhaps not so artfully posed but with much better resolution-

 

fully closed:

 

fully opened:

keyboard drawer covered gives extra writing or work surface:

keyboard drawer opened:

return up:

return down for additional work surface:

 

and finally- photos of some helpful cats who can assist with paperwork!

 

 

oh and by the way did I mention it was beautiful blue sky and warm in Florida and that I came home to cold and rainy and dreary.... thereby fully reinforcing the decision to buy a place so we weren't limited to only the seasonal rental at high season rates!