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Show: The Toxic Avenger

Posted on November 23rd, 2009 by Anna Zhan.
Categories: Blog.

Randomly, at the suggestion from a couple of volunteers from the Theater Development Fund, Chris and I elected to try the Off-Broadway production: The Toxic Avenger.  (After having been delighted by Avenue Q, we asked about comedies, and this was recommended.)

It’s really hard for a person like me to turn down the opportunity to see a show about New Jersey’s first superhero, who was born of toxic waste.  (And, admittedly, the idea of an on-site bar serving drinks that you are allowed to bring into the theater also had its appeal.)

The story it set at Exit 13B off the New Jersey Turnpike, at the fictional city of Tomaville (aka Traumaville).  The score boasts songs with titles like Evil is Hot, Thank God She’s Blind, All Men Are Freaks, and other amusing titles.

The most impressive part of this show (other than the voice of the woman who played the nun, the mother, and the mayor) was the costume changes.  I have no idea how they change so quickly, with two men (White Dude and Black Dude) playing dozens of roles.  The show pokes fun at this as well, finally putting two characters played by the same person on stage at the same time (you just have to see it.)

The music was fun, and it was clear that everyone - both in the band atop the barrels of toxic waste and the actors on the stage below - was having a lot of fun.  It was a good show to see, and tickets at the TKTS booth only ran us about $40 each, so it was easy on the wallet, too.

Definately recommended for a light-hearted evening.  Especially if there are geeks in your number.  Apparently it’s only in NYC through 1/03/10, so get a move on.

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Food: Georgia 21

Posted on November 18th, 2009 by Anna Zhan.
Categories: Blog.

Regarding the food pictures…dug in and devoured before remembering to take pictures…portions were far more generous.

[Tiny store front, Georgia 21 is small but nice on the inside, yet has pretty reasonable prices]

When Chris came up to visit me in New York City, she had one request: “Can we go out for Georgian food?”  Chris had spent two years in the Republic of Georgia and hadn’t had the opportunity to dine on Georgian food since her return to America two years ago.

[This eggplant dish with walnut paste on it was absolutely fantastic.  You eat it on bread…my one complain is that the bread resembled a rock in texture]

“But doesn’t Georgian food suck?” I caught myself wondering.  Letters about beans and rice…followed by beans and rice…and more beans and rice…  I also recall a lack of heating, telephone lines, or reliable electricity.  But I distinctly recalled the endless series of meals that consisted of nothing but beans and rice.

[Xiaolongbao!  But…made with mutton.  Really.  Whatever you call them.  Soup dumplings.  Juicy buns.  TRhey have ‘em in China, and they have them in Georgia, too.  Who knew?]

But if you were living in Georgia and you were rich, you might instead find yourself dining on some of these popular foods (the “banquet food”, as I called it.)  The food was delicious, although the menu would have been useless to someone who didn’t know what things were.  Be prepared, or ask a waiter for help.

[The national dish of Georgia is, apparently, a wheel of cheese dropped in a deep fryer.  They call it cheesy bread…but lwet’s be honest: this is nothing but deep-fried cheese…and it’s delicious.]

Randomly, there was one thing that was not to my liking: “lemonade” (read: slightly carbonated soda?) which comes in tarragon and pear flavors.  Tarragon could better be called licorice…yuck.  Pear, Chris says is too sweet, and Liz S. on Yelp! said it would be better named “bubblegum” flavor.  General recommendation: avoid the “lemonade”.

[Tarragon-flavored “lemonade”…ew.]

Address: 414 Brighton Beach Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11235 (between 4th and 5th Streets, just below the B/Q station)

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