Sumptuously spare, full of sound and fury, the Shakespeare Santa Cruz season’s opening production of The Lion in Winter is replete with all that makes live theater worth its weight in aged cognac. Led by Marco Barricelli’s robust Henry, the outstanding cast powers its way through a bracing, violent and witty exercise in domestic politics.
Articles by Christina Waters
Joan Rivers’ Oral Gratification
Can we talk? If you’re not exhausted after watching the mesmerizing new docupic on comic legend Joan Rivers, then you’re not conscious. At 76, the much-lifted stand-up icon sets a blistering pace, powering through a schedule of shows, engagements, rehearsals and appearances that would kill anyone half her age. To say that this proto-feminist is driven is to say that Tiger Woods plays a little golf.
Alfresco Moves Uptown
Marilyn Emery’s healthy fast food creed is short and sweet: “Ready in 45 seconds to two minutes.” And she means it. I peek inside her miniature curbside kitchen as she whips up the Muffalleta wrap I have just ordered. A supple, pie-sized whole wheat tortilla materializes. Hummus is instantly spread across every centimeter. The chopped olives, red peppers, capers, pepperoncini and garlic are slapped into the middle, followed by a healthy handful of organic baby greens. Whoosh! Her lightening hands roll everything into a tight, fat cylinder. She makes a diagonal cut forming two perfectly uniform halves. It’s packed tightly into a to-go sheet of plastic wrap or served up on a biodegradeable plate to eat on the spot. Bam. It’s done and you’re good to go.
The Apprentice Makes His Mark
Once you recover from the beauty of the label, you find yourself intrigued by the name. Odonata, the biological order containing dragonflies and damselflies, now contains one more complex creation: wine. Admitting that the name came to him during a romantic afternoon in the vineyards with his wife, winemaker Denis Hoey reminded me that dragonflies are a constant feature of the California winemaking landscape.
Mr. Lipson Goes to Washington
Kicking the Santa Cruz Mountains soil off his boots and trading his dry-farmed acres for a government office, organic farming advocate Mark Lipson is headed to Washington next month for a two-year stint with the USDA. “We began as an exotic, invasive species,” he recently told a research group in Washington, “but now organic farming and food is becoming a full-fledged part of the native ecosystem here at USDA.”
Vintage Santa Cruz
John Bargetto is pouring me the very first public taste of La Vita, his Soquel-based winery’s annual signature vintage. “This year it’s a unique blend of three Italian varietals,” he says. Filled with a blend of dolcetto, nebbiolo and refosco from the 2006 vintage, the voluptuous wine was aged for three years in oak and then another year in the bottle before its official coming-out last week at the annual benefit party. (The special La Vita bottling always benefits a local nonprofit; this year’s beneficiary will be the CASA advocates for foster children.)
Merlot at The Market?
“Olive oil, jams, wines—we do the whole thing,” says Steve Gliessman, proprietor of Condors Hope wines. Having sold his wines at the Westside farmers market for several years, Gliessman says it’s an excellent fit. “We can tell our story directly to the consumer, what it means to us as a family,” he says. “This is a relationship, not just a product. People want to know where their food comes from, and here they can get the in-person story.”
The Farmers Market Share
On Earth Day, regulars of the Santa Cruz Downtown Farmers Market wandered into a dazzling feast of new sights and smells. On tree-shaded aisles occupied the previous week by parked cars, the aromas of rotisserie chicken and hot pizza mingled while shave-ice vendors hawked the flavors of the tropics. Next to an array of colorful dishware by master ceramicist Mattie Leeds, the knife sharpener in his thick apron joked with visitors. The strains of bluegrass by Harmony Grits drifted off the new stage, background to the hiss of the Lulu Carpenter’s espresso machine and the chatter at information booths and the fishmonger’s. And anchoring it all, of course, were three aisles of farm-fresh fruits, vegetables, herbs and flowers, the bustling heart of the market.
The Bounty of Beauregard Vineyards
Once upon a time it was the Lost Weekend, an infamous and much-loved Santa Cruz Mountain hangout. Transformed into a winemaking facility two decades ago, the rustic spot has been home to Ryan Beauregard’s winery for the past two years. The vintages produced there include deeply textured syrahs, merlots and pinot noirs as well as complex chardonnays and supple sauvignon blancs. They bear the names of storied vineyards like Meyley and Bald Mountain. At this immensely beautiful setting three miles from the ocean, Beauregard Tasting Room currently offers tastes of a dozen house wines, scenic picnicking and a chance to see what the fourth generation of this winegrowing family is up to.
Urban Realist in the Far West
Burt Levitsky left New York more than 30 years ago, but the streets of Manhattan still pulse to life in his realist oil paintings. Trained as an illustrator and Madison Avenue ad designer, Levitsky recalls working on ad layouts by day and coming home to paint all night. Studying with Frank Reilly and Max Ginsburg, Levitsky mastered contemporary realist imagery that was always haunted by the moods and hustle of urban life. There’s a lot of George Tooker’s ennui and Thomas Hart Benton’s vitality in his ambitious portrayals of people embedded in their metropolitan landscapes.
