January 10, 2011
Magnificent Specimens, Land Gallery, Portland, Now “ February 13
Tell me, dear reader, is there anything more magnificent than carefully sculpted facial hair? Dave Mead’s hilarious, humanizing portraits of award-winning mustaches and their owners are on display in the hirsute land of the Pacific Northwest at an Oregon gallery. His subjects are all winners of the 2009 World Beard & Mustache Championship and they really, really take care of themselves, usually inhabiting characters (an old-timey gent with a top hat, for instance, or a man who doubles as Moses) for a laugh. They”re really unlike anything you”ve ever seen. Mead’s snapshots may not end up at the Met, but they might look great in your office cubicle. (See his calendar here.)
Off the Map
ABC’s pinpointed one of the only problems with its uber successful formula for Grey’s Anatomy: Those goddamn scrubs are too confining. The latest show touted from the producers of the soapy hospital drama (i.e. Shonda Rimes, also the brain trust of Private Practice) copes with that issue by dropping a bunch of young doctors “somewhere in the Amazon” where hospital garb is ditched for tight and sweaty T-shirts. Martin Henderson is the new dreamy doctor who cares, oh he cares so much, and in the jungle his idealistic team gets plenty of hands on experience with medicine and, of course, each other. Friday Night Lights standout Zach Gilford and Meryl Streep’s talented daughter Mamie Gummer also star in this “romp in the jungle” premiering this Wednesday at 10/9c on ABC.
London International Mime Festival, January 15 “ 30
This ain”t your mama’s mime show. The annual London event, which began in 1977, kicks off next week promising cutting-edge circus-theatre, and not just the stereotypical white-and-black painted clown faces and dour expressions. Learn “How to Be Stupid,” about the “Puppet as Performer” and an “Introduction to Corporeal Mime” at workshops during the nearly two week long event. One of the biggest shows is “The Curse of Poe” based on the famous writer’s work. Events are running at the Southbank Centre, Camden’s Roundhouse, the Barbican Centre, the Institute of Contemporary Arts, and the Royal Opera House’s Linbury Studio Theatre.
Downton Abbey, PBS, Airing January 16, 23 and 30
Already craving a little change from all the soapy drama coating TV schedules this winter? How about some good ol” fashioned aristocratic drama? British export Downton Abbey covers the estate where a rich family lives and money threatens to tear them apart. PBS and Masterpiece Classic (celebrating its 40th anniversary this year) don”t always scream a good time, but this four-part series chronicling the Crawley family proved addictive for UK audiences. Over 11 million viewers watched each 90 minute episode last fall. Julian Fellowes created and wrote the successful series that rings with the authenticity of the Oscar winning Gosford Park, which he also penned.
The Importance of Being Earnest, American Airlines Theatre, New York, In previews now, Opens January 13 “ March 6
Another society send-up, Oscar Wilde’s wildly witty The Importance of Being Earnest is now on Broadway with a fun twist. Brian Bedford (the Tony Award winner from Tartuffe, directs and plays the stoic Lady Bracknell. The premise of Wilde’s comedy is well-known: two bachelors, John and Algernon, run around town chasing Gwendolen and Cecily with plenty of partner swaps and cheating on the side. It’s 75-year-old Bedford’s cross-dressing that pushes an old favorite into new comedic territory. Catch this new production when it comes out of previews January 13.
