Hartog’s Den

Name: Nalin

Web Site: http://www.twitter.com/quantumcowboy

Bio: I enjoy writing, history, theatre, hiking, and photography. I was born in the Northwest, which I still maintain is the best part of the world, and have lived all my life in the American West. From Washington and Idaho I moved to Arizona (initially a climate and culture shock) and then California. The desert and the southland have grown on me though, and I now love the southwest culture and climate. When I’m not otherwise occupied, you can find me exploring LA and its surrounding cities and neighborhoods, hiking in the amazing variety of terrain within an hour radius of my house, and dabbling in amateur photography and photojournalism whenever I can. I am also heavily involved in theatre – as a producer, director, actor, writer, and avid audience member.

Posts by Nalin:

South-Asian / American

July 22nd, 2010

[A dusty desert dive bar in the Antelope Valley. A clean-shaven  South Asian gentleman enters wearing a collared shirt and jeans.  He nods, cocksure, to the bartendress, who recognizes him and smiles. He takes a seat at a dark corner table, gestures to order a glass of merlot, and begins to read his Nook by the light of a neon Coors Light sign.  After some time, a large, tattooed man with an eagle emblazoned on his cap approaches with his bottle of beer and another glass of wine.]

AMERICAN:  Howdy.

[The South Asian gentleman looks up, oblivious to the man's approach.  Assessing the other's demeanor and moderate inebriation, and further recognizing that he is quite literally in a corner, the South Asian switches to his default defensive mode - completely frank, yet artificially composed and forcing a calm eloquence. What will happen, will happen - might as well face it, internally nervous as one may be.]

SOUTH ASIAN:  Sir.

AMERICAN – Well I got you this. Corinne — (he gestures to the bartendress, who flashes an apologetic look)– said  this was what you was drinking.

SOUTH ASIAN:  Well thank you.

AMERICAN:  I’ve got a question for you.

SOUTH ASIAN:  [nods at the second, brimming glass of merlot] You’ve earned the right to ask it.

AMERICAN:  Well, I see you here. You know, walk in all quiet-like, sitting by yourself.  And, you know, let me just say up front, I’m an ultra-conservative, so let me just get that out there.

SOUTH ASIAN:  I see.

AMERICAN:  There’s people around, you know. That I’ve seen and met.  And, you know, I don’t want to offend you or nothing, so, tell me when to leave, I swear, I’ll leave you alone.  But you know, here we have all this terrorism.  And I’m curious. So, some people would say, here’s a guy who fits a certain profile. And they look at you. And I’m wondering, do you notice that?

SOUTH ASIAN:  (swirls his glass thoughtfully, nervously) Sometimes.  I grew up in Idaho.

AMERICAN:  Born there?

SOUTH ASIAN:  Raised. I was born in Seattle.  (pause) This is my country, I have never lived anywhere else.

AMERICAN: (chuckles) No man, you don’t have to justify anything to me. I’m just curious, thats all.

[The bartendress comes over.]

BARTENDRESS:  Norm, please.  He’s got his glass of wine, he’s reading. You shouldn’t bother him.  Your wife is waiting at home, now come on, finish up and get home.

AMERICAN:  She’s OK. Hey, I’m being polite. Sir, am I being polite?  Corinne, I’m having a conversation. Now let me have my conversation.

SOUTH ASIAN:  I’m fine. It’s fine. He has been OK by me so far.

[With a significant look, the bartendress returns to her other duties.]

AMERICAN:  So, I just wanted to know, have you felt that?

SOUTH ASIAN:  Felt what?

AMERICAN:  That everyone’s watching you.  You know, I’ve seen it, I know it happens.

SOUTH ASIAN:  Well, now? Certainly. And like I said, I grew up in Idaho.

AMERICAN:  You think it’s unfair? And man, just tell me to shut up, I’ll leave. I’m not trying to cause trouble.

SOUTH ASIAN:  Well.  I’ve never been the subject of malicious racism. Ever.  But I’ve been there where people just don’t understand.  They are hurtful, but not intentionally so.  They just don’t understand.

AMERICAN:  Like how?

SOUTH ASIAN:  Well… like growing up in a rural state.  No brown people there, right?  (chuckles nervously) Like after 9/11. I think I was “randomly searched” about 10 times in a row.  It became a joke to me, I would already have my shoes off, luggage open when they called me, and I’d step forward like I was expecting it, which I was. Got some red faces, made it worth it.  Might as well find a laugh.

AMERICAN:  Well, you know, you’ve got the look.

[A beat.]

SOUTH ASIAN:  I can’t argue with that.

AMERICAN:   I’m a Marine.

SOUTH ASIAN:  Ah. Presently?

AMERICAN:  (irritated) No.  now I’m a trucker.  But once a Marine, always a Marine,. (pointedly) You understand that?

SOUTH ASIAN: (quickly) Of course, sir. I appreciate your service.

AMERICAN:  (just as pointedly) And have you served?

SOUTH ASIAN:  I… I am not quite cut out to be a soldier, sir.  But I do work for the U.S. Government.  I am an engineer.  I… have sworn an oath, as you have.  To uphold the public interest, and research things of benefit to the nation and the world.

AMERICAN:  Hmm. Well, I appreciate your service too then.  So.  You hunt up there in Idaho?  Good hunting. that’s what my friend says.

SOUTH ASIAN:  I loved the freedom, the relaxed pace, and the presence of the outdoors, sir.  But I’m not really much of a hunter or fisher.  Raised Buddhist; not much of one for weapons. (quickly) I’m not much of one for preventing others from having weapons either, mind you.  I’m just not fond of them myself.

AMERICAN:  Yeah?  (the South Asian gulps, wondering if he spoke too frankly) Well you’re honest.  I respect that.  And you look me in the eye.  You believe that don’t you?  You really do.

SOUTH ASIAN:  Well…. yes.

AMERICAN:  Huh.  Well, I disagree.  I disagree, you hear?

SOUTH ASIAN:  Yes, sir.

AMERICAN:   But you know, that’s what America’s about, you know?  I’m a man.  You’re a man.  We look each other in the eye, and speak our minds.  And we’re here in a bar having a drink together.  That’s honesty, and damn the consequences.  That’s American.

SOUTH ASIAN:  Yes.

[Pause.]

AMERICAN:  I like that.  You know, I grew up… I grew up, back then.  And I remember my parents saying, “hey, there’s a nigger.”  That’s just what they said, you know?  I so I grew up with that.  And so, this black kid, on my block – I grew up in south L.A. – so this black kid, man, he was like my best friend.  And, just from what my parents said, I remember I said to him one day, “hey nigger.”  And he got all upset, and I remember that sinking feeling, like I did something really wrong, but I couldn’t understand.  And his parents, they come out and yell at me.  I didn’t know.  I just knew that you call black people niggers.

[The South Asian carefully swallows some wine, as if to buy time on his response.]

SOUTH ASIAN:  (carefully) You cannot be blamed for what you didn’t know.

AMERICAN:  Exactly, right?  And so, later I read up on all this.  And you know, he is one of my best friends, ok?

SOUTH ASIAN:  Of course.

AMERICAN:  I just said what I knew.

SOUTH ASIAN:  (cautiously) America… we are not perfect, but we certainly speak our minds, eh?

AMERICAN:  (laughs) Haha! Yes we do. Fuck.

SOUTH ASIAN:  We have problems, but we talk about them… we face them.  I’ve traveled, and –

AMERICAN:  Hey, I’ve traveled.  I’m a Marine.  I know.

SOUTH ASIAN:  Of course, sir.  Then you know, that other countries, even some of those that criticize us for having these racial issues, have worse issues themselves.  They just don’t face it.  They hide it.  Or pretend its something else.  Or their country is too homogenous to even have the issue come up.  I studied in France for a few months, I love France –

[The American nearly gags on his beer as he sputters all over the table.]

SOUTH ASIAN:  (quickly) — but, I also noticed they refuse to look at their own racial problems.  They don’t even keep demographics on that.  The problem doesn’t exist.  Americans take it, and face it, and at least try to improve on what was honestly a shaky idea.  ”All men are created equal.”  How long did it take to live up to that?

AMERICAN:  Yeah well.  We still ain’t.

SOUTH ASIAN:  (laughs) Ok!

AMERICAN:  Nobody’s perfect, man.  But yeah.  Strive to live up to that shit.  You think they even knew?  Those founding fathers.  What we face today, you know?

SOUTH ASIAN:  I doubt it.

AMERICAN:  Yeah.  It’s weird man.  Well. One more question, I promise.   And then I’ll leave you alone.  And you don’t have to answer this. So today, when we have a President, that… well, I’ll say it, he’s not really our President, and I’ve got proof. You know, he was actually born in… in Kenya. And so we have this situation.  When shit hits the fan… And I’m not saying it will, but if it does.  Whose side are you on?

[Pause.]

SOUTH ASIAN:  Well, like I said, I’ve sworn an oath, to the office of the President, and whoever sits in that that Office.

AMERICAN:  Yeah, but forget that.  He’s not our President.  So what’s right?  Forget about your job, man, I won’t tell nobody, hell, I don’t even know your name.  Just man to man.  Whose side are you on?

SOUTH ASIAN:  Forget about my job?  That ties into it though.  I am a citizen, this is my country.  And more, here I have sworn an oath.  That is in my personal ethics to uphold.

AMERICAN: (grudgingly) Yeah well.  I know about oaths.  I guess I have to respect that.  (long pause) You won’t answer.  OK.  You don’t have to.  More than enough from me anyways.  (pause) Thanks for putting up with me.

[He puts out his hand, which the South Asian shakes.]

SOUTH ASIAN: Sir.  Thanks for the wine.

AMERICAN: I can’t stand the shit.  This here is a cold beer.  But you’re welcome.  Hey thanks.  I enjoyed this.  I’m just honest that’s all.  Hope I didn’t scare you out of coming back here.  You try the steak?  Or you Hindu or something?

SOUTH ASIAN:  Buddhist.  And I love the steak here.

AMERICAN: Not a good Buddhist, are you?

SOUTH ASIAN:  (laughs) Fair point, sir.

AMERICAN:  Ok.  Well it’s good steak.

SOUTH ASIAN:  I know.

BARTENDRESS: (awkwardly piping up from the bar, while pretending she wasn’t listening to every word) He’s told me before it’s the best in the valley.

[The American turns slowly, as she laughs awkwardly.]

AMERICAN:  Am I closed out, honey?

BARTENDRESS: It’s on your tab, Norm.  And there’s a taxi outside.  Your wife’s waiting.

AMERICAN:  Yeah.  (glances back at the South Asian) Hey, I’ll see you later.  Thanks.

[The American exits.  The South Asian watches him go, then gestures for his check.  The bartendress walks over.]

BARTENDRESS:  I’m sorry. You ok?  He asked. I was watching the whole time, I promise.

SOUTH ASIAN:  No worries.  Not the first time.  Could I get the check?

BARTENDRESS:  I think you’re just fine.

SOUTH ASIAN:  He brought over one of those right?  Did he get both?

BARTENDRESS: I think you’re just fine.

[A beat.]

SOUTH ASIAN:  Thank you.  (he responds to her smile) Good night.

BARTENDRESS:  Good night.  And see you next time?

SOUTH ASIAN: Sure.

[The South Asian exits into the desert night.]

scene.

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Review of “The Wind in the Willows”

July 12th, 2010

The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I have vague memories of the animated movie; fleeting images come to mind that seem mostly centered on being frightened at the crazed look in Mr. Toad’s eyes as he wildly careens down the road reveling in his addiction, the speed of his motor-car. Yet when I came across The Wind in the Willows while browsing the Barnes and Noble Classics series on my Nook, it occurred to me with a start that I had never actually read this classic set of bedtime stories, written by Kenneth Grahame for his son. I expected a quick read that would do little more than check an as-of-yet-overlooked box.

Perhaps I simply did not understand the many-layered beauty of the story as a child, or maybe I was too frightened of Mr. Toad at whatever age it was that I saw the movie to remember anything else, or maybe the film was not really up to the task of conveying what I now find exquisite about this work of children’s literature. I suspect a combination of all three. What I can say is, that I have emerged from reading this book straight through as one wakes from a pleasant dream.

Sudden and magnificent, the sun’s broad golden disc showed itself over the horizon facing them; and the first rays, shooting across the level water-meadows, took the animals full in the eyes and dazzled them. When they were able to look once more, the Vision had vanished, and the air was full of the carol of birds that hailed the dawn [108].

Grahame uses evocative and flowing language, always centered on the natural world and the importance of its connection and rhythms. The animals’ intuitive closeness with their surroundings form the backdrop of a series of adventures by the protagonist Mole and his friends, Water Rat, Badger, and Toad. As improbable and silly as the plot turns often were, I found myself willingly suspending disbelief in exchange for the privilege of absorbing more of the beautiful expressions as fast as I could:

Their old haunts greeted them again in other raiment, as if they had slipped away and put on this pure new apparel and come quietly back, smiling as they shyly waited to see if they would be recognized again under it [105].

Interspersed with the lovely, poetic dialog of nature and animals are insightful remarks on human society and behavior. These run not only along the lines of commentary on mankind’s impermanence upon the backdrop of the world – “ ‘Who can tell?,’ said the Badger. ‘People come – they stay for a while, they flourish, they build – and they go. It is their way. But we remain.’” [73] – but also in caricature of very human types.

Mole’s naïve, wide-eyed view of the world; Water Rat’s moody, poetic musings and sharp cunning; the earthy, country simplicity of Badger’s generosity and strength; Toad’s outrageously inflated conceitedness, masking affable charm and landed refinement – in these portraits we easily find parts of ourselves, shades of others we know, and perhaps a bit of who we aspire to be. I have, I admit, perhaps a bit more of Toad in me than I’d like; but I still connected most eagerly with the Rats – both the major character of Water Rat, as well as in the following urging by a lesser character, the Sea Rat:

Take the Adventure, heed the call, now ere the irrevocable moment passes! ‘Tis but a banging of the door behind you, a blithesome step forward, and you are out of the old life and into the new! Then some day, some day long hence, jog home here if you will, when the cup has been drained and the play has been played, and sit down by your quiet river with a store of goodly memories for company [135].

There is even a gem for actors, composed as succinctly as Boleslavsky might have done in admonishing his Creature to strive for “[…:] that happy grace which is the last thing the skilled actor shall capture – the natural grace which goes with perfect unconsciousness of observation” [77].

If you did read this book as a child, I must say I envy you a bit; I would love to know how I would have perceived it had I read it without whatever present perspective I have. If you have not, please do yourself a favor and track down a copy. Even if you did read it as a child, read it again, for the sake of what insights you may have missed in your younger years.

Having now read this book and written this review all in one sitting, I am tempted to either read or write again immediately. But I think shall instead yield to Mole’s ways in this instance, pause to simply reflect on life: “[…:] and with his ear to the reed-stems he caught, at intervals, something of what the wind went whispering so constantly among them” [18].

What a marvelous book. Maybe I just read it in a good mood or read way too much into it, but I make no hesitation in giving it a full five-star rating.

View all my reviews >>

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Review of “Brooklyn” by Colm Tóibín

July 10th, 2010

Brooklyn by Colm Tóibín

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

“Brooklyn” is a beautiful novel by Colm Tóibín that explores broadly human themes in a well-portrayed specific setting. When Ellis, a young Irish girl, leaves her home town of Enniscorthy for the wide world of New York in America, she is awkward, wide-eyed, and ill-prepared for what greets her on the other side of the Atlantic. When she returns to visit years later in the wake a family tragedy, her nostalgia for the past and perspective on the present are both shaken.

This novel will connect with any of those who have left home, be it for university, a job, or a loved one, to the next town over or to a far-off country with foreign customs and people. After such a move, there is a strange, sad, yet beautiful feeling that comes when you visit the place of your growing up after many years, and realize that it and you have changed, and changed separately. That simultaneous rush of fear and excitement, loss and opportunity, memory and expectation, is captured honestly in this novel.

I consider this novel well-worth reading. If you have a Nook, let me know, I would be happy to eLoan it to you!

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Closure

May 29th, 2010

And there he stood under the desert sky
Until what could have been
Was scarce but a dying ember.
Even he, with flame-scarred wing,
will at last relearn to fly;
And his tarnished conviction,
Forsaken once with a sigh,
Need no longer be slave to “I remember.”

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“Acting” at Theatre West Informs and Inspires

May 2nd, 2010

I was immediately excited to attend what was billed as a dramatization of Boleslavsky’s classic acting method text, “Acting: The First Six Lessons” at Theatre West. The chance to see Beau Bridges and his daughter, Emily, on stage together displaying a work that has been a significant portion of their family and lives was not one to be passed up. The elder Bridges, a member of the reputable North Hollywood company for over forty years, has also appeared in many television and film works.  The younger Bridges is among Theatre West’s newest members, joining this year with a talent and style wholly her own.

Beau’s primary character is “The Teacher”, the vessel by which Boleslavky’s acting philosophy is conveyed.  “The Creature,” played by Emily as her primary character, is the subject – the exhibit by which the lessons are demonstrated.  Starting from her first, awkward audition and naive, starry-eyed hope for a chance to shine, we follow the Creature as she slowly develops her inner talents into a successful professional career on the stage.  Both Bridges play several supporting roles.

While the first objective is clearly to present Boleslavky’s explanation of method, this objective is conveyed through the heartwarming evolution of the relationship between mentor and pupil.  The lessons, the arguments, the egos, the personal sacrifice, and the tenderness of a long-standing friendship in the arts grow and blossom between the Teacher and Creature.

The unit set is well-designed, with softer fresnel lighting in the centerstage areas to adjust mood, with a few gobos used to indicate outdoor scenes in a forest or a starry night. Isolated areas, cleanly and flatly lit using warm ellipsoidals down left and right, are fixed around changing screens behind which modesty can be preserved.  They cleverly serve as “actor’s ready rooms” where the audience is given a “backstage” look at the two actors as they switch costumes from scene to scene.

While Beau Bridges’ acting is of course seasoned, powerful, and assured, I actually found myself more rapt at Emily’s absolutely exquisite control over her physical body and her inner self.  Not only does she play multiple roles, but must also convincingly convey the development of the Creature over time; she is acting the part of an actor, which is always a challenge, and in this case it is one that changes significantly in style and skill.  In one scene, the Creature is having trouble with one of Ophelia’s speeches in Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the one in which she is spurned by the affected prince of Denmark.  Her initial effort is passable, but after instruction from the Teacher, her second performance is positively riveting… I did not blink once, nor could I remove my eyes from her face throughout the entire monologue.

In a scripted intro spoken directly to the audience, Beau Bridges pulls out a worn copy of “Acting: The First Six Lessons” and describes the personal story of how the book has been handed down through multiple generations of his family.  While the story is interesting and the information discussed certainly contributes background to the Q&A conversation after the show, I felt that it was very out of place as a pre-show.  I would have greatly preferred it if the actors would have jumped right into the story, while still maintaining the casual (and welcome) indifference to the fourth wall that pervades the production.

This, along with a desire to see more of what the Teacher actually learns from the Creature (as opposed to a mainly one-way street), are my only major complaints with what was a very informative and inspiring production.  While I do not personally agree with several aspects of Boleslavky’s philosophy on acting, the majority of the principles expounded in his book (and, consequentially, this play) are pleasing to reflect on and largely applicable to any artistic medium.

“Acting: The First Six Lessons” runs at Theatre West for two more weekends, closing May 16th.  If you are at all associated with the craft of theatre, do yourself a favor and attend one of these last showings.  You will walk away with immediate food for thought on your present endeavors, and likely retain a more long-term shift in perspective for your future artistic efforts.

(And yes, I did immediately order the book from B&N.)

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