Stratford today; reviews tomorrow.

Well, it’s tomorrow, and as predicted I am tired. So: two brief reviews. It’s a good thing I am not a critic because I don’t have to go into detail. Julius Caesar is not my favourite Shakespeare play but not my least well liked, either. Both my companion and I had memories of the Wayne-Shuster send-up of the play. Surely everyone remembers Johnny Wayne and Frank Shuster?

Wayne and Shuster were a Canadian comedy duo formed by Johnny Wayne and Frank Shuster. They were active professionally from the early 1940s until the late 1980s, first as a live act, then on radio, then as part of The Army Show that entertained troops in Europe during World War II, and then on both Canadian and American television. Wik[pedia

I’ll have a dry Martinus.

You mean Martini.

When I want two I’ll ask for them.

They were on the Ed Sullivan Show 67 times, more than any other act.

They came to Winnipeg when we were still there and Bill and I took them out for an after-theatre supper. We went to a Salisbury House and they had ‘nips” (aka hamburgers). The staff of the place knocked themselves out serving the famous pair. They were household names.

Anyway…

The best-remembered line was “I told him, Julie, don’t go!’, repeated naggingly often by another Canadian comedian, Sylvia Lennick (1915-2009), playing Calpurnia, Julius Caesar’s wife. I guess any of us who ever heard that line thinks of it whenever we see the play, It’s a fond memory. I don’t think this production of the play will be.

I was looking forward to it, another instance of the Stratford Season”s female actors taking over male roles (many more in this production). This time Seana McKenna, who did a brilliant job as Richard III a few seasons ago, stepped into Caesar’s toga.She had a Roman haircut and she looked great. But she sounded to me like a little old Italian man, not effective. She loomed as a wonderful ghost, though, not menacingly but judgementally and with great presence. I liked Brutus, played by Jonathan Goad, and Mark Antony, played by Michelle Giroux, was smoothly ironic in her speech to the crowd (“and Brutus is an honourable man”).

That’s enough. I’ll do Napoli Millionari tomorrow.

I’m going to discuss leftovers. My first cookbook (Encore: The Leftovers Cookbook, Key Porter Books, 1979) was, obviously, about leftovers. I think I’m hard-wired : wasting food is anathema to me. that means I will not do it. Also, frugality is in my genes: Icelandic. Icelanders could not afford to waste food. For centuries, famine was never far away. I have work to do today but I’ll be back, with a recipe. Nothing viral of course. No one cares about leftovers - not much - not yet. But ecologically speaking, their day has come.

Long day, worked hard, no time, second game of the Series on now. Tomorrow: Stratford. Which reminds me: I haven't reported on Julius Caesar yet. So I’ll do a two-fer. Tomorrow is another day. So is the day after.

Quick lo-cal pizza, using leftovers: One or two tortillas, or a Naan. You decide the size. find stuff in your fridge: some green and/or red pepper, diced, red oion (or white), celery, any leftover cooked veg (green beans, snow peas, etc.), bits of cooked chicken if you have it - whatever. Put all the veg in a microwave plate and give them a couple of minutes to warm up. soften, whatever. Put your Naan or tortilla on a pizza pan and spread each one with Salsa, not to the edge -so it won’t ooze or spill. Last night I had some leftover home-made pasta sauce which I used up along with the heel of a jar of salsa. Then spread your veggies over the sauce (and meat, if you have any), again not quite to the edge. Sprinkle lavishly with grated cheese, your choice: Parmesan, Cheddar, Asiago, Tex Mex, Bake it for 5 minutes in a pre-heated 400 degree oven. That’s all.

Anon.