howeird | Savoyards reunion

Went to a reunion for Stanford Savoyards, arranged by Alice, who is one of the sexiest of the alums I have worked with. The evite only said it would be at the Hukilau in Palo Alto at 6:30, and I expected a no-host bar kind of party. So I got there fashionably late at 7, to find everyone sitting down having already had appetizers, now about to order dinner. Fine, I hadn't had dinner yet. Ordered the Hukilau Chicken, which was delivered on a large monkey pod plate, complete with the obligatory two scoops of rice and a scoop of macaroni salad. The chicken was on a thin bed of linguine, and was super. Kind of a mild version of sesame orange chicken.

We completely filled the long, narrow room, there was just one seat free when I got there, and they pulled in one more for another latecomer. I knew everyone at the table except two new guys, one is doing the publicity for & the other is playing the title role in their next production The Sorcerer, which will be done in mid-November in Bollywood style. Turns out sexy alum, who is an American of Chinese descent (close your eyes and she's a Valley Girl), is engaged to a man from India. I guess they are producing it.

It was very good to see old friends, and especially good to chat outside of the usual theater trappings.

After dinner I walked around downtown PA, noticed a huge number of changes, stopped in at a coffee shop and had a piece of chocolate cake I should not have been sharing the same planet with.

Some of the changes:

A huge number of Persian rug stores. At least 8. Used to be no more than two, both always "going out of business".
All the cell phone dealers are in huge pieces prime real estate instead of tiny storefronts. One is where Stacey's Books used to be.
Magnolia AV (used to be hi-fi when I first knew them in Seattle) is on a prime corner
The Japanese place on the corner of High and University is now a night club after about 8 pm. Huge mob/line blocking foot traffic outside, huge bouncers blocking the doorway. Flashing lights & women standing on tables doing shots. They still are serving full Japanese meals while this is going on.
Burger King sold out to Pizza My Heart
Many new coffee shops and cafes
A sushi place has taken over World Wraps
Many bicyclists. Too many riding on the sidewalk. Idiotic either way, University is not bike friendly.
Small groups of Oriental students sitting on the steps and benches with the homeless beggars, chatting with them and lending moral support.
Many women in extremely short skirts/pants/jeans showing so much leg I was tempted to become a stalker.

Some of these changes are not all that recent, I just now am getting around to writing them down.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Ameeta would enjoy the Bollywood G&S. Just got back from Toronto to visit her mom and various relatives. Easier to get refuge from Guyana in Canada than NY. Less planes falling from the sky up there too. Sorry to hear about your private sector woes. GL in the job search.

The Stanford Savoyards is indeed bringing Gilbert and Sullivan to Bollywood (or should that be the other way around)? Our final performances of "The Sorcerer" are this Saturday, 18th Nov 06, at 8pm, and Sunday, 19th Nov at 2:30pm.
It's a great, fun show, directed by David Euresti, music directed by Jeremy Erman, and produced by Ruth McCann. We have been reviewed in the Stanford Daily (http://www.stanforddaily.com/article/2006/11/10/bollywoodOpera) and a short video clip from a dress rehearsal is up on YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbyHRi-je1M). Please do come and join the fun! Tickets are $16/$12/$10 and can be bought online at www.stanford.edu/group/savoyards or at the door at Dinkelspiel Auditorium, 471 Lagunita Drive, Stanford CA.
See you there!
Grace Webber (co-producer)

Savoyards reunion

Bollywood

Last weekend of "The Sorcerer" - Opera meets Bollywood!