A SPECIAL VISIT
The cast and crew of “The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical” at the Smithtown Performing Arts Center were honored to have Rob Rokicki (center), composer and lyricist of the show, in the audience this past Saturday. The show that “will steal your heart” (Barbara Anne Kirshner/ TBR News Media) runs through Oct. 29.
Photo courtesy of SPAC
Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory and collaborators at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) have engineered duckweed to produce high yields of oil. The team added genes to one of nature’s fastest growing aquatic plants to “push” the synthesis of fatty acids, “pull” those fatty acids into oils, and “protect” the oil from degradation. As the scientists explain in a paper published in Plant Biotechnology Journal, such oil-rich duckweed could be easily harvested to produce biofuels or other bioproducts.
The paper describes how the scientists engineered a strain of duckweed, Lemna japonica, to accumulate oil at close to 10 percent of its dry weight biomass. That’s a dramatic, 100-fold increase over such plants growing in the wild—with yields more than seven times higher than soybeans, today’s largest source of biodiesel.
“Duckweed grows fast,” said Brookhaven Lab biochemist John Shanklin [https://www.bnl.gov/staff/sha
“Growing and harvesting this engineered duckweed in batches and extracting its oil could be an efficient pathway to renewable and sustainable oil production,” he said.
Two added benefits: As an aquatic plant, oil-producing duckweed wouldn’t compete with food crops for prime agricultural land. It can even grow on runoff from pig and poultry farms.
“That means this engineered plant could potentially clean up agricultural waste streams as it produces oil,” Shanklin said.
Leveraging two Long Island research institutions
The current project has roots in Brookhaven Lab research on duckweeds from the 1970s, led by William S. Hillman in the Biology Department. Later, other members of the Biology Department worked with the Martienssen group at Cold Spring Harbor to develop a highly efficient method for expressing genes from other species in duckweeds, along with approaches to suppress expression of duckweeds’ own genes, as desired.
As Brookhaven researchers led by Shanklin and Jorg Schwender [https://www.bnl.gov/staff/sch
“The current project brings together Brookhaven Lab’s expertise in the biochemistry and regulation of plant oil biosynthesis with Cold Spring Harbor’s cutting-edge genomics and genetics capabilities,” Shanklin said.
One of the oil-production genes identified by the Brookhaven researchers pushes the production of the basic building blocks of oil, known as fatty acids. Another pulls, or assembles, those fatty acids into molecules called triacylglycerols (TAG)—combinations of three fatty acids that link up to form the hydrocarbons we call oils. The third gene produces a protein that coats oil droplets in plant tissues, protecting them from degradation.
From preliminary work, the scientists found that increased fatty acid levels triggered by the “push” gene can have detrimental effects on plant growth. To avoid those effects, Brookhaven Lab postdoctoral researcher Yuanxue Liang paired that gene with a promoter that can be turned on by the addition of a tiny amount of a specific chemical inducer.
“Adding this promoter keeps the push gene turned off until we add the inducer, which allows the plants to grow normally before we turn on fatty acid/oil production,” Shanklin said.
Liang then created a series of gene combinations to express the improved push, pull, and protect factors singly, in pairs, and all together. In the paper these are abbreviated as W, D, and O for their biochemical/genetic names, where W=push, D=pull, and O=protect.
The key findings
Overexpression of each gene modification alone did not significantly increase fatty acid levels in Lemna japonica fronds. But plants engineered with all three modifications accumulated up to 16 percent of their dry weight as fatty acids and 8.7 percent as oil when results were averaged across several different transgenic lines. The best plants accumulated up to 10 percent TAG—more than 100 times the level of oil that accumulates in unmodified wild type plants.
Some combinations of two modifications (WD and DO) increased fatty acid content and TAG accumulation dramatically relative to their individual effects. These results are called synergistic, where the combined effect of two genes increased production more than the sum of the two separate modifications.
These results were also revealed in images of lipid droplets in the plants’ fronds, produced using a confocal microscope at the Center for Functional Nanomaterials [https://www.bnl.gov/cfn/] (CFN), a DOE Office of Science user facility at Brookhaven Lab. When the duckweed fronds were stained with a chemical that binds to oil, the images showed that plants with each two-gene combination (OD, OW, WD) had enhanced accumulation of lipid droplets relative to plants where these genes were expressed singly—and also when compared to control plants with no genetic modification. Plants from the OD and OWD lines both had large oil droplets, but the OWD line had more of them, producing the strongest signals.
“Future work will focus on testing push, pull, and protect factors from a variety of different sources, optimizing the levels of expression of the three oil-inducing genes, and refining the timing of their expression,” Shanklin said. “Beyond that we are working on how to scale up production from laboratory to industrial levels.”
That scale-up work has several main thrusts: 1) designing the types of large-scale culture vessels for growing the modified plants, 2) optimizing large-scale growth conditions, and 3) developing methods to efficiently extract oil at high levels.
This work was funded by the DOE Office of Science (BER). CFN is also supported by the Office of Science (BES).
Brookhaven National Laboratory is supported by the Office of Science of the U.S. Department of Energy. The Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, visit science.energy.gov. [https://www.energy.gov/scienc
By Barbara Beltrami
Dear Reader, I’m sorry to say that this is my last Cooking Cove column. Sharing my recipes and anecdotes with you and getting your enthusiastic positive feedback has made these past six years a labor of love. I will be continuing to write a cooking column independently and hope that you will join me by sending your name and email address to me at [email protected] so we can keep cooking together. Meanwhile it’s only fitting and proper that I share my recipes for a few of my favorite things for a farewell dinner.
Champagne Cocktail
YIELD: Makes 2 cocktails
INGREDIENTS:
12 ounces Champagne or Prosecco
2 sugar cubes
10 dashes Angostura bitters
2 long thin curly lemon peels
DIRECTIONS:
Chill the champagne or Prosecco thoroughly. Place sugar cubes in glasses, add the bitters to the sugar cubes, drop in the lemon peel, then pour champagne. Serve immediately with fresh oysters, smoked salmon or caviar.
Setauket Clam Chowder
YIELD: Makes 8 to 10 servings
INGREDIENTS:
2 dozen cherrystone clams, scrubbed, purged
4 ounces unsalted butter
1 leek, light green and white part only, washed and thinly sliced
3 potatoes, peeled and sliced thin
1/2 cup dry white wine
Large sprig fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
2 cups half and half
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/3 cup chopped Italian flat leaf parsley
DIRECTIONS:
Place clams in a large pot and add one quart water. Cover and cook over medium-high heat about 10 to 15 minutes, until clams open. Discard any that don’t open after 15 minutes. Remove clams from liquid and set aside to cool. Strain broth through a sieve or strainer lined with paper towels or cheesecloth; set that aside too. Rinse out pot, dry, then over medium heat melt butter, add leeks and, stirring frequently, cook until they are softened but not browned, 5 to 10 minutes.
Stir in potatoes and wine and continue cooking until potatoes start to soften and wine is evaporated, 5 to 10 minutes. Add enough clam broth to cover potatoes, plus thyme and bay leaf; partially cover and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 10 to 12 minutes. Meanwhile, remove clams from shells and dice; add them along with the half and half and ground pepper to the pot, bring back to a simmer but do not boil. Stir in parsley, ladle into bowls and serve hot with oyster crackers and corn on the cob.
Sage-Stuffed Roast Chicken
YIELD: Makes 8 servings
INGREDIENTS:
One 5-pound organic roasting chicken
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 large bunch sage
1 lemon, halved and seeded
1 head garlic, halved horizontally
1/4 cup unsalted butter
2 large onions, coarsely chopped
4-6 carrots, sliced diagonally into chunks
15-18 small sprigs sage
1/4 cup olive oil
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 425 F. Remove giblets, neck and excess fat from chicken; rinse inside and outside under cold water and pat dry. Generously salt and pepper chicken cavity, then stuff cavity with large sprig of sage, lemon and garlic. Tie legs together with kitchen twine and tuck wing tips under the chicken.
In a large bowl toss the onions and carrots with the small sage sprigs and olive oil and salt and pepper. Spread mixture on bottom of shallow roasting pan, then place chicken over them. Roast for an hour and a half, until a cut between thigh and leg yields clear juices; remove from oven and let rest about 15 minutes, then slice and serve with onions and carrots any liquid from pan spooned on top. Serve warm with roasted potatoes and a green vegetable such as Brussels sprouts or broccoli.
By Nancy Marr
The $4.2 billion Clean Water, Clean Air, and Green Job Bond Act proposition on our ballot in 2022 will allow our state to undertake vital and urgent environmental improvement projects via issuing bonds; not a tax increase.
Long Island’s waterways are impaired by failing sewage and septic systems, and algae and nitrogen pollution impacts our sole-source aquifer system which provides drinking water to three million state residents. We need to find a way to conserve open space to benefit wildlife habitats, food production, and outdoor recreation. Many marginalized communities are harmed by pollution and have no access to open space, clean air and water.
There have been eleven environmental bond acts passed since the early 20th century. The conservation movement of the late 19th and early 20th centuries was a response to vast deforestation, natural resource depletion and industrialization. The “forever wild” clause was added to the New York State Constitution in 1894 to enshrine the protection of lands in the Adirondacks and Catskills.
In 1910 voters passed a bond act for $2.5 million, in 1916, for $10 million, and in 1924, for $15 million, all for the purposes of land acquisition and the establishment of parks. The 1965 Bond Act funded infrastructure to limit the flow of wastewater from untreated sewage overflows. In the 1970’s and 80’s, attention was galvanized by the problems with Love Canal, near Niagara Falls, the site of thousands of tons of toxic waste from the Hooker Chemical Company, which led policymakers in the US to establish hazardous waste regulatory systems. The majority of the funding from the Environmental Quality Bond Act of 1986 went to manage hazardous waste in sites under the State Superfund program which had been established in 1979. The Clean Water/Clean Air Bond Act of 1996 allocated the bulk of its $1.75 billion to safe drinking water and treatment of solid waste.
The infrastructure in New York City, which supplied water to approximately 40 percent of NYS’s population, had already exceeded its life span by 2008 when the NYS Department of Health estimated that $38.7 billion would be needed over the next twenty years for drinking water infrastructure. The Legislature responded with an initial allocation in 2017 of $2.5 billion. In 2019 it passed the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, which established clear statewide goals for emissions reduction and clear energy.
Governor Hochul’s budget released the Clean Water, Clean Air, and Green Jobs Environmental Act of 2022. The final version, $4.2 billion, makes climate change its largest category of funding and designates that a portion of the total funding must be allocated to disadvantaged communities that bear a disproportionate share of negative environmental consequences. The 2022 Bond Act includes:
Climate Change Mitigation (includes money for electrifying school buses) — $1.5 billion: Will fund projects that expand clean energy infrastructure, increase energy efficiency, reduce green gas emissions, and protect air and water quality to help fight and mitigate climate change.
Restoration and Flood Risk Reduction — $1.1 billion: Damage caused by severe storms and flooding is projected to cost over $50 billion statewide. Funding would provide investments in NY’s natural and manufactured coastal resilience systems such as shoreline protection, wetland restoration, local waterfront revitalization, green infrastructure, and voluntary buyout programs.
Open Space Land Conservation and Recreation — $ 650 million: The Bond Act funding will expand open space conservation programs, promote outdoor recreation, protect natural resources, improve biodiversity, benefit threatened and endangered species and help farmers who are facing the challenges of climate change. Funding will invest in restoring and maintaining native fish populations and increasing public access to our waterways to support LI’s maritime culture.
Water Quality Improvement and Resilient Infrastructure — $650 million: A long-term solution is needed to fund our backlog of water quality and infrastructure needs which continue to outpace available funding; the Bond Act will help fill the gaps in funding by investing at least $659 million in protecting water quality, spending 35% of the total in disadvantaged communities.
On Election Day 2022, remember to turn over your ballot and vote for the Environmental Bond Act proposition!
Nancy Marr is Vice-President of the League of Women Voters of Suffolk County, a nonprofit nonpartisan organization that encourages the informed and active participation of citizens in government and influences public policy through education and advocacy. For more information, visit www.lwv-suffolkcounty.org or call 631-862-6860.
Reviewed by Jeffrey Sanzel
Like many sisters, Even and Odd shared many things:
Their bedroom.
Their closet.
Six pairs of flip-flops.
Use of the living-room TV.
And … magic.
This is the intriguing premise of the gifted, award-winning Sara Beth Durst’s young adult novel, Even and Odd. Sisters Emma and Olivia Berry live in Stony Haven, Connecticut, having moved from the magic land of Firoth. The siblings’ powers manifest on alternate days. Thus, Emma’s nickname is Even, and Oliva’s is Odd.
As they grew, the girls took separate paths. Even has passionately embraced her training and is studying for her level five exams for the Academy of Magic; she wants nothing more than to enter the magic world as a hero. Odd’s interests are grounded in the “real” world; she spends her free time working at an animal shelter and sees her sorcery as a burden.
Durst is a consummate world builder. Her nearly two dozen books contain original mythologies, complete with unique and imaginative rules, histories, and limitations. (Three of her previous, very different novels were reviewed in this paper: The Stone Girl, in May 2018; The Deepest Blue, in June 2019; and The Bone Maker, in May 2021). With Even and Odd, she has created a universe where the known overlaps with the enchanted. And while books about wizards cannot help but recall a bespectacled boy with a lightning scar, Durst’s current offering—with its wry, contemporary wit and easy charm—echoes Peter Beagle’s The Last Unicorn and Piers Anthony’s Xanth series. She writes with a smart sense of humor, penning characters larger than life but wholly relatable. As in her previous works, her dialogue is crisp and honest and always rings true.
The Berry family runs a border shop, “close to the gateway between worlds,” serving the magical community when its members are in the mundane world. In addition to supplies, it is a source of information. For example, visitors “from Firoth could ask basic questions, such as ‘What is an airplane, and is it going to eat me?” The local gateway is behind Fratelli’s Express Bagel, owned by a wizard who looks like “a carb-and-cream-cheese-bearing Santa Claus.”
A normal day immediately shifts when it appears that “magic [is] on the fritz.” Even is briefly stuck as a skunk when she is not able to reverse a transformation. While investigating the gateway, Even and Odd become trapped in Firoth. Teamed up with an energetic young unicorn traveling under the name Jeremy (real name “Shimmerglow”), they confront the villainous Lady Vell, who is draining the magic for nefarious purposes.
The unleashed turmoil has caused shifting geography, with homes landing in dangerous locations, stalked by creatures displaced from their habitats. The author subtly offers a portrait of refugees seeking haven and even a hint of vigilante justice as the population begins to question the ability of the Academy of Magic to cut through its bureaucracy and deal with the dire situation.
The book contains a wide range of unusual beings: Haughty elves, friendly centaurs conducting research, flower fairies that sting, mermaids that screech, and a curmudgeonly but helpful goblin are among the denizens.
While the action is brisk and the adventure is always engaging, Durst’s ability to balance the magical realm with true family dynamics elevates the novel. Even and Odd are close but clash. “For me to be surprised,” quips Odd, “you need not to be predictable!” They seek their parents’ approval and yet yearn for independence. The author wisely chooses for the children to hope that the adults can fix the situation (so often eschewed in literature for young people).
Durst also delves into the doubts that plague Even. She frets over the upcoming magic test:
I have to be ready […] not taking [the exam] would feel like saying she wasn’t as good as kids her age who had magic every day. Maybe even like saying I’ll never be as good as them […] It would be admitting that the little voice of doubt that nagged at her was right, that practicing every other day wasn’t ever going to be enough, and she’d never be ready to be a hero.
Once in Firoth, Even and Odd learn starling facts about their origins. They face a surprising revelation that gives an understanding of the history of the unheard of split magic. This leads to further introspection but does not deter them from entering danger for the greater good.
Even and Odd is a wonderful book about and filled with enchantment. Durst deals with misguided and false assumptions about self, but also the ability to learn and grow. The story’s heart celebrates inherently different sisters who are bonded by love. Even and Odd embraces the normal and fantastic and weaves a shared magic all its own.
Award-winning author Sarah Beth Durst lives in Stony Brook with her husband, her children, and her ill-mannered cat. Pick up a copy of Even and Odd online at www.amazon.com or www.barnesandnoble.com. For more information, visit sarahbethdurst.com.
The Ward Melville Heritage Organization (WMHO) has announced that the garden on the Jennie Melville Village Green in Stony Brook Village has been unveiled, thanks to PSEG Long Island and the Three Village Chamber of Commerce. The garden was originally planted in honor of Jennie Melville in 1948 by the Three Village Garden Club, which she founded. The Three Village Chamber of Commerce was the recipient of a $2,300 Beautification Grant funded by PSEG Long Island. The Chamber selected the Jennie Melville Village Green garden to receive a restoration including various plants, shrubs and flowers.
“PSEG Long Island is pleased to support the efforts of Three Village Chamber of Commerce to create this lovely garden in its shopping district,” said John Keating, manager of Economic and Community Development at PSEG Long Island. “The PSEG Long Island Beautification grant was crafted to help local businesses in downtowns and shopping areas that struggled through the pandemic. We are proud to fund this project that will help increase foot traffic to the area and enhance the shopping experience for everyone who visits.”
Pictured from left, Jonathan Kornreich, Town of Brookhaven Councilmemeber; Mary Van Tuyl, Trustee, WMHO; Michael Ardolino, Board Member, Three Village Chamber of Commerce; Jane Taylor, Executive Director, Three Village Chamber of Commerce; Bill Faulk, Regional Public Affairs Manager, PSEG Long Island; John Keating, Manager of Economic and Community Development, PSEG Long Island; Dr. Richard Rugen, Chairman, WMHO; Charles Lefkowitz, President, Three Village Chamber of Commerce; Gloria Rocchio, President, WMHO; Carmine Inserra, Board Member, Three Village Chamber of Commerce; Nicole Sarno, Board Member, Three Village Chamber of Commerce; Kathleen Mich, WMHO Trustee; and Charles Napoli, Trustee, WMHO.
The Ward Melville Heritage Organization is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation founded in 1939 by businessman and philanthropist Ward Melville. Inspired by his legacy to preserve historic and environmentally sensitive properties, the WMHO continues to protect and interpret these Long Island treasures. The organization creates interdisciplinary educational and cultural experiences that integrate history, art, theater, music, science, and technology for all ages. The organization owns and manages properties deeded to it by Ward Melville, including the Brewster House (c. 1665), the Thompson House (c. 1709), the Stony Brook Grist Mill (c.1751), which are listed on the state and national register for historic places, the Dr. Erwin Ernst Marine Conservation Center, the pristine 88-acre wetlands preserve at West Meadow, the 11-acre T. Bayles Minuse Mill Pond and adjacent park, two-acre Upper Pond, and the two-acre Jennie Melville Village Green. To learn more about the WMHO, visit www.wmho.org or call (631) 751-2244
Gurwin Healthcare System has officially opened The Parkview, the largest residential building of the new Fountaingate Gardens independent living complex on Gurwin’s 36-acre Commack campus, with the delivery of the certificate of occupancy in August.
The $115 million,129-luxury apartment Life Plan Community is a unique concept in senior living, the newest on Long Island, and the final piece in Gurwin’s senior living offering. More than 50 community members have already moved into their one- and two-bedroom apartment homes in the community. The first building, The Terraces, opened for occupancy in May.
“With The Parkview now officially open, our vision of a Life Plan Community on the Gurwin campus has finally come to fruition,” said Stuart B. Almer, President and Chief Executive Officer of Gurwin Healthcare System. “We are now able to offer Long Islanders a way to truly age in place with peace of mind, knowing that priority access to assisted living, short-term rehabilitation, long-term care, memory care, dialysis and day care is available on the same familiar campus, should higher levels of care ever be needed.”
Comprised of 102 apartment homes, The Parkview at Fountaingate Gardens features 11 floor plan options ranging from 830 sq. ft. to 1,350 sq. ft. The Terraces consists of 27 apartments, with six floor plan options ranging from 1000 sq. ft. to 1,570 sq. ft. Both four-story buildings are connected to the community’s 20,000+ square-foot Clubhouse which features an array of wellness-focused amenities, a heated saltwater pool, state-of-the-art fitness center, salon, library, a variety of dining venue options and more.
“We are thrilled to be officially, fully open to welcome new members,” said Ryan Grady, Executive Director of Fountaingate Gardens. “Our team has worked hard to create a beautiful, vibrant community for active adults; it’s wonderful to see our members enjoying their beautiful new homes, forging new relationships and embracing new opportunities. Already there is a positive energy and vibe in our community — we call it the “Fountaingate Feeling!” We are pleased to be able to offer this unique retirement lifestyle to help Long Islanders live the best of their lives.”
For more information, call 631-715-2693 or visit www.FountaingateLI.org.
Currently on view at the Heckscher Museum of Art in Huntington is the 2022 Long Island Biennial, a prestigious juried exhibition featuring works by contemporary artists from Suffolk and Nassau Counties.
Now in its seventh edition, the Biennial presents a cross section of Long Island contemporary art. “The public will enjoy learning more about the most recent work of the Long Island’s established and emerging artists,” said The Heckscher Museum’s Curator, Dr. Karli Wurzelbacher.
“I am especially impressed by the ways in which many of the artists engaged with the concerns of our time, from social justice, to health, to ecology; and appreciate those who brought new approaches to traditional materials and techniques,” she said.
This year’s exhibit encompasses a remarkable variety of media, with styles spanning abstraction to hyperrealism. “Contemporary art has been essential to the Museum since its founding more than 100 years ago,” said Heather Arnet, Executive Director & CEO. “We remain committed to sharing inspiring and thought-provoking new art with our visitors.”
The Museum received 732 artist entries, with jurors Heather Carter, Gabriela Gonzalez Dellosso, and Susan Van Scoy selecting 95 works for exhibition.
Five exhibiting artists were designated as Award of Merit winners including Darlene Blaurock of Wantagh; Neil Leinwohl or Rockville Centre; Patricia Maurides of Sag Harbor; Margaret Minardi of Northport; and Kasmira Mohanty of Farmingville.
A diverse program of events will coincide with the exhibition. Long Island Biennial artists will be in the galleries on Oct. 16, Nov. 6, Nov. 30, Dec. 4 and Dec. 11 from 1 to 3 p.m. Meet the artists behind the artwork., free with admission.
In addition, the museum will host a Biennial Open Studios Day featuring artists Edward Acosta, Sally Edelstein, Mike Krasowitz, William Low, and Gina Mars on Oct. 16 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Hop from one studio to the next for behind-the-scenes access and learn about a variety of media and techniques. Tickets to this event are $25 per person with registration required at www.heckscher.org.
In conjunction with Hispanic Heritage Month, the museum will host a free Dual Language Family Hour with Educators Tami Wood and Karini Gaminez on Oct. 16 from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Children ages 5 to 10 will enjoy a family art experience in both Spanish and English.
Visitors may also take part in an ongoing Mini Audio Tour of Long Island Biennial by artist and Biennial juror Gabriela Gonzalez Dellosso featuring an audio tour of selected works in the exhibition in both Spanish and English.
Sponsored by Robin T. Hadley and the Cunniff Family, the 2022 Long Island Biennial will be on view at the Heckscher Museum of Art, 2 Prime Ave., Huntington through Jan. 22, 2023. For more information, call 631-380-3230 or visit www.heckscher.org.
By Heidi Sutton
Written almost 300 years ago, Beauty and the Beast is a tale as old as time.
A classic story of love and sacrifice, a girl by the name of Belle searches to find her place among the townspeople in her village, all while dodging the advances of a self-loving brute named Gaston. When her father is taken prisoner by a monstrous beast in an enchanted castle, Belle chooses to take his place.
The Beast is really a young prince who is trapped under the spell of an enchantress. If he can learn to love and in return find someone who will love him before all the petals on an enchanted rose wither, the curse will end. But time is running out. If the Beast does not learn his lesson soon, he and his castle staff will be doomed for all eternity. Will Belle be the one to break the spell?
Now the enchanting fairy tale heads to the John W. Engeman Theater in Northport to bring joy to yet another young generation in the form of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast Jr. with book by Linda Woolverton. Although an abbreviated version of the original with a running time of one and a half hours, it features all of the wonderful songs we’ve come to love by Alan Menken, Howard Ashman and Tim Rice including “Belle,” “Gaston,” “Be Our Guest,” “The Mob Song,” and everyone’s favorite, “Beauty and the Beast” sung by Mrs. Potts.
Directed by Danny Meglio with musical direction by Gina Salvia, the 15-member cast transports the audience to a French provincial town full of action, adventure, singing and dancing and does a wonderful job with special mention to Nancy Rose Fallon as the beautiful Belle and Adam Brett as the Beast who can’t control his temper. Brett really gets into character all the way down to the snarl, but is never scary. The musical touches often on Belle’s love of books and, in one of the sweetest moments in the show, she reads the story of King Arthur to her captor during their duet “Something There.”
Terrence Bryce Sheldon as the creep Gaston and Daniel Saulle as his sidekick Lefou have the most fun roles and pull them off with ease. Michael Fasciano gives a passionate performance as Belle’s father, Maurice.
An audience favorite, the enchanted castle staff — Jae Hughes as the candelabra Lumiere in a perfect French accent; Daniel Bishop as Cogsworth the talking clock; Suzanne Mason as Mrs. Potts the teapot; Jillian Sharpe as Babette the feather duster; Lacey Cornell as Madame de la Grande Bouche the wardrobe; and the adorable teacup Chip (a dual role played by Sophie Achee and London Delvecchio) — are visually stunning thanks to costume designer Laura McGauley who also produces the iconic yellow gown for Belle.
As choreographer, Danielle Alliotta also deserves kudos for the big dance numbers including “Gaston” and “Be Our Guest.”
A screen in the back of the stage is used to depict the different scenes of the show including the different rooms in the Beast’s castle — a nice touch — and the actors walk through the aisles often, keeping the children at the edge of their seats.
The Engeman has gone all out on this production and it shows. Catch a performance before the last petal falls.
The John W. Engeman Theater, 250 Main St., Northport presents Disney’s Beauty and the Beast Jr. through Oct. 30. Light-up roses may be purchased before the show and during intermission and costumes are encouraged. All seats are $20. For more information or to order, call 631-261-2900 or visit www.engeman theater.com.
Reviewed by Jeffrey Sanzel
Pinpointing “noir” is challenging. Generally, explanations include terms such as “tough,” “cynical,” “dangerous” and “bleak.” However, these words could also apply to a range of works. This crime genre, which leans towards the dark and pessimistic, has an alchemical combination that defies a narrow definition. While often associated with hardboiled detective fiction (Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler, Mickey Spillane), this is not necessarily an accurate association. Conceptually, “noir” focuses on flawed individuals who are often morally questionable or corrupt. Greed, lust, and jealousy mix with societal alienation resulting in situations from which the characters cannot extricate themselves.
In any case, defining “noir” is not essential to appreciate the exceptional Jewish Noir II (PM Press), subtitled “Tales of Crime and Other Dark Deeds.” Edited by Kenneth Wishnia and Chantelle Aimée Osman, the collection of twenty-three compelling, sharp, and haunting tales encompasses an eclectic and page-turning mix.
As indicated by the title, the over-arching element is Judaism. But the editors offer a range of perspectives, from religious to cultural. Some stories feature Jewish identity at their core; in others, the elements remain peripheral. In an age steeped in fear and a global rise in antisemitism, many of these short pieces — subtly and directly — address the toxicity embroiled therein. Osman indicates in the introduction, “What I do know is that this anthology is important. And the stories in this book apply to everyone.”
“Taking Names” (Steven Wishnia) uses the anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire as a framing device to highlight “corruption [as] the most truly diverse aspect of New York City politics.” Like many of the stories, the language is rich and distinct: “The spokesperson for the Laborers, a skinny guy who looked like he’d lifted more textbooks than cinderblocks …” Antisemitic backlash from a reporter’s story results in a tragic and violent turn. (Later in the volume, “Triangle” (Rabbi Ilene Schneider) uses the tragedy in a wholly different and perfectly unsettling tale of an Angel of Death nurse.)
“Sanctuary” (Doug Allyn) focuses on the horrifying impact of a newly graduated medical student and the liberation of Buchenwald. A granddaughter inherits a necklace and a packet of blood-covered documents in “The Cost of Something Priceless” (Elizabeth Zelvin). With the traditional noir edge, “Only a fool can expect the cost of acquiring treasure to be paid in full. Blood has a tendency to leak and go on leaking. So do reputation and deceit.” The story of twin generational treachery concludes with a sharp stinger of a final line. The brief but potent “The Black and White Cookie”(Jeff Markowitz) takes on segregation.
The book deals with Jewish people worldwide — even as far as Trinidad and China. Violence is consistently present, both casual and deliberate. Humor flows liberally throughout, often to create an illusion quickly shattered with a deft plot twist. “Wishboned” (Jill D. Block), with its mix of fantasy and Philip Roth, deftly skewers the bar mitzvah sphere: “That was his cue, once again, that paying for a bar mitzvah is like buying a brand new sports car and driving it straight off a cliff.”
“The Shabbes Goy” (Craig Faustus Buck) is one of the book’s truly noir entries. The Jewish elements weave tautly into a narrative of plotting femme fatales and an abusive husband. “To Catch a Ganef” (Lizzie Skurnick) blends Alfred Hitchcock Presents and O. Henry in a smartly multicultural story. “Paying the Ferrymen” (E.J. Wagner), an account of a wronged wife, also feels like an ode to that 1950s series. “Inheritance” (Terry Shames) leans into a Ladies in Retirement tone, with a nursing home setting and vengeful relatives.
Drawing on biblical sources, “Brother’s Keeper” (Eileen Rendahl) presents a private investigator and a moral dilemma utilizing the Cain and Abel story as both a parallel and mirror image. In contrast, “The Almost Sisters” (Ellen Kirschman) contains a more ethnic reflection: “If there is a gene for pessimism it will be in Jewish blood. I heard it a million times, keynehore, don’t relax, don’t get too happy, something bad is coming.”
“Crossover” (Zoe Quinton) broods on conversion and a suspicious mikvah death, the permeating darkness in the water giving a sense of unease.
One of the most unusual entries is editor Kenneth Wishnia’s “Bride of Torches,” a bloody account of tribal battles. While the vivid tale reaches back into ancient history, its unique voice helps fit in with this modern anthology. Equally remarkable is “The Just Men of Bennett Avenue” (A.J. Sidransky), a mystical procedural drama.
“The Hanukkah Killer” (Robin Hemley) balances the portrait of a murderer — “eyes that, if they were windows to his soul, you would have wanted nailed shut” — with the vivid portrait of an old neighborhood, with its family illness, dysfunction, and poverty.
The closing story, “Hunter” (Jen Conley), follows a therapist struggling with a threatening and most likely sociopathic patient. The details are striking and disturbing — the eeriness of a burning cigarette suggesting an ominous watcher — and contrast brilliantly with the social issue — a community’s reaction to the encroachment of Orthodox families. The story’s final line is appropriately chilling and the perfect coda to this collection.
While Jewish Noir II takes mild liberties with the definition, this is a minor quibble in this amazing collection of tightly written, powerful, and must-read stories. Pick up a copy online at Amazon.com or BarnesandNoble.com.
In conjunction with the book, Emma S. Clark Memorial Library, 120 Main St., Setauket will host Stories Light and Dark: An Evening of Jewish Noir on Thursday, Oct. 13 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Join Kenneth Wishnia and other contributors for a spirited discussion of the diverse themes in the Jewish Noir II anthology. Copies of the book will be available for sale at the event at a discount, plus a bonus story collection offered free with each purchase. To register, call 631-941-4080
Prev
