Culture: Afternoon in the Garden of Hedonism

Culture: Afternoon in the Garden of Hedonism

by Evan Karp Playing now at the American Conservatory Theater is John Rando’s staging of Alan Ayckbourn’s Round and Round the Garden, a comical sex farce and character study set in early 1970s England. The pre-existing rapport of A.C.T.s resident core acting company exploits Ayckbourn’s ability to create strong characters and is the driving force…

Culture: Vigil for change

Culture: Vigil for change

by Evan Karp Morris Panych’s Vigil, being staged now at San Francisco’s American Conservatory Theater, is at once tender and dark and funny, a series of extended punchlines replete with pathos and unwavering conjecture about the nature of human existence. His writing is clever—the jokes operate as a motif and the insight like jokes—the comedy,…

Culture: Australia: Fabulous Fare in a Sunburnt Country

Culture: Australia: Fabulous Fare in a Sunburnt Country

Doyle’s on the Beach is the place to go to sample the widest possible selection of seafood. However, every town is going to have local specialties, and it’s wonderful to explore what’s in season wherever you are. Much of Australia is in the tropics, so there is a wide array of gloriously exotic fruit available,…