Keeping the light on

Happy New Year. Clearly one of my resolutions wasn't "blog more," but it's never too late to make that one, right? Sorry for the lag. The holidays happened and New Years happened and recovering from New Years happened...

But here we are. The Breach opens tomorrow night. If you haven't heard about it, it's a fascinating look at the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, pieced together by three different playwrights (Catherine Filloux, Tarrel McCraney and Joe Sutton). I saw the play last night, and was amazed at the world created on stage. There is a body of water stretching from one end to the other in which actors swim. There is a boat, there is rain.

But it's not a spectacle piece. Despite those elements, it feels simple. When there is a family stranded on a roof, your attention is on them, the horror and strangeness of the situation. David (Esbjonson, our artistic director) did a meticulous job directing. The play feels both monumental and very small and personal.

But more than that, The Breach has an even more important role. The playwrights have talked a lot about "keeping the light on" in New Orleans, and this play, no matter if you love it or hate it, does indeed keep our attention—here miles away in Seattle—focused on what's still happening in the south.

In the lobby we're selling art, music, jewelry, etc. with all of the proceeds going directly to New Orleans artists. It's pretty cool. On the cocktail front, we've got a Big Easy Collins made with an Absolut Vodka; the proceeds of that also go to rebuilding NOLA (and it's delicious).