Thursday, February 28, 2008

Starbucks and Sondheim


Thanks to those of you who weighed in on yesterday's mystery photo. Now I'm leaning toward the Bulgaria/Russia possibilities. At any rate, it's interesting how cats are the same the world over, right? (My cat is lying on me as I type.)

I forgot to mention that on Tuesday evening, as I was walking to the theater, I passed three Starbucks stores during their mandatory training period. You may have heard that all Starbucks stores nationwide closed for a few hours Tuesday to refresh employees on coffee prep and customer service. It was heartening, as I passed each of these outlets, to see the employees inside in their little huddles. Will Starbucks get better as a result? Well, it certainly can't hurt -- if nothing else, maybe employees will be more conscientious about the customers. (For the record, I got a hot chocolate last night and the employees were unusually courteous -- and the drink was perfect.)

I went to see "Sunday in the Park With George," which is a brilliant show in its staging and artistry. As you may know, it's a Sondheim musical based loosely on the life of Georges Seurat and his painting "A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grand Jatte" (which I've seen at the Art Institute of Chicago). The painting gradually comes together on stage, which is fascinating to watch. The show has less emotional impact than other Sondheims, but it's worth seeing.

(Photo: Window in Chelsea, Feb. 2008)

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ah, to live where culture is not a special event.

I'm reading How Starbucks Saved MY Life, and to hear the author tell it, all the employees, I mean partners, are friendly and courteous. Perhaps the mandatory training was to remind them of that.

Anonymous said...

I didn't know that the painting came together over the course of the show. That's so cool.

And about Starbucks, yes, you were right on the mark.

Anonymous said...

"the painting gradually comes together..." - I'll probably never see this on stage but the image is so evocative that I'll probably remember it as if I had really seen it. thanks for that.

Anonymous said...

Ahhh... Seurat! This production I would like to see!

I saw a mention of you at the Nyack blog this morning
You seem to attend many events!

Anonymous said...

PS I'm am thinking that The Eva Propane in your cat photo is a German product. You can buy them in germany anyway.