21. OLEANNA

>>> SUMMER 2011

David Mamet's Oleanna is one of those plays people holler about decades after it was written.  It's a two-hander about a college professor, John, and his ongoing feud with Carol, a female student.  Is John guilty of sexual harassment, or is Carol just wielding political correctness as a weapon against an innocent man?  Previous runs have inspired heated debates in theater lobbies, and I suspect Theater Artists Olympia welcomes similar fireworks at its performances next summer.  Director John Munn will travel down from an already busy year in Tacoma, beginning with Sleuth at Tacoma Little Theatre. 

Now, pairing dinner and a show sometimes requires thinking outside the box, and this is one of those times.  Mamet's dialogue is incredibly spicy, so it can stand up to the fiery intensity of Indian vindaloo.  Ordering vindaloo without the heat is like ordering a hamburger made of communism; it practically spits on the dish's homeland.  For authentically sinus-searing Indian cuisine, check out Curry Corner, a short hop down Martin Way in Lacey.  And if spicy lamb vindaloo threatens to turn your colon into a shaped charge halfway through Act II, take comfort:  The Dairy Queen on Capitol is open till 11 on weekends. - CC

[Theater Artists Olympia, summer 2011, $15, venue TBD, 360.339.2627