Bwog wunderkind Marcus Levine caught the premiere of Crown and Scepter’s production of Sweeny Todd.

Though extensive in its size and depth, university theater scenes are fundamentally limited: they primarily appeal to and perform for students. Crown and Scepter Theater Company, founded by Joseph Rozenshtein (CC ’12/SIPA ’13) and Mitchell Feinberg (SEAS ’13), opens these insular groups to the wider community this week with their first production, Stephen Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, directed by Rozenshtein with musical direction by Feinberg.

Sweeney Todd tells the story of a barber in Victorian London seeking revenge on a pedophiliac judge who sent the barber to prison in Australia in order to steal his wife. Michael Carter (CC ’14) makes his premiere to the Columbia community as a snarling Sweeney, powering through the challenging musical score with a sadistic candor that draws the audience into the demon barber’s deranged worldview.

Andrew Wright (CC ’14) fills the role of Anthony Hope, the bright-eyed young sailor who rescues Todd from his doom on the high seas. Wright smoothly captures the genuine anticipation of a youthful lover with a brilliantly tackled vocal performance and authentic expressions. The object of his love, Johanna, is played by Kyra Bloom (BC ’15) whose elegant innocence captures the essence of her character, while she provides a near-professional vocal performance. Read more…

free food tips). One such lover of all foods free and monies unspent has made herself known to us, and we harassed her so much that she finally agreed to assess the quality, quantity, and pizazz of free food events around campus. Read on as The Scrounger scales the Lerner ramps like a superhero in plainclothes, and reports back about Live at Lerner’s latest study break.”>

Nothing says, "tangy, sweet, and free" quite like this seasonal cranberry bread. No, really.

Most people like to eat. Most people do not like to spend money (see: free food tips). One such lover of all foods free and monies unspent has made herself known to us, and we harassed her so much that she finally agreed to assess the quality, quantity, and pizazz of free food events around campus. Read on as The Scrounger scales the Lerner ramps like a superhero in plainclothes, and reports back about Live at Lerner’s latest study break.

Study breaks are a free food lover’s best friend. What better way to procure inappropriately large portions than to do so in a sea of stressed-out midterm-ers who can’t be bothered to look up from a problem set? The Live at Lerner study break this past Monday was no exception. With a chill soundtrack setting the tone for the occasion, those brave enough to leave Butler for new horizons (the Lerner Piano Lounge) were rewarded splendidly as attendees basked in the aura of free stuff.

Community Food and Juice has dominated Sunday morning indulgences for too long. It’s time to diversify your dining portfolio, and Bwog is here to help! In our Brunch Chronicles, we will take our time and gladly overeat at the neighborhood’s newest dining destinations. To begin, Bwog’s No. 1 bruncher Brian Wagner visits Cascabel Taqueria. Want to join Brian on his next outing? You could be Rob Brydon to his Steeve Coogan!

Cascabel's Beachy Façade

Chipotle and Taqueria y Fonda have divided many, yet most would agree that neither are ideal brunching spots. Regardless of how you feel about the fare, Taqueria is small, crowded, and dark, and Chipotle is soulless, if at least well-lit. But now there’s Cascabel Taqueria, replacing Thai venue Lime Leaf on 108th and Broadway.

Aside from boasting one of Bwog’s new favorite Morningside logos, the layout of the restaurant is one of the neighborhood’s best for kicking back and enjoying a nice sunny day. You have the option of outdoor patio seating, or counter seats that let you feel the breeze thanks to a removed wall and a bright, spacious interior. There’s an upbeat atmosphere, aided by a full bar with a couple of TVs and a nice drink selection, making it a pleasant place to sit down and hang out with friends, family, a date, or even by yourself—Bwog won’t judge.

Steak tacos and their exciting crispy onion toppings

If you believe the menu, Cascabel is a casual taqueria offering “fresh, handcrafted fare, inspired by the markets of Mexico.” This gives off an inital Chipotle-esque vibe, though the offerings are far more extensive and less in-your-face. As it should, Cascabel boasts an impressive variety of tacos, each with unique toppings. Chicken tacos come topped with green onion and avocado, while the steak tacos arrive at your table bearing “crispy onions,” which are like miniature onion rings and add a fun crunch to your meal. Tacos can also feature fish, pork, and veal tongue, and come 2 for $8.50, which isn’t exactly a steal, but also isn’t bad for sit-down fare at a New York eatery. They do the job just as well as Taqueria’s giant burrito, while giving you the option of diversity. Additionally, you can add a third taco during lunch hours bringing the cost to $11.75, but stomaching three would be a feat.

A taqueria where you have room to stand and breathe? No way!

The main attraction on the menu is obviously the tacos, but Cascabel also offers a fine variety of authentic Mexican dishes. Depending on the time of day, you can order traditional Mexican breakfast, lunch, or dinner platters. Your faithful reviewers gobbled down a delightful plate of Chilaquiles during their morning meal. All entrées are delivered on a metal tray, which adds to the modern, hip, and slightly sterile feel of the place. This was reflected in their soundtrack, which featured the inoffensive likes of Feist, Passion Pit, The xx, and Phoenix.

Since you’ll likely pay around $10 for your main course, Bwog recommends skipping the pricey appetizers (though they are tasty—their zingy guacamole, the true measure of the worth of any Mexican restaurant, did not disappoint), and unless you’re dying for that horchata, the drinks are nothing to die for. However, there’s little excuse for passing up the churros, which come in a bag of three little D-battery-sized pastries for a measly $1 and are a great way to end a meal.

The verdict: If you’re looking for a place to sit down and enjoy a tasty Mexican meal in a relaxing atmosphere, look no further. The food is fresh and inspired, and the prices are mostly reasonable. On a nice day, it’s not hard to imagine that it’s the California sun’s rays you’re soaking up, but don’t expect the magic to last long once the year starts heading for cold weather. If you’re in a hurry and simply aspire to scarf down a burrito without expending much time or money, there’s really no reason to venture past Chipotle, and we honestly don’t think that Cascabel is going to convince a lot of Columbians to do so. But the place is highly brunchable, and so by our criteria, it’s certainly worth a try.

PS: In between researching and write-up, Serious Eats offered their opinion. They took issues with the tacos but passed an overall similar judgment.

one from a commenter or CUMB’s YouTube channel.”>

Chief Ref Room Correspondent Sameea Butt forayed a floor below her usual spot to recap yesterday evening’s this morning’s Orgo Night. If you want to see video, you can check out one from a commenter or CUMB’s YouTube channel.

There was a little more excitement than expected in 209 last night, as the crowds sweated it out for the “53rd consecutive, 69th semi-annual drive to lower the curve in Organic Chemistry.” As usual, there were people piled atop desks and chairs, kids squeezed between anxious band groupies, dudes passing out CULPA fliers (do it, comrades!) and diligent students trying, also as per usual, to study through the ruckus. In what we naively hope was a rare display of school spirit, the eager audience burst into applause before the band even got there and started singing the Fight Song… yeah they were probably just jazzed about school ending.

A guy in a fedora led a slow clap to herald the band’s actual entrance. They proudly marched in playing the “Roar, Lion Roar,” with a few sporting sunglasses and one member carrying what this Bwogger heard described as “ohmygod an inflated penis!”

The speakers, Tyler Benedict, CC ’13, and Travis Alvarez, CC ’12, started the night off with a topic still fresh in students’ minds: the “bureaucratic error” that forced Bacchanal to move to the lawns.” Also, please step back from the fence. The show cannot continue unless you step back.” Someone from the crowd responded with a shout out to the co-president of Bachannal: “We love you Jody.” Shit happens, we forgive you too.

The crowd seemed largely to agree with the band’s assessment of Bacchanal this year: “saying ‘Snoop Dogg is coming to campus!’ is a lot more fun than him actually being here.” Although people were visibly annoyed by the comment, “Guess they [the barely-intelligible Das Racist] shouldn’t have booked the sound guys from the Varsity Show,” two band members shouted “Swag, swag!” The band then played “Push It,” “in honor of sticking your dizzle in a hot piece of pizzle and doing it all night lizzle”.

Read more…

2Girls

A too-little, too-late (too-gross) allusion to shock porn? We would never! And we resent the accusation. No, this is just our new sometimes-weekly feature about two very hungry girls (Diana Clarke and Carly Silver) trying to share big mouthfuls of one snack. Barring more euphemisms, we thought it necessary to introduce this feature in light of the dozens of Morningside Heights a-la-carte eateries that all seem to sell similar products. So sit back, dim your computer screen in case your roommate walks in, and enjoy 2Girls1Snack.

When two girls (us) went looking for one snack (a pastry) on a recent afternoon, nearly all the croissants in a fifteen-block stretch were sold out. Oh how we wish that Morningside Heights was placed in the middle of the French countryside, and that Juliette Binoche would come whizzing by on a bicycle in just a moment. But it isn’t, and she won’t. Still, committed to a report-worthy snack experience, we rounded up croissants from three seriously different bakeries around Columbia, then settled into a beam of sunlight to get

down to snacking.

First up was the Westside croissant (marked $1.59, but we 2 girls were only charged $1.33). As soon as we pulled it out of that familiar crinkly bag, the smell of butter was overwhelming, and our fingers went limp with grease just as soon as we touched it. That said, it was perfectly pleasant to eat, if squishy and a little wrinkled. There was little if any flaking, and it reminded us more of regular old bread than anything that would get an artsy close-up shot in a French rom-com. The croissant left a heavy bread-and-butter taste on the tongue, and some palate-cleansing cranberry-grape juice was necessary soon after. This was an adequate, filling snack, but as a croissant, it wasn’t too impressive.

Two Girls’ Rating: One Star

Read more…

This picture raises a lot of questions.

Why did Emma Watson leave Brown? Because every time she spoke in class, her classmates yelled “Three points for Gryffindor!” (NYDN)

Who’s that new serial killer on Long Island? Profilers say he’s likely white, charming, and “has access to burlap sacks.” But sorry ladies—he’s not single. (NYT, Daily Intel)

Which coffee cart on 43rd Street is best? Perhaps inspired by our own Cart Chronicles, An anonymous individual has posted a physical critical review (on a post) of both carts on the street. (City Room)

Is it legal to take cases to trial if you haven’t passed the Bar? Apparently so…since some Columbia Law students have been prosecuting domestic abuse cases for the Queens DA. (NYDN)

What do the kids like these days? Attorneys general across the country are trying to shut down a fruit-flavored malt liquor endorsed by Snoop Dogg because it’s “enticing young people with hip hop themes and lollipop flavors.” (NYT, CNN)

Did you expect this from the title?

Image from Wikimedia Commons

Yes, all those are supposed to be capitalized. Caps-lock expert and intrepid Bwog tipster Alexandra Svokos reviews Thursday’s opening NOMADS WORDPLAY 2011 production, part of the two-week long CARAVAN (Columbia Artists Reaching Audiences ViA NOMADS) festival .

The CARAVAN experience begins with free food in a cozy atmosphere. The food and performance are free—and with such great shows you feel as if they are being too generous. NOMADS began its first annual campus-wide spring festival of student-produced new works last night with CARAVAN in the Diana Black Box.

The evening opened with “Hail Mary,” a dance choreographed by Dominique Nieves and performed by Hana Goldstone, Alicia Outing, and herself. The performance is about struggles with faith, especially in the face of Catholic preaching and habit for rituals. “Hail Mary” clearly conveys this message with the three women putting their hands together in prayer and laying with arms outstretched like Jesus on the cross. The women dance beautifully, whipping around the stage and viciously moving their feet in a futile attempt to run. It was an excellently executed piece. Read more…

Barnard's was a different kind of Lady Macbeth than this one

Bwog’s Thesp Crit Joshua Sorenshine caught the last show of the thesis festival last night:

This weekend, the Barnard theater department opened its doors for the annual thesis festival, giving audiences a performance that left this reviewer heartily satisfied. Both Alex Brinkman-Young’s, BC ’11 rendition of Tom Stoppard’s Cahoot’s Macbeth and Katie Lupica’s, CC ’11 sampling of Erik Ehn’s Saint Plays entertained and challenged the audience throughout the course of the evening.

The night began with Cahoot’s Macbeth. In a quaint, and slightly skewed home owned by our hostess, played by Tara Pacheco, CC ’13 we found a rag-tag group of actors furiously trying to put on a performance of Shakespeare’s Macbeth while constantly fighting off, around, and even over the interference of a particularly nasty police inspector, played by the fabulously funny Christina McCarver BC ’13. The abrupt transitions from the world of Macbeth to the hostess’ home and back were made possible by the talent of Lorenzo Landini, CC ’13 as Pavel Landovsky (playing Macbeth) and Ben Russell, CC ’11 as Cahoot (playing Banquo, Duncan, and Macduff). The pair worked well together, never faltering as characters within Macbeth or their struggle against the inspector. The play grew more absurd by the minute as all the characters “caught” the nonsense language “Dogg,” which is passed like a disease from person to person. Easy, the unfortunate lumber-delivery girl, played by the brilliant Bethanie Mangigian, BC ’11, was the source of the Dogg, and could not do her job until everyone caught her inconvenient linguistic disease. In the play’s final moments the entire cast speaks in Dogg and Brinkman-Young’s directing shines. Creating the final moments of a play without comprehensible language is no small feat, but Brinkman-Young accomplished it with grace, giving her actors strong motivations and utilizing the entire stage to leave us laughing and questioning the lengths to which we can go to make ourselves heard.

Read more…

We did it with Joe and now we’re doing it with the new Indian food truck. We invite you to enjoy the annals of Bwog’s weeklong experience of Desi…

Noob: “I ordered a chicken kati roll and had them put the spicy sauce on it, and I thought it was pretty damn good. The chicken is tender, the wrap is just crunchy and crispy enough, and the flavor is powerful and really interesting. As of one week ago, I had never had Indian food, so my judgement is probably poor.”
Expert: “I had the chicken kati roll, and on the whole, it’s pretty scrumptious. The roti used in the kati roll has a nice crunch on the outside that you won’t find at Roti Roll. People who have larger appetites than I do tell me that the kati rolls are too expensive given the amount of food they give you, but for me, they’re perfect. They wrap the roll annoyingly tightly in paper, which makes it harder to keep your hand clean while eating because you have to keep pushing down/tearing away the paper as you go. I suppose a simple solution to that problem is to just tear off all the paper to begin with, but whatevaaa. Also, be careful when they ask if you if you’d like your food spicy. When they say spicy, they really mean it.”

Complaint! “I had the aloo masala today. Those things are way too small! It’s $4 for one aloo masala at Desi, but you can get two larger aloo masala frankies for only $4.50 at Roti Roll. I didn’t notice any big difference in taste between the two. If anything Roti Roll is better. Desi truck is all hype and isn’t nearly as close to CrackDel.” Read more…

On Friday evening, Alex Jones learned some manners at Chowdah’s latest offering, Miss Chowdah’s Guide to Proper Etiquette, in the Lerner Black Box.

Columbia improv comedy group Fruit Paunch opened the show riffing on the word(s), “battle axe.” The audience learned several life lessons, such as: never wave a gun around in hope of intimidating somebody, and that hippies will chain themselves to just about anything.

Chowdah then took the stage and presented eight different sketches for the remaining 50 minutes. “The Other A.A.,” about an Afrin addiction support group, was the best of the bunch. Also notable were the hilarious one-liners from “Under the Seazy” which documented the career change of a Little Mermaid on Ice actress played by Lori Goldman. Lil’ Mermaid Ariel, channeling Nicki Minaj, attempts to bring her character back to her tough roots in the hood (Didn’t you hear that “Under the Sea was rough, yo?”) All the sketches got laughs, and the enthusiastic audience really buoyed the performance.

The show was narrated by the playful elderly duo of Ms. Chowdah and Margaret, played by Rami Levi and Reni Calister. Perhaps I have a thing for men in drag, but Rami was particularly entertaining when scolding youthful indulgence or recovering from a tumultuous costume change. However, their senile banter was at times difficult to follow.

Overall Chowdah was moderately entertaining, but the troupe still remains, in this reviewer’s opinion, secondary to Fruit Paunch or Late Nite. This is not to say that their next performance should be missed, but it would definitely be enhanced by the company of a few friends (and a few drinks beforehand).

Image via Chowdah.

Illustration by Louise McCune

Victoria Wills takes you inside the world of the vagina at The Vagina Monologues…

I distinctly remember the first time I heard mention of The Vagina Monologues. “Vagina!?” I inwardly exclaimed, my twelve-year old mind reeling. “As in… vaginas?” My second thought: “How do vaginas monologue?” Throughout most of my adolescence, The Vagina Monologues remained a mystery, a shadowy event silently confined to the playbills that went up every year in my neighborhood, or the compact black-covered books I saw older students reading at school.

Vaginas are scary. Twelve-year-old girls, college boys, and grown women alike shrink away from discussing them, or even saying the word. “Vagina.” In Eve Ensler’s introduction to The Vagina Monologues, she writes, “Doesn’t matter how many times you say it, it never sounds like a word you want to say.” When she interviewed over 200 women and wrote the monologues in 1994, Ensler wanted to challenge the awkward silence enveloping vaginas. She wanted to expose how women felt about their vaginas, and in some cases, how vaginas felt about their world. The result is astounding—a collection of captivating personal accounts ranging from the flirtatious to the zany to the harrowing.

Today, The Vagina Monologues are performed around the world every February in association with V-Day, an organization that seeks to raise awareness and funds to stop violence against women. Every year, monologues are left out, added, and transformed, making each performance unique to its own cast and production crew. But wherever you see The Vagina Monologues, you will not be able to escape the vagina.

Read more…

For some coffee is merely caffeine fuel, for others it’s an art form. Critic Jason Bell, of last year’s famed food feud, investigates…

The Avocado Sandwich - by Evelyn Warner

As two employees fiddle with an iPad, unsuccessfully attempting to ring up an order, a third grinds coffee beans in slow motion, chatting with her friends. At Columbia’s outpost of Joe, getting a cup of coffee involves ceremony and much ado over much unnecessary technology. The baristas—or perhaps they are barbacks, Joe’s unfortunate title for employees “learning” about coffee—seem more concerned about wearing silly hats and affecting “cool” to worry about efficiency or precision. Nevertheless, Joe’s food ranks far above Columbia’s comparative dining options, and the coffee, as expected, is unrivaled in Morningside Heights.

Now serving pastries, breakfast standards, and more substantial lunch sandwiches, Joe offers Columbians an alternative to other on-campus spots. Try the Donut Plant donuts, imported from the Lower East Side and famous for a reason. A coconut cream donut oozes impeccable custard, part of any complete breakfast. If only Joe carried Donut Plant’s crème brulee donut, a true work of genius. Alongside the extraordinary donuts, Joe displays a selection of boring muffins. Skip those and aim for maximum caloric intake. Read more…

Bwog’s Off-Off-But-Actually-On-Broadway Theater critic Matt Schantz reviews the semester’s first Black Box production:

As the lights went up in the Lerner Black Box theater, Rebecca Clark, CC ’13, invited the audience aboard the Celebrity Slave Ship and instructed them to fasten their shackles. The audience tensed, unsure if they should laugh or cringe. Much of the Black Theatre Ensemble’s production of The Colored Museum treads this line between comedic and grim, to great effect.

The Colored Museum, written by George C. Wolfe, tells the story of Black America’s struggle with its identity through a series of 10 satirical vignettes. The scenes range in length, style, and tone, and the three student directors do an excellent job pacing them. Slower pieces, such as the haunting “A Secret Soldier,” are couched between more comedic, punchy scenes. The entire play runs a little over an hour, making each vignette short and sweet.

The set is minimal; most scenes are adorned with little more than a boxes or a table. Costumes are more elaborate and just as effective, doing no more than contextualizing their respective characters. The lighting is simple. This leaves the audience to focus on the play’s greatest facets- the strong performances by each of its 12 actors and stellar directing.

The Colored Museum’s best moments lie in the extremes of the tragicomic spectrum. Jessica Johnson, CC ’11, and Ann-Kathryne Mills, CC ’14, had the audience in stitches with their sassy banter as two wigs in “The Hairpiece”- a feat all the more impressive considering their bodies were obscured, leaving them to act with only their inflection and facial expressions. Walter Jean-Jaques, CC ’14, provided another comedic highlight with his animated romp about stage as the caricature of an extremely disgruntled man. Read more…

Fireman Ed anxiously awaits the end of the CCSC meeting so that he can see the end of the game

Last night’s CCSC meeting began at 8:03 instead of the usual 8:05 because there was a general consensus that it was important to get back to watching the Jets game as soon as possible. Brian Wagner, Bwog’s sideline reporter, has the latest.

Tonight was Orgo Night, that (rare) cherished Columbia tradition, in which The Cleverest Band in the World occupies Butler 209 and strives to “lower the curve on the orgo exam” by telling raunchy jokes with topical music interspersed. Likely due to a number of recent events, 209 was buzzing by 11:10 p.m. By 11:20 Public Safety had arrived, and by 11:30, all library taboos were out the window! Burly Public Safety officers acted as bouncers, keeping disappointed students penned in the hallway.

As one freshman girl noted, “Orgo Night is harder to get in than Campo!”

At 12:00 a.m. sharp, CUMB entered that hallowed hall and proceeded to entertain.

CUMB teased the crowed early with a Vincenzo/drug bust joke, but then backed off and went for the Social Experiment. The band made classic riffs on paying Columbia students to talk to people, and referenced the Crimson article which belittled it. Harvard students, the band explained, had their fathers to buy them friends.

After playing “Tainted Love,” the band cheered the recent sorority recognition, noting that “one fourth of Barnard women are in sororities. In an unrelated Spectator article, one fourth of Barnard women have herpes,” to very mixed reactions. The band rejoiced in the sororities since Barnard had apparently lacked a place for women to join together in sisterhood, at least until the recent mandatory meal plan, because friends who “binge together, purge together.” Again, mixed reactions.

At the end of “Stacy’s Mom,” CUMB moved on to Assange. The “secrets” released by Wikileaks are really no big deal, the band believes. “Saudi Arabia supporting terrorism? Afghanistan being a shitshow? Those things are about as secretive as a SEAS kid’s porn addiction.” Next they stopped by the email from SIPA, and mused why art majors didn’t get such an email. After a few more Barnard jokes, they played “Toxic.”

Next our marching band advised the crowd on TSA travel tips. If you’re a SEAS student and get patted down, refrain from ejaculating—CUMB knows that to you “a foreign touch is your left hand.” But it’s no big deal, the band comforts, because being groped by high school dropouts is just like a Well Woman center. “Sweet Dreams” came next.

Gender-neutral housing was praised. The band wondered, why are these conservative pundits complaining we’ll live in sin on our parents’ dime? “Haven’t they been to college?” And it’s great for another reason: “Barnard students can spend the night with a guy and see him again.”

Finally, what the crowd had been waiting for: Epstein. A concerned citizen called CrimeStoppers because he heard exuberant cries of “Who’s your daddy?” from Epstein’s office. The crowd laughed, cried, groaned. The affair began, CUMB confided, when at the breakfast table Epstein asked, “You come here often?” After being arrested in what the police called “Operation Poppa Cherry,” Epstein is on indefinite leave, probably to spend “less time with his family.” The band regaled the lovers with “Sweet Child of Mine.”

And in a grand finale, the band broke with word of the 5 Loko (groan). The band noted that frat boys often use drugs to get ahold of busts—but that the NYPD was doing it wrong using busts to get ahold of drugs. Then again, the dealers are party to blame. After all, when a GS student wants to “score some reefer, brah,” it is probably best to decline. The NYPD was unfair in naming it “Operation Ivy League,” they bemoaned—if NYPD arrested NYU students would it be called “Operation Safety School”? The band thanked their stars for the procrastination tool Bwog comments provided and congratulated campus news sources on their good work, but “not you Spectrum, nobody fucking cares.”

Sadly, this was where the show ended. CUMB advised the crowd to “try not to damage the shelves” on the way out, and everybody left feeling like we have a community here after all.

Photos by AB and CDS