All About Eve—Behind the Curtain: An Actor’s Life

“Fasten your seatbelts, it’s going to be a bumpy night.”  Iconic actor Bette Davis famously said these words in the Academy Award winning film, All About Eve (1950), all about envy and competition amongst theater actors. On Saturday, April 28, 3 – 7:30 p.m., the Cape Playhouse will present a screening of that classic film, preceded by a reception an followed by a discussion led by  Artistic Director Michael Rader with well-known Cape and regional actors Jody O’Neil, John Schuman, and Lynda Sturner about the challenges, struggles, and triumphs of a life in the theater.

The incomparable Davis ushered at the Cape Playhouse in 1928, but by July was asked to join the theater’s Junior Players and played Elise Benedetti in the Charm School at Sears Memorial Hall in nearby East Dennis (now the Jacob Sears Library). Later that same summer she managed to get a small part on the Playhouse stage in the seventh show of the season, Mr. Pimm Passes By. Quickly rising to both theater and film stardom, by 1930 Davis had appeared in the last of her 12 Playhouse productions and was never to return. Her Hollywood rise was meteoric and just five years after her final Playhouse performance she won the first of her two Academy Awards.

The event begins at 3 p.m. with a casual social hour of light food, drink and conversation in the beautiful galleries of the Cape Cod Museum of Art (CCMoA).

This is an ArtWeek Massachusetts event presented by the Friends of the Cape & Islands Theater Coalition in association with The Cape Cod Museum of Art, The Cape Playhouse, The Cape Cinema, and the Guild of the Cape Cod Museum of Art. ArtWeek is an award-winning innovative festival that will take place throughout Massachusetts from April 27 through May 6, 2018. It features hundreds of unique and creative experiences that are hands-on, interactive or offer behind-the-scenes access to arts, culture, and the creative process.

Tickets for the event are $15 – includes film, reception, panel, and museum admission; $10.00 for members of the Friends of the Cape & Islands Theater Coalition and the Guild of CCMoA . CCMoA is located at 60 Hope Lane, just off Route 6A, on the same campus as the Cape Cinema and the Cape Cod Playhouse in Dennis, Mass. For more information, call 508.385.4477 or visit ccmoa.org.

Kickstarter Campaign for Provincetown Izakaya

Hospitality veteran and former Barbara Lynch protégée (and BL Gruppo alum) Rebekah Powers completed the second round of a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign last month for her upcoming Japanese Izakaya (pub with hearty snacks) and sweets shop called Tanuki. Befitting of Provincetown’s “anything-goes” culture, Ms. Powers’ muse and business namesake come from a “well-hung” raccoon-like creature of Japanese folklore.

Powers, who proudly came of age on Outer Cape Cod, hopes to secure an intimate brick-and-mortar restaurant on Provincetown’s lively Commercial Street when she meets Tanuki’s total fundraising goal of $300,000. In the future, Tanuki will offer Japanese street food favorites like Yakitori (grilled skewers), Onigiri (rice ball snacks), and Wagashi (sweets), all available to be enjoyed while people-watching on the street or picnicking on the beach. It will also have a minimalist bar featuring a rotating selection of Japanese whiskeys and sakes in “Good, Better, Best”  format, ceremonial-grade tea service, and experience packages like Omakase (Chef’s tasting) tickets and workshops to learn more about Japanese art and culture.

Incentives for Kickstarter contributions span the gamut from wacky-but-high-quality branded merchandise and apparel, to the aforementioned experience packages, to customized, guided, luxe weekend adventures for the “Big Ballers,” as Powers calls them.

Tanuki received a warm welcome this past December when it staged a month-long pop-up at the Canteen Holiday Market in Provincetown. Powers and her larger-than-life mascot, “The Tanuki Himself,” delighted tourists and locals alike with tastefully weird antics and delicious Japanese pastries. More pop-up events on the Cape and in Greater Boston will be announced soon.

The Tanuki project began a few years ago when Powers experienced a devastating family tragedy, which became the impetus for her travels to Japan. Her life-long passion for Japanese art and culture, 23 years of experience in the hospitality business, and Cape Cod roots made for the ideal amalgam to conceive a Provincetown Izakaya. The company is currently based out of the Foundation Kitchen culinary incubator in Somerville, Mass., and is available for events and sweets catering statewide. For more information visit tanukitaiyaki.com.

Provincetown’s Crowne Pointe Historic Inn Earns Fodor’s Best in Dining 

The Pointe Restaurant & Wine Bar—located at The Crowne Pointe Historic Inn & Spa in Provincetown, Mass.—has been named by Fodor’s Travel as a top restaurant on its list of the “Best Hotel Restaurants in Cape Cod.” A leading name in travel guides for more than 80 years, Fodor’s is the world’s largest publisher of English language travel and tourism information, and features coverage of more than 7500 destinations worldwide.

Renowned as a quintessential Cape Cod locale channeling the culture and creativity of “P-Town,” The Pointe Restaurant & Wine Bar provides both neighborhood regulars and traveling guests a modern-coastal, intimate dining experience with a distinctly local undercurrent. As a firm advocate of utilizing locally procured products, The Pointe offers both farm- and pier-to-plate seasonal menus that feature line-caught seafood and lobster, naturally raised meat and organic produce.

The Pointe executive chef Robin Haas has spent more than three decades in the culinary industry—drawing influence from his international travels and a multitude of restaurant successes—while utilizing a vast network of local purveyors to provide the freshest seafood and accompanying ingredients. And as a five-time award winner of the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence, The Pointe’s expansive wine cellar hails from rare vineyards across the globe. Each year, the team of editorial experts at Fodor’s evaluates thousands of hotels across the globe so as to best educate millions of travelers who seek Fodor’s expertise in planning their trips. As a “Fodor’s Best” recipient, Crowne Pointe Historic Inn & Spa—also home to Shui Spa, where all skincare treatments utilize Kiehl’s Skin Care Products exclusively—will receive special recognition on Fodors.com.

Established in 1999, the AAA 4-Diamond Crowne Pointe Historic Inn & Spa is a full service, 35-room, four-star property nestled atop a bluff overlooking Provincetown, Mass. Recognized by the National Historic Preservation Society, Crowne Pointe is the lavishly restored estate of a former Cape Cod sea captain and comprised of a main mansion and four additional unique buildings that surround a central courtyard, lush gardens and intimate hideaways. Crowne Pointe also is home to The Pointe Restaurant & Wine Bar, where guests indulge in award-winning, pier-to-plate dining while soaking in spectacular panoramic views; and Shui Spa, where all skincare treatments utilize Kiehl’s Skin Care products exclusively. For additional information on hotel accommodations, dining menus and reservations, and spa treatments, please visit CrownePointe.com.