Saturday, April 28, 2012

Oat Monkey

     I remember standing near the fountain at Lincoln Center on one of my first visits to New York City and thinking, I'm going to sing there.  I'm going to perform at the Metropolitan Opera.
     Well, sometimes fate surprises you and you end up performing next door to the Metropolitan Opera.  As a puppeteer.  Playing a baby horse.  And it can still be pretty amazing.
      One of the directors of War Horse, Tom Morris, helped us to find the small animal's perspective by making sure that we never sentimentalized his motives.  Yes, we had to bond with Albert, the other main character, but at first, let's face it:  Albert was feeding Joey oats. But really, he was only just another monkey.  So we affectionately referred to Seth Numrich, the actor playing Albert, as "Oat Monkey".
     As it turns out, like Joey, I love oats.  I love them in the morning, in the form of granola.  But at $6 a pound or so, plus 8 grams of fat, who's wallet or waistline can afford to eat it every day?  Plus I hate buying boxes of cereal with all the unnecessary packaging.
      Renaissance Girl's answer?  I buy a large round tub of old fashioned oats for around $3 and then pick up a bag of my favorite granola (Trader Joe's sells Granola and the Three Berries which is about $3 a package or there's always bulk at Whole Foods).  Every morning I pour 2/3rds oats to 1/3 granola and then milk or rice milk on top, maybe with a few raw almonds or cashews sprinkled on top and voila!  The perfect bowl of cereal, more for less money and fat!  Oats area  much better source of wheat to get your carbohydrates in the morning and with the added protein in the nuts, you're set until lunchtime.   
      I always find something I have in common with the characters I portray on stage.  Even the four legged kind.

Pictured below:  Me with David Pegram and Stephen James Anthony as Baby Joey in War Horse at Lincoln Center 2011

2 comments:

  1. For more vitamins, nutrition, and fiber, sprinkle a bit of flax seed and wheat germ on your oats and under the granola.

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