Pittsburgh Post-Gazette from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania • Page 17

Mar 05 2013 Post-Gazette C-1 Magazine Ar enter AinMent life WeDnesDAY, MA CH 6, 2013 Section E-mail: Phone: 412-263-1978 Web: Questions about delivery or service? Call 1-800-228-NEWS (6397) By Jane Vranish Pittsburgh Post-Gazette I was a true Cinderella story reality-show style. In the traditional fairy tale, the prince searched the world to find a beautiful maiden whose foot would perfectly fit a glass slipper. budding ballerinas, sans prince, have to find pointe shoes that will perfectly fit their own feet. Last week Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre Level II group of about 20 well- mannered students took part in what is considered an important rite of passage in the ballet world trying on that very first pair. It was no small matter.

These little bunheads, averaging about 10 years old, had already invested in several years of disciplined exercises at the barre. And just a quick scan revealed that virtually everyone had already participated in the company production of at the Benedum Center. But these soldiers and bumble bees have the Sugar Plum Fairy on their minds, whom they have seen performing en pointe. So expectations were reality-based as well. think going to be said Emma Begg of before the process began.

Sewickley Madison Ray reasoned that it would be on the bottom, but soft on the But Mt. Meghan King already had a signed pair from PBT and had tried to dance around the house in them. bottom is she said knowingly. you get used to How to get the right fit? Janet Groom, owner of The Pointe in the Strip District, brought in extra trained staff members to handle the overload. They divided the class into two groups of 10, each coming for about an hour.

The girls were allowed to bring one adult to the tiny shop, mostly moms and one attentive granddad. Cameras were in abundance. Surrounded by a rainbow of leotards and chiffon skirts, plus a mini- barre with full-length mirror, the girls sat down on a bench in twos and threes to get a personalized fitting. Cinderella may have had only one option, but Ms. Groom, also the longtime costumier at PBT, carries all shapes and sizes, hundreds of them SEE POINTE, PAGE C-2 For ballet students, getting that first pair of pointe shoes is a big step forward ON THEIR TOES Sweet Sal Salmon PG tested not a huge fan of fishy fish, but every once in a while, to please my fish-loving husband, nibble on a piece of salmon.

This dish in the just-published Mexican by Pati Jinich caught my eye because it marries three of my favorite flavors chiles, ginger and soy sauce in a sticky, sweet-sour glaze. Skeptical going in, I have to admit it was kinda tasty. The original recipe calls for grated pilonillo, an unrefined sugar pressed into cones or disks and commonly used in Mexican cooking. available at Reyna Foods in the Strip District.) I substituted regular dark brown sugar and it worked just fine. I served the fish with cilantro-lime rice and wilted arugula.

1 cup packed dark brown sugar 1 2 cup soy sauce 1 4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice 2 tablespoons seeded and minced jalapeno or serrano chile 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger 1 tablespoon garlic 1 4 teaspoon kosher or coarse salt 1 4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 6 salmon fillets (about 6 ounces each), rinsed and patted dry 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped cilantro leaves for garnish 2 tablespoons thinly sliced scallions (white and light green parts only) for garnish In a medium saucepan, combine brown sugar, soy sauce, lime juice, jalapeno, ginger, garlic, salt and pepper and cook over medium heat, stirring for a couple of minutes just until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat and let cool. Place salmon pieces in a baking dish large enough to hold them in a single layer and pour marinade on top, turning to coat both sides. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 4 hours, spooning the marinade over fish one or two times. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Remove fish from refrigerator at least 10 minutes before cooking. Bake fish for 15 to 18 minutes, or until it flakes easily with a fork. Place salmon on individual plates or a serving platter, garnish with the cilantro and scallions, and serve. Serves 6. Mexican Table: The Secrets of Real Mexican Home by Pati Jinich (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, March 5, 2013, $30) Look for more fish recipes in Food Flavor or at www.post-gazette.com/food.

IR GRCH CK Gretchen By Sharon Eberson Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Michael Mitnick looks back on the chutzpah it took to cold- call the parents of Tony winner and Dormont native Stephen Flaherty and chuckles. Then a Fox Chapel Area High School junior, he introduced himself as a fan and asked if their son would come to see a musical he had co-written that was being produced at his school. The co- creator of was busy with on Broadway at the time, but his parents attended and sent a videotape of the show to Mr. Flaherty. few short weeks later, he sent me a seven-page single- spaced letter that was encouraging and carefully Mr.

Mitnick said, amazement creeping into his voice over the phone. was the beginning of a great education. I went on to be Steve and Lynn assistant on a bunch of projects, including Glorious at Pittsburgh Public The education of Michael Mitnick, 29, also has included Harvard (class of 2006), where he collaborated on one of the famed Hasty Pudding shows, and three years of developing his own works at Yale Drama. His plays have been produced from Denver to New York City, and in the future, you can expect to see his name in Broadway programs and back-lit on the big screen. Here are some projects that will carry the Mitnick credit: betov and producer Steve Zaillian are set to film his screenplay Current The script, derived from a musical he wrote while at Yale, is about the public battle between Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse for domination of the early electric-power industry.

A result of their AC vs. DC tug of war was the electric chair. of Lois Newbery Medal- winning for star Jeff Bridges, and a script based on Oliver Incredible Book Eating for Universal. was recently produced to raves at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts. Other works are bound for Seattle and Dallas, and be a musical that I co-wrote at one of the big nonprofits during the off season in New lyrics for crazy King Kong the theatrical spectacle Kong Live set for a May opening in Melbourne, Australia.

adaptation of with music by Bare- naked Ladies. Casey Nicholaw Book of is set to direct for Universal Pictures Stage Productions. was a lot of luck. I was at a party and ran into one of the Broadway producers, who said he had heard my song, which was kind of a novelty, at a showcase. He asked if I had written any com- SEE MITNICK, PAGE C-3 Fox Chapel grad getting green light for stage, film projects Rebecca Pittsburgh Ballet School principal Anastasia Wovchko helps fit one of her students, Gianna Christensen, 10, of Pine with her first pointe shoes at The Pointe in the Strip District.

For a video of the fittings, go to www.post-gazette.com. Fox Chapel native Michael script writing career is taking off on stage and screen. Locally produced series is graduating from the doo-wop era into the groovier when mop- tops, cage dancing and TV rock became the rage. Beginning at 9:30 p.m. Thursday on WQED-TV, it revisits the network series a prime-time music and dance show that was answer to See Page C-4.

Return to the groovy.