Boston Common - Niche Media - A side of Boston that's anything but common.
Issue link: http://digital.greengale.com/i/292443
PHOTOGRAPHY BY KAREN E. O'SHEA (BURGER); ATHENA LAO (CABOT HOUSE) HIP TO BE SQUARE Diane Paulus has many cherished spots in Harvard Square. AMERICAN REPERTORY THEATER "I completely changed my direction because of the A.R.T." 64 Brattle St., Cambridge, 617-547-8300; americanrepertorytheater.org THE CHARLES RIVER "I come here just to think." esplanadeassociation.org DARWIN'S "I do love my lattes." 148 Mt. Auburn St., Cambridge, 617-354-5233; darwinsltd.com MR. BARTLEY'S "Of course, everyone should try the Diane Paulus burger." 1246 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, 617-354-6559; mrbartley.com CLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE: Diane Paulus's old dorm, Cabot House; in college she saved the A.R.T.'s poster of its performance of Beckett's Endgame; the Diane Paulus burger—with a fried egg, bacon, cheese, and maple syrup—at Mr. Bartley's. THEATER. I had been pursuing government and law at Harvard, but then I discovered the A.R.T. It completely changed my life. I would walk up and down the halls. I even took a poster of Samuel Beckett's Endgame off the wall and hung it in my dorm at Cabot House. Now that very same poster is in my office. I would drag my Harvard roommates to all the shows. I once ran into [actress] Cherry Jones in the bathroom, and I told her I wanted to be an actor. I couldn't believe how special the theater was—everything I saw was world-class. I knew I wanted to be a part of it. I completely changed my direction because of the A.R.T. I also am madly in love with the Charles River. When I first came to Harvard, I used to sit by the river and just think. My boyfriend—now my husband—and I would spread a blanket with our books and study. My spot was just at the bottom of the JFK bridge because his dorm was Winthrop House, right across the street. I still go there when I'm having a mental block. I tell myself, "Stop this and get out!" and I take a run along the Charles. That's always how I get a breakthrough. On a much less profound level, my favorite cup of coffee is at DARWIN'S on Mount Auburn Street. It is completely under the radar, and they make the best lattes. Anyone who works in theater knows you live on lattes. Whenever I meet Bob Brustein [the founding A.R.T. artistic director], who is my mentor, we meet here. This is very dorky, but I adore the BORDER CAFÉ. It's been there forever. When it first opened, it was the hippest place to go on a date. I would stand in line—the lines were enormous!—with my now-husband, but it was worth the wait. We still go there today, with our kids, and it is still my husband's favorite place. This is random, but one day, my actors from Witness Uganda ran into my office and told me that a hamburger had been named after me at MR. BARTLEY'S. They had actually taken a photograph of it—the Diane Paulus hamburger is right below the Beyoncé burger. It comes with a fried egg, bacon, cheese, and maple syrup. It is the best burger I have ever had in my life—and quite a claim to fame. I carry a picture of it on my iPhone." BC continued from page 48 50 BOSTONCOMMON-MAGAZINE.COM NATIVE 048-050_BC_SP_Native_LateSpr14.indd 50 4/7/14 5:11 PM