'Much Ado About Nothing' by William Shakespeare
28 September 2018
On Thursday I was at Stantonbury Theatre in Milton Keynes to see Merely Theatre’s production of ‘Much Ado About Nothing’. This was an enjoyable, energetic performance of Shakespeare’s comedy, with the feel of a summer outdoor production and a very impressive cast. At first I worried that they were playing the comedy too broadly: the war of words between Beatrice and Benedick should be a battle of wits to contrast with the clowning comedy of Dogberry and the Watch – like the contrast between the lovers and the rude mechanicals in ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’. But in the more serious moments the quality of acting shone through. And the scenes with the Watch, who appeared during the interval in hi-vis jackets to check the health and safety of the audience, were genuinely funny. There were some neat adjustments to the script to get round the challenges presented by six actors trying to play all the parts, making good use of audience members. And I loved the ensemble singing and dancing, using acoustic versions of modern pop songs to create a joyous feel to this sunny play.
Labels: Drama, Theatre
'Labyrinth' by Kate Mosse
28 September 2018
I particularly enjoyed reading Kate Mosse’s best-selling historical novel ‘Labyrinth’ while staying in Carcassonne, where it is set. Her dual narrative contrasts the real story of the siege of Carcassonne in 1209 – when the crusading army of the Papal Legate, Abbot Arnaud Amalric, sought to expel the local Occitan Cathars – with a contemporary thriller intertwined with the events in 13th century Languedoc. It was fascinating to be walking the same streets as the characters in the novel and being able to envisage the scenes within the Château Comtal where we had just been. A summary of the plot of ‘Labyrinth’ might sound reminiscent of ‘The Da Vinci Code’ but Kate Mosse’s novel is a much more literary thriller. It’s a gripping read which manages to provide masses of historical detail without ever sacrificing the pace of the plot.
Labels: Books
Carcassonne, France
28 September 2018
We had a lovely week in Carcassonne in the South of France. The medieval walled city is a stunning sight – even if its fairytale character isn’t 100% authentic, having been lovingly restored in the 19th century by Eugène Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc. Wandering around the narrow alleyways of the citadel and walking along the city walls reminded us of our visit to Dubrovnik, Croatia, in May 2017. We were fortunate to be in Carcassonne just in time to see ‘Concentric, eccentric’ – an artwork by the Swiss artist Felice Varini, who is famed for creating illusions of flat graphics superimposed on three dimensional spaces: a series of thin aluminium strips painted yellow were stuck to the walls of the medieval city to create an amazing effect when viewed from one of the city gates. Away from the citadel, Carcassonne’s ‘new town’ (built in the 13th century) Bastide Saint Louis is also very pretty, with several large open squares interrupting its grid of streets and avenues. We took a boat trip on the Canal du Midi – the canal built in the 17th century to link the Atlantic and Mediterranean. We also visited nearby Narbonne which had been the Roman provincial capital and the beautiful city of Toulouse. You can see a selection of our photos at:
https://culturaloutlook.blogspot.com/search/label/Carcassonne2018 Labels: Holidays
‘Tidens Ekko’ by Vingefang
13 September 2018
I’ve been enjoying the debut album by Danish folk duo Vingefang, which uses distinctive Scandinavian female vocal harmonies to explore music from France, Denmark, Sweden and Brazil. ‘Tidens Ekko’ is an entertainingly varied album from Miriam Ariana (voice and strings) and Lene Høst (voice, guitar and percussion). Their singing reminded me of the Finnish groups Tuuletaar (reviewed here in January 2017 and July 2018) and Värttinä (reviewed here in August 2017). Gentle, acoustic folk with a particularly Scandinavian flavour.
Labels: Albums, Music
'Julie' by Polly Stenham
7 September 2018
On Thursday we were at the Odeon in Milton Keynes to watch the NT Live broadcast of ‘Julie’ - Polly Stenham’s contemporary updating of ‘Miss Julie’ by August Strindberg, live from the National Theatre in London. I haven’t seen the original play so I’m not sure how closely this version follows Strindberg but Polly Stenham had definitely created a believable modern setting for this tale of class, power and sex. All three actors – Vanessa Kirby, Eric Kofi Abrefa and Thalissa Teixeira – were magnificent, and the NT Live camera close-ups made for an often uncomfortably intimate examination of their emotional journeys. Vanessa Kirby – best known for playing Princess Margaret in ‘The Crown’ – made Julie more than the simple, spoiled rich woman who has never grown up that she first appears. And Stenham’s script found much humour and wit amongst the bleakness of the characters’ lives. I enjoyed the way each of the characters constantly undercut our expectations of them, demonstrating a greater awareness and understanding than we had assumed. ‘Julie’ is a fairly bleak drama but it’s a powerful and intriguing production with some very impressive acting.
Labels: Drama, Film, Theatre
