18 April 2019
I first saw ‘As You Like It’ on our first visit to the old Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1992 when it was Samantha Bond as Rosalind who took the stage alone at the end of the play to say “It is not the fashion to see the lady the epilogue”. I’ve seen it many times since and really enjoyed Kimberley Sykes’ new Royal Shakespeare Company production which we saw this Wednesday at the Odeon in Milton Keynes, broadcast live from the new Royal Shakespeare Theatre. ‘As You Like It’ has some great comic scenes and is always fun, though there are parts of the play that often seem to drag. But it is a rare Shakespeare play to have such a dominant female lead and Lucy Phelps was fantastic as Rosalind. Her manic nervous energy in the Ganymede scenes was brilliantly done with an amazing rapid fire delivery of the lines. Sophie Stanton, who is wonderful in the current RSC production of ‘The Taming of the Shrew’ (reviewed here in March 2019), played a female Jacques with a twinkle and a smirk that relieved the melancholy. David Ajao showed loveable vulnerability as a childlike Orlando, Sophie Khan Levy was a very funny Celia and Emily Johnstone gave a great comic turn as Le Beau. I have fond memories of a 1996 production of ‘As You Like It’ at Nottingham Playhouse in which Shaun Prendergast played Touchstone (the Fool) as Eric Morecambe – so it was fascinating this week to see Sandy Grierson’s Touchstone clearly channelling Billy Connolly.
Thursday, April 18, 2019
Friday, April 12, 2019
'All About Eve' by Joseph L Makiewica, adapted by Ivo van Hove
12 April 2019
I’ve never seen the classic 1950 film ‘All About Eve’ so I came completely fresh to Ivo van Hove’s new stage adaptation, which we saw at the Odeon in Milton Keynes in a live screening from the Noel Coward Theatre in London on Thursday. Ivo van Hove is a fascinatingly innovative theatre director: I really enjoyed his production of 'A View From The Bridge' by Arthur Miller (reviewed here in April 2015). His version of ‘All About Eve’ draws on Joseph L Mankiewicz’s film but also on the play on which it was based – ‘ The Wisdom of Eve’ by Mary Orr. The story of an ageing star actress and the young fan who aspires to replace her mostly takes place backstage, in dressing rooms, kitchens and bathrooms. Jan Versweyveld’s set cleverly takes the audience into the theatre’s hidden nooks and crannies, using live video projection to give us access to the most intimate spaces. But in a play about actors, this inventive visual approach rightly feels secondary to the acting, with Gillian Anderson and Lily James giving brilliant performances as Margo and Eve. Gillian Anderson’s world-weary cynical drawl delivery is hilarious and Lily James manages to switch Eve’s mood on a sixpence. I loved the way the height of the two characters’ heels gradually shift, scene by scene, to reflect the growing or diminishing strength of their positions – with Eve appearing to grow taller as Margo literally shrinks. The script is incredibly witty and the plot twists were very satisfying. The original music by PJ Harvey captured the ominous mood of the story but felt a little too intrusive at times. Monica Dolan gave a wonderful performance as Karen Richards – for which she has just won the Olivier Award for best supporting actress.
I’ve never seen the classic 1950 film ‘All About Eve’ so I came completely fresh to Ivo van Hove’s new stage adaptation, which we saw at the Odeon in Milton Keynes in a live screening from the Noel Coward Theatre in London on Thursday. Ivo van Hove is a fascinatingly innovative theatre director: I really enjoyed his production of 'A View From The Bridge' by Arthur Miller (reviewed here in April 2015). His version of ‘All About Eve’ draws on Joseph L Mankiewicz’s film but also on the play on which it was based – ‘ The Wisdom of Eve’ by Mary Orr. The story of an ageing star actress and the young fan who aspires to replace her mostly takes place backstage, in dressing rooms, kitchens and bathrooms. Jan Versweyveld’s set cleverly takes the audience into the theatre’s hidden nooks and crannies, using live video projection to give us access to the most intimate spaces. But in a play about actors, this inventive visual approach rightly feels secondary to the acting, with Gillian Anderson and Lily James giving brilliant performances as Margo and Eve. Gillian Anderson’s world-weary cynical drawl delivery is hilarious and Lily James manages to switch Eve’s mood on a sixpence. I loved the way the height of the two characters’ heels gradually shift, scene by scene, to reflect the growing or diminishing strength of their positions – with Eve appearing to grow taller as Margo literally shrinks. The script is incredibly witty and the plot twists were very satisfying. The original music by PJ Harvey captured the ominous mood of the story but felt a little too intrusive at times. Monica Dolan gave a wonderful performance as Karen Richards – for which she has just won the Olivier Award for best supporting actress.
Friday, April 05, 2019
‘The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle’ by Stuart Turton
5 April 2019
‘The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle’ is a remarkable debut novel by Stuart Turton. It has the appearance of an old fashioned remote country house murder mystery but our narrator appears to be reliving the day of the murder, each time inhabiting the body of a different member of the household. It’s like taking part in the same murder mystery role-play game over and over again, always wondering whether this time you might be the murderer. This high-concept device is ingenious, allowing narrator and reader to gradually piece together the jigsaw puzzle plot. It also becomes incredibly complicated but Turton kindly finds an occasional excuse to recap what we know so far. The book (which I have just finished reading as an unabridged audio book, narrated by Jot Davies) is also beautifully written. It is packed with wonderfully quotable similes that perfectly evoke the person being described in an economy of words. I look forward to seeing what Stuart Turton writes next.
‘The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle’ is a remarkable debut novel by Stuart Turton. It has the appearance of an old fashioned remote country house murder mystery but our narrator appears to be reliving the day of the murder, each time inhabiting the body of a different member of the household. It’s like taking part in the same murder mystery role-play game over and over again, always wondering whether this time you might be the murderer. This high-concept device is ingenious, allowing narrator and reader to gradually piece together the jigsaw puzzle plot. It also becomes incredibly complicated but Turton kindly finds an occasional excuse to recap what we know so far. The book (which I have just finished reading as an unabridged audio book, narrated by Jot Davies) is also beautifully written. It is packed with wonderfully quotable similes that perfectly evoke the person being described in an economy of words. I look forward to seeing what Stuart Turton writes next.
Hannah James and Toby Kuhn
5 April 2019
On Saturday we were at the Bristol Folk House to see the young English folk singer, accordionist and clog dancer Hannah James, performing with the French ‘cellist Toby Kuhn. This newly formed duo played an interestingly varied range of songs and tunes, creating beautiful gentle acoustic music. Hannah James is an excellent singer and a very accomplished performer. She is a member of the English folk vocal harmony trio Lady Maisery and several duos as well as performing solo. Her own compositions are great examples of modern folk music, responding to contemporary events such as the 2018 Florida school shootings. She is also an enthusiastic champion for the art of ‘percussive dance’, using her clogs (and occasionally her bare feet) to provide intricate and complex rhythmic accompaniment. (This reminded me of the wonderful Tilly and the Wall (reviewed here in March 2007)). See: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLZhTFvLKbI
On Saturday we were at the Bristol Folk House to see the young English folk singer, accordionist and clog dancer Hannah James, performing with the French ‘cellist Toby Kuhn. This newly formed duo played an interestingly varied range of songs and tunes, creating beautiful gentle acoustic music. Hannah James is an excellent singer and a very accomplished performer. She is a member of the English folk vocal harmony trio Lady Maisery and several duos as well as performing solo. Her own compositions are great examples of modern folk music, responding to contemporary events such as the 2018 Florida school shootings. She is also an enthusiastic champion for the art of ‘percussive dance’, using her clogs (and occasionally her bare feet) to provide intricate and complex rhythmic accompaniment. (This reminded me of the wonderful Tilly and the Wall (reviewed here in March 2007)). See: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLZhTFvLKbI
Moya Brennan
5 April 2019
Last Wednesday we visited the beautiful manor house and grounds at Rhosygilwen in Pembrokeshire where a stunning modern glass-walled barn acts as a unique music venue. As the sun set across the wooded valley below, we watched the ‘First Lady of Celtic Music’, Moya Brennan, and her band perform a mixture of tracks from her solo albums, traditional Irish folk tunes and some very familiar Clannad numbers. Clannad was the Brennan family band and it was lovely to see Moya Brennan now playing alongside her daughter and son. It was also great to see two Irish harps on stage with Moya Brennan duetting with harpist Cormac de Barra – her collaborator on the series of ‘Voices & Harps’ albums.
Last Wednesday we visited the beautiful manor house and grounds at Rhosygilwen in Pembrokeshire where a stunning modern glass-walled barn acts as a unique music venue. As the sun set across the wooded valley below, we watched the ‘First Lady of Celtic Music’, Moya Brennan, and her band perform a mixture of tracks from her solo albums, traditional Irish folk tunes and some very familiar Clannad numbers. Clannad was the Brennan family band and it was lovely to see Moya Brennan now playing alongside her daughter and son. It was also great to see two Irish harps on stage with Moya Brennan duetting with harpist Cormac de Barra – her collaborator on the series of ‘Voices & Harps’ albums.
Pembrokeshire
5 April 2019
We had a wonderful week in Pembrokeshire, with glorious weather throughout. We walked sections of the Coast Path every day, along spectacular cliffs overlooking peaceful turquoise seas. I particularly enjoyed the walk around Strumble Head where I actually managed to see a seal. We re-visited St David’s and Narberth and explored Fishguard and Newport. North Pembrokeshire has similar scenery to Cornwall but is much quieter – one of the most beautiful parts of the UK. You can see a few of my photos at: https://culturaloutlook.blogspot.com/search/label/Pembrokeshire2019
We had a wonderful week in Pembrokeshire, with glorious weather throughout. We walked sections of the Coast Path every day, along spectacular cliffs overlooking peaceful turquoise seas. I particularly enjoyed the walk around Strumble Head where I actually managed to see a seal. We re-visited St David’s and Narberth and explored Fishguard and Newport. North Pembrokeshire has similar scenery to Cornwall but is much quieter – one of the most beautiful parts of the UK. You can see a few of my photos at: https://culturaloutlook.blogspot.com/search/label/Pembrokeshire2019
Wednesday, March 20, 2019
'The Taming of The Shrew' by William Shakespeare
20 March 2019
On Tuesday we were at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon to see Justin Audibert’s new RSC production of ‘The Taming of The Shrew’. This misogynistic play is particularly difficult to carry off: previously the most successful version I had seen was the Shakespeare’s Globe On Tour open air production, directed by Joe Murphy (reviewed here in July 2013), which showed the relationships in a new light by having all the parts played by women. Justin Audibert has created something even more interesting by reversing the gender of every character, setting the pay in a matriarchal society where Baptista Minola wants to marry off her sons to the highest bidder. Her older son, still called ‘Katherine’ (played by Joseph Arkley), is the sharp-tongued shrew who meets his match in the swaggering Petruchia (Claire Price) – determined to woo a rich husband. It’s a very funny production: the gender reversal allows us to enjoy the comedy of the play without it being quite so uncomfortable. Hannah Clark’s amazing costumes give the women enormous dresses that dominate each scene, emphasising their power in this society and allowing them (literally in one case!) to glide across the stage. There are brilliant comic performances from Sophie Stanton as Gremia, Laura Elsworthy as Trania and Amy Trigg as Biondella. I felt we didn’t see enough of Joseph Arkley’s Katherine in the early part of the play: we needed more evidence of his shrewishness before he is tamed. But this is clearly Petruchia’s play and Claire Price is wonderful – a bird’s nest of red hair, a wicked grin and a physical dominance of the stage (and of Katherine) creating a fascinating and compelling character.
On Tuesday we were at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon to see Justin Audibert’s new RSC production of ‘The Taming of The Shrew’. This misogynistic play is particularly difficult to carry off: previously the most successful version I had seen was the Shakespeare’s Globe On Tour open air production, directed by Joe Murphy (reviewed here in July 2013), which showed the relationships in a new light by having all the parts played by women. Justin Audibert has created something even more interesting by reversing the gender of every character, setting the pay in a matriarchal society where Baptista Minola wants to marry off her sons to the highest bidder. Her older son, still called ‘Katherine’ (played by Joseph Arkley), is the sharp-tongued shrew who meets his match in the swaggering Petruchia (Claire Price) – determined to woo a rich husband. It’s a very funny production: the gender reversal allows us to enjoy the comedy of the play without it being quite so uncomfortable. Hannah Clark’s amazing costumes give the women enormous dresses that dominate each scene, emphasising their power in this society and allowing them (literally in one case!) to glide across the stage. There are brilliant comic performances from Sophie Stanton as Gremia, Laura Elsworthy as Trania and Amy Trigg as Biondella. I felt we didn’t see enough of Joseph Arkley’s Katherine in the early part of the play: we needed more evidence of his shrewishness before he is tamed. But this is clearly Petruchia’s play and Claire Price is wonderful – a bird’s nest of red hair, a wicked grin and a physical dominance of the stage (and of Katherine) creating a fascinating and compelling character.
Friday, March 15, 2019
'Changeable Heart' by Ruth Notman and Sam Kelly
15 March 2019
Long-time readers may remember my enthusiasm for the young Nottingham folk singer Ruth Notman, who was one of my favourite discoveries of 2008 (reviewed here in February 2008, April 2009, August 2009 and January 2010). Ruth took a break from music over the past few years to study to be a doctor but I’m delighted to be listening to her new album of duets with Sam Kelly, ‘Changeable Heart’, which is released today. It’s a mix of traditional songs and some original compositions by Notman and Kelly – a gentle, thoughtful, acoustic collection, beautifully sung by both singers. The album is produced by Irish folk singer, banjo player and guitarist Damien O'Kane (whose own excellent album ‘Areas of High Traffic’ I reviewed here in February 2016). There’s lots to enjoy about ‘Changeable Heart’ but it’s particularly lovely to hear Ruth Notman’s distinctively beautiful quivering voice again after a gap of several years. See: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hSzZQBGyUs
Long-time readers may remember my enthusiasm for the young Nottingham folk singer Ruth Notman, who was one of my favourite discoveries of 2008 (reviewed here in February 2008, April 2009, August 2009 and January 2010). Ruth took a break from music over the past few years to study to be a doctor but I’m delighted to be listening to her new album of duets with Sam Kelly, ‘Changeable Heart’, which is released today. It’s a mix of traditional songs and some original compositions by Notman and Kelly – a gentle, thoughtful, acoustic collection, beautifully sung by both singers. The album is produced by Irish folk singer, banjo player and guitarist Damien O'Kane (whose own excellent album ‘Areas of High Traffic’ I reviewed here in February 2016). There’s lots to enjoy about ‘Changeable Heart’ but it’s particularly lovely to hear Ruth Notman’s distinctively beautiful quivering voice again after a gap of several years. See: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hSzZQBGyUs
Friday, March 08, 2019
'Abigail's Party' by Mike Leigh
8 March 2018
On Thursday we were at the Derngate in Northampton to see Sarah Esdaile’s revival of ‘Abigail’s Party’. Mike Leigh’s 1977 play – and particularly the television version with Alison Steadman and the rest of the original stage cast – is so familiar I could have chanted along with much of the dialogue. It formed the template for the comedies of social embarrassment that are now such a familiar part of British culture – such as ‘The Office’, ‘The Thick of It’ and Alan Partridge. This production was excellently cast with Jodie Prenger making Beverley simultaneously monstrous, hilarious and sympathetic and perfectly capturing those nasal Essex vowels. And Rose Keegan was wonderful as Sue, the middle class neighbour (and mother of Abigail) who feels increasingly like a hostage, albeit an incredibly polite prisoner. On the 40th anniversary of ‘Abigail’s Party’, in February 2017, Mike Leigh wrote a great piece for The Guardian, reflecting on the origins of the play, which explains how the TV version replaced Elvis with Tom Jones, and José Feliciano with Demis Roussos. See: https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2017/feb/24/mike-leigh-abigails-party-40
On Thursday we were at the Derngate in Northampton to see Sarah Esdaile’s revival of ‘Abigail’s Party’. Mike Leigh’s 1977 play – and particularly the television version with Alison Steadman and the rest of the original stage cast – is so familiar I could have chanted along with much of the dialogue. It formed the template for the comedies of social embarrassment that are now such a familiar part of British culture – such as ‘The Office’, ‘The Thick of It’ and Alan Partridge. This production was excellently cast with Jodie Prenger making Beverley simultaneously monstrous, hilarious and sympathetic and perfectly capturing those nasal Essex vowels. And Rose Keegan was wonderful as Sue, the middle class neighbour (and mother of Abigail) who feels increasingly like a hostage, albeit an incredibly polite prisoner. On the 40th anniversary of ‘Abigail’s Party’, in February 2017, Mike Leigh wrote a great piece for The Guardian, reflecting on the origins of the play, which explains how the TV version replaced Elvis with Tom Jones, and José Feliciano with Demis Roussos. See: https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2017/feb/24/mike-leigh-abigails-party-40
Wednesday, March 06, 2019
'The Remains of the Day' by Kazuo Ishiguro, adapted by Barney Norris
6 March 2019
On Tuesday we were at the Royal Theatre in Northampton to see a new dramatisation of Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel ‘The Remains of the Day’ - a Royal & Derngate joint production with Out of Joint, in association with Oxford Playhouse. Stephen Boxer gave a brilliant performance as Stevens, a constant presence, never leaving the stage. He perfectly maintained the butler’s stiff-upper-lip stoicism – the mask that never drops – whilst also managing to convey the simmering volcano of emotions that can never be expressed. Niamh Cusack was great as Miss Kenton, the housekeeper, determined to show she can match Stevens’ attention to detail but achingly frustrated by her inability to break through his over-formality. Adaptor Barney Norris finds a way of telling the story that is faithful to the book (and James Ivory’s 1993 film) but is distinctly theatrical, with Stevens’ post-war visit to the West Country sharing the stage with his memories of the pre-war Darlington House. It is a tribute to Christopher Haydon’s direction and Stephen Boxer’s performance that Stevens switches seamlessly between conversations with characters in the two time frames while the distinction is always perfectly clear to the audience. Lily Arnold’s wonderful set simply and effectively evokes the grand but decaying Darlington Hall, with incredibly realistic projected rain streaming down the windows and an enormous mirror at the back of the stage revealing unguarded reflections of characters trying to remain in the background. ‘The Remains of the Day’ examines the mid-twentieth century shifts in politics, class, gender and national identity – showing the refusal to acknowledge the end of an era. It’s an incredibly powerful, subtle and sad story and this stage version captures all its nuances brilliantly: one of the best things we have seen in the theatre for ages.
On Tuesday we were at the Royal Theatre in Northampton to see a new dramatisation of Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel ‘The Remains of the Day’ - a Royal & Derngate joint production with Out of Joint, in association with Oxford Playhouse. Stephen Boxer gave a brilliant performance as Stevens, a constant presence, never leaving the stage. He perfectly maintained the butler’s stiff-upper-lip stoicism – the mask that never drops – whilst also managing to convey the simmering volcano of emotions that can never be expressed. Niamh Cusack was great as Miss Kenton, the housekeeper, determined to show she can match Stevens’ attention to detail but achingly frustrated by her inability to break through his over-formality. Adaptor Barney Norris finds a way of telling the story that is faithful to the book (and James Ivory’s 1993 film) but is distinctly theatrical, with Stevens’ post-war visit to the West Country sharing the stage with his memories of the pre-war Darlington House. It is a tribute to Christopher Haydon’s direction and Stephen Boxer’s performance that Stevens switches seamlessly between conversations with characters in the two time frames while the distinction is always perfectly clear to the audience. Lily Arnold’s wonderful set simply and effectively evokes the grand but decaying Darlington Hall, with incredibly realistic projected rain streaming down the windows and an enormous mirror at the back of the stage revealing unguarded reflections of characters trying to remain in the background. ‘The Remains of the Day’ examines the mid-twentieth century shifts in politics, class, gender and national identity – showing the refusal to acknowledge the end of an era. It’s an incredibly powerful, subtle and sad story and this stage version captures all its nuances brilliantly: one of the best things we have seen in the theatre for ages.
Thursday, February 28, 2019
Dziļi Violets
28 February 2019
My new favourite band is not Deep Purple. Dziļi Violets – Latvian for Deep Purple (literally deep violets) – is a band created for the Latvian satirical TV show ‘Midnight Show Seven’. They recently released a tongue-in-cheek offering to be Latvia’s entry in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest, ‘Tautasdziesma’ (“Dance: I don’t know how to dance”) – and I love the first comment posted on the YouTube page for the song which says “Europe is the place were a latvian guy is wearing a scottish kilt while singing french and i think that's beautiful." But when they move away from spoof songs Dziļi Violets are a pretty cool band. Their song which first attracted my attention was ‘Sprīdītis’ which has a modern take on old-fashioned swing in a similar way to Caravan Palace (reviewed here in July 2009), see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNx6odHk-Jo And I love the cheery upbeat ‘Dullais Dauka’ featuring Elza Rozentale whistling, rapping and singing like a Latvian Caro Emerald (reviewed here in April 2017), see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Du9Sf7zLx3A I look forward to the first full album from Dziļi Violets.
My new favourite band is not Deep Purple. Dziļi Violets – Latvian for Deep Purple (literally deep violets) – is a band created for the Latvian satirical TV show ‘Midnight Show Seven’. They recently released a tongue-in-cheek offering to be Latvia’s entry in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest, ‘Tautasdziesma’ (“Dance: I don’t know how to dance”) – and I love the first comment posted on the YouTube page for the song which says “Europe is the place were a latvian guy is wearing a scottish kilt while singing french and i think that's beautiful." But when they move away from spoof songs Dziļi Violets are a pretty cool band. Their song which first attracted my attention was ‘Sprīdītis’ which has a modern take on old-fashioned swing in a similar way to Caravan Palace (reviewed here in July 2009), see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNx6odHk-Jo And I love the cheery upbeat ‘Dullais Dauka’ featuring Elza Rozentale whistling, rapping and singing like a Latvian Caro Emerald (reviewed here in April 2017), see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Du9Sf7zLx3A I look forward to the first full album from Dziļi Violets.
Friday, February 22, 2019
'Already Ready Already' by Galactic
22 February 2019
I can tell you exactly when I first discovered the New Orleans funk band, Galactic: it was the attention-grabbing use of their powerful song ‘You Don’t Know’ (Featuring Glen David Andrews And The Rebirth Brass Band) in an episode of the third season of ‘Fargo’ (reviewed here in October 2017). This week I’ve been enjoying the new album by Galactic, ‘Already Ready Already’. Featuring a range of guest vocalists, its an eclectic set from a band that is always hard to categorise. There’s jazz, funk, R&B, rock, brass band, blues, hip hop, electronic and more squashed into eight tracks. I particularly like punk cabaret artist Boyfriend’s quirky speed-rap on ‘Dance At My Funeral’. Galactic are difficult to describe but undeniably cool. If you don’t know them I would recommend starting by listening to ‘You Don’t Know’ at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxNFYbCDkrY
I can tell you exactly when I first discovered the New Orleans funk band, Galactic: it was the attention-grabbing use of their powerful song ‘You Don’t Know’ (Featuring Glen David Andrews And The Rebirth Brass Band) in an episode of the third season of ‘Fargo’ (reviewed here in October 2017). This week I’ve been enjoying the new album by Galactic, ‘Already Ready Already’. Featuring a range of guest vocalists, its an eclectic set from a band that is always hard to categorise. There’s jazz, funk, R&B, rock, brass band, blues, hip hop, electronic and more squashed into eight tracks. I particularly like punk cabaret artist Boyfriend’s quirky speed-rap on ‘Dance At My Funeral’. Galactic are difficult to describe but undeniably cool. If you don’t know them I would recommend starting by listening to ‘You Don’t Know’ at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxNFYbCDkrY
Friday, February 15, 2019
'Living on the Volcano' by Michael Calvin
15 February 2019
Michael Calvin is a very accomplished sports writer who has been named Sports Writer of the Year and Sports Reporter of the Year (twice). He was Chief Sports Writer at the Independent on Sunday until 2016 and in recent years he has won the Times Sports Book of the Year prize twice and has received much acclaim for ghostwriting the autobiographies of the rugby player Gareth Thomas and the footballer Joey Barton. He also happens to be one of my neighbours, living a few doors down from us. I’ve just finished reading Mick’s book ‘Living on the Volcano: The Secrets of Surviving as a Football Manager’, which was shortlisted for the 2015 William Hill Sports Book of the Year. It’s a collection of interviews with managers working across the Premier League and the English Football League, including Brendan Rodgers, Roberto Martinez, Alan Pardew, Sean Dyche, Karl Robinson and Eddie Howe. Given the precarious nature of the football manager’s job, the book now feels like a snapshot of 2014 as hardly any of the managers Mick talks to are still at the same clubs now. It’s a fascinating examination of the transition from player to manager. I was particularly struck by the wide range of incredibly thorough approaches taken by most of the managers who have meticulously studied statistics, foreign coaching styles, other sports or completely different industries to give them an insight on how to build the best team for their club. It seems cruel that, given this determined attention to detail, the fate of most managers seems to be decided on luck and the mood of players, fans and owners: these days football clubs rarely manage to take a long-term approach. Mick is good at getting behind the pantomime villain image of many football managers and showing the genuine, sympathetic human beings struggling against impossible odds. While it is true that most sacked managers will have reaped huge financial rewards, when you consider the ridiculous levels of scrutiny and stress involved you do wonder why anyone would want to be a football manager.
Michael Calvin is a very accomplished sports writer who has been named Sports Writer of the Year and Sports Reporter of the Year (twice). He was Chief Sports Writer at the Independent on Sunday until 2016 and in recent years he has won the Times Sports Book of the Year prize twice and has received much acclaim for ghostwriting the autobiographies of the rugby player Gareth Thomas and the footballer Joey Barton. He also happens to be one of my neighbours, living a few doors down from us. I’ve just finished reading Mick’s book ‘Living on the Volcano: The Secrets of Surviving as a Football Manager’, which was shortlisted for the 2015 William Hill Sports Book of the Year. It’s a collection of interviews with managers working across the Premier League and the English Football League, including Brendan Rodgers, Roberto Martinez, Alan Pardew, Sean Dyche, Karl Robinson and Eddie Howe. Given the precarious nature of the football manager’s job, the book now feels like a snapshot of 2014 as hardly any of the managers Mick talks to are still at the same clubs now. It’s a fascinating examination of the transition from player to manager. I was particularly struck by the wide range of incredibly thorough approaches taken by most of the managers who have meticulously studied statistics, foreign coaching styles, other sports or completely different industries to give them an insight on how to build the best team for their club. It seems cruel that, given this determined attention to detail, the fate of most managers seems to be decided on luck and the mood of players, fans and owners: these days football clubs rarely manage to take a long-term approach. Mick is good at getting behind the pantomime villain image of many football managers and showing the genuine, sympathetic human beings struggling against impossible odds. While it is true that most sacked managers will have reaped huge financial rewards, when you consider the ridiculous levels of scrutiny and stress involved you do wonder why anyone would want to be a football manager.
Wednesday, February 06, 2019
'The Mousetrap' by Agatha Christie
6 February 2019
Agatha Christie’s ‘The Mousetrap’ has been running in the West End in London since 1952 so I have spent my whole life avoiding spoilers before finally seeing the play at the Royal Theatre in Northampton on Monday. The longevity of ‘The Mousetrap’ is particularly amazing as I can’t imagine many people wanting to see it more than once: it is not knowing who dunnit that is the appeal. Nevertheless Gareth Armstrong’s touring production is great fun and very well acted. The plot is darker and more believable than I had expected and I wasn’t alone in wanting to finally see it for myself: the Royal Theatre was packed and we all left the theatre promising not to spoil the show for anyone who hasn’t yet seen it.
Agatha Christie’s ‘The Mousetrap’ has been running in the West End in London since 1952 so I have spent my whole life avoiding spoilers before finally seeing the play at the Royal Theatre in Northampton on Monday. The longevity of ‘The Mousetrap’ is particularly amazing as I can’t imagine many people wanting to see it more than once: it is not knowing who dunnit that is the appeal. Nevertheless Gareth Armstrong’s touring production is great fun and very well acted. The plot is darker and more believable than I had expected and I wasn’t alone in wanting to finally see it for myself: the Royal Theatre was packed and we all left the theatre promising not to spoil the show for anyone who hasn’t yet seen it.
Tuesday, February 05, 2019
Northampton Symphony Orchestra concert
5 February 2019
On Saturday I played in the third concert of the Northampton Symphony Orchestra’s 125th anniversary season. Our programme focussed on the year in which the orchestra was founded, 1893, featuring one piece written in 1893 and one by a composer who was born that year. Arthur Benjamin is best remembered for ‘Jamaican Rumba’ but his ‘Romantic Fantasy’, premiered in 1938, is a much more complex, serious piece. It is a remarkable double concerto for violin and viola, for which we were joined on Saturday by Stephen Bryant, Leader of the BBC Symphony Orchestra, and Benjamin Roskams (who played Bruch's 'Scottish Fantasy' in a Northampton Symphony Orchestra concert reviewed here in June 2015). Most of us had not heard the ‘Romantic Fantasy’ before but NSO conductor, John Gibbons, knows it well, having conducted one of its few recordings (with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra for Dutton Epoch). It’s a lovely piece which really grew on me as I got to grips with it. The two fiendishly-difficult solo parts intertwine to sound at times like a single player. Stephen and Benjamin’s synchronicity was amazing, particularly in the cadenzas. We finished the concert with a much more familiar piece, Antonín Dvořák’s ‘Symphony No 9: From the New World’, composed in 1893. The NSO has played the ‘New World Symphony’ 20 times over the past 125 years and I think Saturday’s performance was really impressive. Jayne Henderson had the scary challenge of having to play one of the most famous tunes in orchestral music – the cor anglais solo in the slow movement – and she delivered a perfect performance which was the highlight of the symphony. There were also beautiful solos from most of her woodwind colleagues, including Sarah Mourant (oboe), Graham Tear and Helen Taylor (flute) and Naomi Muller (clarinet). And the brass section was in magnificent form, particularly in the finale. It was a lovely concert.
On Saturday I played in the third concert of the Northampton Symphony Orchestra’s 125th anniversary season. Our programme focussed on the year in which the orchestra was founded, 1893, featuring one piece written in 1893 and one by a composer who was born that year. Arthur Benjamin is best remembered for ‘Jamaican Rumba’ but his ‘Romantic Fantasy’, premiered in 1938, is a much more complex, serious piece. It is a remarkable double concerto for violin and viola, for which we were joined on Saturday by Stephen Bryant, Leader of the BBC Symphony Orchestra, and Benjamin Roskams (who played Bruch's 'Scottish Fantasy' in a Northampton Symphony Orchestra concert reviewed here in June 2015). Most of us had not heard the ‘Romantic Fantasy’ before but NSO conductor, John Gibbons, knows it well, having conducted one of its few recordings (with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra for Dutton Epoch). It’s a lovely piece which really grew on me as I got to grips with it. The two fiendishly-difficult solo parts intertwine to sound at times like a single player. Stephen and Benjamin’s synchronicity was amazing, particularly in the cadenzas. We finished the concert with a much more familiar piece, Antonín Dvořák’s ‘Symphony No 9: From the New World’, composed in 1893. The NSO has played the ‘New World Symphony’ 20 times over the past 125 years and I think Saturday’s performance was really impressive. Jayne Henderson had the scary challenge of having to play one of the most famous tunes in orchestral music – the cor anglais solo in the slow movement – and she delivered a perfect performance which was the highlight of the symphony. There were also beautiful solos from most of her woodwind colleagues, including Sarah Mourant (oboe), Graham Tear and Helen Taylor (flute) and Naomi Muller (clarinet). And the brass section was in magnificent form, particularly in the finale. It was a lovely concert.
Thursday, January 31, 2019
'Don Quixote' by Miguel de Cervantes, adapted by James Fenton
31 January 2019
Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra was a contemporary of Shakespeare: they died within a few days of each other in 1616. So it was fascinating to see the Royal Shakespeare Company’s production of ‘Don Quixote’, adapted by James Fenton, at the Garrick Theatre in London last Saturday. When I read ‘The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha’ (reviewed here in January 2012) I realised what a debt more recent comic creations, particularly double-acts, owe to Don Quixote and Sancho Panza. In this stage adaptation David Threlfall and the comedian Rufus Hound create a believably warm relationship between these two deluded simpletons. The show is great fun though, as with the novel, laughs at the expense of what is effectively mental illness feel a bit uncomfortable at times. The most ground-breaking aspect of Cervantes’ book, however, is the meta-fiction of Volume 2 where the characters start to encounter people who have read Volume 1. The stage version tried to incorporate this narrative complexity, with actors carrying copies of the book and Rufus Hound breaking the fourth wall to banter with the audience. But I felt it missed the impact the book has when you start to wonder who is writing the story – which really messes with your head! Nevertheless Angus Jackson’s production is incredibly enjoyable and made me fall in love with Cervantes’ characters all over again.
Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra was a contemporary of Shakespeare: they died within a few days of each other in 1616. So it was fascinating to see the Royal Shakespeare Company’s production of ‘Don Quixote’, adapted by James Fenton, at the Garrick Theatre in London last Saturday. When I read ‘The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha’ (reviewed here in January 2012) I realised what a debt more recent comic creations, particularly double-acts, owe to Don Quixote and Sancho Panza. In this stage adaptation David Threlfall and the comedian Rufus Hound create a believably warm relationship between these two deluded simpletons. The show is great fun though, as with the novel, laughs at the expense of what is effectively mental illness feel a bit uncomfortable at times. The most ground-breaking aspect of Cervantes’ book, however, is the meta-fiction of Volume 2 where the characters start to encounter people who have read Volume 1. The stage version tried to incorporate this narrative complexity, with actors carrying copies of the book and Rufus Hound breaking the fourth wall to banter with the audience. But I felt it missed the impact the book has when you start to wonder who is writing the story – which really messes with your head! Nevertheless Angus Jackson’s production is incredibly enjoyable and made me fall in love with Cervantes’ characters all over again.
Friday, January 25, 2019
'Our Lady of Kibeho' by Katori Hall
25 January 2019
In 1981 at a Catholic college in Kibeho in the mountains of Rwanda, three girls apparently experienced a visitation from the Virgin Mary. Katori Hall’s remarkable new play ‘Our Lady of Kibeho’, which we saw at the Royal Theatre in Northampton on Tuesday, uses this incident as a way to explore the conditions that led eventually to the Rwandan genocide of 1994. Some people believe the Virgin Mary appeared to warn of the approaching tragedy but the play leaves us to make up our own minds about whether the events at Kibeho were a religious miracle, mass hallucination or something else. Katori Hall is more interested in showing the growing divisions between Hutu and Tutsi that would have catastrophic outcomes. The UK premiere of ‘Our Lady of Kibeho’ is a triumph for the Royal & Derngate and its Director James Dacre, receiving glowing reviews from several national newspapers, including a five star review from Michael Billington in The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2019/jan/17/our-lady-of-kibeho-review-royal-and-derngate-northampton-katori-hall-rwanda It’s a beautiful production, full of charm and mystery, with an underlying ominousness. The excellent cast includes a Community Ensemble of local amateur actors and features stunning performances by Ery Nzaramba as the Headteacher and Gabrielle Brooks, Yasmin Mwanza and Pepter Lunkuse as the three girls. Orlando Gough’s music features some gorgeous a capella singing and Jonathan Fensom’s set manages to match the contradictory sunny but storm-laden feel of the play.
In 1981 at a Catholic college in Kibeho in the mountains of Rwanda, three girls apparently experienced a visitation from the Virgin Mary. Katori Hall’s remarkable new play ‘Our Lady of Kibeho’, which we saw at the Royal Theatre in Northampton on Tuesday, uses this incident as a way to explore the conditions that led eventually to the Rwandan genocide of 1994. Some people believe the Virgin Mary appeared to warn of the approaching tragedy but the play leaves us to make up our own minds about whether the events at Kibeho were a religious miracle, mass hallucination or something else. Katori Hall is more interested in showing the growing divisions between Hutu and Tutsi that would have catastrophic outcomes. The UK premiere of ‘Our Lady of Kibeho’ is a triumph for the Royal & Derngate and its Director James Dacre, receiving glowing reviews from several national newspapers, including a five star review from Michael Billington in The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2019/jan/17/our-lady-of-kibeho-review-royal-and-derngate-northampton-katori-hall-rwanda It’s a beautiful production, full of charm and mystery, with an underlying ominousness. The excellent cast includes a Community Ensemble of local amateur actors and features stunning performances by Ery Nzaramba as the Headteacher and Gabrielle Brooks, Yasmin Mwanza and Pepter Lunkuse as the three girls. Orlando Gough’s music features some gorgeous a capella singing and Jonathan Fensom’s set manages to match the contradictory sunny but storm-laden feel of the play.
'Middle England' by Jonathan Coe
25 January 2019
The EU referendum of June 2016 and the subsequent years of Brexit negotiations have felt like a seismic shock to many people in the UK – something that could not have been foreseen. In his new novel, ‘Middle England’ – which I have just finished reading as an unabridged audio book, narrated by Rory Kinnear – Jonathan Coe paints a picture of England and the English from 2010 to late 2018 which does a great job of showing how inevitable the referendum result was. This third book featuring the characters from Coe’s 2001 novel 'The Rotters' Club' and its sequel 'The Closed Circle' (2004) shows the growing resentment of large swathes of Middle England to immigration, political correctness, austerity and more, alongside the naive obliviousness of those in their own liberal bubble. By the time the story reaches 2016 it is very clear which way each of the main characters is going to vote. The Rotters Club trilogy has now followed the lives of a group of schoolfriends from Birmingham, their families and friends from the late 1970s to 2018. It sets their stories against real-world political events in a similar way to Frederic Raphael’s ‘The Glittering Prizes’ trilogy and Sue Townsend’s Adrian Mole books. Where Jonathan Coe’s hilarious critique of Thatcher’s Britain ‘What a Carve Up’ and its sequel focussing on Cameron's Coalition Government, ‘Number 11’ (reviewed here in January 2016), formed a glorious farce, the Rotters Club novels all have a more melancholic feel. ‘Middle England’ is a very funny comic novel with many laugh-out-loud moments but it also has a pervasive air of sadness. Jonathan Coe was already one of my favourite contemporary authors but this time it felt like he was writing specially for me as ‘Middle England’ includes lengthy descriptions of the 2010 general election, a Baltic cruise and the London 2012 Olympics opening ceremony. It’s incredibly enjoyable and deeply though-provoking.
The EU referendum of June 2016 and the subsequent years of Brexit negotiations have felt like a seismic shock to many people in the UK – something that could not have been foreseen. In his new novel, ‘Middle England’ – which I have just finished reading as an unabridged audio book, narrated by Rory Kinnear – Jonathan Coe paints a picture of England and the English from 2010 to late 2018 which does a great job of showing how inevitable the referendum result was. This third book featuring the characters from Coe’s 2001 novel 'The Rotters' Club' and its sequel 'The Closed Circle' (2004) shows the growing resentment of large swathes of Middle England to immigration, political correctness, austerity and more, alongside the naive obliviousness of those in their own liberal bubble. By the time the story reaches 2016 it is very clear which way each of the main characters is going to vote. The Rotters Club trilogy has now followed the lives of a group of schoolfriends from Birmingham, their families and friends from the late 1970s to 2018. It sets their stories against real-world political events in a similar way to Frederic Raphael’s ‘The Glittering Prizes’ trilogy and Sue Townsend’s Adrian Mole books. Where Jonathan Coe’s hilarious critique of Thatcher’s Britain ‘What a Carve Up’ and its sequel focussing on Cameron's Coalition Government, ‘Number 11’ (reviewed here in January 2016), formed a glorious farce, the Rotters Club novels all have a more melancholic feel. ‘Middle England’ is a very funny comic novel with many laugh-out-loud moments but it also has a pervasive air of sadness. Jonathan Coe was already one of my favourite contemporary authors but this time it felt like he was writing specially for me as ‘Middle England’ includes lengthy descriptions of the 2010 general election, a Baltic cruise and the London 2012 Olympics opening ceremony. It’s incredibly enjoyable and deeply though-provoking.
Friday, January 18, 2019
‘The Tragedy of King Richard The Second’ by WIlliam Shakespeare
18 January 2019
On Tuesday we were at the Odeon in Milton Keynes to watch the NTLive screening of Shakespeare’s ‘The Tragedy of King Richard The Second’, live from the Almeida Theatre in London. We last saw ‘Richard II’ at the Barbican, with David Tennant in the title role (reviewed here in December 2013). Joe Hill-Gibbins’ production, starring Simon Russell Beale, is a much less conventional version of the play. Set in a windowless, door-less box, with just eight actors who can never escape from the stage, it has a deliberately claustrophic feel. There are no elaborate costumes and no props, other than a range of different kinds of gloves and buckets of blood, water and soil which lurk menacingly against the back wall until called into action. This plain setting allows you to concentrate on the acting, which is excellent. Simon Russell Beale, who we last saw as Prospero in Greg Doran’s RSC production of ‘The Tempest’ (reviewed here in November 2016), is a mesmerising performer and it was great to be able to see his performance in close-up on the big screen. The projector in our cinema seemed to be incorrectly adjusted, meaning we often couldn’t see the tops of the actors’ heads, but this only served to enhance the intense, claustrophic mood of the production. ‘Richard II’ is an odd play but I was particularly struck by the beauty of Shakespeare’s language. There are some lovely poetic speeches and it was poignant to be listening to Joseph Mydell’s John of Gaunt reciting ‘This Sceptred Isle’ while elsewhere MPs were voting on the EU Withdrawal Agreement. But I wasn’t totally convinced by the Almeida production: having such a small cast of actors playing multiple parts, without any differentiation of costume, proved quite confusing. Even knowing the play, I found it difficult to follow. There was some great acting and it was fascinating to see the stripped-down approach but I’m not sure it fully worked.
On Tuesday we were at the Odeon in Milton Keynes to watch the NTLive screening of Shakespeare’s ‘The Tragedy of King Richard The Second’, live from the Almeida Theatre in London. We last saw ‘Richard II’ at the Barbican, with David Tennant in the title role (reviewed here in December 2013). Joe Hill-Gibbins’ production, starring Simon Russell Beale, is a much less conventional version of the play. Set in a windowless, door-less box, with just eight actors who can never escape from the stage, it has a deliberately claustrophic feel. There are no elaborate costumes and no props, other than a range of different kinds of gloves and buckets of blood, water and soil which lurk menacingly against the back wall until called into action. This plain setting allows you to concentrate on the acting, which is excellent. Simon Russell Beale, who we last saw as Prospero in Greg Doran’s RSC production of ‘The Tempest’ (reviewed here in November 2016), is a mesmerising performer and it was great to be able to see his performance in close-up on the big screen. The projector in our cinema seemed to be incorrectly adjusted, meaning we often couldn’t see the tops of the actors’ heads, but this only served to enhance the intense, claustrophic mood of the production. ‘Richard II’ is an odd play but I was particularly struck by the beauty of Shakespeare’s language. There are some lovely poetic speeches and it was poignant to be listening to Joseph Mydell’s John of Gaunt reciting ‘This Sceptred Isle’ while elsewhere MPs were voting on the EU Withdrawal Agreement. But I wasn’t totally convinced by the Almeida production: having such a small cast of actors playing multiple parts, without any differentiation of costume, proved quite confusing. Even knowing the play, I found it difficult to follow. There was some great acting and it was fascinating to see the stripped-down approach but I’m not sure it fully worked.
Wednesday, January 09, 2019
'The Favourite' by Yorgos Lanthimos
9 January 2019
On Tuesday we were at the Odeon in Milton Keynes to see Yorgos Lanthimos’ film ‘The Favourite’, starring Olivia Colman as Queen Anne. It’s a dark, quirky, historical drama with some graphic violence, sex and bad language. I’m not sure I would describe it as a comedy, though there are some very funny moments. Yorgos Lanthimos creates a stylish but realistic vision of life within the royal palace in the early 18th century. His repeated use of a distorted wide-angle lens has a voyeuristic feel as we intrude on the domestic life of the Queen and her ladies in waiting. It’s great to see a film with three (fairly evenly shared) leading parts for women, with most of the men depicted as buffoons. Olivia Colman and Emma Stone both have incredibly expressive faces, often shown in extreme close-up so you can almost see the thoughts moving behind their eyes – while Rachel Weisz maintains an un-moving deadpan throughout most of the film. The screenplay, by Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara, cleverly shifts the audience’s sympathies between the warring characters as the story progresses. It’s an odd film which will not be to everyone’s taste but Olivia Colman is superb and I enjoyed reading up afterwards about a period of British history that was previously a blind-spot for me.
On Tuesday we were at the Odeon in Milton Keynes to see Yorgos Lanthimos’ film ‘The Favourite’, starring Olivia Colman as Queen Anne. It’s a dark, quirky, historical drama with some graphic violence, sex and bad language. I’m not sure I would describe it as a comedy, though there are some very funny moments. Yorgos Lanthimos creates a stylish but realistic vision of life within the royal palace in the early 18th century. His repeated use of a distorted wide-angle lens has a voyeuristic feel as we intrude on the domestic life of the Queen and her ladies in waiting. It’s great to see a film with three (fairly evenly shared) leading parts for women, with most of the men depicted as buffoons. Olivia Colman and Emma Stone both have incredibly expressive faces, often shown in extreme close-up so you can almost see the thoughts moving behind their eyes – while Rachel Weisz maintains an un-moving deadpan throughout most of the film. The screenplay, by Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara, cleverly shifts the audience’s sympathies between the warring characters as the story progresses. It’s an odd film which will not be to everyone’s taste but Olivia Colman is superb and I enjoyed reading up afterwards about a period of British history that was previously a blind-spot for me.
Friday, January 04, 2019
'Hard Times' by Charles Dickens
4 January 2019
“Now, what I want is, Facts. Teach these boys and girls nothing but Facts.” I was familiar with the words of Thomas Gradgrind which open ‘Hard Times’ by Charles Dickens but was surprised how little of the rest of the novel I knew. ‘Hard Times’ focuses on the social and industrial conditions in Coketown – a northern mill town, clearly modeled on Manchester. There is a weighty helping of Dickens’ witty prose, sometimes bordering on whimsy, but the plot emerges only very gradually, with the importance of several key events only revealed much later in hindsight. ‘Hard Times’ has a surprisingly small cast of principal characters – though they are beautifully drawn. Dickens works hard to convey the local dialect in print, making some of the book quite difficult to read. But his social campaigning messages are clear and entertainingly delivered. If you haven’t read any Dickens I wouldn’t start with ‘Hard Times’ but it was interesting to discover this tale for the first time.
“Now, what I want is, Facts. Teach these boys and girls nothing but Facts.” I was familiar with the words of Thomas Gradgrind which open ‘Hard Times’ by Charles Dickens but was surprised how little of the rest of the novel I knew. ‘Hard Times’ focuses on the social and industrial conditions in Coketown – a northern mill town, clearly modeled on Manchester. There is a weighty helping of Dickens’ witty prose, sometimes bordering on whimsy, but the plot emerges only very gradually, with the importance of several key events only revealed much later in hindsight. ‘Hard Times’ has a surprisingly small cast of principal characters – though they are beautifully drawn. Dickens works hard to convey the local dialect in print, making some of the book quite difficult to read. But his social campaigning messages are clear and entertainingly delivered. If you haven’t read any Dickens I wouldn’t start with ‘Hard Times’ but it was interesting to discover this tale for the first time.
Friday, December 21, 2018
'Lethal White' by Robert Galbraith
21 December 2018
I’ve just finished reading ‘Lethal White’, the fourth Cormoran Strike detective novel by J K Rowling (writing as Robert Galbraith) – as an unabridged audio book, narrated by Robert Glenister. As with the previous Cormoran Strike novels, it has a gripping, complex plot and a great cast of well-drawn characters but suffers from some clunky writing and a host of annoying inaccuracies in its deliberately real-world setting. Once again Strike sees some football matches on television that it would have been impossible for him to watch. ‘Lethal White’ is set in 2012 against the backdrop of the London Olympics and Paralympics and involves a cast of Government Ministers and civil servants. From personal experience I can say that, while many of the details of the Houses of Parliament are clearly meticulously researched, the descriptions of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport are completely fictional. In terms of the plot this doesn’t really matter but it continues to puzzle me why you would go to the bother of setting your novel at a very specific time in a very specific place – and referencing so many tiny details to make it seem realistic – but constantly get some of these details wrong. Having said all that, I did enjoy the ride and the satisfying resolution of a complicated jigsaw puzzle plot.
I’ve just finished reading ‘Lethal White’, the fourth Cormoran Strike detective novel by J K Rowling (writing as Robert Galbraith) – as an unabridged audio book, narrated by Robert Glenister. As with the previous Cormoran Strike novels, it has a gripping, complex plot and a great cast of well-drawn characters but suffers from some clunky writing and a host of annoying inaccuracies in its deliberately real-world setting. Once again Strike sees some football matches on television that it would have been impossible for him to watch. ‘Lethal White’ is set in 2012 against the backdrop of the London Olympics and Paralympics and involves a cast of Government Ministers and civil servants. From personal experience I can say that, while many of the details of the Houses of Parliament are clearly meticulously researched, the descriptions of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport are completely fictional. In terms of the plot this doesn’t really matter but it continues to puzzle me why you would go to the bother of setting your novel at a very specific time in a very specific place – and referencing so many tiny details to make it seem realistic – but constantly get some of these details wrong. Having said all that, I did enjoy the ride and the satisfying resolution of a complicated jigsaw puzzle plot.
Wednesday, December 12, 2018
'A Christmas Carol' by Charles Dickens, adapted by David Edgar
12 December 2018
The Ghost of Christmas Future in ‘A Christmas Carol’ always makes me think of ‘A Prayer for Owen Meany’ by John Irving (reviewed here in May 2010) and Owen Meany’s bony finger pointing ominously at Scrooge’s grave. So I was a little disappointed that David Edgar’s adaptation of ‘A Christmas Carol’ for the Royal Shakespeare Company, which we saw at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre at Stratford-upon-Avon on Tuesday – although otherwise extremely faithful to Charles Dickens – omits that moment at the graveside. Rachel Kavanaugh’s production focuses on the social justice messages of the novel, creating an entertaining show with a serious purpose. Aden Gillett’s Scrooge is appropriately believable in this context and much less of a caricature than he is often portrayed. There is some great stagecraft in the realisation of the ghosts and the journeys on which they take Scrooge, making use of the amazing technical capabilities of the Royal Shakespeare Theatre stage, together with a mixture of digital projection and more traditional stage magic. This isn’t a musical but there are a few songs and some wonderful ensemble dance numbers with very impressive choreography by Georgina Lamb.
The Ghost of Christmas Future in ‘A Christmas Carol’ always makes me think of ‘A Prayer for Owen Meany’ by John Irving (reviewed here in May 2010) and Owen Meany’s bony finger pointing ominously at Scrooge’s grave. So I was a little disappointed that David Edgar’s adaptation of ‘A Christmas Carol’ for the Royal Shakespeare Company, which we saw at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre at Stratford-upon-Avon on Tuesday – although otherwise extremely faithful to Charles Dickens – omits that moment at the graveside. Rachel Kavanaugh’s production focuses on the social justice messages of the novel, creating an entertaining show with a serious purpose. Aden Gillett’s Scrooge is appropriately believable in this context and much less of a caricature than he is often portrayed. There is some great stagecraft in the realisation of the ghosts and the journeys on which they take Scrooge, making use of the amazing technical capabilities of the Royal Shakespeare Theatre stage, together with a mixture of digital projection and more traditional stage magic. This isn’t a musical but there are a few songs and some wonderful ensemble dance numbers with very impressive choreography by Georgina Lamb.
Andy Kershaw
12 December 2018
On Sunday evening we were at The Stables in Wavendon to see the remarkable broadcaster and journalist Andy Kershaw. Long time readers may remember my enthusiasm for Andy Kershaw’s much missed Radio 3 show (see my review of his appearance on Desert Island Discs in March 2007). Largely absent from the airwaves these days, he is touring to promote his autobiography, ‘No Off Switch’. As he nears his 60th birthday, Andy Kershaw’s encyclopaedic memory, natural eloquence and strong Rochdale accent remain undimmed. He is a consummate story-teller and his encounters around the world with some of the greatest musicians of the past half century make for some wonderful stories. Using a series of personal photographs on his laptop as prompts, he started to take us through his life. Restlessly wandering around the stage with a focussed determination he explained how happen stance had taken him from student concert promoter to being Billy Bragg’s tour manager, to the Whistle Test on BBC television, to presenting the TV coverage of Live Aid, to becoming a Radio 1 DJ and latterly a BBC foreign correspondent visiting some of the most troubled parts of the world. Very like Danny Baker (reviewed here in May 2018) Andy Kershaw has an obsessive need to cram in as much as possible, taking more than three hours on stage to only get as far as 1987. He promised to return to complete his story and I really look forward to that. In the meantime many of his best radio documentaries are available via his website at https://www.andykershaw.co.uk/ (try his 2005 visit to Turkmenistan – an incredible piece of journalism).
On Sunday evening we were at The Stables in Wavendon to see the remarkable broadcaster and journalist Andy Kershaw. Long time readers may remember my enthusiasm for Andy Kershaw’s much missed Radio 3 show (see my review of his appearance on Desert Island Discs in March 2007). Largely absent from the airwaves these days, he is touring to promote his autobiography, ‘No Off Switch’. As he nears his 60th birthday, Andy Kershaw’s encyclopaedic memory, natural eloquence and strong Rochdale accent remain undimmed. He is a consummate story-teller and his encounters around the world with some of the greatest musicians of the past half century make for some wonderful stories. Using a series of personal photographs on his laptop as prompts, he started to take us through his life. Restlessly wandering around the stage with a focussed determination he explained how happen stance had taken him from student concert promoter to being Billy Bragg’s tour manager, to the Whistle Test on BBC television, to presenting the TV coverage of Live Aid, to becoming a Radio 1 DJ and latterly a BBC foreign correspondent visiting some of the most troubled parts of the world. Very like Danny Baker (reviewed here in May 2018) Andy Kershaw has an obsessive need to cram in as much as possible, taking more than three hours on stage to only get as far as 1987. He promised to return to complete his story and I really look forward to that. In the meantime many of his best radio documentaries are available via his website at https://www.andykershaw.co.uk/ (try his 2005 visit to Turkmenistan – an incredible piece of journalism).
Northampton Symphony Orchestra concert
12 December 2018
Regular readers will remember my disappointment twelve months ago when that traditional harbinger of the festive season, the Northampton Symphony Orchestra’s Christmas Cracker concert, was cancelled because of snow. Thankfully last Sunday normality was restored and we gathered at the Spinney Theatre in Northampton, in front of a large, enthusiastic audience of all ages, for an afternoon of Christmas music. To mark the NSO’s 125th anniversary season, this year’s Christmas concert had a Victorian theme, featuring Humperdinck’s ‘Overture to Hansel and Gretel’, ‘Selections from Oliver!’ by Lionel Bart and ‘Dances from The Nutcracker’ by Tchaikovsky – the last narrated by our excellent compere, Alan Bell, and featuring beautiful solos from Alexander Thomas on harp and William Thallon on celeste. Alan also performed the role of narrator (and almost all the characters) in Bryan Kelly’s ‘Scrooge’, with words taken directly from Dickens’ ‘A Christmas Carol’, ably assisted by our conductor John Gibbons who made a very sinister ghost of Jacob Marley. Given its ubiquity in NSO Christmas Cracker concerts, it seems hard to believe that the Northampton Symphony Orchestra hasn’t been playing Leroy Anderson’s ‘Sleigh Ride’ every year since 1893, but as it wasn’t written until 1946 that seems unlikely. After last year’s cancellation it was wonderful to see the return of the orchestra’s silly hats, mulled wine and mince pies. It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas!
Regular readers will remember my disappointment twelve months ago when that traditional harbinger of the festive season, the Northampton Symphony Orchestra’s Christmas Cracker concert, was cancelled because of snow. Thankfully last Sunday normality was restored and we gathered at the Spinney Theatre in Northampton, in front of a large, enthusiastic audience of all ages, for an afternoon of Christmas music. To mark the NSO’s 125th anniversary season, this year’s Christmas concert had a Victorian theme, featuring Humperdinck’s ‘Overture to Hansel and Gretel’, ‘Selections from Oliver!’ by Lionel Bart and ‘Dances from The Nutcracker’ by Tchaikovsky – the last narrated by our excellent compere, Alan Bell, and featuring beautiful solos from Alexander Thomas on harp and William Thallon on celeste. Alan also performed the role of narrator (and almost all the characters) in Bryan Kelly’s ‘Scrooge’, with words taken directly from Dickens’ ‘A Christmas Carol’, ably assisted by our conductor John Gibbons who made a very sinister ghost of Jacob Marley. Given its ubiquity in NSO Christmas Cracker concerts, it seems hard to believe that the Northampton Symphony Orchestra hasn’t been playing Leroy Anderson’s ‘Sleigh Ride’ every year since 1893, but as it wasn’t written until 1946 that seems unlikely. After last year’s cancellation it was wonderful to see the return of the orchestra’s silly hats, mulled wine and mince pies. It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas!
Friday, December 07, 2018
'Antony & Cleopatra' by William Shakespeare
7 December 2018
It is almost exactly a year since I first saw Shakespeare’s ‘Antony & Cleopatra’, in the Royal Shakespeare Company production starring Josette Simon (reviewed here in December 2017). The new National Theatre production, which we saw on Thursday via the NT Live screening at the Odeon in Milton Keynes, is a very different version of the play. Regular readers will know that Simon Godwin is one of my favourite theatre directors (see my review of his ‘Twelfth Night’ here in April 2017) and I really liked his take on ‘Antony & Cleopatra’. He uses the vast stage of the Olivier Theatre to great effect, particularly the huge revolve. Hildegard Bechtler’s set is stunning, giving the play a beautiful contemporary backdrop and Evie Gurney’s costumes are equally impressive. ‘Antony & Cleopatra’ reunites Simon Godwin with Ralph Fiennes who was such a compelling presence on stage in Godwin’s production of ‘Man and Superman’ (reviewed here in May 2015). Ralph Fiennes is an incredibly physical actor, giving Mark Antony a middle-aged gait and making him a restless, capricious character. Sophie Okonedo is a brilliant Cleopatra – in turns playful, passionate, angry and distraught. ‘Antony & Cleopatra’ is a long play but it kept my attention and the tableau created by set, lighting, costumes and actors will live long in my memory.
It is almost exactly a year since I first saw Shakespeare’s ‘Antony & Cleopatra’, in the Royal Shakespeare Company production starring Josette Simon (reviewed here in December 2017). The new National Theatre production, which we saw on Thursday via the NT Live screening at the Odeon in Milton Keynes, is a very different version of the play. Regular readers will know that Simon Godwin is one of my favourite theatre directors (see my review of his ‘Twelfth Night’ here in April 2017) and I really liked his take on ‘Antony & Cleopatra’. He uses the vast stage of the Olivier Theatre to great effect, particularly the huge revolve. Hildegard Bechtler’s set is stunning, giving the play a beautiful contemporary backdrop and Evie Gurney’s costumes are equally impressive. ‘Antony & Cleopatra’ reunites Simon Godwin with Ralph Fiennes who was such a compelling presence on stage in Godwin’s production of ‘Man and Superman’ (reviewed here in May 2015). Ralph Fiennes is an incredibly physical actor, giving Mark Antony a middle-aged gait and making him a restless, capricious character. Sophie Okonedo is a brilliant Cleopatra – in turns playful, passionate, angry and distraught. ‘Antony & Cleopatra’ is a long play but it kept my attention and the tableau created by set, lighting, costumes and actors will live long in my memory.
‘Being Mortal: Medicine & What Matters in the End’ by Atul Gawande
7 December 2018
I am very grateful to Nick Ewbank for lending me his copy of Atul Gawande’s remarkable book ‘Being Mortal: Medicine & What Matters in the End’. I was fascinated by Atul Gawande’s Reith Lectures on BBC Radio 4 in 2014 (which you can still listen to at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04bsgvm) and his appearance on ‘Desert Island Discs’ (in December 2015, available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06r0vsn) so I was keen to read his book. ‘Being Mortal’ suggests that we make the mistake of treating dying as an illness to be cured, making the end of life a medical problem and seeing death as failure. Gawande argues that death is a natural (and inevitable) occurrence and we should focus more on managing the dying process to maintain quality of life rather than simply prioritising keeping someone alive for as long as possible. Though this doesn’t sound like a cheery subject ‘Being Mortal’ is an uplifting read, featuring the stories of many of Dr Gawande’s patients together with some of the pioneers in the fields of hospice, assisted living and innovative approaches to nursing homes. The book also movingly tells the story of Atul Gawande’s father as he and his family have to address the impossibly difficult challenges caused by his declining health. At the end of the book Atul Gawande concludes: “We’ve been wrong about what our job is in medicine. We think our job is to ensure health and survival. But really it is larger than that. It is to enable well-being. And well-being is about the reasons one wishes to be alive.” Everyone should read this book.
I am very grateful to Nick Ewbank for lending me his copy of Atul Gawande’s remarkable book ‘Being Mortal: Medicine & What Matters in the End’. I was fascinated by Atul Gawande’s Reith Lectures on BBC Radio 4 in 2014 (which you can still listen to at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04bsgvm) and his appearance on ‘Desert Island Discs’ (in December 2015, available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06r0vsn) so I was keen to read his book. ‘Being Mortal’ suggests that we make the mistake of treating dying as an illness to be cured, making the end of life a medical problem and seeing death as failure. Gawande argues that death is a natural (and inevitable) occurrence and we should focus more on managing the dying process to maintain quality of life rather than simply prioritising keeping someone alive for as long as possible. Though this doesn’t sound like a cheery subject ‘Being Mortal’ is an uplifting read, featuring the stories of many of Dr Gawande’s patients together with some of the pioneers in the fields of hospice, assisted living and innovative approaches to nursing homes. The book also movingly tells the story of Atul Gawande’s father as he and his family have to address the impossibly difficult challenges caused by his declining health. At the end of the book Atul Gawande concludes: “We’ve been wrong about what our job is in medicine. We think our job is to ensure health and survival. But really it is larger than that. It is to enable well-being. And well-being is about the reasons one wishes to be alive.” Everyone should read this book.
Monday, December 03, 2018
Milton Keynes Sinfonia concert
3 December 2018
When I played Gustav Mahler’s ‘Symphony No 1’ with Northampton Symphony Orchestra in 2016, I wrote here (in March 2016) that, for horn players, tackling a Mahler symphony is the equivalent of running a marathon, requiring extensive training to build your stamina. I said then “it was a brilliant experience but one I would be happy not to repeat for a while!” Well, just over two and a half years later, I was thrilled to get the chance to do it again, this time with Milton Keynes Sinfonia at a concert at the Chrysalis Theatre in Milton Keynes last Saturday. This concert was a musical trip to Vienna, opening with Franz Lehar’s overture to ‘The Merry Widow’, followed by Mahler’s orchestral song cycle ‘Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen’ (Songs of a Wayfarer’, sung by the impressive young British baritone, Andrew Hamilton. It was fascinating to hear the songs, the melodies of two of which Mahler also uses in the first and third movements of his First Symphony. The concert was dominated by that Symphony – a dramatic, grandiose, programmatic, playful and powerful epic. Given the stamina and concentration required to perform it, it’s amazing to realise that it is actually one of Mahler’s shortest symphonies. It was great fun to be part of a strong team of nine horn players, wonderfully led by Kate Knight: at one of the rehearsals we outnumbered the first violins! In the concert, when we reached the climax at the end of the first movement, with all nine of us playing together, I thought to myself “this is going to be brilliant!”. It was really enjoyable to be able to play the symphony without the stress of worrying about the first horn solos – which Kate played beautifully. Our conductor, David Knight, coaxed a thrilling performance from the large orchestra and Jenny Brown’s double bass solo at the beginning of the slow movement was exquisite. But it is the finale that will live long in my memory with the horn chorus soaring triumphantly over the orchestra: it was so exciting to be a part of it.
When I played Gustav Mahler’s ‘Symphony No 1’ with Northampton Symphony Orchestra in 2016, I wrote here (in March 2016) that, for horn players, tackling a Mahler symphony is the equivalent of running a marathon, requiring extensive training to build your stamina. I said then “it was a brilliant experience but one I would be happy not to repeat for a while!” Well, just over two and a half years later, I was thrilled to get the chance to do it again, this time with Milton Keynes Sinfonia at a concert at the Chrysalis Theatre in Milton Keynes last Saturday. This concert was a musical trip to Vienna, opening with Franz Lehar’s overture to ‘The Merry Widow’, followed by Mahler’s orchestral song cycle ‘Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen’ (Songs of a Wayfarer’, sung by the impressive young British baritone, Andrew Hamilton. It was fascinating to hear the songs, the melodies of two of which Mahler also uses in the first and third movements of his First Symphony. The concert was dominated by that Symphony – a dramatic, grandiose, programmatic, playful and powerful epic. Given the stamina and concentration required to perform it, it’s amazing to realise that it is actually one of Mahler’s shortest symphonies. It was great fun to be part of a strong team of nine horn players, wonderfully led by Kate Knight: at one of the rehearsals we outnumbered the first violins! In the concert, when we reached the climax at the end of the first movement, with all nine of us playing together, I thought to myself “this is going to be brilliant!”. It was really enjoyable to be able to play the symphony without the stress of worrying about the first horn solos – which Kate played beautifully. Our conductor, David Knight, coaxed a thrilling performance from the large orchestra and Jenny Brown’s double bass solo at the beginning of the slow movement was exquisite. But it is the finale that will live long in my memory with the horn chorus soaring triumphantly over the orchestra: it was so exciting to be a part of it.
Friday, November 30, 2018
'Förgänglighet' by Åkervinda
30 November 2018
One of my highlights of this year’s WOMAD Festival (reviewed here in July 2018) was seeing the Finnish female a cappella quartet Tuuletar (whose album 'Tules Maas Vedes Taivaal' I reviewed here in January 2017). The distinctive sound of Scandinavian female vocal harmonies is a favourite of mine, from Tuuletar to Danish folk duo Vingefang (reviewed here in September 2018) to the legendary Finnish group Värttinä (reviewed here in August 2017). So I am enjoying listening to ‘Förgänglighet’ - the new album by Swedish and Danish female vocal quartet Åkervinda, which is completely unaccompanied voices. It’s fascinating to see the similarities between folk music traditions in geographically adjacent areas and you can clearly hear echoes of Scottish folk singing in these Swedish/Danish songs, as well as examples of the scrunchy vocal harmonies that characterise Finnish traditional music, which themselves have much in common with the Estonian choral sound and the famous female choirs of Bulgaria. ‘Förgänglighet’ is an interestingly varied collections of songs, with some delicate, whispered passages alongside the more rousing choruses – best listened to intently and intimately on headphones.
One of my highlights of this year’s WOMAD Festival (reviewed here in July 2018) was seeing the Finnish female a cappella quartet Tuuletar (whose album 'Tules Maas Vedes Taivaal' I reviewed here in January 2017). The distinctive sound of Scandinavian female vocal harmonies is a favourite of mine, from Tuuletar to Danish folk duo Vingefang (reviewed here in September 2018) to the legendary Finnish group Värttinä (reviewed here in August 2017). So I am enjoying listening to ‘Förgänglighet’ - the new album by Swedish and Danish female vocal quartet Åkervinda, which is completely unaccompanied voices. It’s fascinating to see the similarities between folk music traditions in geographically adjacent areas and you can clearly hear echoes of Scottish folk singing in these Swedish/Danish songs, as well as examples of the scrunchy vocal harmonies that characterise Finnish traditional music, which themselves have much in common with the Estonian choral sound and the famous female choirs of Bulgaria. ‘Förgänglighet’ is an interestingly varied collections of songs, with some delicate, whispered passages alongside the more rousing choruses – best listened to intently and intimately on headphones.
Wednesday, November 21, 2018
'The Madness of George III' by Alan Bennett
21 November 2018
On Tuesday we fought our way through the crowds to the Odeon at Milton Keynes Stadium (not having realised that Brazil were playing Cameroon in an international friendly football match at Stadium MK!) to see the live broadcast of Adam Penford’s new production of ‘The Madness of George III’ from Nottingham Playhouse. Alan Bennett’s play was written in 1991 and, although I had seen Nicholas Hytner’s 1994 film ‘The Madness of King George’ starring Nigel Hawthorne, I had not previously seen the original play. It’s a darker, more serious play than I had realised and it’s interesting to consider how our attitudes to mental illness have changed in the 27 years since it was first performed. It is not without humour but Alan Bennett allows this to come from characterisation rather than witty wordplay. The Nottingham Playhouse production has a strong cast, with Adrian Scarborough determined and dour as the unconventional doctor brought in to treat the King. But the play is a star vehicle and Mark Gatiss is superb as George III, showing his descent into mental illness through an incremental accumulation of small tics and mannerisms. He has the ability to turn his mood on a sixpence – even more evident in the close-ups provided by the live screening. His King is simultaneously funny, petulant, intelligent, domineering and incredibly sympathetic.
On Tuesday we fought our way through the crowds to the Odeon at Milton Keynes Stadium (not having realised that Brazil were playing Cameroon in an international friendly football match at Stadium MK!) to see the live broadcast of Adam Penford’s new production of ‘The Madness of George III’ from Nottingham Playhouse. Alan Bennett’s play was written in 1991 and, although I had seen Nicholas Hytner’s 1994 film ‘The Madness of King George’ starring Nigel Hawthorne, I had not previously seen the original play. It’s a darker, more serious play than I had realised and it’s interesting to consider how our attitudes to mental illness have changed in the 27 years since it was first performed. It is not without humour but Alan Bennett allows this to come from characterisation rather than witty wordplay. The Nottingham Playhouse production has a strong cast, with Adrian Scarborough determined and dour as the unconventional doctor brought in to treat the King. But the play is a star vehicle and Mark Gatiss is superb as George III, showing his descent into mental illness through an incremental accumulation of small tics and mannerisms. He has the ability to turn his mood on a sixpence – even more evident in the close-ups provided by the live screening. His King is simultaneously funny, petulant, intelligent, domineering and incredibly sympathetic.
Tuesday, November 20, 2018
Horse McDonald
20 November 2018
One of the best ways of seeing the pick of the Edinburgh Fringe is to attend recordings of the BBC Radio Scotland Afternoon Show, which always feature a selection of comedians, actors and musicians who are appearing at the Fringe. At one of the BBC Radio Scotland recordings this August we discovered the Scottish singer/songwriter Horse McDonald who was promoting her Fringe show – a tribute to Dusty Springfield. Horse was clearly well-known to the mostly local audience. We had not previously heard of her at all but were bowled over by her amazing voice – a beautiful, powerful, soulful instrument. Last Saturday we were at The Stables in Milton Keynes to see Horse perform her seminal album ‘God’s Home Movie’ in its entirety. She is touring to celebrate the 25th anniversary of this album and the successful conclusion of her legal battle with the record company to have it reissued. The remastered vinyl and CD should be available in the next few weeks. It was strange being part of an adoring audience who clearly knew all the words to all the tracks on ‘God’s Home Movie’ when we hadn’t heard any of these songs before. But we had a great time. The album encompasses a range of styles, from 1980s rock to soul to gentle ballads. And Horse’s vocal range is incredible. She’s also a very likeable raconteur, speaking about the writing of the songs, her fight with the record company and much more. You can listen to the title track of ‘God’s Home Movie’ at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5c2SUQyRRM
One of the best ways of seeing the pick of the Edinburgh Fringe is to attend recordings of the BBC Radio Scotland Afternoon Show, which always feature a selection of comedians, actors and musicians who are appearing at the Fringe. At one of the BBC Radio Scotland recordings this August we discovered the Scottish singer/songwriter Horse McDonald who was promoting her Fringe show – a tribute to Dusty Springfield. Horse was clearly well-known to the mostly local audience. We had not previously heard of her at all but were bowled over by her amazing voice – a beautiful, powerful, soulful instrument. Last Saturday we were at The Stables in Milton Keynes to see Horse perform her seminal album ‘God’s Home Movie’ in its entirety. She is touring to celebrate the 25th anniversary of this album and the successful conclusion of her legal battle with the record company to have it reissued. The remastered vinyl and CD should be available in the next few weeks. It was strange being part of an adoring audience who clearly knew all the words to all the tracks on ‘God’s Home Movie’ when we hadn’t heard any of these songs before. But we had a great time. The album encompasses a range of styles, from 1980s rock to soul to gentle ballads. And Horse’s vocal range is incredible. She’s also a very likeable raconteur, speaking about the writing of the songs, her fight with the record company and much more. You can listen to the title track of ‘God’s Home Movie’ at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5c2SUQyRRM
Monday, November 12, 2018
Northampton Symphony Orchestra concert
12 November 2018
On Saturday we launched the 125th anniversary season of the Northampton Symphony Orchestra with a piece written in 1893 – the year the orchestra was founded: ‘Entry March of the Boyars’ by the Norwegian composer Johan Halvorsen. This was followed by the ever-popular ‘Cello Concerto’ by Antonin Dvorak, written soon afterwards and premiered in 1896. Our soloist was the wonderful young Ukrainian ‘cellist Yaroslava Trofymchuk who gave a stunning performance of this incredibly romantic piece. Dvorak wrote the concerto during his stay in America and you can hear the similarities with his ‘New World Symphony’, which we are due to perform in February 2019. We finished Saturday’s concert with Aaron Copland’s ‘Third Symphony’, written to celebrate the end of the Second World War. It’s an optimistic piece which paints a picture of a forward-looking America. The final movement uses Copland’s ‘Fanfare for the Common Man’, written in 1942 to mark America’s entry into the war but reworked here as a poignant reflection. The symphony is full of Copland’s distinctive sparse orchestral sound, with recognisable echoes of ‘Rodeo’ and ‘Appalachian Spring’. It is a considerable test of stamina, particularly for the brass section in the mammoth final movement. I really enjoyed getting to know the symphony and I think our performance was pretty impressive, with brass and percussion excelling in the famous fanfare and some great delicacy from the strings, woodwind, keyboards and harps in the quieter sections.
On Saturday we launched the 125th anniversary season of the Northampton Symphony Orchestra with a piece written in 1893 – the year the orchestra was founded: ‘Entry March of the Boyars’ by the Norwegian composer Johan Halvorsen. This was followed by the ever-popular ‘Cello Concerto’ by Antonin Dvorak, written soon afterwards and premiered in 1896. Our soloist was the wonderful young Ukrainian ‘cellist Yaroslava Trofymchuk who gave a stunning performance of this incredibly romantic piece. Dvorak wrote the concerto during his stay in America and you can hear the similarities with his ‘New World Symphony’, which we are due to perform in February 2019. We finished Saturday’s concert with Aaron Copland’s ‘Third Symphony’, written to celebrate the end of the Second World War. It’s an optimistic piece which paints a picture of a forward-looking America. The final movement uses Copland’s ‘Fanfare for the Common Man’, written in 1942 to mark America’s entry into the war but reworked here as a poignant reflection. The symphony is full of Copland’s distinctive sparse orchestral sound, with recognisable echoes of ‘Rodeo’ and ‘Appalachian Spring’. It is a considerable test of stamina, particularly for the brass section in the mammoth final movement. I really enjoyed getting to know the symphony and I think our performance was pretty impressive, with brass and percussion excelling in the famous fanfare and some great delicacy from the strings, woodwind, keyboards and harps in the quieter sections.
Friday, November 09, 2018
'Whorls' by Kittel & Co
9 November 2018
I’ve been enjoying ‘Whorls’, the debut album by Brooklyn-based fiddler Jeremy Kittel’s new string quintet Kittel & Co. The band consists of Kittel’s violin plus mandolin, guitar, ‘cello and hammer-dulcimer. The mostly instrumental tracks are mixture of bluegrass, Celtic folk, jazz and classical. This is gentle, thoughtful music, excellently played – folk chamber music rather than dance music. See this 3-minute video about the making of ‘Whorls’: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPttBkXQ5Io
I’ve been enjoying ‘Whorls’, the debut album by Brooklyn-based fiddler Jeremy Kittel’s new string quintet Kittel & Co. The band consists of Kittel’s violin plus mandolin, guitar, ‘cello and hammer-dulcimer. The mostly instrumental tracks are mixture of bluegrass, Celtic folk, jazz and classical. This is gentle, thoughtful music, excellently played – folk chamber music rather than dance music. See this 3-minute video about the making of ‘Whorls’: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPttBkXQ5Io
Friday, November 02, 2018
'The Giant Killers' by Andrew and Eve Pearson-Wright
2 November 2018
On Sunday we were at the Stantonbury Theatre in Milton Keynes to see the Long Lane Theatre Company production of ‘The Giant Killers’ by Andrew and Eve Pearson-Wright. This is the true story of Darwen Football Club, the first working-class team to play in the FA Cup. In 1879 they took on the “poshest team of all” – The Old Etonians. The play is ‘The Ragged-Trousered Philanthropists’ with added football, looking at working conditions in the cotton mills of Lancashire and the clashes between unions and management as well as the early development of Association Football. It’s a fascinating and inspiring story, told with gusto by a cast of four as a kind of dramatised lecture. Some of the language (particularly the swearing) felt a bit too contemporary for 1879 but this didn’t detract from the rousing David vs Goliath narrative which had us all shouting “Darwen, Darwen” by the end.
On Sunday we were at the Stantonbury Theatre in Milton Keynes to see the Long Lane Theatre Company production of ‘The Giant Killers’ by Andrew and Eve Pearson-Wright. This is the true story of Darwen Football Club, the first working-class team to play in the FA Cup. In 1879 they took on the “poshest team of all” – The Old Etonians. The play is ‘The Ragged-Trousered Philanthropists’ with added football, looking at working conditions in the cotton mills of Lancashire and the clashes between unions and management as well as the early development of Association Football. It’s a fascinating and inspiring story, told with gusto by a cast of four as a kind of dramatised lecture. Some of the language (particularly the swearing) felt a bit too contemporary for 1879 but this didn’t detract from the rousing David vs Goliath narrative which had us all shouting “Darwen, Darwen” by the end.
Andy Hamilton
2 November 2018
I’ve long been a fan of the comedian and writer Andy Hamilton but had not had the chance to see him perform live until Saturday when we were at the Harpenden Public Halls for ‘An Audience with Andy Hamilton’. It’s a brave move for a comedian to genuinely base a whole performance around answering audience questions but Andy Hamilton is a great raconteur and the slightest of prompts set him off on a multitude of entertaining anecdotes. It helps that he has such a huge back catalogue of comedy successes – from writing for ‘Weekending’ in the 1980s to ‘Drop the Dead Donkey’, ‘Old Harry’s Game’, ‘Revolting People’ and ‘Outnumbered’, as well as regular appearances on ‘The News Quiz’, ‘Have I Got News For You?’ and ‘QI’. Andy Hamilton is a very gentle, likeable comedian and an evening based on audience participation never felt threatening in the way it might in other hands.
I’ve long been a fan of the comedian and writer Andy Hamilton but had not had the chance to see him perform live until Saturday when we were at the Harpenden Public Halls for ‘An Audience with Andy Hamilton’. It’s a brave move for a comedian to genuinely base a whole performance around answering audience questions but Andy Hamilton is a great raconteur and the slightest of prompts set him off on a multitude of entertaining anecdotes. It helps that he has such a huge back catalogue of comedy successes – from writing for ‘Weekending’ in the 1980s to ‘Drop the Dead Donkey’, ‘Old Harry’s Game’, ‘Revolting People’ and ‘Outnumbered’, as well as regular appearances on ‘The News Quiz’, ‘Have I Got News For You?’ and ‘QI’. Andy Hamilton is a very gentle, likeable comedian and an evening based on audience participation never felt threatening in the way it might in other hands.
Thursday, October 25, 2018
'Early Riser' by Jasper Fforde
25 October 2018
Regular readers may remember my enthusiasm for Jasper Fforde’s silly fantasy novels, particularly the Nursery Crimes series (reviewed here in April and October 2007), his Thursday Next literary detective series (reviewed here in August, September and October 2008, February and April 2009 and April 2012) and his 'Dragonslayer' young-adult fantasy novels (‘The Last Dragonslayer’ reviewed here in August 2014). I was less taken with his more serious post-apocalyptic dystopian novel ‘Shades of Grey’ (no, not that one! – reviewed here in April 2011), intended as the first in a series but not yet followed up. Jasper Fforde’s new novel ‘Early Riser’, which I have just finished reading as an unabridged audio book, narrated by Thomas Hunt, is his first deliberately stand-alone novel. And this feels like a successful blend of what he was trying to achieve with ‘Shades of Grey’ and the comic parallel-world versions of real places from his earlier series. After his bizarre alternative-reality versions of Reading (Nursery Crimes), Swindon (Thursday Next) and Hereford (Dragonslayer), ‘Early Riser’ is set in weirdly recognisable but significantly different Wales. In this reality severe five-month winters (caused by some catastrophic but unexplained climate change) mean the majority of the population have to hibernate in order to survive. Only a few hardy ‘consuls’ stay awake to police the savage winter months. It’s a high concept novel, drawn in intricate detail but with enough reference to the real world to make it relatively easy to follow. I missed the silly humour of Fforde’s earlier novels but I enjoyed the unravelling mystery plot and the cast of eccentric but loveable characters. (You’ve got to love the night-walker zombie Mrs Tiffin, doomed to endlessly play ‘Help Yourself’ by Tom Jones on the bouzouki!). It was lovely to see a reprise (from the Thursday Next novels) of the Wales Tourist Board slogan ‘Wales: not always raining’. And interesting to see the parallel between the parts of the action that take place within fictional books in the Thursday Next series and within dreams in ‘Early Riser’. It was also nice to have a self-contained plot which properly resolves itself rather than just preparing for a sequel – though I will miss Charlie ‘Wonky’ Worthing and his friends. But “we’ll always have the Gower”.
Regular readers may remember my enthusiasm for Jasper Fforde’s silly fantasy novels, particularly the Nursery Crimes series (reviewed here in April and October 2007), his Thursday Next literary detective series (reviewed here in August, September and October 2008, February and April 2009 and April 2012) and his 'Dragonslayer' young-adult fantasy novels (‘The Last Dragonslayer’ reviewed here in August 2014). I was less taken with his more serious post-apocalyptic dystopian novel ‘Shades of Grey’ (no, not that one! – reviewed here in April 2011), intended as the first in a series but not yet followed up. Jasper Fforde’s new novel ‘Early Riser’, which I have just finished reading as an unabridged audio book, narrated by Thomas Hunt, is his first deliberately stand-alone novel. And this feels like a successful blend of what he was trying to achieve with ‘Shades of Grey’ and the comic parallel-world versions of real places from his earlier series. After his bizarre alternative-reality versions of Reading (Nursery Crimes), Swindon (Thursday Next) and Hereford (Dragonslayer), ‘Early Riser’ is set in weirdly recognisable but significantly different Wales. In this reality severe five-month winters (caused by some catastrophic but unexplained climate change) mean the majority of the population have to hibernate in order to survive. Only a few hardy ‘consuls’ stay awake to police the savage winter months. It’s a high concept novel, drawn in intricate detail but with enough reference to the real world to make it relatively easy to follow. I missed the silly humour of Fforde’s earlier novels but I enjoyed the unravelling mystery plot and the cast of eccentric but loveable characters. (You’ve got to love the night-walker zombie Mrs Tiffin, doomed to endlessly play ‘Help Yourself’ by Tom Jones on the bouzouki!). It was lovely to see a reprise (from the Thursday Next novels) of the Wales Tourist Board slogan ‘Wales: not always raining’. And interesting to see the parallel between the parts of the action that take place within fictional books in the Thursday Next series and within dreams in ‘Early Riser’. It was also nice to have a self-contained plot which properly resolves itself rather than just preparing for a sequel – though I will miss Charlie ‘Wonky’ Worthing and his friends. But “we’ll always have the Gower”.
Wednesday, October 24, 2018
'Touching the Void' adapted by David Greig from the book by Joe Simpson
24 October 2018
In 1985, while climbing in the Peruvian Andes, Joe Simpson slipped down an ice cliff and broke his leg. His climbing partner Simon Yates attempted to lower him down the mountain but inadvertently lowered Simpson off a cliff. Suddenly the rope tying the two men together threatened both their lives and Yates took the horrible decision to cut the rope to save himself while Simpson plunged to almost certain death. I don’t think it’s too much of a spoiler to reveal that Simpson didn’t die, as his incredible tale of survival against all the odds became an award-winning book and film. Now playwright David Greig and director Tom Morris have adapted ‘Touching the Void’ for the stage, in a joint production by Bristol Old Vic, Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh, Royal & Derngate Northampton and Fuel, which we saw in Northampton on Saturday. Their creative approaches to dramatising Joe Simpson’s interior monologue and staging the mountaineering are very innovative and impressive – helped by Ti Green’s amazing set which creates a very theatrical version of the story. The cast of four actors take on some incredibly physical challenges and David Greig’s framing of the tale, beginning with a wake for Simpson in a Scottish climbers’ pub, is very clever. And I liked that the play’s musical soundtrack used tracks chosen by Joe Simpson when he appeared on ‘Desert Island Discs’ in 2004. But I felt they missed a trick by ending the play with the ‘revelation’ of Simpson’s survival rather than going on to explore the subsequent relationship between him and Simon Yates and that painful question of whether he should have cut the rope.
In 1985, while climbing in the Peruvian Andes, Joe Simpson slipped down an ice cliff and broke his leg. His climbing partner Simon Yates attempted to lower him down the mountain but inadvertently lowered Simpson off a cliff. Suddenly the rope tying the two men together threatened both their lives and Yates took the horrible decision to cut the rope to save himself while Simpson plunged to almost certain death. I don’t think it’s too much of a spoiler to reveal that Simpson didn’t die, as his incredible tale of survival against all the odds became an award-winning book and film. Now playwright David Greig and director Tom Morris have adapted ‘Touching the Void’ for the stage, in a joint production by Bristol Old Vic, Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh, Royal & Derngate Northampton and Fuel, which we saw in Northampton on Saturday. Their creative approaches to dramatising Joe Simpson’s interior monologue and staging the mountaineering are very innovative and impressive – helped by Ti Green’s amazing set which creates a very theatrical version of the story. The cast of four actors take on some incredibly physical challenges and David Greig’s framing of the tale, beginning with a wake for Simpson in a Scottish climbers’ pub, is very clever. And I liked that the play’s musical soundtrack used tracks chosen by Joe Simpson when he appeared on ‘Desert Island Discs’ in 2004. But I felt they missed a trick by ending the play with the ‘revelation’ of Simpson’s survival rather than going on to explore the subsequent relationship between him and Simon Yates and that painful question of whether he should have cut the rope.
Friday, October 19, 2018
'Troilus and Cressida' by William Shakespeare
19 October 2018
This week I ticked off one of the diminishing number of Shakespeare plays I had never seen, with Gregory Doran’s new RSC production of ‘Troilus and Cressida’ which we saw at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon on Thursday. Shakespeare throws us straight into the Trojan War with the Prologue explaining that we are “beginning in the middle”. He manages to incorporate almost every ancient Greek character you have heard of: Agamemnon, Menelaus, Ulysses, Paris, Hector, Priam, Achilles, Patroclus, Cassandra, Helen et al. Doran’s production is set in a steampunk, ‘Mad Max’ version of Troy, complete with motorbikes and shipping containers (standing in for the Greek army’s tents). He squeezes as much comedy as possible from this brutal tale of war, with Sheila Reid’s Thersites as a Janette Krankie Shakespearean Fool, somewhat incongruous amongst the Greek warriors. ‘Troilus and Cressida’ is an odd play – a mixture of history, comedy and tragedy with recognisable elements of other Shakespeare plays (‘Romeo and Juliet’, ‘Henry IV Part One’, ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ etc) transposed to ancient Greece. It’s not his greatest work but the RSC production is impressive, with an original musical score for four percussionists by Evelyn Glennie (her first composition for the stage). And RSC veteran Oliver Ford Davies steals the show as Pandarus – a very funny performance as the kind of bumbling old fool that he specialises in: nobody does Oliver Ford Davies better than Oliver Ford Davies!
'Troilus and Cressida' will be broadcast live from Stratford-upon-Avon to cinemas on 14 November.
This week I ticked off one of the diminishing number of Shakespeare plays I had never seen, with Gregory Doran’s new RSC production of ‘Troilus and Cressida’ which we saw at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon on Thursday. Shakespeare throws us straight into the Trojan War with the Prologue explaining that we are “beginning in the middle”. He manages to incorporate almost every ancient Greek character you have heard of: Agamemnon, Menelaus, Ulysses, Paris, Hector, Priam, Achilles, Patroclus, Cassandra, Helen et al. Doran’s production is set in a steampunk, ‘Mad Max’ version of Troy, complete with motorbikes and shipping containers (standing in for the Greek army’s tents). He squeezes as much comedy as possible from this brutal tale of war, with Sheila Reid’s Thersites as a Janette Krankie Shakespearean Fool, somewhat incongruous amongst the Greek warriors. ‘Troilus and Cressida’ is an odd play – a mixture of history, comedy and tragedy with recognisable elements of other Shakespeare plays (‘Romeo and Juliet’, ‘Henry IV Part One’, ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ etc) transposed to ancient Greece. It’s not his greatest work but the RSC production is impressive, with an original musical score for four percussionists by Evelyn Glennie (her first composition for the stage). And RSC veteran Oliver Ford Davies steals the show as Pandarus – a very funny performance as the kind of bumbling old fool that he specialises in: nobody does Oliver Ford Davies better than Oliver Ford Davies!
'Troilus and Cressida' will be broadcast live from Stratford-upon-Avon to cinemas on 14 November.
Monday, October 15, 2018
'Dangerous Corner' by J B Priestley
15 October 2018
On Saturday we were at the Abbey Theatre in St Albans to see ‘Dangerous Corner’ by J B Priestley, presented by the very impressive local amateur theatre group ‘Company of Ten’. Written in 1932, ‘Dangerous Corner’ was Priestley’s first solo play. It is a drawing-room drama that reflects its period and is a very clever, slowly revealing thriller. Priestley’s intricate web of unrequited attractions is maybe a little too neat but makes for a very satisfying puzzle. Tina Swain’s production managed to unveil each hidden connection without descending into melodrama. She was aided by an excellent amateur cast: all seven actors were very strong but Andrew Baird as the knowingly cynical Stanton was the pick of the bunch.
On Saturday we were at the Abbey Theatre in St Albans to see ‘Dangerous Corner’ by J B Priestley, presented by the very impressive local amateur theatre group ‘Company of Ten’. Written in 1932, ‘Dangerous Corner’ was Priestley’s first solo play. It is a drawing-room drama that reflects its period and is a very clever, slowly revealing thriller. Priestley’s intricate web of unrequited attractions is maybe a little too neat but makes for a very satisfying puzzle. Tina Swain’s production managed to unveil each hidden connection without descending into melodrama. She was aided by an excellent amateur cast: all seven actors were very strong but Andrew Baird as the knowingly cynical Stanton was the pick of the bunch.
Friday, October 12, 2018
'Killing Eve' by Phoebe Waller-Bridge
12 October 2018
We’ve just finished watching Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s brilliant eight-part spy thriller ‘Killing Eve’ on BBC Three. Based on the Villanelle novels by Luke Jennings, ‘Killing Eve’ is the story of a MI5 agent, played by Sandra Oh, on the trail of a young female assassin linked to a series of contract killings across Europe. It is a scary and brutally violent story which is quirky and incredibly funny without ever descending into spoof. ‘Bodyguard’ creator Jed Mercurio recently said there’s no such thing as a “can’t-die” character and Phoebe Waller-Bridge seems to have taken his advice to heart, constantly shocking us by killing off someone we had assumed was one of the main characters in almost every episode. In this aspect, and in its particularly black violent humour ‘Killing Eve’ has much in common with Noah Hawley’s splendid ‘Fargo’ TV series (reviewed here in October 2017). There is a great cast: it was particularly good to see the Danish star of ‘The Bridge’ (reviewed here in January 2014), Kim Bodnia, who is a wonderful comic actor. But the star of the show, without any doubt, is Jodie Comer who is fantastic as Villanelle, making you fall completely in love with a callous, merciless killer. Her playful smirk is one of the most compelling and chilling things on television. ‘Killing Eve’ is being broadcast on BBC Two on Saturday evenings but you can watch the whole series now on BBC iPlayer: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p06kbg8t/killing-eve-series-1-1-nice-face
We’ve just finished watching Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s brilliant eight-part spy thriller ‘Killing Eve’ on BBC Three. Based on the Villanelle novels by Luke Jennings, ‘Killing Eve’ is the story of a MI5 agent, played by Sandra Oh, on the trail of a young female assassin linked to a series of contract killings across Europe. It is a scary and brutally violent story which is quirky and incredibly funny without ever descending into spoof. ‘Bodyguard’ creator Jed Mercurio recently said there’s no such thing as a “can’t-die” character and Phoebe Waller-Bridge seems to have taken his advice to heart, constantly shocking us by killing off someone we had assumed was one of the main characters in almost every episode. In this aspect, and in its particularly black violent humour ‘Killing Eve’ has much in common with Noah Hawley’s splendid ‘Fargo’ TV series (reviewed here in October 2017). There is a great cast: it was particularly good to see the Danish star of ‘The Bridge’ (reviewed here in January 2014), Kim Bodnia, who is a wonderful comic actor. But the star of the show, without any doubt, is Jodie Comer who is fantastic as Villanelle, making you fall completely in love with a callous, merciless killer. Her playful smirk is one of the most compelling and chilling things on television. ‘Killing Eve’ is being broadcast on BBC Two on Saturday evenings but you can watch the whole series now on BBC iPlayer: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p06kbg8t/killing-eve-series-1-1-nice-face
Wednesday, October 10, 2018
'The Importance of Being Earnest' by Oscar Wilde
10 October 2018
On Tuesday we were at the Odeon in Milton Keynes to watch the live broadcast of the Classic Spring Theatre Company’s production of ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ by Oscar Wilde from the Vaudeville Theatre in London’s West End. ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ is such a perfect play you really don’t need to do much to it and Michael Fentiman’s production was thankfully sparing in terms of tricksy interpretations or additions. Sophie Thompson was a great Lady Bracknell – all the more menacing for being a little under-stated. Her “a handbag!” neatly avoided Edith Evans by almost swallowing the words in stunned disbelief (though she did try to have her cake and eat it by allowing herself the full Evans every other time the word “handbag” occurred!). My favourite scene is always the first encounter between Cecily and Gwendolen in the garden, and Fiona Button and Pippa Nixon did not disappoint. The play is full of wonderful quotable lines but you can’t beat: “I never travel without my diary. One should always have something sensational to read in the train.” ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ is always a delight and it is particularly lovely to hear the reaction of people in the audience who clearly haven’t seen the play before.
On Tuesday we were at the Odeon in Milton Keynes to watch the live broadcast of the Classic Spring Theatre Company’s production of ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ by Oscar Wilde from the Vaudeville Theatre in London’s West End. ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ is such a perfect play you really don’t need to do much to it and Michael Fentiman’s production was thankfully sparing in terms of tricksy interpretations or additions. Sophie Thompson was a great Lady Bracknell – all the more menacing for being a little under-stated. Her “a handbag!” neatly avoided Edith Evans by almost swallowing the words in stunned disbelief (though she did try to have her cake and eat it by allowing herself the full Evans every other time the word “handbag” occurred!). My favourite scene is always the first encounter between Cecily and Gwendolen in the garden, and Fiona Button and Pippa Nixon did not disappoint. The play is full of wonderful quotable lines but you can’t beat: “I never travel without my diary. One should always have something sensational to read in the train.” ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ is always a delight and it is particularly lovely to hear the reaction of people in the audience who clearly haven’t seen the play before.
Wednesday, October 03, 2018
'Bismillah' by Matthew Greenhough
3 October 2018
On Tuesday we were at the Stantonbury Theatre in Milton Keynes to see Wound Up Theatre’s production of ‘Bismillah’, written and performed by Matthew Greenhough. Somewhere in Iraq a British solider is is being held prisoner by ISIS, chained to a metal pole. But when he discovers his captor comes from London and speaks English they embark on a conversation that becomes a very black comedy. Directed by Jonny Kelly, this two-hander is a really good example of fringe theatre, with the audience on the stage, surrounding and very close to the actors. This creates a claustrophobic atmosphere – making us feel inside the prison cell. Matthew Greenhough’s script is very funny, while never forgetting the brutality of the situation. He does a great job of showing how soldiers on both sides often only have a fairly hazy grasp of what they are fighting for. The play manages to be gripping, laugh-out-loud funny and very frightening and is excellently acted by Matthew Greenhough and Elliot Liburd. It’s often uncomfortable to watch but completely compelling.
On Tuesday we were at the Stantonbury Theatre in Milton Keynes to see Wound Up Theatre’s production of ‘Bismillah’, written and performed by Matthew Greenhough. Somewhere in Iraq a British solider is is being held prisoner by ISIS, chained to a metal pole. But when he discovers his captor comes from London and speaks English they embark on a conversation that becomes a very black comedy. Directed by Jonny Kelly, this two-hander is a really good example of fringe theatre, with the audience on the stage, surrounding and very close to the actors. This creates a claustrophobic atmosphere – making us feel inside the prison cell. Matthew Greenhough’s script is very funny, while never forgetting the brutality of the situation. He does a great job of showing how soldiers on both sides often only have a fairly hazy grasp of what they are fighting for. The play manages to be gripping, laugh-out-loud funny and very frightening and is excellently acted by Matthew Greenhough and Elliot Liburd. It’s often uncomfortable to watch but completely compelling.
Friday, September 28, 2018
'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.
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.
'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.
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.
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
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
Thursday, September 13, 2018
‘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.
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.
Friday, September 07, 2018
'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.
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.
Thursday, August 30, 2018
Edinburgh Festivals 2018
30 August 2018
We had a wonderful time at the Edinburgh Festivals last week, seeing 26 shows including theatre, music, comedy and poetry. We enjoyed catching up with some old favourites such as the comedians Simon Munnery (recounting his experience of working as a cleaner in a Bedfordshire chicken factory) and Owen O’Neill (with ‘Ten Songs to Die For’ - another beautifully constructed and brilliantly performed piece of theatrical storytelling). It was also good to see another play by the impressive young duo Roxy Dunn and Alys Metcalf, whose previous work ‘In Tents and Purposes’ we really enjoyed at the Edinburgh Fringe two years ago. Their new show, ‘You Only Live Forever’, featured the same comic meta-dissection of the writing process and squabbling between the performers, bearing some resemblance to the marvellous National Theatre of Brent. Our musical highlight was an incredibly exciting Edinburgh International Festival debut by the Colbourn Orchestra – a youth orchestra from the Colbourn Conservatory of Music in Los Angeles. Conductor Stéphane Denève drew a thrilling performance from the young musicians, starting with Esa-Pekka Salonen’s highly entertaining ‘Nyx’. The orchestra were joined by fellow Colbourn student Simone Porter for the gorgeous ‘Violin Concerto’ by Samuel Barber, galloping through the seemingly impossible final movement with ease. Rachmaninov’s ‘Symphonic Dances’ had audience and orchestra on the edge of their seats and an encore of Leonard Bernstein’s ‘Overture to Candide’ provided a stunning finish to a wonderful concert. Our theatrical highlights included Lily Bevan’s new two-hander ‘Zoo’ - a funny and poignant story of a cross-Atlantic friendship, natural disaster and bats. We really enjoyed Alison Skilbeck’s one-woman play 'Are There More of You' – only realising afterwards that we had seen her perform it before at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2008 (reviewed here in August 2008)! We also liked Mark O’Rowe’s triptych cycle of friendship and estrangement in contemporary Dublin, ‘The Approach’, and the descent into farce in Brian Parks’ play ‘The House’ had us laughing uncontrollably. But our best discovery was the young actor Kizzy Dunn who was performing two Shakespearean adaptations by Nick Hennegan. At the end of ‘Hamlet’ the dying prince says “Oh God, Horatio, what a damaged reputation I’m leaving behind me, as no one knows the truth. If you ever loved me, then please postpone the sweet relief of death awhile, and stay in this harsh world long enough to tell my story.” In ‘Hamlet: Horatio’s Tale’ Kizzy Dunn played Horatio recounting the tragedy of his friend, in effect giving us a one-woman rendition of ‘Hamlet’ in an hour. It was a stunning performance which made us immediately book tickets for her other show, ‘Henry V: Lion of England’. Kizzy Dunn’s performance of ‘Henry V’ (again in one hour) was even more impressive: it’s the first time the St Crispin’s Day speech has actually made me cry. She is definitely a name to watch and these solo shows in a small venue where everyone is close to the action demonstrated the very best of fringe theatre.
We had a wonderful time at the Edinburgh Festivals last week, seeing 26 shows including theatre, music, comedy and poetry. We enjoyed catching up with some old favourites such as the comedians Simon Munnery (recounting his experience of working as a cleaner in a Bedfordshire chicken factory) and Owen O’Neill (with ‘Ten Songs to Die For’ - another beautifully constructed and brilliantly performed piece of theatrical storytelling). It was also good to see another play by the impressive young duo Roxy Dunn and Alys Metcalf, whose previous work ‘In Tents and Purposes’ we really enjoyed at the Edinburgh Fringe two years ago. Their new show, ‘You Only Live Forever’, featured the same comic meta-dissection of the writing process and squabbling between the performers, bearing some resemblance to the marvellous National Theatre of Brent. Our musical highlight was an incredibly exciting Edinburgh International Festival debut by the Colbourn Orchestra – a youth orchestra from the Colbourn Conservatory of Music in Los Angeles. Conductor Stéphane Denève drew a thrilling performance from the young musicians, starting with Esa-Pekka Salonen’s highly entertaining ‘Nyx’. The orchestra were joined by fellow Colbourn student Simone Porter for the gorgeous ‘Violin Concerto’ by Samuel Barber, galloping through the seemingly impossible final movement with ease. Rachmaninov’s ‘Symphonic Dances’ had audience and orchestra on the edge of their seats and an encore of Leonard Bernstein’s ‘Overture to Candide’ provided a stunning finish to a wonderful concert. Our theatrical highlights included Lily Bevan’s new two-hander ‘Zoo’ - a funny and poignant story of a cross-Atlantic friendship, natural disaster and bats. We really enjoyed Alison Skilbeck’s one-woman play 'Are There More of You' – only realising afterwards that we had seen her perform it before at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2008 (reviewed here in August 2008)! We also liked Mark O’Rowe’s triptych cycle of friendship and estrangement in contemporary Dublin, ‘The Approach’, and the descent into farce in Brian Parks’ play ‘The House’ had us laughing uncontrollably. But our best discovery was the young actor Kizzy Dunn who was performing two Shakespearean adaptations by Nick Hennegan. At the end of ‘Hamlet’ the dying prince says “Oh God, Horatio, what a damaged reputation I’m leaving behind me, as no one knows the truth. If you ever loved me, then please postpone the sweet relief of death awhile, and stay in this harsh world long enough to tell my story.” In ‘Hamlet: Horatio’s Tale’ Kizzy Dunn played Horatio recounting the tragedy of his friend, in effect giving us a one-woman rendition of ‘Hamlet’ in an hour. It was a stunning performance which made us immediately book tickets for her other show, ‘Henry V: Lion of England’. Kizzy Dunn’s performance of ‘Henry V’ (again in one hour) was even more impressive: it’s the first time the St Crispin’s Day speech has actually made me cry. She is definitely a name to watch and these solo shows in a small venue where everyone is close to the action demonstrated the very best of fringe theatre.
Friday, August 17, 2018
'The Long Earth' by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter
17 August 2018
I am a relatively recent convert to the books of Terry Pratchett and have enjoyed starting to plough through his catalogue of gloriously silly Discworld novels. ‘The Long Earth’ is a very different Terry Pratchett book. Written with Stephen Baxter, this is more serious science fiction rather than fantasy. The premise is that there are millions of parallel Earths, each of which has evolved in slightly different ways, and suddenly mankind discovers the ability to ‘step’ between these alternative worlds at will. It’s a great thought experiment, showing different ways in which the history of our planet might have developed as a result of countless ‘sliding doors’ moments. The alternative evolutionary paths for humans reminded me of HG Wells’ ‘The Time Machine’ – not surprising perhaps as Stephen Baxter is clearly a student of Wells, having previously written the meticulously crafted homage/sequel to ‘The War of the Worlds’, 'The Massacre of Mankind' (reviewed here in February 2017). The thought experiment also explores how mankind would make use of this sudden availability of endless alternative Earths, reminding me of other science fiction about pioneers settling new worlds – such as ‘The Martian Chronicles’ by Ray Bradbury and Harry Harrison’s ‘To The Stars’ trilogy. ‘The Long Earth’ is an enthralling concept but I felt the novel needed a stronger driving narrative. It is, however, the first in a 5-book series by Pratchett and Baxter so maybe this was the necessary set-up for what follows. I look forward to finding out.
I am a relatively recent convert to the books of Terry Pratchett and have enjoyed starting to plough through his catalogue of gloriously silly Discworld novels. ‘The Long Earth’ is a very different Terry Pratchett book. Written with Stephen Baxter, this is more serious science fiction rather than fantasy. The premise is that there are millions of parallel Earths, each of which has evolved in slightly different ways, and suddenly mankind discovers the ability to ‘step’ between these alternative worlds at will. It’s a great thought experiment, showing different ways in which the history of our planet might have developed as a result of countless ‘sliding doors’ moments. The alternative evolutionary paths for humans reminded me of HG Wells’ ‘The Time Machine’ – not surprising perhaps as Stephen Baxter is clearly a student of Wells, having previously written the meticulously crafted homage/sequel to ‘The War of the Worlds’, 'The Massacre of Mankind' (reviewed here in February 2017). The thought experiment also explores how mankind would make use of this sudden availability of endless alternative Earths, reminding me of other science fiction about pioneers settling new worlds – such as ‘The Martian Chronicles’ by Ray Bradbury and Harry Harrison’s ‘To The Stars’ trilogy. ‘The Long Earth’ is an enthralling concept but I felt the novel needed a stronger driving narrative. It is, however, the first in a 5-book series by Pratchett and Baxter so maybe this was the necessary set-up for what follows. I look forward to finding out.
Friday, August 10, 2018
'The Darkness' by Ragnar Jónasson
10 August 2018
Regular readers will know of my enthusiasm for all things Icelandic and this led me to a new crime novel by Ragnar Jónasson. I have just finished reading ‘The Darkness’, translated by Victoria Cribb, as an unabridged audio book narrated by Amanda Redman. ‘The Darkness’ introduces Detective Inspector Hulda Hermannsdóttir, a 64-year old police officer who is about to retire but determined to solve one final case before she hands in her badge. It is a cleverly plotted mystery and I recognised many of the places involved, from our two visits to Iceland in 2015. But it’s a very grim tale, without much light relief. Hulda has endured personal tragedy and is worried about the loneliness of retirement, and she is investigating the death of a Russian asylum seeker that is a sad and distressing tale.
Regular readers will know of my enthusiasm for all things Icelandic and this led me to a new crime novel by Ragnar Jónasson. I have just finished reading ‘The Darkness’, translated by Victoria Cribb, as an unabridged audio book narrated by Amanda Redman. ‘The Darkness’ introduces Detective Inspector Hulda Hermannsdóttir, a 64-year old police officer who is about to retire but determined to solve one final case before she hands in her badge. It is a cleverly plotted mystery and I recognised many of the places involved, from our two visits to Iceland in 2015. But it’s a very grim tale, without much light relief. Hulda has endured personal tragedy and is worried about the loneliness of retirement, and she is investigating the death of a Russian asylum seeker that is a sad and distressing tale.
Thursday, August 02, 2018
‘Little Women’ by Louisa May Alcott, adapted by Laura Turner
2 August 2018
I haven’t read ‘Little Women’ by Louisa May Alcott, and had somehow previously managed to avoid its many adaptations, so I came completely fresh to the story as I watched Chapterhouse Theatre Company’s open-air production, adapted by Laura Turner, in the beautiful gardens of Wrest Park, Silsoe, on Tuesday. We saw the same Chapterhouse cast perform ‘Sense & Sensibility’ at Claydon House near Buckingham a few weeks ago and it was interesting to see the parallels between Jane Austen and ‘Little Women’. It was also nice to have that ‘repertory company’ experience of recognising the actors, with Alexandra Lansdale and Hannah Lawrence stealing the show in the two plays as the youngest siblings (Amy in ‘Little Women’ and Margaret Dashwood in ‘Sense and Sensibility’). ‘Little Women’ was an enjoyable and moving story, clearly bringing out the different personalities of the four March sisters. And it was refreshing to see an open-air theatre production of something other than Shakespeare or Austen – and not to know in advance how it was going to end!
I haven’t read ‘Little Women’ by Louisa May Alcott, and had somehow previously managed to avoid its many adaptations, so I came completely fresh to the story as I watched Chapterhouse Theatre Company’s open-air production, adapted by Laura Turner, in the beautiful gardens of Wrest Park, Silsoe, on Tuesday. We saw the same Chapterhouse cast perform ‘Sense & Sensibility’ at Claydon House near Buckingham a few weeks ago and it was interesting to see the parallels between Jane Austen and ‘Little Women’. It was also nice to have that ‘repertory company’ experience of recognising the actors, with Alexandra Lansdale and Hannah Lawrence stealing the show in the two plays as the youngest siblings (Amy in ‘Little Women’ and Margaret Dashwood in ‘Sense and Sensibility’). ‘Little Women’ was an enjoyable and moving story, clearly bringing out the different personalities of the four March sisters. And it was refreshing to see an open-air theatre production of something other than Shakespeare or Austen – and not to know in advance how it was going to end!
Monday, July 30, 2018
WOMAD 2018
30 July 2018
This year’s WOMAD Festival at Charlton Park in Wiltshire had mixed weather but the threatened torrential downpours failed to materialise and we only had a little light rain on Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon. The music was eclectic as ever. My personal highlights, from the 17 full performances I saw, included gentle acoustic songs from Estonian singer Mari Kalkun, the pan-American female quartet LADAMA (from Columbia, Brazil, Venezuela and the USA) and a long-overdue opportunity to see the wonderful Amparo Sanchez and her band Amparanoia. This was a WOMAD for catching up with artists I have enjoyed listening to for years but never before had the chance to see perform live. French vocal gymnast Camille (reviewed here in May 2008) proved as impressive, bizarre and compelling as I had hoped, with a stunning show on the main Open Air Stage on Saturday evening, featuring some great dancing. And the young, female, a cappella, Finnish folk hop quartet Tuuletar (reviewed here in January 2017 when I compared them to Camille) were stunning live performers as well as being hilarious and charming in their appearance at the Taste the World stage (where they demonstrated how to make traditional Karelian pie). But my favourite performance of WOMAD 2018 was the Bollywood Brass Band with the South Indian violinist Jyotsna Srikanth. I loved Sarha Moore and Kay Charlton’s new soundtrack for the finale of the amazing 1948 film 'Chandralekha’ which the band performed live with the film on Saturday afternoon. It starts with the epic scene where 400 dancers perform on top of enormous drums: suddenly the drums open up to reveal armies of soldiers who attack the stronghold – it’s an incredible spectacle. Then the Bollywood Brass Band played their new four-movement ‘Carnatic Suite: A Day In Bangalore’, composed with Jyotsna Srikanth and featuring the amazing South Indian percussionist and vocalist RN Prakash. It was a great performance from a really enjoyable festival. You can see a selection of my photos from WOMAD 2018 at: https://culturaloutlook.blogspot.com/search/label/WOMAD2018
This year’s WOMAD Festival at Charlton Park in Wiltshire had mixed weather but the threatened torrential downpours failed to materialise and we only had a little light rain on Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon. The music was eclectic as ever. My personal highlights, from the 17 full performances I saw, included gentle acoustic songs from Estonian singer Mari Kalkun, the pan-American female quartet LADAMA (from Columbia, Brazil, Venezuela and the USA) and a long-overdue opportunity to see the wonderful Amparo Sanchez and her band Amparanoia. This was a WOMAD for catching up with artists I have enjoyed listening to for years but never before had the chance to see perform live. French vocal gymnast Camille (reviewed here in May 2008) proved as impressive, bizarre and compelling as I had hoped, with a stunning show on the main Open Air Stage on Saturday evening, featuring some great dancing. And the young, female, a cappella, Finnish folk hop quartet Tuuletar (reviewed here in January 2017 when I compared them to Camille) were stunning live performers as well as being hilarious and charming in their appearance at the Taste the World stage (where they demonstrated how to make traditional Karelian pie). But my favourite performance of WOMAD 2018 was the Bollywood Brass Band with the South Indian violinist Jyotsna Srikanth. I loved Sarha Moore and Kay Charlton’s new soundtrack for the finale of the amazing 1948 film 'Chandralekha’ which the band performed live with the film on Saturday afternoon. It starts with the epic scene where 400 dancers perform on top of enormous drums: suddenly the drums open up to reveal armies of soldiers who attack the stronghold – it’s an incredible spectacle. Then the Bollywood Brass Band played their new four-movement ‘Carnatic Suite: A Day In Bangalore’, composed with Jyotsna Srikanth and featuring the amazing South Indian percussionist and vocalist RN Prakash. It was a great performance from a really enjoyable festival. You can see a selection of my photos from WOMAD 2018 at: https://culturaloutlook.blogspot.com/search/label/WOMAD2018
Thursday, July 26, 2018
'Romeo and Juliet' by William Shakespeare
26 July 2018
Last weekend saw the start of the 2018 Milton Keynes International Festival. On Saturday afternoon we were at Fred Roche Gardens in central Milton Keynes to see an open-air production of ‘Romeo and Juliet’ by the Handlebards. In a similar vein to the Pantaloons (reviewed here in August 2013 and August 2015) the Handlebards use a very broad, silly approach to open-air theatre – helping themselves to food from the audience’s picnics and coming out of character to comment on each other’s performances. The Handlebards take Shakespeare around the country on bicycles and make good use of bicycle bells throughout the performance. The four young female actors each play multiple parts (sometimes within the same scene) but they are extremely easy to follow. Despite the silliness the acting is very impressive and they maintain the integrity of the play, finding real emotion amongst the fun. In the programme they point out that Shakespeare’s legendary romance “centres around what is, essentially, a three-day fling between two Year 9 students” and Sian Eleanor Green and Lucy Green give Romeo and Juliet a touching earnestness alongside their incompetent naivety.
Last weekend saw the start of the 2018 Milton Keynes International Festival. On Saturday afternoon we were at Fred Roche Gardens in central Milton Keynes to see an open-air production of ‘Romeo and Juliet’ by the Handlebards. In a similar vein to the Pantaloons (reviewed here in August 2013 and August 2015) the Handlebards use a very broad, silly approach to open-air theatre – helping themselves to food from the audience’s picnics and coming out of character to comment on each other’s performances. The Handlebards take Shakespeare around the country on bicycles and make good use of bicycle bells throughout the performance. The four young female actors each play multiple parts (sometimes within the same scene) but they are extremely easy to follow. Despite the silliness the acting is very impressive and they maintain the integrity of the play, finding real emotion amongst the fun. In the programme they point out that Shakespeare’s legendary romance “centres around what is, essentially, a three-day fling between two Year 9 students” and Sian Eleanor Green and Lucy Green give Romeo and Juliet a touching earnestness alongside their incompetent naivety.
Wednesday, July 18, 2018
Northampton Symphony Orchestra concert
18 July 2018
The Northampton Symphony Orchestra Friends’ Concert is a thank you to the Friends of the Orchestra at the end of our concert season – a short Sunday afternoon concert, followed by a buffet, which always feels like the proper start of summer. It is also a chance for the orchestra to play a selection of shorter pieces that wouldn’t fit within our main concert programmes. This year we concluded our season of works inspired by visual art by playing Respighi’s ‘Trittico Botticelliano’ – three pieces based on paintings by Botticelli. We also played Ravel’s suite of dances, ‘Le Tombeau de Couperin’ and the ‘Ritual Fire Dance’ by Manuel de Falla. There was a beautiful flute solo by Graham Tear in Ralph Vaughan Williams’ ‘Fantasia on Greensleeves’ and we finished with ‘Tangazo – Variations on Buenos Aires’ by Astor Piazzolla – a fun piece with a challenging horn solo which I’ve been practising hard over the past few weeks. Despite it coming at the end of the concert it seemed to go fairly well and was very enjoyable to play. Finally we said thank you to Nick Bunker who is about to step down as Chairman of the NSO after more than 25 years on the committee. Nick has been the driving force behind the orchestra for all the years I have played in it and has kept us going through some difficult times.
The Northampton Symphony Orchestra Friends’ Concert is a thank you to the Friends of the Orchestra at the end of our concert season – a short Sunday afternoon concert, followed by a buffet, which always feels like the proper start of summer. It is also a chance for the orchestra to play a selection of shorter pieces that wouldn’t fit within our main concert programmes. This year we concluded our season of works inspired by visual art by playing Respighi’s ‘Trittico Botticelliano’ – three pieces based on paintings by Botticelli. We also played Ravel’s suite of dances, ‘Le Tombeau de Couperin’ and the ‘Ritual Fire Dance’ by Manuel de Falla. There was a beautiful flute solo by Graham Tear in Ralph Vaughan Williams’ ‘Fantasia on Greensleeves’ and we finished with ‘Tangazo – Variations on Buenos Aires’ by Astor Piazzolla – a fun piece with a challenging horn solo which I’ve been practising hard over the past few weeks. Despite it coming at the end of the concert it seemed to go fairly well and was very enjoyable to play. Finally we said thank you to Nick Bunker who is about to step down as Chairman of the NSO after more than 25 years on the committee. Nick has been the driving force behind the orchestra for all the years I have played in it and has kept us going through some difficult times.
Friday, July 06, 2018
Wimbledon 2018
6 July 2018
On Thursday we were lucky enough to have tickets for Centre Court at Wimbledon. It was an incredibly hot and we were quite near the front in the fierce sunshine, but it was worth it to see three really entertaining, if a little one-sided, matches. We saw Rafael Nadal, for the first time since 2011, beating Mikhail Kukushkin in straight sets to reach the third round. We then watched Johanna Konta lose to Dominika Cibulkova. Finally we enjoyed seeing Kyle Edmund defeat the American Bradley Klahn to set up a meeting with Novak Djokovic on Saturday.
On Thursday we were lucky enough to have tickets for Centre Court at Wimbledon. It was an incredibly hot and we were quite near the front in the fierce sunshine, but it was worth it to see three really entertaining, if a little one-sided, matches. We saw Rafael Nadal, for the first time since 2011, beating Mikhail Kukushkin in straight sets to reach the third round. We then watched Johanna Konta lose to Dominika Cibulkova. Finally we enjoyed seeing Kyle Edmund defeat the American Bradley Klahn to set up a meeting with Novak Djokovic on Saturday.
Thursday, June 28, 2018
'Rivers of London' by Ben Aaronovitch
28 June 2018
I’ve really enjoyed reading Ben Aaronovitch’s novel, ‘Rivers of London’, which I read as an unabridged audio book, narrated by Kobna Holdrook-Smith. This is a contemporary, carefully-researched and realistic police procedural detective story, told by a London police constable who is seconded to the Metropolitan Police’s secret division of wizards dealing with magic and supernatural crimes. The blend of real-world policing and fantasy is clever, thrilling and very funny. ‘Rivers of London’ acknowledges the influence of Harry Potter but this is a very knowing, adult novel with sex, violence, bad language and ghosts. PC Peter Grant is a droll first person narrator, thrust into a baffling world of magic and desperately trying to apply all his standard police training to increasingly impossible situations. It’s a very entertaining tale, with a literary link between the serial killer’s seemingly random crimes that is very satisfying when you discover it. Best of all this is the first in a series of Peter Grant novels by Ben Aaronovitch: I’m looking forward to reading them all.
I’ve really enjoyed reading Ben Aaronovitch’s novel, ‘Rivers of London’, which I read as an unabridged audio book, narrated by Kobna Holdrook-Smith. This is a contemporary, carefully-researched and realistic police procedural detective story, told by a London police constable who is seconded to the Metropolitan Police’s secret division of wizards dealing with magic and supernatural crimes. The blend of real-world policing and fantasy is clever, thrilling and very funny. ‘Rivers of London’ acknowledges the influence of Harry Potter but this is a very knowing, adult novel with sex, violence, bad language and ghosts. PC Peter Grant is a droll first person narrator, thrust into a baffling world of magic and desperately trying to apply all his standard police training to increasingly impossible situations. It’s a very entertaining tale, with a literary link between the serial killer’s seemingly random crimes that is very satisfying when you discover it. Best of all this is the first in a series of Peter Grant novels by Ben Aaronovitch: I’m looking forward to reading them all.
Baltic Cruise
28 June 2018
We spent the last two weeks on the Cunard ship Queen Elizabeth on a wonderful Baltic cruise – with calm seas and glorious weather almost the whole time. We visited seven countries, calling at capital cities (Oslo, Helsinki and Riga), small towns and countryside (Visby on the Swedish island of Gotland and Klaipeda in Lithuania), the spectacle of St Petersburg and the beautiful medieval city of Gdansk in Poland. It was fascinating to be in Russia during the early stages of the World Cup: visiting some of the royal palaces outside St Petersburg we saw football fans from a variety of countries, and we drove past the stunning new football stadium in St Petersburg. We enjoyed all the places we visited but we were particularly taken by the pretty old town in Gdansk – much of which was carefully recreated after the destruction of World War II. You can see a small selection of my holiday photos at: http://culturaloutlook.blogspot.com/search/label/Baltic2018
We spent the last two weeks on the Cunard ship Queen Elizabeth on a wonderful Baltic cruise – with calm seas and glorious weather almost the whole time. We visited seven countries, calling at capital cities (Oslo, Helsinki and Riga), small towns and countryside (Visby on the Swedish island of Gotland and Klaipeda in Lithuania), the spectacle of St Petersburg and the beautiful medieval city of Gdansk in Poland. It was fascinating to be in Russia during the early stages of the World Cup: visiting some of the royal palaces outside St Petersburg we saw football fans from a variety of countries, and we drove past the stunning new football stadium in St Petersburg. We enjoyed all the places we visited but we were particularly taken by the pretty old town in Gdansk – much of which was carefully recreated after the destruction of World War II. You can see a small selection of my holiday photos at: http://culturaloutlook.blogspot.com/search/label/Baltic2018
Friday, June 08, 2018
'Orchestral Music, Volume One’ by William Wordsworth
8 June 2018
It’s been a good day for Northampton Symphony Orchestra conductor John Gibbons. A tireless champion of under-rated British composers, John has programmed Charles Villiers Stanford’s ‘Symphony No 6’ for our NSO concert next Saturday, 16 June, at St Matthews Church in Northampton. Remarkably, it appears this may be the first public performance of this lovely symphony for more than 100 years. It’s a really enjoyable piece – reminiscent of Glazunov’s ‘Symphony No 5 (The Heroic)’ which we played with NSO last year (reviewed here in March 2017) and with elements of Richard Strauss. It has been great to get to know the symphony over the last few weeks, even though I am not able to play in the concert (the first NSO concert I have missed for some years). This morning Petroc Trelawny played the first movement of Stanford ‘Symphony No 6’ on BBC Radio 3 and gave the NSO concert a plug. Coincidentally John Gibbons’ new CD with the Liepaja Symphony Orchestra was favourably reviewed by Andrew Clements in today’s Guardian, see: https://www.theguardian.com/music/2018/jun/07/william-wordsworth-orchestral-music-volume-i-cd-review-forgotten-voice-of-quiet-assurance. ‘William Wordsworth: Orchestral Music, Volume One’ is the first in a new series of recordings from Toccata Classics. This William Wordsworth (1908-88) was the great-great-grandson of the poet’s brother Christopher. John’s CD features Wordsworth’s 4th and 8th symphonies together with his ‘Divertimento in D Major’ and the playful ‘Variations on a Scottish Theme’. Wordsworth’s music is tuneful and romantic – easy to listen to but with enough complexity and depth to be worth getting to know. Sounds like it would be fun to play ...
It’s been a good day for Northampton Symphony Orchestra conductor John Gibbons. A tireless champion of under-rated British composers, John has programmed Charles Villiers Stanford’s ‘Symphony No 6’ for our NSO concert next Saturday, 16 June, at St Matthews Church in Northampton. Remarkably, it appears this may be the first public performance of this lovely symphony for more than 100 years. It’s a really enjoyable piece – reminiscent of Glazunov’s ‘Symphony No 5 (The Heroic)’ which we played with NSO last year (reviewed here in March 2017) and with elements of Richard Strauss. It has been great to get to know the symphony over the last few weeks, even though I am not able to play in the concert (the first NSO concert I have missed for some years). This morning Petroc Trelawny played the first movement of Stanford ‘Symphony No 6’ on BBC Radio 3 and gave the NSO concert a plug. Coincidentally John Gibbons’ new CD with the Liepaja Symphony Orchestra was favourably reviewed by Andrew Clements in today’s Guardian, see: https://www.theguardian.com/music/2018/jun/07/william-wordsworth-orchestral-music-volume-i-cd-review-forgotten-voice-of-quiet-assurance. ‘William Wordsworth: Orchestral Music, Volume One’ is the first in a new series of recordings from Toccata Classics. This William Wordsworth (1908-88) was the great-great-grandson of the poet’s brother Christopher. John’s CD features Wordsworth’s 4th and 8th symphonies together with his ‘Divertimento in D Major’ and the playful ‘Variations on a Scottish Theme’. Wordsworth’s music is tuneful and romantic – easy to listen to but with enough complexity and depth to be worth getting to know. Sounds like it would be fun to play ...
Friday, June 01, 2018
‘Education, Education, Education’ by The Wardrobe Ensemble
1 June 2018
On Tuesday we were at the Royal & Derngate in Northampton to see ‘Education, Education, Education’ by The Wardrobe Ensemble. This play takes place in a comprehensive school on the day after Labour’s landslide general election win in May 1997. Looking forward to the prospect of massive new funding for schools, it highlights the state of education at the time and enjoys its 1990s pop-culture references. With a cast of seven playing both the teachers and the pupils, often talking directly to the audience, it reminded me of John Godber’s ‘Teechers’ (reviewed here in September 2010). The adults playing children was also similar to 'Blue Remembered Hills' by Dennis Potter (reviewed here in June 2013). While the script of ‘Education, Education, Education’ wasn’t as sophisticated as either of those other plays, The Wardrobe Ensemble’s physical movement was excellent. It was a really slick ensemble performance with brilliant timing. In the end it felt more like a fairly conventional school story, rather than having much to save about the politics of education funding, but it was really enjoyable and drew a ratpurous reception from the Royal Theatre audience.
On Tuesday we were at the Royal & Derngate in Northampton to see ‘Education, Education, Education’ by The Wardrobe Ensemble. This play takes place in a comprehensive school on the day after Labour’s landslide general election win in May 1997. Looking forward to the prospect of massive new funding for schools, it highlights the state of education at the time and enjoys its 1990s pop-culture references. With a cast of seven playing both the teachers and the pupils, often talking directly to the audience, it reminded me of John Godber’s ‘Teechers’ (reviewed here in September 2010). The adults playing children was also similar to 'Blue Remembered Hills' by Dennis Potter (reviewed here in June 2013). While the script of ‘Education, Education, Education’ wasn’t as sophisticated as either of those other plays, The Wardrobe Ensemble’s physical movement was excellent. It was a really slick ensemble performance with brilliant timing. In the end it felt more like a fairly conventional school story, rather than having much to save about the politics of education funding, but it was really enjoyable and drew a ratpurous reception from the Royal Theatre audience.
'Nigel Slater's Toast' by Henry Filloux-Bennett
1 June 2018
On Saturday we were at The Lowry in Salford for Week 53 – The Lowry’s ‘Festival for the Compulsively Curious’ which focuses on using the building in unusual ways and giving the audience access to areas that are normally out of bounds. We were there to see Henry Filloux-Bennett’s new adaptation of Nigel Slater’s ‘Toast’ – the chef’s ever-popular childhood memoir, told through a series of short food-based episodes (reviewed here in November 2009). This fringe-scale drama was being performed in the main Lyric Theatre but with the auditorium closed off and both audience and actors on the stage (much like the Royal Theatre Northampton production of ‘Private Fears in Public Places’ by Alan Ayckbourn, reviewed here in July 2009). Unfortunately technical problems delayed the start of the performance for more than an hour, testing the patience of the audience. This late start, combined with the interval taking place in a pop-up bar in the theatre’s scene dock which meant a visit to the toilets required a long walk out of The Lowry, along the quay and back into a deserted part of the building – made for a bizarre evening at the theatre. Fortunately Jonnie Riordan’s production of ‘Toast’ brilliantly won us over – not least by feeding the audience with a constant supply of sweets and cakes (all carefully chosen to relate to particular moments in Nigel Slater’s story). The energetic cast of five playing multiple parts really brought this evocation of childhood to life. The cartoon kitchen set (by Libby Watson) added to the dreamlike recollections from the perspective of the nine-year old Nigel (excellently played by Sam Newton). And the mixture of humour and poignancy was nicely judged, with the actors occasionally breaking the fourth wall but not over-using this device. This was a very physical production with some beautifully choreographed movement. ‘Toast’ is a charming, sad, funny book and the stage adaptation really did it justice.
On Saturday we were at The Lowry in Salford for Week 53 – The Lowry’s ‘Festival for the Compulsively Curious’ which focuses on using the building in unusual ways and giving the audience access to areas that are normally out of bounds. We were there to see Henry Filloux-Bennett’s new adaptation of Nigel Slater’s ‘Toast’ – the chef’s ever-popular childhood memoir, told through a series of short food-based episodes (reviewed here in November 2009). This fringe-scale drama was being performed in the main Lyric Theatre but with the auditorium closed off and both audience and actors on the stage (much like the Royal Theatre Northampton production of ‘Private Fears in Public Places’ by Alan Ayckbourn, reviewed here in July 2009). Unfortunately technical problems delayed the start of the performance for more than an hour, testing the patience of the audience. This late start, combined with the interval taking place in a pop-up bar in the theatre’s scene dock which meant a visit to the toilets required a long walk out of The Lowry, along the quay and back into a deserted part of the building – made for a bizarre evening at the theatre. Fortunately Jonnie Riordan’s production of ‘Toast’ brilliantly won us over – not least by feeding the audience with a constant supply of sweets and cakes (all carefully chosen to relate to particular moments in Nigel Slater’s story). The energetic cast of five playing multiple parts really brought this evocation of childhood to life. The cartoon kitchen set (by Libby Watson) added to the dreamlike recollections from the perspective of the nine-year old Nigel (excellently played by Sam Newton). And the mixture of humour and poignancy was nicely judged, with the actors occasionally breaking the fourth wall but not over-using this device. This was a very physical production with some beautifully choreographed movement. ‘Toast’ is a charming, sad, funny book and the stage adaptation really did it justice.
Friday, May 25, 2018
'Sandra' by Kevin Moffett and Matthew Derby
25 May 2018
I’ve just finished listening to ‘Sandra’ – the new audio drama from the American podcast powerhouse Gimlet Media. Written by Kevin Moffett and Matthew Derby and directed by Sebastian Silva, ‘Sandra’ is a comedy-drama about an Alexa/Siri-type digital assistant that is actually operated by an army of real human beings in a call centre. It stars Kristen Wiig as Sandra and Alia Shawkat as Helen who hopes to transform her life after she lands a new job with the company that makes Sandra. Through seven half-hour podcasts, it addresses very current issues of privacy, artificial intelligence and loneliness. But it’s also very funny, with some great characters. I particularly liked Delia, Helen’s cranky, quirky mother-in-law, played by Madonna Cacciatore. You can listen to all seven episodes now, see: https://www.gimletmedia.com/sandra
I’ve just finished listening to ‘Sandra’ – the new audio drama from the American podcast powerhouse Gimlet Media. Written by Kevin Moffett and Matthew Derby and directed by Sebastian Silva, ‘Sandra’ is a comedy-drama about an Alexa/Siri-type digital assistant that is actually operated by an army of real human beings in a call centre. It stars Kristen Wiig as Sandra and Alia Shawkat as Helen who hopes to transform her life after she lands a new job with the company that makes Sandra. Through seven half-hour podcasts, it addresses very current issues of privacy, artificial intelligence and loneliness. But it’s also very funny, with some great characters. I particularly liked Delia, Helen’s cranky, quirky mother-in-law, played by Madonna Cacciatore. You can listen to all seven episodes now, see: https://www.gimletmedia.com/sandra
Friday, May 18, 2018
BBC Young Musician 2018
18 May 2018
2018 is the 40th anniversary of the BBC Young Musician competition, making me feel very old as I can remember the first one in 1978 (and most of the subsequent biennial competitions). I have written here about the past six finals (see: http://culturaldessert.blogspot.com/search/label/BBCYoungMusician) and I think the 2016 Concerto Final (reviewed here in May 2016) may have been the best ever. It was always going to be difficult for this year’s Concerto Final, at Symphony Hall in Birmingham last Sunday, to match the level of its predecessor but it did feature another astounding winner. Most of my writing about BBC Young Musician seems to relate to my own degree of success in predicting the winners. This time I must admit I initially misjudged the eventual winner Lauren Zhang. She didn’t even feature in my top three of the five competitors in the keyboards category final as I mistook her shyness and intensity for a lack of musical personality. By the time I had seen her perform again in the semi-final last Friday I realised my mistake and became convinced she would emerge as the overall winner of this year’s competition. Her performance in Sunday’s final of Prokofiev’s ‘Piano Concerto No 2’ was astounding: I think she could have won on the basis of the remarkable first movement cadenza alone. It was a good example of how the competition often seems to unearth someone really special. After a few years in the wilderness the BBC has now got its coverage of Young Musician just about perfect – restrained, respectful and very focussed on the music. So it was a real shame to end the final by pointing a microphone at Lauren Zhang at her moment of triumph to ask her “how do you feel?” – just don’t do that. But otherwise it was a lovely final with excellent performances by ‘cellist Maxim Calver and saxophone player Rob Burton before Lauren Zhang’s Prokofiev took us to a different level.
2018 is the 40th anniversary of the BBC Young Musician competition, making me feel very old as I can remember the first one in 1978 (and most of the subsequent biennial competitions). I have written here about the past six finals (see: http://culturaldessert.blogspot.com/search/label/BBCYoungMusician) and I think the 2016 Concerto Final (reviewed here in May 2016) may have been the best ever. It was always going to be difficult for this year’s Concerto Final, at Symphony Hall in Birmingham last Sunday, to match the level of its predecessor but it did feature another astounding winner. Most of my writing about BBC Young Musician seems to relate to my own degree of success in predicting the winners. This time I must admit I initially misjudged the eventual winner Lauren Zhang. She didn’t even feature in my top three of the five competitors in the keyboards category final as I mistook her shyness and intensity for a lack of musical personality. By the time I had seen her perform again in the semi-final last Friday I realised my mistake and became convinced she would emerge as the overall winner of this year’s competition. Her performance in Sunday’s final of Prokofiev’s ‘Piano Concerto No 2’ was astounding: I think she could have won on the basis of the remarkable first movement cadenza alone. It was a good example of how the competition often seems to unearth someone really special. After a few years in the wilderness the BBC has now got its coverage of Young Musician just about perfect – restrained, respectful and very focussed on the music. So it was a real shame to end the final by pointing a microphone at Lauren Zhang at her moment of triumph to ask her “how do you feel?” – just don’t do that. But otherwise it was a lovely final with excellent performances by ‘cellist Maxim Calver and saxophone player Rob Burton before Lauren Zhang’s Prokofiev took us to a different level.
Jeremy Hardy
18 May 2018
I have written here before of my admiration for Jeremy Hardy (in March 2007 and October 2013), but seeing him at The Stables in Milton Keynes last Saturday confirmed to me that he really is a comedian at the top of his game. His apparently casual, stream-of-consciousness delivery is actually incredibly cleverly constructed. He didn’t spend quite as long on stage as Danny Baker (who we saw the week before at Warwick Arts Centre) but Jeremy Hardy similarly barely paused for breath and talked through the many laughs rather than attempting to milk them. As usual there was a lot of politics and he didn’t shy away from uncomfortable subjects including Syria, Brexit, the Skripal poisoning and anti-Semitism in the Labour Party. But Jeremy Hardy always manages to cover such heavy topics with a lightness of touch, and also found time for plenty of middle class anxiety (not realising that the National Trust and English Heritage are separate organisations) and middle-aged frustration (being mistaken for someone taking a selfie when he was just holding his phone at arm’s length to read a text message without his reading glasses).
I have written here before of my admiration for Jeremy Hardy (in March 2007 and October 2013), but seeing him at The Stables in Milton Keynes last Saturday confirmed to me that he really is a comedian at the top of his game. His apparently casual, stream-of-consciousness delivery is actually incredibly cleverly constructed. He didn’t spend quite as long on stage as Danny Baker (who we saw the week before at Warwick Arts Centre) but Jeremy Hardy similarly barely paused for breath and talked through the many laughs rather than attempting to milk them. As usual there was a lot of politics and he didn’t shy away from uncomfortable subjects including Syria, Brexit, the Skripal poisoning and anti-Semitism in the Labour Party. But Jeremy Hardy always manages to cover such heavy topics with a lightness of touch, and also found time for plenty of middle class anxiety (not realising that the National Trust and English Heritage are separate organisations) and middle-aged frustration (being mistaken for someone taking a selfie when he was just holding his phone at arm’s length to read a text message without his reading glasses).
Friday, May 11, 2018
‘Cat on a Hot Tin Roof’ by Tennessee Williams
11 May 2018
We last saw ‘Cat on a Hot Tin Roof’ by Tennessee Williams at the Novello Theatre in London’s West End in 2010 (reviewed here in February 2010) – a production memorable for James Earl Jones’ show-stealing performance as Big Daddy. On Tuesday we were at the Quarry Theatre in Bedford to see an encore screening of the NT Live broadcast of the Young Vic production of the play directed by Benedict Andrews. It was a gripping and powerfully acted performance with Sienna Miller very impressive as Maggie and Jack O’Connell a weary, muscular, ever-present Brick. Colm Meaney was great as Big Daddy – his expressive face betraying his constant frustration with his family and demonstrating a comic double-take that Oliver Hardy would have been proud of. Seeing the broadcast on a hot stuffy day in Bedford only helped to emphasise the stifling feel of the play.
We last saw ‘Cat on a Hot Tin Roof’ by Tennessee Williams at the Novello Theatre in London’s West End in 2010 (reviewed here in February 2010) – a production memorable for James Earl Jones’ show-stealing performance as Big Daddy. On Tuesday we were at the Quarry Theatre in Bedford to see an encore screening of the NT Live broadcast of the Young Vic production of the play directed by Benedict Andrews. It was a gripping and powerfully acted performance with Sienna Miller very impressive as Maggie and Jack O’Connell a weary, muscular, ever-present Brick. Colm Meaney was great as Big Daddy – his expressive face betraying his constant frustration with his family and demonstrating a comic double-take that Oliver Hardy would have been proud of. Seeing the broadcast on a hot stuffy day in Bedford only helped to emphasise the stifling feel of the play.
Danny Baker
11 May 2018
I have written here before of my admiration for the writer and broadcaster Danny Baker (reviewing the first two volumes of his autobiography here in July 2013 and April 2016). On Saturday we had the privilege of seeing him live at Warwick Arts Centre, on his second tour of anecdotes and reminiscences. Danny Baker is a brilliant storyteller – completely engaging and incredibly funny. He has a manic energy and an obsessive need to cram in as much as possible. Constantly pacing up and down and maintaining a rapid fire delivery with hardly a pause for breath, he came on stage at 7.30 pm and finished just after 11.00 pm, having failed to get through most of what he had planned to say. This was partly because he felt obliged to fill in most of the backstory of his childhood for the benefit of anyone who had missed his first tour a year ago (saying, with hindsight, “I should have done an early show at 5 pm for those of you who need to catch up”). He eventually got to ‘the rock ‘n’ roll years’ – recounting his experiences of working as a journalist at the NME and getting his break as a television presenter. But there is clearly much still left to tell and I can’t wait for the next instalment.
I have written here before of my admiration for the writer and broadcaster Danny Baker (reviewing the first two volumes of his autobiography here in July 2013 and April 2016). On Saturday we had the privilege of seeing him live at Warwick Arts Centre, on his second tour of anecdotes and reminiscences. Danny Baker is a brilliant storyteller – completely engaging and incredibly funny. He has a manic energy and an obsessive need to cram in as much as possible. Constantly pacing up and down and maintaining a rapid fire delivery with hardly a pause for breath, he came on stage at 7.30 pm and finished just after 11.00 pm, having failed to get through most of what he had planned to say. This was partly because he felt obliged to fill in most of the backstory of his childhood for the benefit of anyone who had missed his first tour a year ago (saying, with hindsight, “I should have done an early show at 5 pm for those of you who need to catch up”). He eventually got to ‘the rock ‘n’ roll years’ – recounting his experiences of working as a journalist at the NME and getting his break as a television presenter. But there is clearly much still left to tell and I can’t wait for the next instalment.
Thursday, May 03, 2018
'Romeo and Juliet' by William Shakespeare
3 May 2018
The last play I saw directed by the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Deputy Artistic Director, Erica Whyman, was ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream: A Play for the Nation’ (reviewed here in May 2016) which featured local actors from amateur theatre companies playing the rude mechanicals alongside a professional RSC cast, with children from local schools playing Titania's fairies. So it was fascinating to see Erica Whyman building on this experience in her new production of ‘Romeo and Juliet’ which we saw at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon on Tuesday. ‘Romeo and Juliet’ is a play about young people but I don’t think I have ever seen it performed with such a young cast: a host of excellent early career professionals made the lead parts incredibly believable while young people from schools across the UK added to the ensemble on stage. Juliet is supposed to be 13 years-old at the start of the play and, while she is a few years older than that, the young Scottish actor Karen Fishwick – who we had previously seen as one of the schoolgirls in Lee Hall’s ‘Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour’ (reviewed here in May 2017) – did seem very young. Bally Gill as Romeo had a streetwise bravado coupled with youthful naivety that helped to explain his character’s rapid lurches between passion and violence. Setting this young cast in a very contemporary world made the knife fights between the rival young gangs feel frighteningly realistic. But the emphasis on youth strangely helped to show that the often disastrous actions of the young characters in the play are entirely understandable reactions to the situations in which they find themselves. It is the adults in ‘Romeo and Juliet’ whose actions are less excusable: it is their rush to support or condemn the youngsters that leads to tragedy. Erica Whyman interestingly also cast the adult parts with age-appropriate actors: it’s the first production of ‘Romeo and Juliet’ I have seen where both Montague and Capulet were younger than me! And this is a production that celebrates diversity in many ways, gender-swapping several characters and exploring sexuality and ethnicity. It was a confident, funny and thrilling production which felt completely gripping and it was wonderful to experience the reactions of the many young people in an enthralled audience.
The last play I saw directed by the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Deputy Artistic Director, Erica Whyman, was ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream: A Play for the Nation’ (reviewed here in May 2016) which featured local actors from amateur theatre companies playing the rude mechanicals alongside a professional RSC cast, with children from local schools playing Titania's fairies. So it was fascinating to see Erica Whyman building on this experience in her new production of ‘Romeo and Juliet’ which we saw at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon on Tuesday. ‘Romeo and Juliet’ is a play about young people but I don’t think I have ever seen it performed with such a young cast: a host of excellent early career professionals made the lead parts incredibly believable while young people from schools across the UK added to the ensemble on stage. Juliet is supposed to be 13 years-old at the start of the play and, while she is a few years older than that, the young Scottish actor Karen Fishwick – who we had previously seen as one of the schoolgirls in Lee Hall’s ‘Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour’ (reviewed here in May 2017) – did seem very young. Bally Gill as Romeo had a streetwise bravado coupled with youthful naivety that helped to explain his character’s rapid lurches between passion and violence. Setting this young cast in a very contemporary world made the knife fights between the rival young gangs feel frighteningly realistic. But the emphasis on youth strangely helped to show that the often disastrous actions of the young characters in the play are entirely understandable reactions to the situations in which they find themselves. It is the adults in ‘Romeo and Juliet’ whose actions are less excusable: it is their rush to support or condemn the youngsters that leads to tragedy. Erica Whyman interestingly also cast the adult parts with age-appropriate actors: it’s the first production of ‘Romeo and Juliet’ I have seen where both Montague and Capulet were younger than me! And this is a production that celebrates diversity in many ways, gender-swapping several characters and exploring sexuality and ethnicity. It was a confident, funny and thrilling production which felt completely gripping and it was wonderful to experience the reactions of the many young people in an enthralled audience.
Friday, April 27, 2018
'The Last Ship' by Sting
27 April 2018
On Thursday we were at the Derngate in Northampton to see 'The Last Ship' - Sting's musical about the fight to prevent closure of a Wallsend shipyard in the 1980s. Originally produced on Broadway in 2014, this completely revised version, with a new book by Lorne Campbell (who also directs), has been getting great reviews. Its tale of a working community pulling together to oppose the forces of capitalism has been compared to 'The Full Monty' and 'Brassed Off' but 'The Last Ship' is a bleaker show. A little slow to get started, the second half of the musical increases the narrative pace and builds to a powerful emotional climax. Sting's music very effectively blends North East folk styles with pop, alluding in places to the clog tradition (though I would have loved to see a proper clog dancing number in the show). Joe McGann leads an impressive cast in this touring Northern Stage production, with particularly fine singing from Frances McNamee and Richard Fleeshman (you could imagine Sting himself signing some of Fleeshman's ballads). The ensemble choral singing was very strong, making the most of the distinctive North East accents. But the real star of the show was the amazing set and design by 59 Productions which makes very effective use of projection to create the massive scale of the shipyard on the large Derngate stage. The visual effects, blending live action and the physical set with video and lighting, were stunning.
On Thursday we were at the Derngate in Northampton to see 'The Last Ship' - Sting's musical about the fight to prevent closure of a Wallsend shipyard in the 1980s. Originally produced on Broadway in 2014, this completely revised version, with a new book by Lorne Campbell (who also directs), has been getting great reviews. Its tale of a working community pulling together to oppose the forces of capitalism has been compared to 'The Full Monty' and 'Brassed Off' but 'The Last Ship' is a bleaker show. A little slow to get started, the second half of the musical increases the narrative pace and builds to a powerful emotional climax. Sting's music very effectively blends North East folk styles with pop, alluding in places to the clog tradition (though I would have loved to see a proper clog dancing number in the show). Joe McGann leads an impressive cast in this touring Northern Stage production, with particularly fine singing from Frances McNamee and Richard Fleeshman (you could imagine Sting himself signing some of Fleeshman's ballads). The ensemble choral singing was very strong, making the most of the distinctive North East accents. But the real star of the show was the amazing set and design by 59 Productions which makes very effective use of projection to create the massive scale of the shipyard on the large Derngate stage. The visual effects, blending live action and the physical set with video and lighting, were stunning.
Tuesday, April 24, 2018
Northampton Symphony Orchestra concert
24 April 2018
There seems to be an increasing trend for football players missing games because they get injured in the warm-up but this sort of thing is still thankfully rare amongst orchestral musicians. So it was a shock when the start of our Northampton Symphony Orchestra concert last Saturday was delayed after one of our oboe players was stung on the lip by a wasp while the orchestra was tuning-up. Sadly she was unable to play in the concert – as was our principal ‘cellist who had been taken ill a few days before. Nevertheless, the orchestra managed a fine performance of a challenging programme with Philip Luck’s ‘cello solos proving a particularly impressive highlight. Continuing our season of music inspired by the visual arts, for this concert NSO conductor John Gibbons had selected a series of pieces evoking the sea. ‘The Garden of Fand’ by Arnold Bax is based on an Irish mythical figure, Fand, the daughter of the Lord of the Ocean. It is an ethereal piece underpinned by the constant swelling of the waves. Rimsky-Korsakov’s symphonic poem ‘Sadko’ also draws inspiration from legend, being based on an epic Russian poem in which the hero Sadko is transported to the realm of the Sea King. The best known piece in the programme was ‘La Mer’ by Claude Debussy – a three-movement impressionist picture of the sea that requires a mixture of concentration, delicacy and power from the orchestra. There was fine playing from all sections of the NSO, particularly the woodwind and Nick Bunker’s excellent trumpet solos. But the highlight of the concert was undoubtedly Richard Peaslee’s trombone concerto ‘Arrows of Time’, magnificently played by Carol Jarvis. ‘Arrows of Time’ is an accessibly tuneful modern piece with playful syncopated rhythms. Carol Jarvis gave a virtuoso performance, demonstrating an amazing dexterity in the fast passages and a beautiful tone in the slow movement.
There seems to be an increasing trend for football players missing games because they get injured in the warm-up but this sort of thing is still thankfully rare amongst orchestral musicians. So it was a shock when the start of our Northampton Symphony Orchestra concert last Saturday was delayed after one of our oboe players was stung on the lip by a wasp while the orchestra was tuning-up. Sadly she was unable to play in the concert – as was our principal ‘cellist who had been taken ill a few days before. Nevertheless, the orchestra managed a fine performance of a challenging programme with Philip Luck’s ‘cello solos proving a particularly impressive highlight. Continuing our season of music inspired by the visual arts, for this concert NSO conductor John Gibbons had selected a series of pieces evoking the sea. ‘The Garden of Fand’ by Arnold Bax is based on an Irish mythical figure, Fand, the daughter of the Lord of the Ocean. It is an ethereal piece underpinned by the constant swelling of the waves. Rimsky-Korsakov’s symphonic poem ‘Sadko’ also draws inspiration from legend, being based on an epic Russian poem in which the hero Sadko is transported to the realm of the Sea King. The best known piece in the programme was ‘La Mer’ by Claude Debussy – a three-movement impressionist picture of the sea that requires a mixture of concentration, delicacy and power from the orchestra. There was fine playing from all sections of the NSO, particularly the woodwind and Nick Bunker’s excellent trumpet solos. But the highlight of the concert was undoubtedly Richard Peaslee’s trombone concerto ‘Arrows of Time’, magnificently played by Carol Jarvis. ‘Arrows of Time’ is an accessibly tuneful modern piece with playful syncopated rhythms. Carol Jarvis gave a virtuoso performance, demonstrating an amazing dexterity in the fast passages and a beautiful tone in the slow movement.
Friday, April 20, 2018
BBC Young Musician podcast
20 April 2018
Regular readers will be familiar with my enthusiasm for the biennial BBC Young Musician competition which I have written extensively about here since 2006. I am really enjoying watching the category finals of the 2018 competition (currently being shown on Friday evenings on BBC4) and I will share my thoughts after the concerto final on 13 May. I am also really enjoying the new BBC Young Musician weekly podcast which accompanies this year’s competition. Hosted by 2016 BBC Young Musician finalist, saxophonist Jess Gillam, it’s a really engaging discussion about what it is like to learn an instrument, practice, perform in public and develop a musical career. Each week Jess and her friends discuss their own experiences and interview former BBC Young Musician winners. Jess Gillam – who performed twice with the Northampton Symphony Orchestra last year (reviewed here in March 2017 and July 2017) – is a natural presenter: open, engaging and enthusiastic. The podcasts, which have so far covered topics including stage fright, practice and getting into music, are interesting and amusing. There don’t refer directly to this year’s BBC Young Musician competition so there are no spoilers. Well worth a listen. See: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p062pf6x/episodes/downloads
Regular readers will be familiar with my enthusiasm for the biennial BBC Young Musician competition which I have written extensively about here since 2006. I am really enjoying watching the category finals of the 2018 competition (currently being shown on Friday evenings on BBC4) and I will share my thoughts after the concerto final on 13 May. I am also really enjoying the new BBC Young Musician weekly podcast which accompanies this year’s competition. Hosted by 2016 BBC Young Musician finalist, saxophonist Jess Gillam, it’s a really engaging discussion about what it is like to learn an instrument, practice, perform in public and develop a musical career. Each week Jess and her friends discuss their own experiences and interview former BBC Young Musician winners. Jess Gillam – who performed twice with the Northampton Symphony Orchestra last year (reviewed here in March 2017 and July 2017) – is a natural presenter: open, engaging and enthusiastic. The podcasts, which have so far covered topics including stage fright, practice and getting into music, are interesting and amusing. There don’t refer directly to this year’s BBC Young Musician competition so there are no spoilers. Well worth a listen. See: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p062pf6x/episodes/downloads
Friday, April 13, 2018
'The Likeness' by Tana French
13 April 2018
Regular readers may remember that I have been working my way through the six Dublin Murder Squad novels by Tana French. As each novel features a different lead detective I have been able to read them out of order. I have now completed the set by reading novel 2: ‘The Likeness’ (as an unabridged audio book, narrated by Grainne Gillis). This is a sequel, of sorts, to ‘In the Woods’ (reviewed here in May 2017) in that its narrator is Detective Cassie Maddox, who was partner to the previous novel’s narrator Detective Rob Ryan, and the events of ‘The Likeness’ take place against the backdrop of the fallout from their previous case. But each novel stands alone as a murder mystery and ‘The Likeness’ is grippingly plotted. I found the premise that an undercover detective could pass herself off as the murder victim, resuming her life amongst her closest friends, a little too far-fetched – even if she happens to be a doppelgänger for the dead woman. But once you go with it, this premise sets up a thrilling undercover investigation to try to work out exactly what happened and who committed the murder. ‘The Likeness’ also introduces Detective Frank Mackey – a recurring character through several of the other Murder Squad novels. Now I’m waiting for the seventh novel in the series to be published.
Regular readers may remember that I have been working my way through the six Dublin Murder Squad novels by Tana French. As each novel features a different lead detective I have been able to read them out of order. I have now completed the set by reading novel 2: ‘The Likeness’ (as an unabridged audio book, narrated by Grainne Gillis). This is a sequel, of sorts, to ‘In the Woods’ (reviewed here in May 2017) in that its narrator is Detective Cassie Maddox, who was partner to the previous novel’s narrator Detective Rob Ryan, and the events of ‘The Likeness’ take place against the backdrop of the fallout from their previous case. But each novel stands alone as a murder mystery and ‘The Likeness’ is grippingly plotted. I found the premise that an undercover detective could pass herself off as the murder victim, resuming her life amongst her closest friends, a little too far-fetched – even if she happens to be a doppelgänger for the dead woman. But once you go with it, this premise sets up a thrilling undercover investigation to try to work out exactly what happened and who committed the murder. ‘The Likeness’ also introduces Detective Frank Mackey – a recurring character through several of the other Murder Squad novels. Now I’m waiting for the seventh novel in the series to be published.
Friday, April 06, 2018
'We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves’ by Karen Joy Fowler
6 April 2018
I really enjoyed reading Karen Joy Fowler’s 2013 novel ‘We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves’, particularly because I had heard nothing about it and didn’t know what to expect – so I will try to be careful not to give too much away here! Rosemary Cooke was a very talkative child: her parents encouraged her to limit her constant chatter by starting to tell stories from the middle, and only saying out loud one of each three things she wanted to say. So Rosemary’s first-person narration of this novel starts in the middle of her story and the reader only gradually pieces together the full dramatic picture. The book opens with a brilliantly attention-grabbing scene but this holds no clues to the unexpected direction the narrative takes. (Or rather there are some very small clues but they only become apparent in hindsight.) ‘We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves’ has a very cleverly constructed plot and is witty, funny and surprisingly fascinating. But I don’t want to say any more in case I spoil it for you ...
I really enjoyed reading Karen Joy Fowler’s 2013 novel ‘We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves’, particularly because I had heard nothing about it and didn’t know what to expect – so I will try to be careful not to give too much away here! Rosemary Cooke was a very talkative child: her parents encouraged her to limit her constant chatter by starting to tell stories from the middle, and only saying out loud one of each three things she wanted to say. So Rosemary’s first-person narration of this novel starts in the middle of her story and the reader only gradually pieces together the full dramatic picture. The book opens with a brilliantly attention-grabbing scene but this holds no clues to the unexpected direction the narrative takes. (Or rather there are some very small clues but they only become apparent in hindsight.) ‘We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves’ has a very cleverly constructed plot and is witty, funny and surprisingly fascinating. But I don’t want to say any more in case I spoil it for you ...
Wednesday, April 04, 2018
Monmouthshire
4 April 2018
We had a lovely holiday in Monmouthshire last week, staying at a cottage in a small village near Usk, on the edge of the Brecon Beacons national park. We had some great weather and enjoyed dramatic walks up Sugar Loaf mountain and Blorenge. We visited the spectacular castles at Raglan and Chepstow and the towns of Monmouth, Abergavenny and Brecon.
We had a lovely holiday in Monmouthshire last week, staying at a cottage in a small village near Usk, on the edge of the Brecon Beacons national park. We had some great weather and enjoyed dramatic walks up Sugar Loaf mountain and Blorenge. We visited the spectacular castles at Raglan and Chepstow and the towns of Monmouth, Abergavenny and Brecon.
'Julius Caesar' by William Shakespeare
4 April 2018
We really enjoyed the live screening of Nicholas Hytner’s production of ‘Julius Caesar’ at the new Bridge Theatre in London, which we watched at the Odeon in Milton Keynes a couple of weeks ago. The original reviews of this promenade production, where the audience form the Roman mob, were mixed but I thought it worked stunningly well as a live broadcast. Hand-held cameras gave you the feeling of being right in the middle of the crowd without missing any of the action. And the marshalling of the crowd was incredibly impressive, with discreetly positioned stewards making sure the mass of people parted at exactly the right moment to let the actors through. The cast were great, particularly David Calder as a Trumpian Caesar (complete with ‘Let’s Make Rome Great Again’ baseball cap), David Morrissey as Mark Antony (whose “And Brutus is an honourable man” speech was a political spin masterclass), Michelle Fairley as Cassius and the wonderful Ben Wishaw as Brutus. The modern dress production, which starts with a rock band entertaining the crowd at a political rally, is chillingly believable: the merciless slaughter of Cinna the Poet by the mob was genuinely horrifying. If you get an opportunity to see an ‘encore’ screening I would recommend it.
We really enjoyed the live screening of Nicholas Hytner’s production of ‘Julius Caesar’ at the new Bridge Theatre in London, which we watched at the Odeon in Milton Keynes a couple of weeks ago. The original reviews of this promenade production, where the audience form the Roman mob, were mixed but I thought it worked stunningly well as a live broadcast. Hand-held cameras gave you the feeling of being right in the middle of the crowd without missing any of the action. And the marshalling of the crowd was incredibly impressive, with discreetly positioned stewards making sure the mass of people parted at exactly the right moment to let the actors through. The cast were great, particularly David Calder as a Trumpian Caesar (complete with ‘Let’s Make Rome Great Again’ baseball cap), David Morrissey as Mark Antony (whose “And Brutus is an honourable man” speech was a political spin masterclass), Michelle Fairley as Cassius and the wonderful Ben Wishaw as Brutus. The modern dress production, which starts with a rock band entertaining the crowd at a political rally, is chillingly believable: the merciless slaughter of Cinna the Poet by the mob was genuinely horrifying. If you get an opportunity to see an ‘encore’ screening I would recommend it.
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