27 October 2017
I’ve just finished watching the third season of ‘Fargo’, Noah Hawley’s superlative TV series inspired by the 1996 Coen Brothers film. [Excessive hyperbole warning: readers who feel that my reviews are too often overly enthusiastic may want to look away now.] I love ‘Fargo’: it’s a televisual work of art – gripping, funny, bleak, beautiful, clever and playful. The male characters tend to be weak and foolish while the women are intelligent and strong. In this third series Ewan McGregor is great as both of the warring brothers at the centre of the story and David Thewlis is an incredibly creepy villain, but the female leads – Carrie Coon as Police Chief Gloria Burgle and Mary Elizabeth Winstead as ex-convict and semi-professional bridge player Nikki Swango – are truly magnificent. I appreciate that ‘Fargo’ may not be to everyone’s taste: the plot is deliberately confusing, with occasional surreal digressions and some brutal violence. But it is a beautifully constructed show, visually stunning and with a wonderful use of music. Season 3 has a running musical theme of New Orleans brass bands, featuring tracks by Minor Mishap Marching Band, Rebirth Brass Band, Youngblood Brass Band and Galactic. But then, for no particular reason, one episode uses Prokofiev’s ‘Peter and the Wolf’, musically labelling each of the main characters as Peter, the bird, the cat, the wolf etc. ‘Fargo’ is a very black comedy drama – excruciating, surprising, hilarious, thrilling and terribly satisfying.
Friday, October 27, 2017
‘Luminate Short Encounters’
27 October 2017
On Wednesday afternoon I was at the WHALE Community Cinema in WHALE Arts Centre, Wester Hailes, Edinburgh, to watch ‘Luminate Short Encounters’ – a series of seven short documentary films dealing with various aspects of ageing. These included one of the excellent 'Directed by North Merchiston' films by Duncan Cowles that were commissioned by Luminate in 2016. Each of the seven films were fascinating in very different ways. I particularly enjoyed ‘Bacon and God’s Wrath’ – a Canadian film by Sol Friedman which shows how a 90-year old Jewish woman, Razie Brownstone, having reached a new chapter in her life, begins to question her religion and decides to take the significant step to eat bacon for the first time. And I was gripped by ‘Nae Pasaran’ – a film by Chilean director Felipe Bustos Sierra which reunites three of the Scottish factory workers who, in 1974, refused to carry out repairs on war planes used in the violent military coup in Chile in an expression of solidarity with the Chilean people. ‘Luminate Short Encounters’ was a surprising and thought-provoking collection of short films and, in common with all the Luminate Festival events I have visited this week, was presented by WHALE Arts with a very warm, friendly welcome and copious amounts of free refreshments.
On Wednesday afternoon I was at the WHALE Community Cinema in WHALE Arts Centre, Wester Hailes, Edinburgh, to watch ‘Luminate Short Encounters’ – a series of seven short documentary films dealing with various aspects of ageing. These included one of the excellent 'Directed by North Merchiston' films by Duncan Cowles that were commissioned by Luminate in 2016. Each of the seven films were fascinating in very different ways. I particularly enjoyed ‘Bacon and God’s Wrath’ – a Canadian film by Sol Friedman which shows how a 90-year old Jewish woman, Razie Brownstone, having reached a new chapter in her life, begins to question her religion and decides to take the significant step to eat bacon for the first time. And I was gripped by ‘Nae Pasaran’ – a film by Chilean director Felipe Bustos Sierra which reunites three of the Scottish factory workers who, in 1974, refused to carry out repairs on war planes used in the violent military coup in Chile in an expression of solidarity with the Chilean people. ‘Luminate Short Encounters’ was a surprising and thought-provoking collection of short films and, in common with all the Luminate Festival events I have visited this week, was presented by WHALE Arts with a very warm, friendly welcome and copious amounts of free refreshments.
‘When We Were Young’
27 October 2017
Also on Wednesday morning I visited the Scottish National Portrait Gallery photography exhibition ‘When We Were Young’ which uses photographs drawn from the National Galleries of Scotland collection to explore various aspects of childhood. It documents the experience and representation of childhood to coincide with Scotland's Year of the Young Person 2018. The exhibition is divided into thematic sections on Family, School, Work and Play and includes some amazing black & white photos from the 1840s through to contemporary digital photography. There are many stunning photos on display but my favourite was the enormous print of Wendy McMurdo’s 199 picture ‘Girl with Bears’, which you can see online at: https://www.nationalgalleries.org/art-and-artists/57370/girl-bears-royal-museum-scotland-edinburgh
Also on Wednesday morning I visited the Scottish National Portrait Gallery photography exhibition ‘When We Were Young’ which uses photographs drawn from the National Galleries of Scotland collection to explore various aspects of childhood. It documents the experience and representation of childhood to coincide with Scotland's Year of the Young Person 2018. The exhibition is divided into thematic sections on Family, School, Work and Play and includes some amazing black & white photos from the 1840s through to contemporary digital photography. There are many stunning photos on display but my favourite was the enormous print of Wendy McMurdo’s 199 picture ‘Girl with Bears’, which you can see online at: https://www.nationalgalleries.org/art-and-artists/57370/girl-bears-royal-museum-scotland-edinburgh
‘Step into My Parlour’ by Michelle Burke
27 October 2017
On Wednesday morning I was at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery in Edinburgh for ‘Step into My Parlour’ – a dementia-friendly event as part of the Luminate Festival. The singer Michelle Burke and pianist James Ross performed songs celebrating the theme of childhood, linked to the Scottish National Portrait Gallery’s photography exhibition ‘When We Were Young’. Inspired by photographs and documents found in Michelle’s grandparents’ house in County Cork, it was a lovely show which gently prompted the audience’s own memories of childhood. Michelle sang a mixture of Irish folk songs and singalong standards. She has a beautifully clear voice with a strong Irish accent, and reminded me of my favourite Nottingham folk singer, Ruth Notman (albeit with a different accent). There is a real skill in working with an audience with wide-ranging and inconsistent levels of understanding but Michelle managed to keep everyone enthralled. Most of the songs she performed are on her album ‘Step Into My Parlour’ (which features some impressive musical guests): https://open.spotify.com/album/6JXgn1qDq8aul8DdTBYHSL. You can also see more about the ideas behind ‘Step Into My Parlour’ in this promo film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WyoHhBFkYNQ.
On Wednesday morning I was at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery in Edinburgh for ‘Step into My Parlour’ – a dementia-friendly event as part of the Luminate Festival. The singer Michelle Burke and pianist James Ross performed songs celebrating the theme of childhood, linked to the Scottish National Portrait Gallery’s photography exhibition ‘When We Were Young’. Inspired by photographs and documents found in Michelle’s grandparents’ house in County Cork, it was a lovely show which gently prompted the audience’s own memories of childhood. Michelle sang a mixture of Irish folk songs and singalong standards. She has a beautifully clear voice with a strong Irish accent, and reminded me of my favourite Nottingham folk singer, Ruth Notman (albeit with a different accent). There is a real skill in working with an audience with wide-ranging and inconsistent levels of understanding but Michelle managed to keep everyone enthralled. Most of the songs she performed are on her album ‘Step Into My Parlour’ (which features some impressive musical guests): https://open.spotify.com/album/6JXgn1qDq8aul8DdTBYHSL. You can also see more about the ideas behind ‘Step Into My Parlour’ in this promo film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WyoHhBFkYNQ.
‘Appalachian Autumn’ by Kick the Cat
27 October 2017
On Tuesday evening I was at Dean Bowling Club in the Comely Bank area of Edinburgh to take part in ‘Appalachian Autumn’ – a clog dancing workshop organised as part of the Luminate Festival by Kick the Cat, Scotland's only Appalachian dance group. Kick the Cat meet every Tuesday at the Bowling Club but opened their doors this week for a beginners’ workshop and demonstration. Appalachian dancing is a fascinating missing link between folk dance and tap. Scottish and Irish immigrants brought their clog dancing traditions to the new world and gradually assimilated influences from Native American and African American culture. The clogs were replaced by formal shoes with metal taps on the toes and heels and the dancing became more performance than social, leading to the development of tap dancing. The Appalachian dancing practised by Kick the Cat is a curious hybrid of recognisable tap steps (shuffles, step-ball-changes and heel taps) in a ceilidh format, dancing with a partner and progressing around a circle. Kick the Cat demonstrated some amazing routines and we all then had a go at a sequence of steps, reassuringly titled ‘Dead Easy’. It was great fun in a really friendly and welcoming atmosphere. I’m only sorry I can’t return next Tuesday.
On Tuesday evening I was at Dean Bowling Club in the Comely Bank area of Edinburgh to take part in ‘Appalachian Autumn’ – a clog dancing workshop organised as part of the Luminate Festival by Kick the Cat, Scotland's only Appalachian dance group. Kick the Cat meet every Tuesday at the Bowling Club but opened their doors this week for a beginners’ workshop and demonstration. Appalachian dancing is a fascinating missing link between folk dance and tap. Scottish and Irish immigrants brought their clog dancing traditions to the new world and gradually assimilated influences from Native American and African American culture. The clogs were replaced by formal shoes with metal taps on the toes and heels and the dancing became more performance than social, leading to the development of tap dancing. The Appalachian dancing practised by Kick the Cat is a curious hybrid of recognisable tap steps (shuffles, step-ball-changes and heel taps) in a ceilidh format, dancing with a partner and progressing around a circle. Kick the Cat demonstrated some amazing routines and we all then had a go at a sequence of steps, reassuringly titled ‘Dead Easy’. It was great fun in a really friendly and welcoming atmosphere. I’m only sorry I can’t return next Tuesday.
WeCAN workshops
27 October 2017
On Tuesday afternoon I was in The Studio at Edinburgh Festival Theatre for two WeCAN workshops as part of Luminate 2017 - Scotland's creative ageing festival. WeCAN Edinburgh is made up of a group of organisations who deliver creative activities for people with dementia and their carers. The organisations include: Alzheimer Scotland, Festival Theatre, Art in Healthcare, Hears and Minds, Dance Base and Music in Hospitals. On Tuesday the Festival Theatre hosted two dementia-friendly workshops delivered by Dance Base and Art in Healthcare. I joined a group of about 20 people with dementia and their carers for a session of seated dance moves, which proved to be a surprisingly rigorous workout that was great fun. We then moved to tables in the bar area to explore visual art techniques involving chalks, watercolours and pencils – responding to the inspiration provided by an exhibition of works from the Art in Healthcare collection. It was a lovely afternoon, with lunch and afternoon tea laid on by the Festival Theatre, and it was great to see people getting over their inhibitions and expressing themselves creatively in a variety of ways in a very friendly and supportive environment.
On Tuesday afternoon I was in The Studio at Edinburgh Festival Theatre for two WeCAN workshops as part of Luminate 2017 - Scotland's creative ageing festival. WeCAN Edinburgh is made up of a group of organisations who deliver creative activities for people with dementia and their carers. The organisations include: Alzheimer Scotland, Festival Theatre, Art in Healthcare, Hears and Minds, Dance Base and Music in Hospitals. On Tuesday the Festival Theatre hosted two dementia-friendly workshops delivered by Dance Base and Art in Healthcare. I joined a group of about 20 people with dementia and their carers for a session of seated dance moves, which proved to be a surprisingly rigorous workout that was great fun. We then moved to tables in the bar area to explore visual art techniques involving chalks, watercolours and pencils – responding to the inspiration provided by an exhibition of works from the Art in Healthcare collection. It was a lovely afternoon, with lunch and afternoon tea laid on by the Festival Theatre, and it was great to see people getting over their inhibitions and expressing themselves creatively in a variety of ways in a very friendly and supportive environment.
Tuesday, October 24, 2017
'The Caretaker' by Harold Pinter
24 October 2017
On Saturday we were at the Royal Theatre in Northampton to see Christopher Haydon’s production of ‘The Caretaker’ by Harold Pinter – a joint production by Bristol Old Vic and the Royal & Derngate, Northampton. I had only seen ‘The Caretaker’ once before, many years ago, but the play’s three characters were still very familiar. I was struck by the similarities with Samuel Beckett’s ‘Waiting for Godot’ which premiered (in English) in 1955, five years before ‘The Caretaker’, and has a similar sense of ennui (and a similar fascination with the importance of a good pair of shoes). Christopher Haydon’s production features an all-black cast, led by Patrice Naiambana as Davies, which lends a particular frisson to that character’s casual racism. The movement of all three actors was particularly impressive, with each adopting a very distinctive physical style. And Oliver Townsend’s wonderful set focuses the action around a circular stage with floorboards emanating outwards from a central point and an array of oddments of furniture and other collected junk hung vertiginously around the space like a frozen explosion in Steptoe & Son’s yard. ‘The Caretaker’ is a strange play, with little plot but a series of fascinating exchanges and a nagging, sinister atmosphere. This was a very impressive production: you can get a brief flavour of it at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=69&v=T7MqziZl1Vw
On Saturday we were at the Royal Theatre in Northampton to see Christopher Haydon’s production of ‘The Caretaker’ by Harold Pinter – a joint production by Bristol Old Vic and the Royal & Derngate, Northampton. I had only seen ‘The Caretaker’ once before, many years ago, but the play’s three characters were still very familiar. I was struck by the similarities with Samuel Beckett’s ‘Waiting for Godot’ which premiered (in English) in 1955, five years before ‘The Caretaker’, and has a similar sense of ennui (and a similar fascination with the importance of a good pair of shoes). Christopher Haydon’s production features an all-black cast, led by Patrice Naiambana as Davies, which lends a particular frisson to that character’s casual racism. The movement of all three actors was particularly impressive, with each adopting a very distinctive physical style. And Oliver Townsend’s wonderful set focuses the action around a circular stage with floorboards emanating outwards from a central point and an array of oddments of furniture and other collected junk hung vertiginously around the space like a frozen explosion in Steptoe & Son’s yard. ‘The Caretaker’ is a strange play, with little plot but a series of fascinating exchanges and a nagging, sinister atmosphere. This was a very impressive production: you can get a brief flavour of it at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=69&v=T7MqziZl1Vw
Wednesday, October 18, 2017
Dancing at Blackpool Tower Ballroom
18 October 2017
On Saturday we made our third annual visit to Blackpool to dance in the Tower Ballroom. Once again, a group of us from Milton Keynes Dance Centre joined more than 500 dancers at the Wembley Stadium of ballroom dancing for an evening organised by Philip Hurst. I have enjoyed these dances more each year – familiarity helping us to know how to pace ourselves through five hours of dancing. Trying to get into Blackpool on a Saturday evening while the Illuminations are on is a major challenge but there is nothing quite like dancing in the ridiculous grandeur of the Tower Ballroom.
On Saturday we made our third annual visit to Blackpool to dance in the Tower Ballroom. Once again, a group of us from Milton Keynes Dance Centre joined more than 500 dancers at the Wembley Stadium of ballroom dancing for an evening organised by Philip Hurst. I have enjoyed these dances more each year – familiarity helping us to know how to pace ourselves through five hours of dancing. Trying to get into Blackpool on a Saturday evening while the Illuminations are on is a major challenge but there is nothing quite like dancing in the ridiculous grandeur of the Tower Ballroom.
Friday, October 13, 2017
'Madness is Better Than Defeat' by Ned Beauman
13 October 2017
Ned Beauman's novel 'The Teleportation Accident' (reviewed here in July 2013) was the best book I read in 2013 (indeed it was my overall cultural Pick of the Year). His new novel, ‘Madness is Better Than Defeat’ (which I have just finished reading as an unabridged audio book, narrated by Eric Meyers) is definitely in the running for a similar accolade at the end of 2017. After setting his previous novel, ‘Glow’ (reviewed here in June 2014), in contemporary London, ‘Madness is Better Than Defeat’ returns Beauman to the kind of historical 20th century setting that seems to suit him best. It tells the tale of two ill-fated American expeditions which arrive simultaneously at a recently discovered Mayan temple in the jungle of Spanish Honduras in 1938 – one party intent on dismantling the temple and transporting it back to New York, while the other had planned to use the temple as the backdrop for a Hollywood film, ‘Hearts of Darkness’. A stand-off in the jungle ensues – and lasts for the next 20 years! But, of course with a Ned Beaman novel, it’s much more complicated than that. He presents at least four explanations for the bizarre events in the jungle, constructing an incredibly complex nest of narratives and never quite explaining who or what we are expected to believe. Like each of his previous books, ‘Madness is Better Than Defeat’ is clever, surprising, baffling, hilarious, and completely bonkers. Beauman writes beautifully witty similes and metaphors: “overhead there flew a macau with prismatic feathers, like an advance scout for a rainbow”. The plot is deliberately confusing but what this book is really about is the process of narrative. ‘Madness is Better Than Defeat’ takes the idea of an unreliable narrator to new extremes (even offering a rational explanation, of sorts, for the presence of an omniscient third-person narrator). This a jigsaw puzzle tale, told by someone who wasn’t present at most of the events that are recounted. And the timeframe jumps backwards and forwards between 1938 and 1959, only very gradually (and partially) filling in huge gaps in the story. Many of the characters have plenty to say about way you should construct a story – creating a meta narrative about the way the book itself is built. If that sounds perplexing, it is – but in a very entertaining way. This is ‘Citizen Kane’ plus ‘Lord of the Flies’ and ‘Treasure Island’ reimagined by Graham Greene. I loved it.
Ned Beauman's novel 'The Teleportation Accident' (reviewed here in July 2013) was the best book I read in 2013 (indeed it was my overall cultural Pick of the Year). His new novel, ‘Madness is Better Than Defeat’ (which I have just finished reading as an unabridged audio book, narrated by Eric Meyers) is definitely in the running for a similar accolade at the end of 2017. After setting his previous novel, ‘Glow’ (reviewed here in June 2014), in contemporary London, ‘Madness is Better Than Defeat’ returns Beauman to the kind of historical 20th century setting that seems to suit him best. It tells the tale of two ill-fated American expeditions which arrive simultaneously at a recently discovered Mayan temple in the jungle of Spanish Honduras in 1938 – one party intent on dismantling the temple and transporting it back to New York, while the other had planned to use the temple as the backdrop for a Hollywood film, ‘Hearts of Darkness’. A stand-off in the jungle ensues – and lasts for the next 20 years! But, of course with a Ned Beaman novel, it’s much more complicated than that. He presents at least four explanations for the bizarre events in the jungle, constructing an incredibly complex nest of narratives and never quite explaining who or what we are expected to believe. Like each of his previous books, ‘Madness is Better Than Defeat’ is clever, surprising, baffling, hilarious, and completely bonkers. Beauman writes beautifully witty similes and metaphors: “overhead there flew a macau with prismatic feathers, like an advance scout for a rainbow”. The plot is deliberately confusing but what this book is really about is the process of narrative. ‘Madness is Better Than Defeat’ takes the idea of an unreliable narrator to new extremes (even offering a rational explanation, of sorts, for the presence of an omniscient third-person narrator). This a jigsaw puzzle tale, told by someone who wasn’t present at most of the events that are recounted. And the timeframe jumps backwards and forwards between 1938 and 1959, only very gradually (and partially) filling in huge gaps in the story. Many of the characters have plenty to say about way you should construct a story – creating a meta narrative about the way the book itself is built. If that sounds perplexing, it is – but in a very entertaining way. This is ‘Citizen Kane’ plus ‘Lord of the Flies’ and ‘Treasure Island’ reimagined by Graham Greene. I loved it.
Thursday, October 12, 2017
Tom Robinson
12 October 2017
Regular readers will know I am a big fan of Tom Robinson who we saw perform many times across the country in the 1990s. After twelve years of ‘retirement’ from touring, it was wonderful to witness his return with a one-off gig at the Jazz Cafe (reviewed here in August 2014). Following a tour to promote a new album in 2015 (reviewed here in November 2015), Tom Robinson is now touring again to mark the 40th anniversary of his first hit single ‘2-4-6-8 Motorway’. With a new band, featuring Adam Phillips, Andy Treacey and Jim Simmons, he is performing the whole of the first Tom Robinson Band album ‘Power in the Darkness’ which was released in 1978 (including some songs the Tom Robinson Band never performed live because they were too difficult!). We were at The Stables in Milton Keynes on Wednesday for the second date in the tour and it was a fantastic evening. Tom Robinson has such a big back catalogue that his concerts usually provide a richly varied mix of musical styles, but this performance of songs from a single album (plus the EP that immediately followed it) strangely felt more satisfying, giving a coherence and consistency to the music. And there are some great songs on ‘Power in the Darkness’ which opens with a brilliant rock number in ‘Up Against the Wall’ and closes with the title track – here updated to comment on the crazy politics of 2017. Tom Robinson was on great form: now 67 years old he needed a little more recovery time between songs but showed no lack of energy in performance. And the band were incredibly impressive. With support from the wonderful Lee Forsyth Griffiths – who we first saw supporting Tom Robinson at The Stables in 2001 – and a rapturous reception from a sold-out audience, it was a magnificent gig.
Regular readers will know I am a big fan of Tom Robinson who we saw perform many times across the country in the 1990s. After twelve years of ‘retirement’ from touring, it was wonderful to witness his return with a one-off gig at the Jazz Cafe (reviewed here in August 2014). Following a tour to promote a new album in 2015 (reviewed here in November 2015), Tom Robinson is now touring again to mark the 40th anniversary of his first hit single ‘2-4-6-8 Motorway’. With a new band, featuring Adam Phillips, Andy Treacey and Jim Simmons, he is performing the whole of the first Tom Robinson Band album ‘Power in the Darkness’ which was released in 1978 (including some songs the Tom Robinson Band never performed live because they were too difficult!). We were at The Stables in Milton Keynes on Wednesday for the second date in the tour and it was a fantastic evening. Tom Robinson has such a big back catalogue that his concerts usually provide a richly varied mix of musical styles, but this performance of songs from a single album (plus the EP that immediately followed it) strangely felt more satisfying, giving a coherence and consistency to the music. And there are some great songs on ‘Power in the Darkness’ which opens with a brilliant rock number in ‘Up Against the Wall’ and closes with the title track – here updated to comment on the crazy politics of 2017. Tom Robinson was on great form: now 67 years old he needed a little more recovery time between songs but showed no lack of energy in performance. And the band were incredibly impressive. With support from the wonderful Lee Forsyth Griffiths – who we first saw supporting Tom Robinson at The Stables in 2001 – and a rapturous reception from a sold-out audience, it was a magnificent gig.
Wednesday, October 11, 2017
'Promise and Promiscuity' by Penny Ashton
11 October 2017
‘Promise and Promiscuity’ is “a new musical by Jane Austen and New Zealand’s Penny Ashton” which we saw at the Stantonbury Theatre in Milton Keynes on Tuesday. In this one-woman fringe show, Penny Ashton creates a mock Jane Austen tale, combining elements from ‘Pride and Prejudice’ and ‘Sense and Sensibility’ with contemporary references and some songs. It’s a very entertaining performance and Ashton is an excellent performer. Her physical movement is particularly impressive and helps her to switch rapidly between multiple characters without the need for props or costumes. In her wordless curtain calls as the main characters we instantly knew who each was meant to be. ‘Promise and Promiscuity’ is clearly a labour of love and demonstrates Penny Ashton’s affection for Jane Austen’s novels, while gently poking fun at them. At times I felt it fell somewhere between satirising Austen and simply re-creating an Austen story – not as cheekily postmodern as the improvised ‘Austentatious’ (reviewed here in August 2012) but not quite straight Jane Austen either. Nevertheless it was great fun and Penny Ashton is a very likeable performer.
‘Promise and Promiscuity’ is “a new musical by Jane Austen and New Zealand’s Penny Ashton” which we saw at the Stantonbury Theatre in Milton Keynes on Tuesday. In this one-woman fringe show, Penny Ashton creates a mock Jane Austen tale, combining elements from ‘Pride and Prejudice’ and ‘Sense and Sensibility’ with contemporary references and some songs. It’s a very entertaining performance and Ashton is an excellent performer. Her physical movement is particularly impressive and helps her to switch rapidly between multiple characters without the need for props or costumes. In her wordless curtain calls as the main characters we instantly knew who each was meant to be. ‘Promise and Promiscuity’ is clearly a labour of love and demonstrates Penny Ashton’s affection for Jane Austen’s novels, while gently poking fun at them. At times I felt it fell somewhere between satirising Austen and simply re-creating an Austen story – not as cheekily postmodern as the improvised ‘Austentatious’ (reviewed here in August 2012) but not quite straight Jane Austen either. Nevertheless it was great fun and Penny Ashton is a very likeable performer.
Tuesday, October 03, 2017
'Searching for Dr Branovic' by David Tristram
3 October 2017
We first encountered the blissfully silly plays of David Tristram at the TADS Theatre in Toddington in 2009 when the TADS Theatre Group presented his surreal murder mystery ‘Inspector Drake and the Black Widow’ (reviewed here in April 2009). We returned to TADS to see the other two Inspector Drake plays (reviewed here in July 2010 and April 2011) and thoroughly enjoyed them. So it was a treat to discover a new David Tristram play at TADS last Saturday. ‘Searching for Doctor Branovic’ is a very clever farce which is set in a more realistic universe than Inspector Drake but still has some of the same ridiculous but consistent internal logic and a good line in running jokes. The cast in David Sachon’s production were all great but David Hillman as the exasperated Detective Inspector Munroe stood out and Chloe White stole the show as the bewildered widow whose husband appears to be less dead than initially thought.
We first encountered the blissfully silly plays of David Tristram at the TADS Theatre in Toddington in 2009 when the TADS Theatre Group presented his surreal murder mystery ‘Inspector Drake and the Black Widow’ (reviewed here in April 2009). We returned to TADS to see the other two Inspector Drake plays (reviewed here in July 2010 and April 2011) and thoroughly enjoyed them. So it was a treat to discover a new David Tristram play at TADS last Saturday. ‘Searching for Doctor Branovic’ is a very clever farce which is set in a more realistic universe than Inspector Drake but still has some of the same ridiculous but consistent internal logic and a good line in running jokes. The cast in David Sachon’s production were all great but David Hillman as the exasperated Detective Inspector Munroe stood out and Chloe White stole the show as the bewildered widow whose husband appears to be less dead than initially thought.
Wednesday, September 27, 2017
'Nocturnes' by imitating the dog
27 September 2017
On Tuesday we were at the Stantonbury Theatre in Milton Keynes to see ‘Nocturnes’ - a new play by ‘imitating the dog’ which is on tour following a run at the Edinburgh Fringe in August. Written and directed by Andrew Quick and Pete Brooks, ‘Nocturnes’ is an exploration of the relationship between film and stage. A black & white film noir – a spy story set in Berlin in 1956 – is shown on a large screen, beneath which three actors stand at microphones on the stage, speaking the lines of dialogue for the film. Initially this appears just to be a very impressive gimmick: the lip-synching with the film is spot-on and it’s difficult for the audience to know whether to watch the film or the live actors. But gradually you realise something more clever is going on. As the two lead actors attempt to deviate from the written script with the occasional improvisation, the third person on the stage forces them back onto the proper text. Meanwhile the film begins to jump and distort in response to the disruptions on the stage. And the audience begins to realise that every line of dialogue can be taken either as part of the filmed story or as a comment on what is happening on stage. This ambiguity is strangely unsettling. Indeed the whole performance is a very strange experience. Like Pirandello’s ‘Six Characters in Search of an Author’, the characters Harry and Amy (played on stage and screen by Laura Atherton and Matt Prendergast) are aware they are trapped in a drama and become desperate to escape. ‘Nocturnes’ is an unusual and compelling theatrical experience.
On Tuesday we were at the Stantonbury Theatre in Milton Keynes to see ‘Nocturnes’ - a new play by ‘imitating the dog’ which is on tour following a run at the Edinburgh Fringe in August. Written and directed by Andrew Quick and Pete Brooks, ‘Nocturnes’ is an exploration of the relationship between film and stage. A black & white film noir – a spy story set in Berlin in 1956 – is shown on a large screen, beneath which three actors stand at microphones on the stage, speaking the lines of dialogue for the film. Initially this appears just to be a very impressive gimmick: the lip-synching with the film is spot-on and it’s difficult for the audience to know whether to watch the film or the live actors. But gradually you realise something more clever is going on. As the two lead actors attempt to deviate from the written script with the occasional improvisation, the third person on the stage forces them back onto the proper text. Meanwhile the film begins to jump and distort in response to the disruptions on the stage. And the audience begins to realise that every line of dialogue can be taken either as part of the filmed story or as a comment on what is happening on stage. This ambiguity is strangely unsettling. Indeed the whole performance is a very strange experience. Like Pirandello’s ‘Six Characters in Search of an Author’, the characters Harry and Amy (played on stage and screen by Laura Atherton and Matt Prendergast) are aware they are trapped in a drama and become desperate to escape. ‘Nocturnes’ is an unusual and compelling theatrical experience.
Tuesday, September 26, 2017
Heliotrope Chamber Ensemble concert
26 September 2017
Performing a large chamber work with the Heliotrope Chamber Ensemble has become an annual treat, with last Saturday’s ‘Monumental Chamber Music’ concert, at Abington Avenue United Reformed Church in Northampton, marking my fourth appearance with the ensemble. After playing the 'Sonatina no. 2 for 16 Winds' by Richard Strauss ('From the Happy Workshop') last year (reviewed here in April 2016) I was really looking forward to tackling the Strauss ‘Sonatine no. 1 (‘From an Invalid’s Workshop’)’. It’s a similarly entertaining work with another incredibly challenging first horn part – brilliantly played by Meghan McCrimmon. The concert also included the ‘Divertissment’ for wind dectet by the French composer Emile Bernard, conducted by Catherine Rose, which featured a beautiful unaccompanied bassoon solo by Frank Jordan at the opening of the slow movement. But, for me, the highlight of the evening was a performance of Aaron Copland’s ballet suite ‘Appalachian Spring’ in its original scoring for flute, clarinet, bassoon, piano, double string quartet and double bass. Copland is one of a small number of composers whose style is so distinct you can identify a piece as one of his from hearing the merest fragment of a bar. ‘Appalachian Spring’ is peak Copland, creating an eerie, sparse beauty. Conducted by Stephen Bell (who also led the Strauss) the Heliotrope performance was delicate and haunting with particularly beautiful playing by Mara Griffiths (flute) and Michelle Yates (clarinet). It was another great Heliotrope chamber concert.
Performing a large chamber work with the Heliotrope Chamber Ensemble has become an annual treat, with last Saturday’s ‘Monumental Chamber Music’ concert, at Abington Avenue United Reformed Church in Northampton, marking my fourth appearance with the ensemble. After playing the 'Sonatina no. 2 for 16 Winds' by Richard Strauss ('From the Happy Workshop') last year (reviewed here in April 2016) I was really looking forward to tackling the Strauss ‘Sonatine no. 1 (‘From an Invalid’s Workshop’)’. It’s a similarly entertaining work with another incredibly challenging first horn part – brilliantly played by Meghan McCrimmon. The concert also included the ‘Divertissment’ for wind dectet by the French composer Emile Bernard, conducted by Catherine Rose, which featured a beautiful unaccompanied bassoon solo by Frank Jordan at the opening of the slow movement. But, for me, the highlight of the evening was a performance of Aaron Copland’s ballet suite ‘Appalachian Spring’ in its original scoring for flute, clarinet, bassoon, piano, double string quartet and double bass. Copland is one of a small number of composers whose style is so distinct you can identify a piece as one of his from hearing the merest fragment of a bar. ‘Appalachian Spring’ is peak Copland, creating an eerie, sparse beauty. Conducted by Stephen Bell (who also led the Strauss) the Heliotrope performance was delicate and haunting with particularly beautiful playing by Mara Griffiths (flute) and Michelle Yates (clarinet). It was another great Heliotrope chamber concert.
Friday, September 22, 2017
'The Box Garden' by Carol Shields
22 September 2017
I had forgotten how much I like the work of the Canadian novelist Carol Shields. Very much like Anne Tyler, Carol Shields (who died in 2003) wrote domestic dramas where something threatens to disrupt the pattern of day-to-day family life forcing the main character to reflect on her life and her future. I have just read ‘The Box Garden’ - a 1977 novel by Carol Shields which I found in a charity shop and it has rekindled my enthusiasm for her books. It is a very subtly but cleverly plotted novel. You are not sure where it is going to take you but by the time something dramatic happens to challenge the status quo the various members of the family at the heart of the story have been so well drawn that you can predict how each of them will react to the situation. It’s a beautifully written tale and has made me want to return to some of my favourite Carol Shields novels such as ‘Larry’s Party’ and ‘The Stone Diaries’.
I had forgotten how much I like the work of the Canadian novelist Carol Shields. Very much like Anne Tyler, Carol Shields (who died in 2003) wrote domestic dramas where something threatens to disrupt the pattern of day-to-day family life forcing the main character to reflect on her life and her future. I have just read ‘The Box Garden’ - a 1977 novel by Carol Shields which I found in a charity shop and it has rekindled my enthusiasm for her books. It is a very subtly but cleverly plotted novel. You are not sure where it is going to take you but by the time something dramatic happens to challenge the status quo the various members of the family at the heart of the story have been so well drawn that you can predict how each of them will react to the situation. It’s a beautifully written tale and has made me want to return to some of my favourite Carol Shields novels such as ‘Larry’s Party’ and ‘The Stone Diaries’.
‘Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World’ by Haruki Murakami
22 September 2017
Regular readers will know I am a big fan of the Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami. Earlier this year I spotted a couple of early Murakami novels I hadn’t read in a charity shop in Great Malvern. One of these was his 1985 novel ‘Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World’ which I have just finished reading. This book has all the usual Murakami elements – a contemporary real-world Japan setting into which magical realism starts to intrude, a parallel fantasy world and a host of Western cultural references. Murakami is probably an acquired taste – particularly in relation to his reluctance to tie up the loose ends of his incredibly weird plots. ‘Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World’ resolves more satisfyingly that many of his books but it’s still a very peculiar plot. I love the quirkiness and unpredictability of a Murakami novel and the seriousness with which he, and his characters, take their musical references – in this case, for example, discussing the merits of various different recordings of the ‘Brandenburg Concertos’. But if you are new to Haruki Murakami I would still suggest starting by reading 'Kafka on the Shore' (reviewed here in October 2006).
Regular readers will know I am a big fan of the Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami. Earlier this year I spotted a couple of early Murakami novels I hadn’t read in a charity shop in Great Malvern. One of these was his 1985 novel ‘Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World’ which I have just finished reading. This book has all the usual Murakami elements – a contemporary real-world Japan setting into which magical realism starts to intrude, a parallel fantasy world and a host of Western cultural references. Murakami is probably an acquired taste – particularly in relation to his reluctance to tie up the loose ends of his incredibly weird plots. ‘Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World’ resolves more satisfyingly that many of his books but it’s still a very peculiar plot. I love the quirkiness and unpredictability of a Murakami novel and the seriousness with which he, and his characters, take their musical references – in this case, for example, discussing the merits of various different recordings of the ‘Brandenburg Concertos’. But if you are new to Haruki Murakami I would still suggest starting by reading 'Kafka on the Shore' (reviewed here in October 2006).
Canary Islands Cruise
22 September 2017
We had a lovely cruise on the new P&O ship Britannia, visiting Spain, Madeira and the Canary Islands. We enjoyed lovely weather and fairly calm seas. Lanzarote was our favourite of the islands we visited but the highlight of our holiday was a return to the lovely city of Cadiz, which we visited last year on our previous cruise. On board the ship we did a lot of ballroom dancing: it’s wonderful to be able to dance to an excellent live band every night. And I took my first ever tap dancing lessons – something I have wanted to do for years and really enjoyed.
You can see a selection of my holiday photos at: https://culturaloutlook.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/CanariesSept2017
We had a lovely cruise on the new P&O ship Britannia, visiting Spain, Madeira and the Canary Islands. We enjoyed lovely weather and fairly calm seas. Lanzarote was our favourite of the islands we visited but the highlight of our holiday was a return to the lovely city of Cadiz, which we visited last year on our previous cruise. On board the ship we did a lot of ballroom dancing: it’s wonderful to be able to dance to an excellent live band every night. And I took my first ever tap dancing lessons – something I have wanted to do for years and really enjoyed.
You can see a selection of my holiday photos at: https://culturaloutlook.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/CanariesSept2017
Friday, September 01, 2017
'Stay With Me' by Ayobami Adebayo
1 September 2017
It was interesting to see ‘Yerma’ in the week I finished reading Ayobami Adebayo’s novel ‘Stay With Me’ (which I read as an unabridged audio book, narrated by Adjoa Andoh). This is another story of a couple’s desperation to have children – but in a very different context. Set in Nigeria in the 1980s and 1990s, ‘Stay With Me’ reveals a society which feels shockingly alien. The gender divide is stark, with polygamy the norm – and the reason for a husband to take multiple wives is entirely about providing the family with sufficient offspring. ‘Stay With Me’ tells its family saga through first person narration from the point of view of both Yejide and her husband Akin. It’s not a happy story – and it is set against a backdrop of military coups and armed robberies. But it provides a fascinating insight into what feels like a very old-fashioned, family focussed society but is actually a fairly recent period in Nigeria’s history.
It was interesting to see ‘Yerma’ in the week I finished reading Ayobami Adebayo’s novel ‘Stay With Me’ (which I read as an unabridged audio book, narrated by Adjoa Andoh). This is another story of a couple’s desperation to have children – but in a very different context. Set in Nigeria in the 1980s and 1990s, ‘Stay With Me’ reveals a society which feels shockingly alien. The gender divide is stark, with polygamy the norm – and the reason for a husband to take multiple wives is entirely about providing the family with sufficient offspring. ‘Stay With Me’ tells its family saga through first person narration from the point of view of both Yejide and her husband Akin. It’s not a happy story – and it is set against a backdrop of military coups and armed robberies. But it provides a fascinating insight into what feels like a very old-fashioned, family focussed society but is actually a fairly recent period in Nigeria’s history.
'Yerma' by Simon Stone after Federico GarcÃa Lorca
1 September 2017
On Thursday we were at Leighton Buzzard Theatre to see the live screening of Simon Stone’s production of ‘Yerma’ from the Young Vic in London. Adapted by 31-year-old Australian director and writer Simon Stone from the 1934 play by Federico GarcÃa Lorca, this ‘Yerma’ is set in contemporary London and features an amazing performance by Billie Piper. The play tells the story of a young couple (played by Billie Piper and Brendan Cowell) trying to start a family. We piece together their journey through a rapid series of short scenes, each separated by a passage of time (48 hours, a few months, two years) indicated by captions in a way that reminded me of Harold Pinter’s ‘Betrayal’. The dialogue is smart, hip and often overlapping and it took me a while to ‘tune in’ but the effect is very realistic. Indeed Stone does a remarkable job of making an old-fashioned brutal tragedy completely believable in this modern context. The set, by Lizzie Clachan encases the stage in a massive glass box, giving the impression that we are watching specimens in some scientific experiment and creating spooky effects with multiple reflections of the actors in the glass – in a similar way to the set for Polly Findlay's RSC production of 'The Merchant of Venice' (reviewed here in August 2015). The acting is excellent throughout: I particularly enjoyed Maureen Beattie as the unemotional, determinedly rational mother. The script is incredibly witty and the play is often very funny but, ultimately, it tells a grim tale. And Billie Piper, on stage for almost every minute of the play, gives an achingly real portrayal of a life gradually falling apart.
On Thursday we were at Leighton Buzzard Theatre to see the live screening of Simon Stone’s production of ‘Yerma’ from the Young Vic in London. Adapted by 31-year-old Australian director and writer Simon Stone from the 1934 play by Federico GarcÃa Lorca, this ‘Yerma’ is set in contemporary London and features an amazing performance by Billie Piper. The play tells the story of a young couple (played by Billie Piper and Brendan Cowell) trying to start a family. We piece together their journey through a rapid series of short scenes, each separated by a passage of time (48 hours, a few months, two years) indicated by captions in a way that reminded me of Harold Pinter’s ‘Betrayal’. The dialogue is smart, hip and often overlapping and it took me a while to ‘tune in’ but the effect is very realistic. Indeed Stone does a remarkable job of making an old-fashioned brutal tragedy completely believable in this modern context. The set, by Lizzie Clachan encases the stage in a massive glass box, giving the impression that we are watching specimens in some scientific experiment and creating spooky effects with multiple reflections of the actors in the glass – in a similar way to the set for Polly Findlay's RSC production of 'The Merchant of Venice' (reviewed here in August 2015). The acting is excellent throughout: I particularly enjoyed Maureen Beattie as the unemotional, determinedly rational mother. The script is incredibly witty and the play is often very funny but, ultimately, it tells a grim tale. And Billie Piper, on stage for almost every minute of the play, gives an achingly real portrayal of a life gradually falling apart.
Thursday, August 24, 2017
'42nd Street' by Michael Stewart and Mark Bramble with songs by Harry Warren and Al Dubin
24 August 2017
‘42nd Street’ was a 1933 film directed by Lloyd Bacon with songs by Harry Warren and Al Dubin, and choreography by the inimitable Busby Berkeley. It was the classic feelgood backstage musical about the chorus girl who steps in for an indisposed leading lady and becomes a star – designed to cheer up depression-era America. ‘42nd Street’ didn’t become a stage musical until 1980 when the producer David Merrick commissioned a book by Michael Stewart and Mark Bramble and added more Warren & Dubin songs (originally written for other films). The show was a hit and the subsequent London West End production, in 1984, is famous for life imitating art as the teenaged Catherine Zeta-Jones actually had to stand in when both the actor playing Peggy Sawyer and her understudy were taken ill, and was then cast permanently in the role, launching her professional career. I saw that West End production when it toured to the Opera House in Manchester in the late 1980s and I can remember being bowled over from the start of the show when the current rises to reveal row upon row of people tap dancing to the title song. So I was looking forward to seeing whether the show was as good as I remembered when we went to see the latest West End revival, directed by the show’s author Mark Bramble, with choreography by Randy Skinner, at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, last Saturday. It was brilliant! Even that opening moment didn’t disappoint as the curtain rose a few tentative inches and paused to show forty pairs of tap dancing feet, before completing its ascent to reveal the whole massive stage of the Theatre Royal. ‘42nd Street’ is a delightfully old-fashioned musical: there is very little plot but the dialogue is snappy, the songs are wonderful and the dance numbers are truly amazing. This production has a cast of 55 people on stage (plus 19 musicians in the pit) and provides an endless supply of big dance numbers, including a typical Busby Berkeley circle of dancers lying on the stage with a huge overhead mirror to show the audience the kaleidoscopic patterns they create. The star name in the cast is Sheena Easton as awkward diva Dorothy Brock: I was particularly impressed by her singing in the challenging chromatic intervals of ‘About a Quarter To Nine’. But the show definitely belongs to the dancers: Clare Halse as Peggy Sawyer and Stuart Neal as Billy Lawlor were both incredible. With tap dancing there really is nowhere to hide – it’s audibly obvious if you put a foot wrong. And the increasingly ambitious tap routines create a thrilling, breath-holding fascination before delivering beautifully every time. By the final spectacular ensemble dances I had tears in my eyes from the sheer joy of this stunning live entertainment. ‘42nd Street’ is still a feelgood show for depressing times – go see it.
‘42nd Street’ was a 1933 film directed by Lloyd Bacon with songs by Harry Warren and Al Dubin, and choreography by the inimitable Busby Berkeley. It was the classic feelgood backstage musical about the chorus girl who steps in for an indisposed leading lady and becomes a star – designed to cheer up depression-era America. ‘42nd Street’ didn’t become a stage musical until 1980 when the producer David Merrick commissioned a book by Michael Stewart and Mark Bramble and added more Warren & Dubin songs (originally written for other films). The show was a hit and the subsequent London West End production, in 1984, is famous for life imitating art as the teenaged Catherine Zeta-Jones actually had to stand in when both the actor playing Peggy Sawyer and her understudy were taken ill, and was then cast permanently in the role, launching her professional career. I saw that West End production when it toured to the Opera House in Manchester in the late 1980s and I can remember being bowled over from the start of the show when the current rises to reveal row upon row of people tap dancing to the title song. So I was looking forward to seeing whether the show was as good as I remembered when we went to see the latest West End revival, directed by the show’s author Mark Bramble, with choreography by Randy Skinner, at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, last Saturday. It was brilliant! Even that opening moment didn’t disappoint as the curtain rose a few tentative inches and paused to show forty pairs of tap dancing feet, before completing its ascent to reveal the whole massive stage of the Theatre Royal. ‘42nd Street’ is a delightfully old-fashioned musical: there is very little plot but the dialogue is snappy, the songs are wonderful and the dance numbers are truly amazing. This production has a cast of 55 people on stage (plus 19 musicians in the pit) and provides an endless supply of big dance numbers, including a typical Busby Berkeley circle of dancers lying on the stage with a huge overhead mirror to show the audience the kaleidoscopic patterns they create. The star name in the cast is Sheena Easton as awkward diva Dorothy Brock: I was particularly impressed by her singing in the challenging chromatic intervals of ‘About a Quarter To Nine’. But the show definitely belongs to the dancers: Clare Halse as Peggy Sawyer and Stuart Neal as Billy Lawlor were both incredible. With tap dancing there really is nowhere to hide – it’s audibly obvious if you put a foot wrong. And the increasingly ambitious tap routines create a thrilling, breath-holding fascination before delivering beautifully every time. By the final spectacular ensemble dances I had tears in my eyes from the sheer joy of this stunning live entertainment. ‘42nd Street’ is still a feelgood show for depressing times – go see it.
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