‘This Must Be the Place’ by Maggie O'Farrell

29 July 2021 

I really enjoyed reading Maggie O'Farrell’s 2016 novel ‘This Must Be the Place’ - a exquisitely plotted jigsaw puzzle narrative which flits backwards and forwards in time to piece together the story of a reclusive former film star hiding from the world in Donegal, her American second husband and their families. Each chapter pulls the rug from under the reader as we shift to a different perspective and question what we had previously assumed but the gradual filling-in of the narrative is very satisfying and Maggie O’Farrell builds an extended cast of sympathetic characters.

‘Light Perpetual’ by Francis Spufford

29 July 2021

Francis Spufford’s first novel ‘Golden Hill’ (reviewed here in August 2017) was one of my cultural highlights of 2017: beautifully written, historically fascinating with wonderfully drawn characters and a mesmeric plot – one of the best novels I’ve read in years. If you haven’t read it please do! My expectations of its successor were therefore incredibly high but I am pleased to say that I really enjoyed ‘Light Perpetual’ by Francis Spufford, which I have just finished reading as an unabridged audiobook, narrated by Imogen Church. This is a much more recent historical novel, leaping forward from Golden Hill’s 1746 to start in 1944 with the bombing of a Woolworth’s store in South London which killed five young children from the same school class. This is the spur for a ‘what if’ narrative that reminded me of Kate Atkinson’s novel 'Life After Life' (reviewed here in June 2013) in which the (repeated) death of the main character is not the end of the story but merely the start of a new strand of the narrative, imaging what might have happened if she hadn’t died at that moment. In ‘Light Perpetual’ Spufford shows us the lives that might have been if the five children had lived, using a structure a bit like Michael Apted’s famous Seven Up! television documentaries, revisiting each of the main characters every 15 years. Their stories take us through the second half of the 20th century via a series of linked short stories that allow Spufford to focus on a wide range of real events and situations in painstaking detail. The novel also reminded me of Peter Flannery’s classic TV serial ‘Our Friends in the North’ (reviewed here in April 2006) as we watch the protagonists go their separate ways and bear witness to all manner of historic moments. ‘Light Perpetual’ is in turns brutal, funny, sad, poignant and moving - a very human tale of life and death. It’s a very different book to ‘Golden Hill’ but equally beautifully written (and brilliantly read by Imogen Church).

Suffolk

29 July 2021

We had a lovely holiday last week, spending a few days in Suffolk and Cambridgeshire revisiting some old favourite places for the first time in years. We visited Cambridge, Newmarket, Oulton Broad, Southwold, Snape, Aldeburgh, Bury St Edmunds and Ely. It was great to see the Broads, the beach huts at Southwold, the Abbey ruins at Bury St Edmunds and the Cathedral at Ely - and to have fish & chips on the beach at Aldeburgh. We also enjoyed lovely sunny walks in the North Chilterns (at Pegsdon) and the Cotswolds (at Blockley). It was a glorious week.

‘The Golden Age’ by Woodkid

15 July 2021

I am grateful, once again, to Jess Gillam’s wonderful podcast ‘This Classical Life’ through which I discovered the 2013 album ‘The Golden Age’ by Woodkid. Yoann Lemoin is a French video director who has worked with Lana Del Rey, Katy Perry and Taylor Swift. As Woodkid he created this sumptuous collection of songs about a boy’s childhood - his golden age - and his departure from it through the pains of adolescence. The music features the Paris National Orchestra mixed with electronic instruments and effects. It feels operatic in scale and mood - part concept album, part film score - a little earnest but unusual, melodic and engaging. And naturally Lemoin has created accompanying video material for the album, see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWMMdX6KYGM

Wimbledon 2021

6 July 2021

As we travelled to Wimbledon on Saturday it felt like a very long time since we were last at the Championships - though we were actually there for the men’s singles quarter finals the last time they were played in 2019. It’s just a long time since we have been anywhere! This was my first train journey since March 2020 which felt incredibly strange. I am pleased to report that London is still there. But I am more pleased that, following a little rain on our way there, we enjoyed a rain-free day and saw almost eight hours of continuous tennis. We had tickets for No. 1 Court which meant we were lucky to see Emma Raducanu’s amazing win over Sorana Cîrstea - the most exciting atmosphere we have witnessed in many many years of going to Wimbledon. It was genuinely thrilling, but that was just the start of a stunning day. We also had an all-too-brief glimpse of a very promising match between Nick Kyrgios and Felix Auger Aliassime before Kyrgios had to retire through injury. We finished the day watching Daniil Medvedev come back from two sets down to beat Marin Čilić in five sets which was a brilliant match. I think this was our best ever day at Wimbledon.

Nottinghamshire

1 July 2021

We had a lovely holiday in Nottinghamshire last week, staying at a cottage overlooking the Chesterfield Canal, just outside the pretty village of Gringley-on-the-hill, close to the borders with South Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. We had some great walks along the canal, and in Sherwood Forest, Clumber Park and Daneshill Lakes. We visited Nostell Priory near Wakefield, Gainsborough in Lincolnshire and Retford. Despite driving there and back in rain we enjoyed a mostly dry and sunny week. It was a wonderful break.

‘Vulture Price’ by Arooj Aftab

17 June 2021

I am grateful to The Guardian’s feature on ‘The best albums of 2021 so far’ for introducing me to ‘Vulture Price’ by Brooklyn-based Pakistani composer Arooj Aftab. It’s a beautiful collection of songs, drawing on traditional Urdu ghazals, accompanied by violin, harp, double bass, and synths, creating a spare texture. The music is a peaceful meditation. The seven tracks encompass a range of musical styles - including jazz, Hindustani classical music, folk and reggae. It’s an interesting and enchanting album.

'Macbeth' by WIlliam Shakespeare

9 June 2021

Last weekend we enjoyed our first live theatre since seeing an open air production of ‘Twelfth Night’, in the car park of The Place in Bedford last September (reviewed here in September 2020). On Sunday we were in the lovely surroundings of the Walled Garden at Luton Hoo Estate, on a beautiful summer evening, for a performance of ‘Macbeth’ by the Handlebards. The Handlebards are “cycling actors who carry all the set, props and costume needed to perform extremely energetic, charmingly chaotic and environmentally sustainable Shakespeare plays across the globe”. We first encountered them at the 2018 Milton Keynes International Festival, where we saw their all-female troupe performing ‘Romeo and Juliet’ (reviewed here in July 2018). We saw them again in 2019 in the garden of the Quarry Theatre in Bedford when we watched their all-male troupe performing ‘Much Ado About Nothing’. Sunday’s show was an all-female production of ‘Macbeth’ played for laughs by just three actors. It was charmingly silly and incredibly enjoyable. Handlebards performances tend to be more about the challenges of presenting Shakespeare with so few actors and how the cast overcome them. I’m not sure anyone unfamiliar with the plot of ‘Macbeth’ would really have followed it but I don’t think that mattered. There was some great use made of bicycle accessories and Lady Macbeth went through quite a lot of hand sanitiser trying to clean her hands of blood. This was glorious slapstick tomfoolery and, after so long away from live theatre, it was wonderful to rediscover the joy of being in an audience again.

'The Final Game' by Caimh McDonnell

4 June 2021

Caimh McDonnell is a former stand-up comedian turned novelist. Having enjoyed ‘The Stranger Times’ - his comic novel which tells the story of a Manchester-based newspaper that reports on the paranormal (reviewed here in April 2021) I have been reading his earlier book ‘The Final Game’. This is a standalone crime novel but features characters from his Dublin Trilogy books. Set in Dublin it follows the members of a private detective agency as they try to work out whether a murder has been committed while simultaneously taking part in a bizarre series of ‘It’s a Knockout’ games to determine who will inherit the dead woman’s fortune. It’s very silly but enjoyable. Caimh McDonnell writes some very likeable characters and, in Jimmy and Phil, has created a lovely odd couple detective pairing.

Andy Kershaw Plays Some Bloody Great Records

28 May 2021

Regular readers may remember I was a big fan of Andy Kershaw’s much missed BBC Radio 3 show. I really enjoyed seeing him live, promoting his autobiography in December 2018, and it was a treat to hear him back on Radio 3 in 2020 for ‘The Kershaw Tapes’ in which he introduced recordings made on his trusty Sony Walkman Pro cassette recorder during his travels in Africa and the Americas in the 1980s. Two more episodes of ‘The Kershaw Tapes’ aired on Radio 3 a few weeks ago and are available to listen to on BBC Sounds: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000vqjl and https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000vwq0. This week I have been immersing myself in the first episode of Andy’s new podcast ‘Andy Kershaw Plays Some Bloody Great Records’, available at: https://andykershaw.co.uk/podcast-1/. It’s great to rediscover his inimitable delivery and a typically eclectic mix of music old and new from across the world. As I have noted here before, I'm not always that keen on Andy’s favourite music but I do share his insatiable appetite for music that is new and different, and his sheer enthusiasm for music is infectious.

'The Get Up' by Madness

21 May 2021

Madness are one of those bands who have been part of the soundtrack of my life: I’ve always loved their particular blend of two-tone ska, zany fun and a hint of melancholy. Sadly I’ve not yet managed to see them live but last Friday I leapt at the chance to watch ‘The Get Up’ - a special online Madness concert from the London Palladium. This global livestream featured Live performances of new and classic Madness songs, framed by scenes of the band arriving at the theatre and watching themselves from the stalls (scripted by and featuring Charlie Higson from The Fast Show). There were some great special guest singers for a couple of numbers. But it was just lovely to see the band working through its extensive back catalogue, sounding wonderful and clearly having a ball. Here’s a brief flavour: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQZ-r5oT9lo

East Riding of Yorkshire

14 May 2021

We had a lovely holiday in the East Riding of Yorkshire last week, staying in a cottage near the village of Tickton, just outside Beverley. That area feels a lot like the fens of Lincolnshire, with flat fields bounded by straight ditches and big skies filled with stunning sunsets. Beverley is a very nice town, dominated by the impressive Minster, with a long stretch of pedestrianised shopping streets, pretty buildings and little alleyways. We did lots of walking, particularly a little further north in the Yorkshire Wolds around the villages of Huggate and Thixendale where gently rolling hills surround a myriad of almost artificially perfect grassy dry valleys. We also visited the coast, at Hornsea and Bridlington, and it was great to see the sea for the first time in over a year. Above all, after such a long period of lockdown it was just wonderful to be somewhere different: it felt like a much-needed break.

‘The Stranger Times’ by C K McDonnell

28 April 2021

‘The Stranger Times’ is a comic novel by C K McDonnell which tells the story of a Manchester-based newspaper that reports on the paranormal - ghosts, UFOs etc. The book, which I have been reading as an unabridged audio book, narrated by Brendan McDonald, has a fairly predictable structure with a new employee joining the paper providing a way of introducing the reader to the weird world it covers. And some of the funny lines are a bit weak: the rhythm of comic delivery is there but the content sometimes disappoints. But I did enjoy the light-hearted escapism: there’s a nice ensemble of sympathetic characters and some genuine jeopardy with a truly nasty villain.

‘A Promised Land’ by Barack Obama

23 April 2021

‘A Promised Land’ - Barack Obama’s memoir covering the presidential election of 2008 and his first term in office - is a doorstop of a book at nearly 800 pages, but it’s fascinating and very readable. Obama is a self-deprecating author, generous with his praise of colleagues and those international partners he likes - and polite but clear about those he doesn’t. As he introduces us to the many many aspects of the presidency, he provides really helpful two-page summaries of the backstories to a wide range of global issues such as Israel/Palestine, Russia since the fall of the Soviet Union etc. He explains the tightrope he had to walk as the first African American president, coping with the hostility he experienced from some while always being aware of the importance of the symbolism and hope he provided to many. ‘A Promised Land’ is also a lesson in leadership: Obama says much about the nature of democracy, reflecting on how free and fair elections (for example in Afghanistan) are only one element of what is needed for true democracy, and outlining in painful detail the compromises that are needed to pass domestic legislation. Barack Obama comes over as reassuringly humble, sensible, principled and determined - a grown-up in the Oval Office.

NSO horns in the garden

16 April 2021

Since October 2020, when I met my fellow horn players from the Northampton Symphony Orchestra at St Mary’s Church in Wollaston, Northamptonshire, to play through some horn quartets, we have been maintaining a weekly online session, playing quartets via Jamulus. But on Tuesday evening, for the first time in six months, we met face-to-face in a garden in Wollaston to play music together outdoors. It was lovely to see everyone and brilliant to be able to play live again. Having been playing together regularly online we have built up a repertoire of quartets and I think we sounded pretty good. It was wonderful to have the benefit of eye contact to help with our timing and three dimensional sound, really making us realise what we have been missing through lockdown. Despite some mischievous reports on social media the following day that house prices in Wollaston have immediately dropped by 25%, the immediate neighbours were actually very complimentary, describing our playing as ‘lovely’ and asking when we can come again. This week we also launched our latest multi-part lockdown recording: ‘Star Trek: First Contact’ which you can see at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1QavwbuDZY

'Romeo and Juliet' by William Shakespeare

9 April 2021

Regular readers will know that Simon Godwin is one of my favourite theatre directors (see, for example, my review of his National Theatre production of ‘Antony and Cleopatra’ in December 2018). His latest show is an innovative take on ‘Romeo and Juliet’: when his planned National Theatre production of the play wasn’t able to go ahead because of the national lockdown he filmed the cast in the empty theatre to create a hybrid which is part-theatre and part-film. It starts with the feel of a first read-through on an empty stage but soon takes you into the world of the young Montagues and Capulets through close-ups, whispered voice-overs and dreamlike sequences. It also ruthlessly condenses  “the two hours' traffic of our stage” into a speedy 90 minutes, even sacrificing some of the most famous lines to keep the plot moving. It’s effective and engrossing. Like Erica Whyman’s great Royal Shakespeare Company production of the play (reviewed here in May 2018) a very young cast make both the star-crossed lovers and the gang warfare all too believable. Josh O'Connor and Jessie Buckley are a very convincing Romeo and Juliet and the production is incredibly passionate - in both the love and the violence. There is a strong supporting cast, including Adrian Lester, Tamsin Greig and Lucian Msamati. But the show belongs to the young lovers.

'The Picture of Dorian Gray' by Oscar Wilde, adapted by Henry Filloux-Bennett

31 March 2021

On Saturday we watched Henry Filloux-Bennett’s online theatre adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’, co-produced by The Barn Theatre, Lawrence Batley Theatre, New Wolsey Theatre, Oxford Playhouse and Theatr Clwyd. This inventive example of webcam theatre took a very similar approach to the same team’s production of 'What a Carve Up!' by Jonathan Coe (reviewed here in November 2020). Updating Wilde’s story to the present day, and deliberately setting it during the Coronavirus pandemic, allows the company to include several well-known actors (Stephen Fry, Russell Tovey etc) who only have to appear on the end of a video call. The heavy lifting is done by Fionn Whitehead as Dorian Gray with Joanna Lumley, Emma McDonald and Alfred Enoch (who was also in ‘What a Carve Up!’) who are each filmed in separate locations. Henry Filloux-Bennett’s neat conceit is that Dorian Gray is a vlogger who is offered a filter that will keep his online appearance forever young and beautiful while he ages off-camera. The production is visually impressive and makes the various YouTube and Instagram videos believable. But, where ‘What a Carve Up!’ tried to cram too much into a short drama, making it hard to follow if you were not already familiar with the novel, ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’ felt a bit short of plot. There’s also a little too much swearing and overpowering background music for me. It’s another interesting example of the developing art of online theatre but didn’t completely hold my attention.

'The Searcher' by Tana French

25 March 2021

After thoroughly enjoying Tana French’s Dublin Murder Squad novels (all 6 books reviewed here between May 2016 and April 2018) I was a bit disappointed by her first completely self-contained novel ‘The Wych Elm’ (reviewed here in April 2020). The new Tana French novel ‘The Searcher’ (which I have been reading as an unabridged audio book, narrated by Roger Clark) is another stand-alone story, but with quite a different feel. A former Chicago PD detective has settled in a small rural community in the West of Ireland where he is renovating an old cottage. This is a slow, gentle tale as Cal starts to get to know his neighbours and adjusts to the Irish way of life. But surely a novelist known for her crime stories hasn’t made her protagonist a detective unless there is going to be a mystery to solve? Compared to ‘The Wych Elm’, ‘The Searcher’ is much less dramatic – and much better for it. The inevitable crime investigation reveals itself gradually and naturally as Cal is reluctantly drawn into the hunt for a missing person. As always, Tana French writes beautifully and conjures up the place and its characters very believably. ‘The Searcher’ is crime fiction but, as its title hints, this is really an Irish Western.

'Dream'

19 March 2021

Over the past year live theatre has had to move online. It has been great to watch recordings of a range of stage productions during lockdown, but it has been particularly interesting to see theatre companies starting to explore the potential of streaming video in innovative ways – such as Henry Filloux-Bennett’s online theatre adaptation of Jonathan Coe’s novel ‘What a Carve Up’ (reviewed here in November 2020). The Royal Shakespeare has been piloting the use of digital technology in theatre for some years. Greg Doran’s 2016 production of ‘The Tempest’, in collaboration with Intel and in association with the Imaginarium Studios (reviewed here in November 2016), featured a digital avatar of Ariel, driven by live motion-capture from the body of the actor Mark Quartley, allowing him to appear simultaneously on stage and projected onto a series of moving curtains. Last Sunday we watched the new RSC online production ‘Dream’, directed by Robin McNicholas. ‘Dream’ uses live motion capture to bring the fairies and sprites of ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ to life. We saw the actors entering a purpose-built studio in Portsmouth Guildhall before seeing their digital projections interacting in an animated dreamscape. The resulting 30-minute performance was beautiful, with some stunning movement (directed by Sarah Perry). But watching it on screen it was hard to see what it gained from being a live motion capture performance: I found myself just thinking of it as an animated film. It’s an interesting addition to the ongoing debate about the definition of ‘theatre’ at a time when almost everything is viewed on a screen. ‘Dream’ is a high quality production (with music by Esa-Pekka Salonen) but it is obviously an experimental piece, demonstrating the potential offered by technology. You can book free tickets for future live performances of ‘Dream’ at: https://dream.online/home/

'The Great'

12 March 2021

We live in a golden age of television drama but my new favourite is ‘The Great’ – Tony McNamara’s irreverent take on the story of Catherine the Great (available to stream on All4). The series starts with the teenage Catherine travelling from Germany to marry the Russian Emperor Peter. But this version of history is, as the show’s subtitle constantly reminds us, “an occasionally true story”. ‘The Great’ is very dark comedy – incredibly violent, crude and sweary. It’s like a cross between Yorgos Lanthimos’ film ‘The Favourite’ (starring Olivia Colman as Queen Anne, reviewed here in January 2019), Armando Iannucci’s film ‘The Death of Stalin’ and Noah Hawley’s ‘Fargo’ (reviewed here in October 2017). The first series is maybe a couple of episodes too long and could do with a few more sub-plots, but it builds a brilliant group of grotesque but likeable characters, played by a fantastic cast. Elle Fanning is naive, idealistic, determined and ruthless as Catherine, and Nicholas Hoult makes Peter a true monster who gradually becomes more sympathetic. Phoebe Fox, who we last saw as an excellent Ophelia in Simon Godwin’s National Theatre production of ‘Twelfth Night’ (reviewed here in April 2017), is wonderful as Marial, Catherine’s cynical maid. Adam Godley is a menacing presence as the scheming Archbishop (‘Archie’) and Sacha Dhawan is Count Orlo who clearly believes himself to be the only sane man in the Palace. I loved Belinda Bromilow’s scatty Aunt Elizabeth with her trained troupe of butterflies. But Douglas Hodge steals the show as Velementov – the drunken General in charge of the Russian army – demonstrating some fantastic slapstick skills and obviously having a ball. ‘The Great’ will not be to everyone’s taste: the laugh-out-loud moments are matched by as many look-away acts of violence. But I’m really looking forward to season 2.