Reflections on life at “De Witte Wand”…
We’ve been fans of the dance company “Pilobolus” for more years than I care to remember. In recent years, they’ve begun to use techniques of shadow puppetry in their dances.
Judging from this, they’ve got it down to a very fine art indeed. Staggeringly good.
(hat tip: Why Evolution is True)
Reading the reactions to Danny Boyle’s Olympic Opening Ceremony is something of a litmus test, gauging where the commentator resides on the spectrum from left to right, or from heartfelt to disingenuous.
I have to say that I loved it, although it was so full of cultural references that I will need a second or third viewing to appreciate them all. As Marina Hyde wrote,
…as deliciously indigestible to global tastes as Marmite or jellied eels. I loved it.
Just to make it clear, I am on the opposite end of the spectrum to the tweets from Aidan Burley, and from the blindness of those who did not see the Windrush reference (Ranga Mberi, I’m looking at you).
Overall, I find myself in agreement with Al Weiwei, who compared the machine-like opening of the Beijing games (impressive as it was) with the gentler, more human-scale vision of the London Olympics.
But I have to doff my hat at Marina Hyde’s invention of the term “the global arseoisie”, and her description of them:
For while it was the best of folks, it was also the worst of folks. Gazing stonily down on a parade of athletes, about whose dreams and sacrifices this entire extravaganza is supposed to be, were some absolute shockers. Taking gold in the Biggest Scumbag in the Stadium event was probably the Bahraini prince, on whose directives athletes are reportedly tortured, flanked on the podium by Rwanda’s Paul Kagame and Prince Andrew’s brutal mate from Azerbaijan.
That’s humanity – the best and the worst; thrown together, with mostly the worst in charge…
I’m not always a fan of modern ballet, but I have to say that I found this performance of Wayne McGregor’s Chroma by the Royal Ballet absolutely stunning.
I blogged a couple of weeks ago about the theatrical magic of Frankenstein. I regret that I haven’t made the effort to see earlier broadcasts of NT Live. And one production that I hope will be broadcast for NT Live would be War Horse.
I, and you, can at least get a glimpse of the magic that the Handspring Puppet Company wove for that production from this TED talk…
Pure magic – and 17th Century technology.
After last week’s viewing of the NT’s production of Frankenstein, yesterday I saw it again. This time with Jonny Lee Miller in the role of the Creature and with Benedict Cumberbatch as Victor Frankenstein.
I think this was the casting that worked best as far as I’m concerned. Good though last week’s combination of Cumberbatch/Creature and Miller/Frankenstein were, it seemed to me that last night’s role reversal played better to the actors’ strengths. Miller brought an extra vulnerability to the role of the Creature, while Cumberbatch was an icier Frankenstein.
Unfortunately, unlike last week, there were a few problems with last night’s broadcast. The audio was slightly out of sync with the video, to the extent where it was noticeable and therefore somewhat irritating. At one point we heard a snatch of conversation between the technical crew. And finally, during the final scene, the sound cut out altogether for about ten seconds.
Still, despite these technical disappointments, it was still a wonderful production to see again, and I’m glad I did.
Addendum: I’ve had a reply to the email I sent to NT Live regarding the technical hitches I listed above. The sync issue was a fault at my local venue, and NT Live will follow that up with Cinemec to try and prevent it happening again in the future. The other two issues were problems in the Olivier theatre during the live performance, for which they apologise. I look forward to seeing future NT Live broadcasts – it’s a great way to see the work of the NT.
The UK’s National Theatre in London has a new production: Frankenstein. It’s based on Mary Shelley’s book, and sticks more closely to the themes of the original work than Hollywood’s many films (wonderful though some of them are).
The NT’s production has garnered rave reviews – it’s currently the hottest theatre ticket in town, and all performances are sold out. If you want to see it, then probably your best bet is to see one of the live relays of a performance to a cinema near you.
That’s precisely what I did last night. I drove to Ede (45 minutes away) and watched yesterday’s performance of Frankenstein in the Olivier Theatre in London relayed live to a screen in Cinemec. I was worried whether this would work as an experience, but I needn’t have feared. The sound and vision were top-notch, and the use of multiple cameras allowed us to catch things that would be lost if you were sitting at the back of the Olivier. Yes, OK, it’s not like actually being there, but it is a very acceptable substitute, and for those of us who don’t live in London, it’s a great way to see the NT’s productions.
The production and performance were every bit as good as the reviews are saying. Stunningly mounted, using the facilities of the Olivier stage with its giant revolve and lifts to great effect. During the two hour performance (no interval), the stage was transformed into a woodland, the lake at Geneva, the interiors of an elegant country house and a Scottish croft, and the Arctic wasteland. We saw a locomotive roar onto stage and stop at the footlights, and the destruction of a farmhouse by fire.
The cast do not let all this theatre magic overwhelm them. The two central performances of the Creature and Victor Frankenstein are brilliantly handled by Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller. Last night I saw the Creature played by Cumberbatch, and Frankenstein played by Miller. They switch roles on successive nights.
The rest of the cast are strong as well. I particularly liked Karl Johnson as the blind De Lacey, Naomie Harris as Elizabeth, Victor’s fiancée, and Ella Smith as Clarice, Elizabeth’s maid. There are moments of broad comedy, notably between the Scottish crofter Rab and his uncle, and of course there are moments of high drama and tragedy. But underpinning the whole play is the exploration of the theme of what it means to be human. I think it’s safe to say that the Creature is more sympathetic than Victor, and he gives voice to both the pain and the glory of humanity. Victor seems to be the one who is less than human – a sociopath who lives only for seizing the secrets of life from Nature. And the one person who is portrayed as a fully rounded human being is Elizabeth, and she is ultimately betrayed by Victor and destroyed by Victor’s creation.
All in all, this was a wonderful experience. I’m going again next week, this time to see Miller as the Creature and Cumberbatch as Frankenstein, and I’ll have downloaded the digital programme beforehand…
I wrote a couple of months ago that I was looking forward to the release of Adele’s next album: 21. We got it a couple of weeks ago, and have been playing it frequently ever since. It’s very, very good.
Here she is performing “Someone Like You” at the BRIT Awards recently; just her voice and a piano – but what a depth in that performance:
For my birthday this year, Martin proposed that we take a trip to Amsterdam for a meal in old haunts (O Sole Mio – we’ve been going there for the best part of 25 years), and to see the new production of La Cage Aux Folles in a brand new theatre, the De La Mar.
So yesterday, we put the dogs in kennels for the night (the first time that we had done that) and headed off to Amsterdam. I spent the afternoon trolling the bookshops, while Martin bought a new suit.
In the bookshops I found a biography of Charles Laughton, a book about the influence of Alexander van Humboldt on the roots of American Environmentalism, a Journey Through Trees, and two books that included work by Erwin Olaf.
It was particularly apposite to find the book of the De La Mar Photo Collection, which includes Olaf’s work, since that same evening we were able to see the full-scale photos featured in the book in the theatre itself. They are stunning images, and show Olaf at the peak of his form.
The theatre, although newly rebuilt from the foundations up, occupies the site of an older theatre, with the same name, and a cinema. The new building is stunning, and already looks set to be a real jewel in the crown of Amsterdam’s cultural life.
The production of La Cage was excellent. I have to say that I sometimes have reservations about Dutch versions of well-known theatre pieces. Dutch, shall we say, is not the most musical of languages; but this worked triumphantly. Much of it was down to a brilliant cast, led by Jon van Eerd as Albin and Stanley Burleson as Georges.
The dogs were also completely satisfied by the facilities of the kennels (Dierenpensioen Adelheid), so I think that this was a pointer to future cultural journeys to the capital.
One of the great clowns has died: Norman Wisdom. You can read an official obituary here, but I would advise you to also go and read the personal vignette about Norman written by Stuart Hartill over at Clinging to a Rock. Like Stuart, Norman and I once lived on the Isle of Man. Now only Stuart remains.
I’m currently enrolled with Watson in a series of dog training courses. We’ve got an exam coming up in November, whereby I have to convince an independent examiner that Watson is well-behaved and obeys me. I can’t say that I’m full of confidence. Watson has a will of his own, and usually demonstrates that he does not yet see me as top dog.
Having wrestled with training, I’m always impressed when I see other dogs who apparently obey their owners every command. Like these dogs in OK Go’s latest music video:
Did you spot the goat?
An amazing video done in one take…
http://www.youtube.com/v/qybUFnY7Y8w&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xd0d0d0&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1
I wonder how many attempts they had before it all worked? – Thanks to this, I’ve answered my own question: it took 85 takes before everything worked together.
I was saddened to learn that Michael Crookes died last month. He was a dancer, choreographer, writer and dance administrator. He was only 47 when he died on the 12th April, in Tunbridge Wells. He had been suffering from cancer.
I only knew him for a short time when our paths crossed in the early 1980s. We had a friend in common: Kerrison Cooke. Kerry was a dancer at the London Festival Ballet and he and Michael , who joined the Royal Ballet in 1980, became very close. Michael had a great sense of humour, and young as he was, was an excellent storyteller and wit. Kerry also had an impish sense of humour, and the combination of the two of them could reduce their listeners to tears of laughter. Alas, Kerry died back in 1989, and now Michael has gone too.
The May 2009 issue of Dance Europe carries Michael’s obituary, and I also found the following on YouTube, which appears to have been made by Michael during his last days:
RIP, Michael.
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