Soggy sun festivals, etc
My first day trip to London for 2013 on Saturday was once again an extremely wet one. Fortunately first port of call did not involve leaving cover of the railway station, as I headed immediately to check out the new Harry Potter shop, Platform 9 3/4. It is tucked away almost next to the lost luggage department - which seems entirely appropriate. A small, but atmospheric, store selling books, wands, sweaters and scarves in House colours, Bertie Bots Beans, Chocolate Frogs, plus exclusive Platform 9 3/4 souvenirs. All rather pricey of course, but I bought a nice key ring then headed via underground to Charing Cross.
Trafalgar Square was hosting a Russian Sun Festival http://maslenitsa.co.uk/ supposed to herald the end of winter, with live music, dancing, authentic cuisine and crafts - but sadly there was near constant icy rain, so that one didn’t feel much like hanging around in the open. I spent late morning and lunchtime dodging in and out of both the National Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery nearby, choosing my moments to take a look.
There were small stalls selling the usual colourful souvenirs in the form of simple unpainted woodcarvings, colourful scarves, Matryoshka dolls, lacquer boxes and bowls, Gzhel pottery (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gzhel), etc, at the top of the square; mobile catering units (mostly advertising Blinis) parked around the perimeter; and a covered stage for live music and dancing right under Nelson’s Column. Whilst I was in the area, the music was traditional performed in costume. I believe later in the day more modern material was also to be presented, but I could not stick around because I had a matinee to attend...
The Audience http://www.theaudienceplay.com/ starring Helen Mirren as our current Queen Elizabeth II, was really much more fun than I had imagined. Two hours thirty minutes (inclusive of a short interval) sped by very quickly. Helen Mirren is of course superb in a role already perfected in The Queen, 2006 (also written by Peter Morgan) so has all the instantly recognisable looks and stances, although, somewhat rudely, one does wonder if the real monarch is as acerbically witty as the lines written for her by Peter Morgan suggest.
The whole is an imagined account of the regular weekly informal meetings between monarch and Prime Minister - imagined because those meetings are entirely private and un-minuted. The scenes are not played out chronologically, so that the leading lady has to snap from middle-aged to young to present day senior citizen with most of the costume and wig alterations taking place actually on stage. She seamlessly and impressively changes deportment and voice to match. Glimpses into her supposed inner personality were given by having a youngster play the princess as a girl with whom the mature monarch has conversations.
The whole piece is very much more humorous than I expected. Star turn - and Her Majesty’s purported favourite PM - was definitely Harold Wilson (played by Richard McCabe). His applause was second only to that of the appearance on stage of a real live corgi. But Paul Ritter’s turn as John Major was also very funny.
Of the other main roles, Robert Hardy, who had been cast as Winston Churchill and had to withdraw during previews, was sorely missed. Substitute Edward Fox was venerable as expected, but not in any way right for the role. Nathaniel Parker was fun as Gordon Brown - although really rather too handsome. He was looking rather more dapper than when seen on television as Arthur’s Snape-lookalike uncle, Agravaine, in BBC Merlin. I wasn’t entirely convinced by Haydn Gwynne’s portrayal of Margaret Thatcher. Physically she was much too tall and gangly - although aspects of The Iron Lady’s personality seemed spot on. One certainly cannot imagine cosy, companionable chats taking place during the weekly audience in her era. Rufus Wright, with his weird forward lurching walk, as David Cameron brought us bang up to date.
Overall very enjoyable.
Rain was still in the air but fortunately my next appointment was meeting a friend for an early dinner opposite the evening’s venue - the Harold Pinter Theatre.
To my shame, I had never seen a Pinter play before, and was drawn to this short one, Old Times http://www.oldtimestheplay.com/ purely by the casting of Rufus Sewell. Starring alongside a superb Kristen Scott Thomas and an intense Lia Williams, the three play a husband, wife, plus third woman who could be mutual old friend/lover of both/wife’s suppressed split personality... the interpretations are numerous. To add to the ambiguity, the actresses swap roles from performance to performance. It would actually have been interesting to see them swap between the two acts of the play. Anyway, I saw Lia Williams as withdrawn wife Kate, and Kristen Scott Thomas as the extrovert interloper, Anna.
The play begins with the expected arrival of the long lost friend from - purportedly the wife’s - past. But strangely, and presumably significantly, the friend is already standing by the window in the room. When the friend ‘arrives’, she and the husband babble and try to outdo each other with their ‘memories’ of Kate. Then they recall that they have in fact themselves met before, and more ‘revelations’ occur. The husband is clearly drawn to Anna, and she to him. They flirt.
Much of the time Kate is aggressively silent until eventually she deals out a killer line or two to Anna, making one think that they are indeed two sides of the same person, and that Kate has subdued the ‘Anna’ in her almost to extinction, thus becoming a depressed, introverted shell of her former, better balanced, sociable and sexual, self. Certainly one feels that Kate has withdrawn from her marriage. Her husband travels a lot for his work, but she is also solitary and incommunicative by choice even when he is around. She may be chronically depressed, or suffering from some sort of schizophrenia. If sane, then she certainly seems seriously and cruelly manipulative.
The husband breaks down at one point in the proceedings, presumably feeling rejected. Sometimes the women seem to unite against him. In the end I think the status quo prevails with Anna gone and Kate silently and strongly in charge...
At least that’s how I rationalise and remember it one day later. It’s a very confusing play, and whilst it would be interesting to see it again with the women’s casting reversed, I fear that would probably just add more layers of uncertainty. However, bonus was that the play was very short, so that exiting the theatre (in a torrential downpour yet again) before 9pm, I was able to run the short distance to the tube station and catch a relatively early and quiet train home from Kings Cross.
Overall an excellent day out despite the wet weather.
Trafalgar Square was hosting a Russian Sun Festival http://maslenitsa.co.uk/ supposed to herald the end of winter, with live music, dancing, authentic cuisine and crafts - but sadly there was near constant icy rain, so that one didn’t feel much like hanging around in the open. I spent late morning and lunchtime dodging in and out of both the National Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery nearby, choosing my moments to take a look.
There were small stalls selling the usual colourful souvenirs in the form of simple unpainted woodcarvings, colourful scarves, Matryoshka dolls, lacquer boxes and bowls, Gzhel pottery (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gzhel), etc, at the top of the square; mobile catering units (mostly advertising Blinis) parked around the perimeter; and a covered stage for live music and dancing right under Nelson’s Column. Whilst I was in the area, the music was traditional performed in costume. I believe later in the day more modern material was also to be presented, but I could not stick around because I had a matinee to attend...
The Audience http://www.theaudienceplay.com/ starring Helen Mirren as our current Queen Elizabeth II, was really much more fun than I had imagined. Two hours thirty minutes (inclusive of a short interval) sped by very quickly. Helen Mirren is of course superb in a role already perfected in The Queen, 2006 (also written by Peter Morgan) so has all the instantly recognisable looks and stances, although, somewhat rudely, one does wonder if the real monarch is as acerbically witty as the lines written for her by Peter Morgan suggest.
The whole is an imagined account of the regular weekly informal meetings between monarch and Prime Minister - imagined because those meetings are entirely private and un-minuted. The scenes are not played out chronologically, so that the leading lady has to snap from middle-aged to young to present day senior citizen with most of the costume and wig alterations taking place actually on stage. She seamlessly and impressively changes deportment and voice to match. Glimpses into her supposed inner personality were given by having a youngster play the princess as a girl with whom the mature monarch has conversations.
The whole piece is very much more humorous than I expected. Star turn - and Her Majesty’s purported favourite PM - was definitely Harold Wilson (played by Richard McCabe). His applause was second only to that of the appearance on stage of a real live corgi. But Paul Ritter’s turn as John Major was also very funny.
Of the other main roles, Robert Hardy, who had been cast as Winston Churchill and had to withdraw during previews, was sorely missed. Substitute Edward Fox was venerable as expected, but not in any way right for the role. Nathaniel Parker was fun as Gordon Brown - although really rather too handsome. He was looking rather more dapper than when seen on television as Arthur’s Snape-lookalike uncle, Agravaine, in BBC Merlin. I wasn’t entirely convinced by Haydn Gwynne’s portrayal of Margaret Thatcher. Physically she was much too tall and gangly - although aspects of The Iron Lady’s personality seemed spot on. One certainly cannot imagine cosy, companionable chats taking place during the weekly audience in her era. Rufus Wright, with his weird forward lurching walk, as David Cameron brought us bang up to date.
Overall very enjoyable.
Rain was still in the air but fortunately my next appointment was meeting a friend for an early dinner opposite the evening’s venue - the Harold Pinter Theatre.
To my shame, I had never seen a Pinter play before, and was drawn to this short one, Old Times http://www.oldtimestheplay.com/ purely by the casting of Rufus Sewell. Starring alongside a superb Kristen Scott Thomas and an intense Lia Williams, the three play a husband, wife, plus third woman who could be mutual old friend/lover of both/wife’s suppressed split personality... the interpretations are numerous. To add to the ambiguity, the actresses swap roles from performance to performance. It would actually have been interesting to see them swap between the two acts of the play. Anyway, I saw Lia Williams as withdrawn wife Kate, and Kristen Scott Thomas as the extrovert interloper, Anna.
The play begins with the expected arrival of the long lost friend from - purportedly the wife’s - past. But strangely, and presumably significantly, the friend is already standing by the window in the room. When the friend ‘arrives’, she and the husband babble and try to outdo each other with their ‘memories’ of Kate. Then they recall that they have in fact themselves met before, and more ‘revelations’ occur. The husband is clearly drawn to Anna, and she to him. They flirt.
Much of the time Kate is aggressively silent until eventually she deals out a killer line or two to Anna, making one think that they are indeed two sides of the same person, and that Kate has subdued the ‘Anna’ in her almost to extinction, thus becoming a depressed, introverted shell of her former, better balanced, sociable and sexual, self. Certainly one feels that Kate has withdrawn from her marriage. Her husband travels a lot for his work, but she is also solitary and incommunicative by choice even when he is around. She may be chronically depressed, or suffering from some sort of schizophrenia. If sane, then she certainly seems seriously and cruelly manipulative.
The husband breaks down at one point in the proceedings, presumably feeling rejected. Sometimes the women seem to unite against him. In the end I think the status quo prevails with Anna gone and Kate silently and strongly in charge...
At least that’s how I rationalise and remember it one day later. It’s a very confusing play, and whilst it would be interesting to see it again with the women’s casting reversed, I fear that would probably just add more layers of uncertainty. However, bonus was that the play was very short, so that exiting the theatre (in a torrential downpour yet again) before 9pm, I was able to run the short distance to the tube station and catch a relatively early and quiet train home from Kings Cross.
Overall an excellent day out despite the wet weather.