Artsy Things We've Done Lately (for loose definitions of lately)
Geez, I'd forgotten how long it had been since I've updated you guys on this. Better get started then eh?
Lord of The Rings, The Musical
Over all - really quite terrible, especially the singing and what passed for Elven dramatic sign language. Fortunately, it was also a good bit of fun if you weren't interested in taking it seriously, which we weren't, and so we did enjoy it. Though I must say that I am simultaneously terrified and lusting over the orcs' foot springs. I would probably kill myself, but wow would they be fun. The stage though was awesome. About 10 individually moving parts that could raise up about 8 feet or move in various ways. The underside of the stage must have been truly impressive.
Akrim Khan and Ballet China - Bahok
This is one of those modern dance pieces that I booked tickets to on a whim (helped decidedly by a 20% off offer if you choose two shows, and since I was getting tickets to West Side Story anyway. . .) and it turned out to be really interesting. It was set in a cross between a railway station and an airport with the dancers interacting as if they were all strangers stranded there together. It perhaps was more like physical theatre in that there were also little "scenes" with actual dialogue, but most impressive was the dance. I have rarely ever in my life seen dancers throw themselves against the very edge of the possibilities of the human body as they have. The choreography was all over the place and it was just incredible to be able to watch. Good stuff, and I'll be keeping an eye out for more of his company going forward.
Candide at the ENO (with marimbanlr)
What really struck me first was exactly how much of the music I had actually heard before and just didn't know where it came from. The very next thing was just how over the top it all was, which given what they're working with is probably all for the best (Best of All Possible Productions? ok, I'll stop). They did an amazing job and managed to keep the energy quite high throughout, which was quite the feat given that this is not a short show by any stretch of the imagination. Still, lots of fun. I'm kind of hoping they'll put out a recording with this cast, because it was a really great mix of voices.
Festival Ballet at the Royal Festival Hall (lushfemke joined <lj user= with us)
This was another triple bill where the first two pieces were absolutly amazing and the third just left you wondering what had happened. The last one wasn't a total train wreck, but it was very dry and really dull. The first piece was good (Million Kisses to My Skin), though we all had suspicions the dancers couldn't hear the music very well and it was obvious that it wasn't something created for them. The second piece, oh my heavens, the second piece was pure divine inspiration. It was set to a Mahler song cycle and everything just came together. The lighting, the costumes (simple but very expressive) and then there was the dancing. Totally amazing and I definitely don't have the words for it. Incredible. We should have left before the last piece (Etudes), but we had no idea the inanity that was coming. Shame, because the rest was great.
The Diver (also during marimbanlr's stay)
which was everything lab theatre should be - highly experimental and totally fearless about it. I actually really enjoyed it and found the fusion of the japanese and Western psycho-drama really, really interesting. The premise was of a woman well past the brink of insanity who told her story through that of an 11th century Noh play and the psychologist who was trying to figure it out. It also touched on themes of justice (both social justice and the role of the courts in that process and metaphysical justice). Beautiful stuff and a great use of extremely limited space. I liked it very much. Shame the boys didn't.
Up next, books!
Lord of The Rings, The Musical
Over all - really quite terrible, especially the singing and what passed for Elven dramatic sign language. Fortunately, it was also a good bit of fun if you weren't interested in taking it seriously, which we weren't, and so we did enjoy it. Though I must say that I am simultaneously terrified and lusting over the orcs' foot springs. I would probably kill myself, but wow would they be fun. The stage though was awesome. About 10 individually moving parts that could raise up about 8 feet or move in various ways. The underside of the stage must have been truly impressive.
Akrim Khan and Ballet China - Bahok
This is one of those modern dance pieces that I booked tickets to on a whim (helped decidedly by a 20% off offer if you choose two shows, and since I was getting tickets to West Side Story anyway. . .) and it turned out to be really interesting. It was set in a cross between a railway station and an airport with the dancers interacting as if they were all strangers stranded there together. It perhaps was more like physical theatre in that there were also little "scenes" with actual dialogue, but most impressive was the dance. I have rarely ever in my life seen dancers throw themselves against the very edge of the possibilities of the human body as they have. The choreography was all over the place and it was just incredible to be able to watch. Good stuff, and I'll be keeping an eye out for more of his company going forward.
Candide at the ENO (with marimbanlr)
What really struck me first was exactly how much of the music I had actually heard before and just didn't know where it came from. The very next thing was just how over the top it all was, which given what they're working with is probably all for the best (Best of All Possible Productions? ok, I'll stop). They did an amazing job and managed to keep the energy quite high throughout, which was quite the feat given that this is not a short show by any stretch of the imagination. Still, lots of fun. I'm kind of hoping they'll put out a recording with this cast, because it was a really great mix of voices.
Festival Ballet at the Royal Festival Hall (lushfemke joined <lj user= with us)
This was another triple bill where the first two pieces were absolutly amazing and the third just left you wondering what had happened. The last one wasn't a total train wreck, but it was very dry and really dull. The first piece was good (Million Kisses to My Skin), though we all had suspicions the dancers couldn't hear the music very well and it was obvious that it wasn't something created for them. The second piece, oh my heavens, the second piece was pure divine inspiration. It was set to a Mahler song cycle and everything just came together. The lighting, the costumes (simple but very expressive) and then there was the dancing. Totally amazing and I definitely don't have the words for it. Incredible. We should have left before the last piece (Etudes), but we had no idea the inanity that was coming. Shame, because the rest was great.
The Diver (also during marimbanlr's stay)
which was everything lab theatre should be - highly experimental and totally fearless about it. I actually really enjoyed it and found the fusion of the japanese and Western psycho-drama really, really interesting. The premise was of a woman well past the brink of insanity who told her story through that of an 11th century Noh play and the psychologist who was trying to figure it out. It also touched on themes of justice (both social justice and the role of the courts in that process and metaphysical justice). Beautiful stuff and a great use of extremely limited space. I liked it very much. Shame the boys didn't.
Up next, books!