Cultural Fun Times
So I've been indulging in a bit of Western culture recently.
Couple of weeks ago I went to a classical ballet, for the first time I can remember in a very long time. My parents and I went to see Don Quixote, a light ballet. It was very enjoyable; the last ballet I went to was a modern re-imagining of Swan Lake and although it was all 'oooh, look at us, we're having guys doing giiiirl dance-steps' the rest of the choreography was boring, and frequently out of step with the music. Don Quixote, on the other hand, was beautiful and engaging. The choreography was all but perfect, and wonderful to watch. One of the characters is a bit of a fool, and he was played to perfection by the dancer who did the role; at the end he spread the left of his half-cloak as he bowed to reveal a piece of material with "Applause" printed on it. Everyone laughed and obliged, at which point he spread the right, where there was another saying "More, please!". And then at another curtain call, he bent over (away from the stage) to show a "I love WABALLET" 'bumper sticker'. Another great bit of course were the tiiiight pants. I mean seriously, we're talking distractingly tight.
Then last week I went to see Waiting for Godot. One of the big drawcards was of course Sir Ian McKellan (aka Gandalf, aka Magneto) but I'd also heard really good things about the play itself. It's been called one of the best plays of the 20th century. I loved it. No, I didn't understand it all. But I have some ideas, and any more would probably require me looking the play up and studying the script carefully. And I don't think I can be bothered with that. Also, I don't know how much the staging and directing varies between productions, which would probably affect the meaning found in the play. I simply enjoyed listening to the exchange of dialogue and watching the actors on stage. And the acting was brilliant! I loved McKellan's Yorkshire accent, and the both Vladimir and Estragon moved and spoke like old men.
And there's more I want to see! Would anyone else be interested in the WA symphony orchestra playing geeky tunes? I want to go to the Saturday July 10th performance; apparently there are cheap tickets at ~$35, and you can also book as a group with 8+!
Couple of weeks ago I went to a classical ballet, for the first time I can remember in a very long time. My parents and I went to see Don Quixote, a light ballet. It was very enjoyable; the last ballet I went to was a modern re-imagining of Swan Lake and although it was all 'oooh, look at us, we're having guys doing giiiirl dance-steps' the rest of the choreography was boring, and frequently out of step with the music. Don Quixote, on the other hand, was beautiful and engaging. The choreography was all but perfect, and wonderful to watch. One of the characters is a bit of a fool, and he was played to perfection by the dancer who did the role; at the end he spread the left of his half-cloak as he bowed to reveal a piece of material with "Applause" printed on it. Everyone laughed and obliged, at which point he spread the right, where there was another saying "More, please!". And then at another curtain call, he bent over (away from the stage) to show a "I love WABALLET" 'bumper sticker'. Another great bit of course were the tiiiight pants. I mean seriously, we're talking distractingly tight.
Then last week I went to see Waiting for Godot. One of the big drawcards was of course Sir Ian McKellan (aka Gandalf, aka Magneto) but I'd also heard really good things about the play itself. It's been called one of the best plays of the 20th century. I loved it. No, I didn't understand it all. But I have some ideas, and any more would probably require me looking the play up and studying the script carefully. And I don't think I can be bothered with that. Also, I don't know how much the staging and directing varies between productions, which would probably affect the meaning found in the play. I simply enjoyed listening to the exchange of dialogue and watching the actors on stage. And the acting was brilliant! I loved McKellan's Yorkshire accent, and the both Vladimir and Estragon moved and spoke like old men.
And there's more I want to see! Would anyone else be interested in the WA symphony orchestra playing geeky tunes? I want to go to the Saturday July 10th performance; apparently there are cheap tickets at ~$35, and you can also book as a group with 8+!