Comments | ninebelow: The Elephant Vanishes

ninebelow

The Elephant Vanishes

Sep 10, 2004 11:32

I went to see The Elephant Vanishes at the Barbican on Wednesday. It is an adaption of the short stories of Haruki Murakami co-produced by Complicite and Setagaya Public TheatreIt's three acts covering three different stories that are linked by a sense of urban alienation. It starts (and loops back round to) the title piece, where a kitchen ( Read more... )

books, theatre

Comments 8

ex_susumu64 September 10 2004, 10:53:46 UTC

The tropical garden is the best bit of the Barbican. Well done for finding it though!

coalescent September 10 2004, 10:55:11 UTC

The play sounds interesting--I might try to get to that.

(I also must get around to actually reading some Murakami...)

ninebelow September 10 2004, 11:10:18 UTC

I also must get around to actually reading some Murakami...

Yeah, me too.

talvalin September 10 2004, 11:23:05 UTC

A guy in my Japanese class organised a class trip to see this next Saturday. He saw it last year and thought it was excellent, plus it's Japanese so I'm going to love it even if it's shit.

If you want some nice, easy Murakami to read, try Norwegian Wood (my favourite so far) and Sputnik Sweetheart. There's also the relatively short South of the Border, West of the Sun. NW and SotBWotS are perfectly normal, and SS ventures into the weird that Murakami frequents in Hardboiled Wonderland and the End of the World nor The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, though is nowhere near as fucked up.

ninebelow September 10 2004, 12:01:15 UTC

Cheers for pointing this out to me, BTW, I wouldn't have gone otherwise.

sharp_blue September 10 2004, 19:35:35 UTC

By List Synchronicity, I have just finished reading Sputnik Sweetheart, and it was good.

(The comment has been removed)

coalescent September 10 2004, 12:45:03 UTC

Diary is the most recent one. I didn't rate it, but then, I've read other Palahniuks. I have this theory that you like the first one you read the best, but because they're all very similar the law of diminishing returns sets in thereafter.

The first one I read was Lullaby.

ninebelow September 10 2004, 12:51:56 UTC

I've been reading his reviews ever since he started at The Guardian and really like him as a reviewer.

Likewise. He's actually written two, both of which where in the secondhand department. I plumped for LBJ cos it's his debut. He followed it up with Dr Sweet And His Daughter.

Diary is Palahniuk's new one, just out in paperback. I liked Fight Club a lot which is when I started reading but though he like his other stuff and find it very readable it's a bit too OTT to be great. Diary reads kind of like a farce, though presented straight faced (just like Lullaby.) Still enjoyable though.