Theatrical Interlude 24

Barnum, Theatre in the Park, Chichester. August 2013.

Mr Norfolkbookworm and I had a new companion for our outing to Chichester this past weekend as we went with his aunt - who had also kindly treated us to the tickets as well.

I think that it is fair to say that this wasn't a musical that we'd probably have chosen to go to of our own choice, and that after reading some of the reviews and blog posts we were actually quite nervous about. It really seemed to be pushing us both out of our comfort zone, however our companion was very keen and waxed lyrical about the show so we went with open minds.

And very quickly had those minds blown.

Barnum isn't the strongest musical out there - the 'plot' is wafer thin and the songs not that memorable but thanks to the energy that the cast brought to the performance and sheer talent that the cast showed it was a delight from the metaphorical curtain up.

The musical is a version of P T Barnum's life as a showman, manager, politician and then showman again and as Mr Norfolkbookworm said afterwards it was like they'd actually trained a circus cast to act a little in support of the main roles for the rope work, juggling, tumbling and choreography was faultless and breath taking.

Circuses with animals and freak shows are pretty frowned upon now but the clever staging meant that no one was mocked and we were treated to theatrical humbug of the highest order! Who'd have thought that you really could get a elephant into the temporary tent theatre at Chichester so convincingly!

I can see that this may not be to everyone's taste - lets be honest I didn't think I'd enjoy it a fraction as much as I did but this is no turkey of a performance. As the theatre was full on the Saturday afternoon with people of all ages - all of whom had a smile on their faces as it ended - I'm pleased that people trust the CFT and aren't listening too much to the reviewers!

Chichester is a long way from Norwich so I don't know how often I'll make it back but from flicking through their brochure for the rest of the season there's already 2 things I am hoping will transfer or tour.

The theatre tent in the distance across the lovely park

Theatrical Interlude 23

A Change of Heart, The Blakeney Players, Blakeney. August 2013.

Once more Mr Norfolkbookworm and I headed to the Norfolk Coast to support the Blakeney Players and as ever the evening was a total delight.

This was another original play that managed to poke fun at London based multi-national companies and the Blakeney Players themselves whilst including some terrible puns and plays on words involving Shakespeare.

As ever the plot isn't the point of the play but the story was funny and the choreography and singing was brilliant - I dread to think how long it took them to learn the routine to All That Jazz but it was better than a lot of entries I've seen on 'find a star' TV shows.

I was pleased to hear that the Players are already thinking of their Christmas show - I can't wait to see it!

Theatrical Interlude 22

The Color Purple, Chocolate Menier Theatre, London. August 2013.

Every year at the library where I work we run promotions to tie in with Norfolk's Black History Month and the ALA Banned Books Week.  In 2013 we are linking the two promotions and focusing on two books that are important for both - The Color Purple by Alice Walker and To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.

After the initial planning meeting I was pleasantly surprised to find that my hobby and my job had once more coincided and that in the summer of 2013 both books would be adapted for the London stage.  I didn't manage to see the version of To Kill a Mockingbird at the open air theatre in Regents Park but four of us travelled to London to catch a performance of The Color Purple.

I haven't yet re-read the book ready for our events in October and I could only remember the bare minimum of the plot in advance but I think that this was ideal as I then wasn't suffering from 'adaptation-itis' and wincing at changes from the original. This was echoed by my companions who all agreed that it felt 'right'.

This was a musical version and while very occasionally I found the music a little too loud for the venue and was unable to hear the singing but overall I was swept away from the instant the cast appeared on stage.  The Menier Chocolate Theatre is a pretty small and intimate place and thanks to the staging I felt that I was almost part of the cast - this was helped by actors leaving the stage and shaking hands with the audience in the opening number.

The Color Purple deals with some very heavy issues - rape, racism and abuse to name a few - but the genius of this production is that none of these themes is either over written or dealt with flippantly. As in life there are moments of humour even in the bleakest scenes.  Being a musical the tone so easily could be 'off' and the poignancy of the story lost but that doesn't happen at all. There pretty much wasn't a dry eye in the house as Celie sang the penultimate song 'I'm Here.'

The staging was very simple for the play, a huge thrust stage with chairs hanging on the wall. These chairs were used as seating, as props, for dancing on and for creating height on stage. There were no stagehands and these chairs were moved and used by all of the cast so smoothly that they were almost like another person on the stage. The lack of interruptions for scene shifting kept me thoroughly engaged in the play and constantly marvelling about the talent of the actors.

Apart from the very occasional moment when the orchestra drowned out the singing this was one of the best things I've seen at the theatre all year.  Much of the cast played more than one role but I really have to single out Sophia Nomvete playing Sofia and Cynthia Erivo who played Celie.  Erivo manages to convey a scared, pregnant teenager, downtrodden wife and also a woman of her own means just by changing her posture. Her voice is no less impressive!

I came out of this play wishing I could go straight back in and I am now hoping for a transfer to the West End so that I can see it again and talk everyone I know into coming with me.

The cast towards the end of the play, Celie is in the white blouse and Sofia in the green trousers.

Theatrical Interlude 21

The Hush. The Shed at the National Theatre, London. July 2013.

In London for the weekend and with open return train tickets what were Rebecca and I to do but squeeze a fourth play into our brief holiday...

Even we admitted that we didn't think we had the stamina for a full length play - although Amen Corner looked very tempting - so we decided to try the new temporary venue and a 55 minute play.  The free drink was also welcome on a warm afternoon!

The Hush isn't getting great reviews from either the press or other bloggers but I enjoyed it a lot, and the more I think about it the more happy I am that I saw it.  It is a simple play with just two speaking characters, one male and one female.

The characters enter a room called The Hush, the man is recreating noise for a scene (but you never really know if he is writing a play or recreating a memory) and the woman is listening to recordings created by her (dead?) father.

The stars of the show are the Foley editors. On a balcony above the set are two people creating the majority of the sound effects in the play - from showering to turning over in bed.

I found it very clever and with no script the impact of noise became very clear and when a cold wind was played I did get goose bumps and I now have immense respect for those who create all of the sound effects for radio plays.

There was no real story and through the use of sounds the audience is left to create a narrative, I can see that some would find this pretentious but for me the chance to try something so different was a treat and I am glad that we went.

The Shed - a temporary stage while the Cottesloe Theatre is being renovated to relaunch as the Dorfman

Exhibition Oddity

David Bowie is... Victoria and Albert Museum, London. July 2013

While Mr Norfolkbookworm and I were enjoying the Pompeii exhibition earlier in the summer Rebecca was queueing at the V&A museum securing us tickets to this summer's other sell out exhibition.

I wasn't at all sure about this trip at all. Apart from Under Pressure, Space Oddity and Ashes to Ashes I wasn't sure that I knew any Bowie songs and I'd not been that inspired to look any more up in advance of our visit.  I didn't own up to this while we were waiting for the museum to open however as there were probably a couple of hundred people desperate for tickets - as soon as the doors open they took off at a run for the ticket desk and I feared for the safety of the statues in the corridor!

I was in for a nice surprise as I found I enjoyed the exhibition more than I thought I would.  Bowie is an interesting character and there is a lot more to him and his music than the flamboyant stage persona.  On entering the area everyone gets an audio guide, but this isn't giving a dry talk about the exhibits but is in fact loaded with sound clips and music that start playing as you walk around.

Bits of the exhibition (probably the bits that Rebecca liked the most!) left me cold but sitting in a cool space listening to Bowie's music through a good sound system while watching concert footage was brilliant - people were dancing or toe tapping but as everyone had headphones on it was like being at a silent rave.

A real experience and I will be looking for more Bowie music to add to my iPod before we go away.

Theatrical Interlude 18, 19 and 20

Henry VI trilogy, The Globe, London. July 2013

I think it is fair to say that The Globe Theatre doesn't have the reputation for being the most comfortable theatre. Deciding to see three plays in a day there had lots of people laughing very hard at Rebecca and I as we planned our weekend.

The thing is that if a play is good you forget your surroundings entirely and any discomfort fades away totally.

I'm pleased to say that the Henry VI trilogy fell firmly into the second category and for over 9 hours on Saturday I was living in the world of Henry VI totally.

A small cast acted their socks off all day.  Apart from Henry VI himself all of the actors doubled/tripled/quadrupled up and we travelled from France to all areas of England, fought battles, saw treason and experienced the struggles of the throne.

I was spell bound from start to finish, the use of the stage was clever and with simple tabard changes actors became French, supporters of the House of Lancaster and then supporters of the House of York. Simple application of face paint made it easy to identify the sides in battle scenes.

Although almost the simplest part to play I found the way Graham Butler played Henry VI captivating. At first he was like a child - at the sign of conflict he would scamper to protected places or climb high on the set to avoid the trouble.  When meeting his bride to be for the first time he is shy and while she is waiting for a meaningful kiss he puts an embarrassed peck on her forehead.  Later on his love for her has grown but he is weak enough that he's content to be lead by her and by the end it is clear that all he wants is to be left alone with his religious works.

My other favourite was Brendan O'Hea who played Richard Plantagenet through the three plays and then in the final play created a stonking Lewis XI, but all of the cast were so good it does feel wrong to praise any of them above the others!

The body count in a play about almost civil war was high but as in Macbeth there was very limited use of stage blood - to the extent that in the one place it is used I was incredibly moved and had a lump in my throat.

Seeing 3 plays in a day was in some ways insanity but with plays of this calibre it was in fact a treat. My one wish...that Richard III was still being performed as this trilogy lead perfectly into that play and I'd love the chance to see it again!

being a good Norfolk girl I did of course like seeing Suffolk's head being chopped off!

Snow in midsummer

The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey

This book has been sitting on my Kindle for quite a while, a few people told me how good it was but for some reason I just hadn't got round to reading it.

After a conference in London where the publicists of the book gave a presentation on the publishing history of the book I was intrigued and following a few prompting tweets I finally got round to reading it.

I started reading the book in the middle of the longest heat wave we've had in Norfolk for years and being transported in to snow Alaska was heavenly - it cooled me down no end and when I emerged from the book I kept being surprised that it was sunny and summer!

The book is wonderfully lyrical - an older couple have moved to Alaska to try their hand at farming as they are finding it too hard to live back East where all of their relatives seem to have the families that the couple can't have but so desperately want.

Alaska is a hard, unforgiving place and it almost breaks the couple but the appearance of good neighbours and the mysterious snow child turn their lives around.

I can see why this book was such a success - I found it a magical read that totally transported me to the wilds of Alaska about 100 years ago.
I do wonder if reading it in the winter just past would have been a different experience but in the height of summer it was wonderfully escapist!

Theatrical Interlude 17

Macbeth, The Globe, London. July 2013

After my experience with Macbeth earlier in the year I was feeling very unsure about going to see this.  It also turned out to be the hottest day of 2013 so far - were we mad going to see a traditionally bloody play in such heat?

I'm pleased to say that once more the Globe as a venue didn't disappoint. We are quite canny with our seat choice and luckily we remained in the shade throughout yesterday which did make the whole day more enjoyable!

The first play we saw at the Globe was Much Ado About Nothing starring Eve Best and this version of Macbeth was her directorial debut - and for me it was a success.  The play came in at just under 2 hours 30 but told me the story far more clearly than I could have hoped.  Thanks to the daylight and staging it was easy to keep the characters straight, and rather than this version being awash with blood the violence was so restrained that when it did occur it was all the more effective.

There were Scottish actors in the play but the accents weren't too heavy and the speech clear so that not a word was lost. Humour was added to the play through facial expressions and the character of the Porter but it remained clear that this was a tragedy. Lady Macbeth is the driving force of Macbeth's actions and slowly their ambition drives them to insanity.  The ending with Macbeth's (erroneous) confidence that he cannot be beaten is wonderfully realised.

I don't think that Macbeth is ever going to be my favourite play but this version has proved to me that it is still a good play and reinforced my opinion that I prefer my Shakespeare in the open air, performed as it would have been originally.

Despite the heat London was lovely - it felt like the Olympic spirit all over again as you heard the cheers from outside bars where people were watching Wimbledon. Strolling around St Paul's eating ice cream made a perfect end to another great day at the Globe.

Theatrical Interlude 16

Merchant of Venice, Norwich Cathedral. July 2013.

A Shakespeare Festival has been held at Norwich Cathedral for the past few years but for some reason I've never been - or even really noticed it taking place.  This year after some mocking by friends on Facebook about how often I go to the theatre the same friends asked if I'd be interested in going with them to a play at the festival!

In the end these two original companions couldn't come and my companions on the evening were Mr Norfolkbookworm and a friend/colleague Jon. It was a perfect evening for outdoor theatre - not too hot, not too cold, not windy and best of all for this summer not raining.

The Merchant of Venice was a new play to me although I knew the basic premise of the plot, I was surprised to see that in the first Folio had categorised the play as a comedy. I know that sensitivities were different in the late 1500s but still I wasn't sure how the topic could be funny...

This version really showed be just why it was classed as comedy - without over acting the humour was apparent throughout, especially in the characters of Portia and Nerissa.  In fact the comedy character, Launcelot Gobbo, was one of the weaker areas - the two leading ladies stole the show!

I very much liked how the play was performed, once more the idea that the players were travelling actors from times gone by was clear. The stage was simply some boarding with steps to the left, right and centre and all the props were either carried by the actors or stored in two trunks on the stage which doubled as seats.

The evening we saw Merchant was the first time the company had performed the play in public and just occasionally there was a stutter or stumble but as I can't imagine how actors can keep one part in their minds let alone several for more than one play I don't feel I can criticise.

There are downsides to performing outside (not including the weather) at the Globe the actors contend with helicopters flying low over head. In Norwich the outside noise came from the peregrine falcons that nest on the spire - every time Shylock appeared in the first act it appeared the birds took off and flew around the cloister screaming.

The uncomfortable moment in the play when Shylock is 'reprireved' so long as he renounces his Jewish faith and converts to Christianity was met with a big hiss by the audience in Norwich and that I feel was a nice way to deal with the worst moment of antisemitism whilst still enjoying what was a great performance.

I know that I will be keeping an eagle (or peregrine) eye out for the announcement of the festival next year.  I might even pack a picnic and really soak up the atmosphere!

Photo taken from my iPhone - the weather was really much nicer than it looks!

Vive La France

An Englishman Aboard - Charles Timoney
Road to Rouen - Ben Hatch

Travel writing can be very good and sometimes it can be self indulgent rubbish, in the past 10 days two titles about France have come my way - one from the library and one through a competition on Twitter.

Although I am only a little way into Road to Rouen so far both books are fun, enjoyable reads although very different. Both have made me want to visit France and to get off the beaten track once there...

Charles Timoney built a row boat to the amusement of his French friends who at a New Year party challenge him to circumnavigate the length of the Seine.  He quickly realises that it won't be possible to do this in his rowboat and so we are spared long passages of him complaining about blisters and backache but rather have anecdotes on towns and villages near to the river, food and drink reviews of the areas travelled through and a few expeditions on the river in various crafts.  Towards the end I got the feeling that he remembered that this was supposed to be about a boat on the river and not about all the other things and, for me, it petered out a little but on the whole it was a fun read.

Ben Hatch on the other hand is travelling around France with his family and on a mission to write a travel guide.  He is trying hard to find things to review but travelling with young children isn't making this as easy as he'd hoped BUT is very entertaining to read from my (childfree) point of view.

I feel that parents will be nodding along and sympathising with Ben Hatch but I'm afraid I am just enjoying knowing that when we travel it can be spontaneous and that as long as Mr Norfolkbookworm and I have plenty to read and access to nice food we are easily amused.

A few other books have come in to the library for me that I can only borrow for a couple of weeks as there are long reservation lists on them so I shall only be dipping into Road to Rouen for the next few weeks but I know that I'll be looking forward to those moments!

Imperfect?

Perfect by Rachel Joyce

Last summer I was swept away by The Pilgrimage of Harold Fry.  There was something very sweet and compelling about the story of a man who decided to take a letter by hand to an old flame rather than put it in a post box.

I was excited to read on Twitter that Rachel Joyce had a second novel ready for this summer, and even more so when I was approved on Net Galley to read an early copy.

The premise is lovely - two school boys hear about leap seconds being added to the year 1972 and then when something happens are convinced that it occurs during these extra moments in time.  A perfect summer and a perfect family then fall apart dramatically and tragically.  Interspersed with this tale is a modern one of a man called Jim trying to readjust to life outside of institutional care.

I struggled with the book, there was so much I should have liked about it but it just didn't grip me. The writing was lyrical and the movement between 1972 and the present was very well done but... And I can't explain why I wasn't gripped.

The tension was such that I did have to stop reading frequently but this was constant - there was no let up and perhaps that is what made it hard going for me.  There was no urgency to the tension and equally no respite, I didn't feel I had to race through the book to find out what happened but there was no slow build either...

I am glad that I read to the end but rather than be surprised I had more of an "oh right" reaction.

I can see from reading reviews on line that I am in the minority (so far) with my views on this book, and it would have been hard to replicate the magic of Harold Fry but this second novel was decidedly 'meh' for me which was a shame.  It is going to be popular with book groups and readers, just not my cup of tea.

Your Country Needs You...

Dorothea's War by Dorothea Crewsdon

In my stack of books from the library were two more of my weaknesses - published diaries from people serving in World War One.

The first was from a horse-mad doctor who signed up at the out break of war and served in France throughout the war.  Henry Owens' family came from Long Stratton here in Norfolk and I had high hopes for the book but sadly I found the detail too sparse. While there is no doubt that Henry was a brave man - he served with his units in the trenches and didn't take the safer option of working in the hospitals behind the lines - I didn't find anything to connect with in his story.

The second book was far more to my taste and the tale of another brave person.

Dorothea trained as a VAD before the out break of WW1 and once war was declared, along with a friend, she volunteered for overseas service. From autumn 1914 until spring 1919 Dorothea worked in hospitals behind the lines in Northern France, she nursed the wounded and those out of the fighting due to illness and rarely returned to the UK on leave through the 4 1/2 years.  Towards the end of the war the hospital she served in was subjected to air raids and her brave actions (and injury) lead to a medal.

Despite surviving the diseases of war, air raids and the Spanish Influenza there sadly isn't a happy ending to the book - this isn't a spoiler it is mentioned in the introduction - and by the end I had a huge lump in my throat. Dorothea's writing style, anecdotes and drawings really made her live and I felt like I was reading about a friend.

I'm sure that with next year being the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War there will be many books published on the subject - all I can hope is that I have time to read them, and that they are of the quality of Dorothea's War.

The Women Left Behind

The Astronaut Wives Club by Lily Koppel

After that very busy weekend I'm spending some time at home and thanks to some less than seasonal weather I've spent a lot of the time not at work reading.  This was helped by a huge stack of my library reservations arriving in time for this weekend.

From reading back through my review and holiday posts it is clear that I have an interest in space history and it feels like I've been waiting for months for this book, it was the first one I grabbed from the pile and I spent all of Sunday reading it.

Whilst I enjoyed the book I am glad that it was just a library copy, I think because I have read so many of the astronaut's books I knew most of the stories recounted here, and often the men had recounted them in less politic terms!

I very much liked the learning about how the women felt their behaviour was an important influence on the trajectory of their husbands' careers, and also about the infighting between the wives of the different astronaut classes but for me the book rarely felt deeper than an interview in a women's magazine.

Perhaps the author had become too friendly with the women so didn't feel a warts and all book was possible? Perhaps in broadening the book out to all of the Mercury/Gemini/Apollo wives there was just too much material.

The book was enjoyable, the photos lovely but for someone with such a keen interest I found it just a little superficial, perhaps after all it is the technical detail that I like as much as the personal story?

Theatrical Interlude 15

Othello, Olivier Theatre at the National Theatre, London. June 2013

After a wonderful performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream in the original setting was the decision to see Othello in modern dress a mistake?  I've found in the past that seeing Shakespeare in a dark theatre far harder to engage with...

I needn't have feared.  The Olivier Theatre stage isn't a proscenium arch and the lighting set up meant that the theatre wasn't pitch black!

In this performance the action has been transposed to modern Cyprus and is set on a modern day army base - this worked very well for me and I engaged with the characters from the outset.

Othello is a play that I have previously studied a little and I think that this did help with the interpretation. Othello comes across as easily led and you can't understand how such a respected man can be so weak, but knowing that he feels out of place as a black leader in a white world makes this corruption comprehensible.

While the play is called Othello for me Iago was the focus and Rory Kinnear played him wonderfully - keeping him from being a total pantomime villain whilst still being delightfully evil and scheming.  The cast as a whole backed up the two leads and although Shakespeare didn't write strong female characters in this play both Desdemona and Emilia made the most of their roles.

The modern setting worked very well, and the staging was simple but brilliant - it really did look like a hurriedly constructed army camp, all concrete blocks and offices in former containers.  The only thing that jarred with the setting was when Othello hits his wife in public. While in the late 1500s this would have passed without comment I'd like to think that the modern army would have punished him on the spot.

I saw this play with Rebecca and I think I enjoyed it more than her, perhaps because it was my first time seeing the play or perhaps because I did have the little bit of insight for a play that did have some ambiguity.  The one thing that I hope passes soon is the fashion for having characters throw up on stage - at least this was more off stage than in Macbeth but is it really necessary?

Ancient Rome in London

Life and Death in Pompeii and Herculaneum, The British Museum, London. June 2013.

The European ancient world has long fascinated me.  I think I was in the first or second year at primary school when we studied the Ancient Greeks, I know we'd already 'done' the Egyptians and while it was fun learning to write hieroglyphs it took the Greeks to really capture my interest.

Visits to Greece and Italy in the decades since, plus a love of historical fiction (for children and adults) has kept the love alive and although a trip to Pompeii and Herculaneum is high on the to do list we weren't going to miss the chance to see this exhibition in the Reading Room at the British Museum.

We picked an early timed entry slot but even then the exhibition was busy.  We snuck past the introductory film - we've watched a lot of BBC documentaries on this bit of history and wanted just a little bit more room to look at everything!

The exhibition is very cleverly laid out, you start with a general idea of what 79AD life in the area was like  - things like inn signs, graffiti and murals as well as shopping artifacts are all displayed and then slowly you realise that you are entering a Roman house. You take a tour around the house popping in and out of rooms and the garden and each one is fully of frescoes, mosaics and household items which really bring the period to life.  Mr Norfolkbookworm had read the accompanying catalogue in advance of our visit and so it was like having my own private guide - I'm afraid my point of reference were the Roman Mystery books by Caroline Lawrence.  Both references really did complement each other and the exhibition.

Once you've wandered around the house the exhibition becomes a little darker - it is like the ash cloud from Vesuvius is descending over the exhibition. The first things you see are some of the molten and burned items then there are some of the preserved bodies from the area.  There aren't many but they are incredibly moving and one that has been preserved in resin not plaster and in that you can see the tendons, muscles and bones.

Despite there being lots of people in the space I didn't feel cramped and could always see the items I was interested in. In such a small place the exhibition organisers have done a great job in bringing Ancient Rome to life and now I really want to visit the 'real thing' more than ever.

Plaster cast of a dog

(NB for the faint hearted some of the 'restricted' items are on show including the infamous Pan and Goat statue)

Theatrical Interlude 14

A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Globe, London. June 2013

This past weekend Mr Norfolkbookworm and I had one of our periodic London weekend splurges - two plays, and exhibition and a night in a hotel.  We're home again and shattered but had a great time.

It was a nice leisurely weekend with lots of time to explore new areas of London and to revisit other places without a rush.  Lunch at The George Inn was lovely and the experience of time travel started early as we were entertained by sword dancers while sitting the yard.

Our run of good weather whilst at the Globe broke this time but as we were tucked up at the back of the top gallery we stayed totally dry - unlike the poor actors and Groundlings! Mind you the rain came down so hard at one point that it was rushing off the thatch so fast it was like watching the stage from behind a waterfall! Jokes about the day being more suited to The Tempest abounded!

Despite the rain the performance was, as ever, fantastic.  I was a little wary of this one way back in January when I booked - there are so many staging of this play every year could the Globe do something different?

From start to finish the play lived for me, the miming of Theseus' conquering of the Amazonian queen was a delight and set the tone - light hearted and fun but with just a little edge.  This is magical mischief rather than malevolence and was great fun with all characters having funny lines/mimes/actions not just the mechanicals and Bottom.  It was the play within a play towards the end that really made the play for me - to perform Shakespeare in such a slapstick and funny way without losing the words or rhythm is an achievement.

As with most Globe productions I found this to be a full ensemble piece with all of the cast being equally good although occasionally I couldn't here all of Oberon/Theseus' speeches but as it was so wet this may have been the reason. From reading the programme afterwards I found out that this was the first time a lot of the actors have performed in the space and so congratulations to all of them in such conditions!
Spotting actors from previous productions is always fun and Bottom was played by the scene stealing Grumio from last year's Taming - his acting with the asses head has to be seen to be believed.

Another great play reinforcing how much I love seeing them performed as they would have been at the time.

The quartet of lovers fighting under the influence of the fairies (from The Times)

Theatre at the Pictures

The Audience, National Theatre Live. Cinema City, Norwich. June 2013

It has been a while since I've seen a live broadcast at the cinema. Several of this season's plays I've seen live and one I just couldn't make it to any of the showings however I knew I had to see this one if at all possible.

I'd really have liked to have seen this one on stage but lack of time and unavailability of tickets when I was free made it impossible, so the next best thing has to be the National Theatre Live.

The play is deceptively simple - once a week, when possible, the Queen meets in private with the Prime Minister. What is discussed in these audiences is not known...

There have been 12 Prime Ministers in the 61 years since HM came to the throne and not all of them get a mention here but those that do are very cleverly portrayed. The 'audiences' depicted are usually from momentous points in the political life of the PM and the interesting view is that the Queen is actually more of a therapist than monarch.  In her constitutional role she can't give opinions or change how parliament is working but through these conversations you see her try to influence outcomes through her guidance, advice and experience.

Through very clever costume and wig changes the play moves backwards and forwards in time  - Major is the first PM that we meet, then back to Churchill then forwards again.  One scene must be re-written weekly, if not daily, as the conversation between HM and Cameron mentioned Prince Philip's current stay in hospital.

The play is genuinely funny, heartwarming and moving - I don't think I've been to a NT Live screening where there was so much laughter.  I was unsure at first about the conversations held between the Queen and her childhood self and while they grew on me and I can see why they were included I did find that they did break the flow a little.

The only thing I really didn't like about the broadcast was the tight focus on characters - this often meant we missed the clever costume changes, and made it hard to suspend belief and see Dame Helen Mirren as a 20 year old.  Seated in the theatre at a distance from the stage this would have been easier to see - although then of course you'd miss the subtle eye rolls and facial ticks that show what HM is thinking during the audiences.

In the interval there was an interview with the play's author and I really liked what he had to say about truth and accuracy.  Obviously no one knows what happens in the audiences but as he said from biographies, memoirs and interviews you can get a feel for how they go - thus these exact words might not have happened but the audience would have gone along those lines.

I laughed lots and I did have a lump in my throat at the end, I wish I'd managed to see the play live on stage but this was a great alternative.  If it is shown as an Encore and you aren't sure if you'd like it I'd say go - it doesn't matter if you are to the left or right politically or a rabid republican it is just a great play!

image taken from the NY Times

Something entirely different

War Requiem (Britten & Jarman)

Having just read a book featuring Benjamin Britten and it being the centenary of his birth Mr Norfolkbookworm and I visited the cinema recently to see this film.

I'm not sure what to make of it.  The film is Jarman's response to the Requiem and the first 3rd was stunning telling the simple narrative of a soldiers and nurses in the First World War.

After this I'm not sure what it was about apart from the segment that was set to a crescendo of music as it showed the futility of all wars since 1914.  It was graphic but the images really fitted the music.

The parts of the film that were obviously symbolic passed me by totally I just didn't understand the images at all.

If the whole piece had been like the first movement I think I'd have been totally spellbound and profoundly moved. In the end I was just confused.

On reading about the piece of music I can see why it moved away from being totally a WW1 story - it wasn't written about that war, and wasn't about the 'Glorious Dead' of this war despite using the poems from then.

The music also wasn't quite to my taste, I can see (hear?) that it is technically good but I didn't connect with it totally.

On the whole I'm really glad that we had the chance to see this on a big screen thanks to having a great art house cinema but I don't think I shall be hurrying to anything else by either Britten or Jarman.

Theatrical Interlude 13

Rocky Horror 40th Anniversary Show. Theatre Royal, Norwich. June 2013.

I've seen the film version of this a few times and often listen to the sound track on my iPod but this was my fist time seeing it live, and even then it nearly slipped by as I didn't notice it listed in the brochure at first.

What is there to say about such an iconic show? It was brilliant - all of the actors were great with stunning voices and it was just a laugh from the very beginning.  Mr Norfolkbookworm and I didn't go in costume (the world is not ready for either of us in a corset and I fall off 1/2 inch shoes let along stilettos!) but many in the audience did and they were audacious and daring as well as very clever.

There were a lot of people in the audience who knew the "heckles" for the stage and it seemed that sometimes these had a particularly Norfolk twist to them for the narrator was occasionally hard pressed not to giggle but even then he managed to come back with some witty lines.

You either like Rocky Horror or you don't I feel - I loved it. It was like pantomime for grown ups and left me smiling and humming for the rest of the week.  If it had been possible I think that I'd have got tickets and gone again, I had so much fun.

Advance copies

The Time by the Sea by Ronald Blythe.

This book is published by Faber and Faber in the UK but this review is based on the electronic proof copy provided by Net Galley

Ronald Blythe came into my reading world late last year from two different directions.  I attended the East Anglian Book Awards and sat with on a table with his publisher and just after this his name was mentioned several times in conjunction with other authors - Robert Macfarlane and Roger Deakin - who's writing I enjoy greatly.


The Time by the Sea covers just a few years in Blythe's life, when he lived in Aldborough (Suffolk) and came into contact with the influential Aldborough Set.  This group of people was as important in East Anglia as Woolf's Bloomsbury Set had been earlier in the twentieth century.

Blythe comes to this specific area of Suffolk thanks to his connections to John Nash and quickly meets other important figures from the world of art, music and literature such as Britten, Forster and Hambling.

This book could so easily have been a "luvvie-fest" but instead of feeling like Blythe is name dropping I felt that he was really sharing his memories of these people in their Suffolk setting nearly sixty years ago.

The landscape around Aldborough is vital to all of the memories and as I am familiar with the landscape and towns talked about I felt that I was wandering around the area with Blythe and his friends.

Some names I knew but many of these important and influential people I'd not come across before and I read this with the book in one hand and the Dictionary of National Biography open on my computer!

Not knowing all of the characters didn't matter to my enjoyment of the book, and having read works from friends who appear later in Blythe's life, it was nice to travel back in time with him.  My list of books to look out for has grown a lot and in this Britten centenary year it was nice to learn more about him from an informal point of view.

Reading this book in electronic proof form was not without issue however as many of the chapter heading images weren't shown and the formatting didn't make it clear when Blythe was quoting - either poetry or memories from other people - which made it hard to follow at times.  This is why I've reserved the physical book from the library so I can see the bits I've missed.

My other slight criticism of the book is that sometimes Blythe leaves a person's tale before you've really got to know them. I realise that this is because it is a book of his own memories and not a biography of his friends, but tantalising little snippets are given and then not expanded on.  Sometimes I wasn't sure if this is because Blythe is a genuinely nice person who doesn't want to speak ill of anyone or if because he wasn't actually a full member of the 'set' and so doesn't actually know the whole story. I am just a nosey person who wants to know the full story!

Blythe's whimsical style really appeals to me and his love for East Anglia shines through, as does his respect for people, buildings and nature alike.  I can't wait to read more of his books now.