mycroft_brolly

Image of Harold Abrahams winning the 100m in the 1924 Olympics courtesy of Mary Evans Picture Library.

Cut and pasted from the Hampstead Theatre website:

WORLD PREMIERE
Chariots of Fire, Hampstead Theatre
Adapted for the stage by Mike Bartlett
Directed by Edward Hall
Until 16 June 2012

Bring me my Bow of burning gold;
Bring me my Chariot of fire!

1924. The Paris Olympic Games.

A devout Scottish Christian runs for the glory of God. The son of an immigrant Lithuanian Jew runs to overcome prejudice. Two young track athletes who live for the beautiful purity of running and who prevail in the face of overwhelming odds.

Based on the extraordinary true story of Eric Liddell and Harold Abrahams, Chariots of Fire is an Olympic tale of hope, honour and belief.

Mike Bartlett is bringing one of the most thrilling Olympic stories to the stage for the first time in a dazzling new adaptation from Colin Welland's original screenplay (His plays include 13 for the National and Love, Love, Love for Paines Plough). Directed by Hampstead Theatre's Artistic Director Edward Hall, Chariots of Fire promises to be the theatrical event of our Olympic year. Award winning designer Miriam Buether will be transforming Hampstead Theatre into its very own stadium giving an immersive experience that evokes the 1924 Paris Olympics. The production will also feature the music of the legendary Vangelis score with additional live music and arrangements by Tony Award winning composer Jason Carr.

For full production details and to book tickets, follow the link:
http://www.hampsteadtheatre.com/whats-on/2012/chariots-of-fire/


James McArdle as Harold Abrahams and Jack Lowden as Eric Liddell
Photo credit: http://www.theartsdesk.com/theatre/chariots-fire-hampstead-theatre

Raks's Reaction

I saw this at a preview on Saturday 19 May (it had its press night yesterday) and it totally and utterly blew me away. I thought it was one of the most amazing things I have ever seen at the theatre. It made my heart race and stop dead at the same time!

I originally booked to see it purely because London is hosting the Olympics this year. I am not going to a single London sporting Olympics event (I will be watching at home on my telly, like most people, or at All Souls on the big screen). But I had booked to see this as this was my way of paying tribute to the fact that London is hosting the Olympics this year. This is the closest I am getting to the London Olympics! If you are not able to get the Olympic tickets that you want, I highly recommend coming to see this as an alternative; being a theatre not a sports fan, I would argue that this is way better!

The first thing I wanted to talk about was the staging. I can honestly say that I think the staging is quite simply the best I have ever seen. As the audience walked in, everyone commented on how the theatre had been transformed into a stadium. It really looked and felt like a stadium.

Over the course of the show, the stage becomes many things, including the closed and closeted world of Cambridge, and all the settings are 100% believable and convincing. The staging totally transported me to that time, that place and that world, be that Cambridge, Scotland or Paris.

There is a great prologue to the piece with the actors all on stage, warming up. Stretching, preparing, jogging, running around the track, all set to music. I loved that!

Which brings me onto the second thing that I wanted to talk about, the actors. The acting across the whole ensemble was exceptional. It is unfair to single people out but I am going to give a special shout out to a few of the actors who spoke to my heart. Jack Lowden. I have never seen him before in anything and he just blew me away. He really conveyed a young man, torn between his passion for running and his family/family duties and responsibilities, who was steadfast and resolute in standing his ground and sticking to his principles ("I won't run on the Sabbath"), even in the face of pressure from HRH Prince of Wales. James McArdle was excellent. He played Agathon in Emperor and Galilean and so, like all the actors associated with that production, will always have a special place in my heart. Finally Sam Archer, who I have seen many times in a range of productions for New Adventures, was also exceptional; he always is.

The energy and excitement that the actors put onto the stage was phenomenal. This was especially true of all the "races" that were shown, right from the dash around the College Quad to the 100m and the 400m at the Paris Olympics. The staging is such that the track snakes right round and through the audience so that the actors are running at full tilt right by you as an audience member. This is a real thrill! And the constant firing of the starting gun never failed to make me jump every time it went off, even though I was expecting it!

There is a lot of music, singing and dancing in the production, which I was not at all expecting. James McArdle can sing very well! The music was usually live and all of it was fun and energetic. The music and dance ranged from waltzes, to "Three Little Maids", to Scottish music and dancing!

This is probably the closest you can get to immersive and interactive theatre in a theatre of this size. Obviously, if you are in a smaller space, or you are promenading etc, it is easier to get the audience interaction going, and for the audience to feel a part of the piece. I really felt a part of the piece, I was totally involved and engaged from the off, and actually I was desperate to get on the stage and join in! (don't worry, I didn't!). The audience in this show are part and parcel of the piece, they create the specific energy of the show on the night that they are seeing it.

The finale with both the Chariots of Fire theme tune and Jerusalem playing really spoke to me, bringing a tear to my eye and tugging at my heart. It really meant a lot to me. (I joined in singing Jerusalem; I couldn't resist; it is my favourite hymn of all time! Then again I used to join in with reciting The Lord's Prayer at the end of Emperor and Galilean!).

I gave the production a standing ovation. That was on a preview and that was the first time I saw it. I could do no less; to have given anything less than a standing ovation would have been a travesty.

I saw the original Chariots of Fire film on or around its original release date in the early 80s. I have only ever seen it once. I had considered re-watching it as homework for this production. In the end I decided not to. I am glad that I made that choice. It allowed me to come to the piece fresh, with no preconceived ideas or notions. It also meant I let the piece carry me with it, rather than knowing too much where it was going to take me. All of that was to the good. I will re-watch the film later in the Summer.

In a nutshell, mind-blowing and amazing. Truly exceptional. I know you might think I have been saying that a lot lately but I have to tell it like it is!

Once the production has closed at the Hampstead, it will be transferring to the Gielgud Theatre in the West End. The run will start on the 22 June and it is currently booking through until 10 November. For more details and to book tickets for the show's run at the Gielgud, follow the link:
http://www.delfontmackintosh.co.uk/Theatres/gielgud_theatre.asp


Jack Lowden: Go Jack Go! Run like the wind!
Photo credit: http://www.hampsteadtheatre.com/whats-on/2012/chariots-of-fire/

Photo credit: http://toomuchflavour.co.uk/site2/some-like-it-hip-hop-extract-at-sadlers-wells-sampled-2011-review/

This feature was originally posted in October 2011 but I am re-running it because I was at Sadler's Wells tonight, I picked up their new Autumn 2012 brochure, and I found out that "Some Like It Hip Hop" is returning to the Peacock Theatre in September 2012. I loved this production when I saw it last year and I am highly recommending it to everyone, and in particular to people with children and teenagers, especially if they are interested in dance.

Cut and pasted from the Sadler's Wells website:

ZooNation Dance Company "Some Like It Hip Hop", Peacock Theatre
Thurs 20 Sep 2012 – Sat 13 Oct 2012

ZooNation’s Some Like It Hip Hop was one of the most successful new shows to hit the West End last year, wowing audiences and prompting widespread critical praise, five star reviews and standing ovations with its infectious “wit, heart and magnificent energy” (The Independent). Already following in the footsteps of its phenomenal 2006 smash hit Into the Hoods, Some Like It Hip Hop unites truly sensational dancing with a typically clever and engrossing storyline.

Fast becoming a modern classic, the show makes a triumphant return to the Peacock Theatre for a limited run before it sets off on its first UK tour, having been nominated for multiple awards including two Oliviers and a South Bank Award. With a nod to Billy Wilder’s film and Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, it tells a comical tale of love, mistaken identity, cross-dressing and revolution; all played out in ZooNation’s trademark style of hip hop, comedy and physical theatre.

Directed by Kate Prince, Some Like It Hip Hop also features ground shaking original music by Josh Cohen and DJ Walde.

For more details on the production and to book tickets follow the link:
http://www.sadlerswells.com/show/ZooNation-Dance-Company-Some-Like-It-Hip-Hop

Raks's Reaction

I LOVED THIS!

I see a fair amount of dance but I rarely write about it because I am not really qualified to do so (I did both tap and ballet when I was a little girl but gave both up before secondary school). However, that said, there is no way I was not going to talk about THIS!

The energy levels for this show are off the scale. The dance is street, urban and cool (old fogey language - I am an old fogey!). The tricks that some of these dancers can perform are mind-blowing. There is live singing which is out of this world. Unlike a lot of contemporary and modern dance, there is a real story, with a proper plot, told in this piece.

It spoke to me for a range of reasons. The hero loves books, yet is not portrayed as a "geek". The character is played by Tommy Franzen, one of the real stars of the show, and the piece shows that reading broadens and enriches your mind. Women dress up as men, because they are no longer allowed good jobs in the real world. They do this and the problems this leads to are comically portrayed. It clearly shows that women are the equals of men and as good as men (which of course we are!). It speaks about urban protest, revolution and standing up against authority for your rights (come on the revolution!). It has "LOVE". It speaks about family - especially the father/daughter relationship - and single parenting. And it has more to say about Grief and what it can do to a person than Mike Leigh's Grief at the National Theatre (I am being 100% sincere here). It is packed to the brim with energy, passion and ideas. The audience reception both through the piece and, specifically, at the end, where there is a proper grand finale was the like I have not seen in a West End Theatre for a long time (this was because there were a lot of young people in the audience and a lot of BME people in the audience). This is the sort of theatre and the sort of show I want to see on full-time in the West End, alongside all the other long-running muscials. Also, just like One Man, Two Guvnors, it shows people that theatre is fun and a great night out for all the family.

I am highly recommending this show to people with children and teenagers, especially Black boys and young Black men. This is not a "Black" show as such, but the vast majority of the dancers and singers are Black or mixed race, and the show has a lot of Black attitude and culture built into its DNA. It definitely has Black energy and passion running right through it. It shows these young people that Black and mixed race performers can be the leads on a West End stage. I want children and young people to see theatre that makes them feel alive and happy and that makes them want to become performers on the stage. This show is it! It will show boys and young men that dancing is hip and cool and not just for sissies. That you can be a real man, testosterone filled, and yet dance like an angel, and that this is something to aspire to, not denigrate and laugh at.

On a personal level, recently there was a project manager post advertised at a small charity which specialised in boxing and martial arts. I have no issue with martial arts. I have a huge issue with boxing. After a lot of soul-searching, I did not put in an application. Whilst I appreciate boxing can teach you disicpline, keep you fit, give you a positive and constructive outlet, teach you respect for authority and provide you with good role models, boxing's goal is to hit someone else's head so hard you knock them out. Over time this causes irreparable brain damage. How could I promote and support that? This is what I would want to promote and support and sell. High energy, creative, mind-blowing dance, that knocks the audience off their feet and delivers a standing ovation every night. I want children and young people to perform not box (sorry, as usual, I have got on my soapbox!).

I will get off my soapbox and say - I am highly recommending this to children and adults alike, it is a fun night out for all the family at the theatre, the dance and the music is mind-blowing, and the issues dealt with make you think and use your mind. Book to see it now!

Photo credit: http://www.cuba50.org/index.php?page=Whats_On_Archive

Cut and pasted from the Sadler's Wells Website:

Ballet Revolución is an explosive fusion of ballet, contemporary dance and hip hop from a company of supremely talented Cuban dancers and live musicians.

They have already bowled over audiences throughout Australia and now they prepare to cast their Cuban spell on audiences in London for the first time.

The outstanding live band will perform popular hits from Shakira, Ricky Martin, Beyoncé, Usher, Prince and many more, while the phenomenal dancers display their raw athleticism and virtuosity in dance styles from classical ballet to salsa, samba and even martial arts.

The show closed on Saturday (19 May) which is when I saw it.

Raks's Reaction

I don't really have the language to talk about dance so what I will say about this show is that it was high energy, high impact, fast and furious, non-stop, colourful, vibrant and I loved it!

This is advertised as "Ballet with Attitude" but it is unlike any Ballet I have ever seen before!

There was a real range and depth of variety in the dance styles and the music. I really liked that.

The male dancers were just phenomenal. They were masculine (100%), strong, powerful, fit, hot and their dancing was just mind-blowing. Their technique was exceptional. Any boys and young men watching this would realise very quickly that dancing is not for sissies, but for masculine, strong, powerful, athletic men. They would see that dancing was cool, hip and street. It was a great advertisement for dance full-stop.

The live band, and the live music, made all the difference, and took the show to another level. I loved especially the focus and emphasis on rhythm, drums and percussion. And the songs couldn't get any better - I especially loved Shakira's "Hips don't lie" and Ricky Martin's classic "She bangs, she bangs"!

The whole show was just overflowing with the joy of life. There was a real party atmosphere throughout the show, but especially at the end. It was a spectacle and a carnival all rolled into one.

More of these types of cutting-edge "raw" shows in London's West End please!

Photo credit: http://fundraising.tht.org.uk/front_page.aspx

Walk for Life: Supporting people living with HIV in poverty

Walk for Life, Terrence Higgins Trust's annual 10k sponsored walk through central London, took place yesterday, on Sunday 20 May 2012.

All funds raised from Walk for Life go towards providing vital grants for people living with HIV in severe financial need through their Hardship Fund. The Fund will offer invaluable support to some of the most vulnerable people with HIV, allowing them to afford basic necessities like warm clothing, healthy food and the fare to get to the hospital - helping them to keep their dignity and stay healthy despite severe financial difficulties.

The Walk for Life Website is here:
http://www.walkforlife.co.uk/

Raks's Story

As you can see from the image above, this year there was a Kings and Queens theme. I went dressed as an Indian Maharani. I recycled the wedding tiara from my real wedding to very good effect!

I started at 11am and finished at about 1.15pm. I was pleased with that, especially as it did not rain, the walk was relatively easy, and my legs did not ache at the end!

Here are a few photo highlights:

Me at the start:



Me at Southwark Cathedral (one of my new spiritual homes):



Me at the end with my medal:



I always take a photo of my tired feet. This photo is especially for two of my strongest supporters, both Cumberbatchfans. It will speak to them!



Finally, a close-up of my medal, which I am very proud of!



My personal target was £250, although I wanted to raise £500. Today, my running total hit £310.00 (£352.50 including Gift Aid). THANK YOU to my very kind and generous sponsors.

So, if you wanted to sponsor me, it is still not too late. My fundraising page will remain active for at least the next month. You can donate here:
http://fundraising.tht.org.uk/Raks-Patel-Walk-for-Life-2012

It was the 4th time I had done the Walk for Life - I will be back again next year!

Photo credit: http://www.attitude.co.uk/viewers/viewcontent.aspx?contentid=2446&catid=comment&subcatid=gay_news&longtitle=CAMPAIGN+FOR+EQUAL+MARRIAGE

Please ACT NOW.

Visit the Coalition for Equal Marriage's Website:
http://www.c4em.org.uk/

Step One: Sign The Petition
I support the right of two people in love to get married, regardless of gender. It's only fair.
This petition is restricted to UK residents, aged 16 and over.

Step Two: Complete the Consultation
Responding to the consultation offers the best way of helping the proposals to succeed.

Step Three: Email Your MP
Use the automated tool to email your MP, even if you're not sure who they are exactly!

Please, if you support equal marriage, do at least one of these three things and, preferably, all three!

THANK YOU.


Photo credit: http://www.mumsnet.com/campaigns/links-to-other-organisations

My Walk for Life is this Sunday so this is your last chance to sponsor me. In its honour I am stopping the blog and there will be no new stories on here until Monday.

Walk for Life: Supporting people living with HIV in poverty

Join us for a royal good time on 20 May 2012 and help raise a King's ransom ...





Cut and pasted from a letter from the Terrence Higgins Trust:

Walk for Life, Terrence Higgins Trust's annual 10k sponsored walk through central London, is back for its 23rd outing on Sunday 20 May 2012 and this year there's a very regal feel in the air with a right royal Kings and Queens theme. The Kings and Queens theme means that I will probably do the easy thing and go dressed as an Indian Maharaja or Maharani. I have not yet decided what I will be wearing but it will be very regal!

Walk for Life is always a lot of fun, a community celebration of life and love, courage and determination and a great excuse to get all dressed up, but most importantly it raises money for a vital service which offers a lifeline to people living with HIV in poverty. As of January 2012, Terrence Higgins Trust re-launched the Hardship Fund with national reach across the whole of the UK.

All funds raised from Walk for Life go towards providing vital grants for people living with HIV in severe financial need through our Hardship Fund. The Fund will offer invaluable support to some of the most vulnerable people with HIV, allowing them to afford basic necessities like warm clothing, healthy food and the fare to get to the hospital - helping them to keep their dignity and stay healthy despite severe financial difficulties.

The Walk for Life Website where you can find all the information you need on the walk is here:
http://www.walkforlife.co.uk/

Raks's says

This is the only fundraiser I am doing this year, and it is for a cause that is special to me and is very close to my heart. This will be the fourth time I am doing the Walk for Life (I did it in 2008, 2009 and 2011). I know money is very tight for everyone at the moment, but I am hoping that people can still find it within themselves to give a small contribution (or a large contribution!) to those who need the money more. Please please please, if you can afford to do so, sponsor me here:
http://fundraising.tht.org.uk/Raks-Patel-Walk-for-Life-2012

Philip Hoare, author of Leviathan.
Photograph: BBC/Lonestar, Martin Rosebaum.
Photo credit: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/tv/2010/07/my-nervewracking-night-on-the.shtml

Very very VERY belatedly, this is a write-up of the highlights of the Sherlock Holmes Society of London's March event that I attended.

Cut and pasted from the Sherlock Holmes Society of London Website:

The Society's March Meeting was held on Thursday 22nd March 2012 at The Savage Club, housed in the premises of the National Liberal Club at 1, Whitehall Place, London, SW1.

"… he strode into the room, his hat upon his head and a huge barbed-headed spear tucked like an umbrella under his arm."

Sherlock Holmes's weapons experiment with a pig at the opening of The Adventure of Black Peter is a well-remembered image. The origins of this story have been somewhat neglected by the Society to date. In this tale (which, incidentally, features a subplot about a failed banker that resonates with today's current affairs), Holmes goes undercover in the East-end to gather a crew for an Arctic expedition whilst disguised as a whaler called Captain Basil. This is a ruse to catch the man who killed a former seaman - the barbaric Puritan Captain "Black" Peter Carey - with his own harpoon. Published in 1904 as part of The Return of Sherlock Holmes, this story has connections to the past of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle who, in 1880, spent time as a ship's surgeon on a Greenland whaler called the Hope.

The speaker for the evening was the writer Philip Hoare, whose talk was sub-titled: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and the Whale. Philip originates from Southampton and is perhaps best known for his celebrated book Leviathan or, The Whale, which won the Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-Fiction in 2009.

Philip says,
"By coincidence rather than design, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle has made cameo appearances in my last three books. In Spike Island: The Memory of a Military Hospital, I described the history of Netley Hospital, famous, of course, for its appearance in the first chapter of A Study in Scarlet, as the place where Dr Watson trained. In my next book, England's Lost Eden: Adventures in a Victorian Utopia, I traced the growth of Spiritualism in England, along with the strange story of the New Forest Shakers, a tale in which Sir Arthur played his own role. And in my latest book, Leviathan or, The Whale, I found Doyle reappearing on an English whaleship. In my talk for the Society, I hope to gather these disparate threads together - along with a cast list including Herman Melville, Emily Brontë, Mrs Gaskill, William Scoresby, Bram Stoker and Mary Shelley - to present what I hope will be stimulating new sidelights on the surprising influence that Sir Arthur may, or may not, have shared with them."

Raks's Write-up

By way of introduction to the talk, Roger Johnson explained that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Whaling Diaries were to be published later this year/early next year and he read aloud a passage from the diaries.

Philip Hoare explained that whaling was an enormous industry in the nineteenth century. Whaling was looked down upon as a disreputable trade, something that only the lowest of the low would engage in. The focus of the British whaling industry was the Arctic. There was intensive whaling in the Arctic over a period of 300 years and the English and the Dutch whaling ships decimated the number of whales in the Arctic. One whale could fetch between £2,000 and £3,000, which was a king's ransom in those days. There were two things that whales were hunted for - the oil and the whale bone.

Conan Doyle was a qualified medical doctor. As a surgeon, Conan Doyle would have been a companion to the captain, his confidante. The reason that Conan Doyle had chosen to go on the whaling ship was because he was a young man, seeking adventure and thrills, and he, like all British boys in the Empire, had been brought up on tales of derring do. He would have had to have been fit and strong, and have a resilient constitution, to survive on board a whaling ship.

Although Conan Doyle was the doctor, he was also a gifted writer, and this makes his whaling diaries absorbing. When you read the whaling diaries you get a real sense of Conan Doyle as a man. He is a man of science, looking at the experience objectively, but he is also a human being, and you can feel the empathy and awe he felt for these magnificent creatures. The whale was a mammal not a fish; it was sentient and intelligent, and had the reputation of being mysterious, elusive and unknown. It is clear from Conan Doyle's diaries that he enjoyed his time on the whaling ship and that he loved the experience. What comes across very clearly is Conan Doyle's energy, his desire to live his life to the full, and his passion for life in general.

Photo credit: http://www.brimstoneandtreacle.co.uk/

Cut and pasted from the Arcola Theatre Website:

SEArED in association with Arcola Theatre presents
BRIMSTONE AND TREACLE
by Dennis Potter
2 May 2012 - 2 June 2012

SEArED in association with the Arcola Theatres stages the first major London revival of Dennis Potter’s most controversial play. Renowned for being banned before transmission by the BBC, Brimstone and Treacle's glimpse into suburban paranoia, xenophobia and insularity is as revealing and relevant today as it was in the 1970s.

North London, Summer, 1977. As a nation prepares to celebrate Queen Elizabeth's Silver Jubilee, a middle-class, middle-aged couple struggle to come to terms with the incapacitation of their daughter following a hit-and-run car accident. Out of nowhere, an apparently respectable young man arrives on their doorstep to change their lives forever ...

A twisted allegory about fear, faith, morality, and the incomprehensible randomness of good and evil.

Find out more about the production and buy tickets here:
http://www.arcolatheatre.com/production/arcola/brimstone-and-treacle

There is a separate website for this production of Brimstone and Treacle which is here:
http://www.brimstoneandtreacle.co.uk/


Rupert Friend as Martin Taylor, Tessa Peake-Jones as Mrs Bates, Matti Houghton as Pattie Bates and Ian Redford as Mr Bates.
Photo credit: http://www.theartsdesk.com/theatre/brimstone-and-treacle-arcola-theatre

Raks's Reaction

I booked to see this production purely because I saw the original BBC adaptation of this play on Play for Today when it was first aired on television in 1987 and the play made a deep and profound impression on me. I only saw it the once, but it made an indelible imprint on my young mind (I was 17 at the time) and, all these years on, I still remember the key elements of storyline and plot.

I saw this yesterday (Monday 14 May) and it just blew me away. Theatre seems to be doing that to me a lot lately; especially fringe theatre productions. I loved everything about it.

The cast is exceptional. Rupert Friend is just perfect as Martin Taylor. He is so polished, handsome and charming, you can see how any mother (in this case Mrs Bates) would be completely taken in by him. I loved his little nods and winks and knowing looks to the audience; they really worked. It clearly signposted that Martin is not at all who or what he claims to be; he is a manipulative and devious so-and-so; whether he is also something above and beyond that is another matter! Ian Redford as Mr Bates has, in my opinion, the hardest job in the cast because he has to make a National Front sympathizer and a racist come across as a decent father and husband; a kind and caring person at heart. I think Ian really pulled that off; for me he focused on emphasising Mr Bates's innate decency and his overriding desire to protect his family and do his best for them.

Why this piece has stayed with me all these years is because it is so shocking. The way the creative team have adapted this for the stage makes it even more shocking. The Arcola is a small, intimate, theatre space. They have staged it so that the living room carpet comes right up to the seating. When you watch this on the television, as a television viewer, you are one step removed, the action is taking place elsewhere and there is a screen dividing you, the viewer, from the actors and the action. In this theatre, you as the audience are in that sitting room with those characters.

As an audience member, I found that challenging and difficult, because I felt that I was complicit in the rape and also in the discussions taking place on race. I was a passive spectator; I wanted to be an active participant! It is both challenging and difficult to see evil unfold in front of you and to let it run its course nevertheless. However, that is exactly what often happens in real life a lot of the time eg Nazi Germany. It is so much easier to sit by and do nothing than proactively intervene. By forcing me to become a passive spectator, the piece actually got me to think about when I would become an active participant ie at what stage, over what issue, what would I do, how would I challenge, what would I sacrifice?

I think this play is best experienced as a piece of theatre, not a piece of television, and is best experienced in a small intimate setting as it is given here. It is a domestic drama set in a living room and the theatre and the size of the audience needs to match the domestic setting to make it work.

The play exposes what goes on behind closed doors within families living in middle-class surburbia. What are the power dynamics between a husband and a wife, when the husband is the sole breadwinner, and the wife is the housewife, the mother and the carer? What does it feel like to be cooped up within one place, surrounded by the same four walls, for years on end? (both Mrs Bates and Pattie Bates have been in this one house, Pattie probably within the one room, for two years). They have had no contact with the outside world; in those days there was no internet, only television!. One of the greatest luxuries that Mr Bates has brought for his wife is a colour television. The television is the only "outside" world that Mrs Bates and Pattie have known for two years. Mrs Bates and Pattie are trapped in their domestic prison. Even Mr Bates does not really have a "life" as we would know it; he gets to leave the house everyday but only to go to work and back. That is an escape but not really a life! The power relationships, and abusive relationships, within a family, are brutally exposed and laid bare in this play. British family and domestic life, warts and all.

This production left the play with a much more ambiguous ending than I remembered from the television version. From memory, the television version includes a flashback sequence which shows what happens on that fateful day two years ago when Pattie is hit by the car. It puts its stamp on the play, and ensures the audience only reads it one way. In this production, the ending is left deliberately ambiguous, so that the audience can interpret the story for themselves, decide the backstory for themselves, and then write whatever future they want for the family. Haunted Child, which I liked so much earlier in the year, did the same. The advantage of this is that the audience gets to decide the ending for the characters, based on their own personal reading of the play, and that is what gives the piece its richness, depth and complexity.

There remains the perennial question - Who and/or what is Martin? Is he just a very accomplished conman out to get all that he can or is he, in fact, the Devil incarnate? Again, the TV version and the film hint in one direction; this production chooses to leave it ambiguous so you can make your own mind up. My own preference is to see him as the Devil because it just goes to show how much mischief the Devil can and will make given half a chance! It also shows how attractive, manipulative and charming the Devil can be!

This production, with its outstanding cast and high production values, is only on for a month in total so if you want to see it, you need to book up now!

Exceptional Acting. An Unusual and Unique play. Shocking. Challenging theatre that makes you think (all of that equally applies to The Custard Boys and Love, Love, Love). I am highly highly highly recommending this production.

I was so impressed and blown away by the production that the first thing I did when I got back was put some money behind it. This is the type of theatre that I, a London Theatre geek, wants to see in the heart and soul of the West End and on the fringe. If you see it, and like it, you can also help fund the production here:
http://www.wefund.com/project/brimstone-and-treacle


Photo credit: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/theatre-reviews/9246884/Brimstone-and-Treacle-Arcola-Theatre-review.html

Original BBC Adaptation

A truly excellent article on the original BBC adaptation, setting out the story of the play, why it was banned, along with a detailed social commentary and critique can be found here:
http://www.britishtelevisiondrama.org.uk/?p=882


Photo credit: http://www.pricerunner.co.uk/pl/801-254578/DVDs/Brimstone-And-Treacle-(DVD)-Compare-Prices

You can buy the original BBC adaptation on DVD from Amazon here:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Brimstone-And-Treacle-Denholm-Elliott/dp/B0001P1BA2/ref=sr_1_1?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1334359702&sr=1-1

Photo credit: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/sherlock/moriarty.html

This is a rare gem - a real pearl.

Andrew Scott, Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat share their thoughts on how they reinvented Moriarty for the Modern Age.

When the time came for Sherlock co-creators Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss and actor Andrew Scott to unleash Sherlock's nemesis Jim Moriarty, they gave us a true arch-villain for the 21st century. Now, they share their insights into the character and take us deep into the mind of the madman.

Follow the link:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/sherlock/moriarty.html

My Walk for Life is taking place this coming Sunday so please could you sponsor me this week. THANK YOU.

Walk for Life: Supporting people living with HIV in poverty

Join us for a royal good time on 20 May 2012 and help raise a King's ransom ...





Cut and pasted from a letter from the Terrence Higgins Trust:

Walk for Life, Terrence Higgins Trust's annual 10k sponsored walk through central London, is back for its 23rd outing on Sunday 20 May 2012 and this year there's a very regal feel in the air with a right royal Kings and Queens theme. The Kings and Queens theme means that I will probably do the easy thing and go dressed as an Indian Maharaja or Maharani. I have not yet decided what I will be wearing but it will be very regal!

Walk for Life is always a lot of fun, a community celebration of life and love, courage and determination and a great excuse to get all dressed up, but most importantly it raises money for a vital service which offers a lifeline to people living with HIV in poverty. As of January 2012, Terrence Higgins Trust re-launched the Hardship Fund with national reach across the whole of the UK.

All funds raised from Walk for Life go towards providing vital grants for people living with HIV in severe financial need through our Hardship Fund. The Fund will offer invaluable support to some of the most vulnerable people with HIV, allowing them to afford basic necessities like warm clothing, healthy food and the fare to get to the hospital - helping them to keep their dignity and stay healthy despite severe financial difficulties.

Raks's says

This is the only fundraiser I am doing this year, and it is for a cause that is special to me and is very close to my heart. This will be the fourth time I am doing the Walk for Life (I did it in 2008, 2009 and 2011). I know money is very tight for everyone at the moment, but I am hoping that people can still find it within themselves to give a small contribution (or a large contribution!) to those who need the money more. Please please please, if you can afford to do so, sponsor me here:
http://fundraising.tht.org.uk/Raks-Patel-Walk-for-Life-2012

And finally, last but not least, this is an open invitation for all my friends, colleagues, stakeholders and customers to join me on the walk if they wish to do so - the more the merrier!

You can register for the walk here:
http://www.walkforlife.co.uk/
Or call the Royal Hotline on 020 7812 1665
Or email walk@walkforlife.co.uk

Photo credit: http://www.bafta.org/television/craft-awards/arrivals-2012,648,GAL.html

The BAFTA-nominated Sherlock actor, Andrew Scott, arrives on the red carpet to present the Award for Production Design (Sunday 13 May 2012).

Dark Shadows and Edward Scissorhands are both Tim Burton and Johnny Depp films.

I saw Dark Shadows at the cinema today:


Photo credit: http://cinecite.co.uk/index.php/dark-shadows-character-posters

Cut and pasted from an email from the BFI Website:

Dark Shadows - The IMAX Experience (12A)

Barnabas is rich, powerful and an inveterate playboy... until he makes the grave mistake of breaking the heart of Angelique Bouchard.

In 1752 the Collins family sails from Liverpool to start a new life in America. The master of Collinwood Manor, Barnabas (Johnny Depp) is rich, powerful and an inveterate playboy... until he makes the grave mistake of breaking the heart of Angelique Bouchard (Eva Green). Angelique turns him into a vampire and buries him alive. Two centuries later, Barnabas is freed and emerges into the very changed world of 1972. He returns to Collinwood Manor to find that his once-grand estate has fallen into ruin. The dysfunctional remnants of the Collins family have fared little better, each harbouring their own dark secrets. Tim Burton directed this gothic vampire tale based on the cult TV series of the same name.

Follow the link for more details and to book tickets:
http://www.bfi.org.uk/whatson/bfi_imax/coming_soon/now_booking/dark_shadows_the_imax_experience_12a_tbc

Having seen it, my honest advice is to give it a miss and see Edward Scissorhands instead. Edward is a far superior Tim Burton and Johnny Depp film.


Photo credit: http://quizilla.teennick.com/polls/10298826/which-tim-burton-movie-is-better

Cut and pasted from Wikipedia:

Edward Scissorhands is a 1990 American romantic fantasy film directed by Tim Burton and starring Johnny Depp. The film shows the story of an artificial man named Edward, an unfinished creation, who has scissors for hands. Edward is taken in by a suburban family and falls in love with their teenage daughter Kim. Both Burton and Elfman consider Edward Scissorhands their most personal and favourite work.

Raks's Reaction to Edward Scissorhands

Edward Scissorhands is one of my top three favourite films of all time. Johnny Depp's performance in the film has to be seen to be believed, and Winona Ryder, Dianne Wiest, and Vincent Price all give stand-out performances in the film. The music by Danny Elfman is very powerful.

It came out in 1990, when I was at University, and it moved me profoundly. It was all about someone who was different, entering society for the first time. How at first he is welcomed, but then things start to go wrong, friends fall away, and he is left alone and isolated, feeling alone and unloved. It just broke my heart.

As a slightly weird and geeky young person, who had "unusual" interests for a student (ie not drinking, not ever in a relationship), and who ended up going to the cinema and the theatre on her own all the time, I felt a real empathy and a connection with Edward. I still do. I know the film and the character are also both deeply personal to Tim Burton and Johnny Depp; that comes out in the film very strongly.

You can buy Edward Scissorhands from Amazon here for just £4 or, of course, you can rent it:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Edward-Scissorhands-DVD-Johnny-Depp/dp/B00004Y3OG/ref=sr_1_1?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1335108280&sr=1-1


Photo credit: http://www.virginmedia.com/movies/features/strangest-characters.php

GO EDWARD!

Cut and pasted from an email from Whatsonstage:

Shakespeare's great political thriller finds dark contemporary echoes in modern Africa, directed by RSC Artistic Director Designate Gregory Doran.

The dictator must be assassinated. But who will replace him?

As Rome struggles to choose between tyranny and mob rule, three men must decide between public duty and private will.

From 28 May join us in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre as a new production of Julius Caesar transposes Shakespeare’s great political thriller to modern day Africa.

Julius Caesar is directed by Gregory Doran, recently announced as RSC Artistic Director Designate. The company includes Paterson Joseph as Brutus, Cyril Nri as Cassius, Ray Fearon as Mark Anthony and Jeffery Kissoon as Caesar.

Watch Gregory Doran and the cast talking about why the play works so well in an African setting:
http://www.rsc.org.uk/whats-on/julius-caesar/mini-documentary.aspx

Julius Caesar plays at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, from 28 May - 7 July. Julius Caesar will also be on tour and is going to transfer to London (Noel Coward Theatre).

Did you know?
Nelson Mandela's favourite quote from Shakespeare comes from Julius Caesar - 'Cowards die many times before their deaths; the valiant never taste of death but once.' He marked this passage in the Robben Island 'Bible' - the Complete Works of Shakespeare which had been smuggled into Robben Island prison disguised as a religious book.

THIS IS GOING TO BE AMAZING. I have got my tickets in - have you?

Full production details can be found here, and tickets can be bought here too!:
http://www.rsc.org.uk/whats-on/julius-caesar/

Justin Timberlake and Beyonce, 5th Annual Fashion Rocks, Radio City Music Hall, New York, 5 September 2008
Photo credit: http://mediaoutrage.wordpress.com/category/justin-timberlake/

Both Justin's and Beyonce's performance was OUTSTANDING!

http://stopwar.org.uk/index.php/afghanistan-and-pakistan/1399-two-soldiers-in-afghanistan-murdered-by-the-british-government

Cut and pasted from the Stop the War Website:

Two soldiers in Afghanistan murdered by the British government
The only answer which the US and its allies have to failing wars is to keep pouring money into them and hope for the best, says Stop the War's convenor Lindsey German.

The criminality and cynicism of politicians who prolong the war in Afghanistan despite its patent failure has claimed more victims. The deaths of two British soldiers, at the hands of Afghan police, cruelly underlines the failure and futility of the war being conducted by Nato forces. The statement by UK defence minister Phillip Hammond that these soldiers "sacrificed" their lives "for our own national security", is quite simply a lie. These soldiers died because the British government would rather continue fighting an unjustified war that is being lost than admit that after eleven years nothing has been achieved but mass slaughter and destruction. It would rather sacrifice the lives of British soldiers than end its slavish support for all the US-led wars that has been so catastrophic for the countries invaded and has made the world ever more unstable and insecure. Every soldier killed in Afghanistan dies at the hands of the British government's refusal to face reality or to do what the overwhelming majority of people in this country want: end the war now.

In London we will be outside the US embassy on Saturday 19 May demanding No to NATO, troops out and no intervention in the Middle East.

Follow the link to read the full article:
http://stopwar.org.uk/index.php/afghanistan-and-pakistan/1399-two-soldiers-in-afghanistan-murdered-by-the-british-government