The Wellcome Collection’s exhibition The Cult of Beauty is a mirror reflecting back to us the importance we place on ever-changing beauty standards. The Cult of Beauty If there are two things that are certain when it comes to beauty, they are these. That what we consider beautiful changes with the times and in different […]
Immersive choreography by Robert Binet, Dark With Excessive Bright is part of the Royal Opera House’s Festival of New Choreography. Dark With Excessive Bright Long-time readers know me well by now: I will happily go and see anything which involves creative, unexpected staging. I enjoyed Punchdrunk in Woolwich, I happily had a drink in Dido’s […]
Sergio Blanco’s latest play When You Pass Over My Tomb is a wild ride through London, Paris, Switzerland, taboo topics and erudite allusions. Content warning: mentions of assisted suicide and necrophilia. When You Pass Over My Tomb My beloved Like the wind When you pass over my tomb From within my grave Desirous of you […]
Samuel Takes a Break… is a challenging, funny, thoughtful, ambiguous new work on now at Hackney Wick’s Yard Theatre. Samuel Takes a Break… I have a feeling it is a good year for the Yard Theatre. The last two things I’ve seen there (this and this) have been fab. And now Samuel Takes a Break… […]
Young V&A is the latest incarnation of the V&A’s East London branch dedicated to childhood. After a three-year renovation project, this new version is very much a museum for children rather than about them. A History Of Young V&A Young V&A is the latest incarnation of a museum which goes back to the Great Exhibition […]
My final MimeLondon outing for 2024 is to Entrañas, an exploration of the human body in all its fragility and wonder. Back to an Old Question: What is Mime, Anyway? If you’re just catching up, this is the third event I’ve been to at MimeLondon (first two here and here). MimeLondon is the successor to […]
A story about embracing life against the odds, Wilko is a feelgood story featuring Dr. Feelgood’s distinctive guitarist. Wilko “A Christmas Carol with guitars and cancer.” As one of London’s biggest fans of A Christmas Carol (probably), it’s a line that jumped out at me. But although there are parallels (ghosts, enlightenment and so on) […]
A response to the Royal Academy retrospective of Marina Abramović’s work. How does something as ephemeral as performance art transform into a museum exhibit? Content warning: references to violence and sexual acts. Marina Abramović at the Royal Academy In a burst of post-Christmas activity I managed to squeeze in a visit to Marina Abramović, a […]
Ephemeral Ensemble come to New Diorama Theatre with REWIND, a tribute to South America’s desaparecidos and those who have fought to tell their stories. First Some Background: Argentina’s Desaparecidos Where to start with REWIND? It is a desperately sad, visually impressive work of theatre by Ephemeral Ensemble, based on real events. Ephemeral Ensemble are a […]
French duo Stereoptik return to bring more worlds to life in front of an eager MimeLondon crowd with Antechamber. The Return of an Old Favourite When I first came across the London International Mime Festival in 2022 (several decades behind the curve), a performance by Stereoptik was one of the events I saw. 2023 was […]
