Ok, I almost need to draw you a diagram for this one. You know Shakespeare, right? Macbeth, with the witches etc? Well Verdi wrote an opera of it in 1847. And then it was staged by a South African company at the Barbican. But they staged it as if they were a group of Congolese […]
For those of you who, like me, have never seen a Cheek by Jowl production, or an Albert Jarry play for that matter, Ubu Roi is a shock to the system. The original play opened and closed on the 10th of December 1896, following an opening night riot which led to it being outlawed […]
Ok, I will admit it, I was somewhat prejudiced going into this exhibition as fashion is not really my thing and wouldn’t be my ideal choice of exhibition topic. And was I won over? Mostly, I think. There is no denying that the exhibition design is wonderful, and creates an immersive world, particularly through the […]
The Serpentine’s exhibition on Judy Chicago focuses on a hitherto unpublished manuscript, perhaps to the detriment of the artist’s wider oeuvre. Judy Chicago Perhaps a little sooner than planned (there was a theatre scheduling incident, don’t ask), I am back to tell you about the other summer exhibition at the Serpentine Gallery. The last one, […]
Spirited Away brings the magic and charm of the Studio Ghibli film to the stage. Spirited Away Like buses, sometimes you can be waiting for a certain type of theatrical production for a while, and then they all come at once. So it is, seemingly, with stage adaptations of beloved Studio Ghibli animations by Hayao […]
Performance art meets issue-led theatre in High Steaks, as ELOINA empowers herself and her audience by dispelling myth, secrecy and shame and celebrating labia in all their glorious forms. Content warning: we’re going to talk about labia and vulvas a lot, and the show involves nudity and discussion of surgery, labia shaming but also body […]
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 […]
An artist-curated show, Sarah Lucas: Happy Gas isn’t your usual retrospective. Content warning: mildly NSFW Sarah Lucas: Happy Gas Tate Britain’s current exhibition programming is a veritable cornucopia of modern and contemporary female artists. There’s Women in Revolt! Art and Activism in the UK 1970-1990. There are free exhibitions of work by Zeinab Saleh and […]
Ballet Black’s mixed bill programme Pioneers celebrates Nina Simone and poet Adrienne Rich in two very different works. Pioneers My last two visits to the Royal Opera House’s Linbury Theatre have been such a contrast. The previous one was a dance-theatre adaptation of a play I saw in the West End, by Royal Ballet Principal […]
