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Monthly culture: July 2020
Thursday, August 13th, 2020 09:44 am04JUL20 -- Les Blancs -- Lorraine Hansberry (NT At Home)
Set at a medical mission in an unnamed African country on the eve of revolution, and focussing on Tshembe, the son of a tribal elder who's returned from his successful Westernised life in London for his father's funeral. Danny Sapani is really powerful in this role. I found the play monologue-heavy in the first half -- some of the discussions of race and colonialism seemed very hackneyed, but then again this was written in the 1960s. (Tag: period-typical racism, sexism, homophobia.) Some strong scenes but I was not super-engaged.
11JUL20 -- The Deep Blue Sea -- Terrence Rattigan (NT At Home)
Another non-cheerful play, this one featuring a failed suicide and a flying ace who's descending into alcoholism. Hester Collyer has left her High Court judge husband to live with Freddie, who is a man-child incapable of maintaining an adult relationship with her. He is also a complete arse who, on learning of her attempt to gas herself, throws down a shilling for the gas meter. Luckily Hester's Ladbroke Grove neighbours (a nice cross-section of London society) are sympathetic and generally nice.
Helen McCrory is passionate and poignant as Hester. Tom Burke is a slimy Freddie. And there is a happy ending, though perhaps not that happy given that it's the Fifties and Hester is single and pregnant.
18JUL20 -- Amadeus -- Peter Schaffer (NT At Home)
I saw this production live (review here) and think that our side-of-auditorium seats actually gave a better view (especially of the opera / mass stagings) than the middle-of-circle camera in this filmed version. Lucian Msamati is awesome as Salieri, and the play contains much that isn't in the 1984 film version: Freemasonry, politics, et cetera. I also really enjoyed the online chat during this -- thought-provoking and amusing.
25JUL20 -- The Tempest -- Shakespeare (Globe / iPlayer)
I'd seen this production (featuring Colin Morgan as Ariel and Roger Allam as Prospero) at the Globe back in 2013, before I started reviewing everything I saw. It's not my favourite of Shakespeare's works, though this Prospero was more paternal and less tyrranic than others I've seen. Again, greatly appreciated online chat here, including the theory that Prospero would out-wizard Gandalf any day. (And my own half-serious suggestion that Prospero is Caliban's father.)
Set at a medical mission in an unnamed African country on the eve of revolution, and focussing on Tshembe, the son of a tribal elder who's returned from his successful Westernised life in London for his father's funeral. Danny Sapani is really powerful in this role. I found the play monologue-heavy in the first half -- some of the discussions of race and colonialism seemed very hackneyed, but then again this was written in the 1960s. (Tag: period-typical racism, sexism, homophobia.) Some strong scenes but I was not super-engaged.
11JUL20 -- The Deep Blue Sea -- Terrence Rattigan (NT At Home)
Another non-cheerful play, this one featuring a failed suicide and a flying ace who's descending into alcoholism. Hester Collyer has left her High Court judge husband to live with Freddie, who is a man-child incapable of maintaining an adult relationship with her. He is also a complete arse who, on learning of her attempt to gas herself, throws down a shilling for the gas meter. Luckily Hester's Ladbroke Grove neighbours (a nice cross-section of London society) are sympathetic and generally nice.
Helen McCrory is passionate and poignant as Hester. Tom Burke is a slimy Freddie. And there is a happy ending, though perhaps not that happy given that it's the Fifties and Hester is single and pregnant.
18JUL20 -- Amadeus -- Peter Schaffer (NT At Home)
I saw this production live (review here) and think that our side-of-auditorium seats actually gave a better view (especially of the opera / mass stagings) than the middle-of-circle camera in this filmed version. Lucian Msamati is awesome as Salieri, and the play contains much that isn't in the 1984 film version: Freemasonry, politics, et cetera. I also really enjoyed the online chat during this -- thought-provoking and amusing.
25JUL20 -- The Tempest -- Shakespeare (Globe / iPlayer)
I'd seen this production (featuring Colin Morgan as Ariel and Roger Allam as Prospero) at the Globe back in 2013, before I started reviewing everything I saw. It's not my favourite of Shakespeare's works, though this Prospero was more paternal and less tyrranic than others I've seen. Again, greatly appreciated online chat here, including the theory that Prospero would out-wizard Gandalf any day. (And my own half-serious suggestion that Prospero is Caliban's father.)
