On Dance - A Brief, Subjective Overview of Pirouettes and Volatile Wiggles.

I can't dance but as I get older, I learn to appreciate its cultural and social importance.  Dance is effectively a reaction to external and internal stimuli.  Everyone has memories of dancing at parties. The dancers that we most often recall are notably the flamboyant ones.  The ones who move like eels through water.  The ones who fully occupy the space they have.  I have fond memories of dancing once with a friend at a Gothic themed disco.  Just the two of us spinning around in a pseudo waltz style to a Nick Cave song, which had clearly scared off some of the other dancers (their style seemed to be more frequently of the floor staring variety, whilst they periodically moved from one foot to the other slowly.  A symbolic representation of an insularity that seemed to express their inner engagement with the lyrics of the songs on offer).  We carried on regardless unaware of the people around us.

Through my attendance of performances, I have in my head some notion of what constitutes a memorable dance performance for me.  For me, there needs to be a theme, narrative or emotional structure holding the performance together.  Otherwise, the dancers are simply moving as meaningfully as a group of ramblers to me.  I cannot describe dance movements to you, just how they make me feel.  A balletic jump can be impressive as a way of denoting strength of character or it can be a throwaway gesture wasted on me.

Dance at its most potent to me challenges my conceptions and makes me feel.  I have seen productions based on songs such as Michael Clark Company's interpretation of some of Patti Smith's songs and I feel tremendous satisfaction interpreting how hand movements and bodily slides express a point.  On the other hand, I have seen performances that have tried to be too clever and the dancers have been seemingly performing in counterpoint to the music.  I have a particular liking for Matthew Bourne's shows.  I suspect that this may be because of his emphasis upon narrative sources, whether these be fairy tales or operas.  It is easier to concentrate on a story, however condensed than on a random sequence of dances with only a slight theme.

Having said all of that, if you reduce dance to its essential state, it can be primal, ritualistic and indeed, a courtship device.  Tribal dancing bringing forth a good harvest or reaffirming the strength of a community.  Possibly, it means something more if you are part of the proceedings but even watching from a distance, the power of movement can overcome.

If someone gives you the opportunity to dance, don't say no, just enter a trance like state and spin on the spot or leap majestically from one foot to the next.  If you feel it, do it.

                                                                                 Barry Watt - 27th December 2016.

Afterword.

Nick Cave is a major singer/songwriter/writer who remains a significant performer:

http://www.nickcave.com/

Michael Clark Company has its own website:

http://www.michaelclarkcompany.com/current.php

Patti Smith is another major singer/songwriter/writer who really needs to be heard and seen more widely:

http://www.pattismith.net/intro.html

Matthew Bourne continues to produce innovative and inspiring shows, which he tours:

http://new-adventures.net/matthew-bourne

                                                                                                                         B.W.

'Giving the Author his Due' - Why Harold Pinter Matters.

Since the 90s, I have wandered around worlds of mental illness, relationship breakdowns, false memories and sinister aggressive figures, sometimes torturers, sometimes desperate game players. Every so-called victim, a potential bully in the making.  I have seen territories disputed and language condensed to the noise of silence.  Now pause...

In the 90s, I studied Harold Pinter's 'The Caretaker' for A-Level English and I was immediately struck by the language and content of the play.  I was lucky enough to see a production of 'The Caretaker' at the Comedy Theatre starring Donald Pleasence, Colin Firth and Peter Howitt.  It was directed by Pinter himself and he was in the audience watching with a young relative or friend on the day I saw the production with my mother.  In retrospect, you never forget your first Pinter production.

Pinter's plays are expressive visions of the human condition.  They do not always follow a coherent narrative strand but then nor do our lives.  By and large, there will always be one character that you can relate to, even if you cannot understand their motives or agendas.  Also one interesting aspect of Pinter's plays concerns those characters that you would not want to meet in daily life.  The most threatening characters can also be the most vulnerable.  Just as in life, power dynamics change as situations vary and people experience different needs.  

The language in Pinter's plays also serves to break down the apparent comfortable certainties of human communication.  The empty platitudes and endless repetitions.  Constant needless enquiries about the weather.  Filling time.  More intense subjects marked by pauses, either breakdowns or moments of extreme emotion.  Time to rearm, to reconsider the assumptions made.

The so-called 'Pinter pause' is often used to criticise the playwright's work but anyone who has ever sat in a restaurant and watched other diners will notice at least one couple, who are not communicating using words.  Yet the feeling of mutual distaste is conveyed through the silence.  This is not companionable silence, the comfortable feeling of knowing each other so well that words are not necessary.  Pauses are a natural and necessary aspect of conversation.  It's not always easy to think of what to say for the best.  I think the importance of Pinter's use of pauses is most apparent when you see the play performed.  On paper, they simply fragment the text.  On stage, you can see the body language of the actors as they convey the emotional states of the characters they are portraying.

I have seen so many memorable productions of Pinter's plays.  They can and should be performed in a myriad of locations.  I remember seeing 'The New World Order' at the Shoreditch Town Hall, which incorporated five of his plays ('Press Conference', 'One for the Road', 'Precisely', 'Mountain Language' and 'The New World Order' into one emotionally coherent immersive experience.  The audience was led around different areas of the building.  One of the plays was actually performed on a staircase.  The plays chosen were the most politically potent of Pinter's plays, although his plays always explored issues of power and its abuse.  He was a very vocal supporter of human rights, so his exploration of the complicity and occasional atrocities of human beings towards each other, are an understandable feature of his work.

To conclude, at one point after a rehearsed reading of 'Celebration' at a London Theatre, I hung around the stage door and obtained the autographs of the actors.  It was a veritable who's who of the acting scene including Michael Gambon and Joanna Lumley etc.  One of the actors took the playtext of 'Celebration' out of my hand and muttered the immortal line, 'Giving the author his due'.  I deeply respected this idea.  By buying the text, I was not only somehow contributing royalties to the playwright but also acknowledging the importance of his work.  If this blog entry is about nothing else, it is about encouraging people to read and see Pinter's work.  He really was one of the greatest playwrights.  Having seen him perform in a version of 'No Man's Land' in the 90s, I can also attest that he was a memorable actor too.

                                                                                           Barry Watt - 11th September 2016.

Afterword.

All of the plays listed in this blog are available in a variety of editions by both Faber and Faber and Methuen.  If you are interested in the plays of Harold Pinter, they are also available as four collected editions from Faber and Faber.  The copyrights to the plays are of course the properties of the respective holders.

                                                                                                                                     BW.

    

2015 - A Year In Review - May - A Month of Helmets, Low Lighting and Rotten Apples.

May 2015.

Last May was relatively quiet.  I got to see some quite interesting things including the revival of 'Shock Treatment', which really should have transferred to the West End.

Friday 1st May 2015 - 'A Mad World, My Masters' at the Barbican.

The Royal Shakespeare production of Thomas Middleton's comedy transposed to Britain in the Fifties.  I remember finding this production hilarious.  Not least because sitting in the front row left me open to being used as a prop by the actors.  At one point, one of the actors jumped off stage and held me, relaying his dialogue and then quietly whispering that 'I didn't have to do anything'.  Somehow, it's hard to know how to feel when somewhere deep down inside there is a performer aching to come out.  

Saturday 2nd May 2015 - 'The Avengers: Age of Ultron' at the Barbican.

I saw this in 3D and although, it completely deviates from the comic stories that inspired it (Hank Pym created Ultron, not Tony Stark and Bruce Banner), it was pretty watchable.  Paul Bettany as the Vision is a surprisingly sympathetic character, precisely because his character grows like a child, learning more of the ways of human beings (he is a Synthezoid, an android of types sharing many similarities with human beings).  The 3D effects as ever underwhelmed me.  It was a less than wonderful gimmick in the 50s and continues to offer nothing to the audiences' enjoyment of a film.  I enjoyed how in many respects, Ultron within this film becomes like Frankenstein's Monster, the victim of Stark and Banner's vanity project.  It also quite rightly jumps to the conclusion that human beings and the Avengers are part of the problem, when one considers issues of how best to maintain peace and stability.

Friday 8th May 2015 - 'Knightmare Live: Level 2' at the Udderbelly Festival.

A second trip down memory lane as I had seen this once before live.  'Knightmare' used to be screened on ITV after school I believe on Fridays.  It involved a small group of children leading another child who wore a helmet and satchel around a computer generated dungeon.  The group had to avoid obstacles including monsters and traps.  They also had to solve riddles.  Overseeing all of the action was one major figure, Treguard the Dungeon Master and also various villains including Lord Fear.  The live action version basically takes the format of the original and uses adults to guide a member of the audience who ends up wearing the helmet.  As the Udderbelly Festival is a comedy festival, the guiding team are comedians.  The humour comes from the fact that the sets look terrible but somehow, the whole experience evokes the feelings I used to experience when I saw the TV series.  Essentially, it's a nostalgia trip but a good one.

Saturday 9th May 2015 - 'Sonia Delaunay' at the Tate Modern and 'Far From The Madding Crowd' at the BFI.

I have just discovered scribbled on my calendar a reference to the fact that I attended an art exhibition at the Tate Modern, prior to going to the BFI in the afternoon.  It was in fact the 'Sonia Delaunay' exhibition and all I remember about it was how colourful her creations were.  Vibrant uses of colour and shape.

'Far From The Madding Crowd' was the 60s version of the film starring Terrence Stamp and Julie Christie.  For me, Terrence Stamp still epitomises the 60s, something about his brooding good looks. Julie Christie is also ideally cast as Bathsheba, Thomas Hardy's wonderfully named and strong character.  It's a great adaptation of a brilliant novel.

Sunday 10th May 2015 - Artists' Open House 2015 (Various locations around South East London).

I went round a number of properties with a friend exploring the art works of local artists.  A very stimulating way to pass a Sunday afternoon.  One artist created faux cinema posters and another local landscape paintings.  So many talented people.

Tuesday 12th May 2015 - 'Alice's Adventures Underground' at the Vaults.

I attended this immersive experience with a friend.  Basically, the events in the performance mirrored the two novels, 'Alice in Wonderland' and 'Alice Through The Looking Glass' by Lewis Carroll.  The most powerful scene for me being the Mad Hatter's Tea Party.  Basically, the audience were seated around a long table with the remains of china ware scattered in front of us.  The Mad Hatter was running up and down the table scaring the life out of the audience.  I also remember one point where I was left alone to spy on the characters to try to ascertain who had repainted the flowers.  The whole experience was quite surreal and just a little bit too busy.  It's hard to critique an immersive performance as you get out of it what you put in.  I liked the details including the use of mirrors.

Friday 15th May 2015 - 'Betrayal: A Polyphonic Crime Drama' at the Village Underground.

This was a truly unique experience.  It used the music of Carlo Gesualdo, an Italian Renaissance composer who killed his unfaithful wife and her lover.  In fact, each of these elements informed this immersive experience.  The audience were all given small torches to light up the performers who danced and sang.  The Village Underground in Shoreditch was also used like a crime scene with notices and crime details stuck around the venue.  The darkness and patches of light made for a very uneasy yet thrilling experience.  I Fagiolini, the vocal ensemble, were amazing.  I saw this with a friend and it still resonates.

Tuesday 19th May 2015 - 'The Pride' at the South London Theatre.

Lovely version of a play by Alexi Kaye Campbell.  It explores various relationships and attitudes towards homosexuality.  I enjoyed the play a lot.  The bucket was also an interesting feature in the Prompt Corner (used to catch any water if it rained).  My enduring memory of this production was the quality of the acting and direction.  The South London Theatre's original location is currently undergoing restoration work and I am glad that they are currently based at the nearby Stanley Halls until the work can be completed.

Friday 22nd May 2015 - The Tiger Lillies at the London Wonderground.

Gosh, I have seen The Tiger Lillies a lot over the years.  Their bizarre blend of cabaret, murder ballads and other songs about the darker side of life greatly appeals to me.  Also the accordion becomes an essential musical element in their performance.  Also I am glad that I have like minded companions who enjoy their music too.  It's also fun seeing them in the Spiegeltent that is regularly used during the London Wonderground season each year.

Wednesday 27th May 2015 - 'The Harvest' at the Soho Theatre.

So many apples!  A play about apple picking.  The stage was surrounded by overhanging fruit.  A very funny play about the problems of apple picking exploring the dangers of over packing crates (you can bruise the fruit and once one apple is bruised, the rest can become bruised).  I attended this event with friends too and I recall lots of smashed apples at the end and broken wooden crates.

Friday 29th May 2015 - 'Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty' at the Victoria and Albert Museum.

My second visit to the exhibition and I still felt that it was overrated.  The curators should have let McQueen's work speak for itself rather than impose their artistic vision all over it.  This second visit was a very quick trip too.

Sunday 31st May 2015 - 'Shock Treatment' at the King's Head Theatre, Islington.

Pretty major revival of Richard O'Brien's 'Shock Treatment'.  This was the first time I had seen the musical and it was brilliantly staged.  The stage area and auditorium were designed to resemble a TV studio and the performance was anarchic.  Well acted and the songs were eminently memorable. Sadly, despite a bit of a campaign on social media sites, it hasn't transferred to the West End yet but really should!

                                                                                         Barry Watt - 12th June 2016.

Afterword.

All of the productions and exhibitions etc are copyright to their respective owners.

                                                                                                                   BW

'Punching The Sky' - Living and Growing With The Internet - An Interview With Lizi Patch.

I attended ‘Punching The Sky’ at the Soho Theatre based upon a guttural instinct that this performance would offer something different and brutally honest.  I was not disappointed.  The play offers an autobiographical insight into parenthood and indeed, growing up in a sensitive and occasionally stylised manner.

The writer, co-producer and one of the performers in her work, Lizi Patch has very kindly consented to let me interview her.  My focus for this interview will be the play as I have deliberately avoided the previous interviews and any articles that are available.  I have also yet to read Lizi Patch’s blog.  I would like this interview to demonstrate that a work of art in any form can influence others and help to generate conversation.

As a lead in, ‘Punching The Sky’ is a play that explores an event that had significant repercussions for Lizi Patch and her family.  Her son Arthur (who at that point was eleven) was sent a web link via mobile phone from one of his friends or classmates at school and upon accessing it, unwillingly viewed hard-core pornography for the first time.  Several days later, Arthur spoke about the experience to his Mum.

From viewing the play, I was immediately struck by your decision to start the play as though the audience were your children and you were reading them a fairy tale.  The fairy tale about the Princess effectively ends with the rape of the Princess.  I interpreted this as maybe, the violation of innocence (in the same way as Arthur’s innocence had been affected by the hard-core pornography he had viewed).  Was this also an indication as to the content of the hard-core pornography? 

This is an interesting take on the opening. I’d like to keep this deliberately open to interpretation.

When Arthur came to you after accessing the web link, how did you initially help him to understand what he had seen?  I recall seeing the sequence in the play involving him exploring the internet as a means of understanding why women appear in pornography and stumbling on other information.  Do you feel that in some cases, understanding contentious issues and subjects or at least exploring them can help to overcome potentially damaging psychological problems?  How does Arthur feel now concerning the material he viewed?

Understanding, contextualising and exploring contentious issues is of primary importance in making sense of our world. That starts the moment we’re born and – in my experience – continues throughout adulthood. The difficult bit is how we access information and what that information is, you know - who it’s coming from.  The internet is a wonderful tool, but as you see in the show (and as we all know) the content is put there by humans, one question leads to another and we’re all fallible. As a parent you can only do what you think makes sense at the time, and by listening in a non-judgemental way and answering my son’s questions as openly and honestly as I felt was appropriate was all I could do.

When you wrote your blog concerning Arthur’s exposure to hard-core pornography, did you anticipate the variety of responses that it would generate?

No, absolutely not. I initially wrote down what was in my head purely to make some sense of the overwhelming sense of anger and sadness I felt in learning at my son’s horrible loss of innocence and the fact I felt I had failed him by not somehow preventing it. As I say in the play “‘it was only when I looked back at what I’d written I thought ‘people need to read this…. some one’s got to start this conversation’”.

I had no idea that it would be picked up by the Independent, I had no idea I would be called to Westminster to discuss policy change with the shadow cabinet (as if there was any likelihood of them gaining power and changing policy! We still hope!), I had no idea I would be sitting across from Jeremy Paxman on Newsnight discussing the issues. I was, perhaps naively, completely unprepared for the wave of response. Thinking back it’s obvious. I put something deeply personal out there; something that people find it incredibly hard to talk about and it touched a massive nerve.

Your play beautifully explores family life and how your two sons have grown up through animated sequences and also through the use of the male and female actor who also perform in your play.   I found their roles in the play fascinating, alternately representing aspects of public opinion and sometimes, your children.  To what extent, have the two actors helped to contribute to the development of your work? Also as a writer and performer, do you find that you work most effectively on your own or collaboratively or does this depend upon the project you are working on?

I have worked with a number of actors over the course of 2 Arts Council funded Research and Development phases (supported by partner venues the Lowry, Live Theatre, the Hub in Leeds and Theatre in the Mill, Bradford) and into the tour rehearsal period. They and my co-Producer (and Director for the Tour and Soho), Mark Hollander, have contributed huge amounts to the development of the piece which would not be the piece it is without them. No one is indifferent to the subject matter of access to hard-core online porn and all had stories of their own to bring to the table. The actors for the tour and Soho run - Emily Dowson (Medea) and Rob Ward (Webster) worked intuitively and brought 2 very tricky characters to life under Mark’s skilful direction. Personifying the Internet is not easy! But Emily and Rob both have exactly the right skillset to get to the heart of the roles. Rob was the original Webster at the first scratch performance when the play was called ‘Slap’ and shown at the West Yorkshire Playhouse ‘Playground’, so had a strong foundation to build on.

Sometimes I have to work alone. I enjoy my own company and solitary walking helps me piece together so many ideas (I recommend it. I don’t suffer from writer’s block – I just walk). At other times I actively seek out excellent collaborators, brilliant artists who know stuff I don’t. Cross-pollination often brings strong, rich work and my collaborators on Punching The Sky were truly spot on. Arcus Animation Studios (Gateshead) worked with great sensitivity and were so responsive throughout the process, creating the ‘cartoon Arthur’, bringing him to life and developing truly integrated and thought-provoking content throughout the piece. Aron Kyne (Composer, Sound Design for the Tour and Soho)  and Alex Turner (additional sound design) were hugely responsive to the material that already existed and – crucially – also suggested content that I could never have thought of as I’m simply not a sound designer so we see different things at different moments. Collaboration lives or dies by how willing you all are to listen to the needs of the piece and serve that rather than your own ego.  If you choose to collaborate you have to guide but not be stiflingly precious about your work.  I am fortunate in that I have met and worked with so many excellent artists over the years and I keep them close by! I also work with them on their projects – it’s a 2-way flow.

I will say that, when necessary, I can happily step away and trust my own strengths/instincts. Having 30 years behind me (and the same in front!) as a performer, director, writer, producer and developer of multi-artform collaborations means I should know my stuff!

The play ends with the letter that you wrote to your son, which ultimately suggests that life is about experience; it’s about making mistakes, learning from them and moving on.  The play as a whole left me with a sense of hope.  Your decision to use the YouTube video that your son had created of his amazing feats as an encore of types also felt like a brave creative decision.  Indeed, after viewing your play, I began to interpret the title of your play, ‘Punching The Sky’ as both a reference to your son’s jubilant arm gesture upon completing such feats as walking a wall and also as maybe, a commentary on anything that is ill defined or difficult to provide any structure to.  I am not a parent but I guess in many respects, parenthood is like this, helping to nurture and steer your children, in ways that will help them to develop yet also avoid things that may be harmful to them.  There are no real guidebooks.  You have to make decisions based on instinct, emotions and I guess risk assessment.   Have your two sons seen this performance in any of the venues you have performed it in and if so, what was their reaction to it?

This is a lovely explanation of what I intended. Thank you.

No, my sons haven’t seen the show, my youngest is too young and it would be just too close to the bone for Arthur to be there. They are both hugely supportive of the piece and Arthur and I have discussed it as it’s developed. 

Finally, since Arthur’s exposure to the web link, have your opinions towards censorship, pornography and the relative ease of access on the internet to potentially unpleasant content changed at all?  What measures do you feel could be put in place to prevent children such as Arthur from accessing such material?

My feelings remain the same. That the internet in all its glory and horror is here to stay and by building a good relationship with your kids – as parents, teachers, close family, mentors etc. we can help each other to navigate the world we live in -  both macro and micro. Censorship is a moving and useless target and freedom is messy.

I believe, without question, that good Sex and Relationship Education that actually tackles issues that our young people are facing today is completely essential and that schools need funding and support to deliver this. Not all families can discuss these issues openly: we need to understand the differences in cultural and religious beliefs, lack of confidence in starting conversations – and, you know, not all kids have a family at all, so school is their best chance of having these conversations, and it goes back to what you asked me at the beginning – it depends where kids get their information from. It’s not easy, but we can’t keep ignoring the world we live in and delivering the sex education from the dark ages of condoms on bananas. Kids want to talk – I know this from experience – so let’s get our thoughts in order and be ready to listen and discuss. Healthy relationships are everything. These young people are consuming and making content that will define the way our world develops, they need to be able to talk to each other about the really important stuff – and what’s more  fundamental than friendships, relationships, sex, love and communication?

(After sending Lizi Patch, my first batch of questions, one more sprang to mind and I include it here as the final question).

Do you think that your show could be usefully adapted and performed in schools?

Yes, absolutely. With some tweaks it could and should go into Year 7 and above. The amount of emails I've had from parents, teachers and teens saying this play should be seen by everyone suggests so too.

I may do a film, I may turn it into a one woman show, not sure. All this depends on funding and time. 

I want to thank Lizi Patch for agreeing to answer my questions and I look forward to seeing her future works.  My abiding reaction to her work was one of positivity and growth.  Something beautiful and original came out of a horrific situation and in these times of public apathy, the world needs more plays that both nurture and challenge.

If I’ve left you with a feeling of positivity and growth then job done. I’m happy.

Thanks for the emotional honesty of both yourself and your family, Lizi Patch.

You’re welcome. We could all do with a bit more emotional honesty, if we’re honest. ;)

Barry Watt - 22nd May 2016

Photos (Thanks to Lizi Patch for providing and allowing me use of the images).

Lizi Patch in performance.

'Punching The Sky' Promotional Image.

Afterword.

Firstly, here's the list of the very talented creative team associated with 'Punching The Sky':

PUNCHING THE SKY: CREATIVE TEAM

Writer/Co-producer/Performer: Lizi Patch

Co Producer/Director: Mark Hollander

Designer: Scott Thompson

Animation:James Taylor and Nick Lewis at Arcus Studios

Music and Sound Design for the Tour: Aron Kyne, Alex Turner.

Music and Sound Design for R&D: Rich Huxley & James Hamilton.

Company Manager (Rehearsals): Emaleigh Pightling

Company Manager (Tour and Soho Theatre): Tom Blackband

Actors for Spring Tour: Lizi Patch, Milton Lopes, Emily Dowson.

Actors for Soho: Lizi Patch, Rob Ward, Emily Dowson.

R&D actors: Ben Burmann, Daniel McCann, Wesley Thomas, Rob Ward, Rebecca Jenkins and Paul Fox.

Okay, if you are interested in learning more about Lizi Patch and her creative endeavours and ideas, please visit:

http://www.lizipatch.co.uk/

On the back of the programme for 'Punching The Sky', a list of useful websites is included.  These websites cover a number of the issues raised by the play including children and the Internet:

www.internetmatters.org

www.iwf.org.uk

www.childnet.com

www.parentport.org.uk

'Newsnight', 'The Independent' and other intellectual properties mentioned in this interview are copyright to their respective owners.

Thanks again to Lizi Patch for offering to answer my questions and for her support.

                                                                                                                        BW

2015 - A Year In Review - April - The Month of Boxes, Stars and Pies.

April 2015.

I remember April last year fondly largely because it marked the first time I had seen a performance in Stratford-Upon-Avon.  I hasten to add not Shakespeare.  Although, I will get to see a play by Shakespeare in Stratford-Upon-Avon at some point.  Anyhow, let's get on with April last year...

Thursday 2nd April 2015 - 'Creditors' at the Brockley Jack Studio Theatre.

This was a pretty disturbing play based on Strindberg's play.  A couple minding their own business are encroached upon by a third individual who tears their relationship to pieces.  This play had interesting points to raise concerning art and mental illness.  Once again, a curious choice of play for a fringe theatre but it was worth trying.  The artistic decision to set the play during a period of revolutionary upheaval also added to the atmosphere of the piece.

Friday 3rd April 2015 - 'Blade Runner: The Final Cut' at the Barbican.

Ridley Scott's rather poor adaptation of 'Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?', but in its own right, it's a pretty unique and beautiful film.  The Philip K.Dick original explores the environmental issues he foresaw for the future i.e. extinct animals and the market that comes into being selling electronic versions of them.  The film does touch on the subject slightly but it is never openly spoken about.  I vaguely remember electronic animals and birds being visible at certain points.  It is still a fascinating film.  The empathy that you begin to feel for the Replicants as the film progresses is strange.  They are like kids, whereas the adult human characters are all jaded and bitter.  Harrison Ford's character could very well be human but I seriously doubt that fact.

Saturday 4th April  2015 - 'Wapplington/McQueen' and 'Salt and Silver' at the Tate Britain.

Yes, I attended two exhibitions on this occasion.  The 'Wapplington/McQueen' exhibition was great and provided much needed background information for the 'McQueen' exhibition at the V and A.  In many respects, I far preferred this photographic exhibition as it documented the creation and exhibition of one of Alexander McQueen's shows.  As such, you got to see him at work, creating lists of interests which he used to inform his design work.  The 'Salt and Silver' exhibition was focused on early photography from 1840 to 1860.  Literally, photos printed on salted paper.  Lots of images of portraits, landscapes and architecture.  Sepia tinged insights into another world.

Tuesday 7th April 2015 - 'A Breakfast of Eels' at the Print Room.

A surprisingly touching play by Robert Holman.  Two young men discuss their 'father' and his upcoming funeral.  This packed a powerful emotional punch for me, four months after my Dad's death.  Well acted and this continued to resonate for some time after I saw it.

Friday 10th April 2015 - 'Clarence Darrow' at the Old Vic.

Kevin Spacey's swansong at the Old Vic.  He had already performed this play before at the Old Vic, which I missed, so hence why I rushed to get tickets for the play the second time round.  Kevin Spacey was superb as the lawyer.  As an actor, he has a presence on stage that holds your attention whatever he does.  He seemed genuinely moved when the audience gave him a well deserved standing ovation at the end of the performance.  A one man show that you really needed to see.

Monday 13th April 2015 - 'Comedy in the Dark' at the Udderbelly (Southbank Centre).

This cheated somewhat.  The acts were spotlit to show them their way onto the stage then the lights were turned out for the majority of their acts then just before the end they were fully spotlit.  As one of the comedians said, the advantage of this approach to comedy is the fact that you can deliver your dodgiest material and no-one can see you!  I remember there being about three or four acts.  The upside down purple cow is still the most beautiful of venues.

Tuesday 14th April 2015 - 'Death of a Comedian' at the Soho Theatre.

I saw this play with a friend and we were both a little underwhelmed, although it wasn't bad. Basically, it's a Faustian tale of a manipulative agent dictating the decisions of an up and coming comedian called Steve and his girlfriend trying to foil the antics of the agent.  Interesting theatrical device involving repeating the comedian's material in different venues and the gradual watering down of the material.  As I say, not brilliant but if it comes around again, it may be worth seeing.  The play was written by Owen McCafferty.

Thursday 16th April 2015 - 'The Graduate' at the Barbican.

This screening was preceded by a short Q and A with the writer, Jon Ronson via Skype.  He appeared to be in a study somewhere.  I think he quickly got the sense that the audience was not full.  This was the first time I had seen this film in its entirety.  Previously, I had seen bits of it but not the whole film.  It's a definite classic.  I blogged about it, so I won't talk too much about it here except to note that the relationships depicted in the film are none too healthy, which makes for fascinating viewing.

Friday 17th April 2015 - 'Measure For Measure' at the Silk Street Theatre.

Utterly crazy adaptation of Shakespeare's play performed in Russian with English surtitles.  I remember revolving cubes and quite a complicated play that I could follow thanks to the performers (plus some of the surtitles).

Saturday 18th April 2015 - 'Gypsy' at the Savoy Theatre.

Brilliant revival of the musical starring Imelda Staunton.  I attended this musical with my Mum and Imelda Staunton was incredible.  She deservedly received amazing reviews for her performance. Lara Pulver also dazzled as her daughter, Louise.  A show where the female roles are far stronger and more vital than the male ones.

Tuesday 21st April 2015 - 'Oppenheimer' at the Vaudeville Theatre.

Nicely staged production based on the life of J. Robert Oppenheimer, American theoretical physicist and one of the contributors to the Manhattan Project.  I attended this production with a friend and I have fond memories of the chalked equations on the stage, both on blackboards and on the stage itself.

Thursday 23rd April 2015 - 'The Falling' at the Barbican.

This strange little film was followed up by a Q and A with the director Carol Morley.  It's set in 1969 and documents an outbreak of fainting spells in an English Girls' School.  Intriguingly, according to the director, her film was inspired by various actual outbreaks of mass psychogenic illness.  I found this film interesting, although reviews were very varied.  It's a unique film and it won't be to everyone's taste.

Friday 24th April 2015 - Stratford-Upon-Avon.

Basically, just arrived a day early (I went to see a play the following day) to visit Anne Hathaway's Cottage, where I helped to pick up a lady who had fallen over.  I only mention this fact as it's odd how random details suddenly spring to mind when recalling events.  I also enjoyed the sculptures in the gardens of Anne Hathaway's Cottage.

Saturday 25th April 2015 - 'Death of A Salesman' at the Courtyard Theatre, Stratford-Upon-Avon.

Arthur Miller's brilliant play about an ageing salesman who gradually loses the will to live, owing to the pressures of work and his family life.  Antony Sher was brilliant as Willy Loman.  I attended this production with a friend and I was happy to finally see a play in Stratford-Upon-Avon.  Also I got to see the celebrations for the anniversary of Shakespeare's birthday, prior to going to the theatre.  There was music, a march and so many other things going on.

Monday 27th April 2015 - 'Product' at the Arcola Theatre.

This was an absolutely hilarious one woman show performed by Olivia Poulet.  It's a play by Mark Ravenhill and Olivia Poulet's character is an agent, the audience are effectively the actor that she is trying to sell a screenplay too.  The screenplay is a morally dodgy affair involving a relationship between a terrorist and the woman who grows to love him.  The Arcola Theatre remains one of my favourite theatres.  It certainly stages a very eclectic range of plays and performances.

Tuesday 28th April 2015 - 'Scarlet' at the Southwark Playhouse.

This play was written by Sam H. Freeman and explores gender violence and an unwanted Facebook posting.  Powerfully acted by four actresses who each play the main protagonist of Scarlet at different points.  The audience were seated around the performers and the play had a punchy, urgent quality about it.

Wednesday 29th April 2015 - 'Titus Andronicus' at the Greenwich Theatre.

An absolutely delightful adaptation of Shakespeare's play produced by the Smooth Faced Gentlemen theatre company.  The all female cast used paint to visually depict the horrors being committed throughout this play, which is surely one of Shakespeare's nastiest.  You will never look at pies in the same way again after seeing any version of this play.

                                                                       Barry Watt - 10th April 2016.


Photos.

Anne Hathaway's Cottage.

Celebration of Shakespeare's birthday.

Balloons near the Courtyard Theatre.

                                                                                        

Afterword.

All plays, exhibitions and places of interest are copyright to their respective owners.

                                                                                                                                BW.

2015 - A Year in Review - March - Borrowed, Given and Gently Skewered.

March is my birthday month.  Last March was the usual mix of the fun and the profound.  I did finally get to visit Highgate Cemetery and the Warner Bros. Studio Tour.  Both experiences were quite inspiring and provided me with ample opportunities to take lots of photographs.  Okay, let's take a look at what I did.

March 2015.

Sunday 1st March 2015 - Secret Theatre - 'SE7EN DEADLY SINS' at a secret London location.

As the website for this group are still referring to a secret London location, I can't tell you where it was performed (well, I could but I choose not to).  I will add that it was in a private members' club and that I attended with a friend.  Needless to say, minimal information was given, just an address and a password if I recall correctly.  We were also advised to bring along masks.  Fortunately, my sister had a lovely golden mask, which covered my eyes.  Initially, everyone who entered the club, which was essentially an old pub were essentially pounced on by club promoters trying to persuade you to fork out lots of money to drink in a venue which looked like a cross between a colonial outpost and your friendly local saloon bar.  Needless to say, I do not have an annual membership for this drinking establishment.

The production itself was basically a rip-off of 'Se7en', the David Fincher film.  It was interesting experiencing the events as they happened and the occasional moments of audience participation but I tend to appreciate seeing something that is more original.  Having said that, I have subsequently learnt that the company have created site specific events based on other films, so I hope that they have secured the rights to make theatrical performances of them.  My one abiding memory of this performance is the ending, which mirrored the film, 'Se7en' in terms of its dialogue and content.  It could have been so much better.

Wednesday 4th March 2015 - 'The Caucasian Chalk Circle' at the Unicorn Theatre.

I attended this event with two friends.  It was the first time that I had seen this Brecht plays and the first act of the performers was to engage in a dialogue with the audience explaining why they had decided to abridge the prologue (basically owing to its length).  The Unicorn Theatre is a delightful theatre near to London Bridge Station.  It is apparently a childrens' theatre but it is important to mention the fact that they do not 'dumb down' the performances, owing to misconstrued notions of how intelligent or otherwise children are.  They assume rightly that children engage on multiple levels with the productions they see.  Some are attracted to movement and the use of props, whilst others are interested in the dialogue and script.  Like adult audiences, no child is the same as any other.

The play was typical Brecht; political, darkly funny and regularly quite disturbing.  Also very long.  The set was relatively minimal and the one thing I have noticed about Brecht's plays is the playwright's reliance on the actors and their craft.  Any props used are never simply cosmetic, pretty frills covering up discrepancies in the plays.  No, in Brecht's plays they are integral to the plot. Anyhow, this performance worked well and appealed to the diverse age range of the audience on different levels.

Thursday 5th March 2015 - 'White God' at the Barbican.

Think of this film as a canine version of 'The Birds'.  Basically, a group of dogs retaliate against years of abuse by their human owners.  The 'White God' of the title probably relates to the decent young man who doesn't involve his dog in dog fighting and acts as the mediator between the humans and dogs at the end of the film.  It's a strange film but well worth seeing.

Friday 6th March 2015 - 'Happy Ending' at the Arcola Theatre.

A paradoxically upbeat musical about cancer sufferers and treatment.  The Arcola Theatre is one of my favourite venues.  I remember leaving the venue feeling quite optimistic about life despite the subject matter.  Of course, I can remember none of the songs but if you think about it, the only reason we do remember musical numbers is owing to the constant airplay or staging of the musicals in which the songs appear.  There are so many musicals and some of the low key ones are surprisingly good.

Saturday 7th March 2015 - 'Still Alice' and 'Antigone' at the Barbican.

Yes, I attended two events this Saturday.  'Still Alice' was heartbreaking.  Julianne Moore deserved the awards she won for her role in the film.  She plays a linguistics professor who is diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease.  Her memory throughout the film gradually breaks down as does her ability to communicate.  I seriously recommend this film if you haven't seen it yet.

'Antigone' was a stage production starring Juliette Binoche.  All I remember about this production was the fact that it was okay.  Not exceptional.  It seems wrong to say that but it's the truth.  It has subsequently been widely toured.

Monday 9th March 2015 - 'Closer' at the Donmar Warehouse.

One of my least favourite venues in London.  Hard to get tickets for the performances, the staging of the various productions often creates restricted viewpoints and some of the seating is dubious to say the least.  I will add now that the current trend of certain theatres to overpack the audience by adding a row of what I can only call raised seating with a bar to put your feet on is not designed for the comfort of the audience.  This was the first performance I have seen at the Donmar Warehouse that I would describe as very good.  Most of the productions I have previously seen have been either pretty good or passable.  The subject matter of this play involving pretty horrible characters and their intense relationships is fascinating.  I also recommend the film.

Tuesday 10th March 2015 - 'Abigail's Party' at the South London Theatre.

My first visit to this theatre as recommended by my friend and work colleague.  Great version of Mike Leigh's play about middle class folk and their aspirations.  I strongly feel that it is imperative that audiences continue to support fringe theatre, whether the shows produced are professional or amateur.  If we don't, very significant venues will close down for good.  I have fond memories of a version of 'The Maids' I saw once at a theatre above a pub in Greenwich, which has subsequently closed.  Anyhow, 'Abigail's Party' was well acted and I found the bar area in the theatre, quite cosy.

Thursday 12th March 2015 - 'Radiant Vermin' at the Soho Theatre.

Philip Ridley is one of those playwrights I always keep an eye on.  His works are challenging, interesting and fun.  This one explores the current housing crisis and the lengths that a couple will go to, to improve their lives and property.  It's funny how killing seems to be an option and also how appealing Faustian style contracts can be to some people.  A very entertaining and cutting exploration of a morally bereft society.  Also beautifully acted and the set was very minimal allowing the actors to truly shine.

Tuesday 17th March 2015 - Highbury Cemetery.

A solo trip to Highbury Cemetery.  I went on the guided tour then visited the other section of the cemetery on my own.  As ever, the experience of visiting a new cemetery was edifying and moving. The variety of symbolism used in the construction of gravestones indicating lives ended too soon or the occupations of the deceased fascinated me as ever.  Also unusually this cemetery is on the side of a hill, so getting there involves quite a steep walk.  I was quite moved by the small stone of the folk performer, Bert Jansch, who I met awhile ago when I saw him perform with Bernard Butler at the Boogaloo in Highgate.  Also Douglas Adams' gravestone was accompanied by a container that various visitors had placed pens in.  The idea of tributes and offerings seems to be an integral part of how we choose to remember and celebrate the dead.

Wednesday 18th March 2015 - 'Warner Bros. Studio Tour London - The Making of Harry Potter' in Leavesden.

I visited on my birthday with my sister.  This was a magical experience.  This is an interesting place to visit whether or not you like 'Harry Potter' even if you just find the film making process fascinating.  It contains full size sets, costumes and lots of other objects associated with the film series.  They also sell over-priced merchandise and the delightful 'Butterbeer', which tastes absolutely disgusting (an even more sickly version of Cream Soda, which I can't stand).  My sister and I spent several hours wandering around taking lots of photos and basically just enjoying ourselves.  A good way to pass a birthday.

Thursday 19th March 2015 - 'The Father' at the Trafalgar Studios.

Typically cheerful Strindberg play involving a husband and wife arguing over their daughter's education.  It has a happy ending involving the husband being driven mad etc.  I like Strindberg. This was well acted and did have some humour, despite the ill fated destiny of the father of the title.

Friday 20th March 2015 - 'Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty' at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (First visit to exhibition).

I attended this exhibition with a friend who is a member of the V and A.  Now everyone seemed to be overawed by this exhibition, which makes me feel like the outsider a little.  I found it an interesting exhibition, although somewhere along the line, a creative team veered heavily towards style over content.  When I attend an exhibition, I want to feel as though I learn a little about the subject of the exhibition.  Unfortunately, text was minimal and primarily limited to the odd quote.  Alexander McQueen's work was submerged in a heavy duty Gothic sub-text that permeated most of the exhibition.  Don't get me wrong, it was visually stunning in places but sometimes, I want to get a sense of the creative process and of the man behind the work.  It seems strange for me to say this but you got no sense of the artist behind the work, only the work and the vision of the V and A curators. My friend felt the same up to a point.  At my most cynical, I referenced the 'Emperor's New Clothes' in relation to this exhibition, which seems a bit harsh but it could have been so much better.

Saturday 21st March 2015 - 'Rules For Living' at the National Theatre.

A fun play by Sam Holcroft in the Dorfman Theatre set around Christmas time.  It reminded me of an Alan Aychbourn play, only this was more entertaining and shorter.  The cast was excellent and unsurprisingly for a play set at Christmas, the strange family antagonisms start to come into play. The food fight at the end, the inevitable yet necessary catharsis for a family at the end of their tether.  A play that's worth seeing when it is performed again.

Tuesday 24th March 2015 - 'The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny' at the Royal Opera House.

I attended this event with a few friends.  We had seats in the very highest sections of the Royal Opera House.  Those seats where you begin to realise that being scared of heights can be an issue when you are buying cheap seats for productions.  A very entertaining Brecht/Weill opera.  The production team wisely used shipping containers, which helped to create a highly modern setting.  A typically moral and scathing attack on capitalism.

Friday 27th March 2015 - 'The Great Gatsby' at Saddler's Wells.

A rather splendid dance performance based on 'The Great Gatsby'.  Admittedly, it did require an understanding of the narrative that inspired it but like its source, it had moments of tremendous pathos.

Monday 30th March 2015 - 'Stevie' at the Hampstead Theatre.

This was a much maligned performance at the Hampstead Theatre, which is probably one of the best of the theatres in London.  It starred Zoe Wanamaker as the poet, Stevie Smith and Lynda Baron as her aunt.  I loved this play and the set.  I think the objections focused on the pace of the play.  I think some critics fail to realise that the life of a writer is not the same as the life of an actor.  As such, a play that focuses on the day to day experiences of a poet with a bleak world view is not going to be fast paced.

Tuesday 31st March 2015 - 'The Devil's Passion' at St James's Church in London.

This play written and performed by Justin Butcher explored the Easter narrative from the perspective of the Devil.  Possibly one of my highlights of last year.  It was a one man show and it worked.  I attended with a friend and I remember having a very moving conversation with her about death and the bereavement process.  Maybe, it was the church that led to the conversation?

                                                                                         Barry Watt - 4th March 2016.

Photos.

Douglas Adams' grave at Highgate Cemetery.

Warner Bros. Studio Tour.

Afterword.

Any references to cultural events, places, plays and films etc are copyright to their respective owners.

                                                                                                                                         BW

  

2015 - A Year In Review - February - The Long, the Short and the Sadly Lacking.

Here we go with part two of last year's year in review.  Looking at the events and things I did in February last year leaves me a little perplexed.  It's odd how time collapses as you get older and how the events either sparkle like gems in a mound of dirt or else fade into oblivion as meaningful as a neon sign flashing for the very last time.

February 2015.

Sunday 1st February 2015 - 'Inherent Vice' at the Barbican.

Another early morning screening for me at the Barbican.  In fact, if you want to truly engage with a film, the best time to see it is in the morning.  As at this point, you are still quietly reflective after the pits and annals of sleep yet paradoxically alert enough to embrace the myriad ideas on offer.  'Inherent Vice' is based on the Thomas Pynchon novel of the same name.  As is the case with Pynchon's novels, I feel that the experience of watching the film  is the important thing.  Remembering it afterwards, a somewhat harder experience.  Pynchon's novels are dense, complicated affairs involving symbolism, characters on very important missions and seemingly abstract wanderings.  He writes like a Beat writer and again the journey is the point, not the destination.  The film starred Joaquin Phoenix.  I recall that it was very funny and the characters had an engaging quality about them.  Also when you consider how many 'real life male tragedy' films that were released in the cinema at the beginning of last year, it was nice to see something a bit different.

Monday 2nd February 2015 - 'The Nether' at the Duke of York's Theatre.

I attended this performance with a friend.  This play had previously been staged at the Royal Court Theatre.  Jennifer Haley creates a disturbing dystopian vision of a near future so like our own, it is very scary.  The Nether of the title is a totally addictive and absorbing virtual reality created by the user.  Essentially, it is the internet as we know it, only a little worse.  Imagine being able to do exactly what you want to do without any moral restraints.  This is a thriller that deserves to be seen by everyone as it is occasionally horrifying to see how desensitised many of us are becoming as more hours are spent in the glow of computer screens than in the company of family and friends.  I remember that both my friend and I had similar looks on our faces as we left the theatre.  Shocked would be an understatement.  It would be wrong of me to overlook the references to 'Alice in Wonderland' and the sublime unreality of the mise-en-scene.  The beauty of the setting, trees and bushes and elegantly dressed avatars performing their heightened roles.  I am glad that this play is still popping up.  It's currently on in Florida at the Area Stage in Coral Gables.

Tuesday 3rd February 2015 - 'Title and Deed' at the Print Room.

I believe that this was the first time I had attended an event at the Print Room since its move back to Notting Hill.  A friend recommended this production and I attended with a couple of mutual friends (if I recall correctly).  It was effectively a one man monologue starring Conor Lovett on the subject of life, loneliness and the human condition.  Over the last couple of years, I have seen a couple of shows starring this actor and he lends himself perfectly to the emotionally charged yet subtle acting style required for the likes of plays such as this one and also the Beckett works that I have seen him in.  Again, the exact contents of this play written by Will Eno are more adequately experienced rather than described.  The importance of actually going to see live theatre cannot be overstated.

Friday 6th February 2015 - 'Six Characters in Search of an Author' at the Barbican.

I attended this performance on my own and owing to my occasionally rather frustrating quirk of wanting to sit in the front row, I ended up prebooking a centre seat in the front row, which had a prop right in front of it, partially obscuring my view of the stage at times (The Barbican staff did offer to move me if I wanted).  Also the performance was in French with English surtitles, so my head was torn rather vigorously between staring at the top of the proscenium arch and the action on stage (I have learnt my lesson and now book seats further back if the shows are being performed in foreign languages).  Anyhow, the Theatre De La Ville Paris's production of the Pirandello play was very well done and the play remains a highly complex and fascinating dissection of the creative process.  What happens when an author loses interest in his creations and they choose to follow their own limited paths?  Can a theatre group help to fulfil their needs?  Can they complete them?  Even writing this brief entry is exciting me.  This was one of a handful of plays that truly excited me at university and helped to inspire my love of modern theatre.  In many ways, this production worked far more effectively than the Rupert Goold version I saw some years ago.  It was less pretentious and I still love the idea of the ill defined characters searching for resolutions.

Saturday 7th February 2015 - 'Adventures of the Black Square: Abstract Art and Society 1915-2015' at the Whitechapel Gallery.

I remember very little of this exhibition, other than the fact that it uses one of Malevich's paintings of a black square as a starting point for an exploration of abstract art.  It was the first time I had attended the Whitechapel Gallery and I enjoyed the layout of the exhibition.  I believe that it was on two floors.  It's funny how art can either grab you and not let go or else it fades into a miasma of different artists and images stored in the unconscious until something sparks a reminiscence.  Sometimes, the momentary experience is more important than enduring recurrent visions.

Sunday 8th February 2015 - 'Selma' at the Barbican.

This film was a highly articulate and in places, stunning encapsulation of the life of Martin Luther King, particularly focusing on the Selma to Montgomery marches in 1965.  It certainly opened my eyes to the politics of the time and also captured the fear and excitement that the Civil Rights' activists must have experienced each time they marched.  They were scary times, but at least they paved the way to greater things ahead.  The film was well acted and I recall that the film had a great soundtrack too.

Monday 9th February 2015 - 'Dracula! (Mr Swallow - The Musical)' at the Soho Theatre.

Ah, my strongest memory of this is of Nick Mohammed roller skating onto the stage as Dracula and some really naff songs.  Also the audience was packed.  One of the busiest shows I have seen at the Soho Theatre.  It was funny but something about it left me a little cold.

Tuesday 10th February 2015 - Nina Conti at the Tricycle Theatre.

A friend recommended Nina Conti to me and she came with me to see her.  Nina Conti was previewing her 'In Your Face' tour where she effectively uses members of the audience as her puppets (she is a ventriloquist and makes the audience members she selects wear full face masks, which she manipulates).  I found her very funny and it was interesting to see how different members of the audience were more or less open to being told exactly what to do.  Also at one point, someone was filming the stage to provide one of the audience members on stage with a memento, which Nina Conti allowed despite the disapproval of the venue's staff.  These are strange days.  Memory is being superseded by recording devices.  Will this ultimately effect our ability to recall events and moments of personal importance?

Sunday 15th February 2015 - 'Fifty Shades of Grey' at the Barbican.

I have already written a blog about this, but let's just say product placement, little sex (which is odd for a film about a series of books about sado-masochism) and men and women do not have penises and vaginas.  The sequels are likely to be awful.  This was at least watchable.

Tuesday 17th February 2015 - 'Tree' at the Old Vic.

I saw this after the Old Vic decided to add extra performances to the run of the show.  It was really rather wonderful.  A view shared by other friends I know who had the pleasure of seeing it.  Just think of it as being a play about two men and a full sized tree.  The tickets were inexpensive (unlike most of the Old Vic's other shows), which appears to have been the desire of the creative team.  This play introduced me to Daniel Kitson and I believe also Tim Key.  It's a very funny and clever play that feels a lot like Samuel Beckett.  There was an interesting Q and A afterwards, which was laid back and funny.  The tree was probably my favourite feature of any play's mise-en-scene last year.  It had been created in such a way that it provided support to whomever ended up the tree.  It also meant that they could move around the branches, allowing all of the audience to see one or both of the actors.

Friday 20th February 2015 - 'Elephant Man' at the Brockley Jack Studio Theatre.

This production was really rather wonderful.  John Merrick's deformities were suggested through a metal shell like costume and chain mail and the superb acting of the actor depicted the role.  It was produced by the Fourth Monkey theatre company and the intimate performance space helped to give the production a pathos and immediacy that actually surpassed the West End production of the story later in the year.  Any productions of 'Elephant Man' will sadly always have a relevance as they speak volumes of how societies over the years have dealt with disability and perceived differences.  As a passing comment, I think that it is important to support fringe theatres as regularly they stage productions that the West End and larger venues would not dare to stage for fear of not attracting the requisite 'bums on seats'.  The Brockley Jack is also a pretty nice pub.

Saturday 21st February 2015 - 'Eugene Onegin' at the Barbican.

I am ashamed to say that I remember very little about this production.  I seem to recall that my seat was further back and as it was being performed in Russian with English surtitles, my focus was regularly on the surtitles, so that I could follow the plot on stage.  The production was adapted from a poem by Pushkin, which I haven't read.  I seem to remember that the play emotionally affected me in the sense that one character fails to declare their love for another character until it is too late.  A production about the missed opportunities and bad choices human beings continue to make.

Sunday 22nd February 2015 - 'Magnificent Obsessions: The Artist as Collector' at the Barbican.

I went to see this exhibition with a friend.  I remember feeling that the exhibition seemed a bit messy, although it is interesting to see the artifacts that belonged to the likes of Andy Warhol and Peter Blake.  Artists like everyone else have eclectic interests and the items ranged from odd to the banal.  I am not sure which artist it was but one artist collected masks.  Masks fascinate me.  Their tribal and ritualistic resonances and the transformative effect the act of wearing a mask can inspire.  You can be someone quite different behind a mask.

Tuesday 24th February 2015 - 'The African Queen' at the BFI.

I attended this screening of the classic John Huston film with a friend.  I had never seen it in its entirety before.  Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn are superb in this film.  It's effectively a love story set during the First World War in Africa between two disparate individuals who end up performing an act that is against both of their characters but serves to strengthen their relationship. It's beautifully filmed and the dialogue is superb.

Thursday 26th February 2015 - 'Man and Superman' at the National Theatre.

I attended this event with a friend.  She recommended the play to me.  I remember finding the set very elaborate and the play very long.  It's a good play and I like George Bernard Shaw's style. Everyone seemed to love Ralph Fiennes' performance and I enjoyed his movements across the stage and his character's dialect.  There is an odd drawn out section where Jack Tanner (Fiennes' character) ends up in Hell and meets the Devil.  It wasn't one of the best plays of the year, although it packed a pretty mighty punch.

Friday 27th February 2015 - 'The Red Chair' at the Soho Theatre.

I nearly used this play as the basis for another blog and I still may, so this is a brief rundown of what was probably the most unique production I saw last year.  A one woman show performed by the writer Sarah Cameron.  Essentially, a twisted fairy tale about a man who eats and eats and his family. The chair eventually becomes a part of him as he refuses to move.  The audience are fed treats during the production and eventually given whiskey too.  Several friends went to see this production with me.  I think our feelings about the production were all quite different.  I loved it and would see it again.

Saturday 28th February 2015 - 'Kumiko: The Treasure Hunter' at the ICA.

I attended this film with a friend and it was one of a handful of films that stood out last year as being quite different.  A film about hope, delusion and mental illness.  You won't look at the film 'Fargo' in the same way again after seeing this film.  Brilliantly acted and the ending resonates.

                                                         Barry Watt - 24th January 2016.

Afterword.

All of the above plays, films and books etc are copyright to their respective owners.

                                                                                                                               BW.

2015 - A Year In Review - January - From Red to White.

Now I guess this had to happen at some point.  Yes, it's time for my year in review.  I have always found the idea of sifting through the gems and debris of each passing year, an odd occupation.  So consequently, I have opted to try a slightly more focused and potentially crazy way of exploring my year via the cultural events and places I have visited.  I anticipate that breaking my year down into a succession of cultural pastimes may help to stimulate my memories and feelings.  I find choosing top tens etc quite tedious as a means of exploring the wealth of stimuli that we are all exposed to each year.  This way, I can look at everything and write exactly as I please either in detail or more sparingly.  This is a test for my memory as one curious thing that happens as you experience lots of things is a gradual merging of events until only one detail remains of each passing moment, this can be an emotion or some recognition of the arrangement of space or an action.  Sounding pretentious enough yet?  Hopefully, it will all make sense by the end.

Friday 2nd January 2015 - The Victoria and Albert Museum, London

I visited the 'Horst: Photographer of Style' exhibition in the morning and unusually, the exhibition although busy was not as busy as most of the V and A's exhibition.  My major memory of this exhibition was of the models and the photographer's preoccupation with surrealism and command of colour.  Another peculiar thing that still resounds with me is the wide range of materials that he printed his images onto including platinum.  In fact, other than looking at Man Ray's work, I have rarely focused on how images are changed through the materials they are printed on.  I also saw another exhibition when I eventually found it.  I believe that it was on Russian Avant-Garde Theatre.  My abiding memory of the exhibition and trying to find it was the sense of unease I was feeling.  I received a phone call around the time I found the exhibition and very briefly looked at the costume designs etc in the horribly red exhibition space.  I left the building and learnt that my Dad was in hospital.  He died the following day on Saturday 3rd January 2015.

Sunday 4th January 2015 - 'The Theory of Everything' at the Barbican.

I was in two minds about whether I should attend this film or not, but I decided that I should.  The mourning process is very strange and unique to each person.  I have discovered that personally, I need to keep doing things.  It doesn't stop you thinking and exploring your feelings but it provides a different context, in which to come to terms with loss.  The film was brilliantly done and it leaves you with a comprehensive sense of both Stephen Hawking as a man and as a scientist.  Eddie Redmayne deserved the accolades he received for his performance.  Felicity Jones also deserves recognition for her portrayal of his wife.  The film leaves the viewer with an abiding sense of hope.  Yes, there are moments of intense sadness but somehow, leaving the cinema you could feel the positivity.  I had a random thought that was part of my grieving process for my Dad.  I suddenly felt the recognition that Dad would never see my children if I ever choose to have them.  This saddened me at the time.  In typing this, I feel a residue of that feeling returning.

Tuesday 6th January 2015 - 'Birdman' at the Barbican.

I attended 'Birdman' with a friend.  The film as a whole is effectively a film about the process of staging a play.  I commented then and still bang home the point that the film  would have worked better as a stage play.  Unlike many people, I was not particularly enchanted by Michael Keaton's performance.  It wasn't terrible but nor was it life changing.  I was more interested in Lindsay Duncan as a critic and her sadly brief appearances as she engaged in some particularly fascinating exchanges with Keaton exploring the problems and limitations surrounding putting on expensive shows with stars from TV and film.  A phenomenon that has always been true in Broadway and is certainly becoming an issue in the London theatre scene, particularly in the West End (thank goodness for the fringe scene that counterbalances the tendency to place film stars in productions, in the hope of encouraging 'bums on seats'.  No, I didn't feel this film deserved to win 'Best Film' awards.  I remember feeling really shattered on this evening, so thanks to my friend for perking me up.

Wednesday 7th January 2015 - 'The Play That Goes Wrong' at the Duchess Theatre.

I went to see this production with a friend.  We went for a meal first and thanks again to my friend for putting up with the shattered and down me.  The production was great fun.  I have always enjoyed intelligent productions, which explore the dangers of putting on theatre productions, particularly if you are an amateur company with little money and a slightly dodgy production team.  It featured brilliant scenes such as the gradual destruction of the set and the actors having to perform acrobatic acts to prevent them from falling to the ground.

Wednesday 14th January 2015 - 'Gein's Family Giftshop: Volume 1' at the Soho Theatre.

'Gein's Family Giftshop: Volume 1' was a peculiar sketch show.  Many reviewers have compared Gein's Family Giftshop's work with the 'League of Gentleman', although I didn't really see the parallel.  It's a three piece group comprising two men and a woman,  I remember some of the sketches touching on traditional gender roles.  Uniquely, I remember this was one of the first times I used Twitter to contact a group and I communicated with them a couple of times.  They were quite funny and I felt as though I was seeing them at an embryonic stage.  They performed in the Upstairs space in the Soho Theatre, which like the other two performing spaces in the venue has its own unique atmosphere.  It is a relatively small space, quite dark with a low(ish) ceiling.  This helps to create a definite sense of intimacy with the performers whatever show you are watching.

Friday 16th January 2015 - 'Orfeo' at the Roundhouse.

I attended this event with a friend.  We met for a meal first then had an interesting experience trying to find our seats in the Roundhouse.  I think if I recall correctly, there was a queue to get into the auditorium for some reason.  I have only been to the venue a couple of times and it's surprisingly big and strange.  'Orfeo' was a modern take on the story of Orpheus in the Underworld.  Quite a powerful opera and I enjoyed the staging of the show.  My friend and I were sitting further back in the venue at a fairly high level, but through the use of a ramp leading from the back of the venue to the stage, the performers could walk and perform in the middle of every section of the audience.

Sunday 18th January 2015 - 'Les Enfants Du Paradis' at the Barbican.

A very beautiful film in two parts.  It was directed in 1945 by Marcel Carne.  A film about a beautiful woman called Garance and the men who attempt to woo her.  I have vivid memories of the very attractive male mime artist.  Mime still fascinates me and this film if it is nothing else is a potent evocation of the theatre of the past.  The film is over three hours long but it left me with a feeling of optimism and satisfaction when I left the cinema.

Friday 23rd January 2015 - 'Light' at the Barbican.

Strangely beautiful future vision staged in the Pit Theatre in the Barbican.  I have fond memories of this space owing to the eclectic range of productions I have seen in it.  This was part of the London International Mime Festival, which is staged each year in January.  Theatre Ad Infinitum created a horrible dystopian future where everyone's thoughts are monitored through implants.  These days that future seems so much more inevitable as we slowly merge metaphorically with our electronic devices.  Stylistically striking through its use of light and darkness.  Sudden moments of illumination followed by complete darkness.  I attended this show with a friend who I recall also enjoyed it.

Saturday 24th January 2015 - 'Allen Jones' at the Royal Academy of Arts.

I had absolutely no recollection of this exhibition until I just looked up the artist Allen Jones on Google and everything came flooding back.  Lots of artworks involving beautiful women in unusual poses.  Some used as furniture.  I remember the theatricality of many of the pieces.  The bright colours and the movement.  This was a good exhibition.

Sunday 25th January 2015 - 'Whiplash' at the Barbican.

One of my favourite films from last year.  This was nominated for a number of awards and won several too including Best Supporting Actor for J.K. Simmons as the sadistic instructor.  Basically, this film involves a talented jazz student who is pushed excessively by his instructor.  In fact, it makes for uncomfortable viewing as Andrew Neiman (the student) becomes so driven that he loses track of most other areas of his life.  The title of the film is something of a cautionary note for any other aspiring students who end up pushing themselves too hard.  One of the few films where a ten minute drum solo is captivating viewing.

Thursday 29th January 2015 - 'Dogugaeshi' at the Barbican.

Another production I was lucky enough to see with a friend.  Effectively dogugaeshi is the Japanese art of creating illusions through perspective.  So basically, it involves the manipulation of gilt and paper panels upon a stage.  The movement of panels creating or furthering mini stories.  Live music was performed on a shamisen by a performer to one side of the stage.  The performance was followed by a talk with the creator of the show where he showed the audience how the panels are moved vertically and horizontally.  Basil Twist is a genius.

Friday 30th January 2015 - '32 Rue Vandenbraden' at the Barbican

Another show that was part of the London International Mime Festival.  Two trailer homes were on stage and the characters moved from one to the other.  The stage was covered in simulated snow and ice.  It's amazing how even seeing simulated snow and ice can make you feel cold.  There was quite an odd narrative running through this piece involving relationships between couples.  Somewhere in the equation, I vaguely remember a baby too.  But whether that was real or imagined in retrospect, I can't remember.

                                                                                     Barry Watt - 9th January 2016.