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.
Sunday, 24 January 2016
Saturday, 9 January 2016
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.
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.
Sunday, 6 December 2015
The Helpers - An Ode to the Peripheral Movers of Mountains.
Once upon a time, there was a mythical archetype called the helpers. They were not of any one species, yet could be anyone or anything. Sometimes, the helpers were unwilling accomplices, the victims of odd symbiotic relationships such as zombie ants simply a shell for another being. On other occasions, human beings opening the door for someone laden with goods, children or a walking frame.
In my forties, I have learnt to look for the helpers. Being aware of their existence occasionally makes life bearable. Sometimes, I hope I fulfil the role. But how can we assess whether we have successfully helped someone? Can it be ascertained in a smile or a thank you or is it a more profound feeling that grows through reflection?
There have been numerous events in my past where I have learnt that sometimes the act of support is not required or else seems to be at the wrong time. Depending upon how fatalistic I feel, it can make me believe in a natural order or some kind of divine or cosmic intervention in the world we inhabit. I remember one incident which highlighted that help is not always wanted. The beetle I once removed from the side of the pond despite its texture, which was surprisingly hard yet also pliable, I guess like tectonic plates. I probably deceive myself as the movement was simply the wild gesticulations of legs as the beetle experienced an unusual flight onto the grass away from the water of the pond. Ironically, it returned to the same position in the pond over time, so in many respects, I had hindered its journey. Its possibly suicidal mission was delayed by my 'altruistic kindness'.
On several other occasions, I have also experienced where helping people is not always respected or wanted. Working in retail at one point in my career, I initially used to ask everyone who came into the shop after about five minutes of browsing whether they needed my help e.g. 'is there anything that you are looking for' or 'how can I help you?' I watched my inflection as most repeated statements run the risk of being misinterpreted as glib or patronising, just as 'have a nice day' can be taken as almost a gesture of war if the recipient of the statement is experiencing a bad mood.
For me, I like to see the small gestures of kindness. The extra sweet given to a child who has thanked the shop assistant on possibly their first time up to the counter with money. I also admire people who offer me suggestions, so if I go to a cafe and ask 'what do you recommend?' I love to hear their choices and sometimes if I am very lucky, I get to hear why the carrot cake is important to them.
Of course, some helpers have to perform their benevolent acts all of the time. There is probably nothing more tiring than the work of doctors, nurses and also too widely forgotten, the relatives of seriously ill people, who as home carers have to dedicate twenty four hours to the sustenance and cleanliness of their loved ones. How do you help people the whole time when sometimes they resist the routines and gestures that will provide comfort. Who cares for the carers?
I hope that sometimes I help people even when I feel lost and occasionally a single smile can illuminate a path that was previously hidden. We can choose to help or we can choose to hinder. Take your pick, both choices will change you.
Barry Watt - 29th November 2015.
Sunday, 15 November 2015
'The Lobster' - Living and Loving in a World of Conformity and Ideology.
'The Lobster' is a love story for a world that no longer values intimacy and compassion. Relationships are a necessary evil, exercises in power and role play. Therefore, it's quite surprising that t-shirts aren't assigned at birth, labelled either 'Dominant' or 'Submissive'.
Singleness is viewed as deviant and something to be discouraged. The simple fact that within the film single people are given a time period to find their 'significant other', prior to being turned into a creature of their choice if they are unsuccessful, underlines how society views those who have not successfully coupled up. The world portrayed within this film is not a million miles from western civilisation today, where loners are perceived as threats or simply weird.
David (played by Colin Farrell) like many others before him arrives at a hotel. This hotel is full of single people and also most tellingly, successful people who have coupled up as a result of the rituals and practises performed within the hotel (the successful couples are seated separately from the singles during meal times). David has a dog with him who was formerly his brother. The implication being that David's family has a history of bad luck surrounding relationships. David's previous relationship appears to have gone wrong, hence his need to be at the hotel.
The hotel offers its residents every available method at its disposal to help find the 'ideal' partner. Its methods are not about love at first sight but about proving yourself and demonstrating your strengths and if necessary, weaknesses to lure in your future partner. The single people spent most of their time with one arm fastened behind their back, reminding them that symbolically and physically that coupling makes life easier. They are also given talks and demonstrations exploring how being alone is essentially a dangerous act. In one particularly funny scene, a man sits alone on a stage mimicking eating and begins to choke. He subsequently suffocates. The scene is repeated with a significant other who spots that he is choking and performs the Heimlich manoeuvre on him, saving his life.
The hotel also dissuades masturbation. Historically, this is not unusual. Some religions actively punish people who choose to masturbate. Playing with yourself is considered an evil act. But viewed from other perspectives, it serves to release a build up of stresses and tensions, which are not solely sexual. From a psychological and physiological perspective, it helps to generate chemicals within the brain that enhance feelings of well being. On the other hand, within the film, a member of the hotel staff arrives when the male guest is in bed and effectively stimulates the guest to ascertain how quickly they are aroused (it is not shown whether female guests receive the same treatment). Tellingly, the act of arousal is stopped at the point of erection, prior to the guest ejaculating. Ejaculation seemingly being a sinful act outside of coupledom or a waste of perfectly serviceable seed.
On a regular basis, the hotel provides social activities to allow for the single guests to become acquainted. The dance with introverted wallflowers looking on as braver people invite others to slowly rotate and move, assessing another's worth through quiet conversation as the music plays on. The hotel management singing, not so much 'Big Brother is watching you' as the hotel is doing everything it can to help you in these desperate times. The semi-regular hunts, where the guests are sent out with their tranquiliser guns to neutralise the loners who appear to be escapees from the hotel, also offer the reward of companionship and extra days as a human being if you shoot the loners.
Without giving to much more away concerning the characters, if the guests are successful in coupling, they are rewarded for their efforts and sent away to yachts for a couple of weeks to help to strengthen their relationships. If problems occur, the hotel with intervene providing children if necessary to refocus the relationship away from any problems of compatibility. This seems to be the director's and writers' rather cynical view of society and the role of families as a means of engendering conformity. If the relationships are successful, the couples are allowed to leave the hotel and go to the city. Their future as animals, fish or fowl etc frustrated.
The alternative lifestyle offered by this film is life as a loner. David leaves the hotel and ends up in the woods. The single lifestyle is just as regimented and ordered as life in the hotel. Masturbation is actively encouraged, but not relationships. If the hotel is representative of conformity through coupledom, life in the woods is about subversion through independent acts and abstinence from sexual relationships. The semi regular silent discos with the dancers showing off their moves whilst listening to portable CD players are equally as horrific as the hotel's courtship dances. Both are reinforcing ideologies of conformity. In the woods, relationships are punished, although conversation is encourages so long as it is not flirtatious.
Of course, as a love story something has to disrupt these tight and unyielding ideologies. The Short Sighted Woman (played by Rachel Weisz) provides the catalyst. After all, you can attempt to suppress individualism but you cannot always repress the urge for individual change. The Short Sighted Woman and David become attracted to one another. She requires trophies of love, rabbits that she can cook. As their love deepens, they develop a unique form of communication, requiring intricate bodily gesticulations suggesting needs and requests.
The Short Sighted Woman's eventual fate for transgressing the loners' belief systems is blinding. By removing the 'windows to the soul', your dependency upon those around you grows.
The film has an unexpected ending I refuse to give away but seeing is believing and not seeing may well allow for love to blossom (or not as the case may be).
'The Lobster' is the antidote to the myth that loves conquers all. It doesn't. It is a social construct that may or may not flourish or tarnish your life from time to time. Putting a time limit on the courtship process is no more or less insidious than pushing the notion that the only way to be happy in western civilisation is as a couple.
Unless it means something real and is not mediated through social media or online dating sites, give me solitude and singleness over vacant admiration.
Barry Watt - 1st November 2015.
Afterword.
'The Lobster' is a brilliant film that I could have written about for days but in writing about it, you run the risk of giving away too many plot points and characters. Hopefully, this just gives you a way in if you are interested in seeing the film. The film was directed by Yorgos Lanthimos (who also directed the film 'Dogtooth', another brilliant film touching on similar themes to this film). The film has a website, if you are interested:
http://www.lobsterfilm.co.uk
'Big brother is watching you' is a line borrowed by me from 'Nineteen Eighty Four' by George Orwell, as it still successfully evokes a world increasingly becoming used to being perpetually watched or else watching. The novel is published by Penguin.
'The eyes are the window of the soul' seems to have no obvious derivation, having been used by just about everyone. Still, very true. Also why some people choose to wear dark glasses I guess.
BW.
Singleness is viewed as deviant and something to be discouraged. The simple fact that within the film single people are given a time period to find their 'significant other', prior to being turned into a creature of their choice if they are unsuccessful, underlines how society views those who have not successfully coupled up. The world portrayed within this film is not a million miles from western civilisation today, where loners are perceived as threats or simply weird.
David (played by Colin Farrell) like many others before him arrives at a hotel. This hotel is full of single people and also most tellingly, successful people who have coupled up as a result of the rituals and practises performed within the hotel (the successful couples are seated separately from the singles during meal times). David has a dog with him who was formerly his brother. The implication being that David's family has a history of bad luck surrounding relationships. David's previous relationship appears to have gone wrong, hence his need to be at the hotel.
The hotel offers its residents every available method at its disposal to help find the 'ideal' partner. Its methods are not about love at first sight but about proving yourself and demonstrating your strengths and if necessary, weaknesses to lure in your future partner. The single people spent most of their time with one arm fastened behind their back, reminding them that symbolically and physically that coupling makes life easier. They are also given talks and demonstrations exploring how being alone is essentially a dangerous act. In one particularly funny scene, a man sits alone on a stage mimicking eating and begins to choke. He subsequently suffocates. The scene is repeated with a significant other who spots that he is choking and performs the Heimlich manoeuvre on him, saving his life.
The hotel also dissuades masturbation. Historically, this is not unusual. Some religions actively punish people who choose to masturbate. Playing with yourself is considered an evil act. But viewed from other perspectives, it serves to release a build up of stresses and tensions, which are not solely sexual. From a psychological and physiological perspective, it helps to generate chemicals within the brain that enhance feelings of well being. On the other hand, within the film, a member of the hotel staff arrives when the male guest is in bed and effectively stimulates the guest to ascertain how quickly they are aroused (it is not shown whether female guests receive the same treatment). Tellingly, the act of arousal is stopped at the point of erection, prior to the guest ejaculating. Ejaculation seemingly being a sinful act outside of coupledom or a waste of perfectly serviceable seed.
On a regular basis, the hotel provides social activities to allow for the single guests to become acquainted. The dance with introverted wallflowers looking on as braver people invite others to slowly rotate and move, assessing another's worth through quiet conversation as the music plays on. The hotel management singing, not so much 'Big Brother is watching you' as the hotel is doing everything it can to help you in these desperate times. The semi-regular hunts, where the guests are sent out with their tranquiliser guns to neutralise the loners who appear to be escapees from the hotel, also offer the reward of companionship and extra days as a human being if you shoot the loners.
Without giving to much more away concerning the characters, if the guests are successful in coupling, they are rewarded for their efforts and sent away to yachts for a couple of weeks to help to strengthen their relationships. If problems occur, the hotel with intervene providing children if necessary to refocus the relationship away from any problems of compatibility. This seems to be the director's and writers' rather cynical view of society and the role of families as a means of engendering conformity. If the relationships are successful, the couples are allowed to leave the hotel and go to the city. Their future as animals, fish or fowl etc frustrated.
The alternative lifestyle offered by this film is life as a loner. David leaves the hotel and ends up in the woods. The single lifestyle is just as regimented and ordered as life in the hotel. Masturbation is actively encouraged, but not relationships. If the hotel is representative of conformity through coupledom, life in the woods is about subversion through independent acts and abstinence from sexual relationships. The semi regular silent discos with the dancers showing off their moves whilst listening to portable CD players are equally as horrific as the hotel's courtship dances. Both are reinforcing ideologies of conformity. In the woods, relationships are punished, although conversation is encourages so long as it is not flirtatious.
Of course, as a love story something has to disrupt these tight and unyielding ideologies. The Short Sighted Woman (played by Rachel Weisz) provides the catalyst. After all, you can attempt to suppress individualism but you cannot always repress the urge for individual change. The Short Sighted Woman and David become attracted to one another. She requires trophies of love, rabbits that she can cook. As their love deepens, they develop a unique form of communication, requiring intricate bodily gesticulations suggesting needs and requests.
The Short Sighted Woman's eventual fate for transgressing the loners' belief systems is blinding. By removing the 'windows to the soul', your dependency upon those around you grows.
The film has an unexpected ending I refuse to give away but seeing is believing and not seeing may well allow for love to blossom (or not as the case may be).
'The Lobster' is the antidote to the myth that loves conquers all. It doesn't. It is a social construct that may or may not flourish or tarnish your life from time to time. Putting a time limit on the courtship process is no more or less insidious than pushing the notion that the only way to be happy in western civilisation is as a couple.
Unless it means something real and is not mediated through social media or online dating sites, give me solitude and singleness over vacant admiration.
Barry Watt - 1st November 2015.
Afterword.
'The Lobster' is a brilliant film that I could have written about for days but in writing about it, you run the risk of giving away too many plot points and characters. Hopefully, this just gives you a way in if you are interested in seeing the film. The film was directed by Yorgos Lanthimos (who also directed the film 'Dogtooth', another brilliant film touching on similar themes to this film). The film has a website, if you are interested:
http://www.lobsterfilm.co.uk
'Big brother is watching you' is a line borrowed by me from 'Nineteen Eighty Four' by George Orwell, as it still successfully evokes a world increasingly becoming used to being perpetually watched or else watching. The novel is published by Penguin.
'The eyes are the window of the soul' seems to have no obvious derivation, having been used by just about everyone. Still, very true. Also why some people choose to wear dark glasses I guess.
BW.
Sunday, 16 August 2015
The Price of Theatre.
The other night I went to see 'The Elephant Man' at the Theatre Royal Haymarket. My ticket cost sixty one pounds (plus a booking fee) and upon arrival at the theatre, I decided to buy the album sized programme, which cost ten pounds. So basically, this one trip to the theatre cost somewhere in the region of seventy five pounds. There were cheaper seats available but these promised restricted and limited view of the stage. Now in February 2015, I saw the Fourth Monkey Ensemble version of 'Elephant Man' at the Brockley Jack Theatre and the tickets were no more than fifteen pounds. Their production was also more memorable than the much hyped vehicle for Bradley Cooper's theatre work, which was not bad but simply not worth the money.
Now I have had a number of conversations with friends and family where they have commented on how expensive theatre has become. I have also read a number of articles in newspapers over the years, particularly in regards to booking fees. I am reaching a point where I think it's necessary for people to become more vocal about this situation or at least to start to dissuade people from falling for the more painful theatre prices.
Let's start with 'premium seats'. Now these are a relatively new phenomenon and mainly associated with West End theatres. There seems to be a direct correlation between their creation and the tendency of theatres to encourage leading Hollywood actors to perform in their shows, in order to get 'bums on seats' to use the archaic yet never more relevant phrase. Now these seats tend to offer you a programme and a drink (sometimes, they have to be bought in multiples of two and the programme is one between two). The seats on offer as 'premium seats' are quite often the centre stalls. Indeed, the 'premium seats' seem to be occupying a larger percentage of the stalls and occasionally, dress circle than the regularly priced seats. These seats tend to be ten pounds or more than the regularly higher priced stall seats. In fact, they can be even more than this, depending on the show. I remember the premium tickets for Kevin Spacey's swansong for 'Clarence Darrow' at the Old Vic being out of the price range of anyone outside of theatre goers who only see one show a year or bankers!
Another bugbear are the theatres that choose to alter their pricing between seats. The same row of seats can be priced at different amounts, supposedly due to the possibility of restricted view. This has led to some quite funny moments when out with friends where each of us has paid a different amount for seats in the same row. Just to add that the tickets have all been bought from the theatre, not from a ticket agency. Now if the seat were behind a pillar, I could understand that but then the theatres shouldn't be selling the seats behind the pillars. You wouldn't buy a pack of four doughnuts and accept three, would you?
As I briefly mentioned above, tickets purchased from ticket agencies are a similarly interesting experience. Clearly these days a lot of tickets are presold to ticket agencies or at least, allocated to them. This can regularly lead to supposedly 'sold out' performances having small sections of empty chairs scattered throughout. Of course, these can be filled if people want to shift in the interval (once they realise the seats are empty). The seats offered to the ticket agencies again tend to be the better seats in the stalls and dress circle. They also charge more for the tickets, thanks to the booking fees and other sundry charges. The worrying fact is some theatres now seem to solely use ticket agencies to sell their tickets, so even when you buy the tickets from the theatre box office, you are buying from a ticket agency.
This has been quite a negative piece so far, so have any theatres come up with any ideas to reduce ticket prices? Well, surprisingly yes (ish). The National Theatre offers cheaper Travelex £15 tickets to all of their major productions. But there is a catch, the majority of the these tickets are sold to the Members when they go on sale. Actually, this isn't such as bad thing as it at least means that they are being sold to people who are genuinely interested in the work that is being produced by the theatre as the tiered membership costs different amounts of money. Also the Barbican offers a percentage off of ticket prices for members (but again, there is a limited allocation of tickets per performance, so there is a degree of urgency when it comes to purchasing tickets). Another useful technique is to purchase tickets for the preview performances of shows. This applies to a large number of theatres.
In closing, I would also suggest supporting smaller theatres and the Fringe theatre. There are loads of wonderful new shows at the Soho Theatre and the Arcola Theatre in London. Experiment with the theatres that are around you. There are so many gems around and bear in mind that lots of the major theatre companies preview their works in smaller theatres before transferring them. Celebrate theatre and don't let it die, as a result of governments who are either disinterested in supporting the arts or even worse, crack down upon it as a means of suppressing potentially revolutionary ideas!
Barry Watt - 16th August 2015.
Afterword.
All of the above theatres and theatre companies have websites and I recommend them all, although I have some objections to ticket pricing as you can see.
Travelex is a trading company who primarily deal in travel money. Their website is:
www.travelex.co.uk
'The Elephant Man' and 'Clarence Darrow' are copyright to their respective owners and the playwrights who created them.
BW
Another bugbear are the theatres that choose to alter their pricing between seats. The same row of seats can be priced at different amounts, supposedly due to the possibility of restricted view. This has led to some quite funny moments when out with friends where each of us has paid a different amount for seats in the same row. Just to add that the tickets have all been bought from the theatre, not from a ticket agency. Now if the seat were behind a pillar, I could understand that but then the theatres shouldn't be selling the seats behind the pillars. You wouldn't buy a pack of four doughnuts and accept three, would you?
As I briefly mentioned above, tickets purchased from ticket agencies are a similarly interesting experience. Clearly these days a lot of tickets are presold to ticket agencies or at least, allocated to them. This can regularly lead to supposedly 'sold out' performances having small sections of empty chairs scattered throughout. Of course, these can be filled if people want to shift in the interval (once they realise the seats are empty). The seats offered to the ticket agencies again tend to be the better seats in the stalls and dress circle. They also charge more for the tickets, thanks to the booking fees and other sundry charges. The worrying fact is some theatres now seem to solely use ticket agencies to sell their tickets, so even when you buy the tickets from the theatre box office, you are buying from a ticket agency.
This has been quite a negative piece so far, so have any theatres come up with any ideas to reduce ticket prices? Well, surprisingly yes (ish). The National Theatre offers cheaper Travelex £15 tickets to all of their major productions. But there is a catch, the majority of the these tickets are sold to the Members when they go on sale. Actually, this isn't such as bad thing as it at least means that they are being sold to people who are genuinely interested in the work that is being produced by the theatre as the tiered membership costs different amounts of money. Also the Barbican offers a percentage off of ticket prices for members (but again, there is a limited allocation of tickets per performance, so there is a degree of urgency when it comes to purchasing tickets). Another useful technique is to purchase tickets for the preview performances of shows. This applies to a large number of theatres.
In closing, I would also suggest supporting smaller theatres and the Fringe theatre. There are loads of wonderful new shows at the Soho Theatre and the Arcola Theatre in London. Experiment with the theatres that are around you. There are so many gems around and bear in mind that lots of the major theatre companies preview their works in smaller theatres before transferring them. Celebrate theatre and don't let it die, as a result of governments who are either disinterested in supporting the arts or even worse, crack down upon it as a means of suppressing potentially revolutionary ideas!
Barry Watt - 16th August 2015.
Afterword.
All of the above theatres and theatre companies have websites and I recommend them all, although I have some objections to ticket pricing as you can see.
Travelex is a trading company who primarily deal in travel money. Their website is:
www.travelex.co.uk
'The Elephant Man' and 'Clarence Darrow' are copyright to their respective owners and the playwrights who created them.
BW
Wednesday, 15 July 2015
The Ill Fitting Suit - Depression, Mental Health and Walking Away From Broken Mirrors.
This week has been cathartic for me. The productions I have seen have in some respects encouraged me to open up a bit publicly, not with the intention of totally exposing myself but just enough to further the message that suffering from mental illness in whatever form is not something to hide away from and that talking about it can make things better or at least, open new doors.
'Silent' currently at the Soho Theatre explores the life of a homeless man whose brother eventually committed suicide after a few unsuccessful attempts. The repercussions of this on his brother and his life informs the momentum of this highly successful one man show. The play served to remind me that events happen of which we have little or no control and at times, you can't help another person even someone you deeply care about. Sometimes, you are just too close.
On the other hand, this evening I saw 'Fake It 'Til You Make It' at the Purcell Room in the Queen Elizabeth Hall. This is Bryony Kimmings' and Tim Grayburn's new production, which explores Tim Grayburn's clinical depression and Bryony Kimmings' responses to his mental illness as their relationship blossomed. Through song, recordings of Tim and Bryony discussing Tim's illness and through movement, Tim's life is fully and gently exposed. The creative decision for Tim to initially wear various forms of head wear including bags to conceal his face forcefully hammers home the point that men can be notoriously reticent to reveal their feelings.
I was oddly awakened when Tim revealed how he gradually became aware he was clinically depressed when he found himself feeling down quite a lot and also crying. As a man within most Western societies, tears are seen as a weakness. Well, that's the patriarchal cliche anyway. I can honestly say that in the past I have most frequently cried when things have been going very badly. Tears have been my indication to seek help of a therapeutic nature. I mention this only to flag up the fact that as human beings, it is vitally important to acknowledge the signs and emotional outbursts of our bodies and minds. They can be an early warning system.
It's probably pretty obvious by now that I have had mental health problems in the past. I have experienced 'obsessive compulsive disorders' (now renamed 'obsessive compulsive disorder'. I am sure there is some relevance to the need to change the condition from the plural to the singular. As the so-called 'habits' or 'rituals' are multiple, the singularity seems to miss the point. Definitions can be somewhat limiting within the field of psychoanalysis) and periods of depression.
Depression is an odd bedfellow, it can be triggered by external stressors such as relationships etc. Ultimately how it is treated varies from person to person. Some people favour the talking cure, lasting pretty much any period of time, depending upon the severity of the depression. This can be accompanied by anti-depressants, those less than magical elixirs that can help to make life more tolerable. In the show tonight, Bryony recalls a message she left on Tim's phone upon discovering he was on anti-depressants, expressing her misgivings about one drug she found in his backpack that she knew could make 'zombies' out of the users.
I have been on anti-depressants at various points in my life and I will firmly back their use when I have felt very depressed but only when used in conjunction with some form of therapy. Drug therapy without the therapist is probably not the most effective way to help someone to cope with their condition. The only way I can describe the effect of anti-depressants on me is to state that in the past they have taken the edge off of life but conversely, that doesn't mean that bad things don't still germinate and creep up on you. Learning to cope with life without the need for medication long term is my preferred option but I appreciate that this is not an option for everyone as mental illness takes on so many forms.
As such, it goes without saying that not all forms of therapy will be effective for everyone. I have experienced different forms of therapy over the years. I guess most G.P. provided therapies tend to offer humanistic approaches, predicated on the belief that the patient can ultimately find the solutions to his/her problems given the right environment and indeed, therapist.
The many other approaches to therapy have historically ranged from the horrific to the more clinical approaches. At different periods in your life, a more or less detached therapist may prove more fruitful to the healing process. I strongly believe that for me therapy works more effectively over short time periods if things get bad.
The brilliant thing about tonight's show was the reference to good luck dolls that Bryony used throughout the performance. Little effigies of positivity. They reminded me of the one inalienable fact that has always kept me going no matter how bad things have become, a sense of hope. This comes from within, although can be helped to flourish through the positivity of others.
I think of my mental health as an ill fitting suit, sometimes I can accept its over sized sleeves and collars, but on other occasions, it smothers me. Depression tends to lead to periods where I can't feel anything meaningful and I become more emotionally detached.
I wish to thank Bryony Kimmings, Tim Grayburn and Pat Kinevane for creating such exceptional performances. It is only through the act of creation and revelation that mental illness can be truly accepted and the sufferer no longer stigmatised.
If this lengthy ramble accomplishes nothing else, I just want to reinforce how important it is to talk about the things that are worrying or affecting you. If you see someone suffering, be prepared to listen if you can or at least, be there with a hug. Life can be hard, but as human beings, we don't have to be.
Barry Watt - 10th July 2015.
Afterword.
'Silent' is currently being performed at the Soho Theatre and stars Pat Kinevane. It finishes on 25th July 2015. I want to express to the playwright and performer that when he asked the audience to put up their hands if they had been on anti-depressants, I didn't put my hand up through fear but that on reflection, this blog entry was motivated by my apprehension. Thanks for being there for the audience.
http://www.sohotheatre.com/whats-on/silent
'Fake It 'Til You Make It' is on at the Queen Elizabeth Hall from 16th July to 18th July 2015. It will subsequently be performed at the Edinburgh Festival at various dates between 7th to 30th August. All of my recollections of the performance are simply from memory and they are included for illustrative purposes only Bryony Kimmings and Tim Grayburn are brave performers and I respect their work and hope that the show gains the acclaim of Bryony Kimmings' previous works.
http://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whatson/bryony-kimmings-tim-grayburn-90753
BW
'Silent' currently at the Soho Theatre explores the life of a homeless man whose brother eventually committed suicide after a few unsuccessful attempts. The repercussions of this on his brother and his life informs the momentum of this highly successful one man show. The play served to remind me that events happen of which we have little or no control and at times, you can't help another person even someone you deeply care about. Sometimes, you are just too close.
On the other hand, this evening I saw 'Fake It 'Til You Make It' at the Purcell Room in the Queen Elizabeth Hall. This is Bryony Kimmings' and Tim Grayburn's new production, which explores Tim Grayburn's clinical depression and Bryony Kimmings' responses to his mental illness as their relationship blossomed. Through song, recordings of Tim and Bryony discussing Tim's illness and through movement, Tim's life is fully and gently exposed. The creative decision for Tim to initially wear various forms of head wear including bags to conceal his face forcefully hammers home the point that men can be notoriously reticent to reveal their feelings.
I was oddly awakened when Tim revealed how he gradually became aware he was clinically depressed when he found himself feeling down quite a lot and also crying. As a man within most Western societies, tears are seen as a weakness. Well, that's the patriarchal cliche anyway. I can honestly say that in the past I have most frequently cried when things have been going very badly. Tears have been my indication to seek help of a therapeutic nature. I mention this only to flag up the fact that as human beings, it is vitally important to acknowledge the signs and emotional outbursts of our bodies and minds. They can be an early warning system.
It's probably pretty obvious by now that I have had mental health problems in the past. I have experienced 'obsessive compulsive disorders' (now renamed 'obsessive compulsive disorder'. I am sure there is some relevance to the need to change the condition from the plural to the singular. As the so-called 'habits' or 'rituals' are multiple, the singularity seems to miss the point. Definitions can be somewhat limiting within the field of psychoanalysis) and periods of depression.
Depression is an odd bedfellow, it can be triggered by external stressors such as relationships etc. Ultimately how it is treated varies from person to person. Some people favour the talking cure, lasting pretty much any period of time, depending upon the severity of the depression. This can be accompanied by anti-depressants, those less than magical elixirs that can help to make life more tolerable. In the show tonight, Bryony recalls a message she left on Tim's phone upon discovering he was on anti-depressants, expressing her misgivings about one drug she found in his backpack that she knew could make 'zombies' out of the users.
I have been on anti-depressants at various points in my life and I will firmly back their use when I have felt very depressed but only when used in conjunction with some form of therapy. Drug therapy without the therapist is probably not the most effective way to help someone to cope with their condition. The only way I can describe the effect of anti-depressants on me is to state that in the past they have taken the edge off of life but conversely, that doesn't mean that bad things don't still germinate and creep up on you. Learning to cope with life without the need for medication long term is my preferred option but I appreciate that this is not an option for everyone as mental illness takes on so many forms.
As such, it goes without saying that not all forms of therapy will be effective for everyone. I have experienced different forms of therapy over the years. I guess most G.P. provided therapies tend to offer humanistic approaches, predicated on the belief that the patient can ultimately find the solutions to his/her problems given the right environment and indeed, therapist.
The many other approaches to therapy have historically ranged from the horrific to the more clinical approaches. At different periods in your life, a more or less detached therapist may prove more fruitful to the healing process. I strongly believe that for me therapy works more effectively over short time periods if things get bad.
The brilliant thing about tonight's show was the reference to good luck dolls that Bryony used throughout the performance. Little effigies of positivity. They reminded me of the one inalienable fact that has always kept me going no matter how bad things have become, a sense of hope. This comes from within, although can be helped to flourish through the positivity of others.
I think of my mental health as an ill fitting suit, sometimes I can accept its over sized sleeves and collars, but on other occasions, it smothers me. Depression tends to lead to periods where I can't feel anything meaningful and I become more emotionally detached.
I wish to thank Bryony Kimmings, Tim Grayburn and Pat Kinevane for creating such exceptional performances. It is only through the act of creation and revelation that mental illness can be truly accepted and the sufferer no longer stigmatised.
If this lengthy ramble accomplishes nothing else, I just want to reinforce how important it is to talk about the things that are worrying or affecting you. If you see someone suffering, be prepared to listen if you can or at least, be there with a hug. Life can be hard, but as human beings, we don't have to be.
Barry Watt - 10th July 2015.
Afterword.
'Silent' is currently being performed at the Soho Theatre and stars Pat Kinevane. It finishes on 25th July 2015. I want to express to the playwright and performer that when he asked the audience to put up their hands if they had been on anti-depressants, I didn't put my hand up through fear but that on reflection, this blog entry was motivated by my apprehension. Thanks for being there for the audience.
http://www.sohotheatre.com/whats-on/silent
'Fake It 'Til You Make It' is on at the Queen Elizabeth Hall from 16th July to 18th July 2015. It will subsequently be performed at the Edinburgh Festival at various dates between 7th to 30th August. All of my recollections of the performance are simply from memory and they are included for illustrative purposes only Bryony Kimmings and Tim Grayburn are brave performers and I respect their work and hope that the show gains the acclaim of Bryony Kimmings' previous works.
http://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whatson/bryony-kimmings-tim-grayburn-90753
BW
Saturday, 23 May 2015
'The Graduate' - Jumping the Queue...
I saw 'The Graduate' awhile ago for the first time at the Barbican and it was preceded with a Skype chat with the journalist, Jon Ronson. I found his assertion that the film and its comedy had not dated fascinating. I would possibly suggest that this is because the film does not feel like a conventional comedy. In fact, generically it feels more like a 'coming of age' story with some comedic moments.
The opening sequence of Dustin Hoffman's character Benjamin Braddock arriving at the airport, having graduated from university, sets the mood of the film. There is an extended shot of Benjamin's head as he is carried along the walkway leading either to the baggage collection point or to the exit (I forget), whilst 'The Sound of Silence' dominates the soundtrack. From the vantage point of this close-up, the viewer can see that he is preoccupied. The fact that he is framed by the white tiled wall of the airport, starkly focuses our attention on him.
The film is as much about the insecurities of being a twenty one year old man than it is about love and sex. It is one of the few films which successfully convey the existential turmoil that many graduates experience upon leaving university. The awful question of 'Now what?' I remember when I left university feeling quite overwhelmed. Benjamin's parents, although well meaning, are really out of touch with their son's state of mind. They throw an elaborate party for him to celebrate his homecoming. A plethora of faces from his past mix and are anxious to see how he has changed. Everyone has bright ideas as to in which direction, his future career path should lead. 'Plastics' being one suggestion.
In many respects, Mrs. Robinson represents escape from Benjamin's internal turmoils, a way of fast forwarding into the future. Although, it is apparent quite early that she has had her own battles. A history of alcoholism and a sadly distant relationship with her husband, who seems more interested in everything else than in her. Benjamin's relationship with Mrs Robinson is depicted as awkward then passionate. It becomes as ritualistic as any other aspect of Benjamin's life, stolen hours in motels and hotels and interestingly, almost zero conversation between them. Their relationship is not born of love but of necessity, a way of breaking the monotony of their lives.
Tragically, Benjamin and Mrs. Robinson's daughter, Elaine end up having quite a fraught relationship. The climax of the film involves Benjamin running off with Elaine, subsequently destroying her relationship with a man who she nearly marries and the viewer is left feeling that he will lose interest in her too. Elaine as a character is a far more centred character than Benjamin, although her marriage to the other guy could be a 'shotgun wedding' as it is suggested that she is pregnant. On their first date, which is positively forced on Benjamin and Elaine, he attempts to humiliate her by taking her to a strip club, possibly hoping that this will also be their last date. There is a tragic scene in which the performer spins her nipple tassells behind Elaine's head and she is on the verge of tears. After leading her to this state, Benjamin suddenly relents and steps in to help, by getting her out of there.
Now, in retrospect, the film continues to resonate with me for a number of reasons. Visually, it is striking and there is a repeated water motif that becomes associated with Benjamin. At an early point in the film, Benjamin's dad rewards him with a scuba diving suit and he is invited to wear it. There is a beautifully memorable shot of Benjamin in the family's swimming pool, framed against the side of the swimming pool. He hates it. Also Benjamin spends a lot of time in the swimming pool, 'drifting' as he defines it (if I recall correctly). Water is a powerful symbolic element suggesting many things ranging from rebirth, purification but in the case of this film, it simply seems to bring to mind, the transience of existence and indeed, protection. The pool is a place where Benjamin can hide from reality and forget. I have also been wondering whether 'The Graduate,' like 'Easy Rider' which succeeded it, can be seen as a cultural treatise about America and the breakdown of the positivism largely associated with the 60s, as a result of such events as the Vietnam war, the death of Kennedy and indeed, the growth of post war capitalism and the 'must have' culture it helped to engender. It certainly focuses on generational antagonisms but astutely, highlights how alienated the young generation are and how they mirror the frustrations of their parents' generation. There are no winners in the America portrayed in this film.
The moral of 'The Graduate' could be that single life is less damaging than coupling up for the sake of social progression or the temporary relief of sexual frustrations. Love is certainly not widely evident in this film. A salute to single people everywhere!
Barry Watt - 23rd May 2015.
Afterword
Skype is copyright to Skype and is a communication application or something like that.
'The Graduate' was released in 1967 and is available on DVD from Studiocanal. It was based on a novel by Charles Webb, which I haven't read but somehow, I feel that the experience may alter my interpretation of the film. I will probably do so. It is available from Penguin Modern Classics. My use of quotations from the film may not be exact but such is the nature of memory.
'The Sound of Silence' is a song that is regularly used in the soundtrack of this film. It was written by Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel. It's a classic song and can be found on a number of albums including the soundtrack album to 'The Graduate' which is available on CD from Sony Music.
'Easy Rider' was released in 1969 and is one of my favourite films. It holds up a mirror to the American dream and the reflection is not always pretty. It's available on DVD from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.
Jon Ronson is a journalist and writer that I greatly admire. He explores the subjects that most people skirt away from, in an honest and humane way. He has written a number of books including 'The Psychopath Test' which is published by Picador.
BW
The opening sequence of Dustin Hoffman's character Benjamin Braddock arriving at the airport, having graduated from university, sets the mood of the film. There is an extended shot of Benjamin's head as he is carried along the walkway leading either to the baggage collection point or to the exit (I forget), whilst 'The Sound of Silence' dominates the soundtrack. From the vantage point of this close-up, the viewer can see that he is preoccupied. The fact that he is framed by the white tiled wall of the airport, starkly focuses our attention on him.
The film is as much about the insecurities of being a twenty one year old man than it is about love and sex. It is one of the few films which successfully convey the existential turmoil that many graduates experience upon leaving university. The awful question of 'Now what?' I remember when I left university feeling quite overwhelmed. Benjamin's parents, although well meaning, are really out of touch with their son's state of mind. They throw an elaborate party for him to celebrate his homecoming. A plethora of faces from his past mix and are anxious to see how he has changed. Everyone has bright ideas as to in which direction, his future career path should lead. 'Plastics' being one suggestion.
In many respects, Mrs. Robinson represents escape from Benjamin's internal turmoils, a way of fast forwarding into the future. Although, it is apparent quite early that she has had her own battles. A history of alcoholism and a sadly distant relationship with her husband, who seems more interested in everything else than in her. Benjamin's relationship with Mrs Robinson is depicted as awkward then passionate. It becomes as ritualistic as any other aspect of Benjamin's life, stolen hours in motels and hotels and interestingly, almost zero conversation between them. Their relationship is not born of love but of necessity, a way of breaking the monotony of their lives.
Tragically, Benjamin and Mrs. Robinson's daughter, Elaine end up having quite a fraught relationship. The climax of the film involves Benjamin running off with Elaine, subsequently destroying her relationship with a man who she nearly marries and the viewer is left feeling that he will lose interest in her too. Elaine as a character is a far more centred character than Benjamin, although her marriage to the other guy could be a 'shotgun wedding' as it is suggested that she is pregnant. On their first date, which is positively forced on Benjamin and Elaine, he attempts to humiliate her by taking her to a strip club, possibly hoping that this will also be their last date. There is a tragic scene in which the performer spins her nipple tassells behind Elaine's head and she is on the verge of tears. After leading her to this state, Benjamin suddenly relents and steps in to help, by getting her out of there.
Now, in retrospect, the film continues to resonate with me for a number of reasons. Visually, it is striking and there is a repeated water motif that becomes associated with Benjamin. At an early point in the film, Benjamin's dad rewards him with a scuba diving suit and he is invited to wear it. There is a beautifully memorable shot of Benjamin in the family's swimming pool, framed against the side of the swimming pool. He hates it. Also Benjamin spends a lot of time in the swimming pool, 'drifting' as he defines it (if I recall correctly). Water is a powerful symbolic element suggesting many things ranging from rebirth, purification but in the case of this film, it simply seems to bring to mind, the transience of existence and indeed, protection. The pool is a place where Benjamin can hide from reality and forget. I have also been wondering whether 'The Graduate,' like 'Easy Rider' which succeeded it, can be seen as a cultural treatise about America and the breakdown of the positivism largely associated with the 60s, as a result of such events as the Vietnam war, the death of Kennedy and indeed, the growth of post war capitalism and the 'must have' culture it helped to engender. It certainly focuses on generational antagonisms but astutely, highlights how alienated the young generation are and how they mirror the frustrations of their parents' generation. There are no winners in the America portrayed in this film.
The moral of 'The Graduate' could be that single life is less damaging than coupling up for the sake of social progression or the temporary relief of sexual frustrations. Love is certainly not widely evident in this film. A salute to single people everywhere!
Barry Watt - 23rd May 2015.
Afterword
Skype is copyright to Skype and is a communication application or something like that.
'The Graduate' was released in 1967 and is available on DVD from Studiocanal. It was based on a novel by Charles Webb, which I haven't read but somehow, I feel that the experience may alter my interpretation of the film. I will probably do so. It is available from Penguin Modern Classics. My use of quotations from the film may not be exact but such is the nature of memory.
'The Sound of Silence' is a song that is regularly used in the soundtrack of this film. It was written by Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel. It's a classic song and can be found on a number of albums including the soundtrack album to 'The Graduate' which is available on CD from Sony Music.
'Easy Rider' was released in 1969 and is one of my favourite films. It holds up a mirror to the American dream and the reflection is not always pretty. It's available on DVD from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.
Jon Ronson is a journalist and writer that I greatly admire. He explores the subjects that most people skirt away from, in an honest and humane way. He has written a number of books including 'The Psychopath Test' which is published by Picador.
BW
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