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I left The Children’s Hour feeling frustrated. I loved this play. In particular, I thought that Bryony Hannah was outstanding in her very central role. So I was surprised that she wasn’t singled out when the actors took their bows at the end. Instead, she took her bow alongside the majority of the cast and shared the general applause. After a pause, Keira Knightley and Elisabeth Moss came out last, at which point the cheers and applause got louder, with some people even giving them a standing ovation. Now, Keira and Elisabeth are very good in this. And they definitely have leading roles. But in no way are they the stars of the show. Without a doubt, Bryony’s schoolgirl character, Mary, is the main protagonist of the play. And Bryony plays her superbly. So my sensitive soul found the audience response a bit insulting to the other actors, as it was obvious that it was Keira who was being overly applauded, simply for being Keira. After everyone went off stage I sat, hands poised, waiting for them to return for a round of individual bows and for my opportunity to give Bryony the recognition that she deserved. Only, they didn’t come back. I felt cheated. And I felt a little bit gutted for Bryony.
Don’t get me wrong. I like Keira Knightley. I’ve never seen any Pirates of the Caribbean so I can’t judge her on those. But last year I saw her in The Misanthrope – the Martin Crimp update of Molière’s play – where she mastered the tricky dialogue beautifully and really brought her character to life. It was a wonderful, meaty role and she played it brilliantly. There, she was the star of the show, even amongst the other great performers. Here, however, she has a very different type of role, with the real meat coming from the other characters. It’s not a criticism, just a fact.
Mrs Lily Mortar (Carol Kane, a.k.a Lafka's wife in the 1980s TV series 'Taxi'!) & the children (Photo: Johan Persson)
The Children’s Hour is the tale of Karen (Keira) and Martha (Elisabeth), two young teachers who’ve been friends since childhood. We’re introduced to them at the girls school that they’ve set up in a big old house that they spent years saving for and then renovating. Living off them is Martha’s ditzy lush of an aunt, Mrs Lily Mortar (played by Carol Kane), whose delusions of acting grandeur from bygone days treading the boards forms the basis of drama lessons for the girls. Karen is engaged to the dashing Dr Joseph Cardin (played by Tobias Menzies), whose little cousin, Mary, is one of the pupils.
From the outset, we see how mischievous the schoolgirls are, messing around as children do. But as the play progresses, Mary stands out head and shoulders above the rest as a nasty, evil, bullying troublemaker. What unfolds is a heartbreaking story, instigated by Mary and involving not only the teachers, but also the Doctor and Mary’s grandmother (in a great performance by Ellen Burtsyn).
The Children’s Hour: The evil Mary & her grandmother (Photo: Johan Persson)
Watching The Children’s Hour made me think about the art of storytelling. Lillian Hellman, the writer, has provided a great narrative. A combination of comedy and tragedy which is brilliantly translated for the stage by the actors, with Bryony Hannah leading the charge. It was gripping and provocative throughout. At times I wanted to shout out from the audience, to right the wrongs that were happening in front of me. Or better still, run up on stage and give Mary a good shake to make her stop.
A rollercoaster of emotions, I’ll even admit to shedding a few little tears at one point. And I’ve since learnt that it is, very sadly, based on a true story, which makes me want to shed a few more.
Bryony Hannah, who plays Mary
All of the acting was great, with Ellen Burtsyn and Elizabeth Moss also deserving a specific mention. But without a doubt, the star of the show was Bryony Hannah. I hadn’t heard of her before but I hope to see her in many more things in the future.
Get a ticket while you can. It’s on at the Comedy Theatre and booking until 7th May. I promise, you won’t regret it. But remember, they only take one bow, so be sure to give Hannah Bryony a rapturous applause when you get the chance.
I’m delighted to have recently started working with the lovely Andrea Semas, founder of the online emporium of gorgeousness, Kitty DoLittle. It’s a virtual dressing up box, bursting full of beautiful accessories, all of which are either ethically made, hand crafted or created by an unsung British designer. Our meetings so far have been anything but boring, for Andrea is as funny as she is smart!
Next time you see me, I'll probably be wearing this gorgeous hat from Kitty DoLittle
Turns out she’s also quite the charmer. I’m very flattered that her latest blog entry – ‘People I rubbed into this week‘ – is about little ol’ me…
Last Friday evening, I passed the National Portrait Gallery on my way to the theatre and noticed lots of people buzzing around outside. Lots of fashionable, pretty young things. As I was 45 minutes early to meet my friends, I thought I’d pop in for a quick look and also pick up some info about the Photographic Portrait Prize the Gallery runs every year.
As I walked through the doors and was confronted by heaving crowds, I remembered the Gallery now opens late on Friday nights. But I couldn’t understand why the place was so busy. As well as all the young trendies, there were lots of people my age and above. And…er…wasn’t that a DJ I could hear in the background? Clearly, I was missing out on something exciting – the Gallery was rocking with energy and music!
I’d stumbled into ‘Snapped’, an exhibition celebrating the diversity of beauty. It’s the latest project from All Walks Beyond the Catwalk, the initiative by Caryn Franklin, Debra Bourne and Erin O Connor, designed to change the way the fashion industry sees and portrays women (and, presumably, men).
Debra Bourne, Erin O’Connor & Caryn Franklin, founders of AllWalks. Photo by Kayt Jones
They’d worked with Rankin, the renowned fashion photographer, to create a series of portraits showcasing the Spring/Summer 2011 collections of designers such as Stella McCartney and Vivienne Westwood – but using more realistic and diverse models than you’d normally see on the catwalk or in the media. Ranging from 18 – 80 years old, the models were of varying body shapes, heights and ethnicities.
I applauded All Walks Beyond the Catwalk when I first heard about it, around a year ago. So I was delighted to have a chance to see this exhibition – albeit by accident! Each model looked stunning in her portrait. More to the point, they each just looked like a model. Not a black model, a short model, an old model. Just a model. A beautiful woman selling something. And selling it just as well as their skinny, younger, lighter-skinned counterparts. It’s an important message. Too many women and men suffer from unhealthy body images, aspiring to unrealistic, often airbrushed, figures.
Whilst the photographer and campaigner in me were undoubtedly impressed and fulfilled by Snapped on Friday night, it’s the marketer in me that was really blown away. I was struck by the National Gallery’s concept behind the whole evening and the way they’d pulled it all together.
Snapped was the first of the Gallery’s Late Shift Extra tours, designed to encourage visitors to explore the space, discover some of its amazing art and learn about some of its events. To this end, Rankin’s photographs weren’t displayed together. Instead, each model’s portrait, printed large on canvas-like paper giving it a paint-like sheen, was displayed on an easel and positioned somewhere around the Gallery amongst the more permanent and hung paintings dating back as far as the 15th Century. This encouraged visitors to walk around the whole Gallery, looking at everything whilst seeking out Rankin’s images. A simple but clever idea.
The overall effect was to embed a touch of edginess into the Gallery, rather than adding it consciously on the side. Introducing the Gallery to a new audience, whilst retaining its intrinsic core values and offer. This premise was set up well from the start. A pop-up bar in the ground floor foyer, overlooked by a female DJ on the first floor balcony, welcomed people as they entered, immediately removing any potential for stuffiness.
Crucially, neither looked out of place in the foyer’s white, light space. More subtly, the free Late Shift Tour (sic)/ All Walks Beyond the Catwalk booklet handed out didn’t just talk about the Rankin exhibition.
It also gave historical, cultural and fashion insights into some of the key portraits around the Gallery – from Queen Elizabeth I circa 1592, to the 1985 Queen Elizabeth II pop culture icon by Andy Warhol.
Life drawing
Finally, to complete the Gallery showcase, was a life drawing class taking place on the second floor, with a (fully-dressed) model standing on a huge table to pose for 15 or so students, with an amazing wall-length painting as her backdrop. Lots of bystanders, including myself, stood and watched intrigued. Brilliant.
Looking on the website the next day, I saw there’d also been model scouts – hence the prevalence of dressed up girls; a chaired debate about fashion and identity; and ‘soundscapes’ including commentary from Vivienne Westwood.
Whilst there, I heard at least one group of twenty-somethings remark that they’d never been to the Gallery before but that they thought it was amazing and would definitely go again. And they were referring to the entire space and collection, not just the Rankin element.
Ayuba Suleiman Diallo
I was mentally congratulating the Gallery on a job well done, when I unexpectedly came across the portrait of Ayuba Suleiman Diallo. Kidnapped into slavery in 1731, he became recognised as a scholar and was cited by advocates for the abolition of slavery when ‘asserting the moral right and humanity of black people’. This is the earliest portrait of a freed slave and the first in which a slave was portrayed as an equal. I’d read about it recently, as the Gallery had been campaigning to keep it in the country due to its cultural significance. Seeing it first-hand and reading the description made me really comprehend its power and value and made me want to find out more about Ayuba Suleiman Diallo. It brought home the diversity and importance of the National Portrait Gallery.
From the Photographic Portrait Prize to the first freed slave; with Warhol’s Queen Elizabeth II and Rankin in between.
Last night, I sobbed my heart out in a darkened room. I stifled my cries with my jumper, wiped my tears on my sleeve and mopped my snotty nose with the greasy napkin that I’d been spitting my olive pips into.
Javier Bardem, Hanna Bouchaib & Guillermo Estrella
I was at Screen on The Green, in Islington, north London, watching the aptly named film, Biutiful, by Mexican director, Alejandro González Iñárritu. Starring the mesmerising Javier Bardem, the film tells the heart rendering story of a loving and dedicated father trying his best to support his two children, against the gritty backdrop of Spain’s petty criminal, black market.
Hanna Bouchaib and Guillermo Estrella put in great performances as his children. With Maricel Alvarez putting in a sadly realistic portrayal of their messed up mother.
Maricel Alvarez
The tale is wonderfully written – full of twists and turns the entire way. And whilst bleak in many ways, the film is also truly beautiful. When it ended, I needed to just sit still for a moment and catch my breath. I loved every minute of it.
I almost ended this review just there, totally forgetting to mention that the film is subtitled, as it’s in Spanish. After the first five minutes, you don’t even notice.
A very small selection of my images. Keep checking back – I’ve got many, many more to sort through and upload. I’m just a bit shy about putting them out there. But photography’s my love and I’m constantly taking pictures, so I need to get over myself… I’m working on it! Oh and just for the record, my images aren’t cropped or retouched.
Click gently on one picture to start the gallery, then use the arrow keys to move on.
Klaxons' "Surfing The Void' album cover, designed by Richard Robinson/Gareth Pritchard
‘Surfing The Void’, the album from electronic dance rock band, Klaxons, has won the 2010 Best Art Vinyl Awards. Organised by Art Vinyl, the company behind the simple-but-brilliant framing system for displaying your record artwork, the Awards aim to recognise the best artwork around and are now in their fifth year.
‘Surfing the Void’ features lead singer Jamie’s cat, Orphee, wearing an astronaut suit (of course!). Orphee was bought by Jamie from a Dalston pet shop, close to most of the band’s East London base, and named after Jamie’s favourite film. The idea for the picture came from a similar image the band found on the online community, Tumblr, and then wanted to recreate using Orphee. Being sticklers for detail, the spacesuit that Orphee wears is a real one that they shipped over from America and added Klaxon badges to. Two feline understudies were on hand during the shoot, just in case. But like a true pro’, Orphee nailed the winning facial expression of true nonchalance early on.
An exhibition of the winning artwork and the 49 other Award contenders can be seen in London at the O2 Arena British Music Experience, in Edinburgh at the Arts Complex, in Folkestone at Georges House Gallery, and also in Paris, Brussels and Gothenburg. Visit www.artvinyl.com for details.
The Christmas and new year period is the one time that I prefer not to be in the UK. Why travel around the world chasing the sun during our summer, and then stay here when it’s freezing, dark and depressing? Better to hang in there ‘til December and then make good your escape to somewhere that will make you hot and sweaty. Sadly, as I was ‘financially-challenged’ this Christmas, the only beaches that were calling were the extremely beautiful but relatively cold ones of Cornwall, where I was heading off to on 27th December. Little did I know that my friend had found a way to get us hot under the collar before then, without stepping foot out of London. At Amanda’s invitation, I joined her and some other mates on Boxing Day to see the circus cabaret show, La Soirée. I didn’t really know what to expect, but housed as it is in the specially constructed ‘Southbank Big Top’, near the National Theatre and Royal Festival Hall, I knew it would be something special and felt like an excited child looking forward to panto.
The show starts the moment you step inside the Big Top. The gorgeous decor instantly transports you into a magical world, where the circus meets burlesque. Plush, velvet curtains drape the foyer, bar area and arena. Little side stalls sell sweets and cupcakes. The floor manager and his male assistants are sharp in tailored suits and pointy shoes, whilst the usherettes, who double as waitresses, are smoking hot in crisp blouses, pencil skirts, high-heels and up-dos. And just like the circus, seating is arranged in a circle around the stage, giving a great view from every side. There’s even table service for people in the booths that run around the edge. I loved it the moment I got there.
La Soirée has an ever-changing cast of characters, so you probably won’t see the exact same line-up each time you go.
Captain Frodo
But regardless of who appears before you, you can be sure they’ve carefully honed their very individual skills to create unique acts for themselves. I’m sure they would all agree with Captain Frodo, the brilliant contortionist, when he said that as a child he would never have believed he’d be making his living the way he does. But he is. Because what he does, he does well. It’s strange. But he does do it very well. This grown man kicks off the show by squeezing his entire body through the middle of a normal sized tennis racket. Later, he returns for a mind-boggling balancing act, performed on his bottom. Poised on top of a baked-bean-can-sized container, which itself is balanced on top of four tins, each increasing in size, taking him about 5 ft off the ground –with one of his legs stretching straight up towards the sky and resting behind his head. Of course! It’s a sight to behold.
Le Gateau Chocolat
Tonight, La Soirée also presents us with Le Gateau Chocolat, a ‘cuddly’ black man in extremely tight, bright lycra and wonderfully over the top make-up, including huge false eyelashes and bright red lipstick that highlights his perfectly pouting lips, nestled between his beard and moustache. LGC sings us a mixture of pop and opera, switching between a sweet, high-pitched, gentle voice and a gruff, deep, manly one. Along the way, he gives nervous-looking men in the audience a gentle stroke of the face, a teasing tickle with his feather boa or a coquettish wiggle of his ample, highly-visible bum. By the time he finales to the feel-good tune of ‘Holiday’ by Madonna, he has us all eating out of his hands. Utterly hilarious!
In fact, all the acts are great. Miss Behave sets the men’s pulses racing, with her sexy tight rubber dress and killer stilettos. She pops up throughout the show, in between acts.
Miss Behave
Before it’s even her turn on stage, she can be seen wandering around the arena, sharing shots of alcohol with members of staff. She staggers on stage, finishing her own drink and then grabbing drinks from the audience and finishing those off, too. Nobody minds. People are laughing, enjoying the spectacle of the drunken pretty lady. Until she takes a rose and threads its long stalk through her tongue, followed up nicely by her using her tongue as an ashtray to stub a cigar out on it. Just when you think you’ve finished grimacing, you find yourself watching through your fingers as she swallows the entire length of a table leg… Why, pretty lady? Why?
Mooky takes the stage and grabs an unassuming audience member to join her. You can see from his eyes that any initial embarrassment is soon over-ridden by fear, when he realises she wants them to sing a duet. But he needn’t have worried about not knowing the words – it quickly becomes clear that Mooky’s written all of his parts across various bits of her body and clothing. She’s very funny and her guest star does himself proud, deciphering lyrics from a multitude of interesting places!
The English Gents (photo by Pero)
Next, The English Gents, Denis Lock and Hamish McCann, give us their take on what it means to be British. Dressed in smart pinstriped suits, ties and bowler hats, the pair leap, balance impossibly and somersault around the stage area in an exhilarating display of acrobatics that has us all on the edge of our seats. The last thing any of us expects is for them to strip off for their finale. But they bring their act to a climax wearing just their Union Jack boxer shorts, socks – complete with sock braces, shoes and bowler hats. Very British, indeed. The Gents later perform solo: Denis dons a kimono to perform a Japanese-style act, building and scaling a ridiculously high tower of four-legged chairs and then balancing precariously at the top. A great act, which we were scared just watching.
But then it’s Hamish’s turn. The act starts off as a slick, understated tribute to Gene Kelly’s “Singing in the Rain”, with him leaning against a lamppost, looking dapper in a suit and trilby hat and then walking seductively around the post. Then the music changes abruptly. Out blasts the sultry tones of Nina Simone’s “Feeling Good” and the act turns into one of the most amazing physical performances I’ve ever seen. Hamish throws off his jacket and trilby, keeping on his trousers and shirt this time. He holds onto the pole with both hands and, legs outstretched, literally walks up a wall of air, until his legs are way past his head. One leg clasped around the pole, he lets go with his hands and hangs upside down from the top, perfectly controlled. And then proceeds to do the splits upside down, in mid-air. He twirls slowly around the pole, to the continuing strains of Nina, then does the splits against the pole. Stretching his arms and legs out completely, he hangs horizontally like a human branch, then starts turning slowing around the pole again. I can’t even begin to imagine how physically fit you must be to do that. His stomach, arm and leg muscles must feel like concrete. Fully clothed, it was an amazing, beautiful, sexy display of what the human body can do. And when he took his shirt off at the end, for his final twirl, we could only stare open-mouthed. Regardless of his thermometer-breaking measurement on the Hottie Scale, on a technical level alone, it was the best performance of the night.
Then Bath Boy – aka, the Berlin gymnast, David O’Mer – came on stage and showed us how he got his nickname.
Bath Boy - aka David O'Mer
Think Levi’s Bath ad, circa 1986, but with acrobatics. Dressed only in a pair of jeans for this highly original act, David starts off lying in a bath filled with water, before rising up to grab onto two long pieces of ribbon, and twirling them around his arms to pull himself upwards towards the ceiling – all whilst performing amazing aerial ballet sequences. In a heart-stopping display of skill and strength, he tumbles the great height back down the ribbon, at speed, stopping inches from injuring himself against the bath. Great stuff.
I think everyone needs a bit of La Soirée in their life. It’s great old-fashioned fun, with a very modern twist to it. The perfect daft night out. And the perfect antidote to any winter blues.
Last Saturday, 27 November, I relived the early 90s, in fine form. When Primal Scream brought out its seminal album, Screamadelica, in 1991, it quickly became the cornerstone of the soundtrack to my student days. Over the 20 years that have passed, it’s been elevated to classic status and its songs are like dear old friends that are still given a turn at most parties. In fact, my friends, Nicky and SP, even walked down the aisle to Screamadelica when they got married in June this year.
Over the years, I’ve seen The Scream play many times but this gig, celebrating the 20th anniversary of Screamadelica, promised to be the best yet. We arrived, embodying the words of Screamadelica’s ‘Loaded’: “We wanna be free to do what we wanna do. We wanna have a good time… We’re gonna have a party.” And The Scream made sure we did.
Primal Scream at Olympia, Saturday 27 November 2010
After a blinding warm up that could normally pass as a stand-alone gig, full of the greatest hits from their other albums, and a quick DJ set by Andy Weatherall, Bobby G and the boys stormed back on stage to play Screamadelica in its entirety. They were fantastic. The euphoric, feel-good factor they generated back in the day was present in bucket loads. They sounded brilliant: Bobby’s vocals were as piercing and distinctive as ever, the guitar and bass rocked, and the drums were literally and figuratively banging. The awesome gospel singers accompanying them and dazzling stage graphics helped bring the whole thing to a state of euphoria. Screamadelica felt and sounded as anthemic, and as relevant, as it ever did, and the crowd of original Scream fans absolutely loved it.
I’m assured that Olympia Kensington’s drafty venue was chosen on purpose, to recreate the warehouse party feel of the day. If that’s true, it was a nice touch. I’m sure it was the closest that most people in there had been to a warehouse party for a very, very long time. I watched it surrounded by old and newer friends. Just the way it should be. And that night, we all felt like we were 20-something again! When we left, riding that wave of euphoria, we truly did feel “Higher Than The Sun”.
