Michael Grandage talk - National Theatre

Yesterday (13/04/12) I went to the Michael Grandage platform at the National Theatre in which he talked about his decade at the Donmar and the book of the same name which will soon come out.
The Michael Grandage talk was my first platform at the National which is surprising as most of the productions I see are there, but anyway it was a very insightful 45 minutes in which we were given a great insight into some of his productions and his overall experience in turning the Donmar into a powerhouse of theatre. Some of the highlights were as follow:

• Frost/Nixon was apparently a difficult experience due to there being a fare few egos involved.
• Jonathan Groff will be taking Eddie Redmayne's place in the LA production of RED - Alfred Molina will be returning.
• Grandage told us that he doesn't do read-throughs due to the actor's being at different places in terms of performance.
• He likes to use more abstract sets due to his upbringing in Cornwall as he continually saw figures against the landscape - he also wittingly added that some actors find this hard as they love props, continuing to tell us that Derek Jacobi loves a good prop.

I really wanted to ask if the reports of him directing Ben Whishaw and Judi Dench is a new John Logan play were true, but felt that it would put him on the spot. Nevertheless, the talk made for a great evening and I would heavily recommend the NT platforms.

Olivier Awards 2012 - predictions

Photograph: Johan Persson

As everyone in the world of theatre knows, the 2012 Olivier Awards take place this Sunday at the Royal Opera House with coverage being shown via the BBC's red button for the second year running (my fingers are crossed for it to much better than last year's cringe-worthy coverage). Aside from the fact I do not necessarily agree with all of the nominations and the awards ceremony as a whole, I will be taking you through the people I believe deserve to win on the night (except for the musical awards as I haven't been to see any of the nominated musicals).
To begin, we have Best Revival which should hands down go to Anna Christie which was a beautifully calculated revival of an under performed play and indeed, an under performed playwright. Next we have Best New Play which will undoubtedly go to this years smash hit comedy One Man, Two Guvnors. I'm not sure how I feel about any of the nominations in this category as there really hasn't been any stand out new plays produced this year. Best Actress is a category packed full of brilliant talent but two performances really stood out for me this year, them being Ruth Wilson and Lesley Manville for Anna Christie and Grief, respectively. Lesley Manville's performance was a pitch perfect portrait of a hauntingly frail woman who has little left in her world - each word piercing the air of the Cottosloe, whilst Wilson's performance was strong, gutsy and highly captivating. I really couldn't choose between the two.

Photograph: Tristram Kenton

The Best Actor category at this year's awards contains a nomination for the most truly thrilling performances of the year - through the use of a plural you have probably guessed I am talking about the joint nomination for Benedict Cumberbatch and Johnny Lee Miller. I was beyond relieved that they received a joint nomination as they both complimented each other brilliantly and the show would not have been the same without both of them in the lead roles. The award for Best Performance in a Supporting Role will most likely give Sheridan Smith her second Olivier Award, and deservedly so as the other nominations in this category weren't really up to much (especially Johnny Flynn who I am sure is there just to give Jerusalem one last nod). I never really agree with the nominations for Best Director at the Olivier Awards, and I really do not agree with them this year. When it comes to this category, it always feels like people are nominated in regards to how many other nominations the show they have directed has (which would make sense), but I feel directors should be rewarded purely on artistry - an example would be Katie Mitchell whose shows are never recognised at the awards, but whose directorial stamp is present on all of her work. Mitchell, and many others, push boundaries. How many times can we have Nicholas Hytner or other 'play it safe' directors nominated? It seems every year.
The rest of my predictions:
Best Lighting Design - Bruno Poet should really get this award for his atmospheric and engaging lighting for Frankenstein.            
Best Set Design - Michael Taylor's set for The Ladykillers was original and highly creative - he thoroughly deserves to win this award.
Best Sound Designer - Underworld and Ed Clarke for Frankenstein.
Outstanding Achievement in an Affiliate Theatre - Salt, Root and Roe at Trafalgar Studios 2.
Best New Dance Production - The Metamorphosis
Outstanding Achievement in Dance - Edward Watson

Yayoi Kusama - Tate Modern

'Captures the ever changing motions of life'

This is just a quick review of the Yayoi Kusama retrospective at the Tate Modern.

Yayoi Kusama has never been big over here in the UK and so prior to this retrospective I had little knowledge of Kusama or her work, except that she like dots. Unlike the Damien Hirst retrospective down the escalator, this retrospective supplies the public with a huge span of Kusama's career that is both insightful and touching as we can see her work becoming more and more intense as her psychological condition deepens through the years.
To start, we are greeted with her most early works on paper which are simple yet stunning. Some of these works are dark and mysterious whilst others are bright and intense. As the retrospective continues we see the paper turn to canvas and the work become bigger and bigger, whilst still retaining the beautiful colours and avant-garde style.
Kusama, as well as working with paint and canvas, also deals with installations and sculptures which provide some breathtaking moments. The first of which is Aggregation: One Thousand Boats Show which shows us her fear of sex and the male penis; it makes for an emotional instillation. The final room in this brilliant, if not wacky, retrospective of Yayoi Kusama's career is Infinity Mirrored Room - Filled with the Brilliance of Life (specially made for this exhibition) which sums up the whole visual journey this exhibition provides you with. Once you leave this room, and indeed the exhibition, space never really looks the same as what you have just witnessed is an instillation which captures the ever changing motions of life. I'm Here, But Nothing is another example of this artist's brilliance.
The Yayoi Kusama retrospective is well worth a visit and proves Kusama is an artist of outstanding quality who blends emotional clarity with the abstract almost seamlessly.

'Yayoi Kusama' in on at the Tate Modern until 5th June 2012

Polyphonia/Sweet Violets/Carbon Life - Review Roundup

Bill Cooper - Royal Opera House

When I saw this new mixed programme on opening night I wasn't overwhelmed, nor was I dissapointed. It stood somewhere is the middle of the two. This is what the critics made of it:

The Telegraph
Sarah Crompton in The Telegraph gave the programme a generous four stars and stated that she thought Carbon Life was 'a blast', though she wasn't 'entirely sure that the piece...will have that long a shelf life' - something which I agree with and wrote about in my review. Crompton continues by saying that 'it looks lovely' and that 'the whole thing has visceral energy'. However, she was 'less keen of Gareth Pugh's angular costumes'. 'It feels like a young man's ballet, but the talent shown within in it is seriously mature' is how Crompton concludes her review of Sweet Violets - coming to the conclusion that it is 'Polyphonia which provides the most thoughtful and refined treat of the evening'.   

The Independent
Zoë Anderson in The Independent gave a less complimentary review of the programme, giving it an overall rating of three stars. 'Busy' is how she describes Wayne McGregor's Carbon Life - Anderson also states that the 'music and dancing both get repetitive', yet the 'gorgeous beginning' is 'shamelessly pretty'. Sweet Violets is decribed as being a 'mess of bad and good ideas', but also compliments the 'superb cast', which I found was 'perfect'. Like Sarah Crompton in The Telegraph, Anderson calls Polyphonia 'sleek and just right' - a sign that they found the two new works inferior to the opening of the programme.  

The Guardian
Judith Mackrell in The Guardian has given the Royal Ballet's new mixed programme an average three stars. Like the other reviewers, Mackrell found that it was Polyphonia which 'takes the honours' as its 'scrupulous, passionate cast, exposes the excess baggage' the two new works hold. Talking of Liam Scarlett's Sweet Violets, Mackrell states that it 'could be a seriously fine ballet' if it weren't for 'too many characters' and 'too much back story'. When it comes to Wayne McGregor's new work Carbon Life, Mackrell believes that it 'lacks the eerie internal beauty' of his 'best work', though also pointing out that it 'rocks, exactly as it was meant to'.

Financial Times
Clement Crisp in the Financial Times has awarded this programme two stars, beginning by saying that 'Polyphonia came to the rescue of an otherwise disappointing programme'. Crisp states that Liam Scarlett's Sweet Violets is 'emotionally clogged' and a 'long-winded event'. Carbon Life, a new work by McGregor, is stated to have 'superb lighting', yet 'the innate classicism of his [McGregor's] dancers and the tics of his mannerisms...distorts...the qualities of his cast'.  

The rest of the reviews are not out yet and I will add them when appropriate.

Polyphonia/Sweet Violets/Carbon Life - Royal Opera House

Christopher Wheeldon's Polyphonia

Before coming to see this new mixed programme from the Royal Ballet, I had little knowledge of Polyphonia yet knew quite a bit, surprisingly, of Liam Scarlett's new ballet Sweet Violets and Wayne McGregor's new piece Carbon Life. Of course, they were the ballets everyone was waiting for, but did they live up to the hype they created?
First up was Christopher Wheeldon's Polyphonia, an abstract piece set to György Ligeti's sharp and jumpy music. As much as I enjoyed this refined and visually beautiful piece, it's quick wit and soft touch made in lose focus for me. Many of the sequences were haunting and emotionally taught, but when the odd humorous gesture was thrown in for good measure it lost some clarity of the direction it was heading in, and how it wanted its audience to view it. Despite this, I did enjoy this quick and lyrical work which no doubt will remain in the Royal Ballet's repetoire for many years.
Carbon Life, on the other hand, will most probably not stay in their repertoire. I say this not because it is bad, but that to create the full effects it would need the original performers and band. Carbon Life is the new ballet by the Royal Ballet's choreographer is residence Wayne McGregor - it combines dance, music and visual aesthetics to create a show which is maybe trying to be a bit too clever. Split into segments, this ballet charts the cycle of life and love. The opening of this new work shows the dancers naked as embryos - their bodies flowing in pools of gold light - and it ends with them in Gareth Pugh's multi-angled black hats, tutus and gloves. As cutting edge as this new work was, some of the segments were messy and badly calculated, whilst others were tight which created a polarisation in the piece.
The inclusion of live music from Mark Ronson, Boy George, Alison Mosshart and many others provided the audience with some great and memorable tracks. The problem, though, with this very direct musical approach was that it was distracting as I found myself focusing of Mosshart's fiery red hair instead of some of the duets between the dancers - which was taking a backseat? Sadly, I would have to say the dancers who came across as backing dancers throughout. I did love the individual components of this performance, but something just didn't fit; it was missing a gel which, if present, would have made Carbon Life a highly successful and breathtaking work of epic proportions.
Liam Scarlett's Sweet Violets, a new work taking inspiration from Sickert's paintings of the Camden murder, is full to the brim of sex and violence - making this work a passionate and enthralling piece of dance. Steven McRae, Alina Cojocaru, Laura Morera, Tamara Rojo and Thiago Soares make for a perfect, principal, first cast of this chilling tale set in a world of prostitution, political corruption and bribery. The set, like the action holds a few surprises and the atmospheric lighting adds another dimension to the best work in the mixed programme.      

Playing at the Royal Opera House until Monday, April 23rd.

Damien Hirst - Tate Modern

Exploited for the sake of 'art'.

Damien Hirst shot to fame in the arts scene through the 1988 exhibition Freeze which he curated. Now, two decades on, the Tate Modern is celebrating his career in a first full retrospective which contains many of his infamous and controversial works. I have never claimed to be a fan of Hirst or his works, nor have I been a detractor who has dismissed his art as being nothing more than a 'con'. This retrospective has, however, put me one of the two contrasting groups; the latter.
As I entered this exhibition, I expected it to be a great spectacle and for myself to be wowed. I wanted to see progression and an insight into the workings of Hirst's mind. The first room which contains his early works gave me this - I was able to see his roots through With Dead Head and the first of the dot paintings (one which he actually painted). Boxes also gave me a great sense of Hirst's fascination with colour - a piece that was created in 1988 for Freeze. However, as I progressed through the show, the work didn't seem to progress. From the moment I entered the second room I was seeing perfect spot painting created by his assistants, ahead of me was A Thousand Years and to my left was The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living - what had happened to the rough work of Hirst's Goldsmiths days? These works appeared to be controversial for controversials sake and what hit me (apart from the horrific smell of the rotting cow's head) was that the public in this blockbuster exhibition weren't bothered with the messages behind these pieces, but were more interested in the animals themselves. It dawned on me that Hirst may be hiding behind these beautiful creatures; using them to cover up a lack of meaning in the work - the meaning which always seemed to be death or money or a mix of both.
The continual use of animals and creatures was carried throughout the show and played the major role in In and Out of Love in which butterflies were bred in the exhibition and their beauty was exploited by Hirst. These butterflies, as beautiful as they were, looked tired and tortured. Is using these beautiful creatures for the sake of art morally right? I would answer no. Again, the audience were more bothered in the butterflies and their beauty and not the piece of work as a whole.
This familiar pattern of the repetition of materials and animals led to many of the rooms becoming boring and tired. The constant use of medicine gave me a headache and did nothing for me. What was Hirst really trying to say? I don't know as these works were not refined or interesting in any way or form. I, along with every one else in my party, walked on through these endless rooms without batting an eyelid. Damien Hirst, to me, appeard to be taking objects and giving them a name to make it into art and then sell it for a hefty profit. Another problem I had with this exhibition is that I always felt that I wasn't witnessing Hirst's work, but the work of his assistants. I would love to know how much involvement he had in the 200th or 300th spot painting. Another issue I took with the show is that it was deeply impersonal. When viewing a retrospective I expect to gain some insight into the mind of the artist, but with this retrospective I gained no insight as the work didn't allow us to search inside the inner workings of Hirst's mind. Maybe Hirst wants to distance himself from his work? Either way, it makes for a highly disappointing viewing.
The constant repetition made this retrospective feel like a normal gallery show. As I reached the end of the show I had to come to the conclusion, from what I had just seen, that Damien Hirst's work represented everything that is wrong with some forms of modern art: money. As I reached the end of this boring, badly curated and downright terrible show it appeared that Hirst was creating work purely to sell, thus making a statement about wealth - his wealth.

'Damien Hirst' is on at the Tate Modern until 9th September 2012  

Introduction to my blog

I've been going to the theatre regularly for just over two years and I thought that it's about time to start writing about the things I see and the thoughts I have on general matters in the world of theatre and the arts. I go to see a variety of shows such as ballet, opera and straight theatre, but also expect to see some reviews of upcoming art exhibitions as well. Most times I will rate a show out of five and then afterwards post about what the critics said and thought about the shows I have seen. I have a few things comming up this month, but May will be sparse due to other commitments. My theatre-going schedule will resume to normal in June with some trips to the National Theatre and Opera North. 
I hope you all enjoy my reviews and general thoughts about the arts world and its goings on.