Mark Reece's Blog, page 13
November 26, 2021
Review- The nutcracker 2021
It was good to see The nutcracker back at the Hippodrome this year. The ballet had been slightly redesigned, notably, with lighting effects that covered the walls of the theatre at times. Also, the ballet starts at a scene in Drosselmeyer's shop, with Drosselmeyer giving a short narration at different points in the story. The orchestra was positioned above the stage, rather than in the well, giving them a more prominent position than in previous years.
That being said, the majority of the ballet remained the same, albeit with some new dancers in the main role. The quality of the performance has been maintained,
There was a short presentation at the end, in which it was indicated that the performance will be more comprehensively re-designed next year. An interesting, if risky proposition.
That being said, the majority of the ballet remained the same, albeit with some new dancers in the main role. The quality of the performance has been maintained,
There was a short presentation at the end, in which it was indicated that the performance will be more comprehensively re-designed next year. An interesting, if risky proposition.
November 21, 2021
Review- Taking off Emily Dickinson's clothes
Taking Off Emily Dickinson's Clothes by Billy CollinsMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
This book is comprised of four shorter poetry collections, and I very much preferred the first two; 'The apple that astonished Paris', and 'Questions about angels'. There is a simplicity and elegance to the poems in those sections that makes them feel light. In particular, my favourite poem of the collection, 'The dead', imagines dead people looking down at the living from heaven, and ends with these arresting lines:
which makes them lift their oars and fall silent
and wait, like parents, for us to close our eyes.
There is a self-conscious 'ordinariness' about many of the poems, and it seems as if the author has made a deliberate decision to avoid more complicated literary formulations in order to keep the work 'accessible'. This mostly works, largely because the affectation of simplicity is, of course, an affectation. However, there are occasions when such a presentation becomes excessive, for example, in 'American sonnet', which is an somewhat irritating paean to small town life:
We do not speak like Petrarch or wear a hat like Spenser
etc.
Despite this, re-reading this book after a considerable time has made me think that I would like to read Collins' other collections at some point. I certainly think that most of this work could be enjoyed by anyone who doesn't read a lot of poetry, which was no doubt the author's intention.
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November 20, 2021
Review- Scenes from the Grenfell inquiry
Scenes from the Grenfell inquiry apparently consists wholly of quotes from the public inquiry. Assuming that to be true, the play that was recently performed in the Birmingham REP was brilliantly edited. The performance consisted of questioning by Ron Cook, who played Richard Millett QC, who was counsel to the inquiry. Cook/Millett cross examined a series of witnesses, including fire brigade personnel, and a series of people from the complex web of contractors, sub-contractors, and Kensington and Chelsea local authority staff who had responsibility for the building prior to the fire.
The play is around two and a half hours long, which enables the material to be fitted around themes in a way that no doubt have been much harder to follow in the inquiry itself, which took place over a long period of time, and was subject to constant delays.
Although the play involved only questions and answers, the actors skillfully portrayed the different personalities of the witnesses. The fire fighter's answers were clipped, before he was forced to recall his abortive rescue of a child, when he became very distressed. The buildings control officer from the local authority was bumbling, until becoming tearful when forced to confront a mistake in the auditing of the building maintenance, which might have contributed to the fire. The parade of architects and managers from the various companies involved were slick but evasive, and all tried to blame other aspects of the supply chain for the failures that contributed to the deaths of 72 people.
Ron Cook was for me the stand out performer, cross examining the witnesses with a mixture of compassion, and, where necessary, icy contempt. In one memorable exchange, a witness remarks that he considered the bid for the Grenfell Tower refurbishment a success, given that it was completed on budget. After a pause, Cook/Millett comments that he did not consider that much help to the inquiry, given the fate of the building.
The portion of the evidence given during the play gave an impression as depressing as it is unsurprising. The businesses involved in the maintenance of tower were wholly focused on squeezing profit out of the work, with very little attention paid to the interests or safety of the residents, the representatives of whom were dismissed in internal e-mails as 'trouble makers' when they raised concerns. The answers of many of the witnesses indicated surprise that they would have any responsibility for fire safety, raising the question of what they were doing to earn their enormous fees. The banality of the corruption is shown in vacuous e-mail exchanges and in missing minutes.
It is testament to the editing that some of the key themes of the inquiry, coded in technical language such as 'value engineering' can be picked up by an audience without a specialist background. It would be wonderful if the play managed to add momentum to the tortuous progress of the various Grenfell investigations. But in any case, it serves as a skillful and sorrowful exploration of the class structure that allowed 72 people to die in such a shocking fashion.
The play is around two and a half hours long, which enables the material to be fitted around themes in a way that no doubt have been much harder to follow in the inquiry itself, which took place over a long period of time, and was subject to constant delays.
Although the play involved only questions and answers, the actors skillfully portrayed the different personalities of the witnesses. The fire fighter's answers were clipped, before he was forced to recall his abortive rescue of a child, when he became very distressed. The buildings control officer from the local authority was bumbling, until becoming tearful when forced to confront a mistake in the auditing of the building maintenance, which might have contributed to the fire. The parade of architects and managers from the various companies involved were slick but evasive, and all tried to blame other aspects of the supply chain for the failures that contributed to the deaths of 72 people.
Ron Cook was for me the stand out performer, cross examining the witnesses with a mixture of compassion, and, where necessary, icy contempt. In one memorable exchange, a witness remarks that he considered the bid for the Grenfell Tower refurbishment a success, given that it was completed on budget. After a pause, Cook/Millett comments that he did not consider that much help to the inquiry, given the fate of the building.
The portion of the evidence given during the play gave an impression as depressing as it is unsurprising. The businesses involved in the maintenance of tower were wholly focused on squeezing profit out of the work, with very little attention paid to the interests or safety of the residents, the representatives of whom were dismissed in internal e-mails as 'trouble makers' when they raised concerns. The answers of many of the witnesses indicated surprise that they would have any responsibility for fire safety, raising the question of what they were doing to earn their enormous fees. The banality of the corruption is shown in vacuous e-mail exchanges and in missing minutes.
It is testament to the editing that some of the key themes of the inquiry, coded in technical language such as 'value engineering' can be picked up by an audience without a specialist background. It would be wonderful if the play managed to add momentum to the tortuous progress of the various Grenfell investigations. But in any case, it serves as a skillful and sorrowful exploration of the class structure that allowed 72 people to die in such a shocking fashion.
October 28, 2021
Review- The bloody chamber and other stories
The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories by Angela CarterMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is a wonderful collection of stories, loosely based on fairy tales. The writing is sumptuous and extravagant throughout (in a good way), of the type that can make one loose the thread of the story, as some paragraphs demand to be instantly re-read. The predominant themes are transformations, particularly into animals, and sublimated or suppressed sexuality. A prime example is the fantastic 'The Tiger's Bride', in which a man loses his daughter to a 'beast' in a game of cards. The beast says that he will return the woman if she will only allow him to see her naked, setting off a passive aggressive, implicitly sexual game between them.
Most of the stories have a wild, violent tone, but others are fun and fast paced. Carter's version of puss-in-boots has the titular protagonist as a highly knowing, wily companion to a rakish man, who cynically schemes to fulfill his master's desire to be with a married woman (although even this story has its sinister moments, as when a murder is casually excused in a subordinate clause).
Several of the stories are told from a female perspective (including a female Dracula), and there is a feminist undertone throughout, although it is very subtle. Only the tone is apparent; this is a text that would undoubtedly repay a close literary analysis. The author's focus on and love of language is plainly apparent, and it makes the book a pleasure to read.
I would strongly recommend this collection to anyone who enjoys fairy tales, or just good writing.
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October 27, 2021
Review- Tim Minchin encore tour
Tim Minchin recently performed his encore tour at the Birmingham hippodrome, and he proved as entertaining and as high energy as ever. Playing before a sympathetic crowd, he performed a mixture of old and new material, including crowd favourite 'thank you god', which went down very well.
This was the first occasion I've seen him live, and one of the more notable aspects of the performance was the skill and versatility of his band, the members of whom played a variety of instruments, including the piano when Minchin was singing.
As always, Minchin delivered a dose of skepticism with his comedy; he's the only stand comedian I know who mentions empiricism. However, none of that gets in the way of the jokes, which were good and carried by Minchin's undoubted presence and charisma. His music is good, but I'm not sure I'd like to listen to it outside of his delivery. The Hippodrome felt like a great venue for him, large but also intimate enough for his visual jokes to work.
One can only hope that there will not be such a gap before his next tour.
This was the first occasion I've seen him live, and one of the more notable aspects of the performance was the skill and versatility of his band, the members of whom played a variety of instruments, including the piano when Minchin was singing.
As always, Minchin delivered a dose of skepticism with his comedy; he's the only stand comedian I know who mentions empiricism. However, none of that gets in the way of the jokes, which were good and carried by Minchin's undoubted presence and charisma. His music is good, but I'm not sure I'd like to listen to it outside of his delivery. The Hippodrome felt like a great venue for him, large but also intimate enough for his visual jokes to work.
One can only hope that there will not be such a gap before his next tour.
October 19, 2021
Review- I, Robot
I, Robot by Isaac AsimovMy rating: 2 of 5 stars
I found this book to be readable, but I was disappointed, given the reputation of the author. The book consists of nine short stories, loosely connected by characters, events, and themes, and introduces the 'three laws of robotics', which underpins most of the plots.
The stories are short and well paced, but often feel lacking in depth. Most of the tales revolve around a robot acting in a strange way, which prompts an investigation from engineers working at 'US Robotics', involving lots of speculation about the nature of the three laws, followed by an implausible leap of logic, where one of the characters infers the robot's motivations from a small detail. They are fun jaunts, but the world building feels lacking, with the social mores of 1950s America replicated into a bland future. Some aspects of the robots make little sense, such as their description as 'nervous' on occasion, and their ability to be analyzed by a 'robophychologist'. It feels like a lack of imagination to suggest that sentient robots would be deficient humans, rather than having traits and ways of thinking of their own.
The characterization also feels flat in places. Continuing the 1950s theme, almost all the characters are men, and are largely indistinguishable. Dr Susan Calvin features in several of the stories, with a repeated focus on her 'plainness'. She is weirdly passive aggressive, speaking little during most of her conversations, before making a cutting remark, or mysteriously identifying the reason for the latest robotic malfunction. Her appearance often seems somewhat false and out of place; given how she acts, it seems remarkable that she has reached her high ranking post.
All in all, this book was too much of its time for me to enjoy it much. I'll be unlikely to try Asimov again.
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October 12, 2021
Review- The killer question (play)
Recently, Just Some Theatre (https://www.justsometheatre.net/) performed The Killer Question in the Arena theatre, Wolverhampton. With three characters in an intimate location, the play concerns an elderly man who is obsessed with winning a quiz show using his knowledge of murder, his passive wife, who has helped him prepare over a number of years, and a police inspector who investigates them.
The play got off to a somewhat odd start, in which the troupe ask the audience to vote for which actor should play which part. The fourth wall was not broken again during the performance, making the opening sequence in which the actors introduced themselves feel overly scripted.
The play itself felt 'theatrical' in a less than positive way, with the actors speaking like act-ors throughout, and many of the set-ups and plot points feeling contrived.
At almost two hours, the play felt too long for the material, although there were some jokes good enough to raise a smile, and enough ambiguity for one to wish to see how it would end, although I was not too unhappy when it did.
All in all, it was okay. It felt too close to student threatre to be truly entertaining, but... it was okay. Without repeating oneself a third time, there is little more to say.
The play got off to a somewhat odd start, in which the troupe ask the audience to vote for which actor should play which part. The fourth wall was not broken again during the performance, making the opening sequence in which the actors introduced themselves feel overly scripted.
The play itself felt 'theatrical' in a less than positive way, with the actors speaking like act-ors throughout, and many of the set-ups and plot points feeling contrived.
At almost two hours, the play felt too long for the material, although there were some jokes good enough to raise a smile, and enough ambiguity for one to wish to see how it would end, although I was not too unhappy when it did.
All in all, it was okay. It felt too close to student threatre to be truly entertaining, but... it was okay. Without repeating oneself a third time, there is little more to say.
Review- Autism in adults
Autism in Adults by Luke BeardonMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
In this kind and thoughtful book, Luke Beardon gives an overview of common features of autism, always explaining the terms he uses with both care and clarity. What was particularly welcoming was his distance from a medical model that focuses on 'disorder' and limitations. In fact, the author details common characteristics of autistic people in a positive light, focusing on tendencies towards honesty and logic, for example.
As an overview of the topic, a corrective to myths surrounding autism, and a discussion of suitable terms to use when discussing neurodiversity, this is a great book.
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October 10, 2021
Review- Entangled Life
Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds & Shape Our Futures by Merlin SheldrakeMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
This book by Merlin Sheldrake (winner of the best named man competition five years running), is very interesting in places, although also uneven in tone and structure. The author's enthusiasm for fungi is plainly evident, sometimes to a (possibly intentional) humorous extent, as when he opens one of the chapters with a description of himself being buried in decomposing wood chips. The book makes a strong case for the study of fungi being fundamental to a full understanding of the natural world, and of mycology being an under studied topic.
As someone with little knowledge of the subject, I found much of the information fascinating. For example, Sheldrake describes how fungi was fundamental to the evolution of plant life, both in its role in creating soil, and by the symbiotic relationships fungi formed with early plants, which lacked a root structure. That symbiotic relationship has become so embedded that the boundary between fungi and plants is no longer clear. Fungi have also developed close relationships with the animal kingdom, both symbiotic, in the form of insects helping to farm fungi, and parasitic, for example, in instances where fungi can 'possess' the body of ants and force them to release spores, as part of fungi's reproductive cycle.
As a popular science book, Entangled Life does a very good job of fitting these facts into the wider framework of biology. However, a few things distract from the subject matter. Firstly, the book's structure is very disjointed, and I wonder whether it would have benefited from better editing. Long passages are devoted to the eccentricities of particular scientists and fungi enthusiasts, and to the author's experiences. I found myself skipping some pages in order to create a more coherent narrative.
Secondly, Sheldrake has a fascination with hallucinogenic drugs, following a long and boring literary tradition (inevitably, Aldous Huxley is referenced). When people take LSD, so I'm told, they think that their brain becomes more connected with nature, and they feel more creative. Lovely. This is even the case for 'stone-cold materialists and atheists', although why people with those beliefs are more significant is not explained. They also feel the need to speak about the subject at length. These passages are all very boring, and bollocks. The fact that people feel nice after taking drugs doesn't tell us anything other than about how human psychology can be influenced. People can also hallucinate when their brains are starved of oxygen, or if are starving. So what?
All in all, this is an uneven book. I learnt a lot from some sections, and am certainly interested in finding out more about mycology. On the other hand, many of the digressions and speculations were just annoying, and could even, in the wrong hands, provide a justification to pseudo science. Although the author collated some interesting facts, I may choose to develop my knowledge of them elsewhere.
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October 9, 2021
Review- BRB's Romeo and Juliet
The Birmingham Royal Ballet is now back where it should be- in the Hippodrome- and the performance of Romeo and Juliet was a welcome return show.
Beatrice Parma starred as Juliet, and there was an interesting emphasis placed on Juliet's youth, with a scene in which she playfully argues with her nurse over ownership of a doll. This sense was further heightened by the fact that Parma is much shorter than Mathias Dingman's Romeo, creating a sense that the romance is unequal (which, of course, in terms of the ages of the characters, it is). Furthermore, the performance ends with the death of the lovers, rather than the reunion of the families, emphasizing the sadness of the tragedy.
The sets, dancing, and costumes were up to the fine quality that one expects of the BRB, and it was pleasing to see the threatre almost sold out. Hopefully, both the Hippodrome and the BRB have survived Covid without long term harm.
Beatrice Parma starred as Juliet, and there was an interesting emphasis placed on Juliet's youth, with a scene in which she playfully argues with her nurse over ownership of a doll. This sense was further heightened by the fact that Parma is much shorter than Mathias Dingman's Romeo, creating a sense that the romance is unequal (which, of course, in terms of the ages of the characters, it is). Furthermore, the performance ends with the death of the lovers, rather than the reunion of the families, emphasizing the sadness of the tragedy.
The sets, dancing, and costumes were up to the fine quality that one expects of the BRB, and it was pleasing to see the threatre almost sold out. Hopefully, both the Hippodrome and the BRB have survived Covid without long term harm.
