27 November 2005
Went to the new Britten Midsummer Night's Dream at the ROH yesterday. One of the women at work, who has a very rich husband and so doesn't really have to work for a living, gave away her tickets because she couldn't make it.
The show is in all the Critic's Choice lists in all the quality papers but I didn't think it was all that. Let's face it - Britten isn't all that hummable. The production was sort of modernist in a sort of 50s sort of way but mostly looked like they didn't have a huge budget for costumes. There was a lot of neon lighting which is where the budget seems to have gone.
Good things about it (well, 'thing' about it):
Puck - he was some kind of circus performer who was very good at climbing ropes. I don't know this opera at all - but it seems weird to me that one of the main characters doesn't sing - but just speaks all his lines. I wonder if they sacrificed the singing for the visual interest. Probably a good thing as they really needed the visual interest. He was excellent.
The mechanicals weren't bad. But the mechanicals are really only funny the first time you see the play. After that it's all pretty contrived. Though would be good to see Johnny Vegas in the new BBC TV production playing Bottom.
Okay, the projections on the back screen weren't bad either.
Bad things about it:
Boy choir - sheesh. They could sing okay, but the acting and moving was atrocious. Choreography was really clunky and they looked like they thought it was. And the wings they had to put on halfway through for no reason that I can fathom must have filled them with joy when they saw them for the first time. Not.
Direction - all pretty contrived. Few nice moments but generally the choreography looked really forced and there doesn't seem to have been any direction for the acting. Just a few visual gags.
Music - sorry, Britten, but too avant garde for me. All my work companions left before the end. One left after 1st act because it was above her head. Two left after the 2nd act - firstly, because they thought it was over but when I pointed out that there was another third to go, they couldn't bear the thought of sitting through another hour. Plus, nobody knew what was going on till I explained it in the first interval. Even though the Dream is not the hardest of Shakespeare's plays to understand, if it's being sung through in a early 20th century modernist fashion and you don't know the story, it's almost entirely incomprehensible. Plus, the opera skips most of the first act, so you don't know who any of the characters are, or that Hermia and Helena are best friends, or who is in love with who, or who the Duke of Athens and Hippolyta are. Bizarre.
Altogether, this critic says - ill-conceived.
PS Just read a review which says that Puck is a spoken part. Ha, ha! I was wrong and am duly reprehended.
The show is in all the Critic's Choice lists in all the quality papers but I didn't think it was all that. Let's face it - Britten isn't all that hummable. The production was sort of modernist in a sort of 50s sort of way but mostly looked like they didn't have a huge budget for costumes. There was a lot of neon lighting which is where the budget seems to have gone.
Good things about it (well, 'thing' about it):
Puck - he was some kind of circus performer who was very good at climbing ropes. I don't know this opera at all - but it seems weird to me that one of the main characters doesn't sing - but just speaks all his lines. I wonder if they sacrificed the singing for the visual interest. Probably a good thing as they really needed the visual interest. He was excellent.
The mechanicals weren't bad. But the mechanicals are really only funny the first time you see the play. After that it's all pretty contrived. Though would be good to see Johnny Vegas in the new BBC TV production playing Bottom.
Okay, the projections on the back screen weren't bad either.
Bad things about it:
Boy choir - sheesh. They could sing okay, but the acting and moving was atrocious. Choreography was really clunky and they looked like they thought it was. And the wings they had to put on halfway through for no reason that I can fathom must have filled them with joy when they saw them for the first time. Not.
Direction - all pretty contrived. Few nice moments but generally the choreography looked really forced and there doesn't seem to have been any direction for the acting. Just a few visual gags.
Music - sorry, Britten, but too avant garde for me. All my work companions left before the end. One left after 1st act because it was above her head. Two left after the 2nd act - firstly, because they thought it was over but when I pointed out that there was another third to go, they couldn't bear the thought of sitting through another hour. Plus, nobody knew what was going on till I explained it in the first interval. Even though the Dream is not the hardest of Shakespeare's plays to understand, if it's being sung through in a early 20th century modernist fashion and you don't know the story, it's almost entirely incomprehensible. Plus, the opera skips most of the first act, so you don't know who any of the characters are, or that Hermia and Helena are best friends, or who is in love with who, or who the Duke of Athens and Hippolyta are. Bizarre.
Altogether, this critic says - ill-conceived.
PS Just read a review which says that Puck is a spoken part. Ha, ha! I was wrong and am duly reprehended.
Labels: theatre
Yet another homeware shop has opened up on Lordship Lane. This one is called Roullier White. It's so brand spanking new (opened yesterday) that it doesn't even have a mention on the world wide web. It's amazing how many variations on the nice and quirky things for the house theme you can have. East Dulwich is full of them. Roullier White sells contemporary smart porcelain China, books on the 101 ways to survive life theme, old fashioned toys, classic kitchenware, quality Egyptian cotton bedlinen and 'vintage' knick-knacks for the home. They probably need more variety/quantity of stock in the run-up to Christmas - but altogether a very nice shop.
Still haven't made it into the organic butcher's due to queues out the door.
The area is exploding onwards and upwards. Notice the ex-Haart site is already being turned into something new. Had a wander round Dr Boo (new girly shop next to Hope & Greenwood) and had a good browse through all the modern woman's girly stuff. Shop smells a bit funny though considering it's full of sweet-smelling emollients.
Now if only someone would open a really good Chinese or Malaysian caff and a SE Asian supermarket (and if I didn't have to earn a living) I would never have to set foot outside of East Dulwich ever again.
Am quite excited by the new Malaysian that's opening in S Ken though.
Still haven't made it into the organic butcher's due to queues out the door.
The area is exploding onwards and upwards. Notice the ex-Haart site is already being turned into something new. Had a wander round Dr Boo (new girly shop next to Hope & Greenwood) and had a good browse through all the modern woman's girly stuff. Shop smells a bit funny though considering it's full of sweet-smelling emollients.
Now if only someone would open a really good Chinese or Malaysian caff and a SE Asian supermarket (and if I didn't have to earn a living) I would never have to set foot outside of East Dulwich ever again.
Am quite excited by the new Malaysian that's opening in S Ken though.
Labels: east dulwich, shopping
21 November 2005
Ladurée has finally opened a branch in London! Hurrah! Went along to Harrods and partook of the macaroons. They really are the best I've ever had. The ones at Yauatcha and Sketch aren't a patch on theirs. Apparently the ones at Pierre Hermés are better, but I don't see how they possibly can be.
I had rose petal, lemon, salted caramel, chocolate, vanilla and pistachio. Yummmm! Shame they didn't have any berry-flavoured ones. Should have explored the shop a bit more - apparently it's beautiful, but I was distracted by the sweets.
I'm so happy. :) E brought some back from Paris for me (not Ladurée, but still mightily tasty), so it's been a bit of a macaroon fest this week.
Britain is in for a cold snap apparently. They are forecasting -11 degrees next week and snow. It'll be just like Germany.
I had rose petal, lemon, salted caramel, chocolate, vanilla and pistachio. Yummmm! Shame they didn't have any berry-flavoured ones. Should have explored the shop a bit more - apparently it's beautiful, but I was distracted by the sweets.
I'm so happy. :) E brought some back from Paris for me (not Ladurée, but still mightily tasty), so it's been a bit of a macaroon fest this week.
Britain is in for a cold snap apparently. They are forecasting -11 degrees next week and snow. It'll be just like Germany.
17 November 2005
Poor BB and his friends got accosted by a mad woman in a drug-induced rage at the weekend. They were coming back from Airsoft, when this woman cuts them up and bumps into them from behind. (Luckily, the poor car and they were fine). She storms out of her car, thumps on the driver window and shouts abuse and BB's friend, E. Then stomps back to her car and drives off.
At the next traffic lights, she stops again and stomps back to our car and shouts some more and then stomps off again.
At the NEXT traffic lights she overtakes, stops suddenly in front of them, causing them to bump into her, and then gets out, shouts somemore and starts banging the driver window again. E unwinds the window (rather unwisely I feel), at which point, she starts bitch-slapping him through the window. BB then gets out of the car and she starts shouting that she's going to 'f**king kill them' and that if she had a gun she'd shoot them all dead and that her family were gangsters and she knew our licence plate and would follow them home and get her family to kill them.
At this point BB calls the police. The mad woman then looks like she's going to drive away several times, but thinks better of it as they have her licence plate. When the police arrives, she starts accusing BB of hitting her and screaming and saying she's from Ghana and has no passport and all kinds of lunatic abuse.
At which point, some Chinese woman jumps out of her car and starts asking BB and friends for directions to Streatham Hill station. After receiving blank and rather bemused expressions from them, she then asks the police woman, who looks at her in pretty much the same way, before saying she'll deal with her later. The Chinese woman then flags down a black cab and gets her directions that way.
Back to mad woman - of course, she has no insurance. What a surprise. Police woman tells BB he should exchange details with mad woman. BB pretty much says 'no way' as a) she has no insurance so it's pointless and b) she's mad. So the police woman says if that they are happy to drive on then they can go. BB says, 'Isn't it an offence not to have insurance?'. The police woman says yes, but to leave that to her. Last thing they hear is mad woman offering the police the names of two crack dealers in exchange for letting her off.
What is the world coming to. I hope they deport her.
At the next traffic lights, she stops again and stomps back to our car and shouts some more and then stomps off again.
At the NEXT traffic lights she overtakes, stops suddenly in front of them, causing them to bump into her, and then gets out, shouts somemore and starts banging the driver window again. E unwinds the window (rather unwisely I feel), at which point, she starts bitch-slapping him through the window. BB then gets out of the car and she starts shouting that she's going to 'f**king kill them' and that if she had a gun she'd shoot them all dead and that her family were gangsters and she knew our licence plate and would follow them home and get her family to kill them.
At this point BB calls the police. The mad woman then looks like she's going to drive away several times, but thinks better of it as they have her licence plate. When the police arrives, she starts accusing BB of hitting her and screaming and saying she's from Ghana and has no passport and all kinds of lunatic abuse.
At which point, some Chinese woman jumps out of her car and starts asking BB and friends for directions to Streatham Hill station. After receiving blank and rather bemused expressions from them, she then asks the police woman, who looks at her in pretty much the same way, before saying she'll deal with her later. The Chinese woman then flags down a black cab and gets her directions that way.
Back to mad woman - of course, she has no insurance. What a surprise. Police woman tells BB he should exchange details with mad woman. BB pretty much says 'no way' as a) she has no insurance so it's pointless and b) she's mad. So the police woman says if that they are happy to drive on then they can go. BB says, 'Isn't it an offence not to have insurance?'. The police woman says yes, but to leave that to her. Last thing they hear is mad woman offering the police the names of two crack dealers in exchange for letting her off.
What is the world coming to. I hope they deport her.
Labels: London
11 November 2005
Some people moved in next door and have started banging about at 07:00 in the morning. I'm sure there are laws against this. If they do it tomorrow morning, I will take a sledgehammer to their wall.
10 November 2005
I had Korean food for the first time today. It was pretty tasty and kind of weird. I had kimchi, tofu and pork soup with rice. M-A had marinated grilled beef with mixed veg and rice. I liked it. Especially the chewy jelly-fishlike seaweed side dish.
Bought some flowers for the boss yesterday for her birthday from a very good florist around the corner from the office. The florist is very friendly and boy, does she like to talk. I managed to get out under 15 minutes but that is probably a record. Very beautiful flowers - red euphorbia, peach roses, red willow twigs and big black leaves. Apparently, the euphorbia will poison the other flowers if the water isn't changed regularly and I forgot to tell the boss. Oops.
Bought some flowers for the boss yesterday for her birthday from a very good florist around the corner from the office. The florist is very friendly and boy, does she like to talk. I managed to get out under 15 minutes but that is probably a record. Very beautiful flowers - red euphorbia, peach roses, red willow twigs and big black leaves. Apparently, the euphorbia will poison the other flowers if the water isn't changed regularly and I forgot to tell the boss. Oops.
Labels: food
5 November 2005
Received a letter from Alan Johnson, MP for Dept of Trade and Industry. This was in response to a letter that Tessa Jowell (my MP) sent to him because of an idle moment on the internet when I sent her a letter expressing my support for wind farms and renewable energy. I'm amazed.
Tessa Jowell had already sent me a letter telling me that she had forwarded my interest to the DTI, which already astounded me. Who would have thought that one's MP actually takes every single constituent's plea for attention seriously. They must be rushed off their feet as I have no doubt there are great hordes of people out there more than willing to fire off letters of discontent at the drop of a hat. It was signed personally and everything - not just pp-ed or stamped with her signature, although with the quality of printing these days it's hard to tell.
I'm not sure what all this letter writing has achieved - although apparently they will raise it as item 1-billion-and-something on the Government's mighty agenda. But as the correspondence comes on headed House of Commons stationery, I do look like I have friends in high places.
Tessa Jowell had already sent me a letter telling me that she had forwarded my interest to the DTI, which already astounded me. Who would have thought that one's MP actually takes every single constituent's plea for attention seriously. They must be rushed off their feet as I have no doubt there are great hordes of people out there more than willing to fire off letters of discontent at the drop of a hat. It was signed personally and everything - not just pp-ed or stamped with her signature, although with the quality of printing these days it's hard to tell.
I'm not sure what all this letter writing has achieved - although apparently they will raise it as item 1-billion-and-something on the Government's mighty agenda. But as the correspondence comes on headed House of Commons stationery, I do look like I have friends in high places.
Labels: being green, politics
2 November 2005
I don't know how some companies manage to survive when they are full of incompetent people manning them. Am arranging a complex two-day offsite for work with full days of meetings, dinners, accommodation etc for 25-30 people. We found out yesterday by sheer chance (just 48 hours before the conference) that the event manager in charge of our event left on Friday.
I spoke to her on Friday. There was no mention of this then.
I can only deduce she either:
1) knew she was leaving, but no one had the courtesy to tell us
2) was fired
3) quit
Whichever it was, this "4 star", quite famous hotel neither told us nor seems to have someone in place who knows what's going on with our function. I'm extremely p*ssed off.
On another note, our mouse is back. Winter must be setting in.
I spoke to her on Friday. There was no mention of this then.
I can only deduce she either:
1) knew she was leaving, but no one had the courtesy to tell us
2) was fired
3) quit
Whichever it was, this "4 star", quite famous hotel neither told us nor seems to have someone in place who knows what's going on with our function. I'm extremely p*ssed off.
On another note, our mouse is back. Winter must be setting in.
Labels: work
