sábado, 29 de agosto de 2015

JULIETTE BINOCHE PLAYING ANTIGONE




GIVE ME AN "A" FOR ANTIGONE

Antigone owns the power to disobey the law. She is a woman of great strength and will. Family is more important than the State, so that she decides to give his brother, Polynices, a honourable burial. 

Creon, the new ruler of Thebes after Oedipus, will not let it happen and after being reported about Antigone's behaviour the punishment is irreversible.


WHAT ABOUT THE PLAY?

When you watch the play, as I did at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, something bitter goes over your body. You cannot explain if you liked it or not, if you understood everything or not, the only thing you can say is: I WILL NEVER FORGET THIS PLAY!!! And you don't know why, maybe it has opened a door in your unconscious, something which is deep inside. It's a play of Jung's Archetypes, these which define human's nature, after the well-known psychiatrist. 

It makes you think, but what does it make you think about? About the power, the power in general, the will, the strength, the neccesssity of expression as humans, about love and about wrong decisions made by those who own the power. Life is more important than any other things and we are alive, and so is Antigone until she's punished.

At the beginning you see Juliette Binoche as Antigone in a completely pain after his brother's death. She is determined to bury him and nothing will change her desire. No sun shining yet. Antigone is giving his brother a honourable burial.

A bright sun lightens the stage, sending energy not only to the characters but also to the audience. And then all the other characters as if they were a sort of chorus, but without intention of being such a thing, make their appearance and talk, discuss about Antigone's behaviour against the law. Creon is determined to punish her, though his son Haemon, engaged to Oedipus' daughter, is strongly against his father.

The decision is already taken, Antigone will be buried. The law wins the battle against family love. Juliette Binoche as Antigone lie as a dead body where his brother lied before. 

Life is not what it seems, those who break the law must die. But the Gods also punish these ones who took wrong decisions as Creon did. Nobody goes away from their fate. Creon didn't listen to the elders so that he will end up his days in pain and sorrow. 

Don't expect a classic performance as the story is told in a contemporary way. The setting is an office as if life was a business in Creon Kingdom. The only way to appeal for life is the bright sun which connects us with the main essence of being alive: the sun which gives us power to carry on. But when this sun hides then the misfortune arrives and there is nothing to do against the Gods. 

If you would like to watch the full play at the Barbican, there is only one way you can do it, by clicking on this link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b05sj2j6 . WHAT IS THE PROBLEM? If you aren't an UK resident or you are not living in the UK, the system will not let you in. 

So far the play has already ended, but I hope they will be doing it again and you can watch it!!!




JUST LET THE PLANE TAKE OFF, AND LET IT FLY HIGH




viernes, 28 de agosto de 2015

FASSBENDER'S FANS WILL BE IN TEARS!!!




Not only because it's one of Shakespeare's classics but also because it's being performed by one of the most valued and well-known actors in the Hollywood business so far. Co-starring with Marion Cotillard this film is gonna make Michael Fassbender's fans year. And I think it's gonna make my year too. Can't wait to buy a ticket to enjoy it!!! 

BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH is a man of 'coincidences'

COINCIDENCES MAKE LIFE FUNNIER

Let's go back in 11 years time, 2004. What was going on with Benedict Cumberbatch at that time? Well, the thing is that he was filming Hawking for the BBC.



There are two funny things in this story. The first one is that this year he was competing against Eddie Redmayne (the gorgeous ginger) to win the Oscar. And voilà, the gorgeous ginger's character was the famous physician Sthephen Hawking, the same role Benedict played in the past for the BBC. I cannot believe how annoying this must be: having played the same role and not winning the Oscar because it's given to an actor whose character you played, quite amazingly, in the past. This is the first coincidence. Maybe Benedict was happy for his fellow or maybe not. We'll never know. The only thing we know is that both actors were very committed in their roles. However, I choose Eddie Redmayne because he made me cried my eyes out and though the story was too romantic for me, the guy is just amazing.

The second funny thing is that his character in the BBC production, Hawking, was going to a play with his love, Jane. And voilà, what was the play Benedict Cumberbatch was watching? As it couldn't be different, it was the prince of Denmark, HAMLET itself. Benedict as Hawking was leaning forward his seat, quite amazed by the show....Did he know he would be playing HAMLET at the Barbican with a huge repercussion in social media 11 years later? We will never know; maybe he wanted to and when he was offered the role he remembered the Hamlet he saw as Hawking and thought: 'this time I will be a bloody good Hamlet'...

He didn't win the Oscar but he's making his year with Hamlet!!! Well done...


JUST LET THE PLANE TAKE OFF, AND LET IT FLY HIGH

jueves, 27 de agosto de 2015

BAKKHAI (ALMEIDA THEATRE, LONDON)

 GIVE ME A 'B' FOR BAKKHAI (A NEW VERSION BY ANNE CARSON)

http://www.almeida.co.uk/whats-on/bakkhai/23-jul-2015-19-sep-2015

Ben Whishaw as Dionysos


O Thebes! garland yourself
in all the green there is-
ivy green,
olive green,
fennel green,
growing green,
yearning green,
wet sap green,
new grape green,
green of youth and green of
branches,
green of mint and green of
marsh grass,
green of tea leaves, oak and pine,
green of washed needles
and early rain,
green of weed and green of oceans,
green of bottles, ferns and apples,
green of dawn-soaked dew and
slender green of roots,
green fresh out of pools,
green slipped under fools,
green of the green fuse,
green of the honeyed muse,
green of the rough caress of ritual,
green undaunted by reason
or delirium,
green of jealous joy,
green of the secret holy violence
of the thyrsos,
green of the sacred iridescence
of the dance-
and let all the land of Thebes dance!
with Dionysos leading,
to the mountains!
(Anne carson, Bakkhai)


When you read Bakkhai you deepen into human's nature, you recognise the anger of the God, the miserable decisions of the king...Then you feel that Euripides was not that far away from men's behaviour. It's the struggle between the conscious and the unconscious: human degradation until its last consequences.

Then you feel the chorus in its lines. You hear the sound of their voices, the vibration of their togas, the dance, the joy, the fear, while shouting Bakkhai. And there you are, sitting on your couch reading a classic. But...the good thing comes when you are given a chance to watch a classic converted into a contemporary production in London; there begins the magic trick!!!

Referring to the production I would say, it's impeccable. Nothing out of place, though the setting is not the Epidaurus Theatre and the characters don't look like the ancient men in Greece. And why? Because it's something contemporary, something that will be able to touch the audience from the 21st century. The story is told in all senses and there is not a possibility of misunderstanding. As I said before, everything in its right place. 

The three main characters, Ben Whishaw (as Dionysus, the God), Bertie Carvel (as Pentheus, the King) and Kevin Harvey (as Cadmo, the old founder of Thebes) are just stunning, specially in their bodies and their voices. The way they move on stage, their confidence as playing their characters make one lean forward the seat. 

Kevin Harvey can play an old man without hesitating, all his body is committed, his voice is even better, his shaking doens't let you go away from the story. He's a real old man because he's playing the truth on stage. Nothing is fake on his manners, his movements, even his feelings. Despite not being an old man he does it with such a facility that encourages an actor in progress (in this case actress like me) to be working all the time non-stop.

Bertie Carvel is another thing, in the good way I mean. As Pentheus, the King, he plays amazingly, but what about Pentheus dressed up as a woman? OMG, he's even better. He seems to like it, to enjoy the fact of being a woman as probably Pentheus did. 

Ben Whishaw is Ben Whishaw, I mean, how could I make a critic on such a well-known actor? It wouldn't be fair. He's good, quite good in fact. His movements made me think of the asexual angels. As a God it could be, but we know that Greek Gods were created as promiscuous creatures. I dare to say that Ben Whishaw was fantastic but I would choose the other two in this production.

And what to say about the chorus? It's impossible to do such a great job. I know more or less how a chorus works as I've been doing a little bit of training in that and it's such a hard work...it requires practise and practise and more practise and even practising there is no way to do something decent. However these ten women were.....I have no words to describe it!!! I'd say SUPERB. I never have favourites in a chorus but the one I couldn't stop staring at was Amiera Darwish, as I could see a truly commitment in every movement, every word she said.

If you have the opportunity to go and watch it, don't lose it; it's worth it. The main problem could be the price, as it's £38. However if you are students you can get a half price ticket, so make sure you have your student card with you. In my case I had to pay £38 as all the tickets for students were sold out, but I'll never regret it!!!



JUST LET THE PLANE TAKE OFF, AND LET IT FLY HIGH
  


We know we are looking at a set, at an actor; but we allow ourselves to see the setting, the character...

A LITTLE BIT INTO BAKKHAI

Pentheus being ripped off by the wild women


Before getting into the new version of BAKKHAI by Anne Carson, I'd like to go back in time, a few years ago, maybe a few centuries and bring if not the essence, but some of the aspects that make this last play by Euripides one of the most acclaimed.

BAKKHAI was Euripides last work for the stage and it was performed in Athens a long, long time ago, at about 405 BC.

BAKKHAI shows the two opposite sides of man's nature: the rational and civiliced side, which takes part in men's decisions but also the instinctive side which can be useful at taking decisions sometimes (and why not, it is, really...but only sometimes)

One thing that gives BAKKHAI a distinctive position among all the greek plays is the fact that the chorus is integrated into the plot and the God is not a distant presence, because he is one of the characters, he is, without doubt, the protagonist.


ECSTASY, TERROR, BACCHAE

1. There comes Dionysius, telling the story of his life and how he is the son of Zeus and Semele, though the citizens don't believe he's a God, specially Semele's sisters . He has disguised as a mortal and has led all the Thebes women into the mountains to observe his ritual festivities. All the women have become mad.

2. An all-female chorus takes part as soon as Dionysius leave the stage, singing and dancing. Ans they will be a presence in the entire play.

3. The dionysian feasts are taking place, Cadmus and Tiresias seem to join it, when Pentheus, the Thebes king, appears and intends to capture everyone, Dionysius included (who he doesn't recognise as the God is dressed up). Pentheus is against these feasts.

4. Later a sheperd comes down from the mountains and reports that he found women up on the hills behaving in a strange way. Pentheus wasn't sure about that fact, now he knows more about what's going on with Thebes women.

5. Pentheus gets angry and intends to kill all the women, but Dionysus persuades him to disguise as a woman and observe what's happening. Of course, Pentheus doesn't realise that the man (or semi-human) giving the advice is not other than Dionysus.

6. Pentheus, the Thebes king, agrees and dressed up as a woman climbs the mountain. The king, being betrayed by the same Dionysus, is captured by the wild women who confuse him with a lion.

7. Pentheus is killed by all the women, including his mother Agave. Agave, the woman whose womb carried Pentheus once, is the one who carries his son's head down to the city as a trophy.

8. Everything is misfortune for the royal family, now broken into pieces. Agave gets mad while trying to reassemble Pentheus' corp together. Now her son is dead, she killed him.

9. Dionysus' revenge has taken place. Nobody will question his divinity anymore!!!


 "A great part of the thrill of BAKKHAI is its unusual self-reflectiveness: the 'meta' quality of its reflections on how the theatre works. All of us, when we attend the theatre, are seeing double-seeing, as Pentheus does under Dionysus' spell, 'two suns, two cities og Thebes'. we know we are looking at a set, at an actor; but we allow ourselves to see the setting, the character" (Bakkhae: Ectasy and Terror. D. Mendelsohn, 2014)




JUST LET THE PLANE TAKE OFF, AND LET IT FLY HIGH




ALMEIDA GREEKS (Almeida Theatre, London)


This morning I got up and I had the beautiful soundtrack of this trailer for the three ALMEIDA GREEKS in my head so I thought, let's post about BAKKHAI in the afternoon!!!
And so will be!!!
There will only be good words for such an inspiring play writen by Euripides.
JUST LET THE PLANE TAKE OFF, AND LET IT FLY HIGH

miércoles, 26 de agosto de 2015

Every mom is proud of their children

'BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH IS A BLOODY GOOD HAMLET'- says mom


I couldn't go to bye-byes without sharing this news referring to how proud a mum can be of her child, specially if he's a star like BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH. And, of course, he is playing one of Shakespeare's most famous plays, the one which Sir Laurence Olivier played long time ago!!!

"He is a bloody good Hamlet". And why not? I had the chance to see him in the Barbican, and YES, for all saints, he is stunning. I hope one day my mum says the same...


"A BLOODY GOOD HAMLET" SAYS THE PROUD MOM!!!


More stuff about Hamlet played by Benedict Cumberbatch (Barbican Theatre, London) in future posts. 


JUST LET THE PLANE TAKE OFF, AND LET IT FLY HIGH




Playing 1984

CHALLENGES OF PLAYING 1984


As a future actress (an actress in progress...) I dare to say that playing on stage is not easy at all. You need concentration more than anything at all; you need to be with your partner, listening to everything he/she gives you and, of course, you have to be with the audience. For all these reasons, being an actor is as hard as other professions in the world. IT'S NOT AN EASY JOB!!!

So, I'd say that playing 1984 requires all these competences. But of course, the most difficult task for an actor in this field is the combination of both playing on stage and being filmed at the same time. BUT WHY? BECAUSE there is nothing more annoying than shifting from one code (the theatre one) to another (the filming/cinema one).

Being on stage requires a different presence, more expression as people from the last row want to enjoy the play as those lucky ones in the first row. The actor's body needs to be more active, a little bit more than in real life. That's not a big problem but....what happens when your character is being filmed and your face appears on a big screen at the same time you're kissing the woman of your dreams in your own room? Here the actor has to face the challenge!!! 

Changing easily from a big amount of energy to a little bit less is terribly hard. Now the expression is in the eyes but not entirely in the body. And this is a great challenge, for sure it is!! We also have to add all the hectic environment, the noises that bring a total paranoia in room 101. 

Here I can say that Matthew Spencer, and of course the rest of the cast, but specially him and his female partner, face this challenge with sublime perfection!!! WELL DONE!!! 

 
Matthew Spencer as Winston Smith


1984 Playhouse Theatre, London.




'GIVE ME A 1 FOR 1984'

AT THE PLAYHOUSE THEATRE (LONDON)


When I got up this morning I thought, 'WHY NOT STARTING WITH HAMLET, STARRING BENEDICT CUMBERBACH AT THE BARBICAN? Then I realised that I want to leave that post for another time, when I feel more confident in this new blogger world.

So here I come with a fantastic play based on the novel by the same name: 1984 (by the talented and famous writer George Orwell). I'll try to answer some questions that could be of interest in case you're in London (the city by the Thames river, the 'land of dreams', the 'field of poetry', the grass where Shakespeare spread his ink with tender and passion) and you're thinking about watching it or you're not in the city yet but you'd like to spend a weekend as a Theatre Alcoholic. 

  • Why did I watch this play? 

When I go to a play, where I'll be spending two or more hours of my life, I always make this question to myself. 
Well, in this case, the answer is simple: my lovely and amazing host recommended it to me!!!
That first day in London I was a little bit lost as there are so many places to go and things to do that I found hard to choose something interesting. 
Fortunately, my host, who has become a friend now and who encouraged me to start with this blog, was right. THE PLAY IS SUPERB!!!
So, as a conclusion, I bought a ticket for 1984 because someone recommended it to me. It's something that happens sometimes and it can be worth it. In this case it really was...!!!

What to do in other cases? Of course, in other cases, the best thing to do is to explore the different plays going on and read the reviews. TimeOut (theatre section) is a good page to be sure of that.



  • What about the play?

You enter the Playhouse Theatre and some of the lines you read in George Orwell's novel come to your mind. You start thinking about the Big Brother, the opression, the political control and about how the world has changed. Then you sit down and the show starts. You lean forward on your seat and get ready to enjoy the play!!!

A big screen at the top of the stage showing Winston's diary, where he writes his lines. His hands being filmed at the same time he writes 1984 on a piece of paper. Then all the lights turn off and the room where he was on his own becomes crowded...Then the Dystopia starts!!!

The Big Brother controls everything. Each movement, each meeting, each word out of context but it doesn't stop Winston falling in love with Julia, a rebel who wants to DAMN THE BIG BROTHER!!!



The impression of being in two different worlds, in two paralel realities gives you the sense of not being free, of being stuck in the same place all the time, an eye on your shoulder doesn't give up looking at you. A hectic reality, flashbacks, rebelions, repeated situations...all in one play. And GOOSE-BUMPS assured!!!

The walls opening up (showing the reality behind them, the TRUTH maybe), the strong rebelion ( and Winston's torture are so powerful that your eyes will keep wide open  without any doubt. So if you're one of those people who tend to fall asleep in the theatre, you'll not this time. 

Robert Icke and Duncan Macmillan did a wonderful job by co-writing and directing this new version of 1984. The combination of playing on stage and in front of a camera which films some of the character's actions makes the audience experience the contradiction of what's real and what's not, let them think about how much the Media takes control in their/our lifes. Even a tender kiss taking place behind the stage wall can be filmed. WHERE IS THE PRIVACY THEN?  

Maybe there's no privacy any more in our lifes. Maybe we're being puppets in the middle of nowhere, being tortured unconsciously, being damaged without an explanation, being controled by the Big Eye. But MAYBE, we can change it!!!


  • Information of interest

I didn't want to spoil the play by giving too much information, cause I think you have to experience it by yourselves. I only dare to give you some tips about what you should do in case you'd like to watch it!!!

1. THE NOVEL BY GEORGE ORWELL: If you didn't read the novel yet it's time to do it. It's easier to understand the play. Make it your bedside table book!!! (However you don't need to, but it's a very interesting book)



2. HOW TO GET TO THE PLAYHOUSE THEATRE?: The nearest tube station is Enbankment, but you can also get off at Charing Cross. You can find more details in this link:


3. THE BEST WAY TO GET TICKETS: I guess that you'd like to watch as much theatre as possible by spending a small amount of money. Here comes my recommendation (there are different ways to get the best tickets):
     (It's gonna be cheaper. I couldn't manage it cause my credit card       was not working, so that I had to find another way) 

  • Go to a box office: you'll find many box offices around Leicester square or Picadilly where you can find bargains (However, I would say there are better options, so leave it for the end, when you start feeling desperate...)

  • Go to the Playhouse Theatre and try to get cheap DAY TICKETS or RETURN TICKETS: this is, for sure, the best option. Go to the theatre about half an hour before the show starts and answer for day tickets, they are the best price ones. You'll not spend more than £15 if you succeed. And £15 for a west end show is more than worth it!!! 



The thing is, HOW DID I SUCCEED? Well, I got the tickets in a box office in Leicester Square, so that I spent a little bit more (£22), because I was not into this world yet. If I had known that I could have got day tickets I'd have saved £7.



And here I am, after watching the play!!! 
MÁS FELIZ QUE UNA PERDIZ, as we say in Spanish...


More posts about other plays will come soon. Keep an eye on them!!!



JUST LET THE PLANE TAKE OFF, AND LET IT FLY HIGH



lunes, 24 de agosto de 2015

LONDON PLAYS

A LIST OF INTERESTING PLAYS IN LONDON!!!


As I said in my recent post, being a Theatre Alcoholic requires a mixture of COMMITMENT, TIME and LUCK; it's more or less like life which also needs the three of them to be more interesting, isn't it?

Now comes a LIST that contains the plays I had the opportunity to watch during my stay in LONDON, the city by the Thames river, the 'land of dreams', the 'field of poetry', the grass where Shakespeare spread his ink with tender and passion.

THEATRE, THEATRE AND MORE THEATRE!!! 
  • 1984 (Playhouse Theatre)
  • Hamlet (Barbican Theatre)
  • As you like it (Shakespeare's globe)
  • Bakkai (Almeida Theatre)
  • The trial (Young Vic Theatre)
  • The curious incident of the dog in the night-time (Gielgud Theatre)
  • War Horse (New London Theatre)



Three plays of interest at the National Theatre:
  • Three days in the country (Lyttelton Theatre)
  • Everyman (Olivier Theatre)
  • The red lion (Dorfman Theatre)


If you want to know more about all the shows going on right now, you should have a look at TimeOut. Here I leave the link in case you'd like to have a look. Enjoy it!!!





Further information about each play will be provided in next posts. 
Pay attention to it!!!



JUST LET THE PLANE TAKE OFF AND LET IT FLY HIGH




THEATRE ALCOHOLIC

HOW TO DO YOUR BEST IN LONDON IF YOU ARE A THEATRE ALCOHOLIC!!!

SOME TIPS 
(FOR THE CITY OF LONDON OR ANY OTHER PLACE)


After my five weeks stay in LONDON, the city by the Thames river, the 'land of dreams', the 'field of poetry', the grass where Shakespeare spread his ink with tender and passion, I've realised that if you're a Theatre Alcoholic as I am there are a few tips I should give you to DO YOUR BEST AND WATCH AS MUCH THEATRE AS YOU CAN.


FIRST of all:


  • COMMITMENT: 


'Awillingness to give ​your ​time and ​energy to something that you ​believe in, or a ​promise or ​firm ​decision to do something' 



If you want to get something in life you need to be commited, otherwise it'll be hard to do your best. That's the reason why you should never give up and try to be extremely focused on your aim. DO YOU WANT TO WATCH AS MUCH PLAYS AS POSSIBLE? Then you have to try to be an strong-willed person, and should know that the only way to get your target is by putting all your energy in it, nothing else matters!!!


SECOND of all:

  • TIME:


'the ​part of ​existence that is ​measured in ​minutes, ​days, ​years, etc., or this ​process ​considered as a ​whole'


You can be as much commited as you like but if you don't try to get a little bit of time to work on your interest there's nothing to do. For this reason you need to get some space for yourself, specially if you are spending your stay with people who aren't interested in the drama stuff at all. 

Recommendation: I'd recommend you to be free from 5 or 6 pm every evening, so you'll have time to check the play you'd like to attend, read some of the reviews about it and, of course, queuing in case it's necessary.

Pay attention that sometimes it's better not to queue or get the tickets a few days in advance, as arriving ten minutes before the play can make your day. THE BEST TICKETS ARE SOLD AT THAT TIME!!!


THIRD of all:

  • BEING IN THE RIGHT PLACE AT THE RIGHT MOMENT (LUCK):


'the ​force that ​causes things, ​especially good things, to ​happen to you by ​chance and not as a ​result of ​your own ​efforts or ​abilities'


Not everything is as easy as it could be: sold out tickets or very expensive ones could make your will turn into ashes. That's the reason why sometimes it's a fact of luck more than anything else. But, never give up as all the things that happen in life have a reason to be like that. Maybe that day you don't get to watch the play you'd like to but find a small theatre or a tiny cinema where you can watch anything that makes you speechless.

However, I dare to say that if you work on your commitment and on your time you'll be lucky as hard work is the key of success!!!


NEVER GIVE UP!!! 
IF YOU'RE A THEATRE ALCOHOLIC YOU'LL HAVE PLENTY OF POSSIBILITIES.


Next posts will be related to all the plays I had the opportunity to watch in LONDON. And after that a brief commentary, all you can do to get cheap tickets and so on...



JUST LET THE PLANE TAKE OFF AND LET IT FLY HIGH.