Rev Stan's other stuff

Minimalift

Minimalift, originally uploaded by Rev Stan.

This lift scared me a bit. I was in a posh building in the City for a meeting and you choose your floor using a touch screen outside the lift. Once you are inside this is it. Open doors, close door. You got the wrong floor? Tough.

Theatre: Phedre and how it should have ended

I like a tragedy me and the ancient Greeks were a bit partial too hence why they wrote so many. But the tragic element to Phedre which playing at the National Theatre is well a little too ancient Greek for my taste.

Phedre at the National Theatre

For those unfamiliar with Phedre's story she is married to King Theseus who has disappeared, presumed dead. Phedre (played by Dame Helen Mirren) has long harboured a bit of a crush, ok she luurves him in a way only iambic pentameter can express, her step son Hippolytus (played by Dominic Cooper of The History Boys and The Duchess fame).
As hubby is thought dead she decides to confess to her feelings and is rejected. Then hubby returns and in an attempt to hide her incestuous confession tells him that Hippolytus came on the her. Now Daddy being quite angry banishes son but not before he invokes Neptune to curse him. Hippolytus meanwhile decides to confess his love to Aricia (Ruth Negga) whom his father has banned him from marrying and plans to run off with her. Phedre discovers Hippolytus is in love she falls into a jealous rage.
Now I thought I could tell where it was going from there (spoiler alert) knowing that Phedre and Hippolytus end up dead there surely had to be some sort of accidental/remorseful death or bloody incident akin to the ending of Hamlet.
Well no it's a Greek tragedy you see so Neptune does the dirty work and Hippolytus is attacked by some mysterious sea creature which smashes his chariot leaving him to be dragged to his death by his horses. Phedre, remorseful, confesses and poisons herself. Now Hippolytus's death is all off stage - as is the way with Greek tragedy apparently - and recounted by his servant. The tale is vividly and grippingly told but for me the fantastical element stymied any feeling of tragedy I might have had. Phedre does spend most of the play being melodramatic and hysterical so I wasn't to sorry to see her go.
If I'd have written it I would have had more on stage death for a start and the leads would have had a bigger hand in their own demise*.
All this implies that I didn't enjoy it when I did, very much. I was on the edge of my seat. Mirren deftly swung from morbid depression to hysteria and Cooper played Hippolytus with a steely cold aloofness that led some in my party to accuse him of a lack of spark with his leading lady but I disagree. His character is described by other characters as being driven and determined to the point that when he confesses his love to Aricia it is with the violence of someone whose expression of feeling is like a bottle of shaken champagne uncorked and then recorked again.
The stage was appropriately of Grecian time, not with adornments but the white/cream stone and rock so common in the countries ancient monuments. The passage of time was shown via the lighting which went from midday glare and heat cast sharp shadows through dusk and evening to a soft morning sunrise that was beautiful.
It's not my favourite play by any stretch of the imagination but it was entertaining and I'm tempted to buy a copy to read which is higher praise than most productions get.
Here are some others views:
Guardian: "The strength of Hytner's production is that Phèdre herself, in Helen Mirren's forceful performance, is not so much a victim of the gods as of an unconquerable erotic obsession."
West End Whingers: "Though with the National’s resources the Whingers of course would have preferred and expected to see the scene where his chariot is attacked by a giant sea monster"
Independent: "Everyone's very good. They're just all acting in something very bad, a thoroughly traduced and reverentially presented "classic"."

*Perhaps Phedre in her fit of jealousy could stab Aricia, Hippolytus discovers her dying and tries to strangle Phedre his father bursts in and catches him in the act and stabs his son in order to protect his wife. Phedre distraught that the object of her affection is dead confesses and kills herself. Leaving the King with a big dry cleaning bill and a bit sad that he killed his own son. What do you think?"

Hobbit latest

It seems David Tennant also thinks he is too tall to play a Hobbit also according to this story and no-one has even approached him about playing Bilbo in Guillermo del Toro's film.
My money's still on McAvoy or is it wishful thinking?

QotD: Lost Touch

Who have you lost touch with that you'd love to talk to again?

I pretty much answered this question with this post a few months ago.

Onion moon landing

You've probably already seen this but a colleague posted it on his work blog which I just saw today.� It made me laugh. Thanks Christian. (Not for people offended by the f-word)

Lost

Lost, originally uploaded by Rev Stan.

Saw this little chap sitting forlornly on the step outside where I work. Always makes me feel a little bit sad to see a lost toy, especially a rabbit - I had similar near misses with Bun Buns when I was a kid.
He was gone by lunch time so I hope he found his way back home.

America is Michael Jackson

A friend posted this on her facebook page and it made me chuckle.

Tennant vs Law: The Hamlet verdict

Despite my initial reservations about Jude Law playing Hamlet, I was actually quite excited by the time Tuesday arrived. So I settled in my front row seat (benefits of booking 18 months in advance) with Jen to one side and Spike's empty seat to the other* and it was show time.
And Law didn't disappoint. He played his Hamlet with an anger that had veins pulsating in his neck, sweat pouring down his brow and spit flying from his mouth (the one disadvantage of being on the front row when he is delivering a soliloquy at the front of the stage).

Jude-law-as-hamlet-002

His manic hand gesturing was a little too much at times but you can't fault him on clarity of delivery which is an achievement when some speeches can easily become incomprehensible rants. It was a moving performance especially when on a couple of occasions our eye-line matched and it was as if he talking just to me (I'm sure the actors see very little of the audience once the stage is lit up but it still feels good.)
And the rest of the production? Well Penelope Wilton nailed Getrude, Ron Cook as Polonius didn't milk the comedy in his part enough (although that may be partly down to cuts in his speeches) something the RSC did very well and Ophelia, played by Gugu Mbatha-Raw was the weakest link. Just didn't connect with the character at all. She was too sensible and straight in the first half to make her descent into madness in the second half believable. She has a beautiful sweet singing voice but I don't think that really suited someone who's properly lost their marbles.
There weren't as many theatricals in the production as the RSC's (cracking mirrors, playing king being hoisted up ghost like into the ceiling etc), the set of towering stone castle walls with huge sliding doors gave the stage a suitably cold and bleak feel and there was a shower of snow in one scene so convincing it made me shiver.
Michael Grandage, who directed, has trimmed the script back to make it shorter which I don't object to as I think Hamlet can be a little long.
But what is my verdict, Tennant/RSC or Law/Donmar? Sorry Law you were much, much better than I expected and very enjoyable to watch but I didn't come out of the theatre thinking I'd just seen something historic like Tennants.

And what did the pro's think?

Daily Telegraph: "Law...joins the modern pantheon of spellbinding sweet princes with a performance of rare vulnerability and emotional openness."
Guardian: "Law doesn't have the sardonic wit of David Tennant, or the philosophical fluency of Jamie Ballard in Jonathan Miller's recent Tobacco Factory production, but he makes a Hamlet who truly discovers himself."
West End Whingers: "The Whingers also found themselves getting very sad about their inability carry off a cardigan which Jude Law can do depressingly well." 

*Spike got stuck up in York where he'd been for work and because he had his ticket with him the box office couldn't resell it, which was frustrating not because of the money lost but because there was a long queue of people desperate for returns and it was such a good seat to waste. Fortunately a chap who'd been sitting somewhere up in the gods spotted the empty seat during the first half and snuck down during the interval and asked if he could take it. Jen and I were glad to oblige.:"

QotD: Houseguest Etiquette

What's one thing a houseguest should always do?

Arrive armed with a good bottle of wine.

My favourite song (and album) at the moment

This is the first track from Florence + The Machine's debut album Lungs and it immediately put a smile on my face and quickly became an earworm* much to my surprise. The whole album, in fact, just clicked on first listening and that doesn't happen very often. It's the only music I'm listening to at the moment, .
Enjoy.

01 Dog Days Are Over

Florence + The Machine

* earworm, for those unfamiliar as I was until recently, is a track that just gets into your head and is always playing.

QotD: Thirst-Quenching Beverage

How do you like to quench your thirst on a hot summer day?

Water. But if I'm feeling bad then an ice cold Pepsi Max. Don't tell my nutritionist she'd rather I had a spoon of sugar than a diet cola.

Finished for the day

Finished for the day, originally uploaded by Rev Stan.

Sunday afternoon cinema: Moon

I'm not massively into sci-fi but the trailers for Moon hooked me immediately. I'd heard it described as the thinking person's sci-fi. Now I wouldn't necessarily classify myself as a thinking person - I like mindless entertainment and trash telly just as much as something that stimulates the grey matter but I do have a preference for sci-fi that is a little bit clever and not too far removed from where we are now.

Moon ticks both these boxes.
It is set on the dark side of the moon, I know it sounds corny but put that to one side, where there is a company mining materials to create energy for the earth. The mining operation is run from a space station on the moon which has a staff of one, Sam Bell.
Sam has two weeks left of a three year contract before he returns to earth and his life with his wife and daughter but one day when he is out investigating a problem with some machinery he discovers a body that is his double.
Can't say any more than that about the story or the central issues because that would spoil it. But what I will say is that Sam Rockwell who plays 'Sam' is superb. He's one of those very good actors who seemingly goes about quietly making very good films and presumably this is why first time film maker Duncan Jones wrote the part especially for him.
I also liked the fact that the space station is spacey enough to be futuristic but not so clinical and full of whoosing doors and gadgetry as to make it unbelievable. Imagine Blade Runner crossed with Star Trek.
Shame on Empire Magazine for giving it one less star than Public Enemies because it is far more deserving of top marks. (Public Enemies should have been given three stars not five in my opinion)
Other reviews for Moon:
Guardian
Wired
Telegraph

Free performance outside the National Theatre

, originally uploaded by Rev Stan.

Bilbo rumours (edited)

Peter Jackson is denying rumours that he will be announcing who will play Bilbo in The Hobbit at Comic-Con but what is interesting is who is in supposedly in the running: Daniel Radcliffe, David Tennant and James McAvoy.
If it was up to me to choose from this trio this is how I'd rate them:

4/10 David Tennant
(BBC's Dr Who and my favourite Hamlet so far) Too tall and willowy for a Hobbit and I'm not sure he'd pull off the down to earthy, nature loving character that is inherent in a Hobbit.

7/10 Daniel Radcliffe
(Harry Potter and stage stripper) Well he is the right height (sorry that is a bit mean especially coming from someone who is also economically sized) but I think still a bit young. Mind you he's got dragon experience.

9/10 James McAvoy
(Atonement, Wanted etc) Nigh on perfect I'd say. He's not too tall and has the right build for a Hobbit. Think he's a good age to play Bilbo and I know I've said him before but I loved him as Mr Tumnus so he has fantasy genre experience.

Others I think should be considered are: Jim Sturgess although he is quite tall but has a face that I think would work as a Hobbit, Emile Hirsch is small of stature although I think he looks a little more elf-like. And finally Gael Garcia Bernal would be my wild card - think he would make a great Bilbo with a hint of latin energy. He's also short.

And funnily Entertainmentment Weekly has picked up on exactly the same issues. In their pole James McAvoy is coming out way ahead of the other two.

 

Pleasant evening in prospect

After a day cooped up on a training course (more online stuff with www.adam.vox.com doing an expert job once again) I've escaped to my favourite place for a stroll: South Bank.
It's warm and bright and I have an evening of theatre at the National ahead of me. The play is Black Album and is based on the Hanif Kureishi novel by the same name (hope I spelt his name correctly not on internet to check).
But first a bite to eat in the sun with Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince* - as is always the way with the books it has hooked its claws into me from the outset and I'm sure I'll devour it in a matter of days.

* want to see if my criticism of the film's plot changes and choices are justified

NB links added after original posting and I didn't much enjoy the play it couldn't decide what it wanted to be.

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince: a review

Anyone who has been in my company in the last week or two will know how excited I've been about the new Harry Potter film.
Bought my ticket over a month ago for a screening at the IMAX complete with the 'IMAX experience' ie 3D bits. And so today from work I dashed across Waterloo Bridge to join the crowds in high expectation.
But I'm sad to say it's the first one I've walked away from disappointed. Why?
*stop reading now if you don't like spoilers*
Well, it wasn't the fact that it wasn't a polished film. The acting was the best so far, the attention to detail on the sets ratcheted up even further and the special effects and especially the quidditch superb without being intrusive.
So what was it?

The Potter trio

Simply, they messed up the story. The love struck teenage stuff was very entertaining but it seemed at the expense of the Dumbledore/Harry/Voldemort/Draco storyline which is kind of the whole point.
And for once the film failed to produce a bang where the book normally produces a fizz, something that Warner Bros has been very good at in the past.
The dramatic tension in the Astronomy Tower showdown is played down - in the book Harry wants to fight back and Dumbledore is forced to stun him and cover him with his visibility cloak to protect him so he witnesses the whole thing but is powerless to stop it. In the film there is none of that.
The battle post Dumbledore's demise is a also a big part of what I remember about the book but apart from Bellatrix Lestrange smashing up the empty Great Hall a bit, it all seemed to be over very quickly and with little action. They didn't even deem it worthy of shooting in 3D which I think is telling. The IMAX experience instead is reserved for the opening scenes and I can't help feeling that, like my 3D specs, I was left dangling waiting for a bit more.
At this moment in time I'm not sure I'll go and see it again, as I usually do, but I probably will if only to see if I'm being a bit harsh.
The BBC has done a good round up of reviews at the bottom of its own review among them I think this one sums up my feelings the best and comes from a 15 year old reviewer in the Independent:

The Half-Blood Prince is frightening, funny, romantic and entertaining but as the end credits rolled, I still felt disappointed. I had waited all year to see my second-favourite Potter book brought to life. If I wasn't a die-hard fan, I'm sure I would have loved it. My gripe is that the film was simply too different from the book - the writers inserted pointless scenes and took out others crucial to the narrative.

QotD: Time Travel

If you could travel to any place and time for one week, where would you go?

I'm sure I've answered this question before but as I was thinking about this recently I'm going to answer it again.

The performance I missed

I wouldn't need a whole week but I would love to go back to London, April 2004 and see Ben Whishaw play Hamlet at the Old Vic.

I hadn't rediscovered the joy of theatre then and I've read so much about his performance that I would dearly love to go back in time and see it.

What fascinates me about it most is that he was a young actor playing Hamlet, which is so rare on the professional stage. Hamlet is supposed to be a 23-year old student but most often played by actors who are 30+ or sometimes pushing 40. Whishaw was 23 and fresh out of drama school.

Now there is nothing fundamentally wrong with older actors playing Hamlet but I think Whishaw's youth would have brought an interesting new angle to the performance. One review said:

Not only is this a masterful production but also we witness what will surely prove to be one of the most talked about performance’s of Hamlet for many a decade. 

As I've said, what I wouldn't give to have seen it and if I had a week I'd probably see it more than once.

Next week I'm getting my annual Hamlet fix at the Wyndham's Theatre. This time Jude Law is stepping into the Dane's shoes. I've already written quite a bit about my expectations so won't repeat but add that I've heard good things from colleagues who've been to see it,  so maybe I'm being a bit mean. We'll see.

Cookie baking here I come

How cute are these little cookie cutters?

Flower cookie cutters

I've just bought them to make these cute little biscuits in my new gluten/dairy-free baking cook book

Flower biscuits

Will hopefully get a chance to try them out tomorrow.

Skateboarder

Skateboarder, originally uploaded by Rev Stan.

And finally the skateboarders I mentioned previously.

Artist at work

Artist at work, originally uploaded by Rev Stan.

I love watching the graffiti artists at work in the space under the Purcell Rooms/Queen Elizabeth hall on the South Bank. The smell of the paint, the skill and artistry involved - it is an ever changing canvas.
And then there are the skateboarders...
More graffiti pics then scroll through my most recent upload at Flickr

Self portrait/reflection

Self portrait/reflection, originally uploaded by Rev Stan.

Had a lovely walk today this and probably what will follow are my favourite pics. (Rest are at Flickr as usual.)
This was just a snap shot taken through an office window near Vauxhall on the South Bank. The Office inside was bare apart from a huge mirror on the wall and a step ladder you can just make out. I love the effect it had.

Hurrah for holiday

Not only am I enjoying the second of a couple days off during which I've been to Stratford for my annual Shakespeare jaunt with Jen (more of that in a separate post) but I've also just received the info pack through for my yoga holiday in October.
I want to go NOW please.

Dalyan-Beach

Dalyan in Turkey this time as flights are a bit cheaper than Egypt where I went for my first yoga holiday. The hotel is on the edge of a nature reserve which includes a beach inhabited by turtles. I am going to have to get up early to see them at least once. And, because of the turtles, the beach is not a high-rise hotel hell-hole. Development is only allowed at either end and it takes an hour to walk one end to the other according to the pack. Just look at the picture which is courtesy of this website. Bliss.
Now I've got to get on with my yoga again, haven't really got back into it since my broken hand stopped me from practicing and I'm feeling very unsupple. Classes start in September too.

QotD: A Few of the Challenges I Face

What challenges stand in the way of your ideal lifestyle? How are you working to overcome them?
Presented by Intel, Sponsors of Tomorrow.

Not having the money. Buy a lottery ticket?

What is this and why is it here?

What is this and why is it here?, originally uploaded by Rev Stan.

'Communting is better at St Pancras'

'Communting is better at St Pancras', originally uploaded by Rev Stan.

Or so the sign in the station says. It wasn't technically rush hour either - maybe rush hour is a bit quieter???

Theatre-fest: The Cherry Orchard & A Doll's House

Cherry_orchard

Got a bit behind with scribbling down my thoughts on the plays I've seen recently. Well there has been two, both with stellar casts.
First The Cherry Orchard at the Old Vic whose cast included Ethan Hawke, Rebecca Hall, Simon Russell Beale and Sinead Cusack.
It was my second Chekhov and similar to Ivanov in that it's about the financial demise of Russian gentry. This time the central family tragically engineer their own demise through their own inactivity. Having said that there is a lot more humour in this one but the 'tragedy' I found quite frustrating rather than sad.
Nonetheless the actors gave an engaging performance and the evening flew by. And Mr Hawke? Well I think he whimped out a bit by opting to keep his American accent. You could just about justify it with his character being a bohemian teacher but it did stand out.
Must just add that had one of those lovely surprises when you think your ticket is good - about five or six rows back - only to arrive and find the stage has been extended and it is in fact the second row. Love it when that happens
And that was last week.
This week was A Doll's House at the Donmar. Now I booked these tickets about half a century ago and so managed to get the coveted front row. Coveted, by me anyway, because it means that you can walk across a bit of the stage to get to your seat leading to anecdotes such as 'oh yes I was on the stage at the Donmar with Ewan McGregor'. (It also means you can make a sharp exit for the loo at the interval thus avoiding the rather long queues).

Toby Stephens and Gillian Anderson

Anyway this cast included Gillian Anderson, Toby Stephens, Tara Fitzgerald and Christopher Eccleston (I'm working my way through the Dr Who's, that's three now)
It was my first Ibsen and is set over three days at Christmas-time and follows the unravelling relationship of a husband and wife. And that doesn't do it justice. It's been described as the first feminist play, although Ibsen always denied being a feminist, but it's subject matter was deemed so shocking in Victorian England that it was barely performed for the first ten years after it was written.
This version by Zinnie Harris has apparently been modernised a bit but not having anything to compare it to, I can't tell whether that is good or bad.
All I can say it that I was on the edge of my seat from start to finish. The performances were electric and the play thought provoking - I can certainly understand why this one is on the school english syllabus.
The play ends with a very emotional showdown between the dominant husband (Stephens) and mousey-wife (Anderson) and both actors looked visibly wrecked afterwards indeed Anderson looked like she could burst straight back into tears again. Had to pause to absorb it after the stage emptied and you can't get much better than that. And, you certainly can't say that about the last two plays I saw at the Donmar, which was a bit of a relief.
Oh and had to stumble past the queues of X-Files fans waiting for autographs on the way out.

 

And here are some other reviews from the pro's
The Cherry Orchard
West End Whingers
Guardian
Independent

A Doll's House
West End Whingers
Independent
Guardian

In memory of Michael Jackson

Yeh thanks Jackson fans. Now the National Gallery has these ugly hoardings up while they remove the 'tributes' scrawled there the day he died.

National Gallery gets de-tributed

Sunday afternoon cinema: Public Enemies

OMG how sexy is Johnny Depp in this film.
*sighs dreamily*
*Stares dreamily into the distance*
Oh the rest of the film? Well if you don't know the story it's about notorious depression era gangster John Dillinger played by Depp and the cop who eventually brings him down who is played by Christian Bale. The wonderful Marion Cotillard plays Depp's lover Billie.
Only Dillingers character is really allowed room to breath and develop while Bale's cop is fairly one dimensional. I couldn't help thinking, although to a lesser degree, of Bale's Batman to Heath Ledger's Joker and wonder whether he has doomed himself to playing the serious, sensible and slightly boring characters.
As a result the showdown between cop and robber is a bit of a damp squib. I was rooting for Dillinger (I confess I didn't know the story so believed he might outwit the law one last time) and the end seemed almost tragically disappointing but then you can't change history (too much).
It did bring a tear to my eye but on the whole it felt like a trick had been missed, well two if you count Billie which is a very underused character. Cotillard has such a strong screen presence that I wanted more of her and her relationship with Dillinger.
There was nothing fundamentally wrong with the film but neither was it fundamentally right. Apart from Depp of course. *sigh*

And this is what some of the professionals (and no doubt less influenced by the talents, aheam, of Mr Depp) thought of it
Daily Telegraph
Hollywood Reporter
Rolling Stone

QotD: Flattery Will Get You Everywhere

What's the best compliment you've received lately?

I like the way you rounded off that piece.

I was well chuffed.

Room for dessert?

Didn't someone say once you should never eat anything bigger than your own head?

Delicious paper masala dosa

But I did eat it, well as much as I could manage without exploding (it is a hollow cone: paper masala dosa) and it was delicious. If you are in London and fancy the same thing you can get them at the Catherine Street (WC2) branch of vegetarian South Indian restaurant Sagar. I imagine they serve them at their other branches too.

Barbed wit

These glorious insults are from an era before the English language got boiled down to the baseness of 4-letter words and I wish I had an ounce of this sort of wit. Some are quite famous so apologies if you've read them before.

The exchange between Churchill & Lady Astor: She said, "If you were my husband I'd give you poison." He said, "If you were my wife, I'd drink it."

A member of Parliament to Disraeli: "Sir, you will either die on the gallows or of some unspeakable disease."
"That depends, Sir," said Disraeli, "whether I embrace your policies or your mistress."

"He had delusions of adequacy." - Walter Kerr
"He has all the virtues I dislike and none of the vices I admire."  - Winston Churchill
"I have never killed a man, but I have read many obituaries with great pleasure." Clarence Darrow

"He has never been known to use a word that might send a reader to the dictionary." - William Faulkner (about Ernest Hemingway).

"Thank you for sending me a copy of your book; I'll waste no time  reading it." - Moses Hadas
“I didn't attend the funeral, but I sent a nice letter saying I approved of it." - Mark Twain
"He has no enemies, but is intensely disliked by his friends.." -  Oscar Wilde

"I am enclosing two tickets to the first night of my new play; bring a friend.... if you have one." - George Bernard Shaw to Winston Churchill "Cannot possibly attend first night, will attend second... if there is one." - Winston Churchill, in response.

"I feel so miserable without you; it's almost like having you here." - Stephen Bishop
"He is a self-made man and worships his creator." - John Bright
"I've just learned about his illness. Let's hope it's nothing  trivial." - Irvin S. Cobb
"He is not only dull himself; he is the cause of dullness in  others." - Samuel Johnson

"He is simply a shiver looking for a spine to run up." - Paul Keating
"In order to avoid being called a flirt, she always yielded easily." - Charles, Count Talleyrand
"He loves nature in spite of what it did to him." - Forrest Tucker
"Why do you sit there looking like an envelope without any address on it?" - Mark Twain

"His mother should have thrown him away and kept the stork." -  Mae West
"Some cause happiness wherever they go; others, whenever they go." - Oscar Wilde
"He uses statistics as a drunken man uses lamp-posts... for support  rather than illumination." - Andrew Lang (1844-1912)

He has Van Gogh's ear for music." - Billy Wilder
"I've had a perfectly wonderful evening. But this hasn't been one  of them." -  Groucho Marx

Antony Gormley office art

Anthony Gormley office art , originally uploaded by Rev Stan.

I loved Gormley's Blind Light exhibition when there were about 30 of these statues, cast from the artist own body, dotted around on roof tops and ledges within a mile or two of the exhibition and all facing the Hayward Gallery. Really glad I found these which are at office building on the Euston Road.