Catherine Bennett resumes the weekly look at the performing arts world, with the sad end of Jerusalem, the luck of a cabbie, and French revolt. Do you hear the people sing?
Adam Alcock reviews Nigel Kennedy playing Vivaldi's Four Seasons and his own Four Elements at York Opera House.
Catherine Bennett highlights the trends in the performing arts world today.
Jonathan Cridford reviews 'Ghosts', one of the Freshers' plays for this year.
Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller are both shortlisted for the Best Actor award at the Evening Standard Theatre awards. Seeing as they both rotated the roles of the monster and Dr Frankenstein in Danny Boyle’s National Theatre production of Mary Shelley’s novel this year, it seems a little bit unfair to have them directly opposing each other. I know whom my money’s on (doesn’t take a detective to know it’ll be the good-looking one).
Reopened on the West End after sell-out runs, Jez Butterworth’s Jerusalem continues to receive accolades. Mark Rylance has won a Tony for his portrayal as Johnny “Rooster” Byron; of his performance, TimeOut Theatre says to ‘believe the hype’. For those of you who are fans of Laura Marling after her recent performance at York Minster, the cast also contains singer/songwriter Johnny Flynn, with whom she has collaborated on various singles. The run at the Apollo Shaftesbury has been extended to January 2012, so get booking now for the Christmas holidays.
Can We Talk About This? by DV8 Theatre has just transferred to the Warwick Arts Centre in Coventry from Leeds Yorkshire Playhouse. Described as ‘one of the most important works of our age’, DV8 use ‘exquisite choreography’ in the play to touch on topics of freedom of speech, Islam and censorship. The dance and physical theatre company have received worldwide plaudits, and will continue their tour in Germany, Greece and Hungary. If you miss them this year, however, they will be returning to the UK for a short run at the National Theatre in March 2012.
Catch J.M. Synge’s The Playboy of the Western World at the Old Vic, starring Robert Sheehan of Misfits fame, for those of you who missed his adorable Irish lilt in the third series of the show that aired at the end of October. It has to finish later this month, so book tickets fast. Ruth Negga is also in the cast, who was in Misfits briefly and played Ophelia in the excellent production of 'Hamlet' directed by Nicholas Hytner at the National Theatre this time last year. With such a golden cast, it’s unsurprising it’s received rave reviews.
The RSC’s version of Marat/Sade has finished its run in Stratford-Upon-Avon, but not before receiving an unexpected number of walkouts, even more than at its first run in the sixties. Containing bad language, simulated fellatio, torture and masturbation, it created a controversy around the theatre’s decision to include it in the season. This type of ‘in-yer-face theatre’ also received an airing with Edward Bond’s Saved, a 1965 play with the infamous stoning of a baby scene, a run of which recently ended at the Lyric Hammersmith.
Controversial theatre seems to be the order of the day, with Ontroerend Goed’s Audience moving to the Drum in Plymouth until 12th November. Spoiler alert: In 'Audience', a performer trains a video camera on a female member of the audience and insults her, saying that he will stop if she opens her legs. The company claim that they wanted the audience to be active – if they intervene, that’s a decision, and if they decide not to do anything but spectate, that is also a decision. Seems that the theatrical climate today is about shock factor – what do you think? Post your comments below.
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