Last Night a DJ Saved My Life Last night I was in the recently refurbished Dorfman Theatre at the National for End, the final part of David Eldridge’s trilogy of plays about love in the context of relationships. Beginning, the first of the three plays, was set in November 2015, Middle in February 2016 and […]
London City Ballet, Rebirth
Works by Page, Robbins, Chu, Ratmansky You simply cannot say it often enough: London City Ballet is A. Good. Thing. Barely two years old, this small modern-day reiteration of the late lamented eponymous troupe (1978-1997), a favourite of Princess Diana’s, carved its place in the British ballet scene from the word “go” with a combination […]
Carmen – Royal Academy of Music
A Study in Seduction, Obsession, and Symphonic Brilliance When Georges Bizet premiered Carmen at the Opéra-Comique in Paris in 1875, audiences were startled by the Opera’s realism, its feisty and independent heroine, and the bold departure from the polite conventions of the day. Adapted from Prosper Mérimée’s 1845 novella, the Opera unfolds in the streets […]
Emmet Cohen Trio at Wigmore Hall
Complex musical talents shine in London pit stop A month before his one-off Wigmore Hall appearance, Emmet Cohen reached a career bookend. The eminent jazz pianist retired his acclaimed YouTube series, Live From Emmet’s Place, after five years of broadcasting. Now, Cohen tours with two of the series’ finest players – veteran drummer Joe Farnsworth and bass prodigy […]
The Twelfth Night of Christmas – Chiswick House and Gardens.
Immerse yourself in a Georgian Christmas Extravaganza. Ask anyone in West London and they’ll tell you: Chiswick House and Gardens is one of the city’s most magical places year-round. But this Christmas, the beloved landmark is elevating the festivities to dazzling new heights. Throwing open its doors for a brand-new indoor experience, Chiswick House welcomes […]
The Royal Ballet, Perspectives: Balanchine, Marston, Peck
The Royal Ballet’s first triple bill of the season marries a seminal old work by George Balanchine, his 1934 Serenade, to modern day New York in Justin Peck’s 2014 Everywhere We Go, now borrowed by the Royal Ballet for the first time, by way of a brand new piece by Cathy Marston entitled Against the Tide.
S-E-D/Sharon Eyal, Into the Hairy
Eyal’s First Collaboration With Composer Koreless Full disclosure: I don’t know what Into the Hairy means, and recently asked about it, choreographer Sharon Eyal showed no inclination to provide an explanation. The programme includes a quote: “Deep Into the Hairy… Dirty and gentle. Broken. Alone. Alone. Alone”, but that doesn’t really help. Mercifully brief […]
The Hunger Games on Stage, Canary Wharf Troubadour
There is certainly anticipation awaiting this new lavish production of The Hunger Games, but are the odds in its favour? This is a big production with a proper emotional heart and an ever-apposite message. As a West End show outside of the West End, The Hunger Games is sure to help Canary Wharf become a […]
Coven at Kiln Theatre
An exhilarating musical that subverts the witch hunt Like Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Coven opens with the voices of (so-called) witches. Like Macbeth, it speaks strongly to audiences’ obsession with pagan magic and ‘fallen’ women. But where Shakespeare’s pillar of theatre bends to tastes for sinister femininity, from its first beat, Coven reverts and resists the doctrine […]
Osipova/Linbury
The Great Natalia Osipova Goes Beyond the Confines of Ballet Best known pretty well the world over as an outstanding classical ballerina – a ballet superstar – over the past few years, Natalia Osipova has embarked on self-curated projects that explore her talents beyond the confines of ballet. Her current show at the RBO second […]