Thoughts and musings about theatre, art, music, politics and life.
The Arcola Theatre, up in rough-and-tumble Dalston, is a hotbed of alternative vitality, always trying out new ideas and approaches, politically engaged, with a perspective that spans the globe. The theatre, formerly in a rambling industrial building on Arcola Street,…
The Shed, at the National The Occupy movement in London had its camp in the square outside St. Paul's Cathedral, a location that was already occupied by "rough sleepers", the current British term for what in North Armerica are called…
Saint Paul's from across the river. So our first real day in London (December 31), we rush over to the Old Vic, and are fortunate to get tickets for Fortune's Fool by Turgenev, in a translation by Mike Poulton. There's…
It wasn't easy to get to see Richard II. It was sold out, so we figured we'd get day seats, something we're quite used to doing. We figured Saturday would be good. Two performances, matinee and evening, thirty tickets each.
The Hackney Empire I am fascinated by that strange British theatrical phenomenon called the Christmas pantomime. It's a glorious holdover from the 19th century, featuring a traditional story outrageously sent up, a "principal boy" (the hero) played by a woman…
Band in Trafalgar Square When our plane landed, December 30, the sun was shining, but the 31st, our first real day in London, was umbrella weather. It didn't discourage us, or the crowd watching a band from (I'm guessing) the…
Menier Chocolate Factory Judith and I are in ecstasy. Sparkling sunshine this morning (after dismal yesterday), so we hurried off to the Menier Chocolate Factory (it's a theatre) to try for returns for Leonard Bernstein's Candide. This musical has had…
