Scenes from Oxford St Easter Monday

Scenes from Oxford St Easter Monday
Originally uploaded by Pauly_.

Shoppers

Scenes for Easter

Scenes for Easter
Originally uploaded by Pauly_.

As a tribute for Easter I thought I would highlight some of the religious iconography that pervades the house that I reside in. This one particularly takes my fancy as it is truly a shocker. This crucafix is damaged hence why there is a little bit of a lean to one side of it. One wonders what mini-skip this was rescued out of. Then again, my flat-mate is not the only Londoner who decorates using other people's garbage... It's a Londonthing...

Music: Gergiev's grunting Shostakovich

Last night I caught part of the Shostakovich Symphony cycle, Symphony 1 and 14, that the LSO is performing with conductor Valery Gergiev. Gergiev becomes the LSO's chief conductor next year (when Sir Colin Davis becomes the President)

Anyway, Symphony No 1 is quite accessible and full of loud explosions and power and vigour so it is easy to like. The orchestra obviously had loads of fun playing it.

Given my location in the cheap seats (front row to the side) as the performance was a sellout, I not only had a curious view of the backs of the string section, but also I heard what sounded like strange grunting sounds. At first I thought it was the conductor but then surely not. But throughout the four movements of the First Symphony I could hear it. Was it the bowing of the strings? Well the acoustic from my seat was giving me an interesting flavour of the performance so that was a distinct possibility.

When it came to the second half with the much more subdued Symphony No 14 again I could hear the grunting. Combined with Soprano soloist Olga Sergeeva's dire dress that should have stayed in the alien costume collection from BBC's Dr Who series it was hard to appreciate the music.

The grunting was coming from Gergiev, and so there is a lesson there for seeing future performances with the LSO's next chief conductor: don't sit in the cheap seats unless you like a grunt with your classical music. Further back you might not hear it.  

Bird Flu

Bird Flu
Originally uploaded by Pauly_.

The country hasn't completely panicked since some dead bird washed up against the shore in Scotland. Here's the secret line of defence...

Theatre: Mack & Mabel

Tuesday evening I caught Mack and Mabel at the Criterion Theatre. The production was from the same team at the Watermill Theatre who brought the pared-down version of Sweeney Todd I caught in 2004 (that is now playing on Broadway). This version uses the same techniques (so the actors play the musical instruments as well) and stars David Soul and Janie Dee.

The musical was a flop when it was first produced in 1974. The music and lyrics in this show by Jerry Herman are probably the most memorable thing with songs including "I won't send roses", "Time heals everything" and "Look what happened to Mabel". Even in a pared-down version with the singers belting out the numbers and then blowing a tuba or playing the violin, the songs still were great.

Less so was the chemistry between the two leads. At intermission there was a consensus that there wasn't much chemistry between Soul and Dee. There was a bit of bitchiness that Dee (who I saw last year in a cabaret performance at the Shaw Theatre) was too old for the role as well. I figured that because I was in third row I didn't benefit from more blurry vision of further back. I did think that Dee was sounding a little huskier than normal and perhaps the wintry weather that has come back for April had given her a frog in her throat. On the plus side, for "Time heals everything" in the second act, her husky voice gave the song a club-like sound, which I thought was a nice touch… By the time the curtain came down, everyone seemed fairly pleased with the show, although not everybody was perhaps ready to write home about it…

Scenes from Trafalgar Square Tuesday

Scenes from Trafalgar Square Tuesday
Originally uploaded by Pauly_.

For the first time ever, Nelson's column is covered in scaffolding as part of the regular cleaning that takes place once every 20 years...

Theatre: Waiting for Godot

Caught "Waiting for Godot" at the Barbican today which is part of a festival to commemorate Beckett's centennary. Sitting through the second act it occurred to me how brilliant Beckett is. It is a great play about the passage of time. In a week when time passed rather quickly and mediocrity seemed to be quite prominent within it, it was also good therapy. I'm not sure if the play is meant to be therapy, but it worked for me.

The cast were terrific and the it looks like it will be a great run. Some of the other works (including a performance by John Hurt) is totally sold out so this festival is a bit of a must see at the moment in London...

Scenes from the Barbican Sunday

Scenes from the Barbican Sunday
Originally uploaded by Pauly_.

After "Waiting for Godot" there was waiting in the foyer for free entertainment in the form of a Brazilian band as part of the Tropicalia festival...

Still more scenes from Oxford Saturday..

Still more scenes from Oxford Saturday..
Originally uploaded by Pauly_.

Late night at one of the bars there still was time for more photos on the blog (although it was a bit hard to focus the darn camera phone). Alcohol is a popular pasttime in Oxford. There is at least two bars for every student...

Scenes from an Oxford pub

Scenes from an Oxford pub
Originally uploaded by Pauly_.

At 7.6% alc vol. Old Rosie comes up with the goods!

Scenes from Oxford Saturday

Scenes from Oxford Saturday
Originally uploaded by Pauly_.

Black face Morris dancing is strangely popular in Oxford...

Scenes from travelling to Oxford

Scenes from travelling to Oxford
Originally uploaded by Pauly_.

Travel tip: pick the silent car when travelling standard class so you dont have to listen some fat bastard talking on his mobile about his lunch date in Slough...

A brief brush with politics...

Today while crossing the street I was stopped by police who were escorting a large black Jag and a Range Rover down the street. It was Tony Blair's entourage returning after a function nearby where he was urging people to get out to vote...

 

The messages from the PM have been drowned out lately by speculation as to when he will be going however...

Music: Schubert and Bartok with the LSO

Sunday evening I caught the LSO perform a Bartok and Schubert program, and it was fantastic.  Pianist Piotr Anderszewski was particularly engaging during the Bartok Piano Concerto No 3. There was something about his performance that was so entertaining and enthralling (and it wasn't just to do with his looks - although I texted a few people afterwards commenting less on the style of his performance and more on his appearance - but I digress)...

 

After interval the orchestra again came up with the goods performing the Schubert Symphony No 9. Piotr may not have been in it at that point but it was still a great night and a terrific programme.

Scenes from SW4 Sunday 13:17

Scenes from SW4 Sunday 13:17
Originally uploaded by Pauly_.

Blue skies after a rainshower...

Scenes from a hamburger restaurant Saturday 20:12

Scenes from a hamburger restaurant Saturday 20:12
Originally uploaded by Pauly_.

Gour(fucking)met hamburger restaurants have flourished in London. No longer is the burger associated with stale wet slop served up by Macdonalds... Its all organic, grass-fed beef and doesn't have the levels of trans fatty acids that most fast food joints offer. And the amazing thing is that it isn'tthat much more than what the fast food chains charge...

Scenes from the NFT Southbank Saturday 18:13

Scenes from the NFT Southbank Saturday 18:13
Originally uploaded by Pauly_.

In between movies there is plenty of time (and good weather) for the punters

to have a drink...

Film: Troubled teens

Saturday I caught a series of shorts about troubled teens at the London Gay and Lesbian film festival. Who knew there was so much angst out there among teens?

 

Later that evening I was with a few friends who told me that they were not really into the film fest. I couldn't understand this especially given the quality of the shorts that I saw on Saturday. They may have been your typical boy is friends with a boy and one boy is a little bit gay and so one day the other boy jerks him off and now they don't talk to each other stories, but it is all in the acting and direction…

More films: The Reception and On the Low

After having so much fun last night, tonight I caught "The Reception" and the short On the Low at the film fest. Both were shot on the cheap but were well written nuanced pieces involving African American men. "On the low" is slang for black men who sleep with other black men, but don't identify as being gay as they also have girlfriends etc. Interesting stuff…

Bitchy conversation of the week:

Paul: Hey C you had a haircut… It looks good!
C: Yeah when I got it cut I told them to cut out the grey.
Paul: Hmm it looks like they left a lot of it in…

Film: Happy Endings

Wednesday night at the Odeon Leicester Square was opening night of the 20th London Lesbian and Gay Film Fest. It was quite a crowd and one to be seen in. As one who was having a bad hair day (forgot to use product in the morning) and having a case of "shiny forehead" I wasn't really in the mood for this.

Fortunately the film Happy Endings that we were about to see wasn't about looks. If it was they never would have let Lisa Kudrow look so old and worn out. So I felt better watching Lisa on the big screen. She was there to introduce the film with writer-director Don Roos. Kudrow commented on how Roos doesn't write gay stories or lesbian stories, but stories where people are there, and they are complex and they do stuff and some of them might be gay and like yeah. The audience just loved her for showing up anyway.

The film was terrific, smart and funny. While it does go on a bit and there are a quite a few subtitles to drive forward the story, and there were enough hand-held camera shots to do your head in, it was very funny and very entertaining. And who could ask for anything more on an opening night?

Oh and the title is about massages. This didn't dawn on me until Javier the masseur from Mexico appeared… Ok so I am slow…

Scenes from the Strand Wednesday 18:44

Scenes from the Strand Wednesday 18:44
Originally uploaded by Pauly_.

Looking towards Aldwich. Jackets and "hoodies" are still popular with the

locals even though the temperature is getting rather mild at 12 degrees...

Scenes from the Palace Theatre Monday 20:24

Scenes from the Palace Theatre Monday 20:24
Originally uploaded by Pauly_.

Waiting for intermission to finish...

Theatre: Whistle Down the Wind

Monday night I saw Whistle Down the Wind. It was my first Andrew Lloyd-Webber show I have seen since I saw an amateur version of Jesus Christ Superstar in the 1990s. It is based on a movie that was set in rural England where a group of children find an escaped convict and who are convinced he is Jesus Christ so I figured there was a theme running here. Ok it isn't art, but its something the home counties love (judging by the audience demographic around me).

For anyone who has seen the Hayley Mills film you probably have a better chance of understanding the plot, although you may be left wondering why they moved the story to 1950s America. There is one thing that the British do pretty lousy and that is American accents so I thought that was a pity. Had they left the story in Britain one could have imagined a pantomime-type reaction from the audience when the cops are looking for the escaped convict along the lines of "He's in the barn!" Alas the show takes itself all too seriously to have any sense of fun, and it was hard to have much sympathy for any of the characters (always a danger for a musical).

Still there are some nice numbers involving hoards of children singing, or was that a backing track? I guess if it sounds too good to be true (i.e. children in time to complex music and in key) it surely has to be. It is also hard to tell what music was real with five keyboards / "orchestra makers" in the pit, but hey that's the trend in the West End nowadays… The title song is in danger of entering the standard repertoire for Christmas time and other cheesy occasions but I guess we all need some cheese every now and then.

Scenes from home...

Scenes from home...
Originally uploaded by Pauly_.

One of my flatmates has gone on vacation, and since I was at home with a cold today I thought I would pay tribute to his style - or lack of it - with what one kitchen shelf looks like. At first I found the collection of flamenco dolls to be novel but when you are unwell it is enough to do your head in! Well it takes all sorts...

Film: Transamerica

This weekend I caught the film Transamerica and it was great. Felicity Huffman puts in an incredible performance as a pre-op transsexual about to have the operation (spoiler - you see penis and vagina) and while it is a bit cheesy at times, there is a great sense of humanity and warmth about the story. Dolly Parton even comes in at the end with her Oscar-nominated song "Travellin' Through" which was a nice touch.

Interestingly while watching Huffman in this movie you would not immediately recognise that she has been starring in Desperate Housewives for the past couple of years. Huffman's character of the "working mom" seems to have evolved as the main (and most interesting) character of the show. If a film career takes off her departure will leave a bit of a hole in the storytelling...

Clapham Chatter

Old Woman: My family have lived in Clapham for over 250 years, but I have had enough of this place with the horrible people and their horrible children…
Paul: But you have lived here all your life, where would you go?
Old Woman: New Zealand. I have a nephew in New Zealand. He might have me…

Conversation in Clapham

Consultant: Did you know that this is the front of the supermarket?

Man #2: It is?

Consultant: Yes the front of the supermarket is at the back where the carpark is because that is where the fresh fruit and vegetables are...

Man #2: So the high street enterance is the back of the store?

Consultant: Yes...

Man #2: All this time I have been entering from the back entrance and didn't even realise it.

 

 

Scenes from a Soho Restaurant Saturday 21:33

Scenes from a Soho Restaurant Saturday 21:33
Originally uploaded by Pauly_.

This restaurant served rather large sweet potatoes...

Well I have finally got rid of Wanadoo as an internet service provider. I got the feeling that they did not really mind getting me off their books as I just kept sending them complaints in writing and nobody wants to have to keep dealing with that sort of troublesome customer.

Anyway will still mean I will have to rely on updating the blog outside of home. Which is a bit of a bother...

Scenes from Soho Saturday 10.51pm

Scenes from Soho Saturday 10.51pm
Originally uploaded by Pauly_.

Soho on a Saturday evening is a delightful part of town where alcohol, hash, charlie, crack and skunk is available on every corner. Oh and there is the odd bit of vom too...