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Bit parts: Garry Starr Performs Everything @swkplay

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Garry Starr Performs Everything is a bare-bones (and bare buttocks) tribute to the theatre. Theatre may be in trouble, and audiences are down, but Garry Starr aims to save the theatre and bring back to the masses every style of theatre possible. As long as each style involves wearing a transparent white leotard or a skimpy thong. And tassels. It's part comedy, part physical comedy and part perv at Gary's physical prowess. The sentiment "if you've got it, flaunt it" applies here. So here we are with a show that has been around for some years and is having its first proper London run at the Southwark Playhouse (Borough) through Christmas. The premise is that Garry Starr (played by Damien Warren-Smith) has left the Royal Shakespeare Company over artistic differences. He is now on a mission to save the theatre from misrepresentation and worthy interpretations by doing things such as a two-minute Hamlet, recreating scenes from a Pinter play using unsuspecting audience

Fragmented blood and lust: Written on Skin fires

Written on Skin © 2012 ROH/Stephen CummiskeyThere was style, passion and violence going around in spades at the Royal Opera's premiere of George Benjamin's new work, Written on Skin,  Friday evening.

Directed by Katie Mitchell, it is a big lavish production where angels look down on the unfolding story based upon the old fable Le Coeur Mangé (The Eaten Heart). It is a story about a powerful protector who engages an artist to create a work to celebrate his life and in doing so awakens his submissive wife. Upon discovery of this infidelity he plots his revenge.

It is a short piece of only ninety minutes with no interval, but it is perfectly formed. For an opera about despair and unlocking beauty the music is evocatively layered. There are no big arias and much wailing at times but bit by bit the music serves to build the drama and tension of the piece. By the time of the conclusion and act of revenge the production has taken you to another world of beauty and wonder.


The performances by three leads Christopher Purves as the Protector, Barbara Hannigan as his wife and Bejun Mehta as the boy are stunning and powerful. Both Purves and Hannigan had the roles written for them and it is clear this gives it a dramatic edge.

If anything Martin Crimp's libretto, which tells the story in the third person, can feel like a distraction. Instead of  being emotionally connected to the piece you find yourself left cold as it switches from the story to the present to describing the obvious. Alienation may be the intent but why hold back when everything else is so lavish and dramatic?

This opera orgasm had its world premiere at Aix En Provence in 2012 and will have a short season at the Royal Opera with four more performances... Good seats still look available for all performances...

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