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Prayers and thoughts: The Inseparables @Finboroughtheatre

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The Inseparables brings Simone de Beauvoir’s posthumously published novel to life. It traces a lifelong friendship between Sylve and Andrée, two unconventional girls who grew up in a stifling world where being a woman meant getting married or entering a convent. With a quick pace and engaging performances from the two leads, it is a journey back into the 20th century that captures two unconventional women trapped in a conventional world that will have you reflecting on how much or little things have moved on in the last century. It’s currently playing at the Finborough Theatre .  We’re introduced to Sylve praying for her country, France, to be saved from the war and indoctrinated into the world of faith and obedience. But too smart for all that, her life was full of detached guilt and boredom. But when she meets Andrée, a new arrival at her school, she is struck by how different she is from everyone else. She was burned in a fire and had a passion for life that nobody else she knew...

Streaming from a long way home: Side by Side


Ann Hampton Callaway and her sister Liz Callaway are reunited at Ann's home in Tucson to stream their concert Side By Side to our homes. Both are award-winning artists with a reputation for insightful interpretations of popular songs, broadway and jazz, along with their compositions. Last seen in London at the Hippodrome in 2015, the stream captures some of the magic of their live cabaret performances. 

Their last collaboration, Sibling Revelry, sent up the idea they were brutal competitors. The focus here is more on getting together and singing some songs. Microphones may not work (or get dropped), lyrics get messed up, but they carry on with the spirit of being together and making music.  

Songs include Melissa Manchester's Come In From the Rain, songs by Sondheim and Stephen Schwartz. There's also a medley of songs they used to sing growing up from the back of the car to taunt their parents on long drives. You could imagine their parents weighing up whether to be annoyed by their questionable music choices or impressed by their musicality. And they also sing their biggest hit, the theme song to the show "The Nanny". 

Their reunion inspires the show after being apart from the pandemic. Reunited at Ann's brightly lit sunny home during the day, it seems less of a hideaway cabaret venue and more the sort of place Oprah would host an interview. Some of us like our jazz and cabaret looking darker and smokey. But the song choices and their interpretations make up for this.

Part of a semi-regular stream from Ann Hampton Callaway called Callaway's Hideaway, there are additional streams in July and August. Ann Hampton Callaway is also releasing several singles this year, the latest being her Robert Frost collaboration "Revelation," which has come out this month. Side By Side is available until the end of May. Check out the website for more details.

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