Posts

Featured Post

Belters and bohemians: Opera Locos @Sadlers_wells

Image
At the start of the Opera Locos performance, the announcement says that they really are singing. You could be forgiven for wondering that, given the amplification turns up the backing track and the voices so loud that you can't always tell what's real. But this is a mostly harmless and slightly eccentric blend of opera classics fused with the occasional pop classic. However, recognising the pop tunes would help if you were over a certain age. The most recent of them dates back twenty years. It's currently playing at the Peacock Theatre .  Five performers play out a variety of archetype opera characters. There's the worn-out tenor (Jesús Álvarez), the macho baritone (Enrique Sánchez-Ramos), the eccentric counter-tenor (Michaël Kone), the dreamy soprano (María Rey-Joly) and the wild mezzo-soprano (Mayca Teba). Since my singing days, I haven't recognised these types of performers. However, once, I recall a conductor saying he wanted no mezzo-sopranos singing with the s

Theatre: Evita

There is something about the audience at Evita , the new version of Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical hit from 30 years ago which reminded me of the audience at a dreadful Elaine Paige concert I happened to see in 2004. There was a certain age and a certain style about the people. They didn't look like they were regular theatre goers but they would go to this. I wondered where the hell they bussed this audience in from. I am not exactly a fan of Andrew Lloyd Webber's musicals (nor Elaine Paige) so it did dawn on me what the hell I was doing at this show. Well it probably was the promise that it was to be a new look at a (tired, dated, sanctimonious) old show. As for what was new in this show… Well there were new orchestrations, but for the most part they sounded more like the ring tones on my mobile phone. Unusually for a Lloyd Webber show, the set didn't fly in or out in spectacular fashion or be projected oddly (although there was one exception for Don't Cry For Me A

Scenes from the Strand Thursday 21:49

Image
Scenes from the Strand Thursday 21:49 Originally uploaded by Pauly_ . I survived Evita. Did you?

Scenes from Covent Garden Monday 21:44

Image
Scenes from Covent Garden Monday 21:44 Originally uploaded by Pauly_ . Scaffolding amongst the window shopping...

Crap design in London

Image
Crap design in London Originally uploaded by Pauly_ . The votes are in for the most hated buildings and public spaces in London , but surely the Charing Cross station subways would also have to rank high in the lousy public space stakes? Orange and brown tiles and the smell of piss pervade throughout...

Scenes from Soho Sunday 19:05

Image
Scenes from Soho Sunday 19:05 Originally uploaded by Pauly_ . Some people were rather excited about the outcome of today's World Cup match ...

Scenes from Angel Sunday 13:32

Image
Scenes from Angel Sunday 13:32 Originally uploaded by Pauly_ . Smoke 'em...

Scenes from Covent Garden Saturday 21:24

Image
Scenes from Covent Garden Saturday 21:24 Originally uploaded by Pauly_ . A haze across the city from the Royal Opera House balcony with the market below in view... I Was at the Opera House to see two short operas Duke Bluebeard's Castle and Erwartung (by Bartók and Schoenberg respectively), which as to be expected was a great production beautifully performed and sung. Bluebeard's Castle struck me as a polygamists opera but there were so many pschchological layers to the opera such as "why this woman would be interested in some grumpy old man with a mouldy castle?" to keep you on the edge of your seat. Erwartung which was nicely linked through set design and costumes was more one woman's battle with her mind. It wasn't really my cup of tea. At 45 minutes however it didn't really matter... All the opera talk this weekend has been on the Royal Opera's new production of Tosca, which is the first new production they have mounted since Maria Callas was p

Music: Those crazy chicks...

The Dixie Chicks are on BBC TV tonight . They are keen to plug it as the scene of the crime , but all controversy aside their new album Taking the Long Way (which is on my iPOD) has some pretty darn good songs on it. Here's hoping they keep writing about themselves, being themselves and just writin'…   The album really deals about their experiences post 2003 when in an off-hand statement at a London concert they told the crowd they were ashamed to be from the same state of the US as George W Bush. That apparently is disrespecting the President as he was just about to commit troops to the war in Iraq. Every country has its sacred cows, but this album is full of little "fuck yous" to their fans who used to have them with Reba McEntire on their CD changer. Combined with great melodies, great voices who could ask for anything more? Interestingly they are not the only ones disrespecting the President nowadays. Pink has a great song on her latest album Dear Mr President . T