Paul in London

Just before it opened this week I caught a preview of The Black Swan , the Natalie Portman movie which currently has posters all throughout the tube network. It is a gripping film about paranoia, fear, dedication and broken nails. Portman plays the role of Nina, who is coming to grips with the leading role in Swan Lake, while fearing her understudy played by the sexually provocative Mila Kunis. You don't see much ballet so it is not a modern day The Red Shoes . It has more in common with films such as Polanski's The Tennant . The art is metaphor here and the central message surely has to be you can never try hard enough, as long as you stay away from broken mirrors and lesbian fantasies... The debate about whether it remotely resembles anything of life in the ballet will continue. This is a movie so one suspects it is as far removed from reality as possible. Winnona Ryder is supposed to be a brilliant ballerina in her decline but spends her small amount of screen time looking

The first attempt to see La Bohème at the Cock Tavern last month was thwarted by snow (and the subsequent obligatory transport disruptions), so it was a relief to catch it at the Soho Theatre on Tuesday night to see what the fuss was all about. This production of Boheme updates the story to the present day and is in English. The story is now in London Soho where poor struggling bloggers writers are trying to make ends meet. Mimi is an eastern European migrant worker who makes a bare living cleaning people's homes. When you read stories about homeless Poles eating rats , none of the problems the characters face in the opera seem far from the harsh realities for some of living in London today. While the singing is good (but not great), what sets this show a cut above anything else is the passion and emotion the cast convey. There is an awful lot of energy and enthusiasm here... At the end of the second act everyone is asked to make their way to the bar, and the show commen

First impressions below of an emotionally charged and thrilling night at the theatre. It's return run at the Soho Theatre is until 20 February. More later... Listen! Listen!

I caught the movie 127 Hours over the weekend. Directed by Danny Boyle and starring James Franco , the film is the real-life story of mountain climber Aron Ralston, who became trapped by a boulder in Robbers Roost, Utah, for more than five days in 2003. Those familiar with the story know how he escapes but up to that point the movie is a great example of what not to do when messing about with nature. His escape had many people covering their eyes to avoid watching the movie at that point. I was later told that I was the only male doing this in the cinema, but I will insist that I was not. It was pretty gruesome and graphic and I could understand why those more sensitive movie-goers in Norwich might require medical attention... Franco keeps this an intense but very entertaining movie throughout and you're with him all the way. While he isn't as sexy in this film as he is selling Gucci fragrances, there is something very likeable about the character he has created here. Th

Girl on the telephone : I was like, "Excuse me but what kind of professional goes back and looks at detail like that?" I actually hate him... Just a little bit...

Wednesday evening was an opportunity to catch Cirque du Soleil's new production, Totem at the Royal Albert Hall. Since Johnnyfox is touring South America and probably not into acrobatics of this sort, Gio came along. It was a perfectly grey and wet evening and before taking our seats we decided to savour the damp and watch as the celebrities arrived. Well for me, that was mostly asking Gio, "Who's Katherine Jenkins ?" and "Who's that?" I am pretty lousing recognising celebrities... But for the record, Katherine Jenkins (left) did look lovely in that yellow dress ... Once I was given the lowdown of who she was... Anyway I have until now been a cirque virgin. Sure I had seen La Clique at the Hippodrome and Soap at Hammersmith Studios. But after watching Wednesday's performance that featured a number of sexy acts including the trapeze duo pictured above, I was ready for a cigarette. Cirque du Soleil is not the only show in town that present thes

It was survival of the acrobats at Totem, Cirque du Soleil's latest production which opened tonight at Royal Albert Hall . This spectacular show traces the journey of humans from amphibians to acrobats in glittering costumes. It all goes to show that we have come a long way (or at least some of us have). The comedy relief was more hit than miss so in this evolutionary tale the acrobats are ahead. First impressions below... Listen! Listen!

I went along to see Burlesque on New Year's Day as I figured it would be camp and it would be crap. I was not disappointed. Leaving the cinema three other women were chatting to us commenting how dreadful they thought the film was. I was not sure what they were expecting in this Moulin Rouge meets Chicago meets Cabaret meets Devil Wears Prada meets Glitter musical about air rights and condos in downtown Los Angeles. Watching it as an extended music video of Christina Aguilera songs is probably the best way to see this film... Along with watching it with a group of people after a few cocktails. Drink will help ease the pain of the plot and that dialogue... It is also a pity that the very talented supporting cast is not allowed to do some more scene chewing. Instead we are stuck with some very creepy scenes of Cher playing den mother and helping Christina put on lip gloss... All without moving any facial muscles... This is so bad... It is kinda good... I can't wait for the

The hours seemed to fly by watching the Royal Opera's new production of Tannhäuser on Monday evening. The opera about man's dilemma between passion and purity is told on a grand scale with an enormous cast and all are in very fine voice. Johan Botha in the title role is the man unhappy with the excess of Venusburg and unsatisfied with harsh earthly realities. There is no pleasing some people I suppose, but he manages to give this story credibility and power throughout the four hours of the performance. The production itself is minimal with the orgiastic excess of Venus's grotto Venusburg limited to the Royal Opera's velvet curtain and a rather large dining table. When a sensual and athletic ballet emerges from what started to look like a gala dinner at the opera you couldn't help but wonder if all opera fundraisers are that fun. If there was only one disappointment here it was thinking that Venus (the lovely Michaela Shuster ) should not be in a dinner dress as

A rare trip to the cinema this week during the snow was also a chance to catch Ferzan Ozpetek's latest film Loose Cannons (Mine Vaganti). It is a family comedy drama with a gay twist. It was well worth the trip out in the snow to see a film that was well acted and nicely shot. But along with The Kids Are All Right , it is probably one of the few films playing at the moment that is worth venturing out in the snow to see (unless you have diabetes perhaps). It's playing at the moment at some sensible London cinemas.

It is nice to get out the week before Christmas and see a show. Particularly as an attempt to see La Boheme at the Cock Theatre Saturday was thwarted by too much snow . So as a break from the usual Christmas festivities, I took Gio and Bill to see a refreshed version of Love Never Dies at the Adelphi Theatre . As we left the theatre by one of the fire exits, we brushed past a man who resembled Andrew Lloyd Webber racing the other way. It most likely was ALW and Gio and Bill wanted to stop and chat / stare / gawk or do whatever fans do. I pushed on as there was nothing to see only the composer... When I last caught Love Never Dies I was a little bit disappointed by the plot, the gloomy characters and the unintentional hilarity of it all. Nine months have passed and in what must be some sort of theatrical gestation, the production has been reworked and it is a substantial improvement. The story is clearer, the characters make more sense and things generally flow a bit better. There

Tuesday night was an opportunity to catch the first preview of On The Twentieth Century at the Union Theatre. Cy Coleman's 1978 musical is set in the 1920s (or it could be the 1930s) where producer Oscar Jaffee is trying to score a hit again with his former leading lady, who has gone on to bigger success in the movies. I had not previously seen this show, but over a pre-theatre fish and chips (or as they tend to call it in south London, fush and chups) at  Masters Super Fish , Johnnyfox was waxing lyrical about how wonderfully rich and inventive the overture to the show was. So I felt his disappointment when the overture was arranged by musical director Oliver Jackson for a saxophone quartet and piano. It was still wonderful but not quite so rich. Actually throughout the show Johnnyfox was mostly singing along so I could sense it was going to be one of those evenings where I would be experiencing quite a lot of audience participation... Anyway, this was the first preview and

Man: There are elements of the play that just allow for those sorts of pathos... Woman: Yes I would have to agree there Man: Of course for other people it would be like oh yeah I would just rather watch Eastenders

Purcell - Philippe Jaroussky, Uploaded by midu92 . - See the latest featured music videos. An evening with two countertenors might be one thing, but when they are Philippe Jaroussky and Andreas Scholl it makes for quite a night (albeit an androgynous one) at the Barbican . The countertenor is the twentieth century response to the castrati performers of past. But the arrival of some very talented (and rather good looking) men such as Scholl and Jaroussky has put this singing onto a whole other level. I'm assuming the above video from a previous performance was posted on the internet by one of Jaroussky's groupies , who travel the world to see him perform (and reportedly go weak at the knees and post loads of clips on Youtube). The fan base is probably too sophisticated to throw knickers on stage at the end of the concert, but at Tuesday night's sold out performance there were plenty of fans of both men there, and they showed their appreciation instead through raptur

I finally managed to see la Gheorghiu perform in an opera. It was at Saturday's Adriana Lecouvreur at the Royal Opera . David McVicar's new production has received rave reviews, but seeing it for yourself is another matter. There was such anticipation ahead of Gheorghiu's first appearance, and she did not disappoint. And neither did anyone else in this production. In what at first appears to be a convoluted story, it boils down to a simple love triangle. Besides when Jonas Kaufmann and Gheorghiu are singing together, you are less concerned about the plot anyway. Filling out the triangle was Russian mezzo-soprano Olga Borodina who added to the fireworks. Star power aside, this opera manages has a series of substantial supporting roles that draws out some excellent performances. It was hard to believe such a good cast and an elegant production could make such high melodrama feel so glamourous. The show has sold out this run (including with the alternate cast), however