'Othello' at The Crucible

On Saturday we made the trip north to Sheffield to see 'Othello' at The Crucible theatre starring a great double act of Clarke Peters and Dominic West.  Both are from 'The Wire', of course, a series I didn't watch but which got rave reviews.  I've not seen Dominic West on stage before, but I've seen Clarke in 'Porgy and Bess' and in the great musical he wrote in the '80s, 'Five Guys Named Moe'. It was well worth the 300 miles round trip.

The staging was sparse, with characters carrying out the props at the start of each scene and setting them on the almost stage in the round.  The careful lighting was great, but this production relies on the actors to give it momentum and mood. And it worked.  I've never seen 'Othello' performed and this set a high benchmark under the careful direction of Daniel Evans.  The writing is, of course, astonishing, my new favourite Shakespeare play.

If ever there was a double-headed play this is it - a wonderful interplay between Othello and Iago, with Clarke Peters as Othello and Dominic West as Iago.  Clarke plays it in his best West African accent and Dominic uses his native Yorkshire accent as the lowly Iago rising through the ranks.  I've seen Clarke Peters on stage before and expect a grand performance, particularly the arms-wide expansive moments, but I was impressed by Dominic's wily Iago, the bluster and honesty of the character while being thoroughly dishonest.  If you know Dominic then I'd advise against playing poker with him - you'll lose based on the performance I saw. They make a great double act and work well together. 

Of the rest of the cast I must mention Alexandra Gilbreath as Emilia, servant to Desdemonia.  Chris reminded me that we'd seen her in 'Assassins' at the tiny Union Theatre last summer and here she was again.  The early scenes paint her as a minor, almost comic character, but her confrontation of Othello at the end was magnificent, the emotion pouring from her as she accused her lord of murder and wept for her mistress, finally confronting her husband.  I was most impressed.  She made me think that that is what actors are supposed to do... and how few achieve it.  Well done Alexandra, that's a performance worthy of the West End and I hope to see you reprise the role some day.

Imperial War Museum

This morning I went to the Imperial War Museum in London for the very first time.  I've been past the building thousands of times but never ventured inside until today. I listened to Buffy Sainte-Marie on my way there to fortify my mind, bearing in mind her comment that the USA has five institutions dedicated to training people how to wage war but no institutions to teach peace.

The large hall at the entrance is filled with aeroplanes hanging from the ceiling and tanks, rockets and associated cannon on the floor.  Further inside, and upstairs and downstairs are the galleries and exhibits along with some interactive exhibits, like the Blitz and Trenches experiences. There were themed rooms to wander through with all sorts of exhibits, from photographs from the time of the wars, uniforms, posters, advice on how to eat during rationing, gas-masks, medals and charities operating at the time.  All sorts.

The war machines were astonishing and surprising by turns.  I had no idea that Spitfires were so small - I wouldn't fit in one.  Some of the machines were incredibly complex and ram home the fact that the technology that helped invent them eventually comes to us civilians a decade or so later in the form of kitchen or other domestic gadgets.  There are also reconstructions of an air-raid shelter and a 1940s house to wander through - I remember my grandparents still had similar-looking furniture in the 1960s.

I had no idea what to expect and was a bit anxious that it might seek to glorify or justify war.  Instead it made me think about war and our stupidity for letting it happen. This was particularly strong in the galleries about war since the Second World War, the many armed conflicts we've been through since then and are still suffering.  It begs the question why?

If you like the big war machines and want to ogle them then there's plenty to choose from.  If you want to consider the implications of war then there's plenty on the small scale to make you think and wonder how people survived. The scale stretches from war-mongers to children in the back streets of any city anywhere.  The tales of children who died in the Blitz are truly sad, lives cut short through long-distance and impersonal war.

The museum clearly does a roaring trade with school trips and tourists and it has a good shop.  It's free to go in, which is just as well.  Would I go back?  I think so, when I have more time to wander around, preferably without crowds.

'Ganesha Goes To Lunch'

I've been reading a great little book on my way to work over the past couple of weeks called 'Ganesha Goes To Lunch - Classics From Mystic India' by Kamla K Kapur.  I bought it a couple of years ago when I saw the 'Garden and Cosmos' exhibition at The British Museum and finally decided it was the right time to read it and I'm so pleased I did.

At the risk of offending any Hindus reading this blog, it's a re-telling of traditional stories, myths and legends from India and, probably, religious parables and tales. And, like parables from all faiths, they generally have a religious or moral tone and ending.  Of course, these deal with the vast Hindu pantheon of gods and deities, so probably aren't what you'd expect.  Hindu deities range from revelling in the austere to burning in the passion of sex and whatever else you fancy.  It's all part of life, after all.

There are 24 tales, all illustrated with lovely drawings, divided by the triumvirate godhead of Vishnu, Brahma and Shiva, followed by tales of Krishna, and stories from The Ramayama and from The Mahabharata, so it covers all the main areas of Hindu belief.  I first read a version of The Ramayana when I was at junior school and it captured my imagination. It was a delight to see, inside the Grand Palace and Temple in Bangkok a couple of decades later, wall frescoes telling the whole tale, with Rama and Sita and wily Hanuman and I delighted that I could 'read' quite a lot of it as it sparked memories.

Some of my favourite stories are:

• 'Ganesha Goes To Lunch' in which Lord Ganesha accepts a luncheon invite in place of his mother, Parvati, and literally eats his host out of house and home;
• 'The Bird Who Fought War' in which a little bird seeks to persuade Lord Krishna to stop the great war of The Mahabharata and Krishna's first arrow severs a bell on an elephant's neck to safely cover the bird's nest;
• 'The Toad Who Didn't Croak' who is accidentally killed by Rama (an incarnation of Vishnu) which ends with the words from the toad, 'There's only one thing sweeter than dying by Rama's hand... To die in Rama's hands.'

It's a lovely book, very thoughtful and thought-provoking.  I'm pleased to have bought it and to have (finally) read it.

'South Pacific' at The Barbican v2

Last night I bathed in the joy that is 'South Pacific' at The Barbican for the second time, this time celebrating the 82nd birthday of a little old lady who likes whisky and ginger (who, oddly enough, sat in seat 29, the year of her birth).

I love this musical, it speaks to me in music and words and it makes my eyes go moist every now and then. There's something magical about those chord sequences and those words that make me respond whether I want to or not. I saw this production at the Lincoln Center in New York in 2010 and then again at The Barbican a month ago and decided I needed to see it again while I could. So we did.

I was very impressed with it, particularly with Samantha Womack who has clearly grown into the part. Her voice has strengthened and her accent was impeccable - who'd have thought she was in 'EastEnders'? The cast is largely the same, with the same energy and joy spilling off the stage into the audience. I smiled, I laughed and I cried to those wonderful songs and touching story.

It's on for another week at The Barbican and then goes on tour. If you get the chance, do go and see it. You won't be disappointed.

From The Vaults ...

A most wonderful photo was tweeted this morning by @venturax and, for someone my age, I just have to wonder how on earth this hasn't surfaced before?

Here we have Chrissie Hynde, Debbie Harry, Viv Albertine, Siouxsie Sioux, Poly Styrene and Pauline Black, an elite if ever there was one! And I've seen them all apart from Viv and I have high hopes of putting that right in the near future.

I saw Chrissie in the audience at a Sandra Bernhart show (she walked past me on the stairs and sat a few rows behind me), seen Debbie on stage with Blondie (naturally), seen Siouxsie on stage and met her at a signing, saw the lovely Poly Styrene at the X-Ray Spex Roundhouse gig in 2008 and saw Pauline when she introduced Reggae Brittania at the Barbican a few years ago (but not seen her sing).

Might I say *wow*?

SLADE - 'SLADEST'

My copy of SLADE's 'Sladest' (remix 2011) arrived today and it is a lovely record. Originally released in 1973 when SLADE bestrode the world of pop and rock like gods, it's part greatest hits and part look-what-you-missed, with earlier songs from 'Play It Loud'. It's a great album and this reissued version includes a never-before heard song, a studio version of 'Hear Me Calling'.

'Sladest' comes in a tri-fold cardboard cover which, when you first open it, has close-up photos of Sir Noddy and Jim, then open Sir Nod's cover to reveal close-ups of Dave and Don, a nice touch. There's a booklet with a long write-up by Chris Ingham with loads of photos. As ever, with the Salvo re-issues, the packaging is excellent and so is the sound quality on the re-mastered songs. The original album ended with 'Mama Weer All Crazee Now' but this version includes a previously unreleased studio version of 'Hear Me Calling' plus 'My Friend Stan', 'My Town' and 'Kill 'Em At The Hot Club Tonight', all from 1973 to keep it all in character.

I love the studio version of 'Hear Me Calling'. As all SLADE fans know, it's the opening track on 'SLADE Alive!' and a song we're all familiar with. This version includes a background of hand-claps recorded in an echo chamber (probably a toilet or stairwell, I suspect) when the lads were trying to re-create their live sound. It's excellent! The whole album sounds excellent, lovely re-mastering.

If you want a taster of SLADE from the glory years then this is the album for you, with all the hits and a few early songs to let you see how the band developed into the Lords of Noize. I am currently worshipping at the altar of Noize...

Poly Styrene Interviewed by John Robb in 2009

John Robb has just posted a 50 minute video interview with Poly Styrene in 2009 on Louder Than War. The video is in two parts and Poly ranges from her childhood to the gig at The Roundhouse in 2008.

It's lovely to hear Poly chatting away about being a hippy before being a punk, being friends with John Lydon at the break-up of the Sex Pistols, the Krishna movement, wearing Biba clothes and talking about her beliefs. The interview is punctuated with laughter and Poly's thoughtful humour. It made me smile and reminisce.

Put aside some time to watch it. Click here.

And here's a great photo of Poly back in the day from Spex Cliche on Facebook...

John Martin: Apocalypse Is Coming

There's going to be a rare exhibition of John Martin paintings at the Tate Britain with the homely title of 'Apocalypse'. There's even a short video trailer for the exhibition that isn't what you might think it is - take a look. A title and a video like that can only raise expectations, so I hope you live up to it Mr Tate.



I first came across John Martin back in the 70s in the Laing Gallery in Newcastle which has two nice pieces permanently on show - 'The Bard' and 'The Destruction of Sodom & Gomorrah' - both on an epic scale and both madly romantic and over the top. This exhibition is in partnership with the Laing so I'm expecting them to be part of the show. That means they'll also be in the glossy brochure that accompanies the exhibition so I'll finally be able to get a good quality reproduction of the paintings.

I'm quite looking forward to seeing this exhibition which is just along the road from where I work. I shall take an afternoon off over the autumn and indulge.

Pink Floyd? No Thanks

Y'know, sometimes you've just got to say 'enough is enough'. This much I can take and no more. Well, I actually switched over to watch Newsnight (yes, *Newsnight*!) tonight to avoid being corrupted or just plain annoyed. I went through the punk wars to fight against this.

What am I talking about? O yes, Pink Floyd night on BBC4. All I ask is 'why?'.

I watched the documentary - I'm a music fan and want to understand all sorts of music. I had to switch over when the 'video' programme started, though, when the third song threatened to go on forever. I'm a fan of the three minute pop song, not a ten minute dirge (I delete them from my iPod if any sneak on). Now, good on the Floyd lads for their early ambitions of trying to do something new with music - I can appreciate that - but self-indulgent nonsense isn't fun at all. At least not for me.

And we had Bob Geldoff talking about their greatness to justify their inclusion in Live 8 - Bob, be honest, you just thought they'd sell tickets or whatever. Your job is to raise money, why is it is a problem to say that?

Anyway, all I can say is thanks for the memory Pink Floyd, I don't own any of your records and don't intend to, but at least you're part of the grand melange that is pop music. I'm sure there are lots of people out there that love you, but I'll stick to pop stars, thank you.

Kim Wilde - 'Snapshots'

Ladies and gentlemen, I now have Kim Wilde's new record, 'Snapshots'. It's an import from Germany (which seems to be the only place it's been released) but, after seeing the video for 'It's Alright' I decided I had to have it and ordered it through Amazon.

It arrived today with a red sticker on the front announcing, "Das Erste Cover Album Ihrer Karriere!" which even I can translate. So, yes, it's a covers album with 14 songs and the snapshots theme is continued into the booklet with a few pages covered in small photos of Kim over the years, with fans and with stars (like Michael Jackson). There are short paragraphs about each song from Kim but they're in German so I can't read it. The introductory text from Kim is in English (which I can read) telling us how the record came about and how she enjoyed it, ending with the lovely phrase, "... [I] wear my Pop Star badge with pride!". I *like* that.

Anyway, what about the songs? They all have Kim's 'powerpop' sound and some sound remarkably like the originals with the same arrangement, just updated, while others sound quite different. One thing I like about this album is that I haven't heard of some of the songs before, so, although it's a covers album, I'm still hearing some songs for the first time. 'To France' for example, is a song from 1973 by Mike Oldfield and Maggie Reilly, that stirs not a single memory so, to me, this is the original version. Kim seems to have picked a collection of songs from the last 50 years that she likes and has made an impression on her and that's a sound enough reason.

Favourite songs after a first listen are, 'It's Alright', 'Sleeping Satellite', 'They Don't Know About Us' (the Kirsty MacColl classic), 'Beautiful Ones' and the evergreen 'Ever Fallen In Love (With Someone)' (that I'm sure Kim bounced round her bedroom to in 1978 - I did). There's the brave take on 'Anyone Who Had A Heart', the first pop song she remembered from when she was four years old and the lovely version of Bowie's 'Kooks' sung with her husband (as is right and proper). The only song that doesn't work for me (on one listen) is 'About You Now' but, then again, I love the Sugababes version so I'm biased.

Kim is still big in Germany but it would be great to release this album in the UK - along with the last couple of albums please - and re-launch her career here. She still tours on the 80s revival scene but I want to see a Kim Wilde gig in London in which she plays the new songs from 'Come Out And Play' and 'Never Say Never' as well as the classics and the new covers. What an incredible set that would be. C'mon Kim, you were brave stepping onto that first Top Of The Pops stage all those years ago, you can do it again with your name blazoned across the stage and a Pop Star badge on display. You were after Debbie Harry and before Madonna - a great place to stand in history.

Here's 'It's Alright':