You cannot furlough the spirit of summer – Shakespeare in the Garden plays The Tempest in Surrey

It was a relief when the Shakespeare In The Garden troupe from the Open Bar theatre company got the go ahead to tour England’s pub gardens as long as social distancing measures were in place. I bought my tickets immediately as this is something which needs supporting, no matter if I would feel comfortable going … Continue reading You cannot furlough the spirit of summer – Shakespeare in the Garden plays The Tempest in Surrey

Please respect the paywall: Angela Carter’s The Tiger’s Bride by the Marvellous Machine Theatre Company in Oxford

Critics and fans list The Tiger’s Bride among The Company of Wolves continuously as a favourite of Angela Carter’s fairy tale retellings in The Bloody Chamber which was first published in 1979. My edition counts twenty pages of this interpretation of The Beauty and Beast myth: A young girl has been lost in a card … Continue reading Please respect the paywall: Angela Carter’s The Tiger’s Bride by the Marvellous Machine Theatre Company in Oxford

Heartwarmingly family-friendly: The Green Ship by Quentin Blake in London’s Librarian Theatre

Sir Quentin Blake is without doubt Britain’s most famous illustrator – even me growing up in Hamburg knew thanks to Roald Dahl’s BFG his drawing of Queen Elizabeth II before I knew Andy Warhol’s version. I have not come across Blake’s own children stories before though and therefore happily follow the invitation to the Librarian … Continue reading Heartwarmingly family-friendly: The Green Ship by Quentin Blake in London’s Librarian Theatre

Berberian Sound Studio live on stage at the Donmar Warehouse in Covent Garden

I have watched Berberian Sound Studio on DVD several times – cohabiting with an Italophile AV technician led the film towards me naturally. Both the film and its soundtrack have become a code word for everyone interested in foley art and sound creation and is further well known among the fans of Italian horror director … Continue reading Berberian Sound Studio live on stage at the Donmar Warehouse in Covent Garden

Bioluminescence in Bologna: Cirque Du Soleil’s Toruk, based on James Cameron’s Avatar

Finally I am in the same city at the same time as Toruk, Cirque Du Soleil’s take on James Cameron’s Avatar. I wanted to see it since I first stumbled upon a call for puppeteers in the newsletter of the Jim Henson Association years ago. Now I am in Bologna, a lively city on a … Continue reading Bioluminescence in Bologna: Cirque Du Soleil’s Toruk, based on James Cameron’s Avatar