MargoMusing

Art and Fun with Friends

Thu, 26 Oct 2023 20:20:20 GMT

Ages ago, I saw that this year's Manchester International Festival was to include a installation / exhibition by Yayoi Kusama, whose work I love, so I suggested to some friends that we book to go.

We did, and went a few weeks back.(OK, in August!) We went.

And it was great fun. Other than the initial tentacle room, all the pieces were in one big space - a giant pumpkin, a big mirror, pink and black tentacles, big spotty dogs, big doft pebbles to lie on and look at the big beach balls hanging from the ceiling.

Pumpkin!

More tentacles!

It was all gloriously lighthearted and satisfying, and fun.

Afterwards, we went for a very pleasant Lebanese meal, (and I got very confused since we wound up in the middle of my old stamping ground, around the courts in Manchester centre, and it's all changed almost past recognition!)

Then I got to spend the rest of the weekend with my friend J and her family, (and their gorgeous goofy dog!)

It was a very nice weekend.

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What I did on My Holidays - Isle of Skye

Mon, 24 Jul 2023 16:07:32 GMT

Skye is one of those places that I've wanted to visit for along time, but never have, so I decided that this was going to be the year! I invited my parents to join me, and we settled on the last week of June as being outside of (Scottish and English) school holidays, and as having a reasonable chance of good weather while avoiding peak midge season!

My parents, being retired and with time to spare, decided to drive up to Scotland, taking their caravan and taking 10 days or so to do the trip. I, not being retired, had to travel more quickly, and decided to get the Caledonian Sleeper overnight train, mostly on the basis that I've never travelled on a sleeper train (and the alternative was EasyJet)

Sleeper Train

Since this meant leaving London at 9.15 in the evening, I booked the full day off work and spent the day in London, lunching with a friend and going to the British Museum to visit an exhibition.

Then to Euston Station and a visit to the First Class Lounge, before heading to board the train. Which is very very long - it splits up part way through the journey with sections going to Inverness, Fort William, and Aberdeen, but starts out with about 15 or 16 carriages!

My Cabin

The Inverness section, in which I was travelling, was at the front, so a long way up the platform. However, I found my cabin, and dropped off my bags, then headed back to the 'Club Car' as I'd read reviews that suggested it gets full, fast, and it's sensible to grab a seat early! It paid off, and I was able to order some macaroni cheese with haggis crumb, and a mini bottle of wine, and to dine as the train pulled away from Euston.

After which I headed back to my cabin and to bed. It's not the best night's sleep I've ever had, (in oart as the door to my en-suite loo didn't close proper;y, and as the light inside came on automatically when I opened, I was disturbed until I worked out how to use a coathanger as an improvised latch! but it was an interesting experience and some wonderful scenery as we reached Scotland - there are some compensations to waking up at 4 a.m.!

Once I reached Inverness, I picked up a hire car and headed to Skye, only a little intimidated by the car hire place telling me that they had not only upgraded me to a larger car (Which I'm not sure was necessarily an advantage given the narrow roads) but that the car they were giving me was brand new, that I was only the second person to drive it... (It only had 170 miles on the clock when I picked it up!) So no pressure!!

I had planned a break in my drive, to visit Urquhart Castle, on the shores of Loch Ness, which is now a ruin, but was fortress from the 12th to 17th Centuries, before being blown up by Jacobites in 1688.

It started to rain quite hard as I arrived, so I didn't stay long!

Urquhart Castle

I then moved on, pausing (once the rain stopped) for sandwiches on the lochside, before crossing the Skye bridge and driving to our rental cottage. The last 7 miles of the trip were very narrow, single tracks roads, with passing places, which was quite challenging as by this stage it was pouring with rain, so visibility was poor and there was a huge amount of surface water - it was a great relief to arrive !

The house we rented was in Gen Brittle, under the Black Cuillins and about 1 mile from the sea. When we arrived, the rain meant that the mountains were completely hidden, and a walk down to the beach was not appealing.

The following morning was still rather damp, but we went out to visit Portree, and then later, as the weather continued to improve, walked down from our temporary home to the beach.

view of 'our'house

The beach is stunning, almost empty, with views out to the Isle of Canna. For the most part, the beach is black shingle and sand, but towards the farther end it has some white sand, where the outgoing water leaves patterns like water in the sand.

Glenbrittle beach, this is sand, not water.

Glenbrittle Beach

The Cuillins

After the rain, the evening was clear, giving us amazing views as we walked back to the house.

Over the next few days, we took a fairly relaxed approach to things. We did not climb any mountains.

The Old Man of Storr, which we admired, but did not climb!

We did, however, go to admire several lochs and places with beautiful views - we went to Portnalong, which is a pier with lovely views, and where we saw, in the distance, a group of about 3 or 4 dolphins (or porpoises) on the far side of the loch, leaping out of the water.

We took a trip on a boat - it was advertised as a 'whale trail' and having a very high chance of seeing dolphins / porpoises, and maybe minke whales, and 'almost guaranteed' seeing seals and Sea-Eagles, but sadly on our trip, we didn't see any of them!

It was a nice sunny morning and the was lots of lovely scenery, but I was a little disappointed, especially as I would love to see whales or dolphins up close, as I never have.

I did see a herd of wild Red Deer, near the house one evening, though.

Red Deer

We took a walk up to visit the Fairy Pools, one evening - they were only about 3 miles from where we were staying, they're very popular so we decided that going up in the evening might be a bit quieter. It was, but it's obviously been a dry Spring, as the pools were not very full. I'd been thinking of taking a quick dip, but none of the ones that looked like you could safely get in and out seemed to have enough water to swim in! Obviously I need to go back another year!

We had one extremely wet day, when my parents very sensibly stayed in the house and read, and I went on a very wet and exhilarating walk at the Fairy Glen

The Fairy Glen

We visited Staffin beach, where there are fossilised dinosaur footprints, and, (like practically everywhere else on Skye), glorious views.

Fossilised dinosaur footprint

Lovely view, from Staffin Beach

We also went for a walk at Neist Point, where there is a lighthouse.

Neist Point Lighthouse

We went to Dunvegan, where there is a castle, the ancestral home of the MacLoeds.

Dunvegan Castle

The Castle was originally built in the 13th Century, although it's been extensively extended, rebuilt and restored and it mostly Victorian Gothic now (although parts of the older castle are still there)

Dunvegan Castle and Loch

The castle has been occupied by the MacLoeds for around 800 years, and the castle holds some of their treasures, most famously the Fairy Flag, which is a flag or banner which was (depending on which version of the story you prefer) either found when a passing fairy wrapped the infant son of the chief in it, or given to a MacLoed passing through the Holy Land on Crusade, by a hermit in gratitude for slaying an evil spirit, or given to a MacLoed as a farewell gift by his fairy lover at the end of their relationship. The V&A, who examined it back in (I think) the 1920s, concluded that it have been woven on Syria, possibly as far back as the 4th C. There are various legends about he banner giving the clan protection or victory when unfurled in battle.

They also have various relics relating to Bonnie Prince Charlie, as Flora MacDonald, (Who famously helped him escape to Skye after his defeat at Culloden) was the mother in law of the chief of the MacLoed clan, and lived there in her old age, and the castle has retianed, and displays, a set of her stays, as well as a waistcoat which is said to have belonged to Charles Stuart, and a pincushion made by Flora.

view over the loch from the castle

After out visit to the castle, the finished the day with a visit to the Three Chimneys restaurant , where we had an excellent meal, and some rather nice drinks (I certainly enjoyed my marmalade martini!)

The restaurant specialises in locally sourced ingredients, cooked with huge skill. I've never had pickled herring icecream before, nor, for that matter, mussel ketchup, but they were both part of my pre-starter, and were delicious, as was my main of local venison!

View of the shore outside the restaurant

Sadly, all good things come to an end so we found our week drawing to a close. On our last day, in between packing up, we went to Kylerhea, where there is a tiny car ferry to the mainland, as well as a wildlife walk from which we were able to see seals and otters in the water (they were too far off for photos, but did see more seals from the ferry!)

Seal!

We didn't take the car over on the ferry, not really having any need to cross to the mainland, but we did decide to take a ride over and back as foot passengers. The ferry is very small, and has a very clever rotting deck to allow vehicles to get on and off using the old slipways and regardless of the state of the tide.(apparently it is the last manually operated turntable ferry in the world!)

Ferry

We saw seals swimming along the ferry as we crossed, and also spotted the Sea Eagle which nests nearby which made up for not seeing one on our earlier boat trip!

Old and New bridges at Glen Sligachan

I was sorry to leave, although the fact that the last morning was grey and wet helped a little! After dropping my hire car back I had a little time in Inverness, and then caught the sleeper train again - my cabin this time was set up with the top bunk folded away which made it seem more spacious.

Homeward bound on the Caledonian Sleeper

I spent the first part of the journey in the 'club car' enjoying a cheese board and a G'nT, and watching the scenery go past, then headed to my cabin - I enjoyed a better night's sleep than when going the other way - possibly in part due to the G'n'T!

The train back from London to Bath was a little less exclusive, but I was home by late morning, so had plenty of time to unpack and face up to the fact the holiday was over!

I definitely want to return to Skye... perhaps at a different time of year next time, I believe that it can be a good place to see the stars and the Northern Lights, in winter.

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The Red Dress at Tyntesfield

Fri, 09 Jun 2023 21:05:03 GMT

I've been aware for a while of the Red Dress Project for a while - for those whose aren't familiar with it, it's an artwork consisting of a dress which has been made / embroidered by over 350 people (mostly women) in 15 countries, including refugees, asylum-seekers, and professional and amateur needleworkers.

The Red Dress

It's been turned into a touring exhibition, and has been at Tyntesfield for the month of May, so I decided to take the opportunity to go and look at it. (Also, despite it being fairly close by, I've never visited Tyntesfield, so that was a bonus!)

I was slightly frustrated that the dress was displayed in a room where it's not possible to walk round it to see it from all angles, and on a red carpet which didn't do it any favours! I think had I been organising it, I might have tried to find a different place to put it!

It's fascinating, and there must have been so much work done by so many people to create it.

After seeing the dress, I spent some time looking round the rest of the house

There is a rather nice library (with a rocking horse which has escaped from the nursery) and the house has it's own chapel (there were members of the Oxford movement, so very High Church), and the chapel has some mosaics...

And also some rather nice mock-medieval stained glass!

I also went for a short walk in the grounds, but it was rather hot and getting busy, so I decided to head home for lunch.

Nut I enjoyed my trip and I'm glad I got to see the dress!

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Fun with Friends - Farleigh Hungerford and Wells

Sat, 27 May 2023 19:24:03 GMT

I had visitors last weekend, which was lovely, and also the first non-family guests I have had for a while.

We were lucky with the weather, so went out to be proper tourists . We started with a trip to Farleigh Hungerford Castle, which is quite nearby, and met up there with another local friend.

Gatehouse, Farleigh Hungerford Castle

There's been a castle on the site since the 14th C. Walter Hungerford, who fought at Agincourt, and became a Very Important Person, extended it , andalso ordered wall paintings for the Chapel - these were completed in about 1440 and have survived (Although damaged by some unfortunate attempts at renovation in the 1930s)

Medieval wall painting of St George

Sadly, St George's dragon seems to have been lost, but there are other paintings, of the coat of arms, for instance, as well as some rather nice (and naked) cherubs painted on the beams.

So far as I can gather, the fortunes of the Hugerfords peaked with Walter - a few of them picked the wrong side during the Wars of the Roses and lost their heads and the castle, but then another Walter sucked up to Henry VII and got it back.

THen there were a few murders - one Lady Hungerford was executed for having murdered her first husband (I suspect her error may have been getting the servants to help burn his body), but she survived for a quite a long time and did not get 'caught' until her second husband (the HUngerford of the day) died and she had less power.

Another Lady Hungerford was imprisoned and starved by her husband, in one of the towers, surviving through the help of village women passing food to her through the windows. She wrote to Thomas Cromwell about it (He did nothing, but the letter survived as a record of her claims) Her husband wound up being executed by Henry VIII for treason, witchcraft, homosexuality and, probably, being too closely associated with Cromwell. He was the first and only man to be executed for homosexulaity in the Tudor period, and was executed with Cromwell, so it seems likely that his being Cromwell's agent and associate may have had more to do with his fall than his sexuality.

Yet another Walter bought back the castle and improved it again, in the 1550s, then a little later, two Hungerford half-brothers picked opposite sides in the Civil War (and their fight over it resulted in the only military action associated with the Castle, since presumably Farleigh Hungerford is devoid of any real military or strategic importance)

Edward 'the Spendthrift' Hungerford sold the castle to pay his debts in 1686, so after nearly 4 centuries, the family left, and the castle went downhill.

THe tower fell down after Victorian teen tearaways set fire to the ivy covering it, which, it turned out, was all that was holding it up.

It's now a nice site to visit, there are lovely views, and we enjoyed it a lot.

After sustaining ourselves with ice cream, ands buying some English Heritage wine to take home, we headed across to Wells, as it's a cathedral my friend hasn't visited before.

It's my home town, of course, and so familiar to me, but we dis more touristy stuff, ate lunch outside the Bishop's PAlace, admired this season's new cygnets on the moat (and one of last year's cygnets, near the path, channelling Hot Fuzz)

Swan

Then we went round the cathedral, admired the clock and the Doctor WHo locations, (there was a concert rehearsal going on at the time)

And of course also admired the Anthony Gormley statue and Vicar's Close

A very nice day out , I thought!

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Paterson Joseph at the Bath Festival

Sat, 27 May 2023 16:04:23 GMT

Five years ago, I went to Wilton's Music Hall in London, to see a one-man play, Sancho, an Act of Remembrance, written and performed by Paterson Joseph and learned for the first time about an extra ordinary man named Charles Ignatius Sancho, born enslaved in around 1729, who , after being brought to the UK eventually ran away, and, with the help of the Duke of Montagu, an abolitionist, learned to read, was employed by the Duke (eventually as butler) before starting his own business, owning property and therefore, entitled to vote, becoming the first (known) Black Briton to vote in an English General Election. He was also active in the abolitionist movement, a musician, composer, and writer. His portrait was painted by Gainsborough.

2 years after his death in 1780, a selection of his letters was published, making his the first published collection of letters by a Black British writer.

I Enjoyed the play, and was fascinated by his story, so went out and bought a copy of the letters, which were interesting.

Paterson Joseph has now written a novel, The Secret Diaries of Charles Ignatius Sancho

He came to Bath, as part of the Bath Festival, so I went along.

It was an excellent evening - given that Paterson Joseph is a professional actor, it's no surprise that his readings were excellent, and the conversation, including a Q&A, very interesting. He explained that he'd become interested in Sancho partly because he wanted to be in a period drama and kept getting told that "there were no black people in England then", so started looking for a real person who it might be possible to use, which led to his one-man paly about Sancho, and on a more serious level, wanted an answer to the question he, and other black britons get all the time 'but where are you really from?', and to be able to look at history in England, and how black people fit in, and have always fitted in.

It was very interesting, and I'm looking forward to reading the novel (although I hope that he isn't planning to give up acting!), and I enjoyed getting to say hello when I got my copy signed!

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Man in Hat sits on Chair - Charles is Officially Blinged

Wed, 10 May 2023 20:37:04 GMT

I have mixed feelings about this Coronation marlarkey.

I'm not a Royalist, and the fuss and public expense of the thing, (which has apparently cost us around £100M) at a time when record numbers of people are relying on foodbanks, the NHS is on its knees, and with all the other issues we have, grates somewhat, as does the sycophantic approach of the media and the assumption that this is something we are all excited about or united by.

I happened to be on London the weekend before the coronation, and the displays seems a bit excessive and slightly embarrassing.

View from Piccadilly Circus along Piccadilly

That said, my tolerance for small, locally sourced events is rather higher. Partly, I think, because it mostly (At least where I live) to be small scale and to be things which local people have organised, rather than anything imposed from outside, and they have a slightly endearing amateur flavour.

I like that it is giving people the opportunity to make their own art and celebrations - we have a group in the village who make knitted / crocheted displays for the bridge over the stream, and while I liked the little crocheted chicks they did at easter best, they have clearly enjoyed themselves with their coronation display!

Cardboard and crochet fence decoration

Equally, I don't begrudge the fact that the Parish Council has spent a little money on some bunting (and hideous banners featuring poor choices of font and and a more-than-usually unflattering photograph of the king) - there seem to be a fair number of people who want to go to the coronation picnic, even if they would probably be equally happy to go to a non-coronation picnic with bouncy castles and cream teas. I don't have the slightest desire to join in, but I don't mind others doing so!

Not excessive at all, obviously...

I was visiting my parents, and we did watch most of the ceremony. I have to admit, the sheer ridiculous theatricality of the actual ceremony, and the history of it, is quite interesting. It hadn't occurred to me that he would actually sign the coronation oath, for instance, and the solemn presentation and return of things such as the spurs, the swords and so on was quite bizarre. (Apparently no one knows, any longer, what the origin of the armills (bracelets) is, and although they were remade for Charles II's coronation as (like most of the regalia, the originals were lost after the civil war) they weren't actually used then, or at any further coronations until now, although they are apparently mentioned in the traditional service!)

It's all totally bonkers.

Man in hat sits on chair

My parents continue to be active bellringers, and I do it for special events like family weddings. As with the Queen's funeral, there was an intention to have as many churches as possible have ringing for the Coronation, and as, unlike the funeral, there was time to plan, the Central Council of Church Bellringers ran a campaign 'Ring for the King' to try to attract new ringers for the event, so lots of people have been learning to ring for the first time.

In my parents village, the ringing was scheduled to be at 3 p.m., partly as the church had been set up with a big screen so that those who wanted could watch the coronation there, with refreshments, and partly as at least one of the regular ringers wanted to join in but had to work. Which worked out quite well, as it meant that we had plenty of time to watch the show, have lunch and then amble down to the church.

Decorations outside the church

The church and church hall had been decorated (I think there was going to be street party, and the regular pop-up pub, on the Sunday, hence all the bunting) - I particularly liked the efforts made in the church by the flower arrangers!

Flowery crown!

We rang Rounds and Call Changes - including the 'Coronation Peal' (Not an actual peal, but a specific set of calls designed for the coronation)

Which went pretty well. (click on image for video)

After which , we went back home and, a little later, enjoyed some home made scones and cream, purely on the basis that a member of the family commented on FB that they'd done so, and it seemed like a good idea!

My parents, both of whom are old enough to have been around for the last coronation (and had comments to make about the commentators wittering on about 'once in a lifetime' events) did have a few comments to make about their memories - both were pretty young - my dad remembers going to a neighbour's house to watch it on television, (And the television, rather than the event, being the exciting part!) and then being taken to the cinema to watch it in colour a few weeks later. He also did rather well on the souvenir front, being bought a die-cast model of the coach and horses (it apparently came in different sizes and prices, depending on how deep the pockets of your friends or family were - his was the smallest size, and is now rather battered, having been played with over the years!) and also a souvenir commemorative coin, with a rather less flattering portrait than the one on the real currency!

My mother was given a souvenir bible, although whether these were given to all children, or if it was through her local church or Sunday School, isn't entirely clear. It was certainly presented, rather than being bought as a souvenir like the things my dad has, as it's definitely not the kind of thing which my grandparents would have bought for her!

All together, a rather odd day, to say the least!

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A small personal milestone!

Wed, 03 May 2023 19:45:07 GMT

I have been donating blood fairly regularly since I was about 18, starting when I was a student and the lure of free chocolate biscuits was the biggest appeal, and while I've had a few small gaps, i've managed to keep it up pretty well.

And this week,I reached a personal milestone, giving my 75th donation. Apparently,the average woman has about 9 pints of blood, so 75 is over 8 whole bodies worth. Just as well they don't try to take it all at once!

Me with my 75th pint

So, here I am, feeling quite pleased with myself, and looking forward to my free Club biscuit!

And, if you happen to be eligible do consider signing up to donate - here - (you can check if you are eligible here - who-can-give-blood )

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The Motive and the Cue - National Theatre

Wed, 03 May 2023 19:05:06 GMT

I enjoy Mark Gatiss's work, so when I saw that he was appearing at the National Theatre in a new play by Jack Thorne, I immediately suggested to a couple of my theatre-going friends that we go to see it.

We went on Saturday, a week after the first performance, so still in previews.

The play, The Motive and the Cue is about the 1964 production, on Broadway, of Hamlet, starring RIchard Burton and directed by SIr John Gielgud - it's set mainly in the rehearsal room (with some scenes in Burton and Taylor's or Gielgud's rooms) and explores the relationship between them, and their attempts to overcome the differences in their styles and approach to the play.

Neither of the protagonists is immediately likeable, but the performances are excellent - Gatiss is superb, his Gielgud is a poignant figure, anxious about his career and ongoing relevance, struggling to cope with Burton's volatility and challenging behaviour, and at times, very vulnerable (there's a scene with him meeting a sex worker that's beautifully done, pointing up his loneliness and vulnerability)

There's a big cast, many of whom don't get a lot to do or say, and I'm not sure that Tuppence Middleton really manages a full on ELizabeth Taylor, but I thoroughly enjoyed the play, and Gatiss in particular. I would love to see him in some Shakespeare - perhaps Hamlet , or perhaps Henry IV .

The title comes from Hamlet's 'Rogue and Peasant Slave soliloquy: -

"What's Hecuba to him, or he to Hecuba,

That he should weep for her? What would he do,

Had he the motive and the cue for passion

That I have? He would drown the stage with tears

And cleave the general ear with horrid speech,

Make mad the guilty and appal the free,

Confound the ignorant, and amaze indeed

The very faculties of eyes and ears."

The play is at the National until 15th July,and definitely well worth seeing if you have the opportunity.

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The Ceremony of the Keys, Tower of London

Sun, 02 Apr 2023 13:49:47 GMT

So, on Friday evening I was in London to go to the Ceremony of the Keys , at the Tower of London.

The Tower of London by Night

The Tower of London is of course the worlds best known combined bird house and safety deposit box, housing, at it doesn, some very pampered ravens and the Crown Jewels.

There was a Roman wall and other structures there (and there are still some remains of the Roman wall nearby, by the Underground Station) , the WIlliam the Bastard had a castle built there in 1066, in the style known, I believe, as 'Come and have a go if you think you're hard enough, Saxon losers'. Various other bits and pieces have been added since, mostly between the 11th and 16th Centuries. It's still officially a Royal Palace (although not a Royal Residence) and of course is ope as a tourist attraction during the day.

However, after it is closed for the night, you can still, if you have snagged a ticket, attend the ceremony of the keys. THis is something (the ceremony, not the ticketed attendance) which has been going on for the last 700 years. Allegedly, King Edward III turned up unannounced at the Tower one evening in 1340 and was able to walk in, unchallenged, and was a bit miffed at the lack of proper security (Presumably it did not occur to him that, just possibly, someone did recognise him and decided that demanding that the King explain what he was doing snaking into his own castle at night was not a wise career move)

Anyway, he apparently decreed that the fortress must be properly locked up at sunset, and unlocked in the morning. It's not recorded whether he also made any rules about putting the cat out.

And so, ever since, there has been a ceremony every night (as far as I can tell, the unlocking in the morning is rather less formal!)

The Duke of Wellington, who was the Constable of Tower in 1826, changed the timing to provide for the ceremony to take place at 10 p.m. every night, rather than 'sunset', and that's what's happened ever since. (It was slightly delayed once in 1940 when a bomb fell on the tower, but hasn't been missed)

You aren't allowed to take photos, so this one is from the official website

You have to book ahead - the tickets are only £5.50 each but there are only a relatively small number, and they have to be booked in advance.

I arrived at the Tower at about 9.15 - the tickets are very firm that you must be on time, and no latecomers will be admitted, so I wanted to be sure I was a bit early. So, there was a bit of hanging about outside the (locked) gares, then just before 9.30, a Yeoman Warder (Beefeater) wearing a long, red, 'guard coat' (rather than the tudor dress you see in the Yeomen in when they are on duty in the day) came up to the gate to let us in, ticking us all off on a list, and we were then let in through the gates. I think there were maybe 30-40 of us.

'Our' Yeoman then explained that we were not permitted to have phones on or to take photos during the ceremony, before taking us across the moat and giving us a brief history ot the tower and then an explanation of the timing and sequence of the ceremony, before leading us further in.

We were then let further in, where we waited by Traitor's Gate and he went off with a bunch of keys..

Then a group of four soldiers showed up, from the inner ward - One (1) officer with drawn sword, 2 (2) normal soldiers with big guns, and one (1) drummer (with no drum) there to carry a lantern, which contains a candle, because dammit, just because the place has multiple electric lights is no reason to change the habits of 700 years.

One of the Yeoman (not our guide, a different one, wearing a proper Tudor bonnet) falls in with them, or they with him, and marches off to lock the outer gates, then they came marching back, with our Yeoman following on behind, and at this point, a single sentry came out to challenge them - the whole "Who comes there?" "The Keys" "Whose Keys?" "King Charles' Keys" "Pass, King Charles' keys, All's well"

Then they march through the gateway and to the Broadwalk stairs, where there are a whole lot more soldiers, there's some presenting arms, and a "God preserve King Charles" by the Yeoman, then (at 10 p.m.) the Last Post is sounded, after which all the soldiers fall out and wander off.

THat's the end of the ceremony, but the guide then gave us a little more information and answered questions, before escorting us out (through the wicket gates, if you are wondering. Presumably they don't require such ceremonial locking up!)

The whole experience was interesting, and slightly weird. I'm glad I went, but also glad I had other things planned for the weekend, it would have been a bit disappointing if I'd made a trip solely to see it.

If you want to go, you have to book ahead, via the Historic Royal Palaces website - tickets go on sale at the beginning of each month, and sell out pretty fast.

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Alexander the Great - The Making of a Myth, British Library

Sun, 05 Mar 2023 22:01:04 GMT

I was in London to see Orlando and decided to get an early train, in order to go to the British LIbrary and see their exhibition about Alexander the Great, first - it's an exhibition I thought looked interesting, but not quite one that justified a trip to London of it's own!

The exhibition is arranged by approaching Alexander's life chronologically, birth to death, with manuscripts or other documents showing different iterations of the various legends and records of his life.

Medieval French Manuscript with
illustration of Alexander's birth

It was interesting to see how different cultures, at different times, interpreted his life, with multiple versions of the same stories, and myths as well as history set out.

Persian Manuscript - 16thC, I believe

I would have liked to see a little more detail about the history, and clearer differentiation between history and legend, but i loved seeking the different manuscripts.

THe exhibit included some comics, and other modern texts (and an image of Alexander's TOmb, from (I think) Assassin's Creed, as well as items up to 850 years old!

Enamel Tie from Liege, 1150 - Alexander and Griffins

I enjoyed the exhibition, although to be fair I am a sucker for illuminated manuscripts so would probably have enjoyed it regardless of the subject matter!

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Pride and Prejudice* (*Sort of) at Bath Theatre Royal

Fri, 10 Feb 2023 20:55:27 GMT

Way back in September, I booked a ticket to go to see Pride and Prejudice* (*Sort of) in Bath, because I like Jane Austen, and so why not? And then I forgot about it until it popped up on my calendar, so it felt like a nice surprise!

It was a lot of fun - it has a small, all female cast, with each of the actors playing multiple roles.

It's a familiar story, framed as being told by the servants, which allows for some helpful exposition (Although I admit that there was a point where I wanted to shout "no, that's not how an entail works..!")

And it's told in unashamedly modern english, with the characters bursting into (Karaoke ) song at regular intervals (except Mary. Not you, Mary!)

Which is a lot of fun - Lizzie Bennett singing Carly Simon's 'You're so Vain' in response to Mr Darcy's criticism of her at the Meryton Ball was a highlight, although I think my favourite was, perhaps, Lady Catherine de Burgh's reference to her nephew, Christopher, before 'Lady in Red' is played..

Lots of breaking the 4th wall and asides to the audience, and impressive switching between characters (Mrs Bennett to Mr Darcy!)

Well worth seeing if you have the opportunity https://prideandprejudicesortof.com/uk-tour

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Othello at the National Theatre

Wed, 25 Jan 2023 20:51:27 GMT

Last year, I realised the Giles Terera, who I've seen, and been very impressed by, in his own play ' The Meaning of Zong', and as Aaron Burr in 'Hamilton' was going to be appearing at the National Theatre, as 'Othello', so I wanted to go, and persuaded my friends, E and A to come with me.

The Thames, and London Skyline

We all arrived in London early enough to meet up for a second breakfast, before heading over to the South Bank for drinks and nibbles, then the show. It was a beautiful day, with lovely views along the THames, towards St Pauls, as we crossed to the South Bank.

It's a play I've only seen a few times before, I think, twice at the Globe - once with Eammon Walker and TIm McInnerny, and once with Andre Holland and Mark Rylance, and in Bath with Lenny Henry as Othello and Conrad Nelson as Iago. I think the last of those was on 2018, so it's been a while since I've seen the play.

Set, before the play started

In this production, the set is pretty minimalist - a series of tiers and staircases, which, before the play began were covered with projections of posters and playbills for older productions of Othello, and a cast member was cleaning the stage - cleaning away older iterations and assumptions about the play, perhaps?

This version of the play puts the inherent racism and misogyny of the characters front and centre - Iago (Paul Hilton) appears like a cut-price Moseley, all black shirt and pencil moustache, and there is a chorus (at times appearing as a literal mob with flaming torches) to back him up. The Venetian nobility praise Othello's military prowess, and are, of course, quick to send him to defend them from the invading Ottoman navy, but will not shake his hand.

There's also a scene where Othello, called from his marital bed, is seen shirtless, his back showing the scars of beatings and giving us a very visceral reminder of his history of having been enslaved.

NT Publicity Photo -
Rosy McEwan as Desdemona and Giles Terera as Othello

As the play progresses, we also see Emilia, Iago's wife,(Tanya Franks) who (per the text) is used by her husband, to take the handkerchief which he uses to convince Othello that Desdemona has been unfaithful, performed explicitly as a victim of domestic abuse, both attracted to, and frightened of, her husband. It's a powerful performance, and provides a rationale for Emilia's sympathy towards Desdemona and her silence in the face of Othello's growing suspicions. It comes across particularly strongly in her speech in Act 4.

I thought it was a very interesting production, and one which gave a new perspective on the play, but not easy to watch.

After the play, we went to Mere where we enjoyed some wonderful cocktails and a fantastic meal, of which, for me, the highlight was the dessert - a beautiful sphere containing coconut Mousse, kumquat Marmalade, and coffee mousse, flavour which I didn't think sounded as though thy would work together, but which really, really, did!

Given the rather unreliable habits of GWR at the moment, I'd opted to stay overnight and come home on SUnday morning - I had thought I might go to the British Library's ALexander the Great exhibition, but in the end I was too tired and din't fancy hanging around until 11 for it to open, so instead, I got the first train home (delayed by half an hour!)

Everywhere was covered in heavy hoar frost, and looked lovely, if rather cold!

I believe tht Othello is going to be broadcast to cinemas via NTLive on 23rd February, and hopefully on NTatHome after tht. I think it's worth seeing.

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New Year update

Sat, 07 Jan 2023 21:00:08 GMT

I didn't manage to blog much last year - must try to do better this year .

I got Covid on my birthday and ended up having 2 weeks off work and am still not 100%, which is annoying.

I had a fairly low-key Christmas - I went to a candlelit Carol Concert at Wells Cathedral

Wells Cathedral

Then my parents visited for a week for Christmas, which I enjoyed.

Christmas Tree and Omra

We mostly had pretty grey and wet weather and as I had developed a cold the moment I finished work, and my Dad was also getting over one, we had a very un-energetic time, concentrating on eating, drinking, reading and watching TV. Which is a pleasant way to spend a week in winter.

Gate - The Bishop's Eye, Wells

Swans on the moat

We did drive over to Wells on the one day the sun came out. We had thought that we might go into the Bishop's Palace, but it turned out that the Bishop's Palace was closed for the Christmas Period, so we didn't!

The Bishop's Eye Gates

Even the gates from the marketplace to the palace were closed, save for a tiny postern gate, which is only around 5' high so everyone has to duck to get through!

Gatehouse, Bishop's Palace

We took advantage of the very brief period of sunshine and went for a very short walk round the moat, and also took the opportunity to check out the second hand books in Oxfam. We only bought 5 books between the three of us, which is pretty good going for a family visit to a book shop!

The New Year started with a lovely sunny day, so I went for a walk

I had been expecting to spend the first few days of the New Year prepping for a court hearing, but I was, at the last minute, able to get it adjourned, which meant I could book a day off on 3rd January, and ease into the new year with a three day week. Which was nice.

So, that pretty much brings me up to date.

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'Good' at the Harold Pinter Theatre

Sat, 19 Nov 2022 18:28:22 GMT

Way back in the Before Times, we learned that David Tennant was going to be appearing in a production of C.P. Taylor's 'Good', so, in February 2020 we booked tickets, to see the play in October 2020. For obvious reasons, that didn't happen - the play was postponed and we had new tickets for May 2021. And again, that didn't happen. However, the play was re-scheduled again, opening on 5th October, and so we re-booked, and on Saturday 15th October , headed to London for the performance.

I had a delay as the train I was booked on to was cancelled, but fortunately was able get the next train and still arrive just in time for lunch with my friends. It was a good lunch, and lovely to see friends.

The play is set in the period from 1933 to 1941, in Frankfurt, and features Professor of literature, John Halden, (Tennant) and his gradual move into Nazism, not through any conviction of it's merits but out of convenience.. joining the party to further his career, attracting the attention of senior Nazis by writing a novel which is supportive of euthanasia, as he struggles to cope with his mother's dementia, drifting deeper and deeper as he consistently makes the easy, rather than ethical, choices.

The other cast members are Eliot Levey (Who I last saw as Herr Shultz, in Cabaret) and Sharon Small, both of whom played multiple roles - Small playing Halder's wife, his mistress, his mother, and his SS mentor, Freddie, and Levey playing Halder's (Jewish) friend, Maurice, and a number of other roles, including a senior Nazi officer, and Freddie's wife. While Tennant is the star, and is of course the big name pulling in the crowds, both the others are excellent and have, I think, the more difficult job, having to constantly switch between multiple characters, with no changes in set or costume.

It is certainly not a cheerful play (although there is a delightful scene involving Tennant singing and dancing!) but is very good, and unhappily topical.

David Tennant - Photo from NT Live website

It's well worth seeing - in person in London until 23rd December, and via NTLive in cinemas, in April (and, hopefully, after that via NTatHome) .

After the show, we had a slight change of cast of our own, with one friend having to leave to catch a train, and another joining us, before we headed to Mere for wonderful food and cocktails.

It was a wonderful day (although sadly, the next day I started to feel unwell and tested positive for Covid, despite having had a negative LTF test before setting off to catch my train to London. I was fully masked on the trains and in the theatre, but not, obviously, in the restaurants, so can only hope I didn't pass it on to too many other patrons)

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General Catch Up

Sat, 08 Oct 2022 11:49:35 GMT

Hello blog. It's been a while.

A quick round up of waht's ben going on.

I've seen several shows over the last few months -

- Jerusalem, starring Mark Rylance and Rhys Ifans, (Very good)

- Henry VI parts 2 and 3 at the RSC (Good, but making the best of what's not Will's best material, and with some irritating filming / camera work, which I didn't feel added much to the performance) and

- Days of Rebellion, another production of the Wars of the Roses (combination of Henry VII parts 1-3) by the graduating class at Bristol Old Vic (a good attempt, but the idea of setting it as corporate warfare rather broke down once the actual bodies start to pile up)

- The Tempest, the the Ustinov Studio in Bath - the opening production for the new Artistic Director, Deborah Warner, With Nicholas Woodeson as Prospero and Dickie Beau as Ariel

- Headlong Theatre's production of August Wilson's 'Jitney', in Bath, directly from the Old Vic.

- Into the Woods, Stephen Sondheim's musical directed / designed by Terry Gilliam, which I enjoyed.

-The Doctor - an Almeida Theatre production, at Bath, starring Juliet Stevenson, which was very good, but depressing.

As you may have noticed, the Queen died last month, and we all had a week of wall-to-wall coverage.- I didn't feel any particular sense of loss, although I did find some of the ceremonial quite interesting.

It was also the reason for my ringing for the first time in a long time - (I have a shoulder problem which it aggravates) Bells are rung muffled for funerals, it and it was asked that the bells of as many churches as possible rang for the state funeral, so I asked whether anywhere local needed a hand (many ringers ring at more than one tower, and not all churches have a regular band, so trying to get the bells rung everywhere on the same day isn't easy) and ended up joining a mini trip to ring at several churches which don't have regular bands. We got quite a few positive comments from passers-by, which was nice!

And I have enjoyed a few walks - enjoying the late summer sunshine.

Finally, I acquired a new kitten..It's a good thing she's cute, as she's also full of mischief! Vashti is not overly impressed with her, but she is getting used to it.

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Fabergé at the VandA

Tue, 24 May 2022 19:34:34 GMT

Not so long ago, my friend E suggested, that it would be fun to go to the Fabergé exhibition at the Victoria and Albert museum, lunching beforehand at Mere.

It seemed like an excellent idea, so on 2nd April, I made my way to London, and the three of us (E, our mutual friend A, and me) met up at Mere, where we enjoyed some delicious cocktails and food.

Cocktail

We lingered a little longer then planned so ended up getting a taxi to the museum, which was very entertaining.

I also found the exhibition itself interesting,although not necessarily one I would have picked for myself, without my friend having suggested it.

I had not appreciated, although of course I was aware of Faberge, that it involved a substantial business, I had always assumed he was a small craftsman. In fact, at it's peak, they had shops in 5 cities, and over 500 employees!

No photographs were allowed in the exhibit, so I can't share my favourites, but apart from the eggs there were lots of cigarette cases, model animals (including many made for the royal family here) and jewelry.

I particularly liked the enamelwork - there was a brilliant blue cigarette case, inlaid with silver and diamonds, (made, I think, for Mrs Keppel)

There was a very economical multi-purpose tiara (you could apparently remove the head band and wear it as a necklace! ) and some items which looked startlingly modern.

The exhibition ended with the eggs, which are simply stunning - so intricate and delicate. I loved the peacock, and the very modern looking winter egg.

A lovely day. (And we may have gone back for another cocktail after leaving the exhibition, because why not!

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Loki

Sat, 07 May 2022 13:10:29 GMT

Those of you who know me on Facebook will have seen that sadly, Loki left us at the end of March.

Baby Loki, 2014

Loki in the snow

First ,meeting with Vashti

Loki relaxing with Vashti

I miss him. RIP, Loki.

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The Meaning of Zong - Bristol Old Vic

Sat, 07 May 2022 13:09:52 GMT

Back in 2018, I went to a workshop performance / reading of a new play by Giles Terera, at Bristol Old Vic (I wrote about it here) It was a deeply moving event and I planned, then, to see it when it was produced as a full play.

That was delayed, like so many other things, by Covid, but it's finally here and I went to see it on 8th April.

The play is about the 18th C court case of Gregson v Glbert . It concerned the slave ship Zong. It was an insurance claim - the ship's crew had murdered 132 enslaved people, by throwing them overboard, and made an insurance claim for the value of the dead, claiming that it had been necessary to throw them (cargo) overboard due to a shortage of water, in order to save the remaining people on board.

The case was heavily publicised due to the efforts of Olaudah Equiano, (Played here by Giles Terera, who also wrote the play) himself a formerly enslaved man, and Granville Sharp, an abolitionist who was already well known for his activism and support of fleeing slaves. In the original trial, a jury found in favour of the ship owners, in the appeal, new evidence was produced which identified navigational errors by the captain or crew, and evidence that rain had fallen, sufficient to replenish the water supplies, before the final group of people was massacred. As a result, the Judge found that case should be re-heard. There are no records of a further trial, it's likely that the owners either reached a settlement with the insurer or chose not to pursue it, but the publicity helped to expose the inhumaity of the slave trade, and to increase support for abolition movement.

The play opens in a modern setting, with a young woman (Keira Lester) in a bookshop, raising the concern that a book about the slave trade is shelved under African history, rather than, where it more properly belongs, under British history, and being brushed off by the staff, before moving to the historical setting of the Zong court case, interspersed with the stories of three of the enslaved women on the ship.

It's a very powerful play, and not easy to watch.

The set and production, as well as the cast, are excellent - there are allusions to the legacy of the slave trade - wooded cases marked with the names of slavers such as Colston, and a moment when the hammer beams of Westminster Hall, where the court is sitting, descend and for the ribs of the ship - very cleverly done,and a visual reminder of how inextricably linked the establishment was with the trade.

Music throughout was provided by Sidiki Demele.

The run was fairly short but I hope that there will be revivals - if there are, it is very well worth seeing.

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Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club, Playhouse Theatre

Fri, 15 Apr 2022 13:50:58 GMT

Last summer,I booked to see Cabaret, starring Eddie Redmayne as the Emmcee, Jessie Buckley as Sally Bowles,and Omari Douglas as Clifford Bradshaw. That was a long time ago, when nothing seemed certain, and making any kind of booking felt light offering a hostage to fortune. It crept up on me a little, and had I known ahead of time it was going to fall just as our government moved to an 'ignore it and it will go away' policy on Covid, I might not have chosen this week, but such is life...

The theatre has been completely reconfigured inside, there's now a central, circular stage, with seating behind as well as in front of the stage, creating the feel of a club. In addition, the first few rows of the stalls have been replaced with cafe style tables. There are art-deco style, monocled masks on the walls (I can't remember from my previous visits, I think they are covering up the Roman style Ox skulls that used to be there) - it's very thorough.

The booking e-mail sending tickets also gives you an entry time, encouraging everyone to arrive early to allow time to visit the bars and pre-show entertainment. My entry point was the stage door (who knows how the actors get in!) so one goes in to a rather utilitarian corridor, to the first of the bars,(and a complimentary shot of schnapps (or a bottle of lager or water) where a live pianist played,

On the main level, the second bar, in decadent white and gold, murals on the walls (destined, no doubt, were we truly in Wiemar Germany, to be condemned in the near future as degenerate art) with dancers on a platform over the bar, live musicians, as well as a champagne bar.

And all this before you get to your seat!

Then - the show itself.

It's good. Very good.

Eddie Redmayne is superb as The Emcee - almost clownish in the opening number, (sporting a fetching little party hat) and gradually becoming much darker, and colder, as the show continues, including an angel of war or death for 'Money Money Money', moving to a more conventional, if grimmer, appearance towards the end of the show.

Jessie Buckley didn't appear at the performance I saw, the Sally Bowles role was played by her understudy, Sally Firth (according to her mum, who I bumped into in the foyer during the interval, it was the first time she'd appeared in the role)

The rest of the cast is very strong - Ellliot Levey and Lisa Sadovy, Her Shultz and Fraulein Schneider were particularly strong, and Omaro Douglas as Bradshaw was also excellent.

Booking information here, (the cast is changing from the end of March, Eddie Redmayne and Jessie Buckley are leaving) but I think that the production is good enough that it will be well worth seeing even without them!

There are some photos of the show here, and of the redesign of the theatre here

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Storm Eunice - 18th February 2022

Wed, 23 Feb 2022 22:12:19 GMT

We have been having a certain amount of weather. Which,of course, gives us something to talk about..

The Met Office issued an unusual 'Red' warning, and while I live just out of the red zone, even an amber warning is pretty serious.

Our local council recommended tht all the schools should close on Friday, the local bus company cancelled all services, and (true sign that it was serious) the council cancelled our rubbish and recycling collections, depriving us of the opportunity to spend the evening hunting our bins and recycling boxes throughout the village, to wherever the storm might take them.

It was due reach us mid-morning but was a little delayed.

It seemed to be worst mid afternoon ,when we were enjoying hail and localised power cuts; little tiny one at work, and longer ones at the house - I was discouraged rather, when I checked the power company website and found that (at 4.30 on Friday) they were hoping that they would be able to get the power back on by 6 p.m. on Saturday...

Under the circumstances, I headed home (avoiding fallen trees)where I found that (a) the electricity was, indeed, off, although happily I have a gas hob so could at least heat things up, and (b) I had rather less than the recommended amount of garden fence. Well, I suppose I had nearly the same amount of fence as I had first thing, it's just that rather less of it was attached to the fence posts and rather more of it was on the lawn, than is the norm in the best regulated gardens!

I also lost some felting from my garden she's roof, but that was unsurprising as it's been on it's last legs for a while.

Several of my neighbours lost roof tiles, and there are a lot of trees down. My next door neighbours lost the board thy'd put up to cover their shed's missing window..

We got our power back much sooner than expected,which was nice - I had dug out my stash of candles but was happy not to have to use them!

So it felt as though we got off pretty lightly. The weekend was cold and wet and breezy - I didn't go for much of a walk at the weekend as it was not very pleasant,but I did take the long way round when I went for my paper, ad found a few more fallen trees and branches.

Then on Monday Storm Franklin arrived, and took down part of my neighbour's fence. But, somewhat to my surprise, my temporary botched props, to stop the rest of my fence blowing down seemed to work,and hardy any more of fence fell down,although some of it did end up all over the grass again.

So, not the most enjoyable weekend I've ever had, but I'm very glad it wasn't worse.

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The Ocean At The End of the Lane - Duke of York's Theatre

Sat, 19 Feb 2022 14:56:22 GMT

Back in December 2019, I got to see the stage adaptation of Neil Gaiman's The Ocean at the End of the Lane, at the Dorfman at the National Theatre, and it was extraordinarily good (I ended up seeing it 3 times), so when I heard that it was transferring for a longer London run I suggested to my cousin, A, that she and her boys might like it, and we arranged to go together. Then, of course, or tickets.

Since the tickets we originally had were for January 2021, ended up being a longer wait than anticipated, but we finally got to go, almost exactly a year to the day after our original date - and it was worth the wait.

The Duke of York's is larger than the Dorfman, but the play still manages to feel intimate, and immediate, and the Hunger Birds are still terrifying!

And, even though I have seen it before, I was still almost in tears at the end.

It's beautifully staged, and the story is such a poignant , heartbreaking evocation of childhood loss and fears.

It's on until 14th May,and I do recommend that you see it, if you can. Since it is a National Theatre production, and one which is getting excellent reviews, I hope that they may film it for NT Live. I know that there were plans or a touring production, too, although I am not sure whether, post Covid. that's still the plan. I hope so.

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Dr Semmelweiss - Bristol Old Vic

Sat, 12 Feb 2022 16:13:56 GMT

When I saw that Mark Rylance was going to be coming to Bristol and appearing in a brand new play, I naturally couldn't resist, and promptly booked myself a ticket, for one of the preview performances..

The play is Dr Semmelweiss which as you may expect, is about Dr. Ignaz Semmelweiss, (1818-1865), the Hungarian obstetrician who pioneered the use of hand-washing in hospitals, prior to Louis Pasteur and Joseph Lister's research into bacteria.

He noted that the incidence of puerperal fever / childbed fever (sepsis) was significantly lower in women who were treated in a ward run by midwives than one run by doctors, and, following the death of his friend and colleague Jakob Kolletschka, after accidentally butting his finger with a scalpel during an autopsy,realised the key difference was tht the doctors and medical students also attended and performed autopsies, and posited that they were carrying 'cadaveric particles' or 'decaying organic matter' from cadavers, on their hands.

He instituted hand-washing with chlorinated lime (which was used to clean and remove the smell, in the mortuary) , and reduced the mortality rate by around 90%.

Sadly, things did not end well for Ignaz - his conclusions were not accepted and, in a tragic irony, he died of septic shock after being committed to an insane asylum.

The play is told mostly in flashback, we start with Semmelweiss (Mark Rylance) in Budapest with his wife Maria, (Thalissa Teixeira) visited by his former colleagues seeking to persuade him to return to Vienna to speak, at a conference, about his discovery.

As we watch him , back in Vienna, learning that the death rate is higher in the Doctor's than the Midwives' ward, and facing the first death of a patient, then follow his story as he works out the connections and then struggles to cope with the difficulties of being unable to to convince others of his findings, and of being unable to navigate the politics needed to make people accept his theory.

Rylance's performance is, perhaps not unexpectedly, superb - passionate, and tragic - haunted by his failures, absolutely single-minded (and therefore intentionally cruel) in his determination to convince others of what he is certain is true, and his anger at those who cannot, or will not, accept his findings. He is ultimately overwhelmed by the failure to change things as much, or as quickly, as he wishes.

The play is very balletic - the Salomé quartet provide music throughout, and there are dancers,(choreography by Antonia Franceschi) as the various mothers, adding to the sense that Semmelweiss is always surrounded by, haunted by, the women he has failed to save.

Although Rylance's performance is the centre of this play, the supporting cast is also very strong, particularly Thalissa Teixeira as his wife, Jackie Clune as Nurse Muller (who also gets some of the best lines) and Enyi Okoronkwo (Franz Arneth)

It was planned and written before Covid hit, but inevitably feels relevant and contemporary.

Very well worth seeing, and on at Bristol Old Vic until 19th February.

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The Mirror and The Light - In which heads are lost

Sun, 07 Nov 2021 20:08:39 GMT

I haven't seen the RSC's productions of the first two parts of Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall trilogy,but I have read all three books, and watched Mark Rylance in the BBC series, so was interested in seeing this production, which is an adaptation of the final book, The Mirror and The Light, which covers the period from the execution of Anne Boleyn to the execution of Thomas Cromwell.

Henry VIII and Crowell (Production Image)

I enjoyed it - the set is pretty stark but the costumes are sumptuous - full on period styles, with Henry VIII in particular looking magnificent. And given that we start with Cromwell's arrest, and if course we all know how this is going to end, but despite this, the play manages to instil a surprising amount of tension into the events. .

And despite the outcome, (spoiler- things don't end well for Thomas Cromwell) there are many entertaining moments as well.

Sadly the extension to the run has bee cancelled so it is ending at the end of this month, but well worth seeing if you get the opportunity - it did make me wish I'd seen the first two, and also to hope that the BBC makes a the last part of the trilogy with Mark Rylance!

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Hamlet - Sir Ian McKellen

Sun, 15 Aug 2021 15:29:21 GMT

When it was announced, last June, that Sir Ian McKellen was going to play Hamlet, I signed up for the theatre's mailing list. Originally the production was planned for last Summer / Autumn, but as we all know, many plans went awry.

However, in March, the theatre mailed to say the show was back on, for this summer, so I contacted two of my best theatre-going friends, and we booked tickets, and on Saturday, met up in Windsor to see the show.

We met up early enough for drinks and catching up, which was wonderful, then we went for a delicious Moroccan meal, at Al Fassia before heading to the theatre.

Our seats were in the stalls, which meant that we had a good view, but rather a crick in the neck when watching bits of the play as characters clambered up to the walkways which formed parts of the set!

The productions has age-blind, gender-blind and colour-blind casting, so as well as McKellen playing the title role (with Jenny Seagrove, as his mother Gertrude) we had Frances Barber as Polonius and Francesca Annis as the ghost of Hamlet's father, and Ashley D Gayle as Laertes (He had taken over the role at short notice after the original Laertes, Emmanuella Cole, left the production, and he did it extremely well)

I was not enthused by the set - lots of metal ladders and walkways, which I didn't feel added much but which did squeak and rattle when used, which I found distracting, and also meant looking up at a very awkward angle when actors were up on the walkways!

I thoroughly enjoyed McKellen's performance - his first appearance was in deep mourning - formal black suit, silk top hap, dark glasses and astrakhan collar - a very Victorian / Mr Holmes vibe, however the costuming and setting generally were modern - later in the play he appeared in trainers and on an exercise bike, for example, which seems to me to be taking the whole too, too, solid flesh speech a bit too literally.

I was also not enamoured with the decision to present Ophelia (Alis Wyn Davies) as an angry rock chick - we first met her singing doubt thou the stars are fire.. , accompanying herself on guitar, and then in the mad scenes, again she sang, and accompanied herself, and the control this needed meant she seemed more angry than mad. And Gertrude's odd accent as a disrtaction, never explained.

The director had also decided to use hair as way of indicating mental distress - Hamlet cuts his hair off, stripping down for revenge. Gertrude's wig is pulled off, leaving her exposed, as she is shown by Hamlet the causes of his grief, and Ophelia apparently finds time to cut off her own hair as she goes mad. I felt it was a mistake to use the same metaphor repeatedly like this, it would perhaps have been effective if used for one of the three!

Over all, I felt the production was a bit patchy: There were excellent performances - Ian McKellen is always a joy to watch, and it was wonderful to see and hear him speaking the verse (perhaps a touch fast, in the To be, or not to be soliloquy, but that's a minor criticism) , I never quite forgot his age, but it didn't prevent his performance being convincing, and moving.I was impressed by the performances off Ashley Gayle (Laertes) and Ben Allen (Horatio).

I'm happy that I saw it, and that McKellen decided to give it another go. And I am looking forward to seeing The Cherry Orchard , with the same cast, in October. It's a play I am far less familiar with, so will go in with a much more open mind!

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In Which I Go OUT! And there is Theatre, and Meeting A Friend, And Food

Mon, 09 Aug 2021 12:47:22 GMT

It's been a long time.

But a few months ago, after I had been able to book both my vaccination appointments and knew i would be fully vaxxed by now, and when it looked as though we were getting back to normal, I booked tickets to go to the theatre, with a friend.

The show we booked was Under Milk Wood at the National Theatre, with Michael Sheen, and we went to the final matinee. It's the first time I've been to the theatre since March of last year, and the first time I've been anywhere except to work, and to spend time in my bubble.

It felt very strange.. There were people, lots of them, and some of them not wearing masks. And then we went to a restaurant and ate(delicious!) food cooked by someone else!. Fortunately I don't seem to have completely forgotten how to behave in pubic.

Then we went for our socially distanced performance. we were sitting with 3 empty seats between us, as when we booked, being from different households/bubbles, we couldn't sit together, and there were lots of empty seats to keep everyone distanced. Were it not for the knowledge of how difficult this makes it for the theatres, I could get to quite like the extra space!

I've never seen Under Milk Wood before, although I have read it,and I thoroughly enjoyed it. There was, in this production, some additional material; the play began with a group of nursing home residents, and the (unexpected) visit from the son (Michael Sheen) trying to speak to his father (Karl Johnson), who appears unable to understand or respond to him, until he starts to show him old photos, and encourage his to remember his childhood, and all the characters of that little Welsh town, Llareggub...

It makes for a fascinating take on the play, seeing the characters played by the elderly cast members, and Johnson's almost wordless performance was particularly impressive.

I'm very glad I got to see it. (We saw the final matinee, I'm not sure if it was filmed at ll and whether it may yet appear on NTLive) .

Since I was going to brave the trip to London, I decided that I might as well make the most of it and see a second show, so I had booked to see Constellations as well.

It's a short, two character play, about love and quantum physics - this production has four different casts, and I saw the second, Zoe Wanamaker as Physicist Marianne, and Peter Capaldi as beekeeper Roland.

The play is a serious of short scenes - a party, where Roland and Marianne make a connection, or don't , spend a night together, or don't.. And we watch as the same scene plays out in slightly different ways, as different choices are made, or not made, or news is good or bad.

It was interesting and unusual, and I enjoyed it, and seeing these two actors on stage (I have see Zoe Wanamaker in other productions but this was the first tie I'd seen Peter Capaldi on stage)

The performance I saw was the last they did, but there are two other cases still continuing!

As the last train home is currently very early, I stayed overnight, and then had a pleasant walk back through Kensington Gardens, and some quiet back-streets, to get back to the station.

It was all quite tiring - I did find being out around so many strangers quite stressful, and I had forgotten, over the past 16 months how much difference the poorer air quality makes to me, personally, but it was wonderful to see a friend I've not seen for so long, and I did enjoy both shows, despite feeling a bit nervous.

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