All posts by BarbaraMichaels

Literature

Review Live a Little, Howard Jacobson By Barbara Michaels

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Published by Jonathan Cape ISBN 978-1-787-33143-3

Price: £ 7.37 paperback, £9.99 Kindle (Amazon)

Perceptive, erudite prose honed to perfection with a dry acerbic humour is what we have come to expect from Howard Jacobson.  His latest novel, Live a Little, more than justifies those expectations. Jacobson reaches – and maintains throughout – a degree of empathy (not to be mistaken for sympathy) with the two central protagonists -both of them reaching their twilight years.

A colourful yet totally believable character, at the age of ninety-something Beryl Dusinbery is forgetting everything – including her own children.  Nevertheless, with plenty of dosh and worldly goods to cushion her final years, plus two devoted carers, she is still one sparky lady.  Shimi Carmelli, on the other hand, is best described as a nebbish, full of doubts about himself and harbouring a guilty secret.  Despite this, he is still presentable enough to be considered by the Widows of North London (as formidable a bunch of predatory blue-rinsed females as you could find anywhere) a Catch.  

When Beryl and Shimi meet up, there is a rapport between them as each reaches back among tangled memories of the past – some real, others cloaked in cloud.  Memories both fond and painful rise to the surface, with some surprising results.  Jacobson both intrigues and at times irritates; dense italics over several pages can, and do, slow down the narrative.  Nevertheless, as the text delves in and out of the past into the present and back again, the reader is driven onwards, compelled by the insight into the foibles of old age dealt out mercilessly by the author in a combination of empathy and wit, both in the sharpest of spot-on prose that holds the reader in thrall through to the end.

Defined by its brilliance of language and complexity of reach, this, the latest novel of an award-winning author, including the Man Booker Prize for Fiction for The Finkler Question, can only be described as a tour de force.  Powerful, unflinching in its approach yet at times hilarious, with an amazingly intelligent yet readable prose, Live A Little was described by John Burnside of The Guardian as being worthy of being seen as “The dystopian British novel of its times.”

 A journey both backwards and forwards in two lives, warts and all.  Pulling all the punches, and bitterly observant of the foibles of advancing years, yet acknowledging that sexual desire can take many forms – and that love can lurk beneath the most unlikely surfaces.

                                                                                                              Barbara Michaels

Film & TV

Showbiz Chatter By Barbara Michaels

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Good old ‘Corrie ‘– veteran of the soaps Coronation Street this month celebrated 60 years on the small screen. The longest running TV soap not only in the UK but in the world, there is even going to be a commemorative set of stamps, on sale from May 28th, to mark the anniversary.

 I well remember ‘Corrie’ way back in its early days. Granada TV took a posse of us – some eight or ten showbiz journalists – up to the set in Manchester by train.  First class, no less, and a full cooked breakfast with a glass of bubbly in the dining car.   

But the TV company got their money’s worth when we arrived at the studios.  Interviews with the cast followed, one after the other, each of us being firmly moved on to the next one when your time was up.  

I headed straight for the wonderful Violet Carson, complete with hairnet in her role as the miserable old bat Ena Sharples – she of the jutting jaw and woe betide you if you crossed her.  Vi was a gem – a true pro knowing exactly what was wanted.  Then it was on to the flame-haired Pat Phoenix, bold, brassy and larger than life on TV as Elsie Tanner.  A very different kettle of fish – feisty and fun in real life too.  As for the men – William Roache (Ken Barlow in the series), who had his 88th birthday last month, was politeness personified.

I must have done at least six interviews that day.  Exhausting – but a great day out!

Barbara Michaels

Theatre

Theatr Hafren – Keeping in Touch by Barbara Michaels

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The Hafren theatre in Newtown, Powys, leads the way with exemplary staff, volunteer and community support during lockdown. As soon as confinement became inevitable, they launched a weekly newsletter knowing that so many of their volunteers and supporters would be in vulnerable groups, so isolating for a long period.

Their connections were encouraged to write, and the ongoing programme is updated as it changes, showing ‘light at the end of the lockdown tunnel’. Volunteers tell stories of lifetimes in and around theatres while regular contributors, such as myself,  tell amusing tales, reviewing productions new and old so catering for wider interests. They also provide links to streaming and TV that may be of value to readers. Bravo The Hafren!

Are there other theatres and venues out there doing as much?

Barbara Michaels

HAFREN BOX OFFICE
boxoffice@thehafren.co.uk | www.thehafren.co.uk

Film & TV, Theatre

Showbiz Snippets with Barbara Michaels

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Showbiz Snippets

 Olivia Colman and the rest of the ‘Royal’ family are preparing to film a fourth season of The Crown when restrictions are lifted.  Which brings back a Royal memory to me.

When working on the local newspaper in the Fifties, I was sent to report on a special  4th June firework display at Eton College to be attended by the Her Majesty the Queen, accompanied by Prince Philip.  Knowing I would be the only female in the Press enclosure, I had lashed out on a new dress for the occasion. 

As the Royal party passed where members of the Press party were herded together behind a barrier, Prince Philip glanced our way. He then turned towards the Queen and said something sotto voce which made her smile.  For years I kidded myself it was a complimentary mention of me in my new dress, but knowing HRH’s penchant for pithy remarks it was more likely to have been: “Good lord – they’re letting women in now!”

On another occasion, I was sent to cover the tea the Queen was giving, in a huge marquee in the grounds of Windsor Castle, for tenants of the Crown lands.  Determined to be prepared, I went over the day before to check who would be sitting next to Her Majesty at tea.  A courtly elderly gentleman was putting around the place names at the top table.   On HM’s right was the name of a well-known member of the aristocracy, but the name on her left was unknown to me.

“Who is that?” I asked.  “I’ve never heard of him!”

My escort blushed.  “Actually,” he said. “It’s me.”              

Barbara Michaels

Showbiz Snippets

Did you know that Pierce Brosnan, soon to be seen on Netflix in a new comedy Eurovision, turned down the role of James Bond the first time he was offered it?  It took seven years for him to accept the role, in his first Bond film Golden Eye, to be followed by four more.

https://youtu.be/lWc6_aCTqI0

Don’t forget to watch the National Theatre’s Anthony and Cleopatra before Thursday.  Free on YouTube. As Anthony, Ralph Fiennes is a man of the flesh in all respects, while Sophie Okonedo is a manipulative Cleopatra.  Brought back memories of Richard Burton with Elizabeth Taylor in the 1963 film.

Theatre

Review Hedda Gabler, Sherman Theatre, Cardiff by Barbara Michaels

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Play: Henrik Ibsen

Adapted from the original by Brian Friel.

Director: Chelsea Walker

out of 5 stars (3 / 5)

A dark play, dealing with themes of manipulation and obsession, with a feminist agenda rampant throughout, Hedda Gabler is not a work to be undertaken lightly by any director. All the more credit, then, to Chelsea Walker not only for tackling the issues head on, but for giving Brian Friel’s adaptation, premiered in Dublin in 2008, a contemporary slant which, in focussing on the vagaries of the central character whose name is the title of the play, also explores the elements that have produced them. To quote the Sherman’s artistic director Joe Murphy:

“In this age of identity crises, both personal and political, this play has never been more relevant.”

No less daunting is the task facing Welsh actress Heledd Gwynn as Hedda, in a role that has been performed by numerous famous actresses over the years.  Hedda is a complex woman – a young wife who has everything she wanted and nothing that she really wants.  As bored in her marriage as she was beforehand, Hedda is ripe for mischief – with tragic results. Gwynn’s performance is a tad tentative in the first half; her character definition a slow burner.  Not altogether a bad thing, but she needs to slow down a tad speech-wise.

Nice character development from Marc Antolin as Hedda’s ambitious academic husband George Tesman. Boyish and self-depreciating but ambitious when it comes to the prospect of being beaten to the post by fellow academic the quasi-reformed druggie and former lover of Hedda Eilert Loevborg, who has returned to the fold just in time to cause chaos – a chaos that eventually tips over into tragedy. Tesman’s attitude to his wife is a key element, and in Walker’s hands this production makes this crystal clear. As Eilert, Jay Saighal shows a relish for the role, coming to his own in the second half; difficult to say more without being in danger of a spoiler.

In the skilled hands of Nia Roberts, who many will remember from the TV series Keeping Faith, the character of George’s aunt Julia Tesman is a joy to watch – the ebullient, loving auntie failing to see the danger of a claustrophobic relationship based on treating a grown man as a boy.  Ibsen’s classic take on the power of family to support but also to destroy is one of the many themes in this complex play, and Friel’s adaptation gives it full credence in this production.

Returning to the Sherman, as Hedda’s friend Thea Elvsted, Alexandra Riley ticks the boxes in demonstrating the power of female friendship.

A  modernistic set by Rosanna Vize, aided considerably by lighting by Joseff Fletcher, includes a working firepit – worry not, fully authorised by Health and Safety, although obviously requiring careful watching and a vast amount of  clearing up after each performance   Nevertheless, a highly effective replacement for the stove used when the play was first performed in its original form in Munich in 1891.   Autres temps, autres mœurs – does Friel’s adaptation as staged in this production stand the test of time?   A mind-blowing 128 years later, attitudes towards class, wealth and social standing -not to mention the big one, gender, coupled with identity crises – have changed immeasurably.  Or have they really changed that much?  Can we sympathise with Hedda?  Or not?

The answer to those questions is:…..

Go to see the play- then judge for yourself.

Run ends Saturday November 2nd.

Film & TV, Theatre

Review Persuasion, New Theatre, Cardiff By Barbara Michaels

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Adaptation: Barbara Landis, from the novel by Jane Austen

Lyrics: Barbara Landis

Musical Director and Conductor: Linda Madonia

Reviewer: Barbara Michaels

out of 5 stars (3 / 5)

A musical adaptation of a Jane Austen novel –   one
might be forgiven for thinking whatever next! 
Somewhat surprisingly to this hardened critic, Persuasion the
musical version actually does work, although whether it contributes a great
deal to the understanding of the mores of the time which is so intrinsic to
Austen ‘s work, is questionable.  More
D’Oyly Carte than Austen, and, on occasion, tipping over the edge of comedy
into farce, for my money Jane Austen it ain’t.  
That is not to say it is without merit.

Playwright Barbara Landis, whose adaptation this is of the
last complete novel that the illustrious Jane wrote, has striven to keep the magic
of Austen’s elegant prose by donning a mob cap and sitting at the side of the
stage reading some of the passages from the novel.  This could conceivably have worked, had
Landis not chosen to add in such elements as rolling eyes and gestures which
detract rather than enhance her performance.

 Add to this that Landis
also plays the central character of Anne Elliott, so at regular intervals throughout
throws off said mob cap and shawl (various) to join the action centre stage. It
is Anne’s on-off romance with Captain Wentworth played by Jeff Diebold, that is
at the heart of Austen’s novel.  Much rests
on the role of Anne, and Landis does not differentiate sufficiently between the
younger and more mature Anne although full credit must go to her for remaining
faithful to the original inasmuch as keeping to much of the original dialogue
and music appropriate to the era.  BUT,
and sadly it is a big but:  in
pinpointing the provincial snobbery, class consciousness and ignorance of the
era with a heavy sprinkling of comedic touches, the essence of Austen has been
lost.

This is a pity, as there is nevertheless much to commend
here when viewed in its own right i.e. stand-alone as an independent piece of musical
theatre.  The music and choreography make
a major contribution,  with music faithful
to the era and, in the second half, with spirited Irish dancing by Peter Dzik
and Ian Schwartz (query: Irish dancers normally do not move any part of their
upper body including their arms) and a couple of ballroom scenes from the pump
room in Bath.  As Anne’s father Sir
Walter Elliot, John B. Boss gives a suitably over the top performance which
shows his relish for the role, while Anne Marie Lewis’s portrayal of
hypochondria as Anne’s sister Mary is a classic.  Maggie Clennon Reberg’s Lady Russell,
godmother to Anne- a cross between Downton Abbey and a Fairy Godmother –
is a joy; a welcome portrayal of what real class, á la Austen, looks
like.

Excellent backdrops projected on screen throughout add an
authentic touch, with those in the latter half of the Cobb at Lyme Regis and
the Pump Room at Bath being particularly good.  
Overall, a fun evening albeit somewhat of a hybrid based on the work of
one of our greatest literary novelists.

Performance on Saturday, 4th August 2019

Film & TV, Musical, Theatre

Review Kinky Boots, Wales Millennium Centre by Barbara Michaels

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Music and lyrics: Cyndi Lauper

Based on the book by Harvey Fierstein

Director and choreographer: Jerry Mitchell

Reviewer: Barbara Michaels

out of 5 stars (4.5 / 5)

Plaudits for this musical, based on the book by Harvey Fierstein and the 2000 British film, are thick on the ground – and deservedly so.  Brash, bright and beautiful throughout, Kinky Boots tells the story of one Charlie Price.  An unwanted inheritance from his father leaves Charlie running a shoe manufacturing company in Northampton and forming a partnership with cabaret performer and drag queen Lola.  When the business is threatened with closure and bankruptcy Lola saves the day by suggesting the manufacture of high-heeled boots for drag performers. Et voilà!

Some great songs, including those with a message and others
which are pure joie de vivre, pack a punch.  Kinky Boots is so much more than just
another musical.  At the heart of it –
and what a big heart it is – is a subject which nowadays is, for the most part,
treated empathetically, which was not always the case in some communities not
that long ago.  I refer to transgender –
often in the news of late.  The story
tackles it head on, with the occasional heartbreak yet with fun and verve,
dished out by an amazing cast who earned a standing ovation last night in the
Donald Gordon theatre in the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff.

As Charlie, Joel Harper-Jackson proves, after a slow start,
that he can both act and sing, coming into his own in the second half with a
rendering of Soul of A Man which tugs at the heart strings.  But it has to be said, it is Kayi Ushe’s Lola
that steals the show. Ushe gives a scintillating performance as the drag queen
and, equally telling, when he appears in male clothing. Lola’s singing of
Hold Me in Your Heart as the show nears its close is heart-rending.

Demitri Lampa cuts the mustard as Don, managing to steer
clear of the pitfalls of such a role i.e. portraying a so-called masculine
prototype with beer belly and a set of out-moded ideas. Adam Price as the
factory manager George makes this cameo role his own, although the joke wears a
bit thin towards the end of the show.  Coronation
Street’s Paula Lane as the factory girl sweet on Charlie and Helen Ternent
as his erstwhile fiancée Nicola provide an extra fillip. 

As for the Angels – the dancers at Lola’s club – wow!  Brilliant and believable they sing and dance
throughout showing amazing talent and especially outstanding in What A Woman
Wants, sung with Lola, Don and factory girl Pat in Act II.  Everybody Says Yeah, sung by Charlie,
Lola and the Angels with full ensemble, which brings the first half to a close is
another gem. You couldn’t wish for better.

All aided and abetted by great music, wonderful
costumes and David Rockwell’s atmospheric set. 
Sit back and enjoy the magic that is Kinky Boots.

Opera & classical, Theatre

Review WNO Summer Opera Classic Concert, Theatr Hafren, Newtown. By Barbara Michaels

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Conductor: Harry Ogg

Soloists: Joyce El-Khoury and Jason Howard

Soloists: Joyce El-Khoury and Jason Howard

out of 5 stars (4 / 5)

What a treat for opera lovers in mid-Wales to have WNO
favourites Joyce El-Khoury and Welsh baritone Jason Howard performing here in
their midst, in the Summer Opera Classics concert at the Theatr Hafren in
Newtown. 

Under the baton of young conductor Harry Ogg, who took up
his position as WNO Associate conductor earlier this summer, the concert
featured both popular classical opera favourites such as La ci darem la mano from Mozart’s Don Giovanni, plus songs from musical theatre – namely South
Pacific – including the
universally popular Some Enchanted Evening. The latter showcased
Howard’s role in the touring production of the show, providing an easy entrée
for anyone dipping their toes into the world of opera for the first time; a
realisation, perhaps, that the genres not infrequently have a musical reference
to one another.

With the two soloists on stage either separately or together
for most of the programme, interspersed with a sprinkling of orchestral items which
included the delightful waltz from Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin, this was a concert with a well-balanced choice of
music to delight on a summer evening. Bringing her own special magic to the occasion,
Joyce El-Khoury as ever, held her audience enthralled.  Her skill as an outstanding soprano is indisputable,
plus the fact that El-Khoury manages to make reaching even the highest notes
seem effortless.  After a majestic
performance by the orchestra of the WNO which opened the concert, El Khoury’s singing
of D’amor sulll’all rosee from
Verdi’s Il Trovatore could best be
described as liquid gold, followed by Howard’s simpatico rendering of the
lyrical intermezzo from Masagri’s Cavalleria
Rusticana.

A perfect pairing, this, of El -Khoury and Howard. The
chemistry between these two accomplished artistes was evident in their duets, in
the highly charged and musically challenging Pari, siamo soli from Verdi’s Rigoletto
and climaxing in the waltz duet which forms the finale from Franz Lehar’s Merry Widow – perhaps not surprisingly
as the singers are partners in real life!

It is not easy to create the atmosphere of grand opera in a
concert hall or theatre with no scenery and full marks to Ogg , a slight but autoreactive
figure on the rostrum, and the orchestra of the WNO for achieving this despite
having journeyed for some hundred miles for this, the final performance of
their Summer Opera Classics tour.

Performance on Friday July 5 at Theatr Hafren, Newtown.

Theatre

Review MACBETH, National Theatre at Wales Millennium Centre by Barbara Michaels

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Play by William Shakespeare

Director: Rufus Norris

Reviewer: Barbara Michaels

out of 5 stars (4 / 5)

Reviled by many as one of Shakespeare’s more unpleasant
plays, and referred to by thespians as ‘The Scottish Play’ because of its
reputation for bringing bad luck to performances, Macbeth is open to a huge range of interpretations on account of
its deep psychological reference.  Rufus
Norris’s interpretation of Shakespeare’s work balances this with an urban
modern setting that screams disruption and corruption in high places from start
to finish.

For those unfamiliar with the play, Macbeth is a soldier
whose wife’s aspirations of greatness proof to be his downfall.  Returning after a successful battle, he meets
a coven of witches who predict his speedy promotion and ultimate Kingship.  On arriving home, Macbeth tells his wife, who
informs him that Duncan, the present King of Scotland, will be visiting and
staying the night – giving an ideal opportunity for the skulduggery which is necessary
i.e. the King’s murder. One killing leads to another as both the Macbeths become
victims of a bloodlust that lead inevitably to their downfall.

Played out against a forbidding darkly lit set which hardly
changes throughout, this production focuses on making Shakespeare’s work
compatible with contemporary times, with the obvious intent of the original text
becoming more accessible to present day youth. 
In this, the National Theatre’s most recent version of Macbeth, it succeeds brilliantly. The parallel
with the knife crime so prevalent in today’s society is evident. The fights
are, at times, almost too realistic Costume designer Moritz Junge dresses the
soldiers including the main protagonists Macbeth and his rival Macduff in
combat uniform, while Lady Macbeth is seen in jeans and T-shirt. Set designer
Rae Smith uses a steeply sloping ramp for much of the main action in a stark
setting.  Even the banquet in Macbeth’s
castle is an austere affair.

. BUT – there is a caveat. Some of the poetry and fluency of
the memorable speeches is lost, or drowned out by overloud music which adds to
a cacophony of sound in some scenes.   And
did the three witches really have to climb poles? Having said that, the pluses
in this production by the prestigious National Theatre are many. Overall this
is good theatre, due in no small part to the acting of Michael Nardone, who
projects as a Macbeth in emotional torment yet unable to resist the possibility
of ennoblement and its accompanying riches and the blandishments of his evil
(soon to become deranged) wife, with disastrous consequences. Kirsty Besterman
plays Lady Macbeth as a malevolent sex kitten who has no scruples in using her bedroom
wiles to persuade her husband to embark on a wicked course that will lead to
his destruction. Norris tackles the wickedness head-on – literally. (Forgive
the pun – beheading is part of the on-stage action).

As for light relief:  there
is not much of that around, but what there is gets its full due in the hands of
Deka Walmsley whose spot-on timing and comedic touch provide a most welcome
moment of lightness in this searingly dark tragedy, giving rise to appreciative
chuckles on the night reviewed. A welcome moment of respite from the relentless
discords of a brutish production that demonstrates that, while we may stop
short of beheading in today’s society and guns have replaced swords, in some
respects – you have only to consider the fighting in Afghanistan and Syria, for
instance – the similarities with our own times are all too apparent.

Runs until Saturday March 23rd.

Opera & classical

Review Ignite the Passion, Mid Wales Opera, Gala Concert by Barbara Michaels

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out of 5 stars (4 / 5)I

Theatre Hafren, Newtown.

Reviewer: Barbara Michaels.

In celebration of their 30th birthday, Mid Wales Opera pulled out the stops for a Gala Concert which also marked the start of their Spring tour of Tosca.  After a welcome by Board member Alun Jones, the programme began with a spirited performance of The Laughing Song from Johann Strauss II’s  Die Fledermaus by guest artiste soprano Galina Averina (who sang the role of Pamina with outstanding success in MWO’s 2017 production of The Magic Flute), setting the tone for a programme of opera favourites in the first half.  

GALINA AVERINA
soprano

A selection from Puccini’s La Boheme followed: the aria Che Gelida and ensuing duet Si, mi chiamo Mimi sympathetically sung by Norwegian tenor Stian Økland and soprano Stephanie Lloyd was a clever and popular choice, while scarlet gowned mezzo soprano Dilan Saka’s performance of Nel Giardin del bello from Verdi’s Don Carlos deservedly won huge applause– a young artiste to watch, as proved by her performance with Økland in the Seguedilla from Bizet’s Carmen.  All of these young and personable singers are emerging talents in the opera scene and to be kept an eye on in the future, while Averina’s solo aria Saper Vorreste, from Verdi’s In Ballo in Maschera showcased her true and clear soprano.

STIAN ØKLAND
lyric tenor (WIAV)

STEPHANIE LLOYD
soprano (WIAV)

DILAN SAKA
mezzo (WIAV)

A concert programme consisting of only operatic items is not easy, the components of opera stretching as they do far wider.   The fabulous music for full orchestra is impossible to replicate with a solo pianist and full credit to MWO accompanist Siân Davis who rose admirably to the challenge.  Additionally, an opera traditionally involves a considerable amount of both scenery and props, both of which are lacking in a concert performance.  While on this occasion fully understandable owing to full scenery for the following night’s opening performance of Tosca being hidden behind the all-concealing black drapes.  A gala evening could perhaps have done with a bit more.

 Addressing the
audience at the end of the evening ,Gareth Williams, chair of MWO, spoke of
MWO’s intention since its foundation thirty years ago to bring opera to parts
of Wales  previously unable to access
opera, and also to smaller venues, while  Emily Gottlieb, Chief Executive of the National
Opera Studio and a former production and development designer with the Royal
Opera House, spoke of the immense value of Mid Wales Opera as a testing ground
for the operatic skills emerging today.

All singers are former or present students of Dennis O’Neill’s Academy of Voice in Cardiff.

Gala concert at Theatr
Hafren, Newtown, Powys,on Friday February 22nd.