Hvisking og rop fra et avsides dalføre
Lynette Davies was an altogether exceptional woman. Of Welsh origin, she was an apparition of captivating beauty; tall, blond, elegant, and with a speaking voice to die for. She was generous, and her fondness of people coupled with curiosity, intelligence and a vibrant vivacity made her an easy person to engage in conversation and to…
Two Gentlemen of Verona – The Musical In 1973 I was engaged to perform in Two Gentlemen of Verona, a new musical by Galt MacDermot (music, of Hair fame), John Guare and Mel Shapiro (book; Shapiro also directed the show), based on Shakespeare’s play by the same name. The rehearsal period and entire run of…
Separate Tables, Terence Rattigan’s famous play from 1954, consists of two linked one-act plays set in the Beauregard Private Hotel, a run-down hotel in Bournemouth, England. In one, a divorcee tracks down her former husband in order to resume a kind of half-life with him. In the other, a repressed young spinster offers moral support…
Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake is a feast for the eye and a celebration for the senses. Watching it for the first time was a stunning experience, a revelation. Dark, mysterious, sensuous and full of drama, Bourne’s theatrical revamping of this Petipa classic to the music of Tchaikovsky made this evening in the theatre one of…
Amor Fati is a poem which has meant a lot to me over the years. Ever since I first read it in my early teens, I’ve regularly brought it forth, year on year, getting inspired every time. Amor Fati is written by Norwegian poet André Bjerke who once revealed this was his favourite amongst his…
Quoted from Howard Zinn’s 1970 Boston speech “The Problem is Civil Obedience“ “Civil disobedience is not our problem. Our problem is civil obedience. Our problem is that people all over the world have obeyed the dictates of leaders… and millions have been killed because of this obedience… Our problem is that people are obedient all over…
Although this Chaplin movie isn’t considered one of his very best, its satire and characters are so good The Dictator could meaningfully fit in at any time in history. At our present time as a wave of -isms – populism, racism, separatism, nationalism, even trumpism – is a dominant force across the western world, Chaplin’s…
John Wilson and his orchestra are joined by a spectacular ensemble of singers and dancers from Broadway and the West End for a unique performance of the classic musical Kiss Me, Kate. Hits including Another Op’nin, Another Show, Wunderbar and Too Darn Hot combine to create a dazzling evening of music, dance and theatre to…
Back in 1967 I was a student at Arts Educational in London. One night in late Autumn, I happened to see Sweet Charity, the famous musical based on Federico Fellini‘s equally famous movie, Nights of Cabiria, at the Prince of Wales Theatre in London’s West End. I was entirely enraptured by South-African actress, singer and…