Nancy Meckler has created a fantastic adaptation of Strindberg’s Dance of Death. This wonderfully black comedy is a roller coaster of emotion from start to finish!
An artist renowned for his pursuit of perfection, Michael Jackson remains one of the greatest performers, if not the greatest to have ever lived. The spearhead for fairness and equality within the music industry, Michael is responsible for helping to pave the way for the MTV generation, breaking down racial barriers that had initially seen him amongst other black american artists refused airplay. It’s hard to believe that even Michael had fought for his music to be heard, considering his legendary status that we now take for granted! As you read this now, I’m sure your currently humming along to your favourite Michael Jackson song!
Split into two separate dance pieces, Brazilian dance company Grupo Corpo brought classical ballet to the Sadler’s Wells Theatre with a difference – Latin rhythmic influence. It was really enjoyable to watch the dancers gracefully perform such technical movements, whilst grinning and enjoying the beat of the Latin music. It brought a fun element to a usually very serious style of movement.
What does the first song to be played on the moon, aptly named Fly Me to the Moon famously sung by Frank Sinatra… The iconic Austin Powers theme tune Bossonova… And Michael Jackson‘s timeless album Thriller all have in common?
Wild Card at Sadler’s Wells is a series of evenings that unveil new perspectives of dance making by allowing artists to present new work that is meaningful to them. Seeta Patel chooses to bring to the audiences the Indian classical dance style of Bharatanatyam. Though born and raised in the UK and with a background in contemporary dance, Patel is passionate about this South Indian style of dancing.
Walking into the performance space at the Theatre Delicatessen perfectly set the tone for the docu-drama Pedal Pusher. The room which held the audience before the show had been converted into what looked like a hospital ward; complete with beds, a sports message table and x-rays of brutally broken bones. The audience were encouraged to get involved and have a look around, sparking members to try things such as the blood pressure machines and root through the files containing medical history. It was a really refreshing and engaging way to begin the show, and in many ways the space was so impressive that I was hoping it would host the performance whilst we sat around observing from the hospital beds. No such luck – instead the performance took place in a large space filled only with a few chairs and the barriers you find at concerts (and indeed cycling events).
“We are Anonymous. We are legion. We do not forgive. We do not forget. Expect us”. What begins as a group of five anonymous online trolls, who view it as their right to stand up for ‘the Hive’ and protect their right to “Lolz”, spend up to twenty hours a day plotting on how to destroy co-operations that attempt to sensor the internet after their favourite video of Tom Cruise is wiped from all websites by the scientologists, soon develops into a life altering web of menacing behaviour and criminal activity as the power and strength of their anonymous personas online begins to drastically outweigh that of them in real life.
What do you get when you bring together 8 unique and talented circus performers and multiply their use of the imagination and their creativity to 1 innovative production? You’ve guessed it; it’s none other than the spellbinding Sequence 8! Be prepared to leave your worries behind as the cast navigate the audience through a labyrinth of thought provoking themes and scenarios.
It is not the first time audiences have seen Long Story Short. After a short run at the Pleasance Theatre in Islington they transfer to Charing Cross Theatre for a whole month. It still feels a considerable short time taking into account that the director Andrew Whyment has brewed this play for three years during which extensive research was made to create this fast-paced thought-provoking angle on today’s media. It tells precisely of a long story that was made short to the public by the journalists and how all stories that we are informed of are told in a shortened and biased way. It goes back to the very start of Rupert Murdoch’s influence in the British press in 1968 in parallel with the process that leads to the resigning of a news editor in 2012.
Performed in the intimate space of the Twickenham Theatre, Sweeney Todd promised to be an exciting production with the likes of Olivier Award winner David Bedella playing the lead. And in no way did it disappoint; it was spine-tingling from beginning to end.
