The age-old tale of Rumpelstiltskin has been reinvented and presented beautifully by balletLORENT. The tale for this piece is retold by poet Carol Ann Duffy, it is told in a simplistic way to allow the dance to complete the tale and ensure the young audience know what is going on. You know a family show is getting it right when you don’t hear all the children around you fire constant questions at their parents about what’s happening.
Courtesy of Northern Stage Theatre.
I My Country; A Work In Progress is a collaborative piece between the current Artistic Director of the National Theatre, Rufus Norris and Poet Laureate, Carol Ann Duffy. During 80 minutes or so, real testimonials from residents across Great Britain are interwoven with speeches from party leaders prior to the referendum on the UK on leaving the European Union.
Photo courtesy of the National Theatre.
This is the first major theatre production about Brexit after the EU referendum past June. Enlisting the help of regional arts organisation, the National Theatre interviewed British citizens ranging in age from 9 to 97 around the UK, resulting in hundreds of hours of material. Rufus Norris and Carol Ann Duffy transcribed the interviews and turned them into an 80-minute play which presents an intriguing chronology of the general mood in the country before and shortly after Brexit.
Courtesy of Sarah Lee.
Today, Rufus Norris, Artistic Director of the National Theatre, has announced what is coming up in the new season: Four world premieres, two European premieres and co-productions with Headlong, Fuel, West Yorkshire Playhouse, Out of Joint, and Improbable, featuring new work by Inua Ellams, Yaёl Farber, DC Moore, Lindsey Ferrentino and Nina Raine.
The happily ever after conclusion is a concept that we have been candy coated with since the late 30s. Audiences root for a young protagonist bound by their low social standing in the hopes of love conquering all. Fairytales are often our introduction to the notion of storytelling in the west, finding that we’re brought up with a canon of tales we can all recite in our own ways but are perhaps glazed with a sickly sweet Hollywood glitz and glamour thanks to filmic interpretations. balletLORENT however are not afraid to press on the tale of Snow White‘s darker themes, making for a riveting watch.
