Week 42

Britain's gone crazy over The King's Speech. I was so excited when I saw a trailer for it last year and couldn't wait to see it. Finally in my busy diary there was an easy week and on Wednesday we braved the crowds in the cinema. Please note, that in the UK Wednesday is a 2-4-1 night in cinemas, so they always are packed, as people take advantage of a good deal. But this week the queue was extra long in Islington Vue and as we were midway they announced that all showings were sold out. Instead of a movie we headed for a pub (a wonderful Angelic on Liverpool Road).

Saturday night at home is a sad thing, so we rushed off to the cinema. Well, King's Speech was again sold out, which is actually not that surprising – all the middle class royalists in Muswell Hill came in droves to see Colin Firth stammering. But all films were sold out for the night! And so we find ourselves in Blockbuster across the road – the most depressing store on the high street. There are lots of third rate comedies and action movies with never-heard-of heroes. We settled on It's Complicated staring Meryl Streep. The trailer looked fun, yet I heard critics slating it. But what do they know – Meryl Streep doesn't do kaka! Unfortunately, this was kaka, so boring with one or two laughs. This is a sort of movie my boss loves – no offence, no deeper meaning, no sense and a happy ending.

That was all this week. But I have some goodies waiting next week.

Week 41 - When We Are Married; Becky Shaw; BBC SO

One of the first plays which took me aback was Time and the Conways at the National a few years ago. It is written by J.B. Priestley and since then I always try to see his production on London stage. However, none have yet repeated the awe inspiring feeling. The same applies to When We Are Married currently running at the Garrick Theatre. It did have some good laughs and an amazing set on stage, but the play didn't touch my heart. The cast contained lots of 'local celebrities' (I didn't recognized anyone) who performed well, but boozy singing and old men acting drunk diminished the comedy element. 

A much better, actually superb, evening was spent at the Almeida in Islington. After the UK première of Becky Shaw, a satire of contemporary American life, I was left with a feeling equal to that after Time and the Conways long time ago. The action was fast, the characters sarcastic and the ending unpredictable – a perfect recipe for a great modern play.

The week finished with a great concert by the BBC Symphony Orchestra. I am always careful with this SO, as they play a lot contemporary and unknown music to me and very often their concerts can be dull. This weekend the programme sounded like it could one of those. However, it was an evening of discovery and beautiful moving music. They played de Falla, Piazzolla and Ginastera creations. These three composers are from Argentina and Spain and their music contains many ingredients of the southern cultures. I particularly enjoyed Ginastera's Estancia dances, which the orchestra played with real passion. 

Week 40 - Deathtrap; Gauguin; Diaghilev

The major autumn gallery shows end in the begging of January and last week I had a lot of catching up to do. On the bank holiday we went to the Tate Modern to see Paul Gauguin, Maker of Myth. A big mistake – not only the end of exhibition, but also a bank holiday means an immense amount of people. A queue to see every painting and by the time you reach the last room you don't really care what's on the wall. All you want is to escape. That could be my New Year's resolution – not to leave until last minute to see exhibitions. Anyway, back to Gauguin. His paintings are pleasant on the eye but none of them struck me as masterpieces. Actually, I wouldn't hang them on my walls. His praised paintings from Tahiti tell a false tale of contemporary times as they illustrate pagan rituals and myths, although at that time Tahiti was already a Christian country.

At the V&A the last days of exhibition on Diaghilev's talents also draw in massive crowds. When Diaghilev started his celebrated Ballet Russes in Paris in 1908, he transformed the world of dance. The exhibition features the costumes, the brochures, the sets and everything looks so luxurious and exotic even to today's audience eyes. The impresario worked with the biggest names of those days – Stravinski, Chanel, Picasso, Satie. After the Great War, when the dance company struggled financially, their annual summer residence in London would provide enough funds for new productions. The crowds at the V&A prove that the British are fascinated with the Russian culture now as much as they were in Diaghilev's days.

Deathtrap is also ending its run at the Noel Coward theatre and I am so happy I managed to get tickets for this comedy thriller with as many twists as laughs in it. The laughs were provided by the magnificent Simon Russell Beale acting and the twists by Ira Levin's writing. 

Week 39 - Cinderella; Crazy for Gershwin

Matthew Bourne's Cinderella at Sadler's Wells was a great start to 2011. It was a characteristic Bourne's piece – lots of twists on the plot and fabulous decorations. Just a few examples of the plot twists – the action takes place in the London Blitz, Cinderella in addition to her sisters also has three brothers and her soldier finds her in hospital, not by trying the shoe on every girls' feet. The godmother became a shiny white haired mischievous man, who looked quite off-putting. There were a few fantastic dance movements and clever ideas. For instance, I didn't know there are so many ways to illustrate a clock with the human body. Unfortunately, there also were lots of miming. In fact, the third act was just that. When the lovers found each other, I was expecting a grand love dance, but we just got some flapping on the stage. 

During the festive period we had a chance to experience some pop classical music. Critics might dismiss his productions but Raymond Gubbay is a brilliant impresario in bringing classical music to the masses . Crazy for Gershwin at his annual Christmas Festival at the Barbican was a prime example of his talent to please the people. The crowd was mainly the Daily Mail readers with the best of perm hair and fleece jumpers. On the stage a big band played while some second rate singers and dancers tried to impress the crowd. I do love Gershwin, but all this seemed over the top and spoiled the music. Credit is due to Mr Gubbay for getting the people to the concert halls, but for me this experience was enough and I will keep avoiding his productions.