Week 14 - Whatever Works; Food Court; The Necks; Everything Must Go

Whatever Works – Woody Allen's 39^th feature movie premiered this weekend in the UK. Most critics dismiss it as mediocre, but no one raises the question why it comes to the UK so late. I saw this film in Lithuania on my Christmas holiday last year. It's over a year since its release in the US. I suppose it's because the feature isn't great and they saved the film roll.

It's been an average week in the Barbican and, unfortunately, my weekly culture dose came exclusively from there. The Australian theatre sensation Back to Back showed their play Food Court with a disabled cast. It started promising with two overweight ladies bullying a perfectly normal size colleague accusing her being fat. There was a lot of irony in the actual fatties discussing never eating chips and doughnuts and shaming a slim one over her 'massive' body. But as it went further it lost the plot.

The soundtrack was performed live by the Australian experimental band The Necks. A trio of drums, base and piano play mesmerising improvisations. They were the best part of the play, but on Saturday night in their own concert the music sounded slightly boring. In the 39 minutes long piece a monotonic rhythm develops and is continuously repeated. Their music sounds great as a soundtrack but doesn't have the depth to be enjoyed on its own.

Also this week I saw Everything Must Go, a sweet tribute to the performer's eccentric father. 

Week 13

Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra' International Residency at the Barbican lasted for a week and I was lucky to catch their concert on Saturday night. Big Band Britannia spanned through decades since 1930s playing the best British Big Band jazz. I haven't been to a jazz concert for ages and this was quite a delight. Particularly enjoyable was music from earlier decades, whereas modern pieces were too 'groovy' for my 100% liking. Legendary singer Cleo Laine performed a couple of numbers with the orchestra, which definitely was the highlight of the evening. Her charming personality and incredible voice made the show unforgettable.

Before the concert I managed to catch The Sovereign European Art Prize exhibition. This is the only pan-European contemporary art prize, with artists nominated by art experts from throughout the continent. A wide geography allowed the exhibition to have a variety rarely seen in contemporary art shows. Admittedly the art on display was quite conservative, but that probably is exactly the reason why it was accessible and mostly enjoyable. My favourite picture was by Uta Koegelsberger from Urban Myths series.

Lars von Trier is one of the most famous Danish film directors known for his unusual approaches to the film making and exploration of controversy. He started Dogme 95 collective, which promoted independent film without barriers. Lars von Trier contributed to the movement by creating The Idiots, a story about anti-bourgeois group who spend their time behaving like mentally disabled in the public. The aim of their 'spazzing' is to release inner idiot and challenge society. It makes an uncomfortable viewing and does provoke debate about presentation and perception of disable people in the public. 

Week 12

It was a quiet week, but a good one. Thanks to Seefilmfirst.com I received a complimentary ticket to see Enron at Noel Coward theatre. I was rather excited, as Enron is one of the biggest theatrical successes this season. After a sold out running at the Royal Court it swiftly transferred to the West End, as critics went wild about this play. After success amongst audiences on this side of Atlantic (not least amongst bankers), it premièred on the Broadway just to be pulled off after few performances. So you can imagine how much I wanted to experience it with my own eyes to see what all this fuss is about.

My verdict – a good play with interesting ideas but not a ground breaking show. It explained the story of Enron very clearly, and was very topical for these crisis-obsessed days. How the crowd laughed at Lehman Brothers parody! On the serious note, it is a perfect illustration of what is wrong with current financial model – people getting filthy rich selling nothing! Wouldn't the play be funny, it would make one very angry. The fun is in actors bursting into singing, futuristic choreography and smart allegories (dinosaurs eating debt, etc.).

The classic music season for me ended with the LSO Summer Nights concert. They played Shostakovich's Symphony No 6, which is dramatic in begging with quite cheery last part. Shostakovich is one of the favourites with LSO, his music is performed very often, but what slightly unsettles me is the programme notes accompanying concerts. Every piece is associated with his struggle against communist authorities and how he was 'nearly' punished for it. That sets the tone for the evening, but I like to image other things while listening to the music, not necessary composer's struggles. 

Week 11

I absolutely love BBC4. Take Opera season, currently on. When normal people are out on Saturday night, I am glued to the screen watching programmes about Verdi and what makes a great tenor. These programmes are inspirational, informative, fun and, most importantly, makes you book tickets to go and see some live performances. Just looked on ROH website and tickets there are over £100, so I was pleased to see the UK premiere of Gerald Barry's La Plus Forte at the Barbican for free on Sunday. In the LSO concert Thomas Adès among his own work conducted this mini opera with Barbara Hannigan in the sole role. The premise is simple – two actresses meet in a café on Christmas Eve and one of her chit chats about her family gradually recognising that the other is a mistress of her husband. The mistress is silent throughout performance, and so you hear only Barbara Hanningan performing – she is not only a brilliant soprano but also a vivid actress. This opera is based on the 1890 play The Stronger by Swedish August Strindberg. The text is funny and full of unusual idioms, so following surtitles was essential, which distracted from full concentration of music.

The preview of After The Dance at the National failed to touch my heart with its tragic drama, but I was charmed by its impressive 1940s set, beautiful dresses and posh English. I recognised most of the cast from other productions and it was difficult to see a character on the stage, not an actor, as some of them always play the same types.

Also this week: saw Love The Sinner at the National and started reading The Quickening Maze by Adam Foulds, which was shortlisted for the Man Booker prize last year.