Romeo & Juliet, Birmingham Royal Ballet, Sadler’s Wells. Review by Julia Pascal.
Romeo & Juliet, set to Sergei Prokofiev’s 1935 composition, is one of the most thrilling dramatic ballets ever produced in the twentieth century.
Julia Pascal
I am of Ireland by Seamus Finnegan. Review by Julia Pascal.
I Am Of Ireland is an epic piece of theatre rooted in Irish identity, politics and history. It journeys from The Troubles to The Good Friday Peace Agreement and on to today.
Rodin and the art of ancient Greece. Review by Julia Pascal.
It is surprising that Rodin never visited Greece and that his addiction to Greek architecture was partly satisfied by what he saw in the British Museum. Here Rodin rediscovered classical art and was provoked to make new works seeded by these antiquity.
Paris in the Cinema. Review by Julia Pascal.
These editors remind us that ‘Paris remains one of the most iconic, filmed cities in the world’ but they challenge the location as being merely a visual backdrop of glamour and romance.
Requiem pour L., Sadler’s Wells. Review by Julia Pascal.
The title Requiem pour L., if spoken aloud, translates as Requiem for her. Who is the anonymous woman that we see dying onscreen as Mozart’s Requiem in D minor, K. 626, is re-scored?
‘Körper’, Sasha Waltz and Guests, Sadlers Wells. Review by Julia Pascal.
This epic work dates from 2000 and 18 years later it still has moments that beguile. Körper means Bodies and the 13 international dancers nearly all wear white underpants as a uniform that unerotically emphasises flesh, bones and blood.
RenWomen. Review by Julia Pascal.
In our society multi-tasking is often seen as a women’s skill but rather than it being a critique of Jill of All Trades, the thesis behind the book is to honour the fresh concept of Renaissance Women.
Woman Before A Glass. Review by Julia Pascal.
Lanie Robertson’s fine one-woman play on Peggy Guggenheim is a feast for intelligent audiences wanting to celebrate Guggenheim’s extraordinary life.
Mother Courage and Her Children. Review by Julia Pascal.
This is a brave production by Hannah Chissick as Brecht’s epic drama is meant for the large scale and, squeezing such a huge concept in to the Southwark Playhouse, takes guts.
Pop-Up Opera – Hansel and Gretel. Review by Julia Pascal.
Hansel and Gretel was originally written by The Brothers’ Grimm in 1912. It is a folk tale, showing how a brother and sister avoid being eaten alive by a witch in the gingerbread house. It is a tale that seems to foreshadow the Third Reich.
Owl Song at Dawn by Emma Claire Sweeney, Legend Press. Review by Julia Pascal.
This is a gripping novel by a hugely gifted writer and one that is rich on atmosphere and character study. The originality of the work is its investigative story line which focuses on the loving relationship between a twin and her disabled sister.
Polarity and Proximity, Birmingham Royal Ballet at Sadler’s Wells. Review by Julia Pascal.
Polarity & Proximity, a triple bill, follows the success earlier in the week of Romeo & Juliet. This London programme’s aim is to reveal the range of styles this strong company employs.