Swan Lake/Loch na hEala, by Michael Keegan-Dolan. Sadlers Wells Theatre. Review by Julia Pascal.
This is an ambitious reinterpretation of Swan Lake from a modern Irish perspective. Embedded in this ‘ballet’ is an acute critique of the Irish clergy.
Julia Pascal
Giselle, ENO, Sadler’s Wells. Review by Julia Pascal.
Akram Khan’s new vision of Giselle for English National Ballet is a brave political reinterpretation of the nineteenth century classic, set to Vincenzo Lamagana’s modern score. Classical ballet purists may find that both deviate too far from the original but there is much to admire.
Fool For Love, Sam Shepard. Found 111, 111 Charing Cross Road. Review by Julia Pascal.
Sam Shepard’s 1983 play has now become a theatre classic because of the hugely challenging roles it gives to four actors. The plot centres around the love-hate relationship between an incestuous half-brother and sister.
L-E-V OCD LOVE, Sadlers Wells. Review by Julia Pascal.
Sharon Eyal danced with Israel’s famous Bathsheva Dance company and was House Choreographer from 2005-2012. It is her genius that is at the source of this compulsive modern ballet which publicises itself as being ‘about love out of sync’.
Unfaithful by Owen McCafferty. Review by Julia Pascal.
This was my first trip to Emily Dobbs’ pop-up venue Found 111 on the Charing Cross Road. It is impressive. I had missed this play at the Edinburgh Festival in 2014 and was pleased at the chance of catching it. I was not disappointed.
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.
The Cunning Little Vixen, Glyndebourne. Review by Julia Pascal.
Leoš Janácek’s absurdist opera, first performed in Brno on 6 November 1924, is a marvellous expression of Modernism. We get Freud, Darwin, Magritte and Jarry as oblique cultural references but most of all we get a Czech, or rather Moravian, sensibility which is both cartoonish and psychologically astute.
Marie Chouinard, Sadler’s Wells. Review by Julia Pascal.
This was the UK premiere for the Compagnie Marie Chouinard from Quebec. She started with Soft virtuosity, still humid, on the edge – a title that means nothing in English but perhaps has more resonance in French. Happily the work was far more exciting than the title.
Janis Joplin: Full Tilt. Theatre Royal, Stratford East. Review by Julia Pascal.
This biopic comes with well deserved accolades from the 2015 Edinburgh Festival. It is a wonderful musical journey around Joplin’s short life.
Forced Entertainment | The Notebook, Battersea Arts Centre. Review by Julia Pascal.
Hungarian writer Kristóf’s book is the witness of twin brothers who live with their grandmother in rural Hungary during World War Two. The text is extraordinary. It is both naïve and profound in its exploration of two innocents who survive the Nazi and Soviet invasions by cunning and an original form of justice.
The Screenwriter’s Daughter, Leicester Square Theatre. Review by Julia Pascal.
This fascinating play is a study of the famous playwright and screenwriter Ben Hecht and his relationship with his daughter Jenny. The action takes place in the late sixties as actor Jenny works with The Living Theatre and is caught up in the radical politics of directors Judith Malina and Julian Beck.
Thebes Land by Sergio Blanco, Arcola Theatre. Review by Julia Pascal.
Sergio Blanco’s hugely ambitious text is a clever conceit. It is the story of T. a middle-aged man driven to investigate the theme of Oedipus for his new play. He does this by interviewing a young prisoner who is serving several life sentences for murdering his father.