Wednesday, 05 March 2008

• Last weekend was a good, culture-filled start to March: a playwriting workshop on Saturday; and on Sunday, a Juan Munoz exhibition. It was very impressive, especially this room. Twas a surreal experience to stand there with all those 'men'. Even more baffling is the fact that someone privately owns it: how anyone could fit it in their house is quite beyond me. Would be a nice surprising attraction for guests though.
  
  After that was the Sunday afternoon showing of Kneehigh Theatre's Brief Encounter, which was highly enjoyable. The period details were sumptuous. The cinema/theatre was decked out in 1940s style, including old-fashioned usherettes. Characters often became part of the audience: at one point we were watching the same film as them, which made me as an audience member feel very involved in the experience. The play cleverly combined film and live action: the characters would sometimes disappear into the curtain and become part of the film that was projected onto it. After the interval, I almost wet myself laughing at a series of filmed 1940s adverts featuring the cast members. And, as always with Kneehigh, the music was, at times, heart-wrenchingly beautiful. There were a few moments that probably should've been cut (e.g. Beryl the train station cafe girl's rendition of Alice is at it again), but generally the performances were spot on.

  Currently Reading Mansfield Park (Penguin Classics) By Jane Austen see related

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