I've been pottering about like a little pottery thing lately and have been enjoying multiple visits to galleries, films and a random one day course on the Green Man. It must be Spring!
I went to see Alice in Wonderland, and it was all right. I think my expectations were so low by the time I went to see it that I took it all quite well. I wasn't very impressed with Alice, she seemed to suck all the joy out the film. Johnny Depp to seemed to be struggling. As for the White Queens eyebrows, well there is no need for that! She looked equally as unpleasant as the Red Queen, who I did like. Most of my love in this film goes to the animals, I liked the cat, the dog and the frogs! Don't bother though, really.
I then went to see a Guy Maddin double bill: Careful and the Saddest Music in the World, mental and marvellous are the only words I can find to describe these. Incest in the Alps and beer bathing singing contests are some more. Go and see them. I want to see My Winnipeg now.
Finally at the weekend I went to the Simon Anand exhibition at the V&A of photos taken before actors go on stage. It was wonderful and full of famous faces having a fag, putting on lippy, looking whimsical in grease paint. This was followed by Henry Moore at the Tate Britain. Who would've thought he was such a good artist. His war and mining pictures were amazing. It was really good to see a lot of his earlier and more random work. Shame you couldn't touch them though. I gave the one outside the Tate a big hug afterwards.
Tuesday, 16 March 2010
Monday, 8 March 2010
Curiouser and curiouser
No its not the supposedly rubbish Alice in Wonderland! I went to the Old Red Lion to see a play called Alice's Adventures in the New World.
It had a brilliant summary on the promo info which made it essential viewing in my book:
It is 1882. You are a seventeen year-old girl and you have just discovered your deceased mother is still alive and living in America. You set off to find her and meet:
a) an artist with an opium addiction
b) a depressed Socialist preaching free love
c) a hypochondriac debutante
d) a cattle rustler whose four husbands have all mysteriously disappeared
e) Oscar Wilde
f) your mother or
g) all of the above.
If you get a chance you should really go and see it. With an all female, corset wearing cast - the male characters were distinguished by a paper moustache - its very clever and even breaks into a song and a little dance every now and again.
We were left a bit deflated by the ending but the journey itself was superbly acted, funny and touching.
It had a brilliant summary on the promo info which made it essential viewing in my book:
It is 1882. You are a seventeen year-old girl and you have just discovered your deceased mother is still alive and living in America. You set off to find her and meet:
a) an artist with an opium addiction
b) a depressed Socialist preaching free love
c) a hypochondriac debutante
d) a cattle rustler whose four husbands have all mysteriously disappeared
e) Oscar Wilde
f) your mother or
g) all of the above.
If you get a chance you should really go and see it. With an all female, corset wearing cast - the male characters were distinguished by a paper moustache - its very clever and even breaks into a song and a little dance every now and again.
We were left a bit deflated by the ending but the journey itself was superbly acted, funny and touching.
Tuesday, 23 February 2010
My life in three acts
I went to see the rather marvellous life story of Bette Bourne the other day at the Soho theatre. It was a moving and amusing slice of living history that is usually hidden in the LGBT world.
Although it was slightly scripted - a re-enactment of a conversation between Bette and Mark Ravenhill - it was still pretty amazing.
I could have listened to Bette talk for hours. It made me wonder why we never get to hear from the older LGBT crowd. If you listen to Bette's story it make's you realise that many of his peers probably never made it that far.
I think we should listen more to wonderful people like Bette and learn from the tales they have to tell.
Lesson number 1: If someone picks you up in Soho, takes you back to their flat, and tells you they are not queer, they are probably lying. As Bette said, 'turned out he was very queer indeed!' LOL
Although it was slightly scripted - a re-enactment of a conversation between Bette and Mark Ravenhill - it was still pretty amazing.
I could have listened to Bette talk for hours. It made me wonder why we never get to hear from the older LGBT crowd. If you listen to Bette's story it make's you realise that many of his peers probably never made it that far.
I think we should listen more to wonderful people like Bette and learn from the tales they have to tell.
Lesson number 1: If someone picks you up in Soho, takes you back to their flat, and tells you they are not queer, they are probably lying. As Bette said, 'turned out he was very queer indeed!' LOL
Thursday, 4 February 2010
Middle aged minge but still hot!
How rude! I saw the lovely and liberated Ursula Martinez last night. She did a show at the Barbican, telling short stories from her life, and then recounting emails she recieved after a copy of her Hanky Panky magic show appeared on the internet a few years ago.
For those who haven't seen it, this is the clip she showed us
The emails she read out were hilarious and accompanied by photos of sad looking middle-aged American men, nudists who wanted to use her as a poster girl to champion their cause, or those who just wanted to do something else to her.
I enjoyed both halves of the show but I really could have just listened to her telling the snippets of stories from her life all night, especially as she is from the same 'manor' as me.
Oh, and she did get naked at the end!
For those who haven't seen it, this is the clip she showed us
The emails she read out were hilarious and accompanied by photos of sad looking middle-aged American men, nudists who wanted to use her as a poster girl to champion their cause, or those who just wanted to do something else to her.
I enjoyed both halves of the show but I really could have just listened to her telling the snippets of stories from her life all night, especially as she is from the same 'manor' as me.
Oh, and she did get naked at the end!
Wednesday, 3 February 2010
Wotever Winter Ball
The music was great cheesy 80s, the dance card with the slow dance power ballads was inspired and the table of cupcakes had to be seen - and tasted to be believed.
There was a prom photographer, a kissing booth and at midnight we got two rather saucy bedtime stories from writers Shaun Levin and Helen Sandler.Thursday, 21 January 2010
Modest me, no immodest!
Last night I went to the premiere of Burlesque Undressed, with a promised appearance by Immodesty Blaize. Although this event had her stamp all over it, the appearance was more the fact that she was sat in the audience.
The film was really interesting. With the history and interviews with burlesques' golden girls being a highlight. It was filmed at events that I have actually seen so in one respect it didn't hold anything new, but it was good to see close ups of the acts, and the audience - in which a friend of mine features.
The camera work was a bit low budget and all over the place occasionally, and my advice to Immodesty would be not to go into acting! Sometimes speaking ruins the mystique. She is stunning though, and its a stunningly colourful film. Oh and as always, Dirty Martini you rock!
The film was really interesting. With the history and interviews with burlesques' golden girls being a highlight. It was filmed at events that I have actually seen so in one respect it didn't hold anything new, but it was good to see close ups of the acts, and the audience - in which a friend of mine features.
The camera work was a bit low budget and all over the place occasionally, and my advice to Immodesty would be not to go into acting! Sometimes speaking ruins the mystique. She is stunning though, and its a stunningly colourful film. Oh and as always, Dirty Martini you rock!
100 club, 100s of people
I went to the beacon of Oxford Street, the 100 club last week to see Macavitys Cat and the Men They Couldn't Hang. It was a packed night and lots of exuberant bouncing ensued. I had a slight sense of humour failure when a drunken bouncer managed to simultaneously knock my drink and step on my feet repeatedly. After managing to shimmy away my mood improved, although perhaps it didn’t for those who were now standing around her.
Macavitys cat have been around in various guises over the years. They are lots of fun, and it increases proportionally to the amount of them on the stage. They seemed a little unhappy in there early time slot, and referred to it frequently in a good natured way!
When the Men they couldn't hang came on, serious politically rousing tunes commenced, well for a while anyway. It turned into a moshing, throng of beered up bodies, and we all went home happy.
Macavitys cat have been around in various guises over the years. They are lots of fun, and it increases proportionally to the amount of them on the stage. They seemed a little unhappy in there early time slot, and referred to it frequently in a good natured way!
When the Men they couldn't hang came on, serious politically rousing tunes commenced, well for a while anyway. It turned into a moshing, throng of beered up bodies, and we all went home happy.
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