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David Jays on theatre and dance

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Archives for January 2019

Propwatch: the suicide note in Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake

January 22, 2019 by David Jays Leave a Comment

There aren’t many props in dance. Some may intrude on classical ballet, though only the most trad production will drag out the shiny swords and goblets. Otherwise, anything that gets in the way of bodies is considered clutter, and faces the full Marie Kondo. After all, there’s a reason those tights and tutus don’t have pockets. That’s not the case in Matthew Bourne’s production of Swan Lake for … [Read more...]

Propwatch: the dagger in The Double Dealer

January 13, 2019 by David Jays Leave a Comment

You know what to expect when people want to wave something about in a flirty Restoration comedy. Fan? Check. Snuff box? Check. Dagger. Wait, what? The Double Dealer is a young writer’s comedy that springily reinvents the rules. Restoration comedies are often tales of love and money, set in a contemporary London so precisely plotted that you could follow the action on Google Maps. But William … [Read more...]

Propwatch: the beer in Sweat

January 6, 2019 by David Jays Leave a Comment

We don’t see the sweat in Sweat. It dries grimily on the skin, sinks into workclothes, or is sluiced off at home. In Lynn Nottage’s Pulitzer-winning drama, set in America’s rusting rust belt, sweat is the index of manual labour at the steelworks, effort and vigilance distilled to salty droplets. On your feet all day, straining back and bunions – yet aircon is reserved for management, who can sit … [Read more...]

David Jays

I am a writer and critic on performance, books and film and currently write for, among others, the Sunday Times and the Guardian. I edit Dance Gazette, the magazine of the Royal Academy of Dance. I’m also a lifelong Londoner: it’s the perfect city for connecting to art forms that both look back and spring forward. [Read More]

Performance Monkey

This is what theatre and dance audiences do: we sit in the dark, watching performances. And then, if it seems worth it, we think about what we've seen, and how it made us feel. The blog should be a conversation, so please comment on the posts and add your thoughts. You know what I've always … [Read More...]

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Archives

Recent Comments

  • David Jays on Propwatch: the strap-on in When We Have Sufficiently Tortured Each Other: “Ah yes, Alex, there was The Writer too. Purple, as I remember? Clearly it's the prop of the moment...” Feb 13, 07:18
  • Alex on Propwatch: the strap-on in When We Have Sufficiently Tortured Each Other: “A load of total b****cks IMHO ... such a waste of two brilliant actors ... they didn't dare have an…” Feb 12, 23:45
  • David Jays on History boy: “Donald, what a fantastic memory - now, that's a production I'd have loved to have seen. And always wonderful to…” Jun 29, 18:22
  • Donald F Tirabassi on History boy: “I just read your 'History Boy' post from Feb. 2016.. Thank you for validating the power of all those RSC…” Jun 21, 21:37
  • David Jays on Propwatch: the book in The Inheritance: “That's lovely of you to say, Amina. Thank you.” Apr 18, 08:20
January 2019
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An ArtsJournal Blog

Recent Posts

  • Propwatch: the climbing tackle in Touching the Void
  • Propwatch: the jukebox in ‘Master Harold’… and the boys
  • Propwatch: the invisible magnets in Little Baby Jesus
  • Propwatch: the only types of prop in the world in The Antipodes
  • Propwatch: the pig’s head in Mephisto [A Rhapsody]

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