We learned a lot about Singin’ in the Rain during the Lockdown Theatre Club group watch. There was a lot of adoration for this film, and a lot of good facts flying around. It made me think about why I love it so much – although I’ve always been more of an Astaire boy than a Kelly fan. But what I love about the film and its hero, Don Lockwood – the silent star played by Kelly who reinvents himself … [Read more...]
Archives for April 2020
Singin’ in the Rain | Lockdown Theatre Club 7
Watch Singin’ in the Rain with Lockdown Theatre Club on Tuesday 28 April. Singin’ in the Rain is available to rent on the BFI Player. At 8pm everyone presses play and watches together. You can tweet along (#LockdownTheatreClub) or just enjoy the film knowing we're all part of an audience together. What is Singin’ in the Rain? One of the most joyous of MGM musicals, from 1951. Gene Kelly (who … [Read more...]
Everything Pina
I was always going to schedule Wim Wenders’ Pina for Lockdown Theatre Club. Pina Bausch’s work has been a delight and compulsion throughout my theatregoing lifetime. I’ve seen every piece I can, several of them more than once. When her Tanztheater Wuppertal brought 10 productions to London during the Olympic year, I saw them all. I’ve snatched at review, interview and programme-note opportunities. … [Read more...]
Pina | Lockdown Theatre Club 6
Watch Pina with Lockdown Theatre Club on Tuesday 21 April. Pina is available to rent on Amazon Prime. At 8pm everyone presses play and watches together. You can tweet along (#LockdownTheatreClub) or just enjoy the film knowing we're all part of an audience together. What is Pina? A documentary about the choreographer Pina Bausch, one of the most significant 20th-century artists, by Wim Wenders … [Read more...]
Fences | Lockdown Theatre Club 4
Watch Fences with Lockdown Theatre Club on Tuesday 7 April. Fences is on Amazon Prime. At 8pm UK time, everyone presses play and watches together. You can tweet along (#LockdownTheatreClub) or just enjoy the film knowing we're all part of an audience together. Ashley Zhangazha introduces FencesAshley Zhangazha played Cory in the West End production of Fences in 2013. He starred alongside Lenny … [Read more...]
They don’t trust me with cheese
'The man next to us is honking like a seal,' whispered my friend Mel at the interval of One Man, Two Guvnors. It was the press night of the National Theatre production, back in 2011, and we'd gone along hoping for a bit of a chortle, I guess. We didn't know we'd be part of an audience convulsed with laughter. And the man sitting beside us really was honking like a seal. Tonight the National … [Read more...]