There is so much to admire about the Old Vic’s production of The Hairy Ape – new Artistic Director Matthew Warchus’s selection of Richard Jones to direct the youthful playwright Eugene O’Neill’s searing drama; Stewart Lang’s genuinely imaginative designs; Mimi Jordan Sherin’s lighting vivid, sometimes shocking lighting; and Aletta Collins’s choreography that makes an expressionist ballet of … [Read more...]
Archives for October 2015
I love Lieder, Don’t You?
It’s rare for my wife and me to feel that we are among the younger members of the audience, but this happened at the Oxford Lieder Festival 2015, “Singing Words: Poets and their Songs.” The occasion was a concert of songs by Schumann, Mahler and Mendelssohn at the Holywell Music Room in Oxford. As this tiny, elegant hall is the oldest dedicated music venue in Europe, I suppose it was … [Read more...]
And Tipu’s Tent Too — the stuff of India
What would your house look like if Indian textiles had never been exported? Mine would be bereft of cushions, chair covers, hand towels, tablecloths and napkins, wall hangings, garden parasols, carpets and the riot of colour they create. There would be no pashminas hanging in the hallway, chintz curtains or gorgeous throws made from old saris, and no pile of large, vividly coloured handkerchiefs … [Read more...]