When we arranged to see Mother Courage , my friend suggested that we also push the boat out and go to Mana a new, fine-dining restaurant in Ancoats, where the food is a work of art for the eye as well as the taste buds!
Open Kitchen
There's no menu. There is a 14 course menu, and that is what you get, although when you book they ask about any allergies or dislikes, so you don' get served anything you hate.
And then you sit back and enjoy.
Winter Branch - Juniper and Thyme
Each dish is brought to you not by the waiting staff, but by the chef or chefs who made it, who explain what it is.
Pork and Ceps
Some courses were merely tasty, others were sublime. One or two were mildly disappointing - there was a carrot dish with gooseberry and chili, where the chili overwhelmed everything else, for instance.
Celeriac and spruce
Milk curds, Lovage and Walnuts
But most of it was amazing. There was a Yakitori style smoked eel dish, which was cooked over hot coals in the kitchen, and came with a roasted yeast marinade, and was the stuff of dreams.
Charred onions
Barbecued Brassicas
I particularly liked the barbecued brassicas with dehydrated scallops and beeswax. I don't know what dark magic they used, but they somehow took cabbage (and other brassica) leaves, and made them taste as though they were cooked with beef, or some other proper barbecued meat!
Sheep's Milk, Apple and Sorrel
As the meal drew to a close, we were given Sheep's Milk (a little yogurty quenelle, plus some meringue-like discs of milk, still delightfully sharp and fresh tasting) with apple and sorrell ice - it was delicious and very refreshing.
Chocolate sprayed reindeer moss
The second dessert was reindeer moss, from the isle of Skye, sprayed with dark chocolate and served with a whisky egg-nog dipping sauce. It makes for what may be the worlds most high-class cornflake cake, and did make me suspect that reindeer moss may not taste of much by itself, but offer it to me sprayed with chocolate and served with egg nog and I'll take it any time! It's not cheap, but it is a very pleasant way to spend an evening, and as the menu changes with the seasons, it's very tempting to go back again. The head chef, Simon Martin, was formerly a chef at Noma. If you are in or near Manchester, I'd heartily recommend it. I think they do a shorter set menu at lunch time, too. I want to go back
This is the second Richard II I've seen this year, the first being at the Almeida in January.This one was at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, (the Globe's Jacobean theatre), and the cast, led by Adjoa Andoh (who also co-directed) was made up entirely of women of colour.
We were sitting in the front row, right round to one side, so at the side of the stage, which was interesting, although it did mean that a lot of the time the actors were facing away from us.
The playhouse, before the play
The production sets the play in a non-specific, other England - the back of the stage has been covered with bamboo, and the cast were all dressed in styles from a range of different countries and traditions, and photos of female ancestors of the various cast members were displayed around the theatre. Richard's crown was made of black and gold feathers, and she carried a horsetail fly-whisk by way of a sceptre.
There were some really powerful performances - Andoh's Richard was perfectly petulant, too sure of her own god-given right to rule, and Shobna Gulati's Duke of York was a joy to watch, and listen to, as her loyalties gradually shifted. In the current, Brexit-heavy political climate, John of Gaunt' (Dona Crull)'s deathbed speech hit home very hard. Over all, an excellent and thought-provoking production, one to catch if you can. It's on until 21st April I have to admit, I enjoyed it much more than the Almeida version (despite Simon Russell Beale,)
My friend suggested that we go to see Mother Courage and her children' at the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester, starring Julie Hesmondhalgh.
It's not a play which I had previously seen, or was familiar with, but I'd enjoyed the previous Brecht productions I've seen, so why not? It turns out that this is more unremittingly grim than either of the others I've seen, lots of death, betrayal, (off-stage) rape, and murder.
The play was originally set in the 30 Years War, this version is set in a dystopian future, in which Europe has become a war-torn range of 'grids', rather then countries, across which the Red and Blue factions fight for resources, and Mother Courage crosses between them, selling drink, drugs, weapons, luxuries and sex (her own or that of others)
She is a deeply flawed, and deeply unlikable character, whose hunger for profit contributes to the deaths of her children, and who is, in turn, betrayed or let down by most of her companions It was an interesting production, with excellent actors, but not a barrel of laughs!
Sir Ian McKellen turns 80 this year, and to celebrate,he is doing a one-man show, touring to 80 theatres. up and down the country. The first outside London was Bristol Old Vic. So naturally I booked tickets, and on Tuesday night my friend A and I went to see him. And, er, then on Wednesday night I went again....
The Stage, at half time. Spot Glamdring..
The show opens with music from LoTR, with McKellen reading from The Fellowship of the Ring, the scene with Gandalf and the Blarog, after which he pulls out Glamdring and invites a young member of the audience to inspect and wiled it.. The rest of the first half of the evening involves a roughly chronological whistle-stop tour of Sir Ian's life, talking about his early experience the theatre, at school and university, his decision to become an actor and early experience, and about coming out ( motivated, in part, at his anger about Section 28), being knighted, (and having his name mispronounced)
Then the second half was all Shakespeare... audience participation to name all of the plays, with anecdotes and excerpts from a chosen selection, meaning we got to hear The Seven Ages of Man, Fear no more the heat of the sun, from Cymbeline, Justice Shallow's reminiscences from Henry VI, the Rogue and Peasant Slave speech from Hamlet, the balcony seat from Romeo & Juliet, several bits from McBeth, Aufidius's welcome to Coriolanus, - one evening we had Once More Unto the Breach! from Henry V, and the other, the Hollow Crown speech from Richard II, and both evenings finishing with the Our revels now are ended from The Tempest. It was glorious! And afterwards, he came out to the foyer to collect money for charity (Each theatre gets to chose which charities get the profits from the evening, and from McKellen's bucket-shaking - at Bristol, it was to be for a theatre group for people with disabilities , and for a fund which supports students from the Old Vic theatre school in gaining professional experience.
Ian McKellen after the show
I would up tired, after two mid-week nights out, but I regret nothing (well, maybe the fact that we were up in the gods for the first performance, where the seating, while way less uncomfortable than the narrow bench seats I remember from when I saw my first Hamlet there, back in 1991, was still rather cramped!) I think the rest of the tour is mostly sold out, but he has been adding some extra dates, so if you get a chance to go, take it! https://www.ianonstage.co.uk/
From an Assyrian King to an English one, and from history to drama.. After visiting the British Museum, I went to the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, to see Kit Marlowe's Edward II. It is famous for being (probably) the earliest play in English featuring a homosexual relationship, and was first performed in 1592. It is, as you might guess from the title, a history play, about King Edward II, who reigned from 1307-1327, and (at least according to the play) was murdered by way of a red hot poker . In this production, Edward is played by Tom Stuart, and Gaveston by Beru Tessema.
Edward comes across as a man out of his depth, overshadowed by his late father, insecure, but ill-advisedly stubborn, even pig-headed, when pushed..
It is interesting that the focus of the other characters anger against Gaveston is focused less on the fact that he is the King's lover, and more upon Gaveston's birth (he is not a member of the nobility, and the King's choices to grant him lands and titles offends them ) and the King's extravagance. Indeed, one of the nobles (Mortimer,I think) makes it explicitly clear that the King having favourites, or lovers, isn't in itself the problem.
Sam Wanamaker Playhouse stage
There are very strong performances from Edward and Gaveston, and I enjoyed the nobles, too.Well worth seeing. Even if you do get your toes trodden on by the occasional actor!
"King Ashurbanipal of Assyria (r. 669–c. 631 BC) was the most powerful man on earth. He described himself in inscriptions as ‘king of the world’, and his reign from the city of Nineveh (now in northern Iraq) marked the high point of the Assyrian empire, which stretched from the shores of the eastern Mediterranean to the mountains of western Iran."
Is the way the British Museum introduces it's exhibition about Ashurbanipal. I thought it looked interesting when I first saw it advertised, and although it has been running since November, didn't make it until last weekend, which was a week before it closes.Which may be why it was so busy, both the museum as a whole, and the exhibition. Indeed, outside there were queues down the street and round the corner! However, once in, I enjoyed the exhibition. Quite a lot of what is in the exhibition is from the museum's own collection although there are other items as well, and it's all been brought together and arranged more or less chronologically, based on the life and reign of King Ashurbanipal.
Guardian Spirit
We start with guardian spirits, Lion headed men, with eagles feet (which seems a little ungainly, but they're not my supernatural beings)
There are lots of big, stone reliefs, depicting scenes from Assyrian (Court) life, and from the life and reign of King Ashurbanipal.
King Ashurbainpal catching a lion by the tail
This included a large frieze, depicting a royal lion hunt, including lions being released from cages, and the king grabbing one by the tail!
Battle Scene
There are also lots of battle scenes, including one with some rather nice camels, and a less pleasant one with scenes of the Assyrians stacking, and cataloguing bows, quivers,and severed heads . . .
There were also, as well as the various friezes, other artefacts - little sections of painted wall, the remains of pieces of furniture, and ceramics.
Painted plaster
The exhibition had a small section relating to cultural cross overs between the Assyrians ad other societies such as the Greeks and Etruscans, and the Egyptians.
There were, of course, also lots of writings. King Ashurbanipal created a huge library, and as the Assyrians used clay tablets, when the library was destroyed by fire, these were baked, and survived, where the papyrus and wax documents which were also common were destroyed.
Letter and Envelope
Ashurbanipal ruled a huge empires, and his civil service (made up mainly of eunuchs, as the previous system of hereditary posts resulted in coup attempts as family loyalty and ambition , and the eunuchs would, by definition, not have children and therefore be more likely to stay loyal to the king), developed a postal system, so that messages could be moved quickly though the empire. They were sent in clay envelopes, and sealed with a stamp, the seals used to stamp the 'envelope' were issued only to the King's magnates, and meant that the letter would be carried by relays of fast couriers to ensure they travelled quickly, and were accepted as authentic. Finally,the museum had added some exhibits showing the timeline of cultural and archaeological history - starting with the Biblical depictions of the Assyrians, the Victorians who excavated the sites, and modern developments, including the destruction wreaked by ISIS / Daesh , and, more positively, the work and training of Iraqi conservators trying to repair some of the damage, and preserve war-damaged sites. The exhibition as a whole was very interesting,I was glad I'd managed to catch it! It has now finished, but it is worth visiting the museum's Assyrian galleries to see many of the friezes and tablets once they are back in their usual place.
I admit, I was in a bit of a grumpy mood when I got to the Old Vic - my primary reason for booking to see The American Clock was that Giles Terera was to star, so I was disappointed when, after I had booked tickets, I heard that he had had to withdraw. I assume that the role he would have taken was that of Arthur Robertson, now played by Clarke Peters, he narrates the show, and appears as a millionaire who was one of the few to have seen the crash approaching, and have sold his stocks and invested in gold, preserving his fortune while others lost everything. Still, it's still worth seeing new productions even if they don't have the people in whom you want to see, so I went along with an open mind. The Old Vic is having building works done which means that instead of going in through the main foyer, you go in round to one side, an perhaps as a result of building works and bits of the theatre being knocked around, the building was both very cold and very draughty. So the play was struggling a bit against the unfavourable conditions! The play is loosely based on Arthur Miller's own experiences as a young man, it covers the period from 1929 to 1939, and follows one family - Moe, Rose and Lee Baum, who, in this production, are each triple cast. I learned,after the event, that the casting (one white (Jewish) trio, one black and one south Asian) was intended to be an representation of immigrants in America, but this wasn't obvious, at least to me. I'm not sure how successful it is if you need to be told what it means... At the outset, the family is well off, with a centrally located 11 room apartment, a chauffeur, diamonds and dancing for Rose, the assumption that he can attend whichever college he wishes for Lee, and plenty of money for all. As the play progresses, we watch as they gradually lose everything. Rose sends Lee to pawn her jewels, later we see their piano repossessed, and the family hiding (in their much smaller, Brooklyn apartment) from bailiffs. Lee winds up eventually picking a college, like his friends, based on which offer free tuition, and later, faking estrangement from his father to qualify for FDR's WPA. Although the play focused on the Baum family, it also has snapshots of other scenes - Iowa farmers, almost lynching the Judge who has authorised the repossession and sale of their bankrupt farms, and scenes from the South. We see, in the background, a friend of Lee's - studying and qualifying as a dentist, but unable to find work, and ultimately we learn of his death, in passing, as Moe comments on the subway delay after a body is found.. That said, the play is interesting . It's stages in the round, and there is a live jazz band on stage, and despite the depressing (!) subject matter there's a lot of singing and dancing - a successful Wall Street businessman tap-dances his way out of his office after deciding he doesn't wish to be head of a company taking over smaller, independent ones, for instance, and there is an excellent, understated number as applicants at the welfare office move from individual inertia, to a stamping rebellious group, roused by a militant socialist. I hadn't realised ahead of time,but the director, Rachel Chavkin, is the same person who recently directed Hadestown at the National theatre, and I can see some similarities in style . However, It's a little patchy, and drags somewhat in the second half. The performance I saw was in previews so it may tighten up a little as the run continues, but I think perhaps the fault is Miller's text, not the production! Interesting, - I think I'd give it 3/5 stars..
I've enjoyed previous productions directed by Emma Rice, so I was looking forward to Wise Children. Originally I was due to go last Friday, but the snow got in the way, so there was a week's delay before I saw it. And it was a lot of fun! It's based on a novel by Angela Carter, and is a retrospective narrative - twin sisters, Nora and Dora Chance, looking back, at the age of 75, over their lives, and the lives of their families... starting with a brief background of their father's parents,(including a cameo from their grandmother as a pregnant, youthful Hamlet) their own conception and birth, followed immediately by the death of their mother, and their own adoption by 'Grandma', the big-hearted landlady of their parents' theatrical digs.. There is then a swift, and often very funny, race through their lives, including some wonderful sequences of their time as a pair of showgirls, including their early sexual experiences. Nora and Dora were played by three different actors,(plus a set of puppets,) at different points in their lives. We also met their father, self-important actor-manager Ranulph Hazzard, and his entomologist, actor, explorer twin brother, Peregrine, who agrees to legally claim paternity of the twins to avoid any scandal attaching to Ranulph, who goes on to marry the Lady Atalanta, who has a set of twin daughters, (whose father, we later learn, is Peregrine, not Ranulph!) who grow up indulged and greedy. It's melodramatic and fantastical, but it's a lot of fun, and explores family and love, and the love of theatre, without taking itself too seriously. Well worth seeing if you get the chance. It is touring until April. (Details here)
Back in November, or thereabouts, I got an e-mail from the National Theatre to say that Cate Blanchett and Stephen Dillane would be appearing in a play, based upon Richardson's proto-novel, Pamela. As the play was expected to be popular, and the Dorfman theatre is small, they held a ballot for the opportunity to buy tickets, and, as these are both actors I would be interested in seeing on stage, I entered, and was pleased to learn I'd been successful.
My tickets were booked for 2nd February, which turned out not be be ideal, as we had 11 inches of snow on the 1st, and my car had a flat, so getting there meant a snowy walk, a long wait at the bus stop and a slow, snowy bus journey, just to get to the station. Sadly, I didn't really feel that the production was worth it. For those not familiar with it, the original novel (published in 1740) tells the story , via a collection of letters, of the eponymous Pamela, a 16 year old maidservant, whose master, Mr B, makes advances towards her which she rejects. He attempts to bribe her , before moving on to intercepting her letters to her parents, and ultimately abducting and imprisoning her, and threatening to rape her, then finally marries her, despite the differences in their social statuses. In the play, the action is moved to a modern double garage, containing a car (an Audi, I believe) a workbench, and various other bits and pieces. It's rather claustrophobic. The play has no plot or progression, it is a set of scenes, interrupted by one or other of the characters turning the lights on or off. The scenes involved lots of talking, powers plays, as the main characters take it in turns to dominate or be dominated, and there is a lot of dressing up - Cate Blanchett in a mans suit, or in a maid's outfit, Stephen Dillane in a suit, or maid's outfit and wig, or a negligee, but at the end of the day, it's all rather dull. I think it sets out to be shocking and provoking, but fails , and it left me feeling I'd been watching two amazing actors wasting their time, and mine. According to the reviews I read (after seeing the play ), at least one person fainted at the press preview. Having now see the play, I have a theory that they didn't faint. They were just trying to fake their own death in order to escape!.
The first theatre visit of 2019 was to see Simon Russell Beale as King Richard II, at the Almeida. I was intrigued when I saw that he was going to be playing the role, as of course the actual, historical monarch was one of our younger and, on the whole, less successful kings (other than with the peasant's revolt), and was only 33 when he was deposed, and died, and he is generally played by a younger actor. At almost 60, Russell Beale isn't the obvious choice.
It's unusual casting, and its an unusual production - the set is a single, apparently metal-lined box or cell - it's not clear whether this is Richard's cell, and the play is all in his mind, or whether it is symbolic of the ways in which power can trap someone, or something else altogether. The production is in modern dress, with no costumes other than the gloves which everyone but the king wears, and no props bar a crown, and a number of buckets, labelled, and containing, blood, water and soil. It's also a very small cast, of 8, so everyone except Simon Russell Beale (Richard) and Leo Bill (Bolingbroke) plays multiple roles.
I enjoyed it, Simon Russell Beale is an excellent actor, but I was less convinced by the staging - I felt it was less easy to follow than it could (perhaps should) have been - and I have the advantage of being pretty familiar with the play. I think in paring it down, they have pared a little too much. However, I was glad to have seen it , and enjoyed some excellent acting. It was interesting.
I always feel as though the end of January ought to mean the beginning of spring, and always tend to be a bit disappointed when, generally, it isn't. This was no exception, and we ended the month with a surprising amount of snow. It started falling late afternoon on Thursday 31st and carried on snowing without stopping for almost 24 hours.
I spent some time in the back garden, watching Loki playing, and hunting snowflakes, which was cold but fun.
Things got less fun, although no less cold, the following morning, when I spent a long time digging out my driveway, and had a cold and windy walk to check whether the main road was passable, before discovering that I had a flat tyre so couldn't go anywhere. .. (I do know how to change a tyre, but due to the physical issues I have with my back, neck and shoulder, I can't, now, do it without causing myself significant pain, and I am not at all sure that I would be able to do it safely, and the middle of a snowstorm didn't seem to be the time to find out) This meant that I wasn't able to get into work, so I did what I could from home, and in between, watched the snow continuing to fall. By the time it finally stopped, we had had 11", which is unusual. It was also very cold - around -4 C during the day, and -7 overnight, and (presumably because of this) the snow was very soft and powdery.
By Saturday the main road was clear so despite being car-less I was able to get to London to meet a friend, via a walk, a long bus trip and a train.
Sunrise over snow
Parade Gardens, Bath
I had about an hour to kill in Bath, which was looking rather nice, although there was a lot of compacted ice on the pavements. Sunday involved a lot more digging, as the snow on the road had compacted into thick ice, assisting my neighbour change my tyre.
But there was also time to play with Loki in the snow. He was undeterred by the fact that it came up beyond his armpits, and he chose to go out even when he wasn't just following me.
It was all very pretty, but I must be getting old, as when I woke up on Monday morning to find that it had rained all night, and that nearly all the sow was gone, I was relieved rather than disappointed!
