On the Beat

One of the must-see shows of this year’s Edinburgh Fringe has been Fuerzabruta. Fuerzabruta - brute force. I love physical theatre. So I reckoned I ought to go and see it. It just sounded like if I didn’t, I’d regret it.

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I have been to my usual quota of Festival shows, although I can't help feeling they haven't been up to my usual standard. Most of the things I go to I go to because I expect them to be good, and I'm not often disappointed. It is true that I have sat through a few turkeys - but it is a very few. (I think the Pina Bausch "dance" performance Nelken - "carnations" - is the one that really sticks in my throat: it was sold to me as being the best dance show around. I sat there for more than an hour, waiting for it to get better, and then the curtain came down. As far as I was concerned, it had no redeeming features. Not even any nudity.)

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I recently posted about "Black Watch", a play I saw over in Glasgow.

It was the best piece of theatre I have seen for a long, long time. It was brilliant.

And it is being broadcast on Radio 3 this evening - 8.45pm-10.15pm. I can't quite see how they will get it to work on the radio - it was very physical, and had moments of poignant silence - but that makes me more likely to listen.

I went across to Glasgow to see a play this afternoon. I very nearly didn’t go; I had bought a ticket during the week – and I very nearly didn’t do that, since the tickets were £20 each, and of course I had to get across to the west coast. But a friend of mine raved about the play when she saw it in the Fringe last year – it won a fringe first – and she had told me it was the best thing she had seen in many years; she is a drama teacher and watches many, many more plays than I do – last time I went to the theatre was six months ago – so I took her word for it.

( I am glad I did. It was brilliant. The best play I had seen in years. )

I went to see the National Theatre of Scotland’s production of John Byrne’s “Tutti Frutti” yesterday.

( A-Wop-bop-a-loo-lop )

Things To Do In Denver When You're Dead London

Because obviously, everyone in London doesn't have enough things to do. And needs advice from someone who doesn't live there.

But still. I read last weekend that Slava's SnowShow is coming to London next week.

We went to see this in Edinburgh a few years ago. It was one of the best pieces of theatre I have seen. It was beautiful and wonderful. It was so good that the audience stayed in the theatre for forty five minutes after the show had finished, playing with child-like glee. According to the blurb, Simon Callow said "This is the single most beautiful thing I have ever seen in a theatre in my life."

The show is in Milton Keynes this weekend, and then in Wimbledon next week. And I see it is in Glasgow sometime next month...

Also, those of you that frequent the SMWS may be aware of this already, but Jamie Primrose, one of my neighbours and a very good (and prolific) painter, has an exhibition at the SMWS rooms in Greville St in November. There are a couple of private views if you want to grab a glass of wine whilst looking at the paintings - the SMWS events list has details.