Health Wellbeing Magazine

Sunday, March 3, 2019

Mother Courage and her Children, The National Theatre - Health Wellbeing


Deborah Warner's stunning new production of Mother Courage and her Children brings to Brecht's tragedy of war a stark contemporary resonance; the cyclical presence of war permeates the minds of the audience just as it does the lives and narratives of the characters from the outset. Before the performance begins in earnest, distorted speeches of twentieth century leaders including Churchill and Bush are played over sounds of artillery fire and battle chaos; surely an explicit demonstration from the get-go that Mother Courage has equal resonance today as it did when Brecht wrote it in 1939.


Brecht's 'Verfremdungseffekt' (or distancing effect) whereby the audience are not to become immersed in the action presented on stage and remain active, critical observers is accomplished in this performance through a number of strategies. The most tangible is the use of signs and captions; locations are non-naturalistic in their representation, and are demonstrated through language, not mimetic replication. An officer's tent is demonstrated by a sign reading 'An Officer's Tent' hoisted above the action, serving to strip away all artifice. Use of signs as indicators of location also serve to make the action feel elongated; although we are told (through Gore Vidal's narration of the scene headings) that Courage and her wagon move across Europe, we consistently see them stuck in the same sparse environment. With the exception of Courage, her children and the wagon, everything else on an aesthetic level is muted and indistinguishable, including the armies fighting each other, further demonstrating the repetitive and dangerously confusing nature of war. The production (and indeed Brecht's original text) is not about a specific war, be it the Thirty Years War, the Second World War or any conflict of the twenty first century, it concerns war and the commoditisation of conflict across epochs.

Throughout the performance, backstage processes are put on stage as a further means through which the artifice of performance can be deconstructed by the audience. Elements of the production process which remain hidden in many contemporary performances are present in Warner's 'Mother Courage'; from a group of stage managers dancing along to one of Duke Special's raucous compositions, to the visible scene transitions, we are actively reminded that we are watching a theatrical construction, not a slice of real life.

However, despite the prevalence of Brecht's distancing techniques in the production, we are nevertheless constantly engaged with the characters. Fiona Shaw's commanding performance in the title role demonstrates the sheer range that is required to play a character as seemingly contradictory and relentless as Courage. She lurches from the effervescent (when bartering with The Cook over the price of a chicken: "It's practically a turkey") to the tragic when she loses each of her adopted children in succession as a result of her failure to separate the role of profiteer from the role of mother. Shaw truly makes the role her own from the moment she arrives on stage serenading the audience perched atop her beloved wagon, and her confident physicality cements Courage's status as earth-mother come shrewd business woman who is rarely intimidated. On the occasions where the language of buying and selling fails her and she loses control of situations (the death of Swiss Cheese), we become all the more empathetic towards her as a result of Shaw's capacity as a performer. To her testament, she does not seem at all overwhelmed by the magnitude and expectation associated with taking on such an iconic part, once famously played by Brecht's second wife, Helen Weigel. Shaw interacts with and feeds off of the audience as much as she does her fellow performers and fills the vast space of the Olivier with an energy which enlivens the entire performance. Clifford Samuel, Harry Melling and Sophie Stone also prove themselves more than capable in their roles as Eilif, Swiss Cheese and Kattrin respectively.


Original musical compositions by Irish singer/songwriter/musician Duke Special (accompanied by his band) bring texture and vibrancy to the performance; the songs he has composed (particularly in their lyrical content) simultaneously evoke a spontaneous, gig-like atmosphere as well as heightening the emotional significance and underlying themes of the piece. The music is infectious and poignantly guides the narrative through to denouement; the final sung line of the piece ('Unless the war goes on in hell...') accompanied by the image of a now lone Mother Courage relentlessly pulling the wagon along behind her into a flood of bright yellow light at the back of the stage demonstrates more than ever the futility of war and poetically brings the tragedy of Courage to a close. Only by losing Eilif, Swiss Cheese and eventually Kattrin does Mother Courage begin to fully count the true cost of war, apart from the price of goods and bargaining.

Although the fact that the audience feels such empathy for Courage, her children and their plight seems contradictory to Brecht's requirement that the spectator remains objective, I would argue that the more we engage with the characters, the more protracted our incomprehension and interrogation of war becomes. By relentlessly throwing tragic event after tragic event at Courage, Brecht in his narrative engages us with her fate, and Fiona Shaw's performance demonstrates a depth of feeling and love for her adopted children which makes her loss of them all the more harrowing. As we become so involved with the fates of Courage, Eilif, Swiss Cheese and Kattrin through both Brecht's dramaturgy and the performances of the actors portraying them, we see the faces of thousands of mothers who have lost sons and daughters as a result of war and thus question how any act of warfare that decimates lives and families in such a way can be called just and carried out in our name, surely accomplishing Brecht's objective of creating an active spectator who sees resonances of the drama they watch in society.


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An Inspector Calls, Novello Theatre - Health Wellbeing

An Inspector Calls, written by J.B Priestley and set in 1912, premiered in the UK after the end of the Second World War in 1946. Over sixty years later, Stephen Daldry's revival has returned to the West End, following its hugely successful inception at the National Theatre in the early 1990's. Telling the tale of the tragic demise of a seemingly anonymous young woman, Priestley's narrative is a parable of social responsibility, pitting the middle-class Birling family against the perplexing, authoritarian figure of Inspector Goole, who quite literally demolishes the foundations upon which the Birlings have built their artificial lives.

The most striking thing about this production is the breathtaking set design, which brings an affluent Edwardian neighbourhood into the theatre, complete with rain, cobbled streets, working streetlamps and an imposingly opulent house, belonging, of course, to the Birling family. The interior of the set is breathtakingly elaborate, demonstrating the disingenuous and narcissistic nature of each of the protagonists within Priestley's narrative. Ian MacNeil's scenography (complemented fantastically by Rick Fisher's lighting design) effectively brings the audience into the world of the Birling family; we at first encounter them from afar and feel almost as if we are spying on them through the windows of their house, isolated from their world of parlour games and platitudes.

As Inspector Goole arrives however, the house physically unfolds as the secrets and lies of the family are systematically revealed by their interrogator; the characters and their shameful deeds no longer have anywhere to hide on stage. The director also ensures that the audience feels an affinity with Inspector Goole from the outset of the performance, by having him make his first entrance through the auditorium, breaking down the parameters which usually exist between the fictional world represented on stage and the real world of the audience. Here the Inspector is the representative of the audience; he poses the questions which we want answered, and holds the characters to account for their appalling behaviour as they each reveal their complicity in the death of their voiceless victim, Eva Smith.

The strongest performances of the cast come from Nicholas Woodeson as Inspector Goole and Marianne Oldham as Sheila Birling. Woodeson brings nuances of his own to a character which has to find the right balance between otherworldliness and authority, and his portrayal of the Inspector as a somewhat unpredictable force echoes the many twists within Priestley's script. Oldham is suitably sensitive as Sheila, and is the only character which I felt underwent a completely earnest reversal of attitude as a result of the interrogation. Although David Roper and Sandra Duncan as Mr and Mrs Birling are adequately irritable, I didn't feel that their performances were pitched at the right level; the hysterical laughter they engage in upon realising that the Inspector isn't all he seems somehow makes a mockery of the sentiment of Priestley's writing and undermines the revelation which is made at the end of the play. Robin Whiting as Eric Birling attempts to bring a level of pathos to the conclusion, but his histrionics do little to evoke any level of empathy with the audience in view of the demonic joy exhibited by both of the older Birlings and Gerald Croft (Timothy Watson) when they believe that they have been exonerated after Goole departs.

Overall, a production which I found more engaging on a technical level than a performative one. In order to have any emotional resonance with the audience, this piece needs to evoke a semblance of realism, something which was attempted but undermined by the archaic and almost pantomime style of acting on the part of Roper and Duncan. Although sound, scenography and lighting all served to evoke a strong atmosphere, sadly I feel the performance was let down by a style of acting which diluted and detracted from the over-arching theme of collective social consciousness which Priestly endeavoured to convey when the play was first written.

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Paris, je t'aime - Health Wellbeing



Paris Fashion Week is always my favourite as the majority of the designers I love showcase their latest creations there. Alexander McQueen's shows are always the ones which I most anticipate; his beautiful, intricate designs combined with the sheer spectacle and theatricality of his runway presentations consistently ensure that his collections are as unforgettable as they are unique. As well as some breathtaking images of McQueen's latest collection, below you can also find the rest of my favourites from Paris Fashion Week.


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alexander McQueen


 

 

 

Chanel


 

 

 

 

 

Chloé


 

 

 

 

 

 

Christian Dior



What were your favourites from Paris Fashion Week?
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Saturday, March 2, 2019

Burberry Prorsum Spring Summer 2010 RTW - Health Wellbeing



Last night at the Chelsea College of Art and Design, classic British label Burberry made a triumphant return to London Fashion Week, in celebration of the event's 25th birthday. The show attracted the most high profile guest list seen at any London Fashion Week event in recent memory, with international fashion editors, Hollywood stars and politicians (who on earth invited Peter Mandelson?) descending on the capital for an evening spent in the company of Burberry's creative director Christopher Bailey and his latest stunning creations for the fashion house.


 

 



 

 

 

The front row of the show glittered as much as the shimmering silver coat Bailey sent down the runway:

 Face of Burberry's Autumn Winter 2009 advertising campaign, Emma Watson, wearing (of course), Burberry.

Victoria Beckham, wearing a beautiful dress from her own collection.

 The lovely Freida Pinto, wearing a dress from Burberry's Spring 2010 collection.

Mary Kate Olsen, looking effortlessly cool as always; I just adore the beetle brooch adorning her classic black winter coat.

One of my all time favourites, Liv Tyler, proving (if you didn't know by now) that a good boyfriend blazer is a girl's best friend and a must have piece for any wardrobe.

Anna Wintour, wearing Oscar de la Renta, complete with her trademark sunglasses and immaculately maintained hairstyle.


I can't wait to see this collection up close when it will arrive in stores next season, I have already made a pact that I will treat myself to a classic Burberry trench before I die/ when I can realistically afford it without bankrupting myself, whichever comes first!

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Friday, March 1, 2019

As You Like It, Shakespeare's Globe - Health Wellbeing


Yesterday the weather in London was truly dismal; torrential rain persisted throughout the day, and as I battled my way to Bankside through the deluge, I found myself thankful that I wasn't standing for that afternoon's performance of As You Like It. Directed by Thea Sharrock, the play centres on the characters of Rosalind and Orlando, who fall in love at first sight against a backdrop of political posturing and corruption, as Rosalind's father, Duke Senior, is banished by her uncle, the usurping Duke Frederick. Orlando, the youngest son of the recently deceased Sir Rowland de Boys has been much maligned by his older brother Oliver throughout his young life:


After fighting with his brother, Orlando is ordered to flee his home, escaping to the magical Forest of Arden where the exiled Duke has found safety and enjoys an idyllic lifestyle under the boughs of the lofty trees which populate the forest. Back at court, Rosalind, still enchanted by Orlando, is also banished by her uncle as he considers her popularity too much of a threat to his recently attained power. Despite the protestations of his daughter, Celia, Frederick refuses to renege on his decision. Celia decides to flee to Arden with Rosalind, professing that she shall die if she is out of her company. In the guises of the youthful boy Ganymede and his 'sister' Aliena, Rosalind and Celia, accompanied by the jester Touchstone, quit court for the forest. The fates of Rosalind and Orlando are now more intertwined than ever, and as she counsels him on the art of wooing in the guise of a young boy, the effervescent joy and comedy of Shakespeare's piece envelops both the characters and audience alike.


This production is marked by some outstanding performances. Jack Laskey is a youthful and determined Orlando, and brings tremendous energy to the character. Although Laskey's Orlando may not be as physically imposing as some other members of the cast (indeed when pitted against Charles the Wrestler in Act One Scene Two, the audience doubts whether Orlando will escape with his life, never mind defeat the Duke's prize fighter), his wiry physicality allows him clamber across the stage and through the auditorium with ease. His wide eyed declarations of love elicit many a collective 'aaaah' from the audience, and Laskey seems to understand the comedy of the character extremely well, recognising how the subtlest of looks or particular emphasis on a word can transform the meaning of Shakespeare's writing and alter the dynamics of Orlando's relationships with other characters; this is most evident in the banter he shares with former libertine Jaques, played by Tim McMullan.


Naomi Frederick's Rosalind strikes the perfect balance between romantic sentiment and steely resolve, and she seems to relish the challenge of playing Rosalind's alter-ego, Ganymede, using the opportunity of playing a man to create some lovely comic moments which are not immediately evidence on the page. For instance, when she first speaks to Corin as Ganymede, Frederick coughs and then proceeds to deepen her voice, demonstrating her intrinsic understanding of the character as she assumes the masculine traits which disguise her to the point that she becomes almost unrecognisable when compared to the fanciful 'princess' of the first act. Rosalind's relationship with her cousin Celia is completely believable and endearing, demonstrating that Frederick and Laura Rogers, who plays Celia, must have devoted a good deal of time in the rehearsal process to forging a bond which transposes seamlessly to the stage. Rogers, who was enchanting as Helena in the Globe's production of A Midsummer Night's Dream last year, is as equally assured as Frederick in her performance, and she brings a contemporary feel to the character by incorporating modern gestures and inflections into her execution of Celia.


Perhaps the most memorable performance of the piece comes from Dominic Rowan as Touchstone. The character has some of the most simultaneously baffling and hilarious lines of the play, and Rowan relishes in them. His self-assured physicality demonstrates Touchstone's outlandish confidence and his interactions with the groundlings have the audience in stitches throughout. Rowan too, is a gifted actor who has the ability to utilise improvisation to enhance his characterisation; at one moment, a pigeon flew into the theatre, startling both audience and actors alike. Rowan proceeded to shriek when he saw the aforementioned bird, and later incorporated a line about dive-bombing pigeons into a subsequent monologue. In another instance, he produced a small rain hat for one of his puppets, providing a moment of incidental comedy which would not have unfolded had the weather not been so awful. Tim McMullan as Jaques also took advantage of the rain, making his first entrance through the pit complete with an umbrella before proceeding to ask the audience about 'soaking up the atmosphere'. Indeed, all of the lines in the play about 'rough weather' took on a new resonance, particularly for the groundlings who steadfastly remained exposed to the unrelenting elements for the duration of the performance. McMullan and Rowan are two actors who I think were born to perform at the Globe, and have an inherent understanding of what makes it so magical for performers and spectators alike, McMullan in particular demonstrated this when delivering perhaps the most famous speech in Shakespeare's repertoire:


The design of the production also deserves much commendation; costumes feel organic, earthy and cohesive, creating a unified aesthetic which I felt was lacking in the Globe's earlier production of 'Romeo and Juliet'. Dick Bird's design seeks to further include the audience into the piece, through incorporating two platforms onto the end of the stage which extend well into the pit and propel the world of the play quite literally into the laps of the audience. As black material is removed from the set to reveal oak stained wooden beams, the audience find themselves in the forest as suddenly as Orlando, Rosalind, Celia and Touchstone are ejected from court, in a masterstroke of design which takes the audience completely by surprise. The decision to clothe Orlando and a disguised Rosalind in identical brown leather costumes is also a clear demonstration of their compatibility, and Touchstone's costumes are as elaborate and ostentatious as the character deserves. Stephen Warbeck's musical compositions are wonderfully successful in setting the joyous tone of the piece, and Fin Walker's choreography as demonstrated in the closing jig further encapsulates the vitality and spirit of a production which even the foul London weather failed to dampen.

A simply enchanting production, not to be missed. Try and catch it at the Globe before it finishes on October 10th 2009.
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