shots from the panto

The Belle's Stratagem

I was lucky enough to go to a traditional panto with a twist this year. The performance was of 'The Belle's Stratagem' and it was fantastic. The play itself is an 18th century restoration comedy of manners, perhaps not the most obvious of panto performance choices but, for me at least, this made it all the better. The play is all about the impending marriage between Doricourt and Letitia Hardy, who have been betrothed to eachother since childhood and, somewhat unsurprisingly, Doricourt is having second thoughts. Whilst this is happening their newlywed friends, the Touchwoods, have just arrived in town. Lady Frances, a country girl, wants to be introduced into fashionable society, but her husband is fiercely jealous and doesn't want her innocence corrupted by fashion. Courtall, a libertine character, pursues Lady Frances despite her protestations. Ultimately the play ends in marriages all round but there was plenty of witty conversation (and ad-libbing) as well as some excellent dancing in between. It all happened at a local pub too, rather than a grand theatre, which meant that there was a distinct lack of screaming children and that I could get blind drunk whilst watching. This, and the fact that the stage was tiny and the set minimal, meant that there was a real intimacy in the performance that is rarely found elsewhere. Also, the actors seemed like they were actually enjoying themselves, think kids at the school nativity rather than Les Denis as wishy washy in Extras. All the money raised went to charity and there wasn't a washed-up actor attempting to reignite their career in sight! 

super

Pretty sure superbad is the most quotable move ever.

Amsterdam.

Buildings.

Biking in Amsterdam.

Coffeeshop 'Lost in Amsterdam' that cat was mean.

Boat trip.

Amsterdam square at night, without the crowds, pigeons and street performers.

Lights on the hostel ceiling.

An outfit I wore to see Peaches at 'Club Paradiso'.

Tasty tasty electro.

'The Stone Bridge'

Rembrant

 

 

'Studies for caryatids'

Artus Quellinus

The two with their hands behind their backs are prisoners.

The two with their hands in front of their faces represent remorse.

Fitting, I think, given that they were for the town hall. 

Amsterdam.

This is the second time I have had the pleasure of visiting Amsterdam. The first was dominated by endless trips to coffee shops and one memorable night sampling some mushrooms (who knew staring at your hostel wall for a few hours could be so much fun) so this time I fully intended to have a proper look around the city, with a few stop offs enroute perhaps.

Despite this being my second trip I still found it hard to navigate the canals and bridges, I'm not sure whether this is just down to my rubbish sense of direction or my consistent ability to be distracted by even the most mundane of things (and if there was one word you could use to describe Amsterdam, mundane would not be it). I think the architecture there is fascinating with all these flats built right up against the water. Many of them have boats tethered to their back doors, a way to get out and do some shopping. I would love to wake up to the sound of water lapping against my window, or to open the curtains and see an endless stretch of wrought iron bridges and brightly coloured boats.

This time round, what with our quest to experience more than just the coffeeshops we decided to visit the Rijksmuseum. Although there was plenty on Rembrant and his pupils there was also many works from before that era with some mention of Dutch history too. My personal favourite was a 'Study for caryatid' by Artus Quellinus, (c.1650) a series of four females for eventual use in the courtroom in Amsterdams town hall.

As awe inspiring as the Riskmuseum was however, the greatest fun I had in Amsterdam was the ride to and from the museum on our hire bikes. There is a whole system set up for cyclists with a series of roads dedicated to bikes rather than cars. It was so relaxing to cycle around the parks there and to and from the museum, because the city is so flat it feels like you are almost floating along which was lovely given that we had all had a few smokes in the park. Although, in retrospect, a tiny black miniskirt probably wasn't the most practical of outfit choices.

Tate Modern.

I love London. Whenever I'm there I feel like I am taken away and carried along with the constant swell of people, drifting in and out of different conversations, different languages, different cultures. I love the Chinese tourists, with their snap-happiness, bum-bags, maps, slow meandering but quick conversation. I like the fact that they are coming here to visit, the excitement they seem to get from our history, our buildings, whilst the lights back in their own country burn brighter and far higher up than I could ever imagine. I plan to visit but, for now, London will do.

I visited the Tate Modern recently with my boyfriend. The exhibition we went to see was called 'Voyeurism, Surveillance and the Camera'. From CCTV and hidden cameras to paparazzi and documenting the atrocities of war we al seem to have an instinctive desire (and, in the case of Jackie O and Ron Galella, an obsessive one) to see how other people live their lives, even if it is just through a snapshot. I have always loved documentary photography, and was so happy to see Henri Cartier Bresson on display. His work 'Images a la sauvette' heralded him as one of the first photographers to attempt to capture a perfect moment and one of the first 'candid' photographers involved in photojournalism. Alongside Bresson were other photojournalists I had not heard of before as well as your more 'voyeuristic' photographers such as Kohei Yoshiyuki. Yoshiyuki photographed couples in Chuo Park in Shinjuku, surrounded by other men and women who attempted to crawl up to the couple and touch them without being noticed. The images themselves seem to demonstrate pure raw sexual energy and you too, as viewer of the image, become involved in the 'peeping tom' act. Most of the couples were unaware of both the camera and the voyeurs, although whether this makes them or the images harmless or not I am not sure.

 Arthus H. Fellig.

'Lovers at the Palace Theatre'

Her bare feet are just perfect.

This is what I wore to London, I was a bit unsure about the black shoes/blue dress combination but I think the long white socks evened the whole outfit out. I kept having to pull the socks back up again though! 

music.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQJ5dxxYJBI

just a beautiful voice. this is why the French are the epitome of cool.