Hamnet

Based on the Maggie O'Farrell novel of the same name, it tells a story of the brith anddeath of the son of Agnes Hathaway (Jessie Buckley) and William Shalespeare (Paul Mescal) - yes, that William Shakespear - and the grief they endure in their different ways. 

First meeting, courtship, disapproving parents, marriage, children.  The playwright spend ing much of his time away in London, leaving wife and household to cope, as he builds his reputation and career.  With inevitable tensions in the marriage, made worse by their differing approaches to the loss of their child.  He throwing himself deeper into his work, she withdrawing deeper within herself.  It takes the prodcution of Hamlet to bring understanding and resolution, but it's a herd road to get there.

The coulourless life of the sixteenth century, and the inherent sadness of the theme, can make it a hard watch.  Both leads are excellent, bringing the characters to life, with real emotional depth, but that still doesn't stop it from dragging at times (I almost fell asleep at one point...) so that my overall feeling was one of disappointment.  I'd enjoyed the novel, and had hopes for the film as a result, but felt short changed by the slowness of the plot and the over realiance on shoskc moments.  

KInnaris Q, Pavilion Theatre, Glasgow - Celtic Connections Festival

Support came from Sidiki Jobarteh, a hugely talented Gambian balafon player (a gourd based xylophone), with a percussionist and guitarist to provide the backing.  Jbarteh is also an impressive vocalist, and the others provided backing vocals too.

He is very much rooted in the Gambian folk tradition, with a mix of  old and new, including several self penned, and composition by his mother (Sona is a renowned kora virtuoso).  He has a sympathetic feel for the music, and the old rhythms that underly the melodies.  It's impossible to sit still when listening, this is music to move too.  The beat almost jazz like, Jobarteh's hands a literal blur at times, and the crowd were borought into play singing along to the final number.  This lad has a big future, and this was a great way to open the night.

The Kinnaris Quintet have now become, with the departure of Laura Wilkie, a quartet called Kinnaris Q.  But nothing else has changed.  Still the same high standard of musicality, still the origninality and variation in theoir m usic, and still having enormous fun with each other.  Aileen Gobbi remains as bubbly and hilarious as ever in her introductions, the music as complex as ever.  It was a shame that the sound balance sounded a bit off at times, but even that couldn't hide the quality of the music, or the way it engages their audience.

A wonderful gig.

Lau, St Giles Cathedral

 Wonderfully evocative setting, wonderfully evocative band.  Shortly before the start time the trio - Drever, Green and O'Rourke - came out to say hello and announced that they wouldn't be talking once the music started, but would play on uninterrupted.  Which is exactly what they did, with a wide range of songs and tunes from their 20 years of music making and some surprise segues.  Magical.

Dean Owens and the Sinners, Pleasance Theatre

 

The opening act were introduced as a new, young band, The Agents of Happiness.  But the joke was already clear to some of us.  Out came Dean, with guitarist Craig Ross, bassist Adam MacMillan, and a couple of oild chums of Owens on guitar and drums.  They were rocking, great fun, and it was good to have 2 lead guitars playing off one another.  Not exactly youngsters though...

After the AoH short set out came the Sinners, looking very familiar!  Dean, Craig, Adam, trumpeter Philip Cardwell and drummer Andy Dunlop - very much an established Sinners line up now.  The following 90 minutes, was funny, emotional, superb entertainment.  Deam was in great form, noptably with his whistling.  The band gave us a wide range of songs from the Owens back catalogue, with Cardwell often adding that Tex-Mex feel to some material that predates thos einfluences appearing.  Plus the crowd, as always at these Christmas home giogs, got to join in on the old favourites - Man from leith and Raining in Glasgow.

As good as it ever was.

Inside No 9 : Stage Fright, Playhouse

 A stage adaptation that combines the essential base ingredients of the renowned TV show - comedy and horror - with a dose of nostalgia and references for the cognoscenti.  Not only references because, broken across the show, they recreated the TV episode Bernie Clifton's Dressing Room.  Not only references to their own show, but to other comedians too, such as Morecambe and Wise.  And then there was that night's guest star, with a different one appearing for every show, and indulging in a bit of improv with Reece and Steve.  (Jonathan Watson was ours, and played up over Steve's character's inability to get the name of 2 Doors Down right.)

The opening sketch set the tone beautifully, with that comedy/horror mix, a dose of shock, and a strong warning to the audience on theatre etiquette, all in the opening five minutes.  From then on it was Reece and Sheersmith having fun with words, wordplay, sometimes heading for the groanworthy route, often clever.  Great fun for fans, potentially confusing for the newcomer to their world!  (And for young people, who might be wondering who'd miss a lot of the jokes, rootted in the culture of past TV.)  

Even the curtain call turned into another macabre sketch.  Laughs ands scares from beginning to end, and a sense of satisfaction that this was a wrthy tribute/follow up to one of the great TV series of the century.

La Boheme, Festival Theatre

My first ever visit to a classical opera.  And, based on this one experience, probably my last.  So perhaps I am not the best person to be weriting a review!

I'd outline the plot, but... here isn't much of one.  Four guys, poverty stricken artists of various kinds, enjoy life as best they can.  Two of them fall in love, the affairs are on, then off.  Rodolfo's girl, Mimi, returns, in poor health, and dies.  Everyone is sad.

Around that there are modern day crowd scenes, with much colour and spectacle.  Lots of music and songs, but I couldn't recall a single melody afterwards.  And the words, whilst sung and spoken in Italian, are relayed to the audience in English supertitles.  This is handy for keeping up with what's supposed to be going on, but also distracting, far more so than subtitles on a film.  They also made me laugh at their content sometimes, probably when i wasn't supposed to.  "I'll go for my muff" was a memorable moment.

There's also the intensity, which rarely seems to vary.  Somebody singing "How's your cough, it seems better than yesterday" is accorded the same level of drama as "She'll be dead in half an hour".  Nuanced it is not.

I don't regret going, it was an experience, butI don't think I'll ever be an opera buff...

The Baker's Wife (La Femme du Boulanger)

 A black and white French comedy classic from 1938.  Villagers are excited that a new man has taken over the old bakery (the only one they have).  His loaves are perfect, and he has a very attractive wife who draws the men in to purchase their bread.  But when the wife runs off with another man (a local), and the baker stops baking, the locals know they have to intervene - they want their fresh baguettes back!

Farce meets an expert view of small town life, of rural mores and communal action.  There are well delineated characters and relationships, conservative values and hypocrisy,  a storyline that never flags.  Very funny, very observant, very enjoyable.  Sometimes old is best.