Been there... seen that
I think it's high time we took global warming very seriously. If Al Gore is to be believed, places like Antarctica have a very grim future. So a play about an Antarctic Explorer seemed appropriate enough. Off to St James Cavalier I trekked, to watch...
I think it's high time we took global warming very seriously. If Al Gore is to be believed, places like Antarctica have a very grim future. So a play about an Antarctic Explorer seemed appropriate enough. Off to St James Cavalier I trekked, to watch Tom Crean - a solo performance by the very talented Aiden Dooley.
Mr Dooley gave us a spellbinding account of the true story of Tom Crean's Antarctic explorations. Crean was one of the few men to serve with both Scott and Shackleton and also one of the only ones to survive the three expeditions into the Antarctic. His chilling (I couldn't resist. Sorry) tale of heroism, human courage, frostbite and impossible odds was splendidly done. If only my history lessons were this interesting I'd have never failed the darn subject!
I met Aiden Dooley after the performance and he told me that the show wasn't scripted at all. All the stories he tells are researched and accurate, however each night his performance is unique. This made it all the more special.
Now an aside: The first time I read a play by Anton Checkov I wasn't as impressed as I felt I should have been. It didn't live up to the hype. I was worried. Was I thick? Did I not understand the great playwright? A month later, I read a Maltese translation of The Cherry Orchard and that's when I got it. The Russian language, I feel, doesn't translate as well into English as it does into Maltese. Maybe the rhythm and flow of Russian is closer to Maltese than it is to English. I don't have an answer but I'm rambling for a reason, never fear.
April also saw me going to the Manoel Theatre to watch Life X 3 by the MADC. This time I believe I was right to be wary of translations. The script left me completely cold and even though the actors tried so, so hard to make this story come to life - it seemed like they were flogging a dead horse. It's a pity because they are all perfectly capable of wonderful performances. After the show, a friend told me that a couple of years ago he watched the same play in the original French (Trois Versions de la Vie); and that that time, it worked. If Sofia Coppola hadn't got there before me, I'd have said it was a case of "Lost in Translation" - but even I am not that much of a plagiarist.
Ophelia's Maids was next on my list. This play was sadly poorly attended. Great shame as it was good fun. Written by a Scottish lass, Lizzie Eldrige, and performed by Lizzie and homegrown Annabelle Galea, Ophelia's Maids is an absurdist, avant-garde piece which switches from fantasy to reality. Drawing on works by Ionesco, Becket and Genet, Ophelia's maids are basically two bored women who are constantly finding new ways to torture one another - mentally and physically. Some methods are hysterically funny and some are just plain cruel. I guffawed through the 70-minute performance and took my metaphorical hat off to the girls - while keeping a safe distance.
Time for one last trip to the theatre this month - so it's Mozart's The Magic Flute - a special adaptation by Sarah Spiteri for children. What is this madness? I hear you gasp. An opera for children? Well, it worked a treat. And the little ones seemed to be enjoying it immensely too. Well, they laughed and awwwed in all the right places. Which is more than I can say for some adults. Sometimes we underestimate children. I, personally tend to ignore them until they're old enough to buy alcohol. So shame on me. If they can understand opera better than me - then I can at least acknowledge that they can teach me stuff.
So, if during the month of May you see me actually attempting conversation with children - don't be alarmed; I'm just learning.
Mr Dooley gave us a spellbinding account of the true story of Tom Crean's Antarctic explorations. Crean was one of the few men to serve with both Scott and Shackleton and also one of the only ones to survive the three expeditions into the Antarctic. His chilling (I couldn't resist. Sorry) tale of heroism, human courage, frostbite and impossible odds was splendidly done. If only my history lessons were this interesting I'd have never failed the darn subject!
I met Aiden Dooley after the performance and he told me that the show wasn't scripted at all. All the stories he tells are researched and accurate, however each night his performance is unique. This made it all the more special.
Now an aside: The first time I read a play by Anton Checkov I wasn't as impressed as I felt I should have been. It didn't live up to the hype. I was worried. Was I thick? Did I not understand the great playwright? A month later, I read a Maltese translation of The Cherry Orchard and that's when I got it. The Russian language, I feel, doesn't translate as well into English as it does into Maltese. Maybe the rhythm and flow of Russian is closer to Maltese than it is to English. I don't have an answer but I'm rambling for a reason, never fear.
April also saw me going to the Manoel Theatre to watch Life X 3 by the MADC. This time I believe I was right to be wary of translations. The script left me completely cold and even though the actors tried so, so hard to make this story come to life - it seemed like they were flogging a dead horse. It's a pity because they are all perfectly capable of wonderful performances. After the show, a friend told me that a couple of years ago he watched the same play in the original French (Trois Versions de la Vie); and that that time, it worked. If Sofia Coppola hadn't got there before me, I'd have said it was a case of "Lost in Translation" - but even I am not that much of a plagiarist.
Ophelia's Maids was next on my list. This play was sadly poorly attended. Great shame as it was good fun. Written by a Scottish lass, Lizzie Eldrige, and performed by Lizzie and homegrown Annabelle Galea, Ophelia's Maids is an absurdist, avant-garde piece which switches from fantasy to reality. Drawing on works by Ionesco, Becket and Genet, Ophelia's maids are basically two bored women who are constantly finding new ways to torture one another - mentally and physically. Some methods are hysterically funny and some are just plain cruel. I guffawed through the 70-minute performance and took my metaphorical hat off to the girls - while keeping a safe distance.
Time for one last trip to the theatre this month - so it's Mozart's The Magic Flute - a special adaptation by Sarah Spiteri for children. What is this madness? I hear you gasp. An opera for children? Well, it worked a treat. And the little ones seemed to be enjoying it immensely too. Well, they laughed and awwwed in all the right places. Which is more than I can say for some adults. Sometimes we underestimate children. I, personally tend to ignore them until they're old enough to buy alcohol. So shame on me. If they can understand opera better than me - then I can at least acknowledge that they can teach me stuff.
So, if during the month of May you see me actually attempting conversation with children - don't be alarmed; I'm just learning.