If you like slow-paced and aesthetically shot films with unusual narratives, and enjoy a ‘folk horror’, then this is the film for you. Directed by Mark Jenkin, ENYS MEN was shot on 16mm and stars Mary Woodvine, a wildlife volunteer, who comes face to face with a bizarre world unleashed through her interactions with a rare flower.

Within the opening scenes we gather the little context provided for the whole film – we are in the year 1973 on an abandoned island off the Cornish coast, whose mysterious past is alluded to. It is only as the film continues, with every new sequence of strange events, characters that appear and disappear, and objects that take on personalities, that the film’s thriller overtone takes its full form.

What is most striking about the film is its sensitivity towards Cornish folk culture. Local traditions in myth and ritual underscore the film’s ability to allude to the region’s culture and history. Human dialogue is often absent and it is replaced by the sounds of nature, ambient music, and long moments of silence, which together raise the auditory script of the film to a story-telling role, on par with the visual. Beautifully interwoven, the two scripts, auditory and visual, provide an engaging sensory experience, that is yet rooted in their individual simplicity. Harsh mechanical sounds, radio static, the glitches of light inherent to the 16mm medium, or visually jarring combinations such as a bright plastic jacket against a hillside, are cut and pasted, mixed and matched, to add to feelings of unease throughout the film.

What makes ENYS MEN an interesting watch is its attention to carefully crafted sensory moments by channelling an authentic cinematographic simplicity in nuanced manners. Mary Woodvine is in fact an actress based in West Cornwall; this is not necessarily obvious from the film, but it does serve to highlight this point. If one is expecting to be thrilled by the film they might be disappointed – I can’t stress enough that it is a very slow film. Instead, the film’s play on horror and the surreal encourage reflections about the power of nature and dissolve our fallacy of human dominance. “What if the landscape was not only alive, but sentient?” – Mark Jenkin (2022).

Image credit-Steve Tanner

Tickets: https://www.enysmen.co.uk/. ENYS MEN is in cinemas UK-wide from 13 January 2023.

The Cinematic DNA of ENYS MEN season [curated by director Mark Jenkin] runs at BFI Southbank until 31 January with selected films and Jenkin’s shorts collection on BFI Player. The ENYS MEN Original Score by Mark Jenkin is out now digitally via Invada Records and released on vinyl on 24 February.

Review by Michela Giachino

Since studying History of Art at The University of Oxford Michela has continued to pursue her interests in art and culture. She particularly enjoys considering how contemporary and historical art forms are presented to the wider public through exhibitions and viewings at art institutions. Michela’s favourite mediums include photography, film, painting and drawing, and she is always excited to learn about new art.

Latest reviews on Abundant Art are here www.abundantart.net/reviews

London Coliseum – Now on until 7 January 2023

The English National Ballet’s Nutcracker is truly enchanting. This year’s show is the ENB’s 10th of Wayne Eagling’s production. Over the years, different productions have interpreted Tchaikovsky’s iconic ballet in countless different ways. Having seen a very different version last year, I found the English National Ballet’s more classical production all the more fascinating to watch.

The performance begins by introducing the audience to Clara and her family in a delightful little set (Clara’s bedroom) positioned on the side of the stage. Shortly after, we are taken outside of Clara’s house, where people are skating on the frozen ‘Thames’ and playing in the snow. With the start of the story clearly set, the show moves on to the party.

We see guests appear and presents begin to collect under the glittering Christmas tree. The most notable part of this scene, for me, is the dancer’s costumes. The female dancer’s dresses, in particular, create a beautiful image of flowing skirts. This scene manages to find the perfect balance between acting and dancing. As the festivities continue, the children are each given their presents and Clara receives a Nutcracker doll from a mysterious old family friend, Dr Drosselmeyer. After a rather unfortunate event, Dr Drosselmeyer manages to magically put Clara’s doll back together. The party finally comes to a close and the stage darkens as the children go to bed and the guests go home. A detail here that I enjoyed was being able to see the guests leaving in the snow through Clara’s bedroom window as her maid shut the curtains.

It is from behind these curtains that the Mouse King emerges and begins to dance around a sleeping Clara. The dream begins! Clara is chased all over the stage and is soon joined by giant rats and mice as the living room is transformed into a battlefield. In the midst of the chaos, the Nutcracker, now a dashing soldier, appears to defeat the King. In a battle against the rats, he is injured and everything melts away to leave him and Clara alone onstage as snow begins to drift down.

Now the stage is transformed into a winter wonderland and the audience is delighted by the Waltz of the Snowflakes, one of my favourite parts of the Nutcracker. The snowflakes’ tutus twinkle and shimmer in the light, leaving the audience entranced by the beauty of the dance. Then, in a flash, the Mouse King returns, and he pursues Clara and the Nutcracker through the snow. Dr Drosselmeyer enters the stage with a hot air balloon, which the three then use to escape, with the Mouse King clinging onto one side.

After the interval, the balloon lands and the Mouse King is finally defeated. A magnificent celebration begins and dancers from all over the world representing China, Russia and Spain perform divertissements. I found the Russian dancers’ technicality and display of remarkably high jumps and leaps to be particularly impressive. The stage then turns into a beautiful garden and the dancers then perform the Waltz of the Flowers. This dance exceeds expectations. The costumes are wonderful and flutter around the dancers’ as they move about the stage. After a glittering presentation of perfectly angled arms and legs, the final section brings the audience to a complete hush with its glamour. Clara dances as the Sugar Plum Fairy and Tchaikovsky’s iconic tune echoes around the stage. The daintiness of the music is matched by the Sugar Plum Fairy’s beautiful white and gold tutu. Clara is then joined by the Nutcracker in a magical duet and we watch them glide around the stage.

Suddenly, Clara wakes up back in her bedroom, and we are brought back to that little set in the corner of the stage, realising that the glitter and snow were all just a dream.

A mix of sparkling costumes, intricate sets and beautiful choreography and storytelling, The English National Ballet’s Nutcracker is a must-watch this holiday season.

Tickets: Nutcracker – English National Ballet

Image Credit: Laurent Liotardo

Written by Aishani Chatterjee

Read Aishani’s latest review here A Midsummer Night’s Dream – but with a twist! St.Paul’s Covent Garden (abundantart.net)

Hackney Empire-Now on until 31 Dec

Mother Goose – who, in fact, isn’t a goose, but whose best friend, Priscilla (Ruth Lynch), happens to be…a goose! Yes, it’s a little bit confusing. The heroine, Mother Goose, is even running a free beauty parlour for those wanting to become famous (for the sake of it?), whilst the moral of the story is that outward beauty and social media stardom can’t bring you happiness. Contradictory, right? Nonetheless, it’s full of colour, lights, live music, wonderfully elaborate costumes (Cleo Pettitt), numerous puns and an immersive, enchanting set. It’s very enjoyable and very charming.

Set in Hackneywood, near to the dark depths of Dalston underground, the narrative begins with landlord Squire Purchase (Tony Marshall) demanding rent from the overly benevolent Mother Goose, who loves providing beauty treatments so much that she inexplicably does it for free. Priscilla, the Goose, starts laying golden eggs – which is great news, and solves Mother Goose’s rent worries. But then all that gold begins to corrupt the beloved Mother Goose. She starts to turn into the unrecognisable money-loving-fame-seeking star, ‘OMG’. Suddenly, Mother Goose is willing to hand over her best friend, Priscilla, to the Demon Queen’s dark realm- all  for the promise of eternal youth and beauty. This turn of events is all part of the Demon Queen’s (Rebecca Parker) plan to steal Mother Goose’s soul by turning her into an instagram-addict, obsessed with followers, likes and her own appearance.

Clive Rowe, who is both the director and plays the title role, is an indispensable pantomime genius, appearing here in his 15th panto at Hackney Empire. Rowe delights the audience with his effortless wit, uplifting energy, and his relaxed, intimate manner, which makes you feel like you’re part of the events on stage.

Hackney Empire is celebrating its 120-year anniversary, and a small diversion during the plot showed the audience a reel of individuals (Julie Andrews, Louis Armstrong) who have graced the stage over the decades. This theatre certainly strikes me as being far more than a commercial enterprise; it speaks of community and inclusivity, with children and adults involved in the show together, and an atmosphere of enjoyment and relaxed entertainment shines through the action. The building itself is gloriously rich in gold and red ornamentation. This gives the space a nostalgic and fairytale-like feel which, rather than being grand or intimidating, is immersive and cosy, with a historical touch.

The portrayal of the Demon Queen versus Fairy Fame (Gemma Wardle) was unfortunate, since morality seemed to be paired with how much clothing you’ve got on. Parker wore hot pants, heels and fishnet tights, whilst Fairy Fame wore a modest long dress. The narrative created here seemed a little obsolete.

A few of the solo numbers (Steven Edis) in the second half were excellent, with songs from Fairy Fame and the Demon Queen, accompanied by dance sequences by André Fabien Francis. Brilliant vocals were also provided by Rowe himself.

This script (Will Brenton) struck me as a little too didactic and moralising for a Christmas show – who wants to think about AI taking over, giant ipads turning you into a zombie and phone addiction on a festive evening out? The moral of the story is, however, a good one, and it is hard to deny that art and performance are an incomparable way to communicate an important message.

Tickets Mother Goose – Hackney Empire

Image credit : Manuel Harlan 

Review by Lucy Evans

Lucy’s passion for the arts began with drawing and painting at a young age and developed later on into a love of landscape painting and a degree in Art History, with a focus on Modernism and gender. Lucy has grown to love literature and acting in particular, and her experiences acting at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival have been formative, convincing her that performance can be an essential tool for communication and connection, as well as of course being a valuable source of entertainment.

Read Lucy’s latest review here Review: Kerry Jackson, National Theatre – fun but far-fetched (abundantart.net)

Barbican Theatre – Now on until 21st January 2023

Magical, endearing, exciting: Barbican Theatre opens the long-awaited adaptation of Hayao Miyazaki’s 1988 film, My Neighbour Totoro.

The original film of My Neighbour Totoro comes from the celebrated animation house Studio Ghibli, who have produced 24 feature length films including Spirited Away (2001), Howl’s Moving Castle (2004) and Princess Mononoke (1997). Studio Ghibli’s animations are well-loved and consistently top grossing, so it is no surprise this play adaptation has beaten Barbican box office records.

My Neighbour Totoro tells the story of a family who move to the countryside in post-war Japan. After their mother falls ill and is confined to hospital, sisters Satsuki and Mei busy themselves with adventures in the nearby forest, meeting mystical creatures along the way. The bittersweet tale demonstrates the transformative power of family, friendship and most of all, imagination. 

Ami Okumura Jones (Satsuki) and Mei Mac (Mei) both play children, despite them being adults. On occasion the exaggerated childlike actions feel a little excessive, even irritating. But as the play develops, the actors settle into the roles and this becomes less jarring. They both deliver good performances, however, the real stars of the show are the puppets. We see dancing Susuwatari (dust spirits), a friendly Totoro and an illuminated Cat Bus – the latter two, both so large it almost feels impossible they fit on stage at all. On multiple occasions, their appearances prompt gasps of wonderment from children and adults alike in the audience.  

The production, written by Tom Morton-Smith and produced by The Royal Shakespeare Company tells the popular story in a new light, however the magic undoubtedly remains. Music by Joe Hisaishi, who also composed the original film score, flows perfectly throughout. Perhaps even more special, it is performed by instrumentalists on platforms in the treetops on stage – one of the many elements of Tom Pye’s fantastic production design. Although the band remains throughout, we see other elements of the stage change dramatically; the family home spins to reveal the rooms inside, huge trees engulf the sisters in the forest and quiet conversations take place in an intimate hospital room. 

My Neighbour Totoro at Barbican brings the original film to life perfectly. This is one not to be missed by Studio Ghibli and theatre fans alike.

Tickets are available to purchase from http://totoroshow.com/.

Review by Amy Melling 

Amy is a Curator and Creative Producer whose practice is centred around community-led arts projects. Her current research is focused on curatorial methods for exhibiting artworks outside. Amy has a keen interest in the arts and recently completed an MA in Curating and Collections at Chelsea College of Arts, UAL.

Read Amy’s latest review here Remarkable performances, laugh-out-loud dialogue and heart rendering message: new musical, Tammy Faye does not disappoint-Almeida Theatre-Now on until 3 Dec-Review – Abundant Art

180 The Strand – Extended until 30 Dec

‘My film examines an intergenerational destruction; a legacy passed on from grandparents to grandchildren’ says Mosse. ‘We have one generation left to save the Amazon rainforest’.

Award-winning artist Richard Mosse’s major investigation ‘Broken Spectre’ has now been extended until the end of the year and we highly recommend going to see it. The highlight of the exhibition has to be Mosse’s large-scale immersive video installation that is presented in a pitch-black room on three huge screens to show the destruction and devastation of the Brazilian Amazon. Mosse and his team spent years documenting different forms of destruction, degradation and environmental crimes and the consequences captured in this 74-minute film are terrifying. The sound is presumably loud on purpose to deepen the impact of the harrowing, but crucial content. Illegal gold mining, logging and burning of forests and pristine surroundings to create cattle farms alongside indigenous communities fighting for survival isn’t easy viewing. The on-going damage inflicted on the Amazon forces us to address the negative outcomes of greed and proves how art can tackle important societal issues in need of urgent attention. A selection of Mosse’s true to life photographs from the project are displayed alongside the installation and many of them are very large with vivid colours and incredible detail.

Home to London’s creative industries, 180 the Strand’s industrial warehouse-style exhibition space is fitting for Mosse’s major ‘Broken Spectre’ exhibition.

Book tickets here Richard Mosse — 180 The Strand

Written by Jules Nelson

Read Jules’s latest review here Review: The Snowman-fills and breaks your heart at the same time, enchanting till the very end-Sadler’s Wells until 31 Dec (abundantart.net)

Footnote:

Broken Spectre is presented by 180 Studios and co-commissioned by the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne NGV, VIA Art Fund, the Westridge Foundation and by the Serpentine Galleries. Additional support provided by Collection SVPL and Jack Shainman Gallery.

Broken Spectre is also exhibited at the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Australia, until 23 April 2023, and the Converge 45 Biennial, opening 24 August 2023 in Portland, Oregon, USA.

Broken Spectre was made in collaboration with cinematographer Trevor Tweeten and composer Ben Frost.

An artist’s book of Broken Spectre, published by Loose Joints in September 2022, will accompany the exhibition, with essays by Txai Suruí, Christian Viveros-Fauné, Gabriel Bogossian, and Jon Lee Anderson.
https://loosejoints.biz/collections/forthcoming/products/broken-spectre

Dorfman Theatre – on until 28 Jan 23

Kerry Jackson, written by April de Angelis and directed by Indhu Rubasingham, is a wonderfully entertaining new play which despite its dark themes (abuse, grief and homelessness) manages to get the audience laughing both heartily and frequently whilst thinking about class in our post-Brexit world.

Fay Ripley is full of life and contagious energy as Kerry Jackson. She is uninhibited, direct and confident, she brings the party wherever she goes, but she also tends to put her foot in it. The play follows the life of Kerry as she ventures out in her ambitious new business enterprise, establishing the new tapas bar, El Barco, in East London’s heavily gentrified Walthamstow village. Working alongside the brash and loud Kerry, is capable and calm chef, Athena (Madeline Appiah), who is technically being employed illegally by Kerry – who really couldn’t run the place without her. New clientele at El Barco includes the thoroughly middle-class father and daughter duo, Stephen and Alice, and an old ex-policeman acquaintance of Kerry’s, Warren, who by his own definition is an old flame of Kerry’s (while she, on the other hand, doesn’t even remember him from a speed dating episode in their past). Will (Michael Fox), the resident homeless guy, seems to be present as an attempt for April de Angelis to suggest that homeless doesn’t equal uneducated, and being the disenfranchised victim doesn’t necessarily make you a sympathetic character. Will reads Austen and comments on the life of Boudica, before alighting on a kindred spirit in uneducated, right-wing Kerry, as the two find common ground in their surprisingly similar politics. The premise feels forced and unnatural, as all these characters from almost categorically different strata of society end up in ridiculous circumstances together; but seriousness aside, at least it was funny.

Kerry Jackson covers most of the woke issues of our times, from state-of-the-nation commentary to identity politics, and yet the play never takes itself too seriously, even when the characters do (which is refreshing). At the same time, a play which should be (at least unwittingly or subtly) profound, ends up feeling like a casual sitcom which just misses the mark in seriously commenting on class in contemporary British society.

Richard Kent’s wonderful set spins between two main spaces: Kerry’s stylish and cosy El Barco (the bait for gentrification’s target audience) and Stephen and Alice’s Farrow & Ball-clad house (the target audience itself). Stephen and Alice’s elegantly sky-lit kitchen epitomises upper middle-class domesticity – the Smeg fridge is duck-egg blue, the cabinets are olive green and Ecover bottles conspicuously litter the room (strong recycling game, guys). Between these two warm and liveable spaces, is the dark alleyway home to El Barco’s bins and substitute toilet spot for Will.

Stephen and Alice are openly hospitable towards Will, whilst Kerry is openly hostile, and well-educated, gen-Z Alice (Kitty Hawthorne) can’t bear Kerry’s perceived small-mindedness. The play, however, is asking us to consider reality as well as idealised ethics too. Isn’t it easier for Stephen to hand over twenty quid to Will and buy him an avocado sandwich, when he doesn’t have to spare a moment to worry about his rent or if his business is about to collapse, like Kerry does? And with that, de Angelis is breaking down the ‘goodies and baddies’, as she puts it; but then Will dies and we never get to know him as anybody other than as “the homeless guy”.

April De Angelis has explained how she wanted to move beyond polarised opposites in this script and instead play with nuance – the lefties and the Leavers in one space and one (albeit unlikely and far-fetched) scenario. I think that this is done effectively – both Kerry and Stephen, the antithetical characters, are flawed in the end, the rug pulled from under their feet as they are made to look like fools, and Alice gets nowhere with her wokeness – who is she kidding? Just herself. When Will dies, tragically, the play is still funny, even during Will’s memorial – is this ok? Who knows – I think we are denying art its role if we focus on the morality of this scene too much. The scene is undeniably tragic, in an uncomfortable sort of way, whilst simultaneously being funny – which I think is quite a clever and thought-provoking combination.

The character of Alice (Kitty Hawthorne) is likeable and cringeworthy in equal measure. Spurring unsolicited soundbites like a walking activist, it is only her youthful enthusiasm which takes the edge off her know-it-all attitude. What I found interesting, however, is that I didn’t feel anything much at all for this grieving teenager who is utterly lost – but was I meant to? Has she been written as a stereotype of the snowflake generation or is she supposed to solicit sympathy?

Alice is nineteen, and whether it is the fact that this is Kitty Hawthorne’s professional theatre debut, or whether she’s been directed to speak with such extreme self-conviction at all times, I do wonder if they’ve got it quite right with this character…aren’t you a little bit more self-aware by nineteen, and not run by blind confidence like a child? I wish.

It is with trepidation that I write this, for fear of being a Stephen (Michael Gould) – the play’s liberal lefty; how does one respond to a play saturated with buzz words and playing with wokeness itself? If this play is trying to tell us anything, then it has something to do with recognising our own ignorance – from those who dropped out of school mid-teens to those who teach philosophy in vegan slippers, it’s going to take more than Stephen’s use of psychological theories to bridge the class divide in the UK.

This new play felt like watching a Netflix comedy which you’re prepared to binge-watch for the laughs – its best moments featuring dancing and karaoke-style singing, but it still needs more of that valuable element of nuance in order to reach greater depth in its conclusion.

Image credit – Marc Brenner

Review by Lucy Evans

Lucy’s passion for the arts began with drawing and painting at a young age and developed later on into a love of landscape painting and a degree in Art History, with a focus on Modernism and gender. Lucy has grown to love literature and acting in particular, and her experiences acting at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival have been formative, convincing her that performance can be an essential tool for communication and connection, as well as of course being a valuable source of entertainment.

Read Lucy’s latest review here Review: Othello, National Theatre-Clint Dyer plays out Othello like an exposed wound (abundantart.net)

Kerry Jackson is running at the Dorfman Theatre until 28 Jan 23. Tickets Kerry Jackson | National Theatre

Since 1997, Sadler’s Wells has presented The Snowman every December at the Peacock Theatre and what a smashing Christmas show it is! Just like the book and the film, there are no words, apart from the lyrics of the central song “Walking in the Air”. This song accompanies a major scene in the show with special effects including the Snowman and boy flying high over the stage (with assistance of wires and harnesses). Hearing this song brought back childhood memories – something about it fills your heart and breaks it at the same time. Both my five-year-old nephew, my companion on the evening and I, were mesmerized by this scene, and I was transported into a childlike world of imagination.

The rest of the story is wordless and is told through actions, movement and music, scored by Howard Blake. The production has no doubt had several revisions over the years like the inclusion of Jack Frost and an ‘ice princess’ beautiful ballerina, but most of it feels familiar to the story and you get a real sense of calm from the much-loved ‘Snowman’ character. The lack of dialogue allows you to focus on the uplifting music, eye-catching costumes, magical stage design and lighting, and amazing choreography by Robert North. The ballet dancing is effortlessly flawless. The show is charming throughout with unexpected surprises like the arrival of leaping animal characters making us sit tall in our seats to capture it all. The cat character is fabulous in her slick black costume! And then there is the arrival of Father Christmas himself, which the kids lapp up, just like the pretend ‘snow’ falling in our part of the auditorium at the end of the show.

Although we know the ending would be sad, the cast do a fantastic job of quickly digressing away from it with a quick scene change and all of a sudden, the audience is clapping away to scenes of joyful dancing and get swept away in all the fun. Other scenes of snowmen dancing earlier in the show add to the party vibe. What with all the kids in the audience you kind of feel like you’re at a kid’s Birthday party most of the time!

To think the picture book was first published in 1978 and the film came out in Dec 1982, this story will forever remain a Christmas classic and seasonal favourite. Sadlers Wells’ stage version of this timeless and magical story about imagination and friendship, as well as love and loss is enchanting till the very end. My nephew gave it 100 out of 10.

Tickets: The Snowman – Peacock Theatre – Sadler’s Wells (sadlerswells.com)

Image (c) Tristram Kenton 

Written by Jules Nelson

Read Julia’s latest review here Review: The Massive Tragedy of Madame Bovary! – Four actors tell the tragic story in Jermyn Street Theatre’s playful adaptation-on until 17 Dec – Abundant Art

Footnote:

25th London Season – dedicated to creator of The Snowman, Raymond Briggs CBE 1934-2022

A magical stage adaptation of the much-loved picture book by Raymond Briggs and the film directed by Dianne Jackson

The Snowman is directed by Bill Alexander and features music and lyrics by Howard Blake, including the song ‘Walking in the Air’, spectacular design by Ruari Murchison, magical lighting by Tim Mitchell, and amazing choreography by Robert North, all of which is accompanied by a live orchestra.

The Home of The Snowman™

Lyttleton Theatre-Now on until 21 Jan 23

Othello at the National, directed by Clint Dyer (who is the first ever black director of Othello), plays out like an exposed wound – raw and painful, with all the uncomfortable truth about anti-black racism in the play revealed. Representations of racism throughout the production include a chorus wearing blackface whilst holding police shields, a network of laceration scars across Othello’s back and an opening scene featuring a mob with flaming torches wanting to lynch Othello. Amongst other major themes, including misogyny, jealousy, mental anguish and domestic violence, the themes of racism and hatred remain the most central and significant in this production, as I am sure Clint Dyer intends them to be.

Giles Terera as Othello is an astonishing lead. His physical presence is formidable, and the opening scene elegantly references his success as a military commander and his physical dexterity, as Terera brandishes a training stick on a set that resembles a harsh stadium (with three sides of steep, grey steps). Terera’s opening movements set the scene for more of this kind of dramatic, stylised movement throughout the play, and indeed the choreography struck me as dance-like from the beginning, featuring mimed sequences and symbolic expressions of emotion. Terera’s impressive physicality continues, as he embodies the emotional torture that Othello undergoes, his body becoming writhing, erratic and skittish as he is slowly consumed by fear and doubt.

The production is dark – literally monochromatic in its staging, lighting and costumes, bleak in its narrative and hopeless in its ending – so what was to love? Like the flaming torches which begin the performance and punctuate the play with moments of heightened tension, there are only sparks of light in this show. One of them is the resilience and vulnerability of Emilia (Tanya Franks), wife of Iago and domestic abuse survivor.

Emilia’s quivering presence somehow simultaneously comes across as grounded, fierce and defiant. Her right arm is largely immobile and bandaged, presumably from an injury inflicted by her husband, and her right cheek is cut and bruised. Emilia’s body language is tightly knit and tense – all her limbs are hugged closely into her body as if to protect herself instinctively from harm (a stark contrast to Desdemona’s relaxed elegance). And yet her voice, even when her body language is telling a different story, conveyed strength and conviction – especially towards the climax of the play when she performs her speech about wives and husbands and then verbally defends both herself and Desdemona against her husband. The most exquisite moment of the play for me features Desdemona and Emilia sat on the front edge of the stage, staring forward but more connected than we have seen them before – a powerful and surging female energy rising between the two of them as they realise, with horror, all the torment that has been tossed into their lives by the men they are married to.

Whilst characters such as Othello, Emilia and Roderigo are captivating, some of the acting feels unconvincing. The chorus, or ‘System’, as the programme refers to them (perhaps a signpost to the hierarchical systems which dictate the events of the play) often feel too melodramatic, and ultimately quite distracting.

The production reminds the viewer that racism and poor mental health are inextricably linked. Othello’s descent into paranoia, under the influence of Iago’s lies and manipulation, reveals just how easily Othello’s thoughts are able to become terrifyingly self-destructive, when he has lived his whole life in a society which finds it so easy to hate him.

Running at the Lyttelton, London, until 21st January 2023 https://events.nationaltheatre.org.uk/events/85242

Review by Lucy Evans

Lucy’s passion for the arts began with drawing and painting at a young age and developed later on into a love of landscape painting and a degree in Art History, with a focus on Modernism and gender. Lucy has grown to love literature and acting in particular, and her experiences acting at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival have been formative, convincing her that performance can be an essential tool for communication and connection, as well as of course being a valuable source of entertainment.

Abundant Art’s Reviews can be found here Review Page | Abundant Art

A hidden gem tucked away in SW1, the Jermyn Street Theatre, is taking an unorthodox approach in its choice of what to show pre-Christmas this year. Running until 17^th December, writer John Nicholson’s theatre adaptation of ‘The Massive Tragedy of Madame Bovary’ mischievously reinvents Gustave Flaubert’s novel about the tragically frustrated Emma Bovary. Obviously aware of the fact that there are loads of film versions of the story (but hardly any adaptations for theatre) Nicolson seized an opportunity here. Nicholson believes that ‘there’s more laughter in theatre and the collective experience is everything’ and having sat in this studio-like theatre amongst a laughing audience, I get what he means.

Directed by Marieke Audsley, the play begins with the cast speaking directly to the audience (they break character on some occasions, like when Emma stands up for Madame Bovary) and asks whether we have actually read the book. Not everyone had (including me), and I begin to get more intrigued about why Madame Bovary’s life ended in such a massive tragedy. We are told that ‘every tragedy can have a silver lining’ and the inclusion of two rat catchers in Nicholson’s adaptation buying all the arsenic that Emma wants is a theatrical framing device added to allow for a happy ending.

Emma Bovary is in fact a very passionate woman who didn’t want to fit into a box. Although she did what she could to find meaning in her life, she didn’t really fit into the confines of societal expectations of nineteenth-century France (I don’t blame her). Ultimately, Madame Bovary wants to find love, feel love and give love, but did she succeed in doing this? I sympathise with Emma’s desire for something exciting, beyond going for walks and buying dresses – ‘at the bottom of her heart..she was waiting for something to happen’. It appears that marrying a doctor is not the cure for her boredom, and instead, she has multiple affairs. When asked once about her marriage she responds unenthusiastically by saying ‘marriage resolves being unmarried’, like it simply just ticked a pointless box.

Jennifer Kirby as Emma brilliantly portrays a woman who feels scattered and unfulfilled, tragically frustrated and often bored with the dullness of everyday life. She is reckless I suppose and lives beyond her means, yet you can’t help but admire her bravery in breaking the rules and not doing what is expected of her. She may come across as broken, bitter and exasperated at times, but you are somewhat impressed that she is experiencing life with much more passion than her peers no doubt. Emma is married to the passive and lacking-in-personality Charles (Sam Alexander) and has affairs with handsome men she encounters here and there (all played by Dennis Herdman). The other two members of the cast fly in and out alternating roles in different attires. The audience is never bored, and the pace is fast throughout. Alistair Cope is particularly funny in his varied roles as Emma’s servant, Charles Bovary’s mother, the pharmacist, the nun, a cow etc – he’s a wizard at playing eccentric characters and has all the makings of a fantastic stand-up comedian.

The way the cast use the modest space on stage is very creative. The first time you see one of them drawing a tap on a little blackboard, you have no idea where this is going and then it becomes clear that this is how water gets magically turned on behind the scenes. The same technique is used to produce eggs out of thin air when they draw a duck and musical sounds when they draw a record player. They use toy horses on sticks in a riding scene and use props in such original ways sometimes involving the audience in the front row. The music adds to the emotion and drama, and I particularly liked hearing Edith Piaf in one of the scenes.

Although the cast and theatre are small, I like how the playwright has taken a risk with this and how these great actors perform just a feet away from the audience. I’m not surprised that hundreds of young actors and writers have started out at the Jermyn Street Theatre. It’s a small theatre with big stories and proves that less is more sometimes.

If you like a good debate, ticket holders can attend a pre-show debate called ‘It’s time to bin monogamy – Is the reverence for monogamous marriage outdated and damaging?’ on the 30^th of November at 5:45pm. Lasting 45 minutes the debate will host guest speakers and welcome questions from the audience. Every good play starts a conversation and I’m intrigued to hear more.

The Massive Tragedy of Madame Bovary! runs at Jermyn Street Theatre until 17 December.

Box office: https://www.jermynstreettheatre.co.uk/show/the-massive-tragedy-of-madame-bovary/

Photo Credit: Steve Gregson

 Written by Jules Nelson

Footnote:

Flaubert is explored more at Jermyn Street Theatre in the forthcoming Promise Season with the debut play by historian Orlando Figes.  The Oyster Problem tells the story of the French novelist’s catastrophic search for a day job.  The Promise Season, which runs for the first six months of 2023, also includes the world premiere of Timberlake Wertenbaker’s stage adaptation of Henri-Pierre Roché’s autobiographical novel Jules and JimJim, Misha Levkov’s In the Net, Katherine Moar’s Farm Hall and the rediscovery of Miles Malleson’s drama, Yours Unfaithfully.  Full details can be found at www.jermynstreettheatre.co.uk

Read Jules’s latest review here Klimt: The Immersive Experience – step into the world of the Austrian genius Gustav Klimt-Now on until 27 Nov at The Boiler House – Abundant Art

Tucked away in former warehouse, the Boiler House, just off Brick Lane, is popular Austrian modernist painter Gustav Klimt’s life story and art. Organized by Exhibition Hub Entertainment and global platform Fever, visitors can get to know the artist and his art via in-depth storytelling and technology. Included in the exhibition is a dazzling wonderland of trippy floor-to-ceiling 360-degree projections of Gustav’s paintings with soothing music, a VR experience featuring more projections of the artist’s most compelling artworks and an open-house artist’s studio for visitors to make their own paintings and have them displayed on the walls.

It’s hard not to rush through the typically gallery-hung wall-paintings and content and head straight to the ‘golden universe’ to relax in the deck chairs and enjoy the multisensory 360-degree experience. I found this part of the exhibition very peaceful and relaxing and particularly liked Klimt’s colourful landscape artworks. You get a clear sense that Klimt loved colour, women and intimacy and gold leaf, as these feature continuously throughout the elaborate moving paintings. During Klimt’s successful golden phase, many of his paintings included gold leaf, such as hugely famous erotic ‘The Kiss’ (1907-1908) painting. Whilst I sat there absorbing all the shapes, colours, sounds and details, I asked myself whether a fully immersive appreciation of his art would be what the painter Gustav Klimt would have wished for, as this seemed to be the main idea behind this exhibition. If you want to experience all the elaborate details of Klimt’s artworks up close this is for you.

Review by Jules Nelson

Klimt: The Immersive Experience

The Boiler House
152 Brick Ln, E1 6RU

Get your tickets here before the exhibition ends on 27 November! 

Footnotes:

Klimt: The Immersive Experience is a 360º digital art exhibition that invites you to step into the world of the Austrian genius Gustav Klimt. It is brought to you by the organisers of a collection of widely successful exhibitions present in cities across Europe, Asia and the Americas.

Abundant Art reviews can be found here Review Page | Abundant Art