Keep Weaving Words! » theatre

Captain Corelli’s Mandolin

didi — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 01:41:02 +0000

Theatre time! Saturday night I saw a brilliant stage adaptation of Captain Corelli’s Mandolin, an amazing production that made me smile, smile, SMILE!, bounce around with excitement, nearly cry, add to my never-ending wish list (to do list actually), feel very, very lucky and smile again! It’s not the story really, but the production company – which, as they say, is not really a production company at all, but more like an extended family of artists who come together on various projects.

The idea of doing Captain Corelli’s Mandolin came about at the Fringe in ’98 and the first production opened in ’99. Yes, at the Fringe.

The original production cost less than 1000 pounds, and it’s amazing to see how a mosaic floorcloth with a motif of dolphins and mandolins, a painting, a bloodstained wall, 2 chickens, a tuba, a motorbike and a goat can help create a fantastic atmosphere. Real people, a “not-a-production-company-at-all”, no agent, no publicity officer, but passion and a policy that’s very close to my heart: “it’s got to be interesting, fun and available to everyone“

(For a short while I even felt there’s a chance I might not be a weirdo after all. Back to normal now)

10 years after their first stage adaptation, it’s a joy to watch them performing! Ali, the mandolin player (head of mandolin studies at trinity College of Music, London) used to keep count of their performances, but she lost count sometime after 500.

A theatre programme creates the mood, puts you into live theatre mode. It must have life and a voice to talk to you about real people, give you the story of the performance and insights to warm up the atmosphere, like a small talk to get the conversation going. Some don’t. This particular one though, was brilliant! Tells us about the staging:

“One thing I know for sure it’s as fresh as the day we did our first performance. We meet up every now and again to go on tour – it’s just like a reunion for us – we rehearse for a bit and then we do it. It’s in our bones”

and about the members of the Maran family of artists (yes, I don’t want to call it company). No need really to read about how they enjoy what they do (nice to hear it from Mike though), the pleasure they took in re-telling Corelli’s story was obvious! Anyone in the audience could feel it! It’s not people doing their jobs, it’s not about money (all proceeds from this performance went to Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust (ACT) and Alii’s CDs on sale with ALL profits from the night’s sales also went to ACT); it’s different and I have no words to describe it. It’s not a movie with a huge budget that will be copied and distributed all over the world, it’s not a popular TV show to born celebrities. It’s live, for two-three hours, for a bunch of people only. That’s why I feel very, very lucky.

Oh, you see, that’s what upsets me most: time! I really wish there was more time… Still lots to bore you with, about the play, about the author of the novel – Louis de Bernieres, about MIke’s surgeon, their fundraising, his trip To Rome and Back Edinburgh – Cambridge to Rome on a Vespa Grand Touring Scooter to raise money to help people affected by cancer, about what’s new on the wish list… Oh, and Cephalonia, the Fringe, Valvona & Crolla and The Secret of Santa Vittori…

02.11 am back soon!

Bonfire night

didi — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 16:43:07 +0000

Legend has it that in ancient China, somewhere around the 2nd century BCE, three ingredients that were commonly used in field kitchens were mistakenly mixed together; this combination exploded with a huge bang! Everyone felt sure they had found the perfect way to chase away evil spirits! The noisy concoction became a favorite way to celebrate weddings, battle victories and the New Year, all the while protecting against those unwelcome spirits.

The new creation with its magical properties invited experimentation. By 1040 the Chinese had perfected how to make a “Fire Pill”. There were several recipes each creating a different firework effect and colour. The ingredients and methods used to make fireworks today are very similar to those in the ancient Chinesse recipes.

Fireworks were one of the many exotic discoveries that Marco Polo brought home from his adventures in China. Thanks to him, Italy and eventually the rest of Europe could enjoy the night magic of fireworks. It wasn’t until the early America’s earliest settlers brought their enthusiasm for fireworks to the United States. English colonists set them off in Jamestown in 1608, enjoying a bit of English popular entertainment and impressing Native Americans.

Hey, this post wasn’t about fireworks; I got carried away again. It was about the Celtic origin of bonfires. About the old Samhain when animal bones were burnt to ward off evil spirits. About the word “bonfire” being a corruption of “bone fire”. About pagan festivities and about Halloween. Too late now.

Next year.

A winter’s tale on a summer’s night

didi — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 23:44:43 +0000

Cambridge Shakespeare Festival is indeed a unique experience. Great setting (in the gardens of the Colleges), live music and full period costume. Everyone’s welcome to have a picnic before the performance. And a glass of wine under the stars. You might think I’m dreaming… well, I’m not.

I saw The Winter’s Tale at King’s College Gardens on Saturday evening and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I know it’s classified as a comedy, mostly because it ends with a reconciliation, but is it really a comedy? The play has both tragic and comic elements, quite a few characters die through the play and I wonder: is the happy end enough to make it more a comedy than a tragedy?

Anyway, let’s not worry about it at this point. Some of Shakespeare’s plays, which may well be called tragicomedies, have often been called romances. Ha ha ha, I guess tragicomedy is a good name for a romance )