ARTS THURSDAY post from Paris/London
April
To Paddington from Paris….
There are hundreds of theatres in Paris and next week is the night of night- the Moliere Awards.
Listeners may remember hearing the work of Pierre Notte, whose soundtrack “Je Danse… ” is a favourite. He is the author of “Moi Aussi Je Suis Catherine Deneuve”, and is nominated for “Un Couteau dans Le Dos”. Some of the plays now on the stages of the theatre privee are “Je L’Aimais” directed and adapted by film director Patrice Leconte, starring Irene Jacob. (The play is based on the book by Anna Gavalda which also inspired the recent French Film Festival film-also “Je L’Aimais” directed by Zabou Breitman.) “L’Illusion Conjugale”, a three-hander which is up for 5 awards, “L’Audition”, by the great Jean-Claude Carriere, and “La Maison de la Poupee” (A Dolls House) starring Audrey Tautou. But the biggest crowd-pleaser is the new film “L’Arnacoeur”, starring Romain Duris and Vanessa Paradis-a brilliant comedy and will surely be screening in Sydney this year.
From the West End to Eastside….
Sarah Blasko in London
London. So many musicals in the West End, but last week for me, and Time Out, the pick of the week was Sarah Blasko at the 02 Academy in Islington. She was divine. And the house was full, of brits and australians who Sarah recognised by their “whoo-hoo!s” “They don’t “whoo-hoo” in Paris she smiled.
The UK’s greatest living actor (so says the press and now so say I) is Mark Rylance whose tour-de-force, powerful, poignant and well, perfect performance is in its final week of “Jersusalem” by Jez Butterworh. It has won so many awards and I spent the best quid of my life by getting a seat in the front row of the ‘gods’. Yes, a pound! It can happen. For three hours and fifteen minutes the cast and story had us laughing, fearing, thrilling at the bravado of these characters in the changing ‘Green and pleasant land” that is the English country-side today.
I wondered if this is how people felt when they saw Olivier on stage? Everyone who saw Rylance’s “Hamlet” in the late 90s, still claim it as the greatest ever. But unlike the grandeur and entourage of the Oliviers, Mark Rylance is a man of intense and inspired spirit. On his night off , he brought together a stage full of actors to present a benefit for SURVIVAL. This evening presented the images, poetry and prose of the 350million tribes people of this planet who have no representaion in the UN and whose stories, and wisdom have much to teach us.
Edward Fox, Gillian Anderson, Emily Fox, Mackenzie Crook, James Wilby, John Sessions and more brought the voice, the thoughts, understanding and fears of the tribes into the full house of the Apollo Theatre and spilled over into Shaftesbury Avenue’s sunday evening afterwards. As Mark challenged, check out what SURVIVAL does, subscribe for a year and see what you can do. The tales of the Kalihari, the exiled Asian tribes , the Inuuits, as well as our own first Australians pierced the hearts of the audience and me.
More soon, and many thanks to Mark Hose for taking care of the Australian side of Arts Thursday.
Susie