THE ARTS ONLINE THIS WEEK - JUN 21-27

Not About Heroes – Blackeyed Theatre
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To coincide with Armed Forces Day on 26 June, Blackeyed Theatre is streaming their 2014 production of Not About Heroes. Stephen MacDonald's beautifully written play chronicles the unique friendship that developed between First World War poets Siegfried Sassoon and Wilfred Owen, from their first meeting in 1917 at Craiglockhart War hospital, where both were being treated for 'war neurosis', to their final meeting in August 1918, shortly before Owen's return to active duty.
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The play interweaves extracts from diaries, letters and poems to paint a vivid and moving picture of the friendship between Siegfried Sassoon and Wilfred Owen, as well as the conflict that brought them together. Featuring haunting music, innovative design and two powerful central performances from James Howard and Ben Ashton, Not About Heroes is exhilarating and uncompromising in its exploration of love, war and a friendship that changed the face of British poetry.
25 June at 8pm (UK time) and be available free on demand for 24 hours.  

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After Midnight – Harlem
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Three cabaret and dance shows featuring 28 of the big band era’s most memorable songs including “Stormy Weather,” “I’ve Got the World on a String,” “On the Sunny Side of the Street,” and “It Don’t Mean a Thing,” this non-stop exhilarating song and dance extravaganza showcases the gorgeous glamour and sophisticated syncopation of the Harlem heartbeat after midnight. Pure escapism and ‘ain’t nuthin’ wrong with that.
June 13-Aug 3 72-hour rental is $36.95 for all three shows.

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National Gallery of Art - Flowers in a Terracotta Vase
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​Curator Lucy Chiswell gets her gardening gloves on for some well-spent time with Jan van Huysum's flowers in one of the Natl. Gallery’s always illuminating 10-minute Talks.

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Young Men – Balletboyz
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This is another wonderful dance film from Balletboyz, Michael Nunn & William Trevitt’s all male troupe. A group of Young Men brought together by the indiscriminate brutality of war struggle to maintain their humanity in an unending cycle of combat and death.

Winner of the Golden Prague Czech Crystal and Rose d’Or, Young Men is a feature length silent dance film shot on location in Northern France, drawing inspiration from images of conflict through the ages with particular reference to the experiences of soldiers during World War I.
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Choreographed by Iván Pérez with a commissioned score by Keaton Henson and performed by BBC Concert Orchestra. Warning – I saw this ballet in a theatre where the film was mixed with live Balletboyz dancers and it reduced me to tears. And I’m a tough nut to crack.

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Brokeback Mountain – Teatro Real de Madrid
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This is a modern opera adaptation by Charles Wuorinen and Annie Proulx, based on Annie Proulx’s short story previously adapted by Ang Lee for the Oscar-winning film Brokeback Mountain. This production was directed by Ivo van Hove for the Teatro Real de Madrid, with their Orchestra and Chorus conducted by Titus Engel.
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Brokeback Mountain marked Wuorinen’s return to the opera stage with one of the most ambitious works of his career. Both beautiful and tragic, Brokeback Mountain is the story of the doomed love between ranch hand Ennis del Mar (Daniel Okulitch) and rodeo cowboy Jack Twist (Tom Randle), two young men from a very homophobic society, who meet and fall in love on a fictional Wyoming mountain in 1963.

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Ghosting - Irish Rep
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‘Ghosting’ is, I’m told, the practice of ending a personal relationship with somebody by suddenly, and without explanation, withdrawing from all communication. Anne O’Riordan stars in this new play which she wrote with Jamie Beamish, directed by Jamie Beamish.
 
Sí never sleeps well. Sí never remembers her dreams. But she wakes up in the middle of the night to find Mark, who ghosted her six years ago, standing at the end of her bed in London. Now she must face her demons and go back to the last place on Earth she wants to be. Waterford. Home.
If you are in Europe, remember to reserve for a matinee performance. It may be Irish but it’s in New York and there’s a time difference.​ June 22 – July 4 $25 (suggested)  

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Tales of the City: The Musical
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Armistead Maupin’s many fans will gravitate to this musical with music and lyrics by the Scissor Sisters' Jake Shears and John Garden, and a libretto by Tony Award Winning Jeff Whitty. It is based on the first two novels in Armistead Maupin’s best-selling San Francisco saga: Tales of the City and More Tales of the City.
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Maupin wrote nine Tales of The City novels, set in the 1970s, which were originally columns for the San Francisco Chronicle.  The musical premiered in May 2011 at the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco. This is the first time it has been shared with the public online.
On Demand 21st - 27th June £15 + £3 transaction fee

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English National Ballet - On Demand
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I just became aware that the English National Ballet now has its own online channel. There are a number of ballets on offer from short snippets to full-length Giselles and Swan Lakes, along with some shorter and more modern or lesser-known works. Definitely worth checking out.

I chose Le Corsaire (£7.99 for three days) and since we’ve been wallowing in World War One this week, Akram Khan’s Dust (£4.99 for three days), which grabs you from the start and does not let go.
Le Corsaire is a wonderfully enjoyable piece of silliness about love and betrayal on the high seas, encased in a classic story ballet.

Faraway lands, a dashing swashbuckling pirate, Conrad, and his feisty girlfriend Medora have many adventures in a variety of settings. It’s all so silly that it’s not surprising that the ENB is the only UK company still performing this ballet but their version is lavish, with gorgeous decors and costumes created by Hollywood’s Bob Ringwood.

The cast is first rate - Alina Cojocaru as Medora and Vadim Muntagirov as Conrad. Choreography is the usual muddle but generally attributed to Joseph Maziller by way of Petipa, and the score is sort of by Adolphe Adam before it was adapted by goodness knows how many conductors ever since. At least that’s how it was in 1856 but who knows, or really cares, at this juncture? My minority view is that it doesn’t have to be consistent.
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Dust was created by Akram Kham in 2014 as part of Lest We Forget, a programme commemorating the centenary of the First World War and reflecting on the experiences of those who fought in the conflict, and those who stayed behind. Cast includes Fabian Reimair, Tamara Rojo and James Streeter.
Each ballet can be rented for three days and prices vary from £4.99-£7.99 which seems to me very reasonable.

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Late Late Show with James Corden - 22 musicals in 12 minutes
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I was writing last week about what a terrific brand ambassador Lin Manuel Miranda is for the Broadway theatre and here’s another reminder of that. Having just seen his movie In The Heights my admiration for him is reaching dizzying heights, sorry, but his talent seems to be boundless.

​As is that of James Corden who seamlessly moved from comic actor to anchorman to musical star without getting any of it wrong. Here they are joined by the good-natured and talented Emily Blunt to put Broadway musicals to rights in a mere 12 minutes. Good fun.

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