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The Father and the Assassin – National Theatre Click here for tickets This brilliantly entertaining historical drama has just become available online from the National Theatre. Its two protagonists are Mahatma Gandhi: lawyer, champion of non-violence, beloved leader of millions, father of his country, and the man who killed him, Nathuram Godse who, except for that one act of violent protest, might have disappeared from history without trace. It traces Godse’s life over 30 years during India’s fight for independence when he went from being a devout follower of Gandhi, until his radicalisation led to their tragic final encounter in Delhi in 1948. The Father and the Assassin is directed by Indhu Rubasingham, who will soon become the next Director of the National Theatre. With this production she reunites with Anupama Chandrasekhar, one of India’s most exciting playwrights, for this exploration of oppression and extremism, featuring Olivier Award-winner Hiran Abeysekera as Nathuram Godse with Paul Bazely as Mahatma Gandhi. Manon – Royal Ballet Click here for tickets If you have not already subscribed to the Royal Opera House’s digital stream, now would be a good time to do it. I missed the most recent production of Kenneth Macmillan’s Manon and have continued to miss it every time it has been seen in the Opera House since its premiere in 2016 so I am delighted that it has now been released online. Here is the full-length ballet which in 1974 Macmillan saw as a girl’s epic struggle to escape poverty. In this latest production, filmed at the Opera House in 2016, Manon is danced by the delicate and steely Sarah Lamb, who is torn between her desire for a life of splendour and riches and her devotion to her true love Des Grieux, danced here by the impressive Vadim Muntagirov. The ballet’s centerpiece is the beautiful and famously difficult pas de deux for Manon and Des Grieux, which can be seen as a companion in intensity to Macmillan’s great pas de deux from Romeo and Juliet. This music is by Massenet and includes his famous yearning Elégie as the theme for the lovers. Shirley Maclaine - The National Medal of Arts Click here to watch The National Medal of Arts is an award which was created by the United States Congress in 1984, the most prestigious honour given to artists by their country. There is an annual performance in the Kennedy Center in Washington DC where each of the five nominees is lauded with a separate specially conceived tribute to their careers in the arts. The audiences for these awards are almost as starry as the guests and the presidential box always contains the current president and his wife, in this case President and Mrs Obama. In 2013 It was the turn of Shirley Maclaine to be honoured with an all-star career roundup, and a loving introduction from her friend Kathy Bates. As she watches the tribute to her work and career, the young dancers and singers performing her signature steps and songs, you can see her pride as well as her desperate desire to be down there on the stage dancing and singing with them. A medal and an honoured place in the audience is no substitute for the joy of the work itself, no matter how prestigious the rewards. Carmen – Met Opera On Demand Click here for tickets There is rarely a week when I don’t dip into the Met on Demand for my own pleasure, often to catch up with a performance I’ve missed, sometimes one that I’ve enjoyed, occasionally to investigate one that was long before my time and, when I’m lucky, I catch a legend. These days, when time is short, and prices are high, I limit my in person visits to new productions I really want to see and leave the revivals for another time. This week I really fancied Carmen – Spanish sunshine and French music wrapped in glorious singing and existential angst. Of all the online Carmens – 5 from the Met, 4 from the Royal Opera, many from other opera companies throughout the world, this week I’ve chosen to watch the Met’s 1997 production starring Waltraud Meier, largely because the Don Jose is Placido Domingo, pre-disgrace, and in great voice. Some of the others are pretty terrific too. Met Opera On Demand has more than 850 complete performances including Live in HD transmissions, classic telecasts, and radio broadcasts dating back nearly 90 years all for one subscription. Nearly all can be rented for a paltry $3.99. Just The Way You Are - Steve Lawrence Click here to watch All You Need Is Love, With A Little Help From My Friends, When I'm 64 - Steve Lawrence & Eydie Gormé Click here to watch The son of a cantor at a Brooklyn New York synagogue, Steve Lawrence was born to sing. Lead vocalist for the US Army Band in the ‘50s, his accurate, easy baritone made him one of the top stars in the heyday of musical variety, television, stage, and Las Vegas shows and, with his wife of 56 years, Eydie Gorme, personified the performance of good songs, flawlessly executed. The style of their performances is dated but their precision and musicianship is not. His voice was warm, elegant and somehow straightforward, bringing the lyrics directly to the listener. He was an actor as well as a singer, starring in Broadway shows, Hollywood movies and countless television variety shows and he won every award open to singers including nominations for Grammys, Emmys and Tonys. Together, Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme were the ultimate professionals. Here they are with a Beatles medley from the Ed Sullivan Show in 1970, shortly after the Beatles had split up. And here he is solo in 1987 on the Carol Burnett Show. Eydie Gorme died in 2013 aged 84. Steve Lawrence died this week, aged 88, but their performances will live on.
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AuthorRuth Leon is a writer and critic specialising in music and theatre. Archives
March 2024
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