What: The Merchant of Venice
Where: Stratford-Upon_Avon, Royal Shakespeare Theatre
When: 19th May 2011
All at sea
3
Native Soul
Who: Danilo Perez Trio
Where: Ronnie Scott’s, London
When: 17th May 2011
The Yankees in April – The Pitchers
The Yankees rotation coming out of Spring Training looked like a disaster waiting to happen. The old hands (Freddy Garcia as a starter with Bartolo Colon in relief), the under-achievers (AJ Burnett, Phil Hughes), and the unknowns (Ivan Nova). So given that April was such a success it bodes well for the rest of the season. Or as May plays out, was this just beginners’ luck? Anyway, here’s what happened:
New York Yankees in April – The batters
At the moment, it’s almost a relief to look back on something I wrote about the Yankees at the end of April. May has seen them go into meltdown and at the end of the April it all seemed so optimistic. It was only two weeks ago………
Can we go back to the future?
Was it all worth it?
Well, frankly, no.
As I’m catching up with posting reviews and articles, it occurred to me that the last two were about my first visit to Stratford-Upon-Avon since the new theatre opened.
Little Fooling around but still a major production
Date: 1st of April 2011
Where: Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-Upon-Avon
What : King Lear
I’ve seen this production before. Last year. But then Kathryn Hunter was the Fool. Now there was a story. Ms Hunter excellent as the Fool in King Lear, dire as Cleopatra in Anthony and Cleopatra. One reviewer called that production “gob-smackingly bad”. I was kinder.
Life and death at Easter
Today, I spent much of the day with Bernie Leadon (formerly of the Eagles) and Glyn Johns (producer with Eagles, Rolling Stones,The Who). There are worse ways to pass a few hours.
This week Elisabeth Sladen (Sarah Jane in Sarah Jane Adventures) and Roger Nichols (sound engineer with Steely Dan) passed from this world. They will be missed.
The Rape of Lucrece
Date: 31st March 2011
Where: The Swan Theatre, Stratford Upon Avon
What: The Rape of Lucrece
Dylan in China: An antidote to the nonsense
There’s been a lot of nonsense written about Bob Dylan and his trip to China – as though him singing “Blowin’ in the Wind” would have caused the Chinese government to change their ideals and allow democratic elections and political freedoms.
twilightdawning 