After writing all about my ‘Pandemic Ponderings’ back in May, I have decided to begin a completely new series of blogs, called ‘Thespian Thoughts’.
The word thespian, as a noun, can mean actor and as an adjective can relate to drama and theatre in general, so you guessed it… for the next few weeks/months this blog is purely dedicated to the theatre world (and mostly how I am coping without it!).
This idea came to me a few weeks ago, but then after my first socially distanced theatre trip, a few days ago, I thought that I should actually give it a go! I’m hoping to get back into the swing of writing (after such a loooooong break) and this blog gives me the space to rave and rant as much as I like! Expect reviews, even more overdue reviews from online theatre, and some interesting concepts and ideas that I come across when researching for my dissertation.
Since theatre has become strictly an online event, the likes of the National Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company have become some of the front runners of streaming their past performances. However, some smaller (and even some regional) theatres have also joined in! And a few weeks ago, we were given the opportunity to watch the Old Vic’s 2018 performance of Mood Music.
Mood Music was written by Joe Penhall – the writer of Olivier Award Winning Musical, Sunny Afternoon (2014) and stage plays, Blue/Orange (2000), Dumb Show (2004) and Birthday (2012). It starred Ben Chaplin, Seána Kerslake, Pip Carter, Kurt Egyiawan, Neil Stuke and Jemma Redgrave. As someone who wanted to see the play back in 2018 (but was in the middle of A Level exams), I was very excited that we were being graced with this performance! Also, as someone interested in contemporary performance and the character of a psychologist or therapist in theatre, I knew that this was a must-see piece!
In the play, we are introduced to two figures of the music industry, Bernard (Ben Chaplin), a music producer and Cat (Seána Kerslake), a young and promising musician. They are in the midst of a legal battle over who owns a song. We hear both sides of the story, as they discuss the situation with their therapists (Pip Carter and Jemma Redgrave) and we also see the constant debate between their lawyers (Neil Stuke and Kurt Egyiawan). The inner demons of the characters are drawn out by their therapists, who delve into Bernard and Cat’s relationships, mental states and family situations. Whilst their lawyers offer a new level of severity to the situation and present how toxic working relationships and legal battles are frequently happening within the industry.
The main characters are really interesting, mostly because we see the good and bad parts of them. Firstly, Bernard, who is quite egotistical in his role as producer. For the audience, particularly at the start, I think he comes across as quite manipulative, especially with his relationship with Cat. However, as the play goes on, we see he is more complex than first expected, especially due to his relationship with his ex-wife. He also frequently uses humour to cover how uncomfortable he is when talking about his feelings. Fortunately, his therapist, Ramsay, eventually manages to help him open up.
Secondly, the character of Cat. She is young, aspiring and extremely creative. She often questions her position both as an artist in the music industry, and as a young woman. She talks about her experiences of being controlled and manipulated when on tour, and I think that she is extremely brave to confront an unequal and powerful industry. Her therapist, Vanessa, perhaps is the most understanding, as a woman herself, and helps the audience to sympathise with Cat’s awkward position.
The conversations between musician and therapist, musician and lawyer, and then musician and musician, all happen at the same time – all of the action has been intertwined, and their situations and individual ideas are overlapped onto one another. I think that Joe Penhall writes this really well, and somehow despite the constant moving of action and the changing of narrative and perspective, it still remains pretty easy to follow for the audience.
An example of the staging – when the characters are ‘cross-talking’ in Mood Music.
For me, one of the stand-out parts of Mood Music was the unique staging. As mentioned, there was constant moving about of the characters and seating, and I think that this chaos and complexity almost reflected the drama and severity of the situation. Notably, a very interesting section of the performance was when the two musicians and two therapists were all sat in a square (see my diagram above). There were two separate conversations happening between patient and therapist (on the diagonal), but the subject matter frequently overlapped, which I though was really interesting.
The conversations involved the other character and were paralleled in subject matter. I think this set-up really helped to see that the action and plot is shared between these two main figures, and that Bernard and Cat were a lot more similar than they think – in their stubbornness and creativity. The director, Roger Michel did a great job in making sure the action was easily understandable and to make sure the focus was on Bernard and Cat, who were positioned at the very front of the stage. For me, it helped to see that the drama was central to these characters.
Also, at the back of the stage, there were four chairs, and if the action didn’t involve either therapist or lawyer, then they would sit at the back of the stage – almost to make sure the audience knew that they should focus on the main characters and their interaction. By the end of the play, the therapists and lawyers all finish the piece by playing instruments, as a way to bring calm the the conclusion. The motif as music as a restorative and reflective medium is definitely shown throughout.
I would definitely recommend Mood Music, as it really explores the strains of the music industry and the impact mentally, personally and professionally, very effectively. It had a stellar cast, who illustrated all of these complexities very well and who had me hooked for the entire duration.
It has been over a month since my last blog post, and I have finally finished my second year of university. I have had a well-deserved rest, consumed book after book, and given ‘Oh! You Little Things’ a much-needed makeover.
So… let the blogging and rants commence, once again…
In today’s blog, I thought that I would go through what I have been reading, over the last few weeks. The good, the bad and the frightening…
The MaddAddam Trilogy- Margaret Atwood
Up first is the MaddAddam Trilogy by Margaret Atwood. This series consists of three novels: Oryx and Crake, The Year of the Flood and MaddAddam. I read the first novel, Oryx and Crake during the spring, and wrote a blog post on how scary it was to read this kind of dystopian fiction in the midst of a pandemic. (If you fancy reading it then click here). The themes of illness and contamination definitely hit a little close to home! I also decided to use this book for my end of year coursework (and how it could be compared to romance fiction… risky, I know!), and after writing the essay, I decided I wanted to see how the rest of the story panned out.
In this series, the world is terrifying! For me, in dystopian fiction, it is essential that you can see the parallels between the fictionalised world and your own world. And Atwood definitely makes sure of this! – from the family situations, to how people are educated. I think that this is one of the main reasons why Atwood’s writing is so gripping and the fact the reader can see a definite connection between fictional and factual, is what makes the whole tone of the series a lot darker.
Also, Atwood really critiques contemporary culture very well. Aspects like body modification, the exposure to graphic content on the internet, and the power of a masculine hierarchy on all of humanity.
I am halfway through MaddAddam, and even at the last novel, it continues to hook the reader, especially with the intricacies of the characters. For anyone who loves to get to know the backgrounds and adventures of a novel’s characters, this is such a brilliant series. The characters’ lives are weaved throughout the three books, and eventually, they all come together really well.
I have often blogged about Atwood’s Handmaid’s series, and how renowned the texts are. I think that despite this series not having as much acclaim, it tackles similar issues like the environment, disease and gender, just as well.
If you are a fan of Atwood, then make sure you don’t ignore this series.
Ghost Wall – Sarah Moss
In between reading The Year of the Flood and MaddAddam, I decided to squeeze in a smaller novel called Ghost Wall. I was given this book by Granta, an independent publisher in London, known for printing new writing and their infamous Granta Magazine. In my publishing module, we met with industry professionals that spoke to us about design, marketing and editing… and they gave us free books! This book was published in 2018 and the following year, it was longlisted for the Women Prize for Fiction, in 2019.
This book was a lot darker than I thought it would be. The action revolves around a small family, some students and a university professor, who are all camping out in a forest, trying to re-enact living in the Iron Age. They wear uncomfortable moccasins and itchy fabrics, must forage for their evening meal and are forced to behave in a very backwards manner.
Sarah Moss writes about a time and place that I had never really considered before, and illustrates both the past and present colliding very well. At first, I struggled to get through this short novel, because it isn’t something I would necessarily read, but once I got into the action and saw the darkness of the piece, it definitely made me want to finish it. The ending was really amazing, so I’m glad I pushed through reading it and that I got to hear a voice that I hadn’t come across before!
For me, it was really important to try and read something different, whilst also supporting smaller publishing house like Granta.
To see more about Granta and the kind of writing they publish, check out: https://granta.com/
A Chip in the Sugar – Alan Bennett
I have also been listening and reading a whole load of monologues – mostly as research for my dissertation, but also because they are becoming the most popular form of dramatic performance, and the best way for expression when in isolation.
After researching writers of monologues, I came across Alan Bennett. The first monologue I read/watched was ‘A Chip in the Sugar’, a part of Bennett’s Talking Heads collection. This piece is infamous for having been performed by Bennett himself – I managed to find a video of his performance, and listened to it whilst reading the book. Currently, there is a series airing of Bennett’s Talking Heads on the BBC. They have been re-filmed, by well-known actors, during the pandemic and filmed socially distanced, on the Eastenders set.
They can also be found on BBC iPlayer (here), if you are interested.
All of Bennett’s pieces have such a range – from being dark to humorous, to devastating in subject matter and the majority all root from his own experience. I think that ‘A Chip in the Sugar’ looks really well at generational conflict and how attitudes, that are prejudicial, are beginning to change, especially at the time in which it was written.
I think ‘A Chip in the Sugar’ is just an iconic insight to Bennett’s world, his witty sense of humour and his left-winged politics, just to name a few – which I have really enjoyed exploring! The relationship between the narrator, a middle-aged man, and his mother, is rather absurd to a contemporary audience (or definitely someone my age!), so it was interesting to see something so outrageous be presented. I thought that the exploration of generations was really comical as well, especially with the use of a monologue as we only get one side of the story – for example, when stereotypical, prejudicial and conservative remarks are made by the Mother, you can almost feel the annoyance of the narrator radiate from the page!
Bennett’s writing really allows the reader to reflect and listen to the experiences of the narrator. The personal essence is the metaphorical ‘cherry-on-top-of-the-cake’ and definitely helps illustrate his views and opinions a lot more clearer – helped by the Northern dialect and Yorkshire accent as well (something that is usually missed in popular literature)!
Make sure to check out the newer performances on the BBC, they really society well! The 12 episode series also features two new pieces of writing (written last year by Bennett) being performed.
Today, I have been reading through some old poetry notes and I wanted to share one of my favourite Shakespearean sonnets. I really love it… plus I have no time to blog properly at the moment. I absolutely love the relationships that Shakespeare presents in his collection of sonnets… controversial for his time, yet really unique! I have posted this sonnet before in my ‘Eureka Literature’ blog post, so if you want to read more about it, then check it out there!
Sonnet 124 by William Shakespeare
If my dear love were but the child of state, It might for fortune’s bastard be unfathered, As subject to Times love or to Times hate, Weeds among weeds, or flowers with flowers gathered. No, it was builded far from accident; It suffers not in smiling pomp, nor falls Under the blow of thralled discontent, Whereto th’inviting time our fashion calls, It fears not policy, that heretic, Which works on leases of short-number’d hours, But all alone stands hugely politic, That it nor grows with heat, nor drowns with showers, To this I witness call the fools of time, Which die for goodness, who have lived for crime.
I read Molière in my first year of university in my theatre module. I was instantly hooked when reading The Misanthrope… and then went on to read Tartuffe, Les Femmes Savantes and Le Malade Imaginaire. I think that I liked his writing mostly because it was French literature, and having studied French for over eight years, I appreciated the craftsmanship and beauty of the language. It was also ridiculously witty, and his characters were so outrageous, that the memory of them just stuck very well. I also loved that we began focusing on something other than English Literature, and not just the theatrical tragedies of Shakespeare and Marlowe.
Here are a few quotes that I enjoy:
‘Of all follies there is none greater than wanting to make the world a better place.’
Molière
‘The greater the obstacle, the more glory in overcoming it.’
Molière
‘It infuriates me to be wrong when I know I’m right.’
As deadlines approach and I have no willpower to write anything that screams: creative, analytical or interesting, I have decided to blog simple quotes from famous writers and pieces of literature. For my viewing millions…
Today, I found an old F. Scott Fitzgerald quote, that I made a few years ago. It fell out of my A3 sketch book, begging to be featured on my blog. Et voila!
The painting is by Otto Scholderer, and is called Young Girl Reading (1883). It is was tweeted in relation to Mary Wollstonecraft and Mary Shelley, saying:
READ ‘A VINDICATION OF THE RIGHTS OF WOMAN’!
I really liked this painting, and thought that it goes very well with Mary Wollstonecraft’s arguments. I first read ‘A Vindication of the Rights of Woman’ when I was 17, for my A-Level English coursework. I though it was bold, commanding and extremely persuasive. Also, the idea that the Godwin/Wollstonecrafts were this radical and innovative family, was pretty cool… and made producing draft-after-draft of coursework, on Frankenstein, somehow more bearable!
Here are a few quotes from ‘A Vindication of the Right’s of Woman’, that are well known:
“I do not wish them [women] to have power over men; but over themselves.”
Mary Wollstonecraft
“There must be more equality established in society, or morality will never gain ground, and this virtuous equality will not rest firmly even when founded on a rock, if one half of mankind be chained to its bottom by fate, for they will be continually undermining it through ignorance or pride”
Mary Wollstonecraft
“It is justice, not charity, that is wanting in the world!”
Mary Wollstonecraft
I would definitely recommend reading this – if you are a student trying to understand the Shelley’s lifestyle, or grasp the concept of Romanticism. Wollstonecraft is also a hugely influential figure, in regards to Feminism. Feminists everywhere… she was THE proto-feminist, and wrote so amazingly!
After venturing around the local park today, it made me miss the London green spaces – especially Hampstead Heath, which is quite close to where I am in London. Looking through old Heath pictures, it made me think of Keats and some of his poetry.
Hampstead Heath
This is one of my favourite poems. Often overshadowed by his never-ending amount of odes, but just as lovely.
Bright Star by John Keats
Bright star, would I were stedfast as thou art— Not in lone splendour hung aloft the night And watching, with eternal lids apart, Like nature’s patient, sleepless Eremite, The moving waters at their priestlike task Of pure ablution round earth’s human shores, Or gazing on the new soft-fallen mask Of snow upon the mountains and the moors— No—yet still stedfast, still unchangeable, Pillow’d upon my fair love’s ripening breast, To feel for ever its soft fall and swell, Awake for ever in a sweet unrest, Still, still to hear her tender-taken breath, And so live ever—or else swoon to death.
As it is almost midnight, I thought I had better write a short blog! Today has been full of procrastination, rereading books I don’t need to read, and starting to brainstorm a play idea… I know, madness!
But yesterday, I started to talk to somebody about Ulysses and thought it may make a good, quick blog post.
I read Ulysses about six months ago – it was a battle and took me around five months to read it entirely including making annotations and going over the top with sticky notes . But I finally conquered it and it is the best ice-breaker/conversation opener that I have going. Plus, if you have read Ulysses then you definitely deserve to boast about it!
My friend asked me if I knew that ‘strange quote about hair’ in Ulysses, and despite it being almost 1, 000 pages long, I knew exactly what he was talking about! So here it ,is one of my favourite quotes from the book:
‘Her wavyavyeavyheavyeavyevyevyhair un comb:’d. Yet too much happy bores. He stretched more, more. Are you not happy in your? Twang. It snapped. Jingle into Dorset street.’
Ulysses, James Joyce
Thank you, James Joyce for hurting both my brain and eyes when reading a single word… ahhh Modernism!
Oh! You Little Things 