Lesley in Hong Kong

Hamlet - National Theatre - The One, TST, Hong Kong

http://ntlive.nationaltheatre.org.uk/productions/ntlout10-hamlet

 

                                                                      Set at The Barbican 

People of Hong Kong!

 

I implore you to check the schedules of our movie theatres and look out for the National Theatre, London, productions which are now being screened regularly.

https://www.britishcouncil.hk/en/programmes/arts/national-theatre-live

 

There's a bar

They really are very like an actual theatre experience and a most enjoyable evening out.  There is usually a 20 minute interval, just like an actual performance, where everyone can make use of the bar, have a leg stretch and a toilet break.

Costumes

The most recent one I attended was last weekend at The One, 100 Nathan Road, when I saw the marvellous Benedict Cumberbatch as Hamlet.  It was spectacular.  He was spectacular.   The staging was spectacular.  I was particularly taken with the costumes which were, for the most part, 1940s style apart from Hamlet, Horacio and Ophelia who wore modern casual clothes, hoodies and jeans.  After the 'play with-in the play' scene Cumberbatch wore a long military tail coat with the words 'KING' crudely painted across his back which was quite amusing and under the coat a Ziggy Stardust t-shirt.   I doubt it had any significance to the recent and shocking death of David Bowie as it would have been recorded months ago in London, but it did make me think  - why Ziggy? 

 

Lesley in Bangkok - Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

I have taken myself out of Hong Kong so temporarily I am officially Lesley in Bangkok.  

As there is huge shopping mall about two minutes walk from my hotel and after a day of tiring Grand Palace -ing I couldn't face more walking around and so I purchased a ticket for 150 Baht and went to see Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.

Having suffered at the mercy of arctic air conditioning in Hong Kong I was prepared with my extra clothing to stave off hypothermia and I did truly need it.  I was pleasantly surprised at the comfiness of the seats.  They were big, sumptuous velour  that were high enough for even a tall man's head to rest on so no matter who sat in front of you there would never be a problem of a blocked screen.  They even tipped back a little for ultimate comfort and the bonus option of a double seat, more of a sofa,  for cuddly couples at the back.

Do Not Use Your Mobile Phone

While I waited for the main feature to start I had to endure what I felt was hours of commercials in Thai but they were clearly all good clean public service announcements about not using your mobile phone while driving in case you die and not using your mobile phone in the cinema and causing light pollution in case I kill you - whoops sorry, I didn't mean that last part obviously.  It was a truly welcome advert and I think Hong Kong audiences would get the message if it was pitched in such a way.  Hint hint anyone who texts in their bag and doesn't think it bothers others (me!).

National Anthem

Then after loads of trailers it felt like it was about to start.  Wrong.  Before we could settle down to watch Dawn of the Planet of the Apes we were all instructed politely to stand for the Thai National Anthem.  Everyone did, most respectfully.  It was played while we watched images of the King doing good things  It reminded me that the BBC used to play the British National Anthem before the station closed down for the evening (telly used to stop in those days)  and my Grandad used to stand up, and make whoever was with him, also stand up and show respect.  

Andy Sirkis

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is part two following on from Rise of the Planet of the Apes which stared James Franco as the 'human' and Andy Sirkis as Caesar the Ape.  The skill of playing an animal who so clearly has strong emotions has become Sirkis's unique talent.  Through motion capture technology and his eyes, we become strongly involved with Caesar.

There is no Franco in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes but Sirkis again plays Caesar and we see him as the dominant male in a colony of apes in a time when nearly all humans have been killed by a Simeon flu.  Or have they?  I don't want to throw in any plot spoilers only to say that its one of the best films I've seen in along time and if you are considering going along to see it, watch the first one so you understand how Caesar's role in the film and as leader evolves.  

The CGI  is breathtaking.  The sound quality in that particular cinema meant I kept looking over my shoulder to see if there was a monkey making too much noise behind me.  The score worked perfectly to build scenes to their climax.   The stilted dialogue communicates just how two different points of view can be the same yet equally confused and misunderstood.  It touches on racism, religion, stereotypes and is a study of the human condition in adverse circumstances.  A reflection of what is still going on in certain parts of the world this very day.

 

Macbeth by William Shakespeare - Hong Kong Players Ltd. April 2014

Macbeth by William Shakespeare

Production by Hong Kong Players Ltd

Hong Kong Arts Centre, Mcaulay Studio

2nd - 5th April, 2014

David Mersault - Macbeth, Thane of Glamis

 

Macbeth is one of the most performed Shakespearean tragedies, so I put it to you that going to see it is not about the plot or who dunnit or what happens at the end.  It is about how it is performed.  There is no need to alert any one about a plot spoiler because, well, you know who dies.

The Mcaulay Studio is small, seating only 76, if you all squash up cozy. Being so close to the actors, who are at floor level, the same as the first row, is intimate and a little scary, in a good way.  Perhaps not that good for latecomers who find themselves having to almost say 'Excuse me' to the actors as they attempt to be invisible and find a seat after it has started.  I hope those late comers get their act together in future and manage to be on time like the rest of us!

The set

A completely black minimalist set, with the throne at the centre for the whole performance, two swords hanging at the back and a black box to stand on to show power were the only items on stage.  All entrances and exits were simple with an interesting freeze of action to cross cut to another time and place.  This was an extremely effective technique which moved the plot along without the necessity for physical scene changes.

 

Costume

All characters were dressed in contemporary clothes of black or white with a subtle flash of red to represent all those things that temptress colour can symbolise. Passion, death, blood, anger, danger, war... Their weapons were guns and knives of various sizes.

 

Weird Sisters

The opening scene gave us those three weird sisters who we all love to hate and their presence on stage for much of the performance was wonderful.  Two young ones and one lady of a certain age who played the Punk Witch,  a terrific touch.  They each carried a large pole which they 'banged' on the floor at crutial points.  This was just one of many powerful moments of the performance.  Yes, it made us all jump.   The witches were involved in the death scenes, delivery of letters and phone calls bringing bad news and lead us to believe it was their prophecy and their meddling that made poor old Macbeth do the 'deed' which then brought him enough guilt to fill his mind with those scorpions he speaks of.  Their role stressed the importance of magic and witchcraft making us believe it was their prophecy and spells that made everything go so horribly wrong.

Macbeth

David Mersaultis a talented actor who made us believe it was only him who could see Duncan or Banquo as ghosts.  His portrayal of Macbeth was truly excellent.  The passion between him and Lady Macbeth was evident as well as his weakness and guilt as he deteriorates into a defeated man.  We need to see more of him in the future. 

That bitch (plot spoiler alert)

I like the idea of blaming the witches because I've always felt Lady Macbeth (that bitch) pushed her husband into brutally killing the King while he was asleep in his bed and then, pretended he had no idea how it had happened and then, because he wasn't sleeping too well at night, took it upon himself to arrange for the death of his best friend Banquo and then the wife and young children of Macduff.  While the whole incident filled Mr and Mrs Macbeth with incredible guilt, enough for her to top herself, Macbeth continued, as best he could, in his new King role believing that no man not born of women existed or Burnham Wood could get up and walk.  

Oh how wrong he was!

The young MacDuff and his death scene must get that young man an A* is whatever drama course he is on?

Music and Lights and even smoke 

There was smoke, there was the music of Nick Cave, there was a multi media video showing red blood and skulls.  This all added to the experience and a very unique production of Macbeth.  I did find that the music wasn't faded enough at certain points so the delivery of some crucial lines was lost.  This is a minor point and I do applaud Adam Harris for his dedication and commitment to theatre in Hong Kong.  This was a truly powerful production, full of witchcraft, fight scenes, murder, violence and lots of blood.  Isn't it marvellous that Shakespeare wrote this for an audience in 1606 and those themes and exploration are still a full-on family favourite today.

 

 

 

Enough Said Directed by Nicole Holofcener - is there hope?

Enough Said

Staring  James Gandolfini off of The Sopranos as Albert

and

Julia Louis-Dreyfus off of Seinfeld as Eva

Enough Said is essentially a love story to make the hoards of baby boomers, now finding themselves divorced, alone and single, but still with the responsibility of having dependent children, feel like there is  hope.  In their new dating world Albert and Eva go through the crushing discomfort of their first date that progresses to plain awkwardness and then, happily, to the thrill of new intimacy.   The dramatic irony we are then party to causes us to beg Eva to behave like the grown-up she actually is instead of the fool she appears to be and just be honest with Albert. 

I will not be a plot spoiler.  I do recommend you go and watch it.

What I particularly liked about this film is the way Gandolfini, a larger man, was cast in a romantic role as opposed to the typically handsome Brad Pitt, Hugh Grant or Colin Firth type.  Hollywood rarely makes the fat man the one who gets the girl.  

I know that there are a zillion perfect 10 actresses out there but we also have our fair share of curvaceous women who have rallied the cause for girls bigger than a size 10.  Miranda Hart, Oprah Whitney, Queen Latifah and Dawn French to name a few.  We see such women being happy and successful and loved.  They have the 'Love me for who I am" vibe going on loud and strong and we love them for it.

In Hollywood land we don't see very many men who are not conventionally handsome and I found it really refreshing to see a larger man in a role that involved romance, sex and genuine care for the women in his life.  In an experiment, in my own head, I changed the body types around to make the female role the 'larger' lady and the male role the trim, six pack firm bicep one and played out some scenes from that point of view.  I doubt if the crack about the calorie counter book or the digs about how much dip was consumed would have been received with anything but aggression and plate smashing.

As I said both characters have children who get on airplanes and fly to distant colleges, to be educated and make their own way in the world.  I REALLY cried at that part.   

 

 

A Clockwork Orange - by Action to the World Theatre Company, London - Hong Kong tour

A Clockwork Orange directed by Alexandra Spencer-Jones

by Anthony Burgess

November 6-10 2013

Lyric Theatre, Wan Chai, Hong Kong

 

‘An outstanding all-male ensemble. The pure physicality and energy is astonishing. This is a show that everyone should experience.’★★★★★ WhatsOnStage

My ticket purchase was made months ago in order to secure a seat and experience this production.  A mixture of anxious anticipation with the possibility of having my senses battered and overwhelmed confused me.  My own experience of watching Stanley Kubrick's version had  left me disturbed and horrified but in no doubt that it is an excellent movie.

Extreme Cinema - Mark Kermode speaks  I highly recommend you take 4 minutes to listen to the good Doctor introducing A Clockwork Orange on Channel 4 who explains the background and why it was banned in 1971.

The simplistic black set with only a black table and chairs meant the actors used minimal props to symbolize and move the plot on.  The ensemble of nine males played every role, including the female character.  Dressed in black trousers and either a white vest or a black vest with contrasting black or white braces was occassionally supplemented with a sneeky pop of something orange. 

Action to the World is a physical theatre company and their depiction throughout is balletic  and beautiful.  The implied violence through skilled choreography was enough to be explicit in the mind.  The Shakespearean delivery of the dialogue using Alex and his Droogs own language evoked a terrifying and enthralling experience, luring us in to the seedy violent world of disenchanted adolescence and gang boredom. 

It was utterly brilliant and without a doubt one of the best stage performances I have seen in Hong Kong.

 

 

 

 

 

 

On The Road the movie of the novel by Jack Kerouac

On The Road is an autobiographical novel by Jack Kerouac, published in 1957, depicting his own journey across America in the 1950s and in particular describing the relationship with his friend Neal Cassidy. The names are changed presumably to protect the innocent however there is absolutely nothing innocent about any of the characters. There is more than a smattering of staying up late and upsetting the wife/girlfriend/mother/grandmother to drug taking, stealing (hearts as well as tangible items), reckless driving and sex with a creative mixture of gender combinations.

The main character is Sal - really Kerouac, his friend is Dean, really Cassidy - both are writers, both young and completely and utterly concerned with their own self exploration in an effort to be inspired to write.

The movie, directed by Walter Salles, is beautifully filmed so we are treated to vast and varying landscapes, intoxicating jazz and dance scenes in Harlem and plenty of male nakedness, namely Garrett Hedlund, which always brightens up a movie in my opinion.

The love interests, I stress on the plural here, are played by Kristen Stewart and Kirsten Dunst who are both captivating on screen.

My overall experience was a positive but spoilt by the two young women and one man sat next to me who continually text on their bloody mobile phones throughout the movie causing distraction in a completely selfish way. I tried my best not to turn into my scary school teacher role, I shielded my eyes from them in an attempt to block out their annoying little lights but it didn't work. The longer it went on the more my cinematic experience was spoilt and the more I began to think that if I didn't say anything I would kick myself tomorrow. And so I told them off! "Will you please stop it with the mobile phones now". I guess if I had been any where else in the world this could have turned into a nasty uncomfortable incident that I could have seriously regretted, instead the two women were mortified, apologized sincerely and left!

I recommend this film and I recommend telling people in movie theatres to behave themselves and abide by the rules.

Skyfall Daniel Craig is the best James Bond (and a bit like Harry Potter)

I have not been a real James Bond fan until the beautiful Daniel Craig stepped into the role for Casino Royale.  Those Christmas Day moments, meant to be so special because a Bond movie was on, were not that special for me.  But now it's a whole new world, a new exciting place to be - 007 is Daniel Craig.

He is a beautiful man.  His chest, his eyes, his chin, his stance, his slim fitting suit all make me gasp in delight as I wallow in the sheer enjoyment of just being able to look at him on screen. 

Some of the cinematography in Skyfall was breath-taking, particularly the Macau and Shanghai scenes when I was thrilled to see those locations featured, although frankly it wasn't as exciting as that when I was there.  I wonder if it's something to do with not having the sound track in life?

I loved the inclusion of the classic Aston Martin with every old-school feature still in place, ejector seat button, machine guns under the head lamps and bullet proof glass.  Excellent.

Every boy had one.

 

The opening scene has everything a Bond fan could possibly want.  A British made Land Rover speeds through the street markets of Istanbul upturning baskets of fruit and spices, crashing through streets of locals who all move out of the way spectacularly.  All that is missing are two men carrying a large plate glass window.  Then we move quickly onto a motor bike chase over tiled rooftops culminating in a fight scene on the top of a moving train.  We are hooked and ready to be immersed in the full-on new and improved gritty Bond experience.

There are sad bits and obviously the most beautiful female character doesn't make it through for a happy ending but I don't want to include plot spoilers here.

It is the uncanny links to the Harry Potter story that interested me and I did wonder if J.K. Rowling's name would be in the credits.  We see Bond returning to his childhood home where it is revealed that both his parents were killed in a strange and other worldly incident when he was a boy, the same as Harry.  We even see their grave stones showing their names and we are given to understand that because of their death James' childhood was not a happy one, the same as Harry.   In fact, it involved a cupboard under the stairs albeit a little more gothic than Harry's, in fact a priest hole,  but they both spent time in a cupboard.  Significantly the vibe of Skyfall itself has definite links to Hogwarts and was I the only one who made the connection with Ralph Feinnes who played the one who shall not be named in Harry Potter and his role in this movie?  Was that just coincidence?

Is Harry 007 in the making?

 Is it just me?

 

 

 

 

I am a fan of Speedos

 

I'm Sexy and I know it

I will say it again.  I am a fan of Speedos.  I said it in an earlier blog Speedos My confession

and I think this video truly confirms why I am right!

 

 

 

 

 

The Internet and me, a work in progress.

Dumber

Does the internet make us stupid?

It seems quite hypocritical of me to write a blog which is anti Google.  To write anything and publish it on the internet for all to share and read while at the same time be full of doubt and worry and concern about whether it makes us stupid could make me stupid too?

 But I am genuinely worried.

 
Click Here

Is the capability of finding information at the click of a button  really the best way to run ones life?

 Who is Accountable?

The number one question has to be about trust.  Do you trust the information you are taken to?  Is it up to date?  Is it ethical?  Is it accountable?  Newspapers can be taken to Court for slander or liable if they do not report the truth.  They are accountable whatever you think of them, even the News of the World  or even South China Morning Post (actually I need to check that!).   But any old slapper can write an article and whack it up on a  website and pass it off as being true.  People can pretend to be someone else and actively try to hide their identity.  (My name IS Lesley Croft btw).

Close Your Lid

As a teacher of students who all have their own MacBook on their desk and have the capability of googling anything.  I suspect that they have all become completely addicted to their computers and are a bunch of slovenly layabouts who can't even do any thinking for themselves. The recent best seller by Nicholas Carr called The Shallows  suggests that the use of the internet is altering the way we think and we have become less able to digest large and complex amounts of information such as...books.  Are we now a world of 'slacktivists'.  More about Nicholas Carr

"Should we reintroduce the death penalty?" I ask my class in an attempt to spark a discussion where opinions will be flying around the room like electricity. (not meant to be a pun)

Then I find a student who has typed the question into google and sets about opening up the squillion results to find the right answer.  FGS (I'm not sure if that is a cool and hip acronym to write, like LOL, but For God's Sake comes natural to me so I feel it is worthy of a FGS).  Use your own brain I yell!  Close your lid!

Shirley Turkle has expressed much the same concerns in her book, Alone Together Why we Expect more from Technology and Less from Each Other.  Because when it boils down to it using the powerful tool that is the internet via your lap top or your blackberry or your iphone is just you, in a room alone.  You/we/me enjoy the contact and communication and sense of sharing we can get through the power of the internet.  As humans we want to share and we get immense enjoyment out of sharing.  This must be true otherwise why would Facebook or Twitter or the capability to comment on any random YouTube video be so popular?   But would we enjoy it more or less if we had that face to face communication as easily. In this world of social networking just how sociable are we really?

Hello FB Friends!  Come to my party

So if I was in a real live room with all my real live friends on Facebook would I be so keen to like them or comment on their new hat or latest holiday snaps?  I predict there would be lots of moments of awkwardness, perhaps a few stifled yawns where the latest photos of their latest meal would get the better of me.  Would I really be able to show the same enthusiasm towards their beautiful wife on her birthday.  In the past those sentiments would only be shared in a personal birthday card which would stand on the sideboard.  Now everyone gets to read it!   I would struggle to remember names.  And there would be at least one full-on-punches-and-everything-thrown fight, quite a few slanging matches not to mention one or two intimate, yet flirtatious, conversations in a few dark corners.  And because all of these people are my friends I would be responsible for such an event and be the one who is blamed for the disaster that would be a party.

Those Where The Days

In my day when there was no internet or mobile phone or even a phone in the house.   What did I do?  I watched the three available channels on the telly, once they came on in the evening.  Before that I read as many Enid Blyton books as I could get my hands on.  I knocked on the doors of my friends to see if they wanted to come out to play.  All friends lived no more than 100 yards away.  When the local paper came I read that and found out what was happening in the area approximately of a 50 mile radius of where I lived.  For a change we would walk to the chip shop, sometimes we would have money to buy chips.  When I got older and could venture to Stockton to buy music I brought home 45rpm singles and played them on repeat with the arm back on the record player so I would learn them by heart (ask me to sing Puppy Love by Donny Osmond).

You know what, it was boring compared to the information sharing, movies, music and breaking news we have available to us now so perhaps this 'real world' that many hark back to is an illusion and just never really existed?  Being in a room alone with a computer seems much more attractive to being in a room alone with a Danset record player and a Donny Osmond 45.

 

Another Year directed by Mike Leigh

THE MIKE LEIGH TECHNIQUE

I love the fact that Mike Leigh doesn't let the actors of his films have a script and the fact that he makes them develop the character themselves.  He sits them down and asks them a zillion questions about the character they will be, from what sort of breakfast did you eat as a child and how did you go to school to how you feel about your boss and how did you sleep last night.  Until the actor becomes the font of all knowledge for their character and will 'live' their character throughout their stint playing them.  Abigail's Party and Nuts in May are my favourites probably because Alison Steadman is in both of them.

BRITISH FILM IN HONG KONG

I look out for new work from Leigh and have been looking forward to seeing Another Year.  Eventually it came to Hong Kong after being released in the UK last year.  I am always keen to watch British films and adore the ordinariness of their portrayal of real life in all its mundane ways much more than the Hollywood razzmatazz. 

ANOTHER YEAR - REVIEW

World Exclusive Trailer - The Guardian

Another Year shows us the lives of Gerri and Tom, a middle-aged couple nearing retirement, and their year as the seasons change on their allotment.  Tom is a geologist and Gerri is a counsellor.  They are middle class and very comfortable in their cozy modern house and I want to tell you they have an Aga but I am not 100% sure, for arguments sake let's believe they do.  But the story is not really about them, its about their long  term friends Mary, a desperately sad and lonely woman who Gerri works with and Ken, Tom's old friend who is overweight and unhealthy with a potential drink problem.  The other character who is also taken into the kitchen (with Aga)  is Tom's brother who comes to stay after the death of his wife.

MARY

These three people are featured around the table of Gerri and Tom at various times during the year and their unhappiness is palpable. They are all in need of love and care at a time in their lives when none of them have a partner for various reasons.  Mary, in particular, is appealing to the couple for support and a slice of security in her shambolic life.  There is no doubt that Lesley Manville was utterly brilliant working in the Mike Leigh style and the audience can feel nothing but sympathy for her.

SUCH A REVOLTING COUPLE

I found the main characters of Tom and Gerri to be the most revolting  people.  They didn't entertain their friends, they merely  tolerated them.  They did not help them in any way apart  from feeding them and offering copious glasses of wine which was probably the last thing they needed.  Looking down their noses at their sad and lonely friends and just allowing them to get deeper into a  mire of self pity and mental health problems.   Gerri is the worst counsellor in the world and Tom has probably given up caring about his profession a long time ago given that retirement and more time on his allotment is looming. His sensitivity is actually cold and fake.

ORDINARILY BRITISH

It is a beautifully shot film and is British in its ordinariness, in a good way.  But I was so depressed at their lack of real care for their friends and I became more and more irritated by their superior stance of 'we are happy and you are not' attitude I wanted to take Mary and Ken and genuinely help them.  Really listen to their problems and really be supportive instead of a half arsed invitation for dinner during which nothing is really said and nothing is really changed.

 

 

Educating Rita (Lesley)

Julie Walters and Michael Caine 

Educating Rita

McAulay Studio,

Wan Chai

Hong Kong

26th February, 2011

Rita - Kim Haslam

Frank - Adam Harris

THE HONG KONG CAST

Educating Rita was performed at the McAulay Studio in Wan Chai with Adam Harris as Frank, the consistently inebriated professor who is charged with Rita, a working class girl with big ideas.  Rita, played by Kim Haslam, is a hairdresser who has signed up with The Open University to get herself an education.  Frank sets about teaching literary criticism to someone with no previous knowledge and we witness the change in Rita as education starts to work.

CONVINCING DRUNKENESS

The performance of both actors, the only people on the stage during the two acts, was truly excellent from the very convincing drunkenness to the Liverpudlian accent to the dusty books on the shelves and the illusion of the window to outside.

HAIR CUT SIR?

Adam's usual hairstyle fitted the part of geriatric hippie exactly and not wanting to be rude I won't mention the beard. But I'll take a risk just in case it was grown for this part, I'm sure he won't mind if I suggest that clean shaven, shorter hair would indeed take ten years off him!

AM I RITA?

I can really relate to Rita.  I think I am her.  You see I am an Open University product but was much older than 26 before it dawned on me that getting a degree would open some doors.  No one ever burnt my books or told me to stop though, everyone was extremely supportive and I couldn't have done it without the help of my family.

OPEN UNIVERSITY

But I wonder if an education is really the way forward these days, perhaps it's not? A degree is common place and in the UK equals a debt with no guarantee of a job.  My own children are heading that way and as much as I want them to have the experience of being there and experiencing 'life' as opposed to an Open University course where you study at home being extremely self disciplined and swotty (well I was!) the chance of a job at the end seems remote in the present economic climate.

MASTERS DEGREE - IS IT WISE?

So with this in mind I have quite rashly signed up to do a Masters Degree with, you've guessed it, The Open University.  I am into my third assignment and so far have found it excruciatingly boring mind numbingly dull and sleep inducing.  My scores are only just acceptable and there are periods of time when I am forced to say no to invitations out because I have to do my reading or essay writing.

Why? Why? Why?

IF SHE CAN DO IT WHY CAN'T I?

Right now I am doubting my ability to get through this Open University course.  Last night while watching Educating Rita I found myself wondering why it is so difficult for me, after all I have no alcoholic tutor or any pressure to have a baby, no one has ever burnt my assignments and I don't have a suicidal flatmate.  Get a grip Lesley!

 

The Importance of Being Earnest - DEER Theatre, Jordan, Hong Kong

In the wilds of Jordan, Kowloon side I entered the black box that is the DEER Theatre, for a performance of The Importance of Being Earnest.  Wilde's satire on Victorian society is a frivolous and flirtatious farce which will delight the modern day audience.  It certainly left me screaming in pleasure and sometimes terror.  This highly talented group of actors did everything right in Oscar Wilde's view, so I urge everyone of you to go and see it.

Meaghan McGurgan is enthusiastically directing the play with a group of actors who have a colourful array of nationalities, backgrounds and experience.  Algernon, played by Michael Sharmon, is so convincingly aristocratic I could have slapped him and kissed him at the same time.  He is a dandy and a cad, just like Oscar Wilde, and we love him.  The other performance of note is Cecily played by Rachel L. Jacobs who is delightfully precocious and obviously deluded.  I particularly enjoyed her cat fight with Gwendolyn played by Nicole Garbellini-West and the flying cake merely added to my screaming pleasure and terror.

Everyone performed wholeheartedly and as a result the DEER Theatre have succeeded in their purpose of not being bound by trivial things such as budgets, national origin, race, gender or restrictions of space. 

Go and see it!   I guarantee you'll have a great night out and as an added bonus you can try the plethora of cheap Thai restaurants on Woosung Street.

Deer Theatre
The Importance of Being Earnest
By: Oscar Wilde
191 Woosung St. Jordan. 1st Floor
January 13th-15th
8pm
100HK at the door

 

 

 

Driving the Hong Kong way

Chaos on Hong Kong roads

EXPERIECED DRIVER

I successfully passed my driving test, first time, over 25 years ago and, therefore, have been a qualified driver since that point.  Apart from my stint in the Magic Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, when I wasn't allowed to drive due to my feminine demeanor (it's true), I have been driving various vehicles on various roads since then.  I have negotiated the steep, narrow country lanes of West Yorkshire when I built up my left bicep doing scary hill starts.   I have managed snow and ice driving.  I have bumped across the desert and stopped on the motorway for camels in Bahrain where I saw enough accidents to last a life time.  I have delivered my children to parties in unknown streets and picked them up again as well as skilfully managing fastening child seats, serving Tommy tippee cups and chopped apple, singing along to child friendly music WHILE driving. 

All of this evidence means that I am a driver with experience.

GEOGRAPHY HURDLE

However, since arriving in Hong Kong I have regressed.  Even the break neck speed and reckless Arabic  driving style did not prepare me for Hong Kong roads.   My main hurdle is geography.  Even after being here a considerable amount of time, understanding the road signs seems to rely on the power of telepathy.  Although there are signs to,say,  Kwun Tong, how do you know when you've got to Kwun Tong?  There is no sign to tell you and everything looks the same and there are no spaces in-between areas.  It's all just one huge metropolis.  How can you tell if you have left Jordan and are in Prince Edward or Mong Kok?  What's the blooming difference?

Parking is prohibitively expensive and don't talk to me about tunnel fees.  Then there is the lack of understanding regarding the rules of roundabout use.

FRIENDLY WAVE IS EXPECTED

But its the complete lack of courtesy that is the most difficult to deal with.   I am programmed to queue and am hard wired to be a polite road user.  I am English after all.  So if someone in front is signalling to change lanes then it is protocol, in England anyway, to allow that person to manoeuvre in front of your car and you, as a sensible, polite and intelligent driver, to give him/her space to do that.  It is then quite normal, no expected, that a friendly wave to acknowledge this politeness is executed. 

EYES FRONT AND IGNORE

Hong Kong drivers seem blissfully unaware that other drivers need to change lanes at all and will, eyes front, continue to drive at the same speed, ignore your signal and even speed up to fill the gap so there is no chance of a safe manoeuvre causing you to drive to somewhere you don't even know and never wanted to go to in the first place.  Then they have the nerve to beep their horn!  This can also be done while queuing for tunnels.  Everyone is crawling along.  Eye contact, friendly nods or acknowledgment of the presence of other drivers can easily be made, but it never is.  No weakness must be shown.  Any attempt at lane changing at the tunnels is a serious chess move which, surprise surprise causes check mate regularly.  If no one will let anyone else in where are we all going? 

There is no courtesy on Hong Kong roads.

DOG EAT DOG

Is this dog eat dog attitude an indication of the real nature of Hong Kong people?  Perhaps their obsession with making money is the same attitude that is otherwise only exposed when they get behind the wheel of a car and their polite persona in other areas is merely a front, hiding the real cut throat 'I come first' stance?

Toy Story 3D - a review

 
Grown up Andy and Mum                              Andy with Buzz and Woody

EXPENSIVE TICKETS

 I've just been in England for a holiday visiting family in Somerset and as a treat we took our, now grown up children, to see Toy Story 3D at the Odeon, Taunton and was quite taken aback to be charged 65 pounds for 6 adults.  It fair took my breath away.  We were asked to pay one pound for the glasses which are now ours to keep but essential to have the glasses so very unfair.   I felt swizzed at this marketing technique.  I declined the offer to pay an extra two pounds each for 'luxury' seats which would have made this outing 77 pounds and of course there were unnecessary sweeties and fizzy beverages on top of that.

 

HONG KONG PRICE

I thought you might be interested to learn that I did a quick search online upon returning home to find that the equivalent movie experience in Hong Kong would have been 27 pounds for 6 adults which includes the glasses which you give back as you leave the cinema.  Only the IMAX screen would have been more expensive and at the present exchange rate comes to just under 50 pounds for 6 people, still giving the glasses back at the end.

 

I did feel at one point like I was in a Hong Kong movie theatre however, as the Chinese man in front of me did take a call on his mobile during the film.

 

EMOTIONALLY INVOLVED WITH ANDY

As for the movie, yes it was great.  Having seen the first one 40 zillion times on a VHS tape when my children were younger I am emotionally attached to Andy, Woody, Buzz and obviously Mr & Mrs Potatohead.  I wasn't disappointed.  All the favourites were in it.  It was selectively amusing to all ages and at times exciting with many nods and references to the original story.  I am not at all convinced the 3D element made any difference to my viewing pleasure (that was a note for the good Dr Kermode).

 

BLUB WARNING

A word of warning to mums and dads though.  Be prepared for a little tear and perhaps a cough to cover your sobs.  You see I have children who were young when the first Toy Story came out and are now just humouring me by agreeing to see the new one.  I think I am Andy's Mum. Gulp!

What Next?

LAST TWO - LEE AND CRYSTAL

I know I've been banging on and on about American Idol.  Even when its been a tad boring I have stuck with it.  Now the last week is dawning. Wednesday and Thursday will be the last episodes with only two contestants remaining, Lee and Crystal.

SIMON COWELL

This is good news for Lesley's List because it means that out of the 16 I selected as possibilities to win, I still have one in the final.  Crystal Bowersox made it onto my list during the auditions round and there she is, in the final. So I win a million dollars?  I reckon I am tops at picking out the real talent and so should take over from Simon Cowell as top mean British judge when he stops doing Idol next year.  Season Ten could be Randy, Ellen, Kara and Lesley.   I wonder how much they pay?

WHEN IDOL IS OVER WATCH THE WORLD CUP 2010

But what worries me is - what am I going to do when Idol finishes?  Do you think there are counselling sessions available for viewers who suffer withdrawal symptoms?  People who find themselves  wandering around with stunned expressions, unable to concentrate on anything because their weekly routine has become so entrenched with America Idol they don't know where to turn once its over.   Such people will require post traumatic Americal Idol group counselling sessions where everyone can thrap on about their favourite, why there will never be another Adam Lambert and where on earth is Kriss Allen anyway, they can all practice their favourite judge impression and perhaps even have group sessions involving standing up clapping and yelling You had a moment dawg"  or such like.

Never fear.  I have a suggestion to all Idol addicts - watch the World Cup.

ENGLAND SUPPORT FOR EVER

I never thought I would find myself saying this because watching football is definitely not my thing.  But something happens to me every four years.  I turn into a football fan and I have even considered buying myself a polyester top emblazoned in garish logos.  Obviously I resisted that.  I am patriotic though.  I can't deny it.  I support England.  I really really want them to win.  My football fan hormones are about to kick in.  You know the ones that convince you that England are the best team ever, it's almost like having a child that can do no wrong.  No one can say anything negative about England that I believe and I become blinkered and dogmatic about their skill.

SHORT MEMORY

I have already forgotten about the last time when I was so excited about their every game when my hopes were dashed when they lost and got knocked out.  The world cup is about to start again so the slate is clean.  I await their success with an open heart and I believe they will win.  Engerland, Engerland, Engerland nah nah.

The Final 9 - American Idol Season 9 - Didi goes home

It should have been Tim Urban.

I sound like a jilted lover by proxy!  But you see Didi is on my 'LIST'.  MY LIST of potential finalists was carefully selected during the audition rounds and includes Andrew Garcia, Crystal Bowersox, Michael Lynche and it used to include Didi Benami but after America voted Didi went home last night.

Everyone can see, hear and even smell that Tim Urban is struggling to perform anything.  He has a weak voice.  Perhaps it's the hair that keeps the votes coming in?  He does nothing for me, I am not a fan of hair!   After Didi's demise the voice of God AKA Simon did not decide to give her a second chance so off she goes.   It must be next week that we wave goodbye to Tim's floppy fringe?

So now my list is:-

Andrew Garcia

Crystal Bowersox

Michael Lynche

Obviously I wish I had Siobhan Magnus on there as she is fab and groovy, if not a bit screamy, but we all love a good scream on a Wednesday night don't we?

 

 

 

What do you hate?

As I mature and develop into a much wiser human being (that just means I'm getting old) I now know there are things I just don't like.  At some point there will be things you only think you don't like but may not have actually tried them.  But as the years go by and more experiences are open to you, you have opportunities to try different things.  You can't like everything can you? 

By the process of elimination I now have a very definite list of things I don't like, dare I say, hate?

So here is my worst case scenario.

I am alone on a boat.

The toilet facilities involve squatting.

The only thing to eat is tinned tomatoes with brown sauce and piccalilli.

The tv remote has broken and the only programme I can watch is Extreme Makeoverr Home Edition.

I only have access to the South China Morning Post without the letters page and The Sun.

When not watching Extreme Makeover Home Edition and Sky News I have to play Monopoly.

The only beverage is espresso.

I am visited at night by a rat.

 I am visited occasionally by a rotweiler.

The sun is burning hot and I have no suncream or shade but my feet are in a cold draught all the time.

The only decoration on the boat is a picture of Hello Kitty.

I can listen to music but it is classical and jazz.

My clothes are all made from 100% polyester.

The only cooling device is a ceiling fan.

I have long hair.

Sometimes I am allowed off the boat, say if the water is too calm so I actually stop feeling sea sick, and taken on a trip where I visit a dried fish and tofu shop.

I am made to join a prayer circle.

So what makes you sick, what makes your skin crawl, what brings you out in a cold sweat?

  

Shine a Light

As part of the 32rd Hong Kong International Film Festival I went along to see the new Martin (Martie to his mates) Scorsese film documentary featuring Mick and boys - The Rolling Stones.  What an incredible afternoon I had.   I attached myself to the orderly queue which had formed outside the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Grand Theatre in Tsim Sha Tsui (TST in Hong Kong speak) and filed in around 12.30pm to take my seat.  The movie was fantastic and so much more than a dvd of a concert or a music video featuring the band.  It was incredibly detailed in that all the band were featured for suitably long lengths of time, enough time to really look at each one and notice just how much he had aged, how wrinkled he actually is and amaze at the fact that they all have their own hair and probably teeth.  I have seen The Stones and they were great but I was so far away (right at the back of the Harbour Fest Venue) it was impossible to really see them for who they are.  Shine a Light puts everything straight.  It is possible to notice every minute feature from the injection scars on Keith Richards arms to the slight bald patch on the back of Charlie Watt's head or for the more discerning musos out there, just exactly which tabs Rocking Ronnie uses.  They are all SO thin. It is utterly fascinating from a people watching point of view.   

Essentially it is a one off concert played in a New York theatre to a select bunch of their friends (who include the Clinton family) and a hand picked front row of gorgeous young girls to keep it interesting.  The songs are interspersed by old footage of the boys when they were young and foolish when tiresome reporters continued to ask them "How long do you think you will be playing music?"  Of course this is now hilarious as no one back in the 60s thought they would even by alive in 2008 never mind still performing rock and roll with more energy, coolness and style than most 20 year olds.  Now that they are 60 it seems so much more impressive that they are still massively successful, exciting and - dare I say it - sexy!  Obviously they take glucosamine sulphate and will probably live forever.

I was thrilled and excited as they performed.  I wanted to get up and dance, clap, cheer and generally get hot and sweaty - just like a real gig.  It was especially good to see guest artists come on stage to join them, Jack White, Christina Aguilera and the coolest blues guitarist on the planet Buddy Guy (what a dude).  The majority of the audience, being Chinese, were sedate and apart from a polite round of applause at the end they remained silent.  I can't help wondering, if I had seen it in London or New York would it have been a different experience altogether?

Go and see it and tell me about the audience reaction.

Sweeney Todd

I'll keep this short and to the point.  Sweeney Todd is one of the worst films I've ever seen.  I hated it from the moment Johnny Depp sang in the opening scene.  I had my eyes closed for some of the time partly because I was asleep and partly because I couldn't stand seeing yet another slit throat.  Give me dialogue any day.

Beowulf (PG)

Ms Joline                    Beowulf                           The real Ray Winston

Action fantasy movies are not my favorite genre but to appease my darling husband I went along with him to see Beowulf.  Not only did we see it in 3D but on a massive, size of 5 buses, IMAX screen in the new cinema in MegaBox, Kowloon Bay.  We splashed out a bit, well it was Friday, on our $115 seats but I thought in for a penny in for a pound, lets have the maximum sensory experience possible.

I was not disappointed.  It was the best experience in a cinema I have ever had.  Not only was it a great story based on the Anglo-Saxon epic with our hero Beowulf fighting, and beating, impossibly grotesque monsters and thus becoming King. It incorporates computer generated images which are so realistic and surprising the action made me jump out of my skin spilling my popcorn approximately once every 15 minutes.  The way that cgi cinema in 3D can have this effect on our minds is extraordinary.  The IMAX screen made it necessary to really turn my head and look to see what was happening in each scene which had the effect of allowing my guard to be down so I was suitably shocked by something whizzing up from the bottom of the screen or the top or the side to start yet another gory, blood soaked fight. 

I wholeheartedly recommend this movie.  Go and see it, make sure you get your snazzy 3D glasses and if possible find an IMAX screen for the best impact.  A word of advice - don't take your children to see it.  It is very scary and contains bawdy sexual references not at all suitable for 11 year olds which is what PG means. 

I know that Ray Winston is a man in his middle 50's and looks nothing like the perfectly toned six pack muscular Beowulf depicted in this movie, although I am not too sure if the body of Angelina Jolie's was also digitally (or surgically) enhanced to look stunningly sexy and seductive, she may actually look like that apart from the cloven high heels obviously. But it made me think that we are not far off having no need for real live actors in movies.  In a few years time filmmakers could do just what they want with any body they want with no necessity to pay their lead men or woman the millions of dollars they demand at the moment.  Beowulf was so realistic that in some scenes it was hard to distinguish animation from real life.  I predict that it won't be long before we will see cgi porn in 3D, now that would be scary on an IMAX screen.