Into the Breach is a tour-de-force by Mark Carey for its concept, writing and his performance. He skips effortlessly between the half-dozen, eccentric characters without pausing for breath and was a joy to watch. However, I think the play’s greatest achievement was to demonstrate that, even after 400 years, Shakespeare is accessible and relevant to us all, at all times and in all circumstances.
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. . . a man emerges wearing a motorcycle crash-helmet. He and the woman speak to each other in an animated, urgent fashion. I have absolutely no idea what they are saying, for they are talking in Portuguese. I hear some laughter from fellow members of the audience and I begin to suspect that I am the only person among the mere twenty or so in the auditorium who is not fluent in that language.
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Ballet is often, mistakenly, thought of as elitist, difficult and serious but, as last night showed, it can be a lot of fun too. The programme consisted of four short-ish pieces, two of which could be described as playful . . . Birmingham Royal Ballet is always a joy to watch. I look forward to seeing them with a sort of childish glee of which a man of my age should be ashamed. But I’m not, I love ‘em.
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To all you lovers of dance and spectacle I suggest you book seats at tonight’s performance of the JSLN Dance Company . . . Variations of Pointe presents an intriguing and highly entertaining triple bill that reflects Artistic director Sören Magnus Niewelt’s desire for classical and populist narratives to be explored through classical ballet, but also through other dance forms.
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. . . despite my ignorance when it comes to ballet, I expected that I’d still enjoy it . . . Writing this review has made me feel rather uncultured, particularly in the face of many other great reviews, but I suppose not everybody likes the same thing. After all, Nijinsky’s balletic interpretation of Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring got booed off the stage, so it’s probably a good thing to divide one’s audience.
Read MoreThis piece is presented by Traverse Theatre Company, who were established over 50 years ago to extend the essence of the Edinburgh Festival and nurture emerging talent. The play certainly fits in that spirit and I can see how it would work well in a small, dark pub room watched by an eager festival audience but it loses something of that atmosphere in the bigger more formal space of Tobacco Factory Theatres.
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