To See or Not To See, There is No Question...

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Review of 'Hamlet'

(SPOILER ALERT!)
 

...About whether this production is incredible! An absolutely astounding performance delighted the audience on Saturday at the Barbican Theatre (London) where I watched the  latest production of  'Hamlet', starring Benedict Cumberbatch (Hamlet), Ciarán Hinds (Claudius), Matthew Steer (Rosencrantz) and Anastasia Hille (Gertrude). In one of the Bard's most classic tragedies, we find young Hamlet stricken with grief of his father's death, struggling with his family's turmoil. The young prince is then sent into a tragic plot of revenge, ruin and bloodlust that threatens both his sanity and his life.

Overall the production lived up to its hype. With tickets sold out a year in advance and A-list star Benedict Cumberbatch as the play's heartbeat, the production had high expectations to live up to.  

Miraculously it succeeded.

Firstly, the staging was spectacular - a cavernous manor house dining room, come ball room size setting with a grand sweeping staircase lining the left of the stage. It was rich in colour, elegance and style with antlers and deer heads coating the walls, along with grand portraits of former kings of Denmark. This gave the play an authentic, spectacular feel, truly embracing the idea of 'removing the fourth wall' despite the classic, theatrical script.

After the interval, the stage was consumed with rubble and debris, creating a 'battlefield' look - the house seemingly full of death and destruction to reflect the family's position of undisputed turmoil and treachery. It wasn't only the set that was stunning, so were the costumes. From wedding gowns of jewels, lace and feathers to army uniforms of gold with stunningly elaborate detail. Yet perhaps the simplest costume was arguably the most striking - Hamlet's modernisation himself: often wearing a simple black cotton jumper or even a hoodie!

The lighting also enhanced the unashamed theatricality of the production, for example the use of shadow created a wonderful emphasis on character intentions vs their actions. For example, Hamlet stood up on the staircase with his dagger raised as he struggled with his desire to kill the praying Claudius below - despite there being meters between the actors, the shadows were mere millimetres away from one another. This clever use of light added an extra dimension to the play, highlighting the questions of insanity, mind, conscience and action. It also created a rich, gothic-horror undertone, for example when Claudius revealed his plans to have Hamlet murdered in England, the light cast villainous shadows against the ornate walls. Furthermore, when the ghost of Hamlet's father visited him, eerie silhouetted tree-like projections framed the scene, not to mention the dark hallways adding spine-chilling depth to the cavernous stage, enhancing the play's embrace of the supernatural.

The actors themselves were exquisite. Sian Brooke (Ophelia) created a beautifully tragic story of confused love interest to ghostly, sinister victim of the play's events - even singing about her father's death in a floaty black lace dress which enhanced her sinister, tragic qualities. Villainous Ciarán Hinds perfected the role of Claudius - from supposedly trusting uncle to murderous traitor, subtly building up the worry and cunning ambition of the devilish fiend superbly.

The production was also unafraid of incorporating contemporary themes and techniques to enhance the visual impacts of the plot. For example,  surreal contemporary/ballet style choreography was integrated into the final Act when Hamlet kills Laertes. The combination of spotlighting in slow motion the fatal blow, whilst the rest of the cast on stage were left in darkness performing a ghostly routine, created a truly spectacular climax to the play as Hamlet sunk further into the pit of death and gore. By entwining graceful movement with horrific action, the scene was absolutely breath-taking, and felt like an out-of-body experience - to see something so strange yet perfectly balanced as Hamlet's impending doom was thrust upon him.

And now to the man himself. Cumberbatch's entire performance was electrifying! The pace, energy and ferocity with which he encapsulated the role was astounding. Every line was uttered with perfect clarity, depth of feeling and musicality that only Shakespeare can provide. He even became the comic relief during his pretence of madness - creating  a hilarious childlike character in a toy castle with exuberant music. This allowed a wonderful contrast to his tormented, haunted, revenge-stricken Hamlet which he played to perfection.

 

Overall: 5 Stars.

A glorious example of the best Britain has to offer. A fantastic cast, staging, set, lighting, music and of course play writing. I cannot express enough how much I would urge anyone and everyone (particularly those who love excellent Shakespeare) to see the production. This can be done by heading down to the Barbican's box office to try and nab one of the golden '£10 day tickets' (only 30 are sold a day). Get there early though as they won't hang around long for this truly 'insane' show!

 (Alternatively, Hamlet will be broadcast live in cinemas on 15th October 2015 keep an eye out for it!)

 

Pictures: http://hamlet.barbican.org.uk/v30_hamlet_GALLERY.html + own editing on Paint.

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'1984' - A Review of my Unexpected Experience

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Review of '1984'

SPOILER ALERT!

Staring Matthew Spencer (Winston), Tim Dutton (O'Brien) Janine Harouni (Julia), Robert Ike's and Duncan Macmillan's adaptation runs until 5^th September 2015 at the Playhouse Theatre, London with a running time of 101 minutes (no interval).

 

 

After reading Orwell's acclaimed classic, I waited with bated breath as we were directed to our seats in London's playhouse theatre last night. I was excited to see how his complex novel would be transformed to a production for the stage. I was eager to discover how 'double think', the 'ministry of love' and the 'ministry of truth', as well as 'newspeak', the '2 minutes hate' and of course the 'telescreens' would be adapted for a live audience.

Unfortunately, despite roaring reviews from other critics I came away with mixed emotions. The first part of the play seemed slow, heavy and ambiguous. I would not recommend this play to anyone who has not read the book as the scenes flitted from real life, memory to the imagination simultaneously. It felt like it was trying to be too witty for its own good. Having just read the book (in the past year), I could luckily remember most of the action, and could distinguish between performed real action and performed internal monologue. Yet I felt these abstract concepts would be utterly confusing had I not read the novel beforehand as the script delivered a confusing, dilapidated plotline of thoughts and repetitive action. Indeed, there should be an element of ambiguity to allow for self-questioning and for the play to raise Orwell's perspectives without being too demanding, yet the complete lack of clarity left a lot of his themes and ideas to be desired. Furthermore, the play (quite cleverly) ran for 101 minutes (clearly a reference to 'room 101') which although was a clever quirk of technicality, the practicalities of this moderately short running time meant (I felt) that many of Orwell's larger ideas of truth, reality, privacy, free speech and other elements of fundamental human psychology were lost as the play tried to conform to this inadequate time length.

However...the second part of the play (despite having no interval it was clearly marked between "paranoid confusion" and "when Winston meets Julia") rapidly picked up the pace and the sense of foreboding that is entwined in the book was finally clearly demonstrated. The ever looming sense of 'Big Brother' and 'the party' were cleverly conveyed using cameras and film on a large screen above the action on stage. The set was also rather clever - an oppressive, wood-panelled room filled with book shelves on the walls and frosted glass windows set with a heavy desk just off centre stage which was the basis for a train station, office, canteen, O'Brien's office and Winston's home. After seeing this boxed-in set, when the room was completely dismantled after Julia and Winston's capture leaving just a white blank space for Winston's torture in the 'ministry of love', it created an intense sense of panic as the set's bright white glare and clinical sterility created a heightened sense of cruelty, manipulation and psychotic madness. This, bizarrely, was the highlight of the play. Strobe lights and sirens had been used already, yet here the staging was used to create a simulation effect on the audience - hitting us with strobe lights then total darkness as Winston is slowly brain washed and excruciatingly tortured. Each time the bright white lights on stage were re-illuminated, Winston would have more blood over him - from his mouth, from his toes,  from his fingers, from everywhere - creating a realistic, sickening sensation which was almost unbearable to watch. Yet this is where theatre is at its best - the uncontrollable emotion that real life performance can produce, the depth of passion of disgust at his torture was at a similar level if not worse than what I had when reading the book itself.

This leads me on to Matthew Spencer's utterly incredible performance of Winston. I've not seen a theatre performance like it. Watching his psychological and emotional journey from paranoid and confused to enlightened and hopeful to ultimately broken, powerless and yet heart-breakingly defiant in the face of extreme orthodoxy was undeniably astounding. His colleagues were also well-played, yet I reckon Julia (Janine Harouni) could have been stronger and more defiant, yet I believe this was down to her poor script not her acting capability - it seemed she was there more for a love story rather than being with Winston together to fight the party. Furthermore, Tim Dutton as O'Brien, was brilliant in his sickening role as a lead controller of Winston's torture and 'rehabilitation' yet, sadly, the punch of his betrayal was missing due to the rushed and disorganised script which neglected to build or convey any of Winston's trust in O'Brien to make his betrayal that much worse. This sadly meant his character lost the depth and meaning of that which is stunningly created in the book.

 Overall: 3.5 Stars.

Despite these mixed emotions, I would still recommend '1984' but only to those who have read the classic - do not have high hopes of being able to appreciate every aspect and theme of Orwell's novel that of course make it so brilliantly timeless, but do have high hopes of a spine-tingling, unnerving experience as you explore the world of 'the party' and the constriction of the infamous dystopia.

 

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Dazzling Dubai - Off to the Desert

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This was the highlight of Dubai, and one of the best experiences of my life. We had arranged to go with a company called Platinum Heritage into the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve. As we drove for over an hour out of the futuristic metropolis, we passed multiple building sites, and even saw some camel racing tracks with dozens of camels being herded to and fro from track to track. Finally we entered into the anciently traditional Middle Eastern landscape - pure, undisturbed desert.

We transferred from our air-conditioned mini buses into 1950's original desert jeeps (luckily with a modern-day back-up car in case of break downs-eek!).

We journeyed over the dunes, stopping occasionally to take in the views and learn about the few plants growing in there. We learnt about which ones were poisonous, and which could store water; have healing powers; work as a natural insect repellent or even a sun screen - all of which travellers years ago would have needed to know to survive. We also saw some of the few species of wildlife that live in this remote region: the Arabian Oryx.

We finally arrived at a small camp area where we sat on Persian rugs, sipped sparkling date juice (superbly refreshing after being sand blasted in the jeep) and sat down to watch a falconry display.

We were fervently told that falcons are not pets and can never be tamed, that the one the handler had only stayed with her for food. Indeed, travellers years ago would often capture falcons to help catch prey, but again, the falcon would only stay for the food so it would be vital to track your falcon once it had caught the prey to recapture it and use it the next day, whilst a family could feed off its prey.

After watching the breath-taking swoops and dives of the majestic bird, we were then able to hold the falcon - a daunting yet exhilarating opportunity.

From the small, rugged area, we got back into the jeeps and travelled to our final destination: an authentic Bedouin camp. We were greeted by the sight of camels, palm trees, stove fires, homemade camel stew, 8-hour-roasted lamb (that literally fell off the bone) and a traditional henna  artist. Before our meal began, we went  for a camel ride. It was extremely good fun, but I hadn't quite realised exactly how high the animals were! After the camel rides, I went and had a traditional henna tattoo. It looked stunning but felt peculiar as the natural dye set on my hand before I could rub it off to leave the intricate traditional pattern that Arabian women would have worn during special occasions such as weddings.

The meal we had was absolutely delicious, even the camel was tasty (although it felt odd to have just ridden one and now be eating another) - a little on the chewy side but it tasted good - like a mix between beef and pork. After the meal, we were treated to some shisha and a performance from a real Arabian dancer. This consisted of a lot of hear tossing and head flipping - I felt like I was watching an Arabian Beyoncé!

The most memorable part of this once-in-a-lifetime experience was the journey back to the minivans. We had actually travelled quite a long way from our original base, but this time we were travelling under a beautiful blanket of stars. They were so clear and bright, and that view mixed with the silent desert dunes and cool air rushing past us felt truly magical.

Overall it was a truly incredible experience and although it was far from the glamour and grandeur of Dubai, it was certainly the highlight of the whole trip!

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Typically British Afternoon Tea

I felt quite cliché-ishly British this weekend as I popped into London for a spot of afternoon tea with some friends. We went to the Hilton in Mayfair, located just around the corner from Green Park.

The hotel delivered a classy, modern atmosphere yet with soft cushions and sofas to relax in and with warm lamps decorating reception it indulged us in an undeniably comfortable undertone too.

The tea itself was beautiful. We started off with a glass of champagne which truly added an extra sparkle of sophistication to the occasion. Then a three tier tea set was brought out which was crammed full of delicious delights. On the first tier there were scones with strawberry jam and clotted cream, the second hosted a selection of hand cut sandwiches – cucumber, smoked salmon, tuna and egg mayonnaise – and the top tier held a display of chocolate sponge, a mini macaron, carrot cake and a divine shot of elderflower jelly set around woodland berries. 

Each item was precise, clean and delicious. The scones were light and airy (although a touch more jam could have made them perfect).

 

The sandwiches were wonderfully soft and obviously made with care. The salmon in particular was of very good quality and delivered a superb smoky flavour.

The treats at the top were the stand outs of the show however. The chocolate sponge was moist, light and delivered a thick rich chocolate icing. The carrot cake was equally lovely, especially as the spices in the sponge were prominent yet not overpowering. However, the elderflower jelly was a true shot of sophisticated fun. I felt like a kid with a spoon in my hand as the sweet-sour jelly filled my mouth. The berries too added a sweet-sharp extra to this well thought out treat.

Overall, the whole occasion was excellent – excellent atmosphere, excellent company and excellent food.

Pictures: http://www3.hilton.com/en/hotels/united-kingdom/hilton-london-green-park-LONGPTW/index.html

Dazzling Dubai - Exploring the World's Tallest, Biggest and Best

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Home to the world's first 'seven star' hotel, the world's tallest building and the world's biggest shopping mall, Dubai was certainly trying and succeeded in impressing us.

We took the train to downtown Dubai on our second night to visit the world's tallest building, the Burj Khalifa. Over 160 stories tall, it was utterly breath-taking.

To top this off , underneath there was a dancing fountain show, much like the Bellagio fountains in Las Vegas. Music would play around a small, pristine lake in front of the Burj Khalifa and the fountains would 'dance' to the music - shooting off in synchronisation to produce beautiful water displays. The fountains would come on once every half hour so during a meal next to the lake, in the shadow of the great Burj Khalifa, we were treated to four different displays of unique, free entertainment.

Whilst we were there, we went shopping in the world's biggest shopping Mall - the Dubai Mall. I felt like this shopping centre must have every store in the entire world. From your glamorous, global designers like Gucci and Prada to local English stores like Boots and WH Smiths!

I have to say however that, although I love to shop, this shopping mall was almost too big - it felt so claustrophobic. You get enticed by its glossy jewellery displays, marble floors, restaurants and exhibitions until you find you're so far in you can't find the way out!

However, across from the mall, you have the Souk. This was a much smaller but more localised shopping centre - home to all your traditional Middle Eastern goods. From pick-and-mix-looking spice stalls to beautiful handmade saris, pashminas and incense. The whole area felt truly beautiful and was a joy to wander round.

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Dazzling Dubai - Grosvenor House Hotel

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A few weeks ago, I had the extraordinary pleasure of visiting the futuristic, beautiful city  of Dubai. This is the first of three posts about my experience. This one looks at the delightful Grosvenor House Hotel.

After our seven hour flight, we finally arrived in Dubai. We were shocked by  the surreal skyscrapers that lined the sometimes 14-lane-wide highways. It almost felt like something out of Star Wars - the buildings were so clean and futuristic. It's hard to believe that less than 50 years ago, Dubai was practically a desolate desert area, but has now flourished into a bustling cosmopolitan metropolis.

The hotel we stayed in was the 5 star Grosvenor House Hotel. It was incredible. Our room overlooked Dubai's marina and was large enough to be a private villa! The attention to detail was splendid - from fresh fruit and water daily to even a complimentary shoe-cleaning service. The large beds provided the perfect night's sleep,  and the furnishings were lavishly beautiful with no expense spared.

All of the hotel's staff were very attentive - never missing a chance to give you a smile or check you were having a great day. The hotel's facilities were incredible too! From a choice of over half a dozen restaurants, an in-house spa, gym and beautifully peaceful pool area (despite enjoying the pool in the heart a buzzing city, it was still wonderfully calm and quiet with soft music playing in the background from the pool bar), not to mention housing one of the top ten best restaurants in Dubai (Trip Advisor), there was so much to do that we could have easily spent the whole week in the hotel.

As we were only there for a week we could only try so many of the restaurants. The first was the Buddha Bar which although may sound peculiar was perhaps the most chic and stylish restaurant and bar I've been to. With bouncers at the entrance, the Asian restaurant felt more like a club whilst still providing a glamorous dinning experience. As we entered the darkened rooms, the vibrant red and orange lights created an exciting atmosphere which was heightened by the enormous golden Buddha and red lantern chandeliers that framed the central dining area. However, my one criticism was that, our actual dining area felt a little underwhelming after having seen the grand golden Buddha statue and lantern ceiling as, unlike in England, smoking is still permitted in public places in Dubai, and unfortunately we sat in a separate part of the restaurant whilst smokers got the benefit of the grander furnishings. However, the exquisite food more than made up for the less showy surroundings.

To start, I tried my first 'real' sushi which was delicious - crisp seaweed mixed with the delicate flavours of the rice, prawns, crab and spices to culminate in an explosion of flavour.

For my main, I had 'Wok Seared Cantonese Beef' (beef tenderloin, Cantonese barbeque sauce, broccoli, red wine confit onion, served with steamed jasmine rice) which was amazing. The dish looked delicious when it arrived but tasted even better as the rich barbecue sauce mixed with Cantonese spices and sweet confit onion, the flavours were intensely satisfying and sublime.

For desert, I refreshed my palette with 'Champagne Slow Cooked Berries' (poached berries served with white chocolate mousse). The sweet-sourness of the fresh summer berries were a sublime compliment to the delicate white chocolate mousse - the perfect desert for such a splendid meal.

Overall, a truly excellently chic experience which I would recommend to anyone visiting Dubai.

We also ate at Rhodes W1, a chicly English dining experience and Toro Toro ( a bit like a less dark Mexican Buddha Bar). Both meals were delicious and glamorous with extraordinary attention to detail and class.

Overall, the experience of the Grosvenor House Hotel was unforgettably relaxing and exciting. It provided a wonderful, professional and attentive service; a hotel I would stay at when I next visit Dubai.

Pictures: http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g295424-d1510514-Reviews-Buddha_Bar-Dubai_Emirate_of_Dubai.html#photos, http://www.rw1-dubai.com/gallery, http://www.grosvenorhouse-dubai.com/en/gallery/Pools + own editing on paint. Own pictures.

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Unexpected treasure at the National Theatre

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Review of 'Treasure Island'

SPOILER ALERT!

Staring Patsy Ferran (Jim Hawkings), Arthur Darvill (Long John Silver) and Joshua James (Ben Gunn),this wonderful play by Bryony Lavery transforms Robert Louis Stevenson's classic novel "Treasure Island" into a fearsome real-life adventure; packed with pirates, expeditions, and vicious villains. The production runs until 8^th April (2015) at the Olivier stage, National Theatre, London with a running time of 2hrs 10mins (including interval).

Before we even made it to the stage, the national theatre already delighted us. We 'wined and dined' at the National's in-house restaurant, "Kitchen". Despite this seeming like a slap-dash, takeaway style of dining facility (which we hurried into as we arrived late), this quirky restaurant, delivered an unexpected delight for dinner. I ordered "mushroom and spinach risotto" (£8.60) which resulted in an absolutely scrumptious dish. It felt rustically homemade with a subtle hint of class underlying the flavours and presentation. The spinach was a tasty addition to a bowl of well-cooked risotto. What served as a pleasing surprise was a subtle hint of lemon to the dish that although may sound peculiar, in fact complimented the spinach and mushrooms wonderfully. If you're booked to go to the National, make sure you visit this little gem, beware it's quite busy but due to its quick-paced atmosphere and delicious cuisine, you won't need long to finish your meal and be desperate for more. Its snappy service is also incredibly satisfying when hungry and needing to be quick for your show.

Ok, now let's get down to business - the show itself. When we entered the theatre, we were hit by sounds of crashing waves, roaring seas and the creaks of the decks of a ship - not to mention the rib-like, skeletal bows of a ship framing the stage (designed by Lizzie Clachan).

 I'd never been to the National before but its amphitheatre design meant that we all had a brilliant view - no matter where we were sitting - there was certainly no 'restricted seating' in this theatre. I didn't know the plot of "Treasure Island" before going to see the production but I have since found out that the principal, Jim Hawkins (Patsy Ferran) is in fact a boy in the book. The gender change of this main character was by no means covered up as many of the characters drew our attention to it which suggests director, Polly Findlay wants to open up this 'book for Victorian boys' to a modern audience - regardless of gender.

However, speaking of audiences, I'm not sure this production was strictly aimed at children. The book's darker themes were definitely highlighted here as over five deaths were graphically staged in full view - from cut throats and stabbings to induced madness and one character being speared through the chest, centre stage (I have no idea how this effect was created). Not to mention Arthur Darvill ("Doctor who", "Once", "Broadchurch") as Long John Silver. He delivered a truly terrifying performance - from your trustworthy pal to your back stabbing (quite literally here) malicious villain. Darvill played the role with such agile subtlety - not over-playing the overly-aggressive, loud stereotype of a pirate villain but instead playing on the betrayal and plain evil in his character.

The whole production felt like a true adventure - sword fights, 'goodies vs baddies' and spectacular special effects. One in particular was the unique and imaginative staging Clachan designed for this fantastical tale. When needing a star-covered sky, a ceiling of hanging light bulbs illuminated over the audience so we were also under the stars. When needing a full scale ship on stage, a two-story stage of captain's room, hammock bedrooms, kitchen quarters came up out of the stage  with rigging, ropes, sales and pirate flags to match. Then, when we thought it couldn't get any better, the second half of the stage also came up and showed us the maze of Ben Gunn's (Joshua James) caves. Although I normally prefer simplistic, clever staging, this show delivered a certain excitement as new parts of the revolving stage were unveiled at different moments. It added to the play's adventurous and exciting atmosphere.

Overall: 4 Stars.

As a wonderful escape from the mundane boredoms of 'real life', "Treasure Island" delivers a truly fun production to watch but I'm not sure it's totally 'family-friendly' due to its slightly darker undertones. However, it's still worth a visit and provides classic escapist entertainment!

Picture: http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/shows/treasure-island + own taken with editing on Paint

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