Wednesday 1 April 2020

And Now For Something Entirely Different.....

the end of culture as I know it, for the time being anyway. I hope.

Creativity is in short supply in my household, all I can think of doing is unravel the rugs and knit face masks with the proceeds. That is if I knew how to knit. Years ago I gave away all jigsaw puzzles, half finished embroidery tablecloths went down the charity route and painting by numbers has never appealed. Reading is a habit I won’t tire of anytime soon, unfortunately the last book I picked from the long list of “waiting to be read” is Isabell Allende’s “In the Midst of Winter”, too good to be put aside but also too deeply harrowing to be read without frequent recourse to a sip of wine and a piece of chocolate. I really need to forget about the improving kind of reading material and go back to the shelves of old favourites for a laugh. For a little light relief I watched the first two episodes of the new Sunday night costume saga “Belgravia”, Downton Abbey in the time of Waterloo; Mr. Fellowes, do you really need more dosh that badly?

However, to culture, the high brow variety.

Have you ever sat among an audience, clinging to the armrests of your seat, trying to prevent yourself shouting at the players? That’s what happened to me during “The Whip”, a brand new play about the abolition of slavery in 1834. On the surface, the achievement appears to be a heroic victory for human decency, in truth, slavery was followed by the appalling 'apprenticeship scheme', slavery by another name, with worse punishment. Slave owners were compensated for the loss of their ‘property’ with a multi-million pound Sterling windfall; in 2015 the money borrowed for this ‘bailout' was finally paid off by the British taxpayer. What made me want to shout and climb the stage was the naked greed, the inhumanity, corruption, mendacity, portrayed by the actors. I believed it all, and it reminded me forcibly of our own times.

How different was the National Theatre’s “Cyrano De Bergerac”. Until quite late into the first scene I was still waiting for the play to begin, confused by a lineup of actors rapping at a fast and furious pace. This is a radical reboot of Rostand’s 1897 ‘wooing-by-proxy’ romantic classic and, once I understood what was going on, I loved it. James McAvoy was a fierce, proud, word-intoxicated Cyrano, never stumbling, never missing a beat. Yes, I loved it.

And that will be that for the time being. All theatres are closed, as are all cinemas. No more live shows, no more streaming. Tickets already bought and paid for are invalid; I have no idea if the Royal Shakespeare Company will make refunds. The probable loss of money is not my first concern, I am more saddened by the loss of one of my favourite pastimes. My friends and I have tickets for performances at Stratford for two consecutive days in May, with an overnight stay at a fancy hotel.

Ah well.





33 comments:

  1. From zoo web cams to art gallery walk throughs, to symphony orchestra and operas online, to free movies, live streaming has become big here. No, we can't do live performances but there is a lot on offer. I expect there is for you too.

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  2. Hi Friko, love has changed very rapidly in these past weeks. I mostly have my nose in a book or spend time crafting, but I miss being outside. I hope you find something to keep yourself occupied and happy in the coming weeks. Look after yourself! Hugs, Valerie

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  3. Hi Friko - yes you'll miss your outings ... and the players will miss their earnings. Wistfully I do hope things will turn around - but life is changing. All I can say is take care and look after yourself ... I've a couple of websites that might interest you ... I'll email - and then you can peruse.

    People down here are getting stuck in with various 'social' things via zoom - but I rather feel I'm happier being content and quiet - talking to a few and generally getting on with things I do need to do.

    I see the weather is going to be distinctly warmer come the weekend ... your garden will be a delight to be out in ... can you swap some books via people in the village ... eg lots of penguins (to read ... not eat! - though I must say, right now ... that would be good.)

    Take care and all the best - Hilary

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  4. Our lives are all changing so much! It's hard to believe we'll be able to get back to "normal" anytime soon. I keep thinking about my what happened to our family after my grandmother died in the Flu Epidemic of 1918/19. A few more social programs are in place now than back then to help motherless/fatherless families but emotional toll of losing a parent at young age will be the same.

    Stay safe!

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  5. That is true here as well although our actors are asking for donations as many of them now have no income with all theaters closed. We are confined by law to our yards and only grocery or medicine or emergency trips as of yesterday. If they find we are not being 'good' it is a 5K fine and perhaps jail time! This in the freedom loving America. That is what Cornovirus does to Democracy.

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  6. I don't think there will be any going back to "normal" after this is over. It's really horrible what is happening. I think my husband and I both have mild cases of the virus and wouldn't dream of trying to get a test to confirm it, since in the US they are scarce, and what difference would it make? If either of us get sick enough to go to the hospital, then we would find out. I fear for the world, but especially for my country.

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  7. I find myself being consumed by quiet. No traffic down our street, no kids playing. I am a talker. I am missing family and grand babies. I don't recognize my new normal, but I will comply in hopes things settle down. Wishing you peace and comfort.

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  8. I miss my swimming an sauna... the other life is not so different from my normal life!
    Wishing you health and comfort!
    ♥♥♥
    Susi from Austria

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  9. Like you, I don't know how to knit (never learned it). I know how to crochet but haven't done any crocheting in at least 30 years.
    I have never wanted to shout at the players on stage, but I have had moments when I was so immersed in a performance that I had to remind myself to breathe. One memorable scene was the ballet "Dornröschen" in Stuttgart some time in the late 1980s, produced by Marcia Haydée with Richard Cragun as Carabosse.

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  10. Now would be a good time to knit but I never learned either. I feel for all of those out of work. How frightening this all must be for them. Most of us can handle anything if there is a time limit on it. The frustrating part of this is there is no time limit that we are aware of. Just take it one day at a time.

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  11. Reading and the garden are keeping me sane(ish). And yes, I have also been alternating 'serious' reading with comfort reads.
    Stay well, stay safe.

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  12. Drastic restrictions on driving in the run up to Easter, public transport up the spout likewise...most depresing as, of course, even though rarely going out the moment one cannot one wants to do so desperately.
    Still, plenty of books and music...but just hope that the internet holds out!

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  13. So sorry to hear that your shows are cancelled. I am knitting and bike riding to stave off insanity. Hope you find a good book, or series of books to fill your time.

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  14. I'm not sure anyone could empathize with you more about theatre closings than I. Our local hall which gets national tours is doing credits for next season, I believe. But when you love going it's so sad to be unable. Did I give you this link about National Theatre on TV? https://www.whatsonstage.com/london-theatre/news/national-theatre-live-youtube-free-stream_51268.html?fbclid=IwAR0eprqpLB6o3FazHiBJRU8iinVZp1u9nqivUW6VL0H4t8-q8VXR4qGG5pI

    It's about a week old or so, the article but maybe they will have others. I love "Cyrano.." and "The Whip sounds very powerful. I'm glad you are writing. Take care.

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  15. I just started reading "The Splendid and the Vile" by Erik Larson, about Churchill in 1940. Puts what we're going through in perspective. Be well, stay safe ... stay sane!

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  16. yes, all entertainment has come to a standstill. those who cannot entertain themselves are at a loss. I have my yard, my glass sculpture making materials, my colored pencils, and my watercolors. and books though the library is closed there is a little free library across from the post office.

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  17. This pandemic has set the world atilt. Who knows when and how it will become righted again? I am desperately trying to learn new technologies to be able to interact and teach my high school students. I miss my children and grandchildren. These are difficult days, and without our usual forms of entertainment, very long ones.

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  18. Not much changed for me so far, friend Friko. Still winter here. I still work my shifts. Otherwise, unless I'm sleeping, I talk to family here and abroad, do some cooking, spend time with Thunderbutt, do reading, listen to music. "Knuddles". Love, cat. https://www.youtube.com/embed/uDSOOlNeC8s?rel=0&controls=0&showinfo=0

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  19. This pandemic has taken over our lives, Friko. It has wormed its way into the very nature of society and what it means to be part of a whole. Now we are all confined in our little spaces with little or no opportunity for contact with others. I suspect that we are in for a long period of disruption with COVID-19. For those of us with homes and gardens it is mitigated a little. We can get outside, we can maintain social distancing but still chat to the neighbour over the fence. For those cooped up in little apartments, isolated and with little opportunity to even get fresh air, it must be excruciating,

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  20. Yes, our lives are changing and will be for quite a while, I'm afraid. Things will be different in the aftermath. I'm at an advantage having been housebound for 15 years. I have art, craft & calligraphy supplies. There's always movies, TV shows--all the goodies I can find on Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Acorn TV. I can drag out the sewing machine, papermaking supplies, or polymer clay. I have more things to do than you can shake a stick at--LOL! Now if I just felt decent enough to get to more of them--LOL! I do miss seeing McFamily in person, though. I might spend more time reading on my little patio this year than I ever have before! ;) I heard that for $8.99 a month (US) you can sign up to watch BroadwayHD and watch the plays. Maybe they have something like that there if you don't care for American theater?

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  21. The daylight hours are longer and the birds are singing more joyously - or at least, loudly. Bees and butterflies are gnats are more noticeable. It's a lovely time of year - I'm glad we're not going through this in the depths of winter. Life will return to normal, though I don't know what the 'new normal' will be. I hope we will not return to the heedless consumerism, though I fear we probably will. Keep well, look forward.

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  22. I really do feel for you, Friko. While I've never been one to go to the theater and such, the one thing I'd been looking forward to for months -- another spring filled with wildflowers to photograph --is impossible now. Of course I can get around in my area, but the places I wanted to visit all require an overnight stay, and hotels/motels/b&bs are out of the question now. I'll make the best of it; at least day trips still are possible.

    I laughed at your mention of knitting. My mother was impossibly good at it, and wanted so badly for me to become a knitter, too, but it just never 'took.' It bored me to tears, to be honest. I can cast on, but that's it. And I don't care to learn now. If I have to fill some time, I'd rather watch my squirrels and birds.

    There actually are some signs of blessed normalcy here and there. I went to the grocery store tonight, and there were far fewer shoppers and far more goods on offer. There was fresh produce, chicken, meat, eggs, butter, and even strawberries and blueberries. I have a little too much food in the refrigerator now for a single person, but since it's all nutritious, it won't be that bad. I'll eat up the fresh produce, and freeze some of it. At least I won't have to go to the store for some time!

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  23. What if you are not creative? Why bother? There are other things to pass the time of day. Actually, with loads of students’ papers to check (we’re on distant learning) my day is mostly busy. And I’m extremely grateful to theatres worldwide which grant free access to wonderful performances. Three nights running in Berlin opera house was a treat!
    I would love to see James McAvoy as Cyrano! By the way, have you seen BBC series ShakespeaRe-Told ? That’s where he was a magnificent Macbeth! I wonder which adaptation you liked best. These would take your mind off the virus for a while…
    Keep safe, Friko.
    With hope and best wishes from Russia,
    Irina

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  24. Dear Friko, yes, adjusting to all this is taking patience and a looking around the house/apartment for things to do. I have some puzzles to work and yarn for crocheting an afghan. But mostly, I just want to work on my next memoir. I know how enjoyable live plays are for you. Do you have BritBox? If so, I think there are some plays on it that have been filmed. Peace.

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  25. One great activity left for us stuck-at-home, silver surfers, is talking a walk around Blogland! Yay! Now all I need do is discover how to get back that handy 'reply' option for comments, such as your blog is offering. It may take my brain cells a while to discover the answer...
    Stay safe, keep well! X♥X

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  26. I fear so many 'arts' companies will not survive this.

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  27. I share your disappointment as we also bought tickets for concerts and opera and plays. Three have already cancelled and I was given the option to donate my refund or get a gift certificate dpfor future use. I did both up to end of April. My guess is May will also be cancelled but so far no email advice has come.
    Movie theatres are allowing purchase of main features to be viewed at home if you have WiFi for TV or even tablets. Fees are reasonable and you can opt for a digital copy to keep later for an add on fee.
    Lucky you can enjoy a glass of wine. My body refuses to let me.i react to sulphites now. Chocolate is ok but only in tiny amounts. Do stay safe.

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  28. Adjusting our sails to changing waters indeed. I think I'm there some days, other days not so much, I stall and lose the balance and huddle.

    Today is good. I found my mojo again, I hate it disappearing. News gets depressing, friends are not isolating.

    I need to be in charge.

    XO
    WWW

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  29. Regret you’re missing your favorite outings as we are, too. I wonder what will be the new normal when we finally get there and what of culture will survive since some have been bent on watering it down, even polluting it, anyway. Have set aside most of my now waiting non-fiction serious reading as hard to stay focused, Instead I’ll see if some lighter reading, including certain fiction will suffice for now. Do take good care of yourself and stay safe.

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  30. We're missing being able to eat out or stop at a pub for a beer. But I am reading a lot - I'll add that book to my list.

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  31. I' m reading a lot. Something good I guess. I'm your follower #498. Should you follow me back? My blog is Relatos y Más and you can access by cliking on my profile.
    Have a nice day!

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  32. Here in Toronto we were able to get out opera and symphony tickets refunded as well as tickets for Wii inclusive trip to Cuba. We can get movies from the cinema via our smart TV for a fee. As time goes by it is getting to be a drag with house only place to stay.

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