A gravity-defying sculpture was unveiled last month near Marble
Arch as part of Westminster’s City of Sculpture series.
Bushra Fakhoury’s Danse
Gwenedour is a joyous celebration of life, inspired by the folkloric dance
performed by villagers in Bretagne, or Brittany, France. Masked figures hold
hands in a circle, three of them suspended in the air through the support of a
fourth member of the group.
The sculptor finds inspiration in myths, fables, folklore,
carnivals, parades, the powers of observation and good old-fashioned people-watching. Fakhoury’s expertise can be traced back to the age of seven, when she
carved out flowers and animals from marzipan.
Although she was born in Lebanon and has lived in places
such as the Ivory Coast, France and Kenya, she’s called London home for 40
years. She received her PhD in Art Education at the University of London.
With its inception in 2012, the City of Sculpture programme’s
aim is to provide temporary pieces of public art for residents and visitors. Individual
artists and over 15 galleries have taken part, with pieces covering more than
20 sites across Westminster.
Fakhoury was joined by Councillor Robert Davis MBE, founder
of the City of Sculpture, and Robert Roux, the Deputy Mayor of Nice, on 11
March to reveal Marble Arch’s uplifting new addition, Danse Gwenedour.
Another of Fakhoury’s sculptures, Dunamis, stands at 9 metres tall south of London’s Park Lane. Unveiled
in 2013, it depicts a man in a pointed hat holding up an elephant by just its
trunk. To learn more about Fakhoury's work, visit her websiteor – better yet – see it for yourself.
Alex (Jonno Davies) endures an experiment to try and "kill the criminal reflex", photo courtesy of Matt Martin
Anthony
Burgess’s 1962 novel A Clockwork Orange
has delighted and horrified readers for decades – as has Stanley Kubrick’s film
adaptation from 1971. Now, Action To The Word’s theatrical staging of the cult
classic has returned to London’s Park Theatre after its debut at Soho Theatre in
2009.
The
tale follows Alexander (Alex) DeLarge and his “droogs”, Georgie, Dim and Pete, in their quest for ultraviolence. But have the foursome found their feet on
stage? Well, this all-male production is –as they would say – real horrorshow.
The
teenagers use the termto indicate something good in Nadsat, which is English laced with Russian
influences. The play honours the original plot and language, so a
quick refresher beforehand might be advisable. Otherwise, the storyline is a
minefield to navigate, especially when the artistic director, Alexandra
Spencer-Jones, has sprinkled it with an additional layer of homoeroticism.
Photo courtesy of Matt Martin
Alex
(played by the hunky Jonno Davies) and his droogs casually kiss one another,
strip down to just their muscles – no complaints here – and brutally rape other
men. In one scene, Pete (Tom Whitelock) finds Alex being called “Little Alex” by his probation officer Mr
Deltoid (Damien Hasson) hilarious. The dots are joined pretty closely together
with a lascivious lick of Pete’s lips and a well-placed glance down to Alex’s…you
know what.
It’s
all fun and games until Alex is arrested for murder and rape. In jail, he takes
part in an experimental programme that will reduce his sentence and render him
averse to all forms of violence.
Each
of the eight cast members, besides Davies, performs three roles. They morph seamlessly
and manage to excel at each accent, posture or gender change. For the limited
female characters, they don a tutu or a pair of killer heels.
Pete (Tom Whitelock) drinks his moloko like a good boy, photo courtesy of Matt Martin
Davies
is the cheeky chappie we all expect Alex to be, with his cocksure attitude and
cat-that-got-the-cream grin. In this case though, his drink of choice is milk,
or moloko, spiked with drugs.
The
minutiae of facial expressions are detectable because of the
theatre-in-the-round setup. The stage almost spills into the audience on all
four sides, making for intimate viewing in a space with a capacity for 200
people.
When
Alex takes a bite of an orange, peel and all, the audience feels the juicy
spray. As the droogs run rampant and target their next victims, the fight
scenes are literally in-your-face. It’s a wonder no one receives a blow to the
head with Dim (Sebastian Charles)'s golf club for looking at him funny. Ultraviolence,
not love, is all around.
Photo courtesy of Matt Martin
The
droogs occasionally break into graceful dance sequences –
choreographed by Spencer-Jones and set to a soundtrack ranging from Gossip to
Placebo to Alex’s favourite, Beethoven.
A
wooden table and four chairs receive most of the battering in the minimal set. Pops
of orange are cleverly interjected throughout – in the form of a camera, underwear,
a bottle of Lucozade and even the blaze of an orange spotlight.
While
the play’s conclusion is not as satisfying as the film’s, we must raise a big glass
of moloko to this rendition of A
Clockwork Orange – it’s real horrorshow.
A Clockwork Orange is showing until 18
March at Park Theatre, N4 3JP. Phone the box office on 020 7870 6876 or book online here. The runtime is 90
minutes with no interval.
Delia Ceruti and Joachim Aussibal get tied up in NoFit State's BIANCO, photo courtesy of Seventh Wave
NoFit State Circus has brought its Big Top tent to
London as part of the Southbank Centre’s Winter Festival with a new version of
its promenade show BIANCO.
BIANCO takes
the circus back to basics, in an environment that belongs to the performers who
occupy the space just as much as the rapt audience who follows each
heart-stopping move within it. The show is fluid, inviting the undulating
audience to move forward to take a closer look and then step back to fully
appreciate the beauty.
Founded in 1986, Cardiff-based NoFit State delivers
contemporary circus. The company is one of the few that still tours like a
traditional circus, with everyone travelling and living together, as well as
helping to put up the Big Top and operate the rigging systems in the show.
Photo courtesy of Tristram Kenton
After Lyndall Merry, 32, from Wales completed circus
training in Bristol, it was a life on the road doing what he had always dreamed
of doing – trapeze. “I love performing. I get a real thrill out of
performing. I love it when you’ve got a really good crowd who are giving you
lots of energy. That feeling is incredible when you’re on point and
everything’s easy and you’re giving to them and they’re giving back to you.”
As well as being a trapeze artist in BIANCO, Merry is also the head rigger,
which means that he designs and installs all of the flying systems. As the
performers are suspended in the air, their fellow performers work in the
shadows to support them with each smooth ascent and descent.
Danilo de Campos Pacheco, photo courtesy of Maike Schulz
Merry says, “People anticipate the hours of practice and training that
go on to hone the disciplines and the skills, but it’s the technical community
aspects that people don’t quite realise. They imagine that there’s a team of
technical people, a team of laborers, that do the hard work, but actually, we do
it.”
If silly clowns and gimmicky balloon tricks are
what you’re after, this is not the show for you. Directed by Firenza Guidi, BIANCO is both rough around the edges
and tenderly executed, supported by an incredible live band.
Cecilia Zucchetti, photo courtesy of Seventh Wave
A juggling pin goes astray here and there, while
filled wine glasses wobble in the hands (and feet) of a contortionist, but the
acts are done so deftly that I begin to wonder if the cast is just playing
tricks on us. The contortionist in question is Ella Rose, 22, who
originally hails from Australia and has joined the company for the London
season of BIANCO.
Rose points out that she was really bendy as a child, which
predisposed her to contortion. Growing up in Albury, Australia, she toured with
a children’s circus called the Flying Fruit Fly Circus School during her
primary and secondary school years. She notes that the hard work came in when
she had to learn how to be strong and how to control her body without hurting
it.
Ella Rose during her contortion hand balancing act in BIANCO, photo courtesy of Tristram Kenton
When asked what people would be surprised to know
about her line of work, she laughs, “Maybe how many bruises I have that you can’t see. I think
particularly for some of the work that I do, the feedback that I get afterwards
is, ‘You look so beautiful and you make it look so easy’ and then I’m like, ‘My
legs are six different shades of blue.’”
There’s intentional mayhem as well as artful
precision within the show. Francois Bouvier nimbly glides across the tight
wire, slinking down into the splits, and Delia Ceruti rises and falls on a rope
suspended in the air.
The finale is dominated by Augusts Dakteris, who uses
the strength of his body to maneuver around aerial straps, bringing the
audience to a standstill. Just when I think the scene couldn’t get any more
magical, it begins to snow –Christmas
has come early.
Augusts Dakteris in the middle of a snowstorm, photo courtesy of Andrew Billington
BIANCO has
been seen by over a quarter of a million people in 11 different countries
during its four-year run. The last time it was performed in London was in 2013
at Camden’s Roundhouse and London is now the last leg of the show before NoFit
State begins research in 2017 for a new show.
Merry says that the company has been working with
the promenade style of show for 15 years, but the next goal is to create a
seated show that still provides an immersive atmosphere and the same level of
audience interaction.
Enni Lymi, photo courtesy of Tristram Kenton
BIANCO will run at the Big Top,
Southbank Centre, until 22 January 2017. Circus workshops, pre-show Q&A's,
and seasonal performances are all available. Find out more and book tickets here. Although it is a promenade show,
seats are available on request. Take advantage of the bar inside the tent, or
outside at the Winter Festival, where you can warm up your hands over a fire
while gazing into a big, beautiful London Eye.
