Month September 2024

REVIEW: Kirill Richter & Richter Trio: Sands of Time

Reading Time: 2 minutesThe Sands of Time is such a well curated concert that showcases Richter both as a composer and pianist. It has two parts: Part I is performed by the Richter Trio, including twelve pieces, with many of them from his latest album Chronos. Alena Zinovieva (violin) and August Krepak (cello) are both renowned musicians who have literally played everything, from Bach to Silvestrov, and they chose to explore music's infinity with Richter. 

REVIEW: She Vanishes in the Air

Reading Time: 2 minutesShe Vanishes in the Air is set up as an open rehearsal; the audience are greeted by the actors who direct them to seats and ensure they scan the barcode that sits on their seat and enter their full name into the voting system. Already, there was an atmosphere of uncertainty. Still, I went ahead and filled out the form. There was an introduction, a Brechtian questioning of the audience and a couple of humourous interactions between the cast. The Old Fire Station’s stage was almost bare, with a row of three chairs in a bench centre stage. The cast stayed on stage for the entirety of the single-act play, and a musician (Mark Taylor) in the rehearsal room, stage left, skilfully providing the live drums and sound effects throughout.

REVIEW: London City Ballet: Resurgence

Reading Time: 3 minutesLondon City Ballet, former resident company of Sadler’s Wells theatre, makes a triumphant return to their home venue after almost thirty years off the stage. The programme is preceded with a dive into the company’s history, press clippings charting its founding in 1978 by Director Harold King up until its closure in 1996. The introductory reel highlights London City Ballet’s successes and legacies, behind-the-scenes footage of early rehearsals, and the patronage of Princess Diana, a great admirer of dance. While surly pictures of the people’s princess slouched against a ballet bar make for entertaining viewing, the projected montage style does feel somewhat dated. A history in the programme would have sufficed; the dancing that follows is good enough to speak for itself.

REVIEW: Deluge

Reading Time: 2 minutesWhat’s left when someone leaves? This was the overarching question in Andrea Maciel and Gabriela Flarys’ production Deluge, an experimental piece of multimedia theatre examining the universally confusing experience of loss. Opening with a curdling scream and Flarys dressed in red-stained garms, it was evident that this show would combine alarm and humour in equal measure. 

REVIEW: Have You Met Stan?

Reading Time: 2 minutesThe black box studio at the Burton Taylor Theatre was an intimate and atmospheric backdrop to this brand-new musical, making its debut at the Oxford’s Offbeat Festival. Soundtracked by a fantastic live band (Georgia Ayew on drums, Jennie Beard on bass and writer-composer Bart Thiede on keys), the show follows the relationship between Séan from Ireland (Liam McGrath) and Stan from Poland (Cam Gray), as they navigate their way through the complexities of EU migration, religious upbringing and LGBTQI+ identities. 

REVIEW: An Evening Without Kate Bush

Reading Time: 2 minutesA single, tiny red light floats at the front of the Oxford Playhouse stage in silence. Slowly but surely, movements begin and the music swells; the gloriously Bush-like voice of Sarah-Louise Young fills the room. I’ve never seen Kate Bush live but I can imagine this number was pretty close. Through a gauze, Young twisted and turned and guided the small light to illuminate her body. Finally, in a huge feathered headdress and leotard (obviously a ‘Fish Person’ uniform), Young revealed herself and as the song came to a close, addressed us, creepily, “She’s not here”. The laughter was almost uninterrupted from that point onwards.

REVIEW: Rachel Parris: Poise

Reading Time: 2 minutesI didn’t know what to expect from Rachel Parris; I looked her up before the show and, embarrassingly, the only thing I recognised was her husband, the guy from ‘Sorry I’ve Got No Head’. So when Parris asked us, five minutes into the show, who had heard of ‘The Mash Report’, I was almost alone in my feeble ‘whoop’ from the third row. I would say the audience was almost exclusively in the 40-65 age range, and decidedly liberal. Due to my own ignorance to Parris’ impressive back catalogue of political comedy, it took a few minutes for me to gauge the tone of the show. Parris, however, gauged us immediately; an Oxford graduate herself, she knew how to work the room, and how to subtly humble it. Safe to say, I was quickly charmed.