Theatre, Film, Arts

Spent yesterday in Bury, ostensibly for a matinee of “The Case of the Frightened Lady” at the intimate Bury Theatre Royal. Well, I say intimate but as a result of a late purchase we were up in the gallery. A combination of moderately uncomfortable seats, extreme heat and less than optimal acoustics lead to an early departure at the interval. I suggested leaving early and, …

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An undervalued hero. As we didn’t make it to the London exhibition, we decided to catch the Sunday screening of the documentary directed by Phil Grabsky, who also attended. Featuring interviews with curators and experts from the National Portrait Gallery London, MoMA New York, National Gallery of Art Washington, and Musée d’Orsay Paris, and correspondence from the artist himself, the film takes audiences beyond the exhibition …

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Bit late on this as we actually took a chance on Sunday with a fairly late booking. As is often the case in such circumstances, very much worth the effort as we ventured to the New Wolsey or the first time in many an age. Little Machine  began proceedings, a three-piece band who specialise in setting classic poetry to contemporary music.  Performing on their own …

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Another Sunday evening at the Riverside last night for the latest in the Riverside Nights series. A very entertaining interview with the talented Mr. Gatiss, covering everything from his early life in the North East, his time at the Edinburgh fringe, through to his varied TV successes such as The League of Gentlemen, Dr. Who and, of course, Sherlock. His film choice for the evening …

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Sauntered along to the Riverside to see “Breaking The Bank” last night, as we were in need of a little light relief. Has to be said that it was hardly a film to remember, although you can usually rely on Kelsey Grammar to make the most of any script, even when it’s fairly weak, as this one undoubtedly was. He and Tamsin Greig made a …

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Spent the afternoon at the Riverside to catch the Ab Fab Movie. Reasonably good fun though not quite as sharp as the earlier episodes of the TV series – it was spikier then. Kathy Burke steals the few scenes she is in and Jennifer Saunders is still an excellent physical comedian. There were still one or two sharp observations but the satire around celebrity culture …

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Went to the Riverside yesterday to see The Silent Storm, written and directed by Corinna McFarlane. Set on the Isle of Mull and undeniably beautifully shot, this was a slight, underwhelming and overwrought drama that promised depth and delivered stereotypes and a complete lack of nuance. We are presumably expected to see or hear the anguish in Damian Lewis’s fanatical preacher as he wrestles with his faith …

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