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Day: 9 October 2016

Review: Gypsy Queen

Written by Rosa Simonet on . Posted in Theatre.

Gypsy Queen provides a needed exploration of homosexuality in the boxing arena but is let down by an inconsistent performance.

Gypsy Queen first came to life as part of To Russia with Love (Contact, 2014), a series of short plays exploring sexuality and homophobia in the sporting arena. It’s development into a studio production, however, began following Tyson Fury’s comment “there are only three things that need to be accomplished before the devil comes home and one of them is homosexuality being legal.” Rob Ward (Writer, producer, actor) immediately plays on Tyson’s Fury’s comment, not only in telling a story of two gay men within the boxing world but in also naming his lead character ‘The Gypsy King.’

“For as long as comments like these are made,’ says Ward, “for as long as institutions fail to address the issue of LGBT inclusion and as for as long as these dated notions of masculinity prevail then all I can do as a writer is to tell a story that tries to challenge this and opens a dialogue. That’s the aim of Gypsy Queen.”

The play follows ‘The Gypsy King,’ (also known as George O’Connell or ‘Gorgeous’ George) a boxer from a traveller family taken on by a professional boxing coach, whose own son Dane ‘The Pain’ Samson is openly gay. Under Adam Zane’s direction, Gypsy Queen depicts the parade of bold physical aesthetic in boxing, alongside the challenges of being an openly gay male in both the sporting world and in the traveller community. Detailed physical technique accompanied by a fast-moving dialogue and brisk swings from poetry to prose are the key components of this moving and, at times, brilliant performance.

Instantly combating Fury’s comment, is the allusion to the changing room dynamic and homoerotic nature of sports, initially created through a single cloakroom hook bench. This centrepiece, decorated with a few jackets and other costume props, is the only thing on the stage when the audience enter. Throughout the play, the bench aids the transformation of the characters and scene, acting as a bed, a traveller caravan, a cinema, and, of course, a gym changing room. Though it did function as a good technical tool, the movement around the bench often seemed unrehearsed, jarring the synchronised aspects of the play.

The inconsistency in style and performance continued as the physical and vocal variation from both actors ranged from fantastically detailed to uninspiring. Rob Ward’s George appeared full of whimsical energy and puck-like in his opening poem whilst Ryan Clayton’s Dane lacked in vocal energy and spontaneity. This changed when Clayton took on a Ms. Doyle approach in his role as the brash yet endearing Irish mother of George, Rose O’Connell. Clay, with his almost hyper-masculine physique, wrapped in a leopard print jacket and floral headscarf became the comic highlight of the performance.

Though in need of some retouching Gypsy Queen is certainly worth a watch. The show will be heading down to The Arts Theatre in London for 10th-15th October.

Benjamin Francis Leftwich: After The Rain

Written by Alex Halksworth on . Posted in Music.

Benjamin Francis Leftwich is intensely fragile an act. To watch him perform is to witness an exercise in memory recall, as each song evokes a rich emotional reaction that permeates into the audience. After the tragic loss of his father caused him to recede from public attention, the release of his new album After the Rain in August of this year has been a welcome return to the fore.

When comparing this new body of work with his 2011 debut album, Last Smoke Before the Snowstorm, there are some striking differences. The album opens with the track ‘Tilikum’, in which Leftwich sets the reflective tone for the album, whispering in a voice augmented to an echo “wonder what you’re thinking, staring through the rain”. This vocal effect is used extensively throughout the album allowing his voice to retreat into hypnotic acoustics, a perfect metaphor perhaps for how his relationship with music has developed.

Watching Leftwich perform it is quickly apparent that his eyes remain closed for the duration of the song, channelling the emotions and memories around which the song was conceived and written. The relentless nature of his finger patterns are therefore a necessity needed to drive the song on to completion – despite his desire to linger. In an interview I asked him why it was he felt he had to continue writing, to which he responded:

“Music writing to me is like an audio will, you always think… what if something happens to me tomorrow and I haven’t gotten out everything I wanted to say… my inspiration for writing music is to leave something behind after I die”.

The impression I was left with after spending some time with Leftwich and watching him perform was reflective of his words, as his aspirations for music have never been driven by fame, or wealth. Instead it is a desire to share the harmonic and melodic world he has created for himself in the face of grief. The result of all this emotional depth is an album that can only be described as beautiful, yet devastating. However, the comfort he seeks and evidently gains from his unique soundscape potentially leave him vulnerable to stagnation with regards to artistic development. There are some hints of exploration in ‘After The Rain’ with subtle use of electronics, but it lacks confidence. When asking Leftwich how he plans to develop his sound, he said:

“My taste in music has widened and diversified so much since [Last Smoke] Before the Snowstorm, all I really listen to now is hip-hop and rap – no one believes me when I say it but I’m so obsessed with it, you know, and there are elements of the sonic of that in After the Rain but very subtly… what I relate to is the unfiltered visceral flow and the energy of creation, and sharing of a message.”

When asked who he would like to work with in the future, Leftwich expressed a desire to collaborate with Drake’s producer – Noah James Shebib, professionally known as 40. So with a stylistic shift potentially on the horizon let’s hope Leftwich fans will continue to say “baby, I like your style”.

To listen to the interview in full, visit my Soundcloud page.

 

The shambles that is the Labour defence policy

Written by Adam on . Posted in Opinion.

“You may not be interested in war, but war is interested in you.” That famous quote from Leon Trotsky seems to have been completely overlooked by today’s Trotskyist worshippers in the Labour party. Mr Corbyn, Momentum and many others on the left of the Labour party who advocate a complete disarmament of Britain’s nuclear weapons, along with her military-industrial base and Armed Forces, have also forgotten that traditionally, before New-Labour, the party had been pro-defence.

It was ‘old’ Labour leaders, such as Ernest Bevin and Clement Attlee, who saw the importance of defence and an independent nuclear deterrent. Mr Corbyn, on the other hand, reckoned, “wouldn’t it be wonderful if every politician around the world… did what Costa Rica has done, and abolished their army.” Sure, it would be wonderful for his friends, such as Hamas and Hezbollah. Perhaps Putin would stand to benefit, along with ISIS, North Korea, and any other terrorist group—but not Great Britain.

Meanwhile, on the streets of Liverpool, Mr Corbyn’s Momentum friends outlined the meaning of “kinder, gentler” politics by mocking the physically disabled and those with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. At the Momentum fringe event, The World Transformed, various items were on sale that mocked both soldiers and the institutions of the Armed Forces, with offensive smears on mugs and books. One such example was a leaflet pretending to be an Army recruiting advert, offering “free prosthetic limbs.” Oh yes, suffering horrific, life-changing injuries is hilarious.

The condescension for an institution that is populated with many young men from working class backgrounds should seem remarkable. It is not, sadly: The Labour party, and the left in general, have completely forgotten that the first responsibility of government in a democratic society is to protect and safeguard the lives of its citizens.

Regarding the Labour party defence policy, do people not remember that there was a Labour Defence Review set up in January? It seems that Mr Corbyn and the entire Labour hierarchy had forgotten all about this. Who can blame them when Ken “Hitler-was-a-Zionist” Livingstone, who was meant to report its findings, had been ousted from the party. This lack of thought on the topic is displayed by the moment when Shadow Defence Secretary Clive Lewis was handed a Post-It note informing him about defence policy amendments, minutes before his speech. A video then emerged of the MP, prior to his speech, typing furiously into his phone about said changes, before confirming that the party does indeed have a policy for Trident renewal.

Mr Corbyn has suggested that both the police should not use lethal force when lives are at stake, and that he would refrain from using using nuclear weapons. Thus, Labour intends on spending billions of pounds on a weapons system that is designed to deter, even though it will not deter since its leader has made it clear he would never use it—and so defeating the idea behind it. Billions of pounds that could have been spent on areas such as social housing or the NHS  will be wasted on a project that won’t even do the job it is meant to do—given that Britain’s enemies know it will not be used. If Labour has decided on a leader that is against the use of nuclear weapons, you would think that they would make it party policy to scrap Trident. Apparently not.

The shambles continues with indecision and inconsistency. On the very first day of Mr Corbyn’s party conference, after his re-election, Mr Corbyn criticised MI6 for recruiting more staff to fight terrorism. He then went on to decide that it was necessary for Britain to have a scaled back land-based defence force. I assume this is in preparation for times in which his economic policies will have destroyed Britain and everyone will have had to have emigrated.

Over the summer, Mr Corbyn refused to say if he would come to the aid of a NATO ally should Russia attack said ally. Given his negative attitude towards NATO, America, interventionism, and the application of violence in general, we might assume that he would rather not. However, at the conference, Mr Lewis said that NATO membership would continue, along with the commitment of spending  two percent of GDP on defence. The two percent is a figure that should be debated, and one that I would argue is too little, given the current circumstances. But what is clear from this statement is the corrupt nature of Mr Corbyn, and the indecision of Labour on its defence policy. It elects a leader who wishes to downsize the military and be rid of Britain’s military-industrial base, but yet proposes continuity on defence spending. It simply does not make sense.

This all begs the question: is Mr Corbyn a real revolutionary, as so many on the hard left would like us to believe? Is it revolutionary to make bold statements about pacifying the nation, but fail to do so if should he come into power? Renewing Trident, the continuity of Britain’s membership of NATO, and the commitment of spending two percent of GDP on defence are not revolutionary ideas.

Feature: What it’s like to go to the Venice Film Festival

Written by Barney Weston on . Posted in Film.

It was a pleasure to emerge from Venice’s Santa Lucia station and be greeted by a complete view of the Canalasso, the city’s Grand Canal. Taking a vaporetto to Lido di Venezia, the long and thin island which is host to the festival, felt equally rewarding. With a festival pass proudly hanging around my neck, and dressed in a new suit, shirt, and shoes, this kind of exotic, glamorous, seductive atmosphere is exactly what the Venice Film Festival is known for.

With 2016 being the 73rd edition of the world’s oldest film festival, it was a privilege to see Natalie Portman (in attendance for both Jackie and Planetarium), Jude Law and Paolo Sorrentino (both in attendance for The Young Pope), amongst others, grace the red carpet en route to 1,000 + seater cinemas – their films being in competition for the festival’s most prestigious prize, the Golden Lion, as part of the Venezia 73 category.

Dressing appropriately is crucial, as is a festival pass. Both grant access to the luxuries of cinema, and attention you can only dream of. It can be cheap too – as a student I paid €50 for my festival pass, which granted me an unlimited amount of viewings for six consecutive days of the ten-day festival. A quick trip to Zara before the opening night checked off ‘go clothes shopping with an Italian’ from my bucket list. In regards to accommodation, I was hosted by a friend who lives in Treviso, a 40-minute commute from Venice. Meanwhile, I dined on pizza, pasta, personalised Magnums, spritz, and wine (often in the Venetian equivalent of a British pub – where a small glass was €1, and a panini was the closest I could get to a packet of Walkers).

On average, I attended 3 festival events a day. I say ‘events’, because it was not just films on offer. I sat in on an interview with Chris Meledandri, CEO of Illumination Entertainment, the man behind Despicable Me, Minions, and most recently The Secret Life of Pets. I also watched Manhattan, and An American Werewolf in London – all of which competed within the Venezia Classici category. Experiencing these films on the big screen, uniquely restored and competing in the Venice Film Festival, was an honour.

Yet the highlight of the festival was sitting in on a film amongst its stars. This humbling culture was repeated throughout my time in Venice. For example, when I sat in on the presentation of a lifetime achievement award to the French actor Jean-Paul Belmondo, followed by a screening of the French-language film Le Voleur (The Thief of Paris). I began the event without expectation, but finished on my feet applauding, marvelled at my previous ignorance. I attempted to congratulate Belmondo on his performance in a combination of basic French and fluent English, neither of which he could understand. At least I came away happy I suppose.

Class, celebrity, clothing, and cinema are what make film festivals, and Venice is no exception. Full of surprises, and one of the best experiences I’ve ever had, attending a film festival, as long as you’re careful about price, should be one to check off your bucket list.