mmoa_writes

Pictures from White Mischief '09, the steampunk extravaganza, taken by glowering 's boyfriend:( Read more... )

The NT is currently showing a theatrical adaptation of 'The Black Album' (non-Travelex) by Hanif Kureishi, 'Mother Courage and Her Children' by Brecht (Travelex, but from 9th September. Will definitely be going to see it), an adaptation of 'Nation' by Terry Pratchett and 'All's Well That Ends Well' by a mysterious new writer by the name of William Shakespeare. I am desperate to go to all four but, 'Nation' is non-Travelex (ie no cheap tickets) and starts from 11th November. 'The Black Album' will be expensive, but at least that starts on the 14th. Otoh, I am trying very hard not to spend the rest of my student loan before the start of term. Oh, first-world problems; they are so very tiresome.

Thinking of Brecht, it was interesting to see that there's a new play by David Hare (is he actually any good or are people just being mean to him as we always are to figures of cultural significance? Everything he's written always seems to get panned) called 'The Power of Yes', supposedly about the the 'crisis of capitalism', but I suspect is really an opportunity for the NT to show how off just how relevant it is. As far as I can tell, it's set in 2008, which doesn't seem at all appropriate, somehow (that's where Brehct comes in - I rather like his principles for political drama chief among them being that one shouldn't set the play in a contemprorary setting).

Still, it might be good. I'll be awaiting the opinions of the august Newsnight Review crew with baited breath.

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This is the stuff that should be on BBC1, particularly as news these days is more about snowmen than actual news (thanks Charlie Brooker!) and particularly seeing how there is an alarming trend for strident - divisive - political and idealogical views and opinions being waved about these days. Ignorance is the root of all suffering, as they say, and no form of ignorance is excused.

EDIT: Oh happy days! Robin Hobb was in Forbidden Planet today signing her new book. A new book! It's set in the Farseer-verse unfortunately - I'm sure it will be awesome, but I was hoping to read some of her utterly fantasmagoric world-building skillz put to a different fantasy universe.