The live interview with Hockney was slightly disappointing in comparison with the film (it made me appreciate the editing skill of the filmmaker all the more), but it was good to see nevertheless. The film had shown some of Hockney\u2019s\u00a0photo collages<\/a>\u00a0and in the interview\u00a0Hockney explained how he had taken this further, using digital\u00a0photography to create ‘reverse perspective\u2019.\u00a0It was interesting but puzzling. Jonathan Jones gave the film an appreciative review <\/a>in the Guardian. If you like Hockney’s work I would recommend seeing the film.<\/p>\n This week I saw Here Lies Love<\/em><\/a>, a musical about Imelda Marcos. This was in the National Theatre\u2019s Dorfman Theatre (previously the Cottesloe), an intimate and flexible space. Some of the audience (including me) were sat in\u00a0conventional theatre seats along two sides of the space, another large group of audience were stood around downstairs – very much part\u00a0of the action. There was a stage at each end of the space and mobile stages in the centre of the\u00a0space. The whole setup had a disco-dancing nightclub vibe (apparently Imelda loved disco). The action took place all around the space, and was slickly done. The show told the story of Imelda\u2019s life – another tale of poor girl makes good – she married the man who was to become President of the Philippines (Ferdinand Marcos). It uses dance and song, but also mixed in a good deal of historical video and audio material, including one shocking scene towards the end. Again the video added an extra dimension to this biographical story.<\/p>\n It is a very fast-paced show, with lively music (by Fatboy Slim) and very strong dramatic and vocal performances. It portrayed the glamorous side of Imelda and Marcos (\u201cAsia\u2019s Jackie and John\u201d) – this is\u00a0crucial to understanding the love (yes, love, or even adoration) that Marcos followers had for them both, and that some still have for Imelda.\u00a0One review suggested that the show was too soft in its portrayal of Imelda, but I disagree. Her flaws (ambition, ruthlessness, vanity) were shown clearly. The actions of the Marcos regime were laid bare. The programme note\u00a0recorded\u00a0that during the show’s\u00a0New York run some Marcos sympathisers had walked out in protest. As a spectacle, an entertainment, and a little bit of history, I thought it worked very well; as a political statement it was not quite all there. Michael Billington<\/a>\u00a0suggested the subject needs a more complex treatment, which I wouldn\u2019t dispute. If you want to learn a little bit of Filipino history, and like a bit of upbeat music, give it a go.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n In between these two biographical productions, I attended Mouse TRAPP. \u00a0This was an\u00a0amateur production put on in the Institute\u2019s lecture hall by our in-house dramatic society. Whilst the production values were not quite those of the National Theatre, as a dramatic construction it was superb. This\u00a0musical with a scientific theme was\u00a0created by one of our postdocs. It was a fictional story about a PhD student –\u00a0I suppose it could be classified as some kind of Lablit. The ironic posters advertising the show made it plain to see\u00a0that the writer had a fine sense of humour, so I decided to give it a shot. \u00a0I was rewarded with a display of\u00a0drama, humour, pathos and joie de vivre. There were a few in-jokes, and plenty of wry observations on the nature of science and careers in science.<\/p>\n The stars of the show<\/p><\/div>\n The story is about a PhD student, Michael, and his journey through his PhD. His lab colleagues and supervisor help get him started, telling him he has to choose a gene to work on. This is the cue for a hilarious song, “Any gene will do” (sung to a familiar tune from Joseph<\/em>).\u00a0<\/em>Michael decides to work on the TRAPP gene, which was supposed to affect intelligence. He\u00a0generates a strain of mice with TRAPP constitutively expressed – this gives them ‘near-human’ intelligence. Much of the play is about his interactions with these mice, and his affection for them. Naturally the mice can talk, and they are great comic creations. The show\u00a0was funny, acutely observed, and had vivid characterisation.\u00a0It was a commentary on lab life and scientific careers, the life of a PhD student, the issue of animals in research, inter-generational tensions, women in science, etc etc. It was relevant, but above all, it was funny!<\/p>\n These three shows of different kinds each left me with a buzz, an admiration for the huge talents of their\u00a0creators and\u00a0the creativity displayed. Each of them also had a curious mixture of different\u00a0elements which is something\u00a0I love. Truly we are in the age of the mash-up, the magical commingling of different elements to produce a surprising result. Narrative alchemy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Over the past couple of weeks I’ve had cause to celebrate dramatic creativity in various forms, mixed and mingled. I’ve seen one film and two musicals; two with a biographical bent and one with a (fictional) scientific bent. Hockney Two … Continue reading Marcos<\/h3>\n
TRAPP<\/h3>\n
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