London Bound

Tate Britain I’m writing this on Sunday to post Monday as I’ll likely be in transit about this time; if all goes according to plan I ought to be on the Piccadilly Line heading to Russell Square and my swanky hotel. Hurrah for internet deals! Plans include seeing as many friends as I can, visiting…

Tuesday’s Overlooked A/V: Beckett’s Film

Beckett is funny: people seem to often overlook that fact. Productions of Waiting for Godot that get that fact tend to be much better than those with dour seriousness. You put his craggy mug up there and suddenly it’s art with a capital Arrrr! Slapstick is a fundamental element of his work however, so no…

Flash Fiction Challenge: Zoo Story

Patti Abbott has challenged folks again on the topic of the zoo: here’s mine with apologies to Edward Albee and William Shakespeare and Bruce Robinson as well. So there.  Zoo Story “So, this is the place.” “This? Why?” “I thought it would be dramatic.” “Dramatic? Why? Wolf howls make it dramatic?” “Not exactly. That scene…

Friday’s Forgotten Books: The Life of Christina of Markyate

I don’t think there’s much chance of overlap with this week’s choice. The life of a twelfth century recluse: it doesn’t scream popular appeal, I suppose. But it should! A fascinating story and an early biography of a woman in a time when few but kings and saints got their stories told (fortunately at least…

Friday’s Forgotten Books: Three Plays by Mae West

You think you know Mae West, don’t you? The slightly risqué performer with the voluptuous curves: who asked Cary Grant to come up and see her, told Beulah to peel her a grape? What you may not know is how much she cleaned up her act for the movies. Three Plays includes Sex, The Drag…

Lumottu (Enchanted)

Tonight my play LUMOTTU will get a reading at the Arts Society of Kingston’s Playwrights’ Lab New Play Readings at 6:30 PM ARTS SOCIETY OF KINGSTON 97 Broadway Kingston NY 12401 Arja lives with one foot in this world and the other in the mythic world of ancient Finland. Her family has moved to the…

Counting the Days

…until the packing is done. Then I remember how few days there are and gulp, because there’s still so much to do. On a more positive note: my play Lumottu (“Enchanted”) from Unikirja gets a reading next Tuesday in Kingston at the Arts Society, 6:30 pm. If you can show up, do! It will be…

Friday’s Forgotten Books: Between the Angels and the Apes

Not so much “forgotten” as — what? Aborted? Headed off at the pass? The initial news was wonderful: Alan Moore writing an opera on John Dee with Gorillaz! What’s not to love? It sounded like a match made in an alchemical lab somewhere with the potential of turning into gold. There was just one problem:…

NT Live: The Cherry Orchard

“Who cares about Chekhov anyway? A bunch of old women moaning about ducks flying home to Moscow.”  ~ Withnail [Richard E. Grant] in Withnail & I I am always grateful to the Spectrum 8 for hosting the NT Live performances; I’m also grateful that enough people in the Capital region attend them to make it…