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Star Wars Day - BFI Southbank - 13/12/2014

This event rounds up and brings 2014 to an end in the best way possible!

Star Wars Day at the BFI Southbank. That means all 3 original Star Wars films in succession on the big screen and lots of surprises in between.

The tickets were sold out in hours and when December 13th was finally upon us, I got up at 8am to get ready for the Lord. Vader that is. I wouldn't get up at 8am on a Saturday for any other lord. Well, maybe Lord Thranduil.

Fancy dress was encouraged, but I have trouble dressing for work, so you can pretty much guess how that went down. Not at all, that's how. Also, if I'm supposed to sit in a movie theatre for 10 hours, you're lucky if I don't show up in my jammies.

So here we go. We entered the theatre, which was heavily guarded by imperial guards and stormtroopers and made our way to our seats. We had all a lightsaber key ring as a gift in our cup holders and I have to admit I got very excited!

To explain what and how things were going to go down, BFI’s Laura Adams and Justin Johnson came on stage, with Justin announcing “I’ve come as the Death Star”. Bless.

Throughout the day there were many special appearances, like script supervisor Anne Skinner and 2nd unit director Harley Cokeliss. Also making an appearance, Lando Calrissian star Billy Dee Williams, in a filmed interview, Jabba the Hutt puppeteer Toby Philpott, Paul Blake (Greedo), Garrick Hagon who played the rebel pilot Biggs Darklighter, the one that helps Luke destroy the Death Star and Anthony Forrest (Mos Eisley roadblock stormtrooper).

Although we were watching the special editions, it’s still quite an experience to see these films on a big screen. Everyone was giddy and very vocal about favourite parts…and not so favourite parts, like when Hayden Christensen is on screen at the end of The Return Of The Jedi. The booing was quite something. Poor Hayden… Thankfully there was no Jar Jar Binks on display, or we might have had casualties.

In between the films, except for the special guest appearances, there was a Star Trek Trivia Game with prizes to be won. Some people really know their stuff. I think I knew maybe 2 out of 20 questions. Too bad, as some of these prizes were really sweet!

All in all, the day was just a joy and watching all 3 Star Wars films in succession is simply the way these films should be watched.

If the BFI decides to do a Lord Of The Rings day, let me know please! I’ll be there!

Here are some photos from Flickr

Four out of Five C3POs (because special editions and I didn’t win a prize…)

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Thank you for the music!

Cat Power - Union Chapel, London 11/11/2014

What a complete shambles of a concert. I’m sorry, but it was. It wasn’t quirky or cute or endearing or heartwarming as I read some people describe this trainwreck. It was disrespectful to the people who paid to watch and hear her sing. Not cough, not talk, not giggle. Sing. Most of the songs were unrecognisable, which is not necessarily bad, but in this case it was. Everything sounded the same, even the ones she only got halfway through, because she forgot how they went, or she was tuning her guitar or who knows why. 

In between songs she would mumble incoherently for 10 minutes at a time. It all just didn’t make sense and was definitely not worth the schlep to Islington’s beautiful Union Chapel nor the 25£ ticket. I left feeling annoyed.

Let us never speak of this again.

Zero (oh yes) out of Five badly tuned guitars.

Lykke Li - Hammersmith Apollo, London 13/11/2014

After that disaster of a concert which was Cat Power, I was really hoping for something even a bit better.

Boy oh boy, Lykke Li was soooooooo good! And not just compared to Cat Power. In general, it was one of the finest concerts I’ve seen.

She was supported by Eliot Sumner, yes Sumner. As in Sting’s daughter. If you feel bad that you didn’t know that Sting’s daughter sang or that Sting even has a daughter, fear not. I’ve had to google to check whether: a) the person on stage was male or female (the name Eliot or the voice didn’t help at all in clearing up my confusion) and b) if she was indeed related to Sting. She was rather very good! I rarely enjoy a supporting act, I did like Eliot Sumner though. Performing tracks from her latest album “I Never Learn”, Lykke Li came on stage covered in darkness and shadow, dressed in dark futuristic clothes, as was her band. They were all dark shadows on stage, playing their music. It looked and sounded stunning! That lights and the sound were just amazing!

Eliot joined Lykke Li later on stage, singing along to Get Some.

I will make sure to catch her again and so should you!

Four and a half out of Five tambourines (just because I wasn’t close enough to the stage to see properly).

(photos courtesy of The Interweb, please let me know if they're yours)

David Arnold – BAFTA Conversations with Screen Composers - Elgar Room/Royal Albert Hall

David Arnold is a personal hero of mine. Any chance I get to listen to him speak, play his music or even read his tweets, I take. So tickets for this event were booked well in advance.

The incentive, except for the brilliant music is of course the talk. David Arnold is nothing but brilliant, clever and funny, never failing to tell an amusing as well as interesting story explaining his process and work on few of cinema and TV’s biggest productions.

Starting from the early days of his career and his collaboration with Danny Canon on Young Americans, Tommy Pearson moved the conversation along to film music Mr Arnold wrote for films like Stargate (a film I loved when I first saw it), Independence Day, Hot Fuzz and of course the Bond movies!

Sherlock was only briefly mentioned, which was a bit disappointing, but it was such a pleasant evening that I didn’t mind all that much.

Just one thing though. Next time could you (and I’m talking to Bafta/The Royal Albert Hall) please use some microphones? At times I had to refrain from breathing to be able to hear parts of the conversation. Still, totally worth it.

Four and a half out of Five shaken not stirred martinis (just because I’m deaf and couldn’t hear properly and I didn’t get a satisfactory Sherlock fix, but that’s just me).

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Movie roundup 2 / Penguins of Madagascar / Exodus: Gods and Kings / The Theory Of Everything / Birdman

Penguins of Madagascar

Ok, fine. Benedict Cumberbatch doing the voice of Agent Classified (the wolf) was the main draw for me, although I was really curious to see Dave the evil octopus, voiced by John Malkovich. They were both brilliant and the Penguins were very funny as well. Especially Kowalski! What a guy.

Three and a half out of Five Cheezy dibbles.

  Exodus: Gods and Kings

I don’t know you guys. I didn’t really need to see another “biblical” movie, especially one directed by Ridley Scott. And I don’t even mind all the talk about the “historical” inaccuracies. To me it’s all just a nice big burning bush of a fairytale, but I don’t want to start with polarising comments when I haven’t even had lunch yet, so let’s just say this didn’t do much for me.

Christian Bale was using his Batman voice though which was mildly disturbing. A couple of things I did enjoy:

-          Joel Edgerton. From his performance to his golden armour and eyeliner. Very nicely done!

-          The costumes in general. Gold, gold and more gold.

-          The makeup. Lots of eyeliner. They must have gone through crates of Rimmel…

-          The special effects, although the sea didn’t so much part as recede. Quite impressive in general though.

-          The sets. Big. Really big.

Go see it if you have nothing better to do. As in NOTHING.

One and a half out of Five sandals.

  The Theory Of Everything

Seeing anything at 11am on a Sunday is probably not the best idea, but even on an empty stomach Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones are stunning! Keep in mind that I was heavily biased, having seen Benedict Cumberbatch play Stephen Hawking in the 2004 BBC television film. I didn’t really feel the world needed another Hawking film, especially not with Eddie Redmayne in it. As soon as I saw the trailer (not even the movie), I knew we were in trouble. Eddie is rather really good. It pains me to say it, as I fear he might win the Golden Globe, but it’s true. He is brilliant. Absolutely astonishing.

Felicity Jones is amazing as well. She owns the 2nd part of the film and definitely stands out.

It’s really one of the highlights out of all the films in competition during this years “awards season”. Performances, art direction, costumes, music, all wonderful. I was crying in the end, although thinking about it later, there’s nothing to cry about really. It’s not really a sad story if you think about it. Yes, being diagnosed with MND is awful, but the story is about a brilliant person, who overcame his diagnosis, outlived it and is considered one of the most brilliant minds who has ever lived. He had a happy family life, a loving wife, children and grandchildren. And he’s still alive, working away. Not bad if you think about it and yet I was crying. Doesn’t seem fair to Mr Hawking really.

So ok, go on Mr Redmayne. Win the Golden Globe over Benedict for all I care. You deserve it actually. We already know Ben is awesome, time for the world to find out about the Power of the ‘Mayne.

Four and a half out of Five spelling boars.

  Birdman

Weirdly refreshing I’d say. It’s one of these films you don’t want to end. Do you know what I mean? You’re sitting in a movie theatre and have a smile on your face for the entire running time. That was Birdman. It was funny, but also tragic with a common denominator that connected every character. Insecurity. Or self-doubt. Or the need for affirmation. Maybe even the stark contrast of all those traits with the huge sense of importance most actors have for themselves and their art. Deep down they’re all scared to death of being frauds, irrelevant, talentless, imposters. I guess that can be said for most people though. Sad if you think about it, but as a film it makes for a fun and insightful 2 hours.

Yes, Keaton was good. Does he deserve an Oscar? Not too sure, but he is probably going to get one regardless. The guy who deserves an Oscar: Edward Norton. I never understood the (physical) attraction some people have to him. I do now. I loved him as an actor and he was amazing in this. Truly. But he looked good too. And I’m not talking about the naked scene or the one in his speedos. That was just funny. As a whole, he looked great! From face to wardrobe, perfect.

Lindsay Duncan was also great. I love Ms Duncan and wish she was in more films. She’s amazing! The whole cast was exceptional though. Naomi Watts, I get it now. Well done. Emma Stone, always loved you girl. Andrea Riseborough, yeah, you were good too. Zach Galifianakis, I’m proud to be Greek man! Fantastic!

Four and a half out of Five cigarettes. 

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Movie roundup 1 / Mr Turner / Nightcrawler / Interstellar / The Hobbit, The Battle Of The Five Armies

Mr Turner

The team is back together it seems. Mike Leigh directs Timothy Spall in this biopic about the eccentric British painter J.M.W. Turner. It’s focusing on the last 25 years of his life, his relationships, his art and his death.

It’s a shame Timothy Spall is not considered for any major awards, he’s extraordinary in this! Cannes saw it and he does deserve all the praise he can get and more!

Four and a half out of Five easels

  Nightcrawler (http://www.nightcrawlerfilm.com/) (http://instagram.com/nightcrawlermovie) (http://ifyouwanttowinthelottery.tumblr.com/)

This was one of my personal highlights of 2014. A true revelation in terms of atmosphere and performances. Jake Gyllenhaal is truly phenomenal and deserves all the praise he gets. This film is especially admirable, since it’s Dan Gilroy’s directorial debut. The man who wrote The Fall, The Bourne Legacy and Real Steel (yes, the Hugh Jackman robo-flick) brought this!

It’s basically the story of an ambitious guy, who won’t stop at anything to get what he wants and thinks he deserves. He’s a psychopath and a master manipulator, an entrepreneur and keen salesman. He’s scary. He is usually calm and collected, he rarely shouts or threatens, but just looking at him makes you nervous. An overall amazing performance by Gyllenhaal, supported beautifully by Rene Russo, Riz Ahmed and Bill Paxton. I’ll definitely be watching this again and again.

Five out of Five camcorders

  Interstellar

Drivel. I’m sorry, but story-wise this was a big dud for me. It was borderline melodrama and I couldn’t relate to it at all. I understand very well, that good sci-fi needs to be rooted in some human emotion to make it relatable, but this? Daughter is mad, downright furious at daddy for going off to explore the universe and ultimately save the world. She even holds a grudge for decades! Puh-lease!

Having said that, this film has amazing art direction, cinematography and special effects. The overall aesthetic is beautiful and some elements, like the robots on board the spaceships, are unique and truly innovational. The surface on the planets the crew visits on their journey is breathtaking and the action is edge-of-your-seat!

Matthew McConaughey is solid, as is Anne Hathaway. Jessica Chastain’s character is truly unlikable, so kudos to her I guess, as she seems to be a very warm and fuzzy individual.

One thing though: Can Matthew McConaughey do any other accent?

Two and a half out of Five monolithic robots

  The Hobbit, The Battle Of The Five Armies

Just to clarify: HUGE fan!

The last instalment in the Middle Earth saga, or so Peter Jackson says. I’m still holding out for the Silmarillion, but fine. Have it your way Pete.

This is not as emotional as The Return Of The King, but just as epic. The five armies (try counting them by the way and let me know what you come up with…) are massive and in the case of the Elves, superbly groomed and choreographed!

There is some seriously good acting coming through the various prosthetics. The people who stand out are Ian McKellen (of course), Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage and darling Lee Pace, as Thranduil, the fiercest Elven King of the realm! His weave would make RuPaul envious! I’m sorry if I’m banging on about Lee, but I’m going through a serious worshiping phase right now and I’d appreciate it if you’d keep the judging to a minimum. Merci!

All in all highly enjoyable fun with some good performances and classic Peter Jackson kickarsery!

Four and a half out of Five Arkenstones. And oh... here's a bonus:

And maybe another one:

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City by the bay. #sanfrancisco #california #usa #christmas #virgin #virginatlantic #airplane #view #goldengatebridge (at San Francisco International Airport (SFO))

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These are not the droids we're looking for. #bfi #starwarsday #darthvader #stormtrooper (at British Film Institute)

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Sunny Saturday! #london #stpauls #weekend #saturday #sun (at One New Change)

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55th Thessaloniki International Film Festival

“The festival itself has become one of the Balkans' primary showcases for the work of new and emerging filmmakers. The event features the International Section, a panorama of Greek films, the New Horizons program, the Balkan Survey, and numerous retrospectives and tributes to leading figures in the world of film. The Festival is competitive with the International Section jury awarding several prizes each year, most notably the "Golden Alexander" for Best Feature-Length Film.”1

Deciding to visit my 2nd hometown during the film festival meant choosing some features. Behold the chosen few:

En chance til (A Second Chance) (Susanne Bier), Denmark

It seems Susanne Bier has gone a bit Hollywood. This is what this film felt like. Although it played with people’s perceptions of what good and bad people looked and behaved like, it did in a way manage to fall into its own trap. It lacked a certain “Danish” quality like her first few films. It felt too stylised, although it did mean to shock with scenes of babies covered in their own faeces, people shooting up, jumping off bridges and doing in general unthinkable things. Nikolaj Coster-Waldau's house was stunning though...

Two out of five hypodermic needles

  Deux jours, une nuit (Two Days, One Night) (Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne), Belgium

Marion Cotillard is stunning in this. Very far removed from anything we’ve ever seen her in before. It’s the story of a young mother and wife, who is living with depression, gets fired from her job and tries to convince her colleagues to give her back her job in exchange for their bonuses. Her moodswings are frequent and severe, her family supportive and her colleagues’ reactions deeply human and realistic, covering the whole spectrum of expected behaviour. Astonishing performance and a very worthwhile film in typical Dardenne style.

Four out of Five Zanax

  Leviathan (Andrey Zvyagintsev), Russia

Russian realism at its best with some stunning scenery to boot. This already award winning film has been said to be pointing the finger at Putin’s Russia and its social injustices, corruption and endless red tape. Also at Russia’s relentless vodka drinking it seems. The story is starting simple enough and it evolves with the help of a great script and some truly beautiful performances. The at times overwhelming natural scenery helps everything beautifully along. Here’s to hoping this will be successful this coming awards season.

Four out of Five bottomless vodka bottles

  Love Is Strange (Ira Sachs), USA

This is ultimately a love story with a twist. Nothing too exciting really, although it is interesting to see how an elderly gay couple come to terms with some of life’s twists and turns. The most anger inducing part for me was the reaction of the church to their wedding. That hypocrisy still manages to infuriate me. Apart from that it’s really a story about love, life and family and how different generations react to different circumstances. Marisa Tomei was fine, although the role is not really a great departure for her. John Lithgow and Alfred Molina as the elderly couple were adorable and completely sold this for me. Especially Molina was a delight to watch.

Two out of Five missing books

  The Little Death (Josh Lawson), Australia

We finished the festival with a comedy. After watching films featuring either:

1. Suicides or

2. Suicide attempts

we kinda aimed for a comedy to finish on a high note. This is a comedy, so well done there. I was a bit worried after the first few minutes, because if there’s something I don’t like it’s crude and tasteless humour. Of course that’s subjective, but toilet humour and/or vulgar sex references are a definite no-no. This looked like it was going to be one of those no-nos, but thankfully it wasn’t. It was quite clever I found and very pleasant. Funny too, although some parts didn’t really hit home, but all in all a very entertaining film. It’s essentially the story of several couples living in the same neighbourhood and their fetishes. The story right at the end of the film was the best one for me. Very heart-warming and funny.

Three and a half out of Five golliwogs

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The Imitation Game - Review

Benedict Cumberbatch stars as Alan Turing, the genius British mathematician, logician, cryptologist and computer scientist who led the charge to crack the German Enigma Code that helped the Allies win WWII. Turing went on to assist with the development of computers at the University of Manchester after the war, but was prosecuted by the UK government in 1952 for homosexual acts which the country deemed illegal. 

This was the definite highlight of the London Film Festival line up for me, as I’ve been looking forward to seeing this for a very long time. So I did get to go, thanks to my new Twitter friend Marie, who was kind enough to sell me her spare ticket. So half-day off work and on to the festival it was.

Sitting in a sold out theatre, in front row, dead centre, sandwiched between two older gentlemen, I couldn’t have been more excited, although I tried to keep expectations from soaring. But I was not disappointed.

From the first to the last frame, this film by Morten Tyldum was all heart and substance. It’s an emotional journey through the life of genius mathematician Alan Turing, through flashbacks, where you learn about this very clever scientist, troubled human being and unlikely war hero. His achievements as extraordinary as they might be are overshadowed by the gross mistreatment he received from the state and I challenge anyone not to be emotional and angry by end of this film.

For such a british story, the Norwegian director does a remarkable job in bringing everything together. Probably mainly due to the fact, that it’s a universal story really. It’s a story that had an effect on the entire world and yet Alan Turing was mostly unknown before this film. This is hopefully about to change and rightfully so. As Benedict Cumberbatch often mentions in interviews, Alan Turing should be on banknotes and schoolbooks. We should celebrate him and his beautiful mind and try and make amends for the horrible way he was treated while alive. Receiving a Royal Pardon is such a joke, because we should be the ones apologising to him.

This film is much more than a simple biopic though. It’s a depiction of the era, of society of gender inequality, of the war, of its horrors and its heroes. It’s funny too. Intentionally of course. Really is, which was surprising, but welcome.

In terms of direction (Morten Tyldum), photography (Óscar Faura), production design (Maria Djurkovic) and music (Alexandre Desplat), it’s masterful.

The performances are excellent as well. Perfectly nuanced and balanced.

The Oscar nomination is pretty much a given for Benedict Cumberbatch. You can’t really play that part any better than him, although I’m sure Meryl Streep would give it a good go. He’s nothing short of exceptional in his portrayal through the various stages of Alan Turing’s life. From the start to the heart breaking end.

Keira Knightley is equally brilliant as Joan Clarke. She’s the quiet force of the group. Quirky and clever and very much Turing’s equal. It’s a shame that she didn’t receive equal Oscar buzz. It wouldn’t have been undeserving.

Matthew Goode as the flirtatious Hugh Alexander, Mark Strong as head of MI6 Stewart Menzies, Charles Dance as Commander Denniston, Allen Leech as John Cairncross, Rory Kinnear as Nock, Matthew Beard as Peter Hilton and especially Alex Lawther as the young Alan Turing, round up this brilliantly cast ensemble.

Let’s hope the public will embrace this film and celebrate the genius which was Alan Turing.

In the words of Matthew Beard, it's really The Avengers in cardigans!

BFI Press Conference

Here's the most fun interview of Keira and Benedict I saw in this entire press tour

Four and a half out of Five Christophers

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BFI London Film Festival

This was my first BFI London Film Festival and I’ll definitely be back next year. There are so many films to choose from, that in the end I gave up and left the choosing to someone else.

The films we saw:

Décor

Ahmad Abdalla’s latest film about an Egyptian set designer who gets transported into the film she’s working on. A very intricate plot with one twist after the other. Solid performances and a very interesting film in general, especially since the director and his 3 leads were present at the screening together with the entire Egyptian community of London! A very enjoyable experience and a very interesting film!

(4/5)

Cub

Belgian filmmaker Jonas Govaerts takes a group of cub scouts and puts them in the woods, where they are trying to escape with their lives, as a psychotic man and a child are out to get them. This was partly crowdfunded on indiegogo.

Not really that much different from any other horror film you’ve seen. In fact, it’s not really any different from any other horror film. I failed to see the originality. Soz… (2/5)

Second Coming

Idris Elba and Nadine Marshall star in debby tucker-green’s film about a family living in South London. Not sure if it was the thick accents or the fact that the main character did not really talk a lot, but I couln’t really orientate. Not sure I understood what was going on or what the purpose was. We did get to see Idris looking mighty fine though, which is just as good of a pay-off sometimes… Oh, and I also caught a glimpse of James McAvoy and his wife Anne-Marie Duff leaving the screening room while we were waiting to go in. Lovely!

(2/5)

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Lykke Li at the Hammersmith Apollo!

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A quick fire round with film highlights of the past few months. And… go:

Wish I Was Here

This one’s mine! I was one of the people who crowdfunded this Zach Braff project on Kickstarter 15 months ago. I’m still waiting for my imdb entry mind you.

I’ve had my reservations about this, but in the end, it was better than expected, if you were expecting melodramatic and somewhat schmaltzy family affairs (which I totally was for some reason). I guess the Garden State generation grew up and I got left somewhat behind…

3/5 purple wigs

  The Riot Club

Take a bunch of young british (goodlooking) actors and some amazing sets and you have a decent enough drama about overpriviledged, public school twats, with way too much time and money on their hands. I remember walking home singing “Kill The Rich”. Surprisingly good film I found and I never thought I could hate Sam Claflin…

4/5 cravats

  20000 Days On Earth

Even if you’re not a Nick Cave fan, make sure you watch this. It’s a very clever documentary about Nick Cave’s life and career, all taking place during his 20000th day on earth. Some cameo appearances make things even more interesting and it’s surprisingly funny as well. Great photography and of course great music!

4.5/5 bad seeds

I Origins

I hadn’t really heard about this before seeing it. The only thing I knew was that it is by Mike Cahill, who’d done Another Earth, which I loved! And sci-fi is always a safe(-ish) bet, right? I have to say, Another Earth I enjoyed more than this, but that being said, I Origins was very interesting and very new in a way. It lost its way a few times, but quite interesting as a whole. Brit Marling is amazing, as always!

3/5 retina scans

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Ballyturk at the National Theatre (Lyttleton)

It all started simple enough with Cillian Murphy and Mikel Murfi running frantically up and down the stage, dancing, dressing, undressing, taking showers (thanks Cillian!), working out, eating breakfast. A familiar yet repetitive routine. So far so good. The dialogues was quirky and fast-paced with a lot of talk about five-legged bunnies. Don’t ask.

Part of their daily routine seemed to be the impersonation of characters from their town, Ballyturk. This was both funny and somewhat sad, when you realised they didn’t really ever leave their room. That room was a depressing grey square space with minimal furnishings and weird pictures on the wall. A great set really by Jamie Vartan!

The daily routine of the two characters changes when the back wall splits open and Stephen Rea suddenly appears. No idea who he’s supposed to be, but I didn’t really expect an explanation at this point. The plot gets darker and the atmosphere more sombre. But this is also when we get to see the funniest part of the play, in my opinion at least. The jenga tower of biscuits. I was almost crying with laughter.

After Enda Walsh's previous play Misterman featuring Cillian Murphy in 10 different roles, this felt like a somewhat poor relation. In the end, what you do remember is the relentless pace of the actors, the humour, the weirdness and Cillian Murphy in his pants, although that last bit might have just been me…

Three and a half out of Five five legged bunnies

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The calm before the Cat Power storm! #london #unionchapel #catpower #concert (at Union Chapel, Islington)

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Visiting the 55th Thessaloniki International Film Festival

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I'm on a plane. I can't complain. #london #gatwick #thessaloniki #lgw #skg #airplane #flight #travelling

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Electra at the Old Vic Theatre

Runs until December 20th

During The Great Ticket Frenzy of June 2014 I managed to snag tickets for this highly anticipated (by me at least) production of Electra with Kristin Scott Thomas in the role of Sophocles heroine at the Old Vic Theatre. And so did pretty much everyone else I know. Usually it’s just me and maybe one or two other friends who bother really, but this time it was universal. A pandemic if you like.

If you have a leading lady like Kristin Scott Thomas, a producer like Sonia Friedman, a theatre like The Old Vic, music by PJ Harvey and Sophocles writing your play, you’re pretty much set. But no. It was all rather flat. Electra, who’s being considered the female Hamlet, whos inner struggles and grief should move you to tears, enrage and engage you, was reduced to a whining, hysterical teenager. If the audience laughs during Electra, something is terribly off. If that would have been unintentional, I would be able to shrug it off and blame people’s ignorance for it. But this was played for laughs! Electra was being funny. Let me repeat that. Electra was being funny! It should be gut-wrenching. Instead we got a woman who shrieked when she realised her long lost brother and only hope, Orestes, was alive and standing before her. At least Clytemnestra, played by Diana Quick, was trying to hold it all together and was very good indeed. As was Julia Dearden in the chorus.

Very poor use of PJ Harvey’s music as well. I didn’t even notice there was music playing until well into the play.

The costumes were nothing to write home about either. I appreciated the understated wardrobe of Electra herself as well as the chorus, but the rest was baffling. Too literal and stereotypical. Sandals, Grecian frocks and jewellery and even Grecian hairstyles. It seemed kind of lazy.

A missed opportunity.

One out of Five Greek dysfunctional families