I found out about this production via Twitter. Once I had worked out how to buy the tickets, I was looking forward to it, and so was my wife.
Live streamed theatre is here to stay, in my opinion. We connected to the event by buying the ticket (for 2 people), opening the link in the confirmation email on my laptop, and then connecting the laptop to the TV set with an HDMI lead.
My recollection of the first 40 minutes or so is hazy, because I was cooking the dinner, but it was obvious that Valerie was engaged with it. I had to turn all the rings on the cooker down during the musical passages (I will not call them interludes, because they were part of the narrative) so that I could not just hear the music, but see the dances. The dancing was not “routines” in the sense of “you go over here, and I’ll sashay this way, and then you lift me”. The dancing consumed the whole cast. It was left to the viewer to decide if this was a good or a bad thing.
My favourite character was The Moor, played by Nandi Bhebhe. The idea to personify The Moor would have been foolish, had The Moor not been played by an actor who could inject energy, fury, and understated strength into every scene, every line of dialogue, as well as leading the dances. I have walked all 47 miles of the Stanza Stones route, from Marsden to Ilkley, and I can say that future walkers will find it a bit more difficult, because The Moor knows everything, and it will now be trying to live up to Nandi Bhebhe’s performance.
All the acting was superb. I don’t want to have to go through the cast. They were all excellent. I must mention Katy Owen, who plays two parts. The musical arrangement and performance was worth listening to in its own right, but the combination of drama and music was sublime, because of the way that the music continued, developed, and supported the dialogue.
My wife and I are both performance poets, but we take covid-19 very seriously. This event was made for us: a world class production, live streamed to our living room. It felt much more like going to the theatre than watching television. This is an experience that will stay with us, throughout the winter.
When’s the next one?
iamhyperlexic 