The Room Next Door: It is a shame at times for me to see accomplished and talented actors being used in a story which doesn’t seem to challenge them (or at the least) to show off their ample talents. This movie principally stars Oscar Winner Julianne Moore and Tilda Swinton. It also has John Turturro who adds depth to any role that I have ever seen him in.
In this story Moore plays Ingrid who is a successful writer. Early at a book signing in New York she meets an old friend who mentions a mutual acquaintance Martha (Swinton) who sadly has been diagnosed with cancer. Ingrid ventures to the hospital to meet up with Martha. They begin a conversation and old times and old friends. Martha tells of her strained relationship with her adult daughter. Martha has been experimenting with a new treatment for cervical cancer despite her best instincts when she first of her diagnosis. Martha was a war correspondent working for The NY Times. She has faced many times. She looks upon this as another battle. It turns out that the treatment isn’t as effective as hoped and Martha has privately to herself decided to forego any more. Instead she wants to live out her days in peace, with enjoyment and simple pleasures. She has asked Ingrid to accompany her on this final vacation. In short this is a story about the right of the individual to choose their fate. There are many discussions. Some are more insightful than others. For me, I found that this was a story which had aspects of it added to fill in the time without moving the story along. There are so many times one needs to see Ingrid wake up and check in on Martha. In the last act, there are some avenues explored but never to their completion. As a person who believes strongly in a person’s right to choose and I don’t see a criminal aspect of (despite what the religious people believe or their interpretation of the Bible) one of these avenues isn’t very sensible. In fact there are more important and pressing criminals acts to be investigating. In the end I felt that such talent was not utilized well. I have seen other stories that address the subject matter like Whose Life Is It Anyway? with Richard Dreyfuss as well as Euphoria with Eva Green and Alicia Vikander. Both of those were better.
I was away for the past number of days and although I didn’t watch any movies, I did see a number of stage performances in the UK. Each of them were very good and the one was remarkable. So if you have an opportunity to catch any of these plays I would encourage you to do so. I will provide the play and where I saw it, in the order that I recommend them.
Good Night Oscar (London): This is a Tony winning play from a couple of years ago and stars Will & Grace supporting actor Sean Hayes. It tells the story in 1958 of an early appearance on the Tonight Show with Jack Parr of Oscar Levant. Jack Parr was the host before Johnny Carson. Oscar was a first rate piano player and composer while also having been in a number of movies including Singing in the Rain. Oscar is an eccentric guy, bordering on insanity. What I can say is that the performance of Hayes is extraordinary as he fully embodies the character. Known for wise cracks and being unpredictable and frank Oscar was the perfect guest. He might say something offensive. Maybe not. The themes include talent, artists performing others’ works, mental illness, eccentricity, marriage, and TV’s treatment of those involved in it. This runs until early September in London and if you can see it. Do. It was a memorable evening for which I am grateful.
A Winter’s Tale (Stratford UK). A few weeks back I attended the Stratford festival in Ontario outside Toronto and saw this Shakespearean play performed. At the time I thought that they did a very good job performing this difficult play. It’s difficult because it has two different tones within it. The first half of it plays like a tragedy with a tyrannical King accusing his wife of adultery with his best friend, and taking this mania to extreme ends. The second half picks up the story sixteen years later with a more jovial and comedic turn. For me I came into a second viewing of the play in the UK with skepticism. I didn’t think the Ontario version could be improved upon. I was wrong. The performances in UK version were all excellent and most notably by the tyrant King but also his shocked and surprised wife Hermione. I think that they bridged the tone better and finding a common thread to tie it together. It was less comical and jovial. It was more satisfying and stuck with me for some days afterwards. Both the Ontario and UK interpretations of this play are very well done and worth you seeking out. In dark times it speaks well to tyrants in power and addressing uncertainty.
The Pillowman (Dublin): Based upon the play by Martin McDonagh this is very dark tale about a man who tells stories. As the play opens the writer named Katurian Katurian, played very well by Fra Fee is being interrogated by the police about his stories. He is an adult and has written over 400 stories and many are dark. We learn that he and his younger brother, who is mentally challenged, are all they each have left of family. Their parents are no longer around. Act Two then has the brothers meeting up together and talking about the interrogations by the police and some surprises are revealed. The play continues down the path of exploring the stories and why they are interest to the police. It starts making a lot more sense. It is disturbing. It speaks to parenting and the long term impacts of adults on children in the most dramatic way. Each of the principal characters are damaged in profound ways. The story of the Pillowman as the title of the play suggests becomes more prominent but it isn’t all of it. I admit that the early acts puzzled me more than a little, with me scratching my head on where the second half of the play could possibly go. It was a satisfying and thought provoking performance. Well worth your time to check it out if you can, for me notably for the lead character’s performance. He carries much of the dialogue and he makes this believable. It is on until September 7th.
Hedda (Bath): This is a play which is an interpretation of the early Henrik Ibson play Hedda Gabler. I had seen the original back at Stratford Ontario last year. I enjoyed it. It was a period piece, in the late 1800s with a woman who is capable of many things, but is pigeon-holed into a limited number of options for her. She is trapped and becomes trapped even more deeply as the play moves forward. This modern telling of it stars Lilly Allen and from Downton Abbey Brendan Coyle. The updated time for me doesn’t assist with the character of Hedda. In the original play Hedda is a more sympathetic character for her times and her plight. Her trap is real from outside forces that she cannot control. A modern audience thinks “if only she was born later” she would have had a much different. Sure women still marry for convenience and to be with someone “safe” to this day, but the stigma of being the spinster is less lessened and it’s more socially acceptable to be single. Sadly in this rendition, Hedda comes across as mean, spoiled and entitled. She has built her own chains including a refusal to work, all the while having demands of how she is prepared to live. There are many demands on any suitor, including her new husband who is thrilled to be with her but she is filled with such contempt for him. Of the plays that I saw this was the least satisfying but still there were some good performances. Bath is a very picturesque town and seeing live theatre was a terrific evening out.
Mondays With Robbie 