As always, Cirque du Soleil is a flurry of pleasant noise and colour when it comes to London (and the UK). However, this time, Totem, which depicts man’s evolution from an aquatic and amphibian being in to a species that wants to fly is pretty but does not take one’s breath away as Quidam did at the Battersea Power Station, when Cirque du Soleil first introduced itself to Britain in 2001.

Make no mistake, the costumes are pretty and the music is upbeat but most of the acrobatics, and the comic interludes, are not as sharp or enticing as past shows. And, for the expense of the tickets, one would be better off getting cheap seats at the opera, doing something outside for free like walking a dog or flying a kite or staying at home and playing a game while listening to good music.

However, although not as electrifying as some of Cirque’s other shows, there are still a few “as always” that hold true.

As always:

• costumes are incredibly beautiful such as “crystal man’s” and the “crystal ladies” who “emerge from the fiery bowels of the earth to evoke the creation of the world and the beauty of minerals” (the ladies also spin shimmering crystal plates for their act)
• the orchestra has a beautiful sound
• the performers try their hardest – and what they do, they do extremely well
• the sets, costumes and lighting are extremely imaginative and eye-catching

So what is the problem? The problem is that the tickets are way too expensive, the plotline is too watery and unimaginative, and because of the vague storyline the acrobatics – such as plate-spinning and tight-rope walking – just don’t come across as exciting as they could if there was a focus purely on either acrobatics or on storyline.

So for a minimum of £27 per ticket after you pay all of the booking fees, is it worth a trip to the Royal Albert Hall to sit in the dark and possibly have an obstructed view? Er, no. Be happy with the website (for clips of the show and artwork) and advertising that you might see around London.

Further information:
Cirque du Soleil: Totem (official site)
Cirque du Soleil (official site)
Royal Albert Hall (officiall site)

In dark January 2012, we have another link in the chain, chapter in the ongoing series and story – or however you want to classify it. More interesting than the last two movies – Underworld: Rise of the Lycans (2009) and Underworld: Evolution (2006) – in the series and even darker (literally).

Gloomy Kate Beckinsale, as Selene, is in top form killing all the “baddies”, which in this case equates to ‘mean’ Lycans (ie modern day werewolves) and corrupt humans who want to help the Lycans. But besides Kate, there is also her hybrid daughter (the offspring of a Lycan and a vampire) Eve (India Eisley) and her lover Michael (Scott Speedman) is kept frozen (until the very end) in a lab where they experiment on “infected” individuals because he is too boring. We also meet new vamp hero David (Theo James) who is attractive and gets extra points with the filmmakers for having a British accent and rugged human police detective Sebastian (Michael Ealy) who helps Kate because his wife became a vampire, who was killed.

On the big screen in 3D and in a dark environment, Underworld: Awakening is very similar to Gotham in the Batman film series. Kate gets points for being superstrong on screen (fun to watch her) moving so fast and the cool effects on her eyes. The film, itself, is very vapid, but fun. Worth seeing if you are a vampire movie fan. Otherwise, go catch a sunset, moonlit night or something more rewarding that won’t give you the chance of eye strain.

Further information:
Underworld: Awakening (IMDB)
Underworld: Awakening (official site)

Although this has been regaled as one of Natalie Portman’s best roles, sadly this is actually quite a sick movie that myself and others walked out of. Natalie Portman (who plays Nina Sayers) is given the role of prima ballerina to play both Odette, the White Swan and Odile, the Black Swan although, being more kind and sensible, she is perfect for the role of the White Swan. Within the movie, she replaces the prima ballerina Beth McIntrye (Winona Ryder), and Lily (Mila Kunis) is her understudy with whom she begins a twisted rivalry and friendship, and also she must fight against oppression from her obsessive, former ballerina mother Erica Sayers (Barbara Hershey) and her overbearing and sexually sadistic director Thomas Leroy (Vincent Cassell).

Although the costumes are beautiful and recently won awards at The 13th Annual Costume Design Guild Awards (February 2011), the plotline is trite and very unpleasant. Worth skipping, to be honest – one is better off seeing a ballet in the theatre or on television.

Further information:
Black Swan (IMDB)

The countries are:

1. Norway

2. Denmark

3. Finland

4. Australia

5. New Zealand

From the brochures, this exhibit, which replicates the ‘Red Light District’ of Amsterdam looked excellent.  The exhibition leaflet showed  shadowy figures, deep colours and it seemed quite intriguing. However, upon arriving the exhibit was NOT that interesting. The mannequins were weak Madame Tussaud’s figures and it was quite small and poor quality – something that one would find in an old county/town history museum.

And, although these American artists, who have done similar work in the past were trying to convey a sleazy mid-1980s European street, it came across as something that might also appear in The London Dungeon.

Despite being free and an example of these American ‘beat’ artists Ed and Nancy Reddin Keinholz’s work, I wouldn’t recommend it unless you were a fan of their work impaticular – as some of their other sculptural installations – such as Bout Round Eleven (1982)  and Installation View are much more interesting and better examples of what they can do. Figural works like the two named previously have a lot more that one can read into them instead of being so straightforward with nothing for the mind to interpret on one’s own.

Ed Keinholz and wife Nancy, upon further research are fantastic ‘off the beaten track artists’, who were born in America in the 1940s and have a prominent underground history -w ith Ed having done jobs from being a psychiatric nurse, to being in a band to being an artist.

Further information:
Keinholz Exhibit – National Gallery (Official site)
Ed and Nancy Keinholz – examples of work (Artnet)
Ed Keinholz (Wikipedia – biography)

For those who loved the series, you will find this ok. It has some witty dialogue and the girls – particularly Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker), Samantha (Kim Cattrall),  and Charlotte (Kristin Davis) are all excellent and very characterised in their roles. Carrie is – as always – very fashionable, Samantha is the OAP sex kitten who can’t stop talking about her hormones and Charlotte keeps talking about her children. Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) is also there, but is more in the background.

The film starts wittily with all of them at a gay wedding – with excellent dialogue. It then shifts to them being at home and gearing up for their trip to Abu Dhabi where an old flame of Carrie’s is filming a movie. Sadly, it gets a bit boring in Abu Dhabi, thus the film only gets three stars.  The fashion etc, is nice, but how many times can you hear vaguely about Dior and Valentino without getting bored. The crux in Abu Dhabi is the tension between Carrie and Aidan, dealing with being Western women in a Middle Eastern country and their escaping after Carrie loses her passport and Samantha’s condoms are seen in public.  And, finally, going home to be grateful for what they have.

Recommended if you are a huge fan of the series – although other fans got bored too.

Further information:
Sex and the City 2 (IMDB)
Sex and the City 2 (Official site)

I was extremely privileged to be able to see this ballet – as there is a story to tell behind it and I went on an ‘intuition’.  I had a thought in my brain that if I don’t go, I will “miss something really pretty”. Firstly, every one had said the ballet was sold out, even the ticket desk staff, but then, oddly, just as I was turning away to go home and give up, a man in charge of the queue for people waiting for returns said… “oh wait, there is one Ampitheatre ticket left”.  So I went and when I asked the front desk again, not only did they say “oh yes we do have a ticket (£22.00 and a non-restricted view)”.  Also, when I asked, “what should I expect?”, they said, “it’s something really pretty”.

So, a wonderful pre-cursor of what to expect of this ballet, I can say it was something more than ‘pretty’. It was spectacular and I am extremely happy I went. This is, just like the fairytale, the story of how when the Beauty  (Aurora) was born, a wicked fairy named Carabosse put a curse on her because she was NOT invited to her christening. The curse was that she would place her finger on a spindle and die. However, The Lilac Fairy, who is one of her ‘fairy godmothers’, changed the curse so that she would only fall into a deep sleep and could be awakened when a prince comes and gives her a kiss to wake her up.

The ballet then, like the fairytale, focuses on how Aurora lives her life with no spinning wheels around her till her 16th birthday. Then, on this date, she comes across one, pricks her finger and falls in to a deep slumber. The Lilac Fairy then arrives, puts the entire court to sleep and makes a large forest grow over the entire palace.

The ballet is a beautiful dance and enchantment of this fairytale with some of the most elegant and glittery costumes you will ever see as well as vibrant and elaborate sets.  Plus, the music was mellifluous, floating like a rich floral scent in the air. Scene changes were also quick and everyone was extremely happy and awestruck with the ballet.

In the second act, one sees the scene where Prince Florimund, with the help of the lilac fairy, has a vision of how to find Princess Aurora and awakens her and in the third act, one sees their wedding.

With so much beautiful enchantment going on – in the dance, colours, costumes and music, it was a perfect outing for a January evening.

Further information:
Royal Opera House (Official site)

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Official site: GFCF Shakes

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For those looking for an excellent carpet cleaner, who will clean carpets expertly in London, then look no further than Mr John Prescott. He is a kind, cheerful, honest and patient man who came highly recommended and as the saying goes he is ‘worth his weight in gold’. Not only can he remove pretty much any stain, but his prices are reasonable, he treats your carpets with extreme care and does a very conscientious job – even getting down on his hands and knees when needed.

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