Radiohead & Night-Light
Pages of new radio play creeping by ever so slow. Still it is creeping by.
Went to a Radiohead gig last week. My first. It was an all time best gig. It consistently reached places that theatre dreams to do and rarely consistently does. Radiohead reaches thoses places. Thom Yorke’s little shakes and tiny spin dances – yes I fall for such passion – and of course the music, the sound, the lights, the performances….
We talk of commitment. Commitment to a role or place or performance. Radiohead personify commitment and performance, which if I saw in every play I watched would leave me blown away.
Go see Radiohead with someone you love, or want to love.
Of course, I say all time best gig. But events are wrapped up in time and place. It equals a gig I saw in 1999, Cambridge. Lamb (Gorecki – a top falling in love song –
if i should die this very moment
i wouldn’t fear
for i’ve never known completeness
like being here
wrapped in the warmth of you
loving every breath of you
still my heart this moment
or it might burst )
Listen here
The Junction, a small venue and with Gorecki, spine tingles…. I thought I might have been in love, I was in the midst of finals nightmares and my Dad was dying.
Last week, I wasn’t with the girl I’d like to marry – she for convulated business reasons was in Hamburg (WHAT?! I know) – but with one of my long time best friends, known from the age of 7 and I don’t have any exams to do. So, Radiohead was probably the better gig.
Speaking of commitment to performances, I saw Night-Light at the Oval House theatre (until June 3 at Oval then touring) last week by Out of Inc.. Stephen Sharkey wrote the script (and his blog has his thoughts), but the physicality and totality of the performances were as important if not more so than the words.
Both performers were extremely committed. One yard stick to judge a performance (and I use several depending on mood!) is whether one falls slightly in love with the performers. In the moment, I think, I did (and I don’t think I’ve turned into dirty old man yet- I’m still in my 20s!).
Particularly, Camille Litalien who is teaser, rope dancer, spider and exudes playful intimacy. You want to touch her physicality, dance her dance, hang from her rope…. You feel sorry for Sinead Rushe, would-be sleeper – harassed by her shadow-self.
Unless you concentrate very hard, the non-linear story will probably wrap around you in fuzzy confusion but that is to miss the alternative language of light, sound, rhythm, dance and poetry being evoked. Strong images across all the media, often combining to create a powerful whole.
Still, if you like a straightforward story or even esoteric dance, this might not be for you. However, if you want to fall a little in love and be absorbed by a succession of images interweaving with snatches of dream story, then this is perfect.
Camille, Je voudrais un verre de vin rouge avec vous…. Non. Actually, I’ve found my soul mate already but yes passion and commitment whether from Thom or Camille is seductive to our soul. Just ask everyone at the Hammersmith Apollo last week.
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About me
I'm a playwright and investment analyst. I have a broad range of interests: food, gardening, innovation & intellectual property, sustainability, architecture & design, writing and the arts. I sit on the board of Talawa Theatre Company and advise a CIS investment trust on socially responsible investments.
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Recent Work
Recent plays include, for theatre: Nakamitsu, Yellow Gentlemen, Lost in Peru, Lemon Love. For radio: Places in Between (R4), Patent Breaking Life Saving (WS).
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Nakamitsu
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Yellow Gentlemen
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