Tag: London Arts blog

Carmen is coming to Sadler’s Wells in London

Carlos Acostas Carmen Cristina Lanandez 5

In an event that harmoniously blends tradition with contemporary flair, Sadler’s Wells Theatre unfolds its red carpet for Acosta Danza, as they present the UK premiere of Carlos Acosta’s version of Carmen from the 2nd to the 6th of July, 2024. This adaptation by the dance legend Carlos Acosta gives a new lease of life to Georges Bizet’s opera, stirring the soul nearly two centuries after Prosper Mérimée penned the original story. Carlos Acosta himself steps onto the stage, not just as a creator but as a performer, embodying ‘The Bull’ – a symbol of fate and destiny. This role, specially crafted by Acosta, emerges from his deep-seated desire to encapsulate the essence of the narrative while marking his departure from the Royal Ballet. His rendition of Carmen holds onto the timeless and universal appeal of the tale yet introduces a fresh perspective by minimising the setting to its core elements. Joining forces with Acosta Danza are Principal dancers Laura Rodriguez, Enrique Corrales, and Alejandro Silva, alongside guest stars from the Birmingham Royal Ballet – Yaoqian Shang, Javier Rojas, and Lachlan Monaghan, who will portray Carmen, Don José, and Escamillo, respectively. This cast embodies the spirit of the characters they portray, bringing to life the tragic tale of love, passion, and jealousy. Carmen’s story has always captivated the imagination of many, attracting a variety of choreographers such as Marius Petipa and Roland Petit to its fiery core. The opera’s enchanting melodies like the ‘Toreador Song’ and ‘Habanera’ continue to resonate, underscoring the opera’s enduring popularity… Read More

LONDON: Frantic Assembly celebrates turning 25 with a year of projects

Frantic Assembly

They’ve just been announced as one of this year’s partners for the fifth running of the National Theatre’s River Stage, but that’s not all Frantic Assembly have up their sleeve in 2019. They’re a theatre company, known for their fearlessness and ambition; a set of skills that has them game enough to announce a years’ worth of work for them to look forward to. And that’s just the start. They’ve got a new website coming in July, heading theatre arena at Latitude Festival with a new show, Sometimes Thinking – celebration of the hours invested in daydreaming and fantasising about the people we could have been, the things we should have said, and who we might yet become – which will be performed at Latitude, 19-20 July. Not to mention, thought the full line up of what’s on offer for River Stage is yet to be announced, it’ll include a combo of works like Sometimes Thinking, the Frantic Megamix (a performance celebrating 25 years of Frantic Assembly) a movement demonstration from A Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Frantic Family workshops, a return of the Fatherland Chorus of Others and special performances from our Ignition Graduates such as DJ sets from Lewis Griffiths and Stefan Janik. Oh, and they’ve also formed a new creative think-tank, The Assembly, consisting of an evolving group of artists, creative practitioners and advisors invited by the Artistic Director, who will meet quarterly to discuss the vision and ambition of the company. For more on what’s to come from… Read More

London’s National Theatre is back with River Stage for 5th year running

River Stage National Theatre people smiling

The free summer festival, hosted by the National Theatre on London’s thriving Southbank is back again. Complete with a full line-up of performances that span the gamut of drag, cabaret, acrobatics, singing and dancing, it’s an event, inclusive of all, that really puts the National Theatre and London arts on the map. The whole festival is about celebrating the best of British and International culture, drag artists and London’s green and blue spaces, including the River Thames. River Stage is on around the city, but has partnered with The Glory (gay bar 5-7 July), Shubbak Festival (Arabic entertainment spread, 12-14 July), National Park City Festival (19-21 July), Frantic Assembly (26-28 July) and the National Theatre itself (2-4 August).   Subbak Festival Shubbak Festival will be bringing an international focus to the festival with Bricklab’s ‘Geographical Child’s Play’. Bricklab, the designers of the first Saudi pavilion at Venice Architecture Biennale have created a new pop-up sculpture especially for Shubbak: 22 brightly coloured units equalling in number the 22 states of the Arab League. National Park City Festival To celebrate London becoming the world’s first National Park City, the Mayor of London’s National Park City Festival features a huge array of acts to celebrate everything green and wild about the city, including family favourites The Gruffalo and living costumes walkabout, the Grass Men, plus two large-scale outdoor dance theatre spectacles: the Urban Astronaut and BLOCK, which explore themes of air pollution and the challenges of living in an urban jungle. Frantic Assembly Frantic Assembly are celebrating their 25 anniversary this year, will offer the chance for everyone… Read More

Nicolaes Maes is the Dutch Master of the Golden Age coming to the National Gallery London

Nicolaes Maes National Gallery

From 22 February 2020, the work of Dutch Master Nicolaes Maes will grace the ground floor galleries of the National Gallery, right in the heart of London. It’ll make for what’s to be the first exhibition exclusively devoted to the man who died in 1693, taking on loans from private collections around the world. Made up of 35 pieces of work in paint and lead, the exhibition will take you on a journey through the life and learnings of a creative, considered one of the star pupils of renowned Dutch Golden Age Baroque artists, Rembrandt. What’s Maes known for? Maes was fond of works that depicted genre scenes, portraits, religious compositions and still lifes, many of which make up the bulk of next year’s exhibition. He was a pioneer of the theme of the eavesdropper; his carefully styled narratives often break the fourth wall, making the viewer a participant in the scene, as characters (often a maid) eavesdrop or point to illicit goings-on. To end the exhibition, it’ll focus on the period from 1673 when Maes settled in Amsterdam and abandoned domestic genre scenes to devote himself almost exclusively to portraits. A group of these lesser-known works will show how he brought a Van Dyckian elegance and swagger to the portraits.  The exhibition will run until 31 May 2020. See more from the National Gallery at the website.