JORGE S(L)AYS

My year in music, theatre, film, dance, tv, gigs, art and all things cultural

[jorgeslays-blog]

Wonder Woman By Patty Jenkins 2017

Two of my senior female colleagues went to see Wonder Woman during the weekend and both told me how brilliant it was. And I have to admit -shame on me- I was surprised, as I never thought about them as people who really liked superhero movies. But then obviously did someone ever thought about women when making a superhero film? Wonder Woman might be the one we were all impatiently waiting for; instead of giving a portrait of sexualised women for the patriarchy consumption, it focuses on their strength and power, and it does it lead by a superb Gal Gadot that doesn't lose kindness and sincerity when releasing all her powers. I'm still unsure about the tiring World War approach -can we leave Germans in peace for good?- or the (spoiler alert!) Armaggedon scene that felt unnecessarily dramatic. But even after those moments when I was not entirely convinced, this Wonder Woman soared incredibly high with a plot full of mytology, feminism and epic scenes; impossible to forget the emotional scene at No Man's Land! “Be careful in the world of men, Diana, for they do not deserve you" says her mother Hyppolyta, Queen of the Amazons. And she's totally right.

JORGE S(L)AYS: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[jorgeslays-blog]

Melodrama By Lorde 2017

The first time I listened to Green Light I knew something about Lorde’s new album was going to be different. Her Pure Heroine, a knockout debut album whose sound was never intended to be a success, brought something really refreshing to the pop scene, but was not polished enough to make Lorde more than an interesting new act. But in the last four years something wonderful happened to her: it’s called life. She dealt with success, made mistakes, moved to a new place, felt alone, had a blast… and her heart was broken for the first time too. She became and adult and we’ve all witnessed that process in Melodrama, an album that sounds pristine from beginning to end -Lorde has always been undeniably talented- and incredibly cohesive. Every note is so calculated I still wonder how she managed to sound so natural. It’s obvious that all that ‘I don’t care’ attitude from their debut album is mostly gone; now Lorde is totally concious of her position and her sound has moved rapidly to generic mainstream territory. Not a bad thing as soon as she doesn’t take it much further; she’s found a wonderful balance between the awkward girl from New Zealand and the superstar she’s become. An absolute triumph that, I had to admit, took me by surpise. Here’s the biggest contender for album of the year so far.

JORGE S(L)AYS: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[jorgeslays-blog]

Sense8 (Season 2) By The Wachowskis Netflix, 2017

Halfway through the second season of Sense8 I was wondering if I was watching Netflix or a music videos special program on MTV. God knows in which moment Lana Wachowski decided that two whole slow motion musical sequences per episode was a great move, but if all she wanted was elevate our body temperatures like Kala watching Wolfgang playing football… You got it, girl! You won the award of best aesthetics and zero substance! And in those moments when Sense8 decides to go back to look like a normal series, it does it with an increasingly over complicated and clearly improvised plot and Lana’s political views -which, to clarify, are exactly like mine- vomited in the less natural way possible. It’s like going to a school of left-wing politics for teenagers. What am I still doing watching this series when it’s so obvious that the third season is going to be a massive crash? Well, sometimes the characters just seat and take their time to talk about mundane things. JUST TALK. Can you believe it? That’s Sense8 at its very best. And the fact that Lana Wachowski didn’t realised yet is quite scary.

JORGE S(L)AYS: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

[jorgeslays-blog]

Le Sacre du Printemps / In The Middle, Somewhat Elevated / Adagio Hammerklavier. By Pina Bausch / William Forsythe / Hans van Manen Sadler’s Wells, 2017

There's an interesting connection between the figure of Pina Bausch and Tamara Rojo; apart from the fact that they both come from the same artistic expression, they are two women with no time for hesitation and capable to take all the necessary risks to excel. Tamara Rojo arrived to the English National Ballet to shake its foundations and all her bravery is taking the company to new heights. Their latest triple bill, with three magnificent and very different compositions, was both a triumph and a very bold statement. A journey that started with the epic Lest we forget and has seen another chapter successfully written with Pina Bausch's iconic Rite of the spring. A night that, more than a joy, felt like an absolute privilege to watch. Success is for those who risk, and Tamara, as Pina did in the past, don't know what the word failure means.

JORGE S(L)AYS: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[jorgeslays-blog]

Angels in America By Tony Kushner National Theatre, 2017

It’s really difficult for me to review Angels in America. Or even write about it. I couldn’t even sleep last night after a whole day wandering around the National Theatre. I’ve spent most of the night reading all these stories about how it was conceived and about the specific political and personal situation in which the characters were living. And the more I was reading, the more I realised this play is something I’ve never experienced before. I tried to write about how, as a gay man – and against some (white heterosexual) voices claiming AIDS and homophobia are dated subjects – I found Angels in America still as relevant as ever. But I came to the realisation that actually, the story touched me at a more profound level; Millenium Approaches is the conflict of identity and struggle through isolation while Perestroika, the final part, is the destruction and reinvention of the inner self. But the complexity of Tony Kushner’s masterpiece is such strong I’m pretty sure each person in the audience felt something completely different. It was not just, as so many voices simplistically claim, an “ambitious” play, and I think everyone cheering, clapping, laughing and crying in the Lyttelton Theatre yesterday felt exactly the same. It was an event. A celebration. I vividly remember a conversation between Harper and Prior, magnificently –and very funnily– played by the goddess Denise Gough and Andrew Garfield; I just wanted to jump on the stage and feel what their bodies were going through. I wanted to be able to break all the walls and the sense of space and time too. That’s how special Andrew, Nathan(s), Denise, Russell, James, Susan and Amanda made me feel yesterday. These are the angels I saw last night.

JORGE S(L)AYS: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[jorgeslays-blog]

Paul Auster’s City of Glass Adapted by Duncan Macmillan Lyric Hammersmith, 2017

Paul Auster changed the way I see literature when I was a teenager. His City of Glass, part of the New York Trilogy and one of my absolute favourite books, is such a multidimensional experience that an adaptation to stage seems like one of those challenges any company would love to take. But exploring such a complex story, that goes from meta-thriller to modern Don Quixote, requires a full understanding of all the layers it’s made of, and this 59 Productions version was clearly missing a lot of them. This is a play that, instead of giving new life to the book, comfortably -or tediously- tries to seduce the audience with visual tricks; but the ‘wow’ factor means nothing when the human part of the story is massively lost. My second visit to the Lyric Hammersmith after the horrific opera version of Sara Kane’s haunting 4.48 Psychosis was another dissapointment. In comparision, both suffer from the same issue: two very intriguing stories hidden under a thick layer of empty visual effects. This City of Glass was nothing like what I felt when I finished reading the book more than 20 years ago.

JORGE S(L)AYS: ⭐️⭐️

[jorgeslays-blog]

DAMN. By Kendrick Lamar 2017

Kendrick Lamar is a force of nature. As a musician, storyteller and human being. Someone who's capable to translate his hopes, fears and frustrations into an exquisite form of art. Who can create body of works of such attention to detail and passion it's literally like being inside his creative mind. It's impossible not to feel close to Kendrick when he gives his whole soul in every word he says. His rhymes border the unthinkable, to the point it's hard to believe how all that energy he releases can take him to the next sentence without completely losing his breath. DAMN does not fell short of ambition, and I would say lyrics are his best to date, but after To Pimp a Butterfly, this album is sonically less cohesive and more conventional than his first two LPs, and even more commercially suitable for big radios that I was expecting. Still a joy to listen and a massive level of appreciation for him as he's trying something different, even thought that means missing a little of that Kendrick we all fell in love with.

JORGE S(L)AYS: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[jorgeslays-blog]

Pleasure By Feist 2017

God, how much I've missed Leslie Feist. There's been times during this six years since Metals was released when all I could think was how much the music industry needed Feist to be back. First, because of her attitude of not giving a shit about that fact. And second, and probably connected to the first one, because although she's not here to break any rules she's definitely playing with all of them. She's almost making a fool out of conventions and expectations, something very uncommon these days. After the big production that Metals was, Pleasure goes purposely inwards in the most minimalistic way; Leslie Feist knows his most powerful intrument is that genuine voice that could turn the most generic song into something full of personality. Not that this is the case. In fact, every single song in Pleasure is so rich in its own simple way it requires listening to it carefully. Every moment takes you to another of unexpected possibilities. It's a craft. It's so raw it takes time to digest but oh, what a wonderful meal it is. In the process of searching for that pleasure Feist gave us her most audacious and open letter to date. It's her pleasure. And our pleasure too.

JORGE S(L)AYS: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[jorgeslays-blog]

Obsession By Barbican/Toneelgroep Amsterdam based on the film by Luchino Visconti Barbican, 2017

Controversial opinion: I really liked Obsession. I know very well certain moments were slightly vague, sometimes felt a bit absurd and the lack of chemistry between Jude Law and Halina Reijn was more than obvious. I can even go further but saying that the Barbican was too big and felt too empty to clearly see any emotion, and a smaller stage like the Young Vic, as it happened with A view from the bridge, could have been a more situable option. Not that I'm trying to compare Obsession with such a modern masterpiece, but Ivo van Hove is a wonderful director that, even when he's not at his best, is capable to create visual poetry from the tiniest detail. Obsession is not the best we've seen from him by any means, but the level of metaphor was really admirable. And to be fair, after watching Lazarus I can assure you it's definitely not his worst. This is simply one of those cases when, even though I know the play was not perfect, I have to admit I still quite enjoyed it. And not just because of -sorry, but I had to say it!- Jude Law's incredible torso.

JORGE S(L)AYS: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

[jorgeslays-blog]

Flight Pattern By Crystal Pite Royal Opera House, 2017

What is art made for? In the age of social media we are constantly overexposed to images and empty creativity that doesn’t add anything that’s worth to be admired. But every now and then artists express their feelings not just to please themselves but to take those social struggles, fears and concerns out of their bodies. Crystal Pite is a master capturing those emotions; her superb Flight Pattern decips the refugee crisis in a haunting secuence of perfectly coordinated movement, more powerful and touching than any image that can be seen on the media every single day. It hurted like a punch right straight in the stomach, so visceral and violent yet profoundly beautiful. A masterpiece of such class that even made me forget the two unremarkable pieces we had to watch before it. Art that, apart from being a stunning piece of work, has a purpose. What is art made for? Crystal Pite knows the answer very well.

JORGE S(L)AYS: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[jorgeslays-blog]

Laura Marling Roundhouse, 2017

I saw Laura Marling for the first time seven years ago in a small venue at the Lower East Side, NYC. It was the perfect place and the perfect audience for her. Although she came from releasing that masterpiece called A creature I don’t know, her stage persona was still young and timid. But apart from her ability to sound even better live, there’s not much left from that young woman I saw in that tiny venue surrounded by teenagers. Even her audience now seems to be different. At the Roundhouse, Laura Marling was in control and not afraid of letting her feelings flow. Presenting her most ambitious work, Semper Femina, she was seductive and intriguing, showing such a complex side of herself it’s hard to believe she’s not even 30. After 6 songs in a row from her last album she was surprised people was not bored; “I would be”, she exclaimed. How could we be. At the end of the night she was singing “Let it always be known that I was who I am” from Rambling Man. It sounded like a big statement. This time, 7 years later, Laura Marling took all the power and put everyone of us in her pocket.

JORGE S(L)AYS: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[jorgeslays-blog]

Semper Femina By Laura Marling 2017

I once said Laura Marling is the most talented artist the UK has produce in the last 20 years. A bold statement, for sure, but I dare you to find any flaws in her, for now, immaculate discography. I’m almost certain she is not capable of making a bad album, and the only time I’ve said that is to my beloved Sleater-Kinney. But what’s more important, she’s not afraid of exploring and showing different parts of herself. Semper Femina doesn’t show a new Laura Marling sonically, but it take us to a more complex journey than usual. This album about feminity and female relationships is her most audatious and ambitious work, showing the many sides of Marling with a confidence she didn’t show before, not even during her Dylan-phase of Short Movie. It’s honest and raw but feels very serene and natural. It’s maturity made music.

JORGE S(L)AYS: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[jorgeslays-blog]

Roman Tragedies By William Shakespeare Barbican, 2017

While Britain post-Brexit is claiming there’s a massive “infection” of theatre coming from Europe, I start wondering if that statement is a way to hide their plays are not as forward-thinking and imaginative as they try to portrait them. Roman Tragedies, a 6-hour stage adaptation of Coriolanus, Julius Caesar and Antony and Cleopatra, is a mammoth of a play. 6 hours of Shakespeare in a way no British director would dare to produce. Current. Relevant. Different. Exciting. Exhilarating. Shakespeare made real and for an audience ready to take control over the performance. And what’s more depressing, it was directed 10 years ago by Ivo van Hove, the man who is “infecting” every single stage in London right now with magnificent bold ideas everyone can feel connected with. If that’s what we’re getting right now in our theatres, I can’t imagine what companies in Berlin or Amsterdam must be doing at the moment. In times where Robert Ickes and Jeremy Herrins are considered some of the best creators in national theatre, it’s not a bad thing to remind everyone their style is massively influenced by those European directors that changed the rules of what a play should be. And isn’t that a wonderful thing?

JORGE S(L)AYS: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[jorgeslays-blog]

Hamlet By William Shakespeare Almeida Theatre, 2017

Two Hamlets in one year is too much for someone who doesn’t consider himself a big Shakespeare admirer. But compared to that famous Hamlet with that famous actor I saw last year, this Hamlet felt inspired. How this odd mix of Scandinavian noir with the profoundly human side of the performances worked is something every drama school should teach. Even using the same formula as in Oresteia, Rober Icke is one of the best British theatre directors of his generation. And Andrew Scott, who is undoubtedly the best actor of his generation, did not fear for a second when playing the role. He WAS Hamlet. He felt it. And he was accompanied by an incredible cast. I could watch Juliet Stevenson reciting Shakespeare for hours non-stop. I would make her voice my wake-up alarm. And Jessica Brown Findlay made me feel Ophelia’s unconditional love to everyone for the first time, and that’s a lot to say for such a dull character. They were all, without exception, superb. And yeah, he stole the show because he’s Andrew Scott and he can do anything, but he let everyone shine with him because this magnificent play was designed for everyone, from lighting to costumes to performances, to excel.

JORGE S(L)AYS: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[jorgeslays-blog]

Us/Them By Carly Wijs National Theatre, 2017

I wonder what Carly Wijs was thinking when she thought it was a good idea to write a play for children based on the Beslan school siege, but if there's something I've learned after going to see Us/Them is that we need more creators like her. Making a play about those events with such an intelligence and touch is pretty much a miracle, but Us/Them achieves the impossible. It doesn't open a debate about terrorism or how the media behaves under those circumstances. There's not even an attempt to take part on that specific political situation. Nor even about telling exactly what really happened inside the school. But it's all there, and it's masterfully told by two actors in the skin of two children who, in the most difficult of the situations, find a way to escape from the horror but being factual. There's no pity. No drama. The place of the tragedy becomes their playground and they tell their story in the most innocent way. None adult could have ever found better words to express such tragedy.

JORGE S(L)AYS: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[jorgeslays-blog]

Drake The O2, 2017

Balloons. Balloons everywhere. Pink, blue, orange, big, small, waving or flying. If I had to guess Drake’s set design at the O2, balloons would probably be my last option. But I assume that’s what happens with his own stage personality. A man who wants you to party like it’s motherfucking Saturday night but who still can take the time to speak softly to every babygirl in the front rows. You never know. Drake loves playing both the cool guy and the boy next door. And in other situations, I would have said he fails miserably in his attempt to be both but, don’t ask me how, he played both characters so well it actually works. By the time he was playing Hold on, we’re going home and every single balloon was covering the stage, I was already part of Drake’s religion. Who’s this guy? No idea. And I don’t care. What I know is that Drake can make my motherfucking Saturday night a party to be remembered.

JORGE S(L)AYS: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[jorgeslays-blog]

Saint Joan By George Bernard Shaw Donmar Warehouse, 2017

Oh, the difficulties of making an old play relevant in 2017! It can be an exhilarating experience (just think about Billie Piper in the recent Young Vic’s production of Lorca’s Yerma) or, as it happens to Josie Rourke’s reinterpretation of Saint Joan, a messy amount of ideas that made the play really difficult to follow, and even hard to believe. There were some modern references to actual events and a very interesting feminist approach but it all felt very vague. It lacked punch. And it’s a pity because Gemma Arterton’s quality is undeniable and every time she was on stage the production was taking new heights. In fact, she was there way before the play started and I wished she never left, because every time Gemma appeared the audience was ready to be blown away. She’s a force of nature and I wished the play was as good as she was as Joan of Arc.

JORGE S(L)AYS: ⭐️⭐️⭐️