The Red House, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao and the first person and other stories

This book had so much promise, the collision of two families together on holiday. But after his two wonderful books ("The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time" and "A Spot of Bother") I found this new novel, The Red House by Mark Haddon, to be quite tedious. I felt that the author was trying to be too modern; frequent jumps from one character to another (sometimes ... guess which character I'm talking about). The ultra short sentences that here sound pretentious ("It all faded. Hard to feel passionate about anything now. She thought about her mother. It was physiological of course. Myelin breakdown, neural tangles. But you couldn't help wonder. Being bored of life, wanting to let go". And too much jumping back into the past. Memory is an attractive method of explaining character, but please, not all the time! Sometimes I longed to get back to the real time story. The author seemed to have lost the plot with some of his descriptions: "Airport novels shelved according to height". So although I found the book hard work, the last third at least has some forward momentum. But a really good idea got lost somewhere along the way.

Perhaps it was because I so enjoyed the first part of this book that I was unprepared for the last tumultuous third. There were times late on I wanted to give up, but the sheer force and dynamism of the writing kept me going. I was always going to read this novel after having finished the author's wonderful collection of short stories "Drown" only eight months ago. If anything, I should have waited at least a year or so, as the style of the two books is quite similar. In both, Junot Diaz writes about people from his home country, the Dominican Republic. This novel encompasses three generations of the same family. It is not told entirely in a linear form, but it mostly gains from it's occasional journey into the DR's past. The characters are colourful and their difficult lives are magically described. I will definitely read the author's latest book "This is how you lose her", but I will save it on my To Read List for a couple years.

I wanted to like the first person and other stories more than I did, being a huge fan of Ali Smith. Maybe it was because the first few of the twelve pieces in this collection of short stories were a little disappointing. Typical is the huge strangeness of number five where a woman, in bed with her married lover, muses on Beethoven's opera "Fidelio". Fortunately these are followed by some riveting blasts of language few writers can match in just a few pages. "the history of history" is an eight page wonder. A really thin slice of life, compared to a novel as a fully formed loaf. The author occasionally weaves some baffling fantasy into stories that are essentially about relationships. In one, a woman is talking to her fourteen year old self, a concept that is both provoking and funny. I would give that five stars on it's own.

As You Like It at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre Stratford

Oh what a merry dance. Maria Aberg's production of this familiar play is terrific fun. This is the same team that this time last year I saw transform the dull King John into something of a party. Although I am probably in the tiny minority (maybe of one) who thought that was better than this year's As You Like It, I still loved last night's superb performance. Inventive, colourful and full of music (by Laura Marling - here far more accessible than usual) and dance, the first half went in a flash. The movement around the stage was outstanding, and the diction was fresh and clear.

Both leads from King John were here again with Alex Waldmann as Orlando and Pippa Nixon leading the company as Rosalind. When she played The Bastard in King John I wrote on 7th September last year "Here is a star in the making. She is absolutely brilliant. No wonder the RSC have given her some big roles over the last couple of years". And she just gets better and better. Just wait until she lands some big movie roles.

I was surprised that the "Seven Ages Of Man" speech came out of the blue. But on studying the text, I found that Orlando had just left after coming across the Duke and his entourage in the forest. He had explained his predicament and on his exit, the Duke is mournful when he says "... we are not all alone. This wide and universal theatre presents more woeful pageants than the scene wherein we play him. And that is where Jaques comes in:

All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players:
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages. At first, the infant,
Mewling and puking in the nurse's arms.
And then the whining school-boy, with his satchel
And shining morning face, creeping like snail
Unwillingly to school. And then the lover,
Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad
Made to his mistress' eyebrow. Then a soldier,
Full of strange oaths and bearded like the pard,
Jealous in honour, sudden and quick in quarrel,
Seeking the bubble reputation
Even in the cannon's mouth. And then the justice,
In fair round belly with good capon lined,
With eyes severe and beard of formal cut,
Full of wise saws and modern instances;
And so he plays his part. The sixth age shifts
Into the lean and slipper'd pantaloon,
With spectacles on nose and pouch on side,
His youthful hose, well saved, a world too wide
For his shrunk shank; and his big manly voice,
Turning again toward childish treble, pipes
And whistles in his sound. Last scene of all,
That ends this strange eventful history,
Is second childishness and mere oblivion,
Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.

I'm sure that my father could recite this piece. It does sound so familiar, especially the last line.

The World's End, Promised Land and Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa

I'm afraid it didn't work, Simon Pegg playing such a horrible character was just not funny. He can play endearing, smart, cocky, or whatever pleasant guy you can imagine that you would like to spend time with. But horrible? No. The concept of The World's End was brilliant, the reprise of the pub crawl before splitting up and going their separate ways. And for the first few pubs, we got the message. But it couldn't hold us under it's spell, and I tired of the repetition. There were some funny bits, but a fantastic cast were wasted on a poor script. Such a shame after the wonderful "Shawn of the Dead" and even better "Hot Fuzz". The only note of interest was the location that had me wondering straight away. Welwyn or Letchworth Garden Cities? In the "end" it was both.

With the first major demonstration in the UK against fracking taking place, it was interesting to see a drama about what is happening in the USA. The Promised Land's main characters are not at all likeable. Matt Damon and Frances McDormand work for the nasty corporation that wants them to sign up a rural community to use their land for exploration by any means possible. When an sole environmentalist shows up, the battle for and against fracking commences. It is just a little unfortunate that the twist at the end is such a big indictment of corporate greed, that the argument loses it's place. This is obviously a debate close to the heart of Damon, but emergency director Gus Van Sant seems to just point the camera and let's another excellent cast work it out. a strange choice for Wednesday Senior Screen, but at least we had a proper drama with a proper story, even though the dialogue at times could have been better.

What a surprise was Alan Partidge: Alpha Papa. This was the funniest film I have seen for ages. When I think back, the writing is not particularly witty, but the context and delivery was superb. I don't think I have ever watched any of the TV series, but I found Steve Coogan's character far less embarrassing or repellent as say Ricky Gervais in The Office. Instead I found Partridge almost endearing, certainly smart and cocky. It is just that his big mouth runs away in directions he cannot control, and he is most definitely a wimp. But a very funny one. The movie is filled with character actors we have seen so often on British TV. There has been no pandering to youth or America. Three cheers for that. What we have is a slice of small town England in all it's humble yet constantly amusing situation. The cast deliver their lines with a deadpan exasperation as the one man siege of North Norfolk Digital takes hold. Colm Meaney is a great foil for Coogan, with just the touch of menace his otherwise otherwise pathetic character deserves. And the soundtrack has to be heard to be believed. Even the Ski Sunday theme work's it way in.

Henry VI at Stratford in 2000

Watching The White Queen on Sunday evenings, and last week's ending with the princes in the Tower, reminded me of one of the most exciting theatrical events that I have experienced. I cannot believe that is was over twelve years ago, on 30th December 2000, that I went to Stratford to see the RSC perform all three parts of Shakespeare's Henry VI at the Swan Theatre, all on the same day. An award winning production directed by Michael Boyd.

Starting with Part 1 at 10.30am, followed by Part 2 at 3pm and finally Part 3 at 7.30pm. Just enough time in between to refuel. It was a fabulous day, and it was never too much. The audience seemed to form a bond with the actors in what became quite a challenge.

The last scene of the last play takes place in palace with the new King Edward IV on the throne with his brothers, George and Richard, and his wife Elizabeth (the White Queen) and her infant son Edward. Richard has one of the final lines when he speaks directly to the audience (Shakespeare demands an aside) "To say the truth, so Judas kissed his master, And cried - all hail when as he meant  - all harm". This was all the more dramatic as Richard was holding the young prince in his arms and showing him to the audience at the same time. Soon to be a prince in the Tower.

It was Aidan McArdle who played Richard, and he continued to do so in Richard III. However there were only a couple of performances of this at Stratford, so I had to go to The Young Vic in London to see it. Unfortunately I didn't enjoy it at all, it seemed very poor after the magic of Stratford.

I had booked to see all the history plays in a series that started in June 2000 with Richard II at The Other Place. This was the RSC's studio come rehearsal space in Stratford. I was on an unreserved banquette on the front row so had actors literally breathing down my neck. At times there felt more actors than there was audience in such a tiny auditorium.

The ticket price for Richard II says £5.00. Talk about value for money.

The Compost Heap

I know that this is a pretty boring subject, but in the last couple of years I have taken the advice of Monty Don on the BBC's "Gardener's World" and turned over the compost heap to help with it rotting down.

He always said that this exercise was better (and cheaper) than going down the gym. I have to say he is right. I raised my heart rate higher than when I am doing running sprints. I think that this may be partly due to the heavy shovel I use, so I am glad to alternate spreading in layers with a rest while watering. The heap pictured is all last year's grass cuttings, leaves and prunings etc., and it now waits until next year when I repeat the exercise ready for spreading on the garden the following spring.

My heaps therefore take two years plus to break down, and I therefore have three heaps on the go at any one time. I still have to turn the heap for next year's use, but that will have to wait until next week as I am completely knackered.

PS The heap for spreading next year is now turned. This time it filled the loose brick bin that was emptied in the spring.

I should really think about turning this year's new heap, but I think I will wait until autumn.