'A Raisin in the Sun' - Play review

A Raisin in the Sun is a play co-produced by Eclipse Theatre Company, Sheffield Theatres and Belgrade Theatre Coventry, directed by Dawn Walton. It tells the story of financial and social strife in an African-American family in civil-rights era South Side Chicago who hit upon a small fortune in insurance money after the death of the family patriarch. A Raisin in the Sun plays through this week, finishing with a Saturday matinee and evening performance, at the Nuffield Theatre in Southampton, before continuing its tour in the Liverpool Playhouse, Watford Palace Theatre, Albany Theatre and Belgrade Theatre throughout March.

One of the things slightly mesmerising about this production from the very opening is its very intense attention to high naturalism. The whole play takes place in the kitchen/living(/bed)room of the Younger family's Chicago apartment and, though scene changes eventually break the unity of time afterwards, the first scene tracks the Younger family's morning routine from sister-in-law's groggy waking up and cooking breakfast (irl, with a cooker on stage) to elder-brother's reluctantly leaving for work as a chauffeur. The effort the cast go to in maintaining this illusion is very impressive and the work pays off as a very immersive and invested portrait of home life. Furthermore, it's a very relatable portrait of home life, which makes this naturalism a very important frame of reference for a 21st-century, English (largely white, in Southampton) audience to contextualise the social issues of the play in what might otherwise feel like a different, incomprehensible world; by giving the audience something they recognise and partake in daily the play can then make direct comparisons between the audience's experiences and the Younger family's.

Singing the Praises of a University I'm not Going to

Since the introduction of fees for university and the massive spike in the number of students being admitted to university there's always the thought at the back of one's mind at extravagant open days that universities have interests besides the advancement of the next generation. Of course whatever the motive the education is likely to be first-rate - what better advertisement for Cambridge's £21,000 course than the prestige afforded its alumni? However, having accepted my offer for Birmingham fairly secure that that institution values paper over linen I feel the need to publish praise for another institution which very clearly honestly believes in the enrichment of its alumni.

This morning I received a letter from Queen Mary, University of London, congratulating me and formally offering me a place. It would have been a nice touch if that's all it was, just the thought of sending a physical letter beside the automatic email from UCAS. QMUL went a step further however, which fully cements in my mind the idea they are wholly committed to the betterment of human intellect, society and culture.

'Deadpool' - Film review

Deadpool is the latest Marvel (/Fox) comic book movie, set in the X-Men universe as opposed to the MCU, about the merc-with-a-mouth Wade Wilson and his alter-ego Deadpool (duh). It's directed by Tim Miller (my heart bounced for a moment thinking it was directed by TJ Miller) and stars Ryan Renolds in the eponymous role, and is all-round just a really really brilliant movie.

First and foremost, Deadpool is the most loving and perfect pastiche of the superhero genre I've yet seen. It has the love of both the insider and the outsider: of the insider to stay true to what the fans and lover of the genre really want to see in their movies, and of the outsider to find and poke fun at those oft-ignored cliches of the genre which get repeated year-on-year. It was slightly unsettling watching the trailers before such a movie, here's roughly what to take away from those: -

X-men Apocalypse: They're the four horsemen of the apocalypse! It's the end of the world! WE WILL TEAR DOWN EVERYTHING THEY HAVE AND BUILD A NEW WORLD!
London Has Fallen: This is the most secure event IN THE WORLD! 6 of the world leaders are dead AND THE PRESIDENT IS UNACCOUNTED FOR!!!
Triple-9: They want us to do one last job - this has to be the BIGGEST ONE EVER! Let's get the Triple-9! All the cops in the city come running IT'S A CODE TO DIE FOR

'Spotlight' - Film review

Spotlight is directed by Tom McCarthy and tells the true story of investigative reporters (going by the name 'Spotlight') uncovering the covering up of child abuse by Catholic priests in Boston. It stars some big-name established actors such as Liev Schreiber, Mark Ruffalo and Stanley Tucci. There'll be a fairly interesting comparison to make on the finer details of investigative-reporting true-stroy film-making, as tomorrow I'm going with my brother to see Concussion, a film in the same genre about a cover up in the NFL.

A solid true-life conspiracy thriller.

One of the odd things about Spotlight is an interesting decision which turns into a questionable decision, or rather a questionable decision which turns into an interesting one: starting sort of in medias res, besides the 30 years earlier prologue. This creates some quite strange pacing for the first quarter of the film. To begin with it has the effect of thrusting you straight into the action with a little bit of intriguing confusion, wondering how you got to the point you're at at that moment, but then this creates a dip of slow pacing as everything has to be explained. However, this is then turned around again as a benefit to the film, as everything is explained and you begin in medias res, as it leads to some of the most naturalistic exposition I have ever seen in film. The characters and situations are so well arranged to have characters with a reason to be imparting the valuable information - the lull in pacing is worth it for making this excellent feat of writing possible.

Just to see if I Could

Wednesday afternoon, my interview at Queen May, University of London, afterwards a brief meet up with a Symonds friend, who goes to UCL, and her QMUL boyfriend. The interviews were meant to be only 15 minutes, by the time the academic felt he'd got enough from me the taster drama workshop had already started. I apologised meekly to the practitioner and put my stuff to the side and joined the circle, the Scottish girl I befriended on the day whispered to me 'that was a long time!'

20 minutes of rambling on about everything that excites me about the English language, literature and drama - finishing reading Barack Obama's fascinating, inspiring biography; ordering The Travels of Ibn Battutah on Amazon the night before; discovering the musical Hamilton and the cultural/historical significance of conflicting musical styles. I couldn't tell if I was able to properly communicate my tremendous excitement to the interviewer, but whatever, it was enough, however truthful and accurate it was. It took QMUL just over 24 hours to get back.

Maybe I'm more inspired by Alexander Hamilton than I would have otherwise realised. Though I hadn't heard the lyrics of the musical nor had I really known that much about the ten-dollar-founding-father before, the past few months have been a slow revelation of this Hamilton-fire-burning desire to explode up and out. 'Imma get a scholarship to Kings college / I shouldn't brag but dag I amaze and astonish' - 4 Russell Group universities, some of the best in the country for English and/or drama. Maybe he and I have something in common, even if it is just to his fictional representation.