By John Fletcher & William Shakespeare
At The RSC

Finally I’ve got my act together and I’m about to fill you in a sizable treat which is showing at Stratford-Upon-Avon presently and will be until February 2017. So easily enough time to book tickets, flights and gift yourself with 2hrs 35mins of ‘gee I made a great decision’.

A great decision based on an extraordinary cast, fabulous direction and an interesting exploration into friendship, desire, attraction and arranged unions.

Oh and a massive thumbs up for the staging and props – for the action is lively to say the least, so when Arcite and Palamon get a little heated up, you receive a huge serving of energy, involvement and anxiety. Anxiety?…Indeed…for they are accomplished swordsmen and the way they speed up the iron fencing, there are moments you despair that they might fall on an entranced audience member or perhaps really hurt themselves. But yes…this concern of ‘will they, won’t they’, just adds to the excitement and your experience.

Did I use the word entranced? I meant to keep that to describe the effect Frances McNamee (who plays Emilia) had on me, so thanks to Thesaurus.com, I’ll throw in a couple of adjectives (or they could be verbs) to characterise her and her performance. Bewitching, mesmerizing and simply stunning (oh there was adverb). The moment she hits the stage, you don’t see anyone else.  You also feel for her, for the choices she has to make and the choices she can’t.

And other goods news – this is the beginning of the Winter season, so chances are you can catch most members of this remarkable cast in other productions showing in The Swan. So I’d say best approach here, buy tickets to both The Seven Acts of Mercy and The Rover as well.

By Alice Birch

After experiencing some new writing at the Royal Court I was definitely itching for more, so you can imagine my relief on discovering that the RSC as part of their Making Mischief Festival during the summer, were putting some of their own on. So, dashed off I, typed in the MasterCard details, obtained three very affordable tickets and begged my days to move faster.

Why beg? Well, when you see a comment that states ‘This play is not well behaved’, you know…well I know… ‘that’s what I’m talking about’. And you start to…well I…get really excited and expectant and geed up for the big day.

And yes by golly it came, and Team Family not bashful in the slightest, took those empty front row seats, with legs a swinging, grinned until lights out and then proceeded to howl with laughter throughout the first two scenes of the play.

And when I mean howl, I mean loud, mixed with tears and side holding, for truly ruly Scene One is genius and was executed by some very fine performers, and then Scene Two, is comic and hilarious and again delivered with such talent that you’re left with little else but be blown away by the writing and performance.

I can’t tell you how many scenes/sketches there are in this one hour performance, but I can say it doesn’t just stop at funny, for each mini-play has its own angle to explore. These all pretty much focus on the role women in the 21^st century – how they speak, feel, are victimised and can take control, so it’s fascinating, thought-provoking, daring and bold.  It’s also not fluffy, and at times quite disturbing (but good disturbing) and powerful.

And with super credit to the playwright – for the language can shock and wound and excite all in equal measure and all at the same time.

Also the staging is stark, effective and adds to the action. Oh and the cast – three super fabulously women (Emmanuella Cole, Emma Fielding & Beth Park) and an equally super fabulous man (Robert Boulter).

Thankfully, it’s still on, not on at the Other Place in Stratford where I caught it, or Edinburgh where it’s just been but at Shoreditch Town Hall until 17 September.

Museum Kampa, Praha

Encouraged entirely by the fabulous poster above, one’s husband and I made sure we squeezed this gallery visit in just prior to our lunchtime departure from Prague. But reader beware. Squeezing in all the culture that Prague has to offer in 48hr isn’t possible. I tried and I failed. Thankfully, this Super Power of learning, enlightenment, history and phenomenal architecture isn’t closed for business, so I’m aiming to return. Soon.

Back to the Munch Kupka Kokschka…As mentioned last post, our train tripping adventure was really an education. Yes I’d heard of Edvard Munch, but by golly, not the hugely talented (and slightly racy works) of Mr Kupka. Not only do his paintings suggest to the viewer that he had a thing for the ladies, his gift at producing them on canvas is something to behold (if you aren’t nervous…and you like nudity…and brushstrokes).

It also appears from the pictures we had to hand, that the ladies liked him – with an amusing warning prior to entry suggesting that this exhibit was for the over 18s. At last, there’s a reason why I should be delighted to be an adult.

It’s a small collection of artworks (paintings, sculptures, bronzes), produced between 1890 – 1921, so the style of a majority of the paintings, (says she who has no art education) is expressionist I guess, as they appear influenced by Fauvism, Impressionism, Art Nouveau and much more (sorry, I did say my knowledge was limited – but this by no means reduced my enjoyment.)

And on the point of enjoyment. This exhibition really ticked all my husband’s boxes. It was like he’d found a new best friend as we spent the rest of the afternoon talking about Mr Kupka, creating potential backstories about his life and relationships.

Furthermore, in testament to him (not my husband, Kupka), every single bookshop or museum store we passed for the next two weeks was all about discovering and purchasing the perfect coffee table publication of his works.  And we did find one, but at 140 Euros, our magnificent plans were scuppered…for the time being.

It’s on until 11 September 2016 – so you need to change your weekend plans.

At the Contemporary Fine Arts Galerie
Mitte, Berlin

I shan’t go on for too long as I’m sure these images speak for themselves, but maybe I’ll provide you with a little context.

As part of Team Family (minus one)’s mini train tripping earlier this summer, we managed to take Everyday’s a School Day to the next level.  Heading to galleries and museums most days I can honestly report is the best thing you can do.  Not only do you discover new artists, works, ways of thinking but also provide yourself with a great catalogue of memories – and postcards.

You don’t have to necessarily like the work, it’s just grouse that you get to experience it and decide.

So on the final leg of our journey, we were in my second favourite city and my husband picked this particular gallery. We headed off and were immediately bowled over. Not only is the building itself one of the coolest I’ve ever encountered, but it was a commercial gallery – so entry was free and you buy the things you like…if only…

Herr F C Gundlach is incredible.  I’m sure some of you have already heard about him and admire his work, but for Team Family (minus one), our knowledge of him and his remarkable ability hadn’t been realised, until we hit Floor 2.

The exhibition itself is a collection of ninety of his favourite photographs, taken during the last sixty years (approx.), in celebration of his 90^th Birthday.

Each photo screams – ‘Divine’, ‘Wow, the composition’, ‘Oh that looks just like the glorious Mrs Duncan’ and cheers you and impresses you and compels you out of your own world…you kind of get caught up in the image and whisked off to that point in time and place.

Here’s their website to excite you further – http://www.cfa-berlin.de/exhibitions/90_jahre_90_fotos

It’s on until 10 September 2016