The Lost King (2022)

 My favorite scene in Shakespeare's Richard III is the seduction scene. Here Richard lures the widow of a man he killed into his marriage bed. A great performance also lures the audience into the seduction, and it's only after the betroyal has been sealed that we realized what Richard, Shakespeare, and the actor have accomplished. Whatever else Shakespeare did to tarnish Richard's reputation, he did establish him as a figure who's difficult to resist. 

The Lost King taps into that allure. Not only is Richard's "ghost" (played by Harry Lloyd) handsome and beguiling, he grants the film's protagonist Phillipa Langley (played by Sally Hawkins) what every woman desires (per Chaucer's Wife of Bath's Tale): sovereignty--that is, the freedom to follow her own desires, hunches, and sensibilities. 

And as many have pointed out, the film grants that sovereignty by erasing the contributions of other women and vilifying the men affiliated with the University of Leicester. Or, to put it another way, the amateur historian (also frequently incapacitated by a form of chronic fatigue syndrome), Phillipa Langley, is allowed to shine by showing how she triumphs over the know-it-all, image-preening, recognition-hungry professionals at the university. 

The story undergirding the film is a good one. Though we weren't expecting a documentary, we were hoping for something that resisted caricature and easy storylines. 

New Haven Symphony Orchestra

 The NHSO continues its 2022-23 season with another guest conductor, Perry So, who is also a finalist as the symphony's next maestro. Three pieces this afternoon: Ácana by Tania Léon, Samuel Barber's 14th Violin Concerto featuring Aubree Oliverson on violin, and Beethoven's 3rd "Eroica" Symphony. Held in SCSU's Lyman Hall. Lovely to be there for a live performance.

The Art of Burning (Hartford Stage)

 Just two days after attending a Yale Rep's production of Mojada: A Medea in Los Angeles, I saw with Mike Hartford Stage's production of Kate Snodgrass's The Art of Burning. We were very happy with the well-paced, well-acted production of this strong adaptation of Euripedes's Medea. The play retrieves Medea from the tedium of being a piece worker in the LA barrios to being an artist who seems to have given up the paintbrush for a wedding ring and motherhood. When the play opens, the protagonist (Patricia) has already been abandoned by Jason for another woman, a lawyer at the same firm as his. Patricia and Jason's child is a teen-aged daughter. To conclude their divorce, they need only to agree about the daughter's living arrangements. What would be the terms of the shared custody? Into this mix comes news that the other woman is pregnant and Jason is pressuring her to have the baby, assuring her that he'll be better this time. At this point things get a bit muddled. In an excruciating scene, Patricia gets Jason and their divorce mediator to believe that she's killed the daughter. She hasn't, but her point is made: they are willing to think the worst of her, a propensity that carries into other aspects of their relationship. She's also making the point that the daughter needs to be "saved." Misogyny? Women's "natural" roles as mothers and nurturers? The play ends with a coda: Patricia has an art showing, Jason and his new wife have a baby, and the daughter is excited about being a sister. All are happy and reconciled. Hmmm. Perhaps this is the play's version of Euripede's deus ex machina at the end. Whatever it is, it is unearned and unsatisfying.

Nevertheless, worth seeing.

The Quiet Girl / An Cailín Ciúin (Colm Bairéad)

 No wonder this film was a finalist for the Best International Feature Film at the 2023 Academy Awards. 

It is a wonder. It opens in a household overwhelmed by poverty, cruelty, and unwanted children. And, slowly, ever so slowly, it reveals how kindness--simple, gentle, and patient--can heal. 

Highly recommend. For many reasons. Many times.

Mojada (A Medea in Los Angeles)

 A stunning production of Luis Alfaro's play about a woman trapped by rules and laws that make her an easy prey. Building on Euripedes's play and the all-too-common circumstances of immigrants into the US from Mexico, the play avails itself of the the obvious (a woman betrayed by her ambitious husband) and the less obvious (curanderos, traditional healers attributed with magical powers) parallels between its protagonist and the sorceress Medea of Greek legend. Powerful performance by Camila Moreno as Medea.

SxSW 2023

 To belatedly celebrate Mike's 70th birthday (way back in 2022), we spent the past week (11-17 March 2023) in Austin, Texas at SxSW's film festival. Over six days, we viewed 23 narrative shorts, 19 documentary shorts, 8 full-length narratives, and 11 full-length documentaries. We avoided those big films already slated for release, opting instead for the smaller indies we might not have another chance to see. We saw lots of great film! In between, we walked from venue to venue, stood in lots of lines, plotted the next day's film options, met lots of interesting fellow film lovers, and asked our share of questions in the Q&As. Most importantly, we learned that the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema on Lamar has the world's best popcorn.

Returning to the Work

 After more than a 7 year hiatus, I'm resuming this blog account of our engagement with the performing arts. Neither reviews nor just a list, this blog helps us remember what we saw, what we thought of it, and why. And after 3 years of few visits to theaters, cinemas, or other venues, going out for a show feels invigorating and worth recording.