It may sound like a variation on the old children’s tale ‘Little Red Riding Hood’ but Joe DiPeitro’s ‘Over the River and Through the Woods’ is a more adult drama about a 30-year old marketing executive. He visits his grandparents in Hoboken, New Jersey to let them know that he’s accepted a job in Seattle. The grandparents don’t want him to go, and they conspire to give him reason to stay. The Lyric Stage presents the New England première of DiPeitro’s latest play.
Derek Boshier
This chic Marais gallery is currently putting on a show of works by Derek Boshier, member of the British Pop movement and contemporary of Hockney, Caulfield, Kitaj and Jones at the Royal College of Art – although he subsequently went through phases of abstraction, sculpture and collage. This group of 20-odd acrylic paintings sticks strongly to his Pop Art roots and is a fitting companion to the Centre Pompidou’s coming exhibition.
Joystick – The Computer Game
The Maria Matos municipal theatre seeks to fill a gap neglected by other theatrical venues, in particular by putting on children’s shows during the day. ‘Joystick – The Computer Game’ is for children of ages four and upwards put on by the Almada Dance Company. It mixes dance and acrobatics in a bid to present to its wired young audience the characters that contribute towards putting on a show of this kind – the director, costume designer, composer and choreographer. Tickets for children’s shows sell at 1,000 and 2,000 escudos.
Stones in His Pockets
This is the Australian première of this clever piece from the pen of the Irish playwright Marie Jones. Set in a County Kerry invaded by Hollywood, the roles of the local folk in a film are taken by Americans and directed by a disintegrating Englishman. All 13-odd roles are played by two actors – Philip Dodd and Greg Stone – who shift from spiky assistant director to a hyped up security guard to the insecure leading lady, all in the blink of an eye. Directed by Garry McDonald.
Improvisations
After a few days preparation, ten choreographers and dancers perform a variety of works, some impromptu, at the Kaaitheater. There are nine concerts, each of which features small groups of dancers in a variety of works. Each night will be different and the performers bring an international flavour to the event. Among those on stage will be Steve Paxton and Katie Duck from the USA, ex-Royal Ballet star Jonathan Burrows and Belgium’s own Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker.
Coffee Bean
Moscow’s main street has always lacked a classy coffee house until the recent opening of Coffee Bean’s latest store. There still isn’t anywhere better than Coffee Bean the original coffee store in town and this time they have found a gorgeous historical building on Tverskaya. Formerly a famous 19th-century baker, it still retains some of its former glory with a delightful ceiling and a small and rather expensive bakery introduced by Coffee Bean. Large leather sofas by the window make it the best café in town to lounge in.
Virginia Haggard-Leirens
Renowned for her black-and-white portraits, Brussels-based photographer Virginia Haggard-Leirens has a retrospective exhibition of her work at Charleroi’s Musée de la Photographie. Born in England, Haggard-Leirens started out as a painter before finding success in her late thirties. One time partner of Paul Delvaux, and mother of his son, you can see portraits of the painter alongside those of Marguerite Yourcenar, Orson Welles and Maurice Béjart. This exhibition also features some of her landscapes and is well worth the trip to the south of Belgium.
Les Miserables
The now legendary staged musical adaptation of Victor Hugo’s tragic novel ‘Les Miserables’ by Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schonberg returns to Boston for an extended run at the Colonial Theatre. Produced by Cameron Mackintosh, and starring Randal Keith as Jean Valjean, Stephen Bishop as Inspector Javert, THursday Farrar as Fantine, Diana Kaarina as Eponine and Stephen Tewksbury as the student revolutionary Enjolras, the production is a travelling version of the same show that’s in its 15th year on Broadway.
