Is There Life on Mars?!

Peach Ripple Cheesecake

Sun, 28 Aug 2011 16:35:21 +0200

Recipe inside…

Biscuit Base

250g digestive biscuits
90g unsalted butter

Peach Curd

2 ripe peaches
1 tbsp apricot jam
80g unsalted butter
80g caster sugar
2 eggs
seeds from 1 vanilla pod

Cheescake Filling

750g cream cheese
125g caster sugar
2 tsp lemon juice
100g soured cream
3 large eggs

Equipment

20cm springform cake tin, 7cm deep

Method

Preheat the oven to 170C or gas mark 3.
Crush the biscuits to a fine poweder in a food processero (or put them into a plastic bag and bash them with a rolling pin), then empty them into a bowl. Melt the 90g butter, then pour it over the biscuit crumbs and stir to fully coat them with the butter.
Press the biscuit mixture into the base of the cake tin, then place in the fridge to firm up while you make the filling.
Purée the fresh peaches in a blender or food processor. Add 1tbsp of apricot jam, in case the peaches are not ripe enough. In a small heavy-bottomed saucepan, melt the 80g butter. Remove from the heat and allow to cool for a while. Whisk in the 80g caster sugar and then the eggs, one by one, mixing well after each addition. Add the vanilla seeds and then stir in the peach purée and return to heat. Whisk constantly until the curd thickens and just starts to bubble. Remove from the heat and pour into a shallow dish to cool. Set aside.
In a bowl, beat together the cream cheese, 125g caster sugar and the lemon juice until creamy. Mix in the soured cream and then beat in the 3 eggs until smooth. Remove the cake tin from the fridge and spon half of the cream cheese mixture into it. Pour half of the peach curd in a layer over the cream cheese and then spoon the remaining cheese filling on top of this. Drop four separate dollops of the remaining peach curd along the border of the cake and then final spoonful in the middle. Insert a butter knife into the cake about 2.5cm deep. In one motion, zigzag the knife through the cake and the curd to form a ripple pattern.
Bake the cheesecake, placed on a baking sheet, for 50-60 minutes, or until the filling is set (it should be firm with a slight wobble). Do not over-bake it, or ethe cake will split.
Remove the cheesecake from the oven, to a wire rack. Run a small paring knife along the inside of the tin to release the cake. Allow the cake to cool completely before turning it out onto a serving plate. Serve at room temperature. Leftovers will keep in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Photo

Fri, 08 Jul 2011 02:01:10 +0200

Two Boys Trailer (by englishnationalopera)

Wed, 06 Jul 2011 10:48:09 +0200

Two Boys Trailer (by englishnationalopera)

"Who are you laughing at? You are laughing at yourselves!"

Wed, 29 Jun 2011 21:08:00 +0200

“Who are you laughing at? You are laughing at yourselves!”

- Nikolai Gogol, The Government Inspector

"We need new forms of expression. We need new forms, and if we can’t have them we had better..."

Wed, 29 Jun 2011 01:19:29 +0200

“We need new forms of expression. We need new forms, and if we can’t have them we had better have nothing.”

- Anton Pavlovich Chekhov, The Seagull

Egotrippin’

Tue, 28 Jun 2011 12:11:07 +0200

Egotrippin’

Stained glass window at cinema Světozor in Prague.

Mon, 27 Jun 2011 10:59:21 +0200

Stained glass window at cinema Světozor in Prague.

Interview with Tamara Rojo, The Royal Ballet principal, about...

Fri, 24 Jun 2011 16:08:00 +0200

Interview with Tamara Rojo, The Royal Ballet principal, about her experience of performing Romeo and Juliet in front of 14,000 people at the O₂.

“I wanted to do more than anything was that people going to the ballet for the first time would get the best thing ever - the closest thing to the Opera House possible. Not try to patronise them, but do the most honest and moving performance that would make them maybe question their views about what the Opera House has - and be willing to come and see other shows.”

Photograph of Tamara Rojo being photographed by Tristram Kenton: The Ballet Bag

Cream Tea from Hobson’s Patisseries at 1 Henley Street in...

Thu, 23 Jun 2011 19:35:00 +0200

Cream Tea from Hobson’s Patisseries at 1 Henley Street in Stratford-upon-Avon: Two beautiful fluffy scones with clotted cream, strawberry jam or lemon curd, butter and a teapot full of Lady Grey. All for £4.95.

Review: Oliver Peyton's British Baking

Wed, 22 Jun 2011 10:58:00 +0200

When I first arrived at Peyton & Byrne’s café at the Wellcome Collection, it was love at the first sight. I did not care much, who Peyton and Byrne were, all I knew was that I loved their food. Peyton & Byrne made serious impact not only on my love life (met two of my future ex’s there), my wallet and my waistline (cakes are little bit like heroin), but it also re-ignited my interest and passion for baking.

The penny dropped few months down the line, when through my passion for watching too much television I discovered BBC’s ‘Great British Menu’. Oliver Peyton, chain’s owner, is one of the programme’s judges alongside restaurateur Prue Leith and food critic Matthew Fort. At times, Peyton came across as unbearably smug and someone on YouTube remarked that ‘he would make a lemon wince, if he bit into it’. Smug foodie he might be, he obviously knows what he is talking about. In the end, I still preferred Peyton’s acidic demeanour to Matthew Fort churning out alliterated puns and it was the food itself that truly mattered.

Oliver Peyton’s British Baking is a beautifully presented collection of recipes. They range from simple biscuits, through cakes, tarts, pies and breakfast goods to seasonal favourites. Old time favourites like Victoria Sponge, Bakewell Tart, Bread and Butter Pudding, Bramley Apple Pie or Black Forrest Gateau are featured amongst others.Readers looking for the latest trends in baking might be disappointed, as British Baking focuses on simple puddings made from quality ingredients, showcasing years of tradition.

Each recpipe has both prep and cooking times and includes information for how long the cake will keep. The instructions are clear and detailed. Peyton also offers advice on equipment and techniques for beginners and throws in several recipes for basic ingredients like shortcrust and puff pastries, icings, strawberry jam or lemon curd.

In contrast to his on-screen bearing, Peyton’s tone of writing is warm and friendly, specked with nuggets of wit and kind humour. It conveys his great passion for food and all things baked.

The book with its lavender cover adorned with a lace-like ornament is beautifully laid out. It is typeset in Gill Sans, in line with Peyton & Byrne’s identity. Collin Campbell’s photographs present Peyton’s cakes in a homely fashion. Beautiful and humble; they are not over-styled, but still look delicious and achievable - as something you will be able to produce on your own in your kitchen.

Oliver Peyton’s British Baking is a must-have book for every enthusiastic baker and a great introduction to baking for a keen beginner.

Published by Square Peg, £20.00. Available from Peyton & Byrne and all the good book stores.

Beautiful piece of eastern melancholia. Ryuichi Sakamoto-...

Tue, 21 Jun 2011 22:55:14 +0200

Beautiful piece of eastern melancholia.

Ryuichi Sakamoto- ‘Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence’ (by deccamusic)

RomeO₂ and Juliet: The Royal Ballet at the O₂

Tue, 21 Jun 2011 00:26:00 +0200

Last week, The Royal Ballet decided to go east and present Kenneth MacMillan’s Romeo and Juliet at London’s 20,000-seat O₂ Arena. I had the pleasure of seeing Carlos Acosta and Tamara Rojo as Shakespeare’s ’star-cross’d lovers’ on Sunday, June 19. The prospect of seeing ballet in one of the UK’s biggest arena was certainly enticing. But did it live up to the expectations?

I clearly understand the rationale behind taking The Royal Ballet to the O₂. The possibility to offer more tickets at affordable prices is extension of the Royal Opera House’s initiative to bring new, younger audiences into its Covent Garden auditorium. The informal setting of an arena might be a good introduction to the genre, that is unduly considered to be old-fashioned and boring. And while I would not want to be accused of elitism and artistic snobbery, the cavernous arena did not provide the ideal setting for the intimate story of the two doomed lovers.

As a student with a limited budget for cultural activities, I bought a seat for £11.25, up there with the gods on the fourth tier. Despite the presence of three large screens, the sheer distance from the stage proved to be too big a challenge for my tired eyes. The screens worked better for the solos and duets, while the populous scenes worked better on stage. The stage itself was a pared down version of the traditional Covent Garden production, which features more lavish sets. However, the orchestra (Royal Phillharmonic, conducted by Barry Wordsworth) seemingly suspended in mid-air above the stage was an unusual visual addition to the whole experience.

Despite beautiful and emotional performances by The Royal Ballet’s principals, Carlos Acosta and Tamara Rojo, the show felt rather flat in terms of atmosphere. I did not even mind the latecomers and people munching away on their overpriced hot dogs. But as a seasoned theatre-goer, I lacked the contact with the performers on stage, which somehow dampened the usual buzz and excitement of attending a live performance.

If The Royal Ballet ever returns to the O₂, I will probably give it a miss and save my money for a ticket for a regular show in Covent Garden. Nonetheless, I hope that Romeo and Juliet introduced ballet to a broader, more diverse audience and that many of the ballet virgins, who came to the O₂ over past three days, will come again.

Photographs from the dress rehearsal: The Ballet Bag. For more pictures, click here.

Nikolai Gogol: Government Inspector. Young Vic....

Mon, 20 Jun 2011 01:06:00 +0200

Nikolai Gogol: Government Inspector. Young Vic. Photograph: Keith Pattison.

Review: When one and one doesn’t equal two

Fri, 03 Jun 2011 00:00:00 +0200

The Solitude of Prime Numbers became an overnight sensation, catapulting its author, a 27-year old scientist into literary stardom. Paolo Giordano has not only recently completed a doctorate in quantum physics at the University of Turin, but his debut won Italy’s most prestigious literary award, Premio Strega, was translated into 35 different languages and sold over million copies worldwide.

Giordano alludes to his scientific background by using the mathematical metaphor of prime numbers – numbers that can only be divided by one and themselves, to describe the solitary heroes of his novel. Mattia and Alice are prime number twins, separated by an even number, that destines them to live two parallel lives, never touching each other. So close, but still apart…

Alice and Mattia made a wrong decision, when they were children: she didn’t want to become a professional skier and he abandoned his mentally retarded sister in a park to avoid the likely embarrassment at a schoolmate’s birthday party. Mattia’s sister disappears forever, possibly drowning in the nearby river. Alice ends up scarred and limping, while Mattia grows into a socially inept mathematician with inclinations toward self-harming behaviour.

The novel follows their stories from early childhood, through troubled times of adolescence to their adulthood. Giordano guides the reader through their fragile hearts and minds. Alice longs for the world to accept her, while Mattia rejects it and banishes himself into isolation. Unable to express their feelings and relate to other people, they form an unlikely, but lasting friendship.

Giordano discards the idyllic notion of carefree childhood and provides an unsettling analysis of human despair and misery. The story seems to be devoid of any happy character whatsoever. Everybody is trying to come to terms with some kind of suffocating burden of their own: homosexuality (Mattia’s schoolmate Denis), loss of past, rootlessness and assimilation into a foreign culture (Alice’s housekeeper Soledad), being unable to forgive one’s child and love it (Mattia’s mother), feeling of guilt (Alice’s father), unfulfilled paternal instincts (Alice’s boss), emotional vacuum (Nadia) and cancer (Alice’s mother). Even, Fabio, the liveliest character of them all, cannot fight the frustration and the destruction that Alice brought into their marriage.

Some critics have accused The Solitude of Prime Numbers of being unrealistically bleak and depressive. The emptiness that spreads through the lives of the book’s antiheroes is like cancer growing inside Alice’s mother’s body. However, no one tries to do anything to stop it and turn their lives for better. You want to help these poor sods. Sometimes you feel like you want to scream in their faces to make them try and live, which turns the reading into an oddly life-affirming and meditative experience.

The book’s language (the brilliant English translation by Shaun Whiteside) betrays writer’s scientific background. Giordano steers away from the vernacular and avoids lengthy descriptions and melodrama. His language evolves and ‘grows’ with his characters. His overall tone is very reserved for what is a contemporary novel, however it fits well with the mood of the piece.

Reading of The Solitude of Prime Numbers may leave you with a slightly bitter aftertaste, however it offers mature, captivating and memorable, albeit melancholic reading.

- Paolo Giordano: The Solitude of Prime Numbers. Doubleday, £12.99

Pravý, nefalšovaný, cirkul’artovský televízny spot s Táňou...

Fri, 06 May 2011 00:00:00 +0200

Pravý, nefalšovaný, cirkul’artovský televízny spot s Táňou Pauhofovou! Pozerajte a zdieľajte! Tešíme sa na vás!

The Royal Ballet. Not What You Think. Amazing collage of clips...

Tue, 22 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0100

The Royal Ballet. Not What You Think.

Amazing collage of clips showing the variety of The Royal Ballet’s repertory, set to Tinie Tempah’s Pass Out.

Glosa: O krištál'ových plesoch a perníkových chalúpkach

Fri, 04 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0100

Posledné dva týždne som strávil na facebooku vyjadrovaním pohoršenia, ironizovaním, vtipkovaním s kamarátmi a zároveň napätým sledovaním mediálnych výstupov týkajúcich sa Krištáľového plesu Slovenského národného divadla. Moje pocity z tohto podujatia elegantne vyjadril spisovateľ Michal Hvorecký. Vďaka svojej bizarnosti a pompéznosti sa určite zaradí medzi “najväčšie úlety slovenského šoubiznisu”. Krištáľový ples predznamenáva posledné záchvevy okázalej zábavy, bezbrehého obžerstva a trblietavého pozlátka pred dlhým obdobím pôstu a zároveň vydáva smutné svedectvo o stave slovenskej kultúry a prioritách našej spoločnosti…

Úvodom by bolo vhodné poznamenať, že patrím medzi bývalých zamestnancov tejto erbovej kultúrnej inštitúcie. Z SND som odišiel koncom augusta 2010. Dva roky strávané v divadle vo funkcii projektového manažéra Baletu SND, boli snáď najlepšími rokmi môjho stále mladého života. Veľa som sa naučil o divadle, o živote a spoznal som ľudí, z ktorých sa mnohí stali mojimi dobrými priateľmi. Z divadla som odišiel z vlastnej vôle, aby som sa mohol venovať štúdiu kultúrnej politiky a manažmentu umenia. Tento blog preto nepíšem z perspektívy ohrdnutého zamestnanca (ako by sa mohlo poniektorým ľudom zdať), ale z perspektívy občana, daňového poplatníka a človeka, ktorý miluje umenie a divadlo.

Slovenské národné divadlo, príspevková organizácia Ministerstva kultúry SR, ročne stojí daňových poplatníkov 16 200 000 eur (2011; približne 488 miliónov Sk). Podľa zriaďovacej listiny je poslaním SND, okrem iného, aj rozvíjanie národnej divadlenej kultúry a jej prezentácia v zahraničí, umelecká príprava a verejné predvádzanie dramatických, hudobno-dramatických a tanečných diel a vyvíjanie ďalších významných kultúrnych aktivít. Plnenie prvých dvoch, podľa môjho názoru priotritnejších, úloh v SND pokuľháva. Dôkazom toho sú napr. dve zrušené operné premiéry a nasledovná mediálna prestrelka medzi režisérom Martinom Bendikom a súčasným riaditeľom opery Petrom Dvorským. Problému zrušených premiér sa venuje aj operná kritička Michaela Mojžišová vo vynikajúcom článku “Ples na palube Titanicu” a pedagóg Vladimír Zvara vo svojom komentári pre denník SME.

Neviem, či práve obdobie finančnej krízy, drastických rozpočtových opatrení a škrtov, vládnych návrhov na rozdávanie múky a cestovín pre najchudobnejších alebo absolútnej umeleckej strnulosti a rušenia premiér (z úsporných dôvodov), je práve tým najvhodnejším na realizáciu nesporne ušľachtilých cieľov, ako je napr. ”vrátiť Bratislave noblesu, dôstojnosť, ušľachtilosť, vznešenosť, zviditeľniť inteligenciu a dať do centra pozornosti skutočné osobnosti, ktoré v celospoločenskom kontexte dosiahli mimoriadne úspechy, prezentovať svet umenia, akcentovať humanitný rozmer, súčasne priniesť skutočnú radosť a zábavu”.

Predstavitelia divadla rázne odmietajú, že by divadlo hradilo Krištáľový ples zo štátnych peňazí. Údajne, všetky náklady sú hradené partnermi a sponzormi. Divadlo však do tohoto partnerstva vkladá nielen svoju budovu, ale predovšetkým svojich zamestnancov, ktorí sú platení práve z peňazí daňových poplatníkov a ich primárnou činnosťou by malo byť napĺňanie umeleckého a kultúrneho poslania Slovenského národného divadla. Taktiež sa mi do úst natíska otázka, ako je možné že divadlo je schopné získať státisíce eur na jednorázovú akciu, pričom na druhej strane nevie získať peniaze na vznik kvalitných, moderných a inovatívnych inscenácií, na rozvoj pôvodnej tvorby, ktorá je tesne nad bodom mrazu alebo na hosťovania medzinárodne uznávaných sólistov do operných alebo baletných predstavení…

V predvečer Krištáľového plesu slovenský bulvár prináša podrobné opisy podávaného menu i “luxusne” zariadených priestorov, v ktorých budú tí najvyvolenejší plesať. V tomto kontexte vyznieva prianie Zdeny Studenkovej ako pomyselný pľuvanec do tváre ľudí-divákov, ktorých tak vo svojom prianí Krišťáľovemu plesu ospevuje.

Manželský pár pečúci perníkové chalúpky určite nie je cieľovou skupinou podujatia, na ktoré sa vstupenky predávajú od 100 do 700 eur. Napriek zbožným prianiam empatických tvárí z Činohry SND, Krištáľový ples nikdy nebude podujatím pre širokú verejnosť, miestom, kde sa stierajú pomyselné hranice medzi javiskom a hľadiskom. Neustále zdôrazňovanie luxusu a okázalosti a zároveň túžba približovania sa bežnému divákovi pôsobí roztrieštene, neúprimne, ba priam až schizofrenicky.

Slovenská vláda sa rozhodla bojovať proti chudobe rozdávaním múky a cestovín. Mohla by preto ku každému balíčku pribaliť aj niekoľko vstupeniek na predstavenia SND a bojovať tak aj proti chudobe duševnej.

Verím, že Slovenské národné divadlo i jeho najvyšší predstavitelia si raz uvedomia, že hospodária s prostriedkami nás všetkých. A tiež, že ich najväčším a najdôležitejším sponzorom je divák. Narozdiel od väčšiny plesajúcich si totiž vstupenky na predstavenia kupuje z vlastných peňazí. Tí druhí ich väčšinou dostávajú zadarmo, z titulu svojej celebritnej povahy, prípadne národnej dôležitosti…

Review: Life in plastic is not quite fantastic

Sun, 20 Feb 2011 00:00:00 +0100

Anna Nicole Smith – the ultimate gold digger and personification of fakery and moral debauchery for some; victim of her naive dreams and bloodthirsty media for the others. The operatic version of Anna Nicole’s tragic life story does not provide unambigous answers.

The Royal Opera’s eagerly anticipated creation by composer Mark-Anthony Turnage and librettist Richard Thomas (of Jerry Springer: The Opera fame) follows the rise and fall of Anna Nicole Smith, a small-town Texas girl-come-global sex symbol. Turnage and Thomas took a traditional operatic story of a fallen woman, both adored and hated and gave it a modern makeover. The final piece is swamped with lashings of obscene humour and pop cultural references. It romps with raw energy, with no excess spared.

The onslaught of fakery begins in the auditorium. The grand curtain of red velvet was replaced by a synthetic-looking pink fabric and the royal crest supported by scantily clad supermodels features a portrait of Anna Nicole showing off her ‘golden winnebagos’. Curtain goes up and the outrageously funny libretto opens with a saucy proposition: ‘I wanna blow you all… a kiss’ before the tragic story of Anna Nicole unravels in front of our eyes.

In retrospective we meet Anna’s dysfunctional family, including her mother Virgie (wonderful Susan Bickley). Virgie acts as a moral compass of the piece – she loves her daughter, but she cannot come to terms with her wild life-style and bad decisions. The boredom of rural Texas drives Anna Nicole to try her luck in one of Houston’s striptease joints. However, because ‘it’s hard to find love when you’re single and breastless’ Anna Nicole pays a visit to a cosmetic surgeon Dr Feelgood. With a freshly fashioned pair of larger-than-life ‘knockers’ she caught the eye of an octogenarian oil tycoon J Howard Marshall (Alan Oke). Unfortunately, the life of abundance and comfort she always dreamed of quickly vanishes with Marshall’s untimely death.

Endless lawsuits, escalating dependency on alcohol and prescription drugs, death of her son, over-eating and pregnancy. Her life turns into an orchestrated PR stunt conducted by her new lawyer and lover Howard K Stern (played by magnificent Canadian bass-baritone Gerard Finley). Director Richard Jones populated the stage with a creeping chorus of silent cameras watching Anna Nicole’s every move, recording her every word, rummaging through her garbage in a desperate attempt to sell the next big story. Jones paints a bleak picture of the contemporary media-crazed society, where life and privacy have been turned into commodities.

Under Antonio Pappano’s baton, the orchestra packs a punch in Turnage’s atonal, albeit likeable score that jauntily embraces jazz, blues and full-on Broadway musical.

Miriam Buether’s kitschy stage designs come to life with Nicky Gillibrand’s brilliantly ostentatious costumes and imaginative lighting of Mimi Jordan Sherin and D M Wood.

Superb Dutch soprano, Eva-Maria Westbroek has breathtakingly transformed herself from a role of saintly Elisabeth in Covent Garden’s recent revival of Wagner’s Tannhäuser into the American silicon seductress. She gives a startling performance of Anna Nicole as a sympathetic, although simple woman whose misguided ambitions and dreams of an easy life of fame and fortune brought doom upon her.

Anna Nicole might not be a timeless addition to the operatic repertoire, however it arrived at the right time with the right topic. When one overlooks the explicit language and risqué content, we are left with a sad memento of our time. The excesses of Western society and our obsession with fame, power, money and perfect, plastic-like bodies come at a price. A price that might be too high to pay, when the party ends…

Photography: Tristram Kenton (The Guardian), Alastair Muir (Rex Features)

Mark-Anthony Turnage - Richard Thomas: Anna Nicole. The Royal...

Thu, 10 Feb 2011 00:00:00 +0100

Mark-Anthony Turnage - Richard Thomas: Anna Nicole. The Royal Opera

Recenzia: Bohéma dobyla londýnske Soho

Fri, 04 Feb 2011 00:00:00 +0100

Opera – pre mladých ľudí býva tak trochu stelesnením snobskej zábavy, ktorá jemne páchne nafatalínom. Nie je tomu vždy tak. Inscenácia Pucciniho Bohémy (1896) londýnskym súborom OperaUpClose je dôkazom toho, že opera neprebýva iba v honosných operných domoch, ale aj v malých divadielkach nad krčmami. Oblečená do džínsov a tenisiek, hovorí súčasným jazykom, dýcha a žije dneškom…

Bohéma začala svoju púť po londýnskych javiskách v decembri roku 2009 v divadle nad krčmou Cock Tavern v Kilburn, na severe Londýna. Štvrť s nie práve najlepšou povesťou a zároveň s najvyšším výskytom tuberkulózy v rámci Veľkého Londýna sa zdala byť ideálnym miestom na inscenovanie tragického príbehu o štvorici chudobných umelcov.

Bez peňazí

Projekt vznikol bez akejkoľvek finančnej podpory štátu, len vďaka nadšeniu svojich tvorcov, účinkujúcich, ich priateľov a známych. Ben Cooper, producent inscenácie, spomína: “Adam [Spreadbury-Maher, umelecký šéf OperaUpClose] mi povedal, že chce na Vianoce odpremiérovať Bohému. Nezabudol dodať, že budeme potrebovať dve až tri obsadenia, pretože speváci nezvládnu odspievať veľké úlohy viac ako dva krát za sebou, že speváci by mali mať okolo dvadsiatky a že nemáme peniaze, takže nebudeme môcť nikomu zaplatiť.” Napísaniu nového, anglického libreta sa ujala režisérka inscenácie Robin Norton-Hale, mladá absolventka štúdia anglickej literatúry na univerzite v Oxforde. Skúšobný proces prebiehal po krčmách a obývačkách a trval iba šesť týždňov. Reprízy boli naplánované na ďalších šesť týždňov, do konca januára 2010. Vďaka obrovskému úspechu sa však Bohéma reprízovala šesť mesiacov, do polovice mája 2010. V auguste 2010 sa presťahovala do srdca Londýna, do Soho Theatre na Dean Street, kde ju hrajú dodnes.

Dej sa presunul z parížskej manzardky do študentského dúpä navrhnutom dvojicou scénografok Kate Guiness a Lucy Read. Scénu tvorí rozpadávajúci sa gauč, po stenách plagáty a výstrižky z novín, maliarske plátna, štetce, fľaky od farieb, vianočný stromček, kuchyňa plná prázdnych fliaš od alkoholu a krabíc od pizze…

Rodolfo (Philip Lee) je neistý spisovateľ, Marcello (Benjamin Seifert) je neúspešný maliar, ktorý si zarába na živobytie maľovaním reklamných pútačov, Schaunard (Marcin Kopec) je nádejný hudobník skladajúci filmovú hudbu a Colline (Dickon Gough) si práve robí doktorát z filozofie. Krehučká Mimi (Rosalind Coad) pochádza z Ukrajiny a v Londýne sa živí upratovaním domov bohatých rodín. Jej najlepšou kamarátkou je koketná Musetta (Rosie Bell), ktorá sa striedavo venuje Marcellovi a flirtovaniu so zámožnými mužmi, akým je napríklad aj právnik Alcindoro (Martin Nelson).

Závan sviežeho vzduchu…

Nové, zoškrtané libreto je svieže, hovorí súčasným jazykom, pričom autorka doňho vtipne zakomponovala narážky na súčasnú popkultúru (napr. Jamie Oliver, “chavs”) alebo politickú situáciu (David Cameron a George Osborne). S modernizáciou však vzniklo v príbehu niekoľko zbytočných dramaturgických dier. Napr., v snahe získať peniaze pre lekára, ktorý by pomohol chorej Mimi sa Colline rozhodne predať svoju tabatierku, pritom kúsok od neho leží na stole nový laptop. Výraznou úpravou prešla aj hudobná partitúra, miesto orchestra zaujal jediný muž - povolaním dirigent a klavirista Andrew Charity.

Napriek istým dramaturgickým nedostatkom pôsobí dej kompaktne. Bezprostrednosť inscenácie sa však naplno prejaví až v druhom dejstve, kedy sa diváci presunú do divadelného baru. Chudobná šestica sa rozhodne osláviť Vianoce a prepiť svoje posledné peniaze a diváci majú jedinečnú možnosť pripiť si spolu nimi. Všetci sa zrazu na pár minút stávajú súčasťou hry, i ľudia na ulici, ktorí sa pristavujú aby sa pozreli na to, čo sa deje vo vnútri. Len ťažko zažijete niečo interaktívnejšie…

Pri strnulých hereckých výkonoch na aké sme zvyknutí z opier v našich zemepisných šírkach, podalo obsadenie (2. februára 2011) vynikajúci výkon. Títo čerství absolventi operného spevu sú plní entuziazmu, herecky tvárni, vyhýbajú sa patetickému deklamovaniu, pričom ich emócie pôsobia naozaj úprimne. Z obsadenia zaujali najmä bledá, krehká a pomaly umierajúca Mimi Rosalindy Coad a koketná Musetta v podaní Rosie Bell. Spevácke výkony boli pomerne vyrovnané. Najväčším nedostatkom spevákov však bola ich dikcia. V akusticky nie práve najideálnejšom priestore im často krát nebolo rozumieť.

Tvorcovia pretvorili Pucciniho Bohému do atraktívneho scénického tvaru, ideálneho skôr pre operných skeptikov alebo mladú generáciu, ktorá nemá s operou skúsenosti, než pre hudobných fajnšmekrov. Zároveň je však dôkazom, že i za málo peňazí sa dá spraviť veľa dobrej muziky…

Fotografia: Simon Kane