Mr Majestic goes to the Ballet - A Street Car Named Desire

By Kieran Majury

While PastieBap was out being all cultured and watching the Ballet version of Street Car Named Desire at the Grand Opera House recently, who should we bump into but none other than Mental Deficiency's own Mr Majestic AKA Kieran Majury who kindly offered to review said Ballet, OK we said....








This was my first time to ballet. It was in Belfast's Grand Opera House, another first. I had the advantage of knowing the Tennessee Williams' play Street Car Named Desire, what I wasn't expecting was how well the Scottish Ballet would adapt the play that even someone with no knowledge of the text could follow. They took incidents from the play that are alluded to and expanded upon them, ordering them chronologically so that the piece is firmly Blanche's story rather than it being a two hander between Blanche and Stanley.

The opening was exemplary in it's visual clarity showing Blanche's failed marriage, the demise of her family, her descent into alcoholism and degradation. Eve Musto was skilled in taking Blanche's characteristics and making them physical, her dancing was delicate and graceful, a stark contrast to the dancing style of Tama Barry's Stanley, aggressive and abrupt. Adam Blyde as Mitch was especially good as he had the task of deliberately dancing badly to come across as clumsy, awkward and by that extension less of a man than Stanley. Another aspect the production managed to carry off very well was making Blanche a sympathetic character. In any production, including the Elia Kazan film adaptation, Blanche always comes across as delusional, conceited and unwilling to tell the truth when confronted about her past. In the ballet she is a fragile character thrust unwillingly into a rough world who, constantly reminded of the past can only escape through alcohol. The harshness and lack of understanding she experiences because of this makes her fate all the more poignant. The music throughout was simple and minimalist, never becoming overbearing as was the stage design.

There were certain aspects that I found problematic. Having used the dance to express love making between Stanley and Stella to such good effect it was a shame that the rape scene was so literal. It could be argued that the literalness of the rape is what finally brings Blanche into the real world but having used the metaphor of the dance throughout it seems like a misstep to have them dry thrusting against one another. Being based on such an iconic text they succumbed to the pressure of having Stanley shout "Stella!" I felt that they didn't need the exclamation as there had been no words up until this point and aside from "Flores para los muertas" there were no others. These two missteps did nothing to sully the enjoyment overall, this was a brilliant production. It was my first time at the ballet, it will not be my last.

Pigstock & Glasgowbury - Local Festivalling at it's best

So with the sun shining and temperatures reaching as high as 20 Celsius, for the music lover this can bring to mind only one thing - festival season is upon us!

See that picture above?  The one with a terrified looking Duke Special?  That's me (fairly drunk) at Glasgowbury 2010. Look how much fun I'm having scaring this poor man.  you too could have that much fun.  Just read on...

Over the last 13 years I have been to festivals of all kinds, in different countries and of all shapes and sizes -  Leeds weekender, Download, Sonisphere, Oxegen, Forfay, Novarock, Electric Bay to name a few.  I actually met my wife at a festival 13 years ago, so they'll always hold a special place for me. I have been to at least one festival every year for the last 10 years and wouldn't consider a summer complete without one. So I would consider my self somewhat of an experienced festivaller (is that a word?) They're a great time to get away for a few days, immerse yourself in music and have a laugh with your mates.   This year I'm pretty skint, so with that in mind I'm forgoing attending a major fest and instead keeping it local, I know I'll spend no-where near the amount of money on the 2 weekends at the smaller festivals that I'd spend on the one big festival. So..I thought I'd write a few of my thoughts on festivals of all sizes and then preview the 2 I'll be attending this year.


Having been to a festival with 100,000 people and one with a few hundred, I wanted to put a few points across for going local, to the smaller fest that's crammed with local talent.

Money

A big reason is money, there's a recession on and people are wanting more bang for their buck. For example Pigstock festival is £35 for the weekend  and that includes camping, so for £35 you get 2 days and nights of non-stop music, accommodation and night time cinema/shenanigans.Usually about £70 would do you for booze and food, so you can see for about £100, it's a cheap enough way to spend a weekend.  On the other hand a ticket to Download festival will set you back £200 plus plane fare and spends when you're there. I've never come back from a major festival without spending at least £250 and that was purely on food and booze. At the end of the day you're not walking away with change from £500. 

 

Local Talent

Supporting and discovering local talent is a great reason to go as well.  This country is crammed with talent, and while international acts are all well and good, it's always good to check out what's on you doorstep.  The smaller festivals tend to be top to toe local entertainment and as such are a great time to check them out and possibly find your self a new favourite band.  

The Undercard

Swanee River @ Pigstock

Always look at the under card, we know that the big boys are on the main stage, but when theres not a band on you like go and check out a band you've never seen before.  It's all too easy to plonk yourself in front of the main stage near the bar and just check out the "mainstream" acts, and if there's band on you love - by all means do exactly that, but when there's not, take a wander and see other bands, it's a great opportunity to see band's that you normally wouldn't. Perhaps bands that you wouldn't listen to at home but make for a great live show, or even some local talent that don't usually play near you.  I've discovered loads of bands that are now in my CD collection this way - Mental Def, Triggerman, General Fiasco, 2 Door cinema club, ASIWYFA.  Also before you go to the fest perhaps give a few bands a listen, that way you will know earlier if they're something you might like.

This year Pastie Bap will be going to 2 festivals - Pigstock and Glasgowbury. We've been to both of these before many times and love them both dearly, like our own special sons, so here's a wee preview of both.  We'll be reporting back after the events too!

Glasgowbury

Wonder Villians @ Glasgowbury

The big Daddy of Norn Irish fests  - it may only be 1 day and 1 night, but what a day and night it always is. Statistically the last weekend in July is NI's hottest and that’s when Glasgowbury is held, so chances are you're in for a fine weekend weather wise.  Put that together with 4 stages at the foot of the Sperrins, some drink and a tent to sleep it all off in and you can see why this is such a good time.  This is the biggest of the local fests, so the "Small but Massive" motto that they boast is entirely apt. 

The Signs @ Galsgowbury

 I've been to Glasgowbury 4 times now and it keeps getting bigger and better, they added a comedy tent last year that went down a storm, they have excellent food vendors and awesome extras like drum circles, (the now infamous) sign making and guys from the circus school bouncing around.
The early bird camping ticket will set you back £40 and it's money well spent.

Therapy? are headlining this year and there's always more acts being announced.

The Japanese Popstars / Fighting With Wire / LaFaro / Axis Of / RunawayGO / Best Boy Grip / Soak / Pocket Billiards / Sons Of Caliber / The Wonder Villains / Farriers / Marc O’Reilly / Amidships / Silhouette / Paddy Nash & The Happy Enchiladas / VerseChorusVerse / Pretty Child Backfire / Our Krypton Son / Kowalski / Enemies / Katie & The Carnival / The Man Whom / Droids / Master & Dog / Tied To Machines / The Dead Presidents / Tucan / The 1930s / The Jepettos / Scorpion Jack / Fox Jaw Bounty Hunters / John Deery & The Heads / Humanshield / Mojo Gogo / Intermission / 4 Conors /Psycatron / Deep Fried Funk / Boxcutter presents The Host / Space Dimension Controller /Ryan Vail.

http://www.glasgowbury.com/

http://www.facebook.com/glasgowbury

https://twitter.com/glasgowbury

Pigstock



No Mean City @ Pigstock

If Glasgowbury is the big daddy, then this is the naughty school boy of NI festivals.  With a leaning more towards rock music but with something for everyone Pigstock is a weekend of loud music and good times.  Improving every year and forming from humble beginnings, Pigstock expanded last year to 2 nights and a much batter layout.  It has 3 stages of music, a spoken word tent, late night cinema, an on site bar and of course the famous hog roast that it's named after, that truly has to be tasted to believe.  It's a very family friendly festival with separate campsite away from the rowdys with its own noise curfew.  It's held in a field in the middle of nowhere, well Killinchy to be more precise. 

Mental Deficiency @ Pigstock

A weekend ticket with Camping will cost you £35 (and possibly your soul)

Headlined by MOJO FURY and Fighting with Wire with supporting cast from

Jogging/ More Than Conquerors/ Colly Strings/ Jamie Neish/ Not Squares/ Rarely Seen Above Ground/ Kowalski/ Tieranniesaur/ Ryan Vail/ Team Horse/ Chris Campbell/

Mojo Fury/  Mmoths/ Squarehead/ Pocket Billiards/ In Case Of Fire/Silhouette/ Run Away Go/ Farriers/ Eatenbybears/ In Elegance/ Not Squares/ Rarely Seen Above Ground/ Kowalski/ Tieranniesaur/ Ryan Vail/ Team Horse/ Chris Campbell

http://www.pigstockfestival.co.uk/

http://www.facebook.com/Pigstock

https://twitter.com/pigstockfest

St Anne's Square, The Potted Hen, The Mac and 'Titanic (Scenes from the British Wreck Commissioner's Inquiry, 1912)'

St. Anne's Square

Saint Anne’s Square is an area of Belfast which is often over looked as it’s not directly in the hustle and bustle of the city centre, but it is an area which PastieBap was keen to explore. In recent years the area has been rejuvenated and is now a really good spot to experience a bit of culture, what with the new MAC (Metropolitan Arts Centre) opening up.

The Potted Hen

The square itself has a number of restaurants to choose from on a night out, including SQ, Salt, House of Zen, 4th Wall and The Potted Hen all of which look into the centre of the square. We chose to eat at The Potted Hen before going to see ‘Titanic (Scenes from the British Wreck Commissioner’s Inquiry, 1912)'. Upon being seated we received the Pre - Theatre Menu which was reasonably priced, 2 courses for £15.95 or 3 courses for £17.95, served between 5pm and 6.45pm. The restaurant was bright and airy and has an atmosphere akin to Jamie's Italian - with food served on rustic boards and in enamel tins. Between our party we ordered the warm goats cheese and the fishcakes to start, both of which were delicious, a perfect combination of flavours and textures -  and the crushed peas with the fishcakes were a unique and interesting treat.

We then ordered the smoked haddock, the mushroom risotto, the fish & chips and the ribeye minute steak (with a £3 supplementary charge). There was literally not a complaint among us: the food was served quickly, the staff were attentive and the food itself was fantastic. Especially the ribeye minute steak (served with a mouth watering beef marrow butter and red wine jus), the cut was fantastic and it's the first time in a long time that I've ordered steak and actually got it cooked to how I asked for it (medium-rare incase you were wondering). We then treated ourselves to desert - rhubarb crème brûlée, sticky toffee pudding and apple & plum crumble. Each was exquisite and beautifully presented. It was certainly no surprise to learn that The Potted Hen won the best restaurant in Northern Ireland in 2011 at the National Restaurant Awards. Plus, if you aren't local, or can't be bothered getting a taxi home, there's a Ramada Encore right next door!

 

The Mac

We then headed across the square to the MAC, Belfast's brand new arts venue. Their website states that their aim is to "select, create and mix up music, theatre, dance and art – bringing you the very best of local and international talent under one roof." 

The building itself cost £18 million to build, has free entry and is open seven days a week. It contains two theatres, art galleries, education & workshop rooms, rehearsal space, a dance studio, permanent artworks, offices for Resident Art Groups, an Artist-In-Residence Studio and a Café and Bar (and from what we could see the food looked and smelled pretty good).

The Mac is a beautiful space which really looks the part. with multiple levels and bright, open spaces. It also has free wifi (password: themac1234) available to all guests and free lockers to store all your goods in while you're browsing or seeing a show (well, you have to pay a pound, but you get it back). 

Titanic (Scenes from the British Wreck Commissioner's Inquiry, 1912)

We went to see a new drama by playwright Owen McCafferty (who wrote the play Mojo Mickybo on which the film Mickybo and Me is based) called Titanic (Scenes from the British Wreck Commissioner's Inquiry, 1912) which is based on the emotive verbatim testimonies heard at the Titanic Inquiry in London following the disaster. This formal inquiry took place over 36 days and involved nearly 97 witnesses. Directed by Charlotte Westenra, this drama takes a completely factual and interesting account of what happened 100 years ago and brings it to life right infront of your very eyes.

I''m not going to lie, we really didn't know what to expect when we arrived at the theatre, but from the moment the lights went down we were mesmerised.

As the lights go down a man plays a haunting melody on a violin behind the curtain, evoking images of the Titanic's last moments as the band played on. Then a completely fictional character, the Clerk of the Court introduces us to the scene and pulls the curtain open to reveal the set. The set was extremely impressive with a replica of the Titanic, a large map of the plans for the ship, a dock, several large tables and high rising balconies above. 

We start off with the lowest ranked witnesses and progress towards the higher class witnesses as we learn about the last few hours of that fateful journey, searching for answers and someone to blame. We hear testimonies from many witnesses including two watchmen, a baker, Joseph Ismay and Cosmo Duff Gordon and his wife all of which create a rich image of what happened that night and the intricacies which made up its demise. Each of the 14 characters has their own specific, unique personality, nuances and ways of presenting themselves and talking and the entire cast did a fantastic job of adding their own spin on the verbatim testimonies.

As the play drew to a close the fictional narrator arrives on-stage closes the curtain and reads out the chilling statistics of survivors and victims on that fateful night. This was definitely a sobering end to the drama and really left the audience with something to think about. Definitely a night worth remembering!

By Laura Caldwell

Vive le Cabaret! - Cabaret Supper Club joins Belfasts Dinner Theatre Fraternity

People like going out for something to eat, and people like being entertained, so it comes as no surprise that in the last year - the year in which Belfast has most flourished - we see a growing trend towards dinner theatre type venues. We've seen Burt’s Jazz at the Merchant and Cabaret Teatro at Botanic, both of which serve delicious food and sumptuous entertainment.  The latest addition to this is AM:PM’s offering  “Cabaret Supper Club”.

Living Social

PastieBap recently went to Cabaret on a Living Social Voucher. In case you’re not familiar with the concept, Living Social is a deal based website (like the ever popular Groupon) where they team up with local businesses to offer you a great deal every day.  In this case it was £24 for 2 people to attend the Sunday brunch at Cabaret and have a main meal each.  You just buy the deal online, print out the voucher, book your place and then show up. This is a great way to drum up business especially during opening weeks and to spread the word of mouth from (hopefully) satisfied customers. 

The Cabaret Supper Club

Situated near the Corn Market area of Belfast and next door to City Hall, The Cabaret Supper Club is directly in the centre of town, just an easy walk from Victoria Square also (as seems to be oh so important these days). It is also fairly close to the new Titanic Belfast building and Titanic Quarter too.  If anyone has seen the old film Cabaret with Liza Minnelli or the more recent Burlesque you will know the sort of look they are going for. A kind of Parisian, decadent, slightly gaudy look.  Mirrors everywhere, red velvet on the walls giving it a fairly plush look.


So the first thing you see when you go in is a giant mirror, a poster for Cabaret and red velvet everywhere.  As you walk up the stairs to the first floor you are greeted by a concierge who then takes your reservation and seats you for the performance.  When you are seated in your booth, you will notice there is a small bell which looks like a gold door bell just behind you. 

This bell is a great novelty and is used to call the staff should you need them.  We attended a Sunday Brunch where we were treated to a main course and a show.  Our party was six people strong and they were able to seat us all together in front of the decadent stage.

The Food

So we sat down and we were presented with the menu.  From the menu I selected roast beef, others in my group had the chicken and the lamb and it was all described beautifully in a delightful looking menu.  The roast beef turned out to be more like a thin cut of steak served on mash with a slightly sweet gravy like jus. This was delicious and cooked to perfection.  One wouldn’t expect to get such a nice piece of meat being described as roast beef.  We then ordered some drinks.  We did order tap water and were presented with a kind of self-bottled water which they charged us £2.50 for. This was a bit of a niggle as when you ask for tap water, you expect to get water from the tap which is free, so we were a little bit disappointed when we got the bill for that. 

We had some wine, deserts and coffees all of which were delicious.  The coffee came out warm, not piping hot which wasn't to everyone's liking, but suited me just fine. The staff were fairly attentive and well decked out, in matching black and white uniforms and when we rung the bell they came quickly enough.

The Entertainment

The entertainment afforded to us on the Sunday was a Magician, followed by a man playing the grand piano. He played all the rat pack favourites and then a few contemporary tunes done in a swing style. 

The first of the entertainment was a magician/comedian.  I would say that he was more suited to nighttime entertainment than perhaps Sunday mid-day, but he did the best with what he had and his tricks were good, and he was entertaining. He tried to get audience participation which people weren’t really having, perhaps they were hungover or perhaps they didn’t want to be taken up on the stage while eating, but he then said he couldn’t find enough volunteers and had to strip a bit off his show.  The bits he did perform were really good though and as somebody who really enjoys magic I thought his tricks were traditional, yet well done, which made for an entertaining act.  After that a tuxedoed gentleman came out and tinkled the ivories on a grand piano which sat in front of the stage.  The grand piano was an impressive sight to see and to heart being played over Sunday lunch was great.  The volume was pretty good too, loud enough to hear but low enough to talk over should you want.

The Facilities

A pet peeve of mine is that a lot of places put great effort into the decor of the main room and neglect the toilet areas.  It kind of ruins everything they’re working towards, especially with a themed restaurant.  But the toilets here were done out in the same style as the restaurant.  The mirrors were framed ornately and lacquered in black which gave them a slightly gothic look. They were clean and well kitted out.

The Round Up

Looking around the restaurant, it’s quite a large place, it looked like it could seat about 200 at at time.  Every table looked individual, some of them had high backed booths, some of them had individual seats, some stools etc.  There were chandeliers around and all in all the place looked fantastic.  The waiting staff were quick to serve and my only gripe would be about the tap water.  I think it said re-filtered water and it was presented in a glass re-usable bottle.  We asked for the bill and received it promptly and paid the remainder of what we owed, the rest had already been covered by our purchase of the Living Social voucher, and all in all everyone in the group agreed that it was a great way to spend Sunday lunchtime. 

We would all love to go back on a weekend night, when they have the full bill of entertainment, like the burlesque dancers, singers, magicians, and fire breathers, so it is definitely a place we will be re-visiting and a welcome addition to Belfast’s dinner theatre scene.

The Caberet Supper Club webpage
Living Social Belfast

Titanic Day Out!

Last weekend PastieBap took a field trip to the new Titanic Belfast building in the heart of the Titanic Quarter. After all the hype of this year we were really looking forward to seeing this mammoth building for ourselves - up close and personal. So in order to beat the queues we booked our tickets ahead of time (it’s pretty much vital to do this as most weekends are already sold out – tickets can be booked here) and turned up first thing in the morning.

It goes without saying that the outside of the £90 million building is extremely impressive. The building which was built to look like the famous ship is 14,000 sq.m and is twice the size of Belfast's City Hall. The first thing that you notice about the 'the world's largest Titanic visitor experience' from afar are the 3,000 individual silver anodised aluminium shards which make up its external façade and seem to always catch the sunlight, and the second thing that you notice is that at least three of its four 90ft 'hulls' are in view at all times; this coupled with the  reflective pools of water which surround it give the impression that the building could sail away at any moment.

With such an impressive exterior, the Titanic Belfast really had a lot to live up to with its interior, and it didn't disappoint. As you enter the building it's hard to miss the rust effect panels which line the walls, and the compass rose on the floor - giving the modern structure an antique air which is fitting with the theme of the Titanic.

The exhibition portion of the building consists of ten galleries: Boomtown Belfast, The Shipyard, The Launch, The Fit-Out, The Maiden Voyage, The Sinking, The Aftermath, Myths & Legends, Exploring the Wreck and the Ocean Exploration Centre - each of which contain a series of interactive exhibitions.

As you enter the exhibition space, you learn a lot of interesting facts about Belfast's industrial past including the linen and rope works and the production of cigarettes. The center-piece of this section is the interactive map of Belfast which you hover over with your hand to learn more about the individual sections of Belfast's history. This is great for kids who love to get their hands on anything and for adults who want to learn a bit more about the past of this great city. You also learn how to send a distress telegram and can look at miniature models of areas of the shipyard itself.

You exit this part of the exhibition through the original gates of Harland and Wolff and you enter the drawing rooms and planning offices of the shipyard which have an interactive floor.

Visitors ascend a replica of one of the huge pillars of the Arrol Gantry and then they embark on the Shipyard Ride. When PastieBap was there, there weren't any queues for the ride and we got on straight away, but at busier periods there may be a slight wait. You climb aboard a futuristic car and are transported back in time to the Shipyard of the 1900s. The ride uses special effects, animations and full-scale reconstructions to really give you a feel of how the Shipyard would have been at the time of the Titanic's construction. The sights and sounds really do the trick and we really enjoyed the ride. There's also the option of skipping the ride and simple reading the information.

As you exit the Shipyard Ride, visitors are met with a huge window which looks down at the slipways themselves where the Titanic once resided. As you watch a short film of the Titanic being launched the state-of-the-art glass in the windows uses electrodes to switch from the real view to a superimposed image of the Titanic resting on the slipways. This is one of the most impressive parts of the entire building and is really a unique and novel way of recreating the buzz of 31st May 1911.

The fourth gallery is the fit-out of the ship and features a four minute video projected onto three walls which shows visitors a CGI recreation of the ship as you go on a journey through the engine rooms, dining areas and the famous staircase. You can also see replicas of first, second and third class cabins and examples of the types of carpet and linen used on board.

The fifth gallery introduces visitors to some of the passengers on board and we learn about the types and amounts of supplies brought for the Maiden Voyage as it stopped off at Southhampton, England; Cherbourd, France and Queenstown (Cobh), Ireland before setting sail across the Atlantic.
The sixth gallery confronts the horrors of the Titanic's final hours and atmospheric sounds and lighting is used to recreate the night of its sinking alongside transcripts of the communications and distress signals on that fateful night. You then descend the stairs to learn about the aftermath and the enquiry which took place and then you use an interactive touch screen display to find out more about the myths and legends associated with the ship.

Just when you think the exhibition is over, you enter through a set of doors and are confronted with a multi-level gallery with seating in the top half. If you sit for a while you can watch high-definition footage of the wreckage with commentary from the divers. This eerie imagery is coupled with water-effect lighting on the walls to give the impression that you're a part of their journey. Down a flight of stairs is a glass floor with a projection of the wreckage as a whole which is very impressive and below this is the final gallery, the Ocean Exploration Centre in which visitors can access the technologies which modern ships use.

Overall, the building is extremely impressive and a lot of fun and we'd recommend leaving yourself about 2 or 3 hours to really get a feel of the whole building. Finally, Belfast has something to attract visitors from across the globe and which we can really be proud of.

You can explore the building here.