Arts Diary: Will Marriott
Jane McDonald apparently put her foot in it, you're probably not massively surprised to hear, when she was performing at the Royal Variety Performance one year.
It was back in 1996 at the 75th annual event when the Wakefield lass made her faux pas.
Relating the story, she said: "I was working with a choir of kids and shouting at them to get on stage. One little girl was sitting on a
box and I went: 'You, get on that stage'."
Perhaps the singer really ought to have taken a closer look at the "little girl". It turns out she had a great comeback ready.
"I'm Kylie Minogue," said Kylie Minogue.
There was some doubt that Antony Gormley would get planning permission for his interesting idea for the Fourth Plinth when he first announced the plans.
The Yorkshire-educated artist was always confident that his idea would go ahead. And this week his confidence was proved to be well placed when the details were announced.
Trafalgar Square's Fourth Plinth, which hosts work by different artists, regularly changing its outdoor exhibition, will see Gormley's work for the first time next month. His idea involves thousands of people standing on the plinth for an hour each, 24 hours a day for 100 days between July 6 and October 14.
This week, the first 615 nutcases – sorry, participants – who will stand on the plinth, were announced. They include an aquatic scientist who will dress in a "poo costume".
In the planning report, Gormley – famous for his sculpture Angel of the North which towers above Gateshead – said: "It's about people coming together to do something extraordinary and unpredictable. It could be tragic but it could also be funny."
A temporary film studio will transmit the event via satellite to a website as well as being used for a weekly broadcast on Sky television.
It's a commercial venue, I know, but you really have to applaud the efforts of York's Grand Opera House.
Because it is run by Live Nation, the theatre has to try make sure it brings punters through the doors – and, unfortunately, the easiest way to do that is stage big "popcorn" shows – the sort of theatre that, frankly, is not our favourite.
The people at the Opera House, however, have also made strides to educate audiences in genuinely good theatre – it staged Richard Bean's brilliant Harvest in February – and wants to make a theatrical experience accessible to everyone. Which is the reasoning behind its latest idea.
In December, the theatre has announced it will have a captioned performance. It means audiences watching this year's performance of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs on December 21 will be able to read subtitles on display units which will include not only dialogue but also speakers' names, sounds effects and offstage noises.
Mike Kenny is a brilliant playwright who writes great plays for young people. It's fair to say we're a fan of his work here – and a fan of the man who is very cool and laidback.
So his own description of his latest project is one we're happy
to endorse.
The writer was at the launch of the West Yorkshire Playhouse's new season to talk about Cinderella which he is writing for the Christmas production.
"It's sort of Cinderella as told by the Gallagher brothers," explained Kenny. The hoi polloi at the Leeds launch seemed bemused, but, having spoken to the writer several times previously, we know just what to expect.
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Sunday 12 February 2012
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