Tuesday, April 17, 2012

"Sleep No More! Macbeth Does Murder Sleep"

Forget everything theatre has taught you about Macbeth, forget stage direction, set design, ambience and even the storyline. Sleep No More will really have you “sleeping no more” once having experienced this inventive concept in theatre production. Pioneered back in 2000, production company Punchdrunk invites masked audiences to roam throughout various rooms, viewing scenes of physical, sensory and visual means, immersing them into the world itself. Instead of a stationary 2D experience, a kinetically 3D trip into a world of deceit, treachery and betrayal is first up on the menu.
The story itself takes place in the previously abandoned/unoccupied McKittrick Hotel located in New York City on West 27th. Owned by the McKittrick family, the hotel opened in 1939 and unable to withstand the economic downfall surrounding World War II, it was forced to shut its doors. Up until today, its premises were largely left unoccupied, leaving a time capsule of sorts. Much of the original décor stands in its place as it did back in the 40’s. Scouting New York website has a great collection of photos and insight into the history of this building which has created the perfect background for Sleep No More. For more information on the production you can troll through http://sleepnomorenyc.com/  and for a more thorough overview of the evening itself, the New York Times review is a great reference (and read in itself). Can’t wait to tick this off the top of my list!

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Don't Bury Your Corpse Bride, Make Her Drink Beetlejuice and Hide Her In The Dark Shadows For Goodness Sake!!

In the wake of realising Tim Burton's Frankenweenie and Dark Shadows are due for release this year, I excitedly trolled through my photo archives and found the images taken at Tim Burton's Exhibit held at the LACMA last year. A somewhat hesitant fan in the early days (seeing Edward Scissor Hands at the age of 10 was a setback), a mere morbid fascination grew to a full blown salute as I grew older and was able to appreciate the intricacies and 'through the looking glass' feel of his work. My personal favourites are usually his animated/claymation features such as Corpse Bride and The Nightmare Before Christmas, but you certainly can't overlook Sweeney Todd, Sleepy Hollow, Beetlejuice or (uh-hum) Edward Scissor Hands.

His imprint on mainstream cinematic successes (Alice and Wonderland, Batman and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) are always unique and 'Burton-esque' in the way that he can darken and deepen even the lightest of characters (think Alice and James) as well as adding dimensions to existing plot lines and themes.

Remembering back to the exhibit, the experience was like walking into the crevices of Burton's brain. All his original sketches, doodles, brainstorms, artwork, models and short films were on display for everyone to see. Everything right down to the winding isles and placement of images was reminiscent of Burton. If you haven't already, take a trip to http://www.timburton.com/ and let Stain Boy guide through some of his artwork and images. Currently his exhibit is showing at the La Cinémathèque français (for more info see website below or my favourite Parisian cultural attache Vingt Paris ) so if your in town, its definitely worth your while to stop by. If this is a little far out of your way you can always join me in the count down of Dark Shadows in May 2012 and Frankenweenie in Oct 2012!