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Spectator
2 hours ago
- Spectator
The decline of Edinburgh International Festival
Edinburgh International Festival was established to champion the civilising power of European high culture in a spirit of postwar healing. But its lustre and mission have now been largely eclipsed by the viral spread of its anarchic bastard offspring, the Fringe. In competition with the latter's potty-mouthed stand-ups and numberless student hopefuls, the dignified old Festival proper struggles to make much mark on the hordes who descend on the city in August, inflating prices and infuriating the residents. Nicola Benedetti, a splendid woman and a wonderful violinist, is now in her third year directing this beleaguered institution. She hasn't at her disposal the generous budgets financing comparable festivals in Salzburg and Aix, and she's been charged with 'bringing in younger audiences' without antagonising the conservative loyalists. Both these challenges make it more difficult for her, and I don't feel her programming has yet struck gold. The shortfall is most evident in opera – expensive and complicated to import, and in any case not a lot that's any good is available in August. But her immediate predecessor Fergus Linehan landed, among much else, Cecilia Bartoli in Norma and Asmik Grigorian in Barrie Kosky's production of Eugene Onegin. Certainly nothing of that quality was on offer this (or last) year. The one fully staged opera was Gluck's Orpheus and Eurydice, sung in its Italian version and presented in that grim barn of a theatre, the Edinburgh Playhouse. It received three performances, each lasting 80 minutes. The cast consisted of two soloists and a chorus largely made up of students, complemented by a troupe of Australian acrobats who somersaulted over tables, dangled from ropes and formed towers and pyramids of themselves. I was not convinced that their presence was anything but a distraction, but this was opera à la mode – the cast barefoot in black suits, framed by a white box, its walls latterly smeared with blood-red graffiti. Lazy cliché, in other words, albeit crisply directed and designed by Yaron Lifschitz. The musical execution, fortunately, was a delight. As Orpheus, Iestyn Davies seemed undaunted by the vast proportions of the Playhouse and managed to project his beautiful countertenor with stylish confidence and rich variety of expression. Samantha Clarke doubled impressively as Eurydice and Amor, the chorus was enthusiastic and Laurence Cummings conducted the Scottish Chamber Orchestra with muscular vigour. A full house responded with wild applause, but the acrobats stole the show from the singers, which didn't seem right. If staged opera is at a premium, the Festival has a long and rich tradition of superb concert performances in the dear old Usher Hall: Lorraine Hunt Lieberson in Les Troyens, the young Jonas Kaufmann in Meistersinger, Maria Stuarda conducted by Charles Mackerras, and the recent Ring cycle, are among many such in my personal treasury. This year brought Puccini's larmoyant one-act masterpiece Suor Angelica, an adorable work but one not really suited to concert presentation. Set in a convent and climaxing in a vision of the blessed Virgin Mary, it loses something of its emotional impact when the drama is being conveyed by an assortment of ladies in décolleté frocks and extravagant coiffures lined up behind music stands. But Antonio Pappano was on hand to conduct the London Symphony Orchestra in a reading of delicate sensitivity and the glamorous Carolina Lopez Moreno sang gorgeously and piteously as the eponymous nun with a guilty secret, so there was much to jerk the tear ducts. Among the smaller roles, the veteran Elena Zilio gave an exemplary display of italianità, and Sarah Dufresne sang prettily as perky Suor Genovieffa. (You can hear a repeat performance from the Proms, with the same cast, on BBC Sounds.) Dance has recently been the weakest feature of the Festival menu (except when Brian MacMaster bagged Mark Morris's company in the 1990s) and I feel that Scottish Ballet's Mary, Queen of Scots smacks of desperation. Heavy on plot if not on historical fact (Bothwell is entirely redacted), it opens with the dying Elizabeth (Charlotta Ofverholm), presented as a crazy old crone dancing through a snowstorm in a bra and big knickers as she revisits a haunted past. In yet another white box (come on, Soutra Gilmour, you can design better than this), a mash-up of the familiar story unrolls to the accompaniment of a crude electronic score I can only describe as my idea of aural hell. Mary, with a garçon haircut, makes oddly little impression in Roseanna Leney's pallid performance, but then she hasn't been given anything very characterful to dance – Sophie Laplane's choreography is brutally ugly and sexualised, all kicks and thrusts, much more convincing on the men than the women. Evan Loudon is rather good as devious Darnley, as is Javier Andreu as his boyfriend Rizzio – even if I kept muddling him up with Thomas Edwards's Walsingham. And who on earth was this bizarre gender-fluid popinjay, dressed to evoke a Nicholas Hilliard miniature, walking on tippity toes with a stuffed dog on a leash? On consulting the programme, he-she turns out to be the young Elizabeth, danced with aplomb by Harvey Littlefield. It is all incoherently pretentious and over-emphatic, crucially lacking in any sense of what dance can and cannot communicate. Perhaps the kids will love it, but if this is the future of ballet, then count me out. Still when all else in the Festival fails, there is always the balm of the daily 11 a.m. chamber concert at the Queen's Hall to bring restorative joy. I heard the Old Etonian and BBC Young Musician of the Year Ryan Wang playing Chopin: unadulterated great music, delivered with wonderful elegance and panache, provided two hours of serious bliss.
Daily Mail
4 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Horrifying mass brawl breaks out aboard Carnival cruise ship 'over CHICKEN TENDERS'
A cruise ship descended into chaos after a group of people onboard got into an almighty brawl 'over chicken tenders.' Video footage of the fight showed a group of several young cruisers throwing punches and knocking each other to the ground as onlookers crowded around watching the chaos. Security guards made attempts to intervene, as one turned away from the fight and reached for his walkie talkie. Punches landed with shoes and phones flying across the floor. Many bystanders had their phones out recording the fight while one screamed: 'Where the f*** is security?' Mike Terra, who recorded the shocking footage and uploaded it on social media two days ago, flipped his camera while recording and said: 'Over chicken tenders is crazy.' Exact details of the ship's name and the voyage on which the video was filmed are unclear. Daily Mail has reached out to Carnival and Terra for comment. The brawl broke out around 2am, according to Terra who added that the ship had set sail from Miami and said it was an 'isolated incident'. He said the fight was over 'more' than just chicken tenders 'But that is really the basics.' 'I always hear Carnival is ghetto/ratchet. I have been cruising for years but this my first time seeing some action on a ship I was on.' The ship departed from Miami and the fight broke out around 2am. The video was uploaded two days ago 'I always hear carnival is ghetto/ratchet I been cruising for years but this my 1st time seeing some action on a ship I was on,' he added. Users on social media were baffled by the brawl. One commenter wrote: 'Carnival must have some killer chicken tenders.' 'You wonder why they changed the rules,' another said, referencing Carnival cruises' recent changes focusing on a more 'adult only' atmosphere. 'The security guard was like... heck no!!' 'Well low and behold another CARNIVAL CRUISE looking like the circus it has truly become,' another said. 'There is literally a never ending supply of chicken tenders on the ship.' 'Carnival needs to re-think minimum age requirements to board a cruise ship,' another said. Carnival Cruises has had a series of unfortunate stories emerge from on board its ships, including a brawl that led to several passengers being banned for life. Footage showed multiple guests breaking out into a beatdown on June 7, with at least two chairs being thrown. In April, Carnival banned 24 passengers who broke into a fight when disembarking the Carnival Jubilee, USA Today reported. In an attempt to curb some poor behavior from cruisegoers, Carnival implemented a series of rules including a 1am curfew for cruisers under 17 without an adult over 21. Carnival has a 'zero-tolerance' policy toward any illegal substance and activity or disruptive behavior, according to its website. 'The safety and security of our guests, team members, the destinations we visit and the waters in which we travel are imbedded in our company's value and guides our operations,' the company stated. 'Cruise ships are a shared space, and all guests are expected to treat others with respect.' The longtime family friendly company also announced its first adults only cruise in November.
The Herald Scotland
9 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
Comedy awards boss warns industry is too 'tough' for women
The other contenders include Canadian double act Sam Kruger and SE Grummett, who perform under the name Creepy Boys, as well as English stand-ups Dan Tiernan, Ed Night, Ian Smith and John Tothill. Read more: Awards director Nica Burns has admitted it is still too 'tough' for women to pursue a career compared to male comics due to the need for emerging acts to be out on tour so much. She admitted the Edinburgh Comedy Awards, which have been running since 1981, 'could do better' with the gender balance of his final eight nominees. (Image: Supplied) However she pointed to the fact that a majority of the acts on the best newcomer shortlist are female as a clear sign of progress. The awards shortlists have been announced days after the Scottish comic Zara Gladman highlighted a lack of female stand-ups after attending a revival of the hit TV sketch show Smack The Pony at the Fringe. Sam Nicoresti is among the contenders for the Edinburgh Comedy Awards best show honour this year. (Image: Rebecca Need-Menear) She said: 'Seeing all these women on stage together shouldn't feel radical but it is. How many women aged over 40 have you seen at the Fringe this year? How many all-women sketch shows have been made since 1999?'. Ayoade Bamgboye, Elouise Eftos, Kate Owens and Molly McGuinness are all contention for the best newcomer award, along with Ada Player, one half of the double act Ada and Bron, which she formed with Bron Waugh. Ms Burns said: 'I think we are seeing progress in the young generations. "Having more women on our newcomers list makes other people feel that they can go into comedy. "But it can take more than a year to make the move from being a newcomer to get onto our main list, as you really have to write a whole new show, and do that as you are earning a living. "Things have been shifting well and through time I think it will become an equal game. "But we still have fewer women going into live comedy. It's tough for women to make a career out of it. 'If you are going to make a living doing comedy you are travelling all the time. You are moving around the country non-stop. It's what you have to do. 'It's very hard to get hard to get enough gigs to do them in order. There isn't a comedy circuit as such. There are just small independent clubs. "It is a much harder life for female comedians when they have a family. 'In her show, Katie Norris talks about the fact that she is 35 and doesn't have kids. She has freedom to do what she likes. She is a bloody good stand-up." Emma Thompson was part of the winning Cambridge Footlights show at the Fringe in 1981. However only two female comedians – Jenny Éclair and Laura Solon - won the main prize before Bridget Christie became the third in 2013. Since then Hannah Gadsby, Rose Matafeo and Amy Gledhill have all claimed the best show prize. Ms Burns added: "There has been huge progress this century. It's no longer a surprise to see a female comedian on stage. Women are on every single bill everywhere you go. All-male comedy nights went with the last century. 'More than 30 per cent of comedians performing at the Fringe have been women for a long time and it's much nearer to 40 per cent now. "The representation of women on our main list could be better, but I think it will take time for things to completely change. In the last century, we had no women on our main shortlist for years and years." More than 500 Fringe shows were eligible for this year's awards. Sam Bryant, chair of the judging panel, said: 'The landscape of comedy is expanding, with audio now playing a huge part in how comedians build their profiles and connect with audiences. "It's a thrilling moment where the live Fringe stage sits alongside podcasts and digital platforms as stepping stones in a comedian's career. 'The Edinburgh Comedy Awards have always been a launchpad for the next generation of talent, and that role feels more important than ever. 'Our panel and scouts dedicated themselves to the process, seeing more than 1,200 hours of comedy across the festival, to ensure that this year's shortlists reflect the breadth of voices, styles and opportunities shaping the future of the art form.' The Herald has teamed up with to make the purchase of tickets for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe so much easier. To buy tickets, please click here.
