Drummond Money-Coutts (affectionately referred to as DMC) is best known as a magician booked by well-heeled and often famous patrons. He is an impressive performer, to be sure, as plentiful film footage and images testify. What is less well known is his quasi-obsessive quest to expose all practices on the fringe (and often sinister edge) of magic – voodoo, shamanism and the like – and a quiet determination to use his skills and the power of magic ‘for good’. Continue reading “The Power of Magic: Conversation with Drummond Money-Coutts”
Author: Theodora Stanton
Le Songe d’une nuit d’été
My first thought after having seen ‘Le Songe d’une nuit d’été’ was: wow.
Based on Shakespeare’s ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’, the ballet interpretation is an innovative performance. With complex choreography and an incredibly potent score, this is one of the superior modern ballet performances that I have seen.
Continue reading “Le Songe d’une nuit d’été”
Coppélia Ballet in Rome
When the graceful melody of the Coppélia waltz starts I close my eyes, listening to the beautiful score composed by Leo Delibes consisting of mazurkas and waltzes, and conducted by Koen Kessels for the Teatro dell’Opera. The orchestra gives voice and emotion to the gestures of the dancers and throughout, the co-ordination between orchestra and choreography was superlative.
Continue reading “Coppélia Ballet in Rome”
An Interview with Raindance Film Festival founder Elliot Grove
Elliot Grove is the founder of Raindance Film Festival, an independent film festival that was established in 1992. The Raindance Film Festival supports and promotes independent films and filmmakers from the UK and around the world. Elliot Grove answers some questions for Performance Reviewed.
Continue reading “An Interview with Raindance Film Festival founder Elliot Grove”
A night at the opera: Rossini’s Il Barbiere di Seviglia
Every young girl wants to believe in a fairy tale ending, a concept that Hollywood has not only over-commercialized but stereotyped into an almost generic formula. Thus it was with heart-rending pleasure that I found myself transported back to my childhood notions of make-believe in Il Barbiere di Seviglia at the Teatro Real in Madrid whilst reveling in Rossini’s farcical melodramma buffo.
Continue reading “A night at the opera: Rossini’s Il Barbiere di Seviglia”