what dark is this?

A visit to Shaftsbury Avenue this evening, to see Peter Shaffer's Equus, where the seventeen year old boy being diagnosed by a psychologist is played by Daniel (Harry Potter) Radcliffe. The co-star protagonist is Richard Griffiths and the girl with whom Daniel has a fling is played by Joanna Christie. Interestingly, her part was played many years ago by Jenny Agutter, in the film version and Jenny Agutter appears in this version as the magistrate responsible for rescuing the seventeen year old from a prison stretch.

The well-known plot is about the young man Alan Strang, who has blinded six horses with a spike, and Martin Dysart, the middle-aged psychiatrist who agrees to treat him and along the way to discover the reason for the act.

From the beginning, the dialogue is quick and clever and its apparent that another story is unfolding about the paradoxes seen by Dysart whilst he tries to search for meaning in Alan's act and starts to question his own position in life.

Consider Equus as a horse-god and the stables as the temple invented by Alan Strang who experiences a primeval relationship to life, whilst psychiatrist Dysart has an altogether more distant and dysfunctional relationship, muted and unexciting.

There's also a good range of trails to the reason for the situation. Was it brought about by Alan's upbringing? Was he in mental pain? Was there a godly explanation? Was the behaviour simply an intrinsic part of Alan's being?

And Dysart himself isn't without his moments of strangeness. His dreams of pagan and bloody ritual to some extent synthesize the type of behavour seen in his young patient.

The denoument centres around the introduction of a fake truth drug, causing Alan to re-enact the scene at the stables. Its linked with stable girl Jill, who seduces him back to the stables where they get naked in the presence of the horses. To Alan this is like a kind of sacriledge and creates the jagged and callous reaction as he takes out his mixed emotions on the horses.

So we have a kind of explanation for the act, but some dilemmas as Dysart decides he can cure Alan by muting his passion and senses, but in a way that means he will become as insulated from 'living' as Dysart feels himself to be, metaphorically bridled.

big ben bus blur

Back in London, as can be seen from the shot here.

This is a well known picture angle that a lot of tourists miss, but can look quite fun. I took this whilst a group of us were walking over Westminster Bridge looking for a taxi. I'll fill in a few gaps when I get a moment.

Lets say for the moment that the last week and this weekend have been fairly hectic. And now I'm preparing for next week's work!

oxo

Saturday included a surprise party, which was at the Oxo Tower. I'd been arranging this and we arrived ahead of a fairly large group, so that there was a continuous supply of greetings and hugs.

The trouble with surprise parties is remembering to think like a secret agent and to not accidentally give anything away. In the event, this worked perfectly and even the timing of arrivals (slightly staggered) was absolutely ideal.

So then the large group of us sat chatting, eating and drinking noisily, with a splendid view out across London, from the top floor of the Oxo Tower.

wicked evening

Off to the Apollo this evening to see WIcked, the story of what happened before Dorothy went to visit the Wizard. The story shows how the witches knew one another before Dorothy's house crash landed and there's a reasonable explanation of how the Lion, Tin Man and Scarecrow first came into being.

Its a well staged, fast paced musical with very strong production qualities. I like that it s a 'new' musical rather than a re-hash or thin assembly of previous pop songs, too. The theatre was full and the show seems to have acquired something of a cult status.

Wicked.

the mansion

I spent an evening this week in The Mansion, which is on O Street in Washington. The idea of The Mansion is to provide an escape into the world as it should be, not as it sometimes is. It is an astonishing amalgam of styles in five interconnected town houses with over one hundered rooms and including a grand ballroom.

The upper floors have been safe houses in the past as well as rooming for J. Edgar Hoover's G-men (real need to know basis stuff) and nowadays the venue hosts various people and events in a rather private way.

Simply put, no one can reach you when you are in the Mansion, unless they have a password. If anyone comes to the door or calls for a guest/member/employee, and they do not have the password, they will be told “There is no one here by that name” or “There is no group here by that name.” No exceptions. What happens at The Mansions stays at The Mansion.

H.H. Leonards-Spero (known simply as 'H') purchased The Mansion February 14, 1980, with the intent to restore its original character by reconnecting the row houses. The result is more than a labour of love and today's effec
t on entering is a magical experience.

The Mansion's rooms comprise varying architectural, artistic and design periods, from the Victorian Age to the Art Deco/Avant Garde. Highlights include a two-story Log Cabin and the secluded Art Deco penthouse with private elevator.

The whole building is filled with amazing artifacts with chandaliers a-plenty, lithographs, fine art, signed guitars, and a miscellany of magical, intriguing and unique items throughout the extensive property.

round table in Georgetown

After a few more of us had met together, we decided to head out to a nearby restaurant for an early evening supper.

Georgetown is only a few blocks from the hotel and has plenty of small cafes, restaurants and bars. I'd already been for a look earlier and had also been down to the waterfront at Washington harbour and along to the Watergate buildings.

In the event, we found what looked to be a small cafe and actually turned out to be much larger inside. We had a table for eight of us and then later a ninth person joined us. Thats the benefits of a round table, the restaurant had originally set it for six.

taxation without representation

Luckily I had spare time in Washington on a beautiful sunny day. An ideal excuse to walk around and take in the sights.

The central area is very walkable and there is a famous sight every few metres. I was based in the Fairmont and decided to start from the eastern side of the town and work my way West; so an early morning taxi to Union Station, a quick coffee and then a short walk to the Capitol to start the day.

Orientation in DC is pretty easy, with the numbering and lettering of streets in a grid (the hotel was on 24th and M, for example), and then diagonal avenues named after the states (eg Pennsylvania). Most of the buildings are low rise maybe ten stories at maximum and since the Brits burned the city in around 1814, everything now needs to be stone outside (no timber).

I checked off a few ideas on a map and just started my quest to see as many of the popular sights as possible, deciding to stay outdoors as the weather was fine. Atop the Capitol, you can just make out the statue of Freedom, complete with an eagle's feathers as a head-dress. The statue of freedom looks away from the city.

I noticed also that the registration plates (tags) on cars bear the slogan 'taxation without representation' - Washington doesn't get its own political representatives, despite all of the Senators and Congressmen in this place!

Washington

more later

blaired vision

Blair's going back to Sedgewick. Ten years of significant change. Reinvention of new driven orthodoxy.

Now time for party polemics. Across the assessments of decisions and change will be the shadow of Iraq, the five times to war, the Campbell spin, the decaying echoes of recent allegations. Blair's interventionist internationalism is a tough call. A socialist friendly with a right wing republican in a frequently mad world.

Interesting to be in the middle of a massively wired and communication rich world but not able to really sift to a kernal of accuracy. Time will write a version for the children.

And now its about the populist middle, whatever badge it has on it. Brown for a while and then new games as the pieces get reset again.

lipgloss arsonist

My temporary music system setup using an iPod connected to some tiny speakers has allowed me to riffle through some unexpected tracks generated on random play, whilst also watching television.

Pleasingly, a television advertisment for Graham Norton featuring Tori Amos tomorrow, Thursday, just co-incided with the playing of Liiee from Tori's Choirgirl Hotel on the ipod.

So in the interests of completism, here's the lipgloss arsonist remix, which takes Tori whimsically into a more dance direction and to complete a set, here's the old dance re-re-re-mix that Christina and I did of Tori singing smells like teen spirit. Ok and the piano version.

heartless creatures

Strange to see three ants crawl out of my Powerbook and walk along the power lead. Its early for ants but I have noticed a few wandering aimlessly around over the last few days. Usually I only notice ants when they decide to do something dramatic, like create a miniature interpretation of the M25 Motorway in an inprobable place. But I'm still suspicious why they are walking around in the new space in the lounge.

richard of york gave battle in vain

A traditional thing to do on a Spring Bank Holiday is to hit the DIY stores. And yes, I was that shopper. Parting with the princely sum of 98 pence per colour to obtain some match pots in preparation for the repainting of the lounge.

Of course, the paint from most of the pots only gets spread over about half the area of a postcard along with various head shaking and gasps of astonishment at the way the paint chart looks little like the colour on the wall.

So I can now admire a selection of shades with expressive names which give not the slightest hint of the actual colour.