Well, this show takes place in Hackney - which in itself is interesting; I've never been before! Google Maps assured me that the Hackney Empire is a short walk from Hackney Central Station, on the Overground line. The journey would take about an hour, and as luck would have it, a train left just before I arrived on the platform. (Interestingly, the Overground gates were open today at the station - I'm not used to that, and failed to take that route. Will check in future - it saves a few steps.)
So I had a 15 minute wait for the train that, mind you, was still the one before the last I could get and still be on time. Well, when it arrived, the last door was far too crammed to crush into. I investigated the second last door, and found that, if I squeezed sideways, I could get in. So that's what I did. A train this packed presents an interesting phenomenon. I mean, I don't often have to endure this, so I'm probably less irritated by it than I would be if it were a daily phenomenon for me. But I did have just about enough space that my lungs expanded as necessary, and falling over certainly wasn't an option - there wasn't the room.
Enough people got off at Shepherds Bush that I could move down the carriage, and so it was that I found myself standing beside three middle aged, Irish guys. When two of them got off at Willesden Junction, I finally got a seat - the train was much emptier now. BTW, I overheard one of them say that his biopsy results weren't good - I hope things go ok for him. After an eternity, I disembarked at Hackney Central. Google Maps indicated that I should turn right, head under the bridge, and the Hackney Empire was just up the road (on the right). So it was. Mind you, you still need to check whether you're in the right queue - there are different ones depending on whether you're buying or collecting..
The building is magnificent - a Grade II* listed building, apparently. I had a stalls seat:
The people in front of me were wondering about programs, but none were in evidence, so we went into the show blind. I knew there were to be three pieces. The first was magnificent, and appeared to be about something organic (at a guess). The music was also very well chosen. Afterwards, Matthew Bourne himself made a bit of a speech, and we found out a bit more. Seems that, when he turned 50, his friends decided to make an award available in his name - he could do with it what he chose. Well, as he said, it had to be choreography. So he funded this New Adventures group for young dancers and choreographers, and every second year they give an award for choreography, and the winner gets to have their work premiered in public. Ta-da! That's what we were seeing tonight. Matthew Bourne, by the way, spent the rest of the evening chatting to the crowd, and was seated right in front of me. Yes, I did consider asking for an autograph. No, I didn't do it..
John Ross was this year's winner. Remember the name - because he's fantastic. Really, it's this kind of thing that reminds me why I love living here. In very few places could you expect to see this level of talent - and by accident, yet! That first piece was called "Eclipse", and depicts the Chinese legend of the sun being swallowed during an eclipse. The second, "Wolf Pack", is about a group of lads out on the town. The third, "Little Sheep", takes as its subject the riots of 2011. Includes some Cameron-bashing. All three are vital and visceral, accompanied by a thumping soundtrack, and with a coherent and topical message to convey.
Really, wonderful stuff. On again tomorrow night - plenty of seats. Go see.
For tomorrow, at the moment, it's looking like film. Having eliminated two documentaries in which, I'm sorry, I have little or no interest - I come up with In Order of Disappearance - a Norwegian thriller in which Stellan Skarsgard plays a fellow after revenge when his son is murdered. 'Sposed to be really good. Pity it's in the (expensive) Curzon Victoria!
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