FOOL FOR LOVE

* Written by Sam Shepard
* Directed by Lindsay Posner

Apollo Theatre –

***

By Julian Sudre


BURSTING with contradictions, passion and unframed perspective of the actual self, Shepard’s vision of love through the eyes of Eddie and May – Martin Henderson and Juliette Lewis -- divulges the most elusive form of acceptance of a couple that flirt with jealousy and incredible self-delusion.

Masculinity, heavy drinking and a confused relationship with women lead Eddie to be all at sea with reality and the ethics of a healthy bond with his lover, May.
On the other end of the spectrum, May retains the characteristics of a stubborn, yet unstable stance over what she really wants, as her love to Eddie is laced with painful, perhaps irretrievable shards of tumultuous past.

Set on the edge of the Mojave Desert in a shabby motel, where May has been living there for some time now; Eddie barges on to the stage by instigating an emotional jab of obsession and particularly selfish, although destructive at times, romantic narrative.

On a psychological level, one can identify the subtle dysfunctional raison d’etre, that Eddie reflects all the while, by the determined line of reasoning of his own self.
The latter is, by all means, enlightened, when May, refuses to go with him, on the principal that his two-timing with the Countess is not the done thing.

Incompatibility deliberately belies their passionate obsession for each other, which in turn, sparks violence and tragicomic conflicts at the best of times.

But, what is interesting is the disparity of vantage points when it comes to understanding the perspective of each other’s characters. The old man onstage – although only seen through their imagination – turns out to be the dad and unfolds the darkest corners of their childhood.

Juliette Lewis West End debut alongside rising star Martin Henderson gripped us with the typical West Coast romance but would lack at times the depth of a more pungent dialogue.

On The Third Day

Ambassadors, London
****

· Written by Kate Betts
· Directed by Robert Delamere


By Julian Sudre


THE FIRST shot across the bow of post-modern psychodrama theatre by Kate Betts has delivered a punchy, if not indelible mark that not so many critics would have expected.
The exposing writer that won the winning entry in Channel Fours’ The Play’s The Thing series weaves with a very wry sense of humour, the story of Claire, 30 year-old astronomer that has been pockmarked by the loss of her parents, the discordant relationship with her brother that is the incestuous demands of his, will remain to stir her deepest traumatic childhood memories.

Flashes of past and present and constant correlation between Claire’s mindset and how her childhood affected the state of affairs – her 27 year-old brother never had a girlfriend -- and the belief she has seen Jesus reveals and underlying confusion in a tragic, none the less, slightly raw and brusque upbringing. The theatrical result raises the bar in terms of originality.

Claire picked up a man – Mike, who turns out to be Jesus – and in a very apt, if not dextrous manner, the playwright manages to bring a sense of comedy and petulance into his character. The delivery strikes a pleasant note. Betts knows how to balance the banal element with subtle effect and proves to keep the audience wide-awake.

The dramatist whisks us from London to Wales where Mike is taken potholing in the Brecon Beacons and at the Planetarium in Greenwich where Claire works as a presenter. Her debut stage displays a wayward humour that distinguishes her from others. Perhaps at times, Bretts paints a religious picture that could be disproportionate to the actual reality. Still, I believe she skilfully interpreted the meaning of faith, while being light-hearted and satirical.

Kates Bretts’ debut bodes well for the future; her talent should be highlighted strictly on the fact that her work is experimental and unique.
Her style is interlaced with some emotional dynamites and she should ignite our inspiration with it.

Dordogne -- France

By Julian Sudre

If the combination of a cheap flight with a certain joie de vivre is about to send some je-ne-sais-quoi shudders down your spine, a gallic scenery dotted with chateaux and infused with the Hundred Year’s War will certainly create a bouleversement in your attitude towards what the Dordogne has to offer.

Sun-drenched vineyards as far as the eye can see slathered across the notorious clay-chalk soil of the region and its pristine villages peppered along and around the Dordogne River and its valleys are not there, anymore, to battle for supremacy – the British invasion is going great guns – and the Dordogne, as a fait accompli, has become Dordogneshire.

Wing your way down to Bergerac, the market town that is the gateway to the Perigord and take your pick from there. Eymet, the Bastide town that is saturated with history, fantastic markets with fresh locally produced fruits and vegetables or Monbazillac, where the sweet wine is produced as the area benefits a microclimate which is particularly favourable to the development of the “noble rot”.

A word to the connoisseurs – while his statue is highly photographed in Bergerac, Cyrano does not hail from there and tourists, a good chunk of them don’t even take the trouble to open their Rough Guide. So please, before whipping out your camera, do your homework and save some bobs.

Wine tasting and gites, aka, Bed and Breakfast are maybe not your reason d’etre while you holiday in France but they remain the quintessence of a full-on bird’s view of what the Dordogne proffers to the visitor – The sum and substance of simplicity par excellence of a gentle lifestyle.

The perfect spot for a night with a superb view over the valley, and lo and behold the Monbazillac chateau as a neighbour: l’allee de Lambre gite says it all.
The lodging lies between vineyards, a wine tasting house and of course the Monbazillac chateau and all that to the tune of 40 euros a night.

If holidaying in the Dordogne gets you thinking. Its diversity will get you in love with its countryside.

For further information about lodging, please reply to this article.