h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Last night's Glyndebourne Don Giovanni at The Belmont was excellent and I am glad that I went. There was some quite eye-popping decolletage from Donna Anna in Act 1, and the whole cast was excellent. The Don was ver' well portrayed. He was played as a in his early 30s, the product of a prosperous middle-class upbringing, with public school and Oxbridge and privlege generally resulting in absolute self-confidence and the certainty of his own superiority - a puppyish face, charming and amused and concerned and friendly except when turned away from others, when it becomes more commincative of his inner personae; someone who snatches what he wants and expects to get away with it. I have seen the like at the University and I despise them - all the more so as, though I am generally 2.5 times their age and 2 times their body mass and -1.5 their their hair volume and quality, they always try to turn me into their Leporellos, and my prole-y instinct is to let them.

Anyhow, the performances were splendid, but the production had some failings. The Commendatore's ghost was played as a zombie and not as a statue. Now, I am unstinting in my praise for zombies, but the stroy IS about the stone guest and not the rotting sack of flesh guest. Secondly, the 'Don Giovanni gets dragged off to heaven' bit at the end was a damp squib.

The Don bashed the Commendatore to death with a rock - no sword fight in this production - and you could see the brains. The banda music in the final scene, the dinner music, was played on a valve radio set. A coup de theatre saw the stage being set alight by a thunderbolt. All ver' good. The mandoling song was sung with tragic poignancy to great effect; the first time I have ever seen it being performed in such manner.

Walking into town with Susan, we bumped in to one of my 2010-2011 tutes, who shook hands with me enthusiastically and praised my tutorials and thanked me for helping him to get a 16 in the exam - first equal (I think) in the class. He was lavish in his praise, and with Susan there to witness it all I have toi admit that I did rather lap it up.

Miah was out all night.

I did some G&H work yesterday. I have ideas for an article and a book.

It is a dull day tho' not yet sodden.


Drugless

http://cdn.svcs.c2.uclick.com/c2/5b6da8f096c5012e2f8100163e41dd5b

Hmmmmm...

http://www.scotcourts.gov.uk/opinions/SA932_10_.html

http://www.scotcourts.gov.uk/opinions/SA932_10.html



Hmmmmm...


Drugless