Battle of the Sexes

A cold Monday night in October normally means a night in front of the box hoping to find something watcheable, but not this Monday (20th October 08). Oh no, tonight means that the angular, concrete environs of the National Theatre on the Southbank beckon. And may I say how good that concrete looks now. Lit by bluish uplighters it really seems to have come into it's own. A concrete monstrosity no longer ...

At the bar I ask the barman if I can order drinks for the interval. The barman replies affirmatively but adds that it's not necessary as tonights show is only 65 minutes long. Result! Better one good hour, than 3 hours of badly edited tosh* . A positive omen indeed.

The soft-furnished seats of the the Lyttleton are another positive, and the site of numerous blubber-mountains trying to squeeze into them adds a wry piquancy. Is that 'Oedipus' (Ralph Fiennes) two rows in front? By jove we're are indeed bless-ed.

And so to the theatrical/dance performance of In-I, starring Juliette Binoche, & Akram Khan on a set designed by Anish Kapoor. Well, Quelle surprise! A beautifully lit ** minimal set*** and star dancers who perform with some chemistry what can only be described as a 'Battle of the Sexes', or perhaps more accurately in this case, a 'Dance of the Sexes', exploring univeral themes about love and the inate differences between men and women, set to a moving, droning pseudo ethnic score by Philip Sheppard.

I absolutely loved it. Oedipus loved it, leading the standing ovations. The blubber-mountains loved it. Everybody loved it except the critics and in this instance they were completely wrong, innit.

*Monkey: Journey to the West
** Micheal Hull
*** Anish Kapoor

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