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Fear and Lehman’s, Lasso and Late Blooms

Throughout my life, I have felt like a late bloomer. Like the tortoise in the old story, I usually get where I am going, but it may take a while. That describes this year’s sojourn to London. My recalcitrant foot slowed me down some and made me modify plans, but as the weeks have gone by, I have regained my poise and my equanimity. So, it is in this spirit that I present some of the last blooms of the season from Brunswick Square and Russell Square Parks.

Fear and Lehman’s

In the course of one week, I went to two outstanding theatre productions, “Fear of 13” and “The Lehman Trilogy.”

Adrien Brody and Nana Mensah led the cast in “Fear of 13,” the story of man unjustly convicted of murder and sentenced to death. Brody inhabited the role of Nick Yaris, the unjustly convicted man and Mensah, the woman who believed in him. The supporting cast playing prisoners and guards were all more than up to the task. Brody’s youthful looks bely his age (51) and he was believable as he recreated vignettes from Yaris’s life. Mensah was amazing as a smart, sensible woman whose heart leads her as much as her head. The story had highs and lows and the audience loved it. It was perfect for the more intimate venue of the Donmar Warehouse.

“The Lehman Trilogy” tells the history of Lehman Brothers, from three immigrant brothers from Germany who moved to America through the end of Lehman Brothers Bank in 2008. The story is told in three acts with three actors playing the three Lehman Brothers and all other major characters, male, female, adult and child. John Heffernan, Howard W. Overshown, and Aaron Krohn are the principal actors who start out playing the immigrant brothers, but with a change of accent, a mannerism, a raising or lowering of the register of their voices, they created a myriad of believable characters. How the Lehman Brothers empire rose and fell was a tale of the changes in American business and banking, mores and morals.

Many of us will remember the tragic deaths of many Lehman Brothers Bank associates in the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 (an event not discussed in the play) and shocking end of Lehman Brothers Bank when we saw pictures of Lehman staff leaving their jobs for the final time. It is a remarkable American tale.

A Visit to Richmond and ‘Lasso Land’

Several friends have recommended that I visit Richmond, one of the outer boroughs of London. It was put on the map of many Americans by the television show “Ted Lasso.” Animal lovers may also have seen the lovely town on “Vet on the Hill,” Veterinarian Scott Miller’s successful series, seen now on YouTube. I took the London Underground to the stop after Kew Gardens and found myself on a pleasant high street. I made my way to Richmond Park, a wonderful green space near the city center and then wandered through streets and alleyways filled with charming shops and pubs. Among the interesting shops was one dedicated to the Ted Lasso TV show.

Richmond Park, above is a peaceful place, with dog walkers, joggers and residents using the paths to enjoy the outdoors.

Above, streets and alleys of Richmond. One of the gorilla statues around town. This one is titled “Noah, Nest Building.”

And. of course, Ted Lasso!

If I hadn’t already had plans to spend stupid money at the Fulham FC store, I would have come out of here with my credit card smoking. I’ll be back, Richmond, BELIEVE!

A Return to the Esoterik Collection, Macbeth, A Pair of Annual Treats, and A Bit of Bond Action

A Certain Light at the Esoterik Collection

What can I say, I love being of Italian descent and I love all things Italian. So, of course, the Esoterik Collection, specializing in modern Italian art is a place I have come to love to visit. This exhibition was on the work of Antonio Calderara (1903-1978). His early works are called “an expressive, figurative style.”

The landscapes, to me, seem, very real and the depiction of a simple family scene is touching. I love his use of color and light in these early pieces.

Later, he refined his depictions of landscapes, as the Esoterik brochure put it, “to essential geometric shapes, creating images pervaded by silence and suffused with light that teetered on the brink of abstraction.”

As you can see, the top three pictures are about light and, in person, they are stunning. The bottom two, are about color and light. I loved them all. I arrived early and had the two exhibit rooms to myself. Delightful.

All Hair Macbeth, Hail to Thee, Mighty Timelord!

Yes, David Tenant, beloved Doctor Who, stars as Macbeth in this production. He and Cush Jumbo, as Lady Macbeth were well paired in the roles and lived up to their star images. This was a dark (literally and figuratively) and very heavy production. Headphones were provided for the audience. The reason, I think, was the use of voice actors for the three weird sisters, whose voices in stereo through the headphones, added an interesting dimension to the production.

If you are not familiar with Cush Jumbo, as many Americans may not be, check Britbox for any of her film or TV performances available there.

Spending Time with Friends

Every year, my friend James Grant and I try to get together to share a few pints and catch up on each other’s lives. James picked a couple of pubs near the Barbican. Here is an amusing cartoon from “The Hand and Shears,” one of the pubs we visited and an interesting painting, hanging near the bar.

And it wouldn’t be a London Sojourn without catching up with my Oneonta Alumna friend Madeline Guyon Morrow, a wonderful artist and fellow member of the Class of 1975. This year we met at the Royal Academy of Art where Madeline has been a volunteer for many years.

Remembering good times back “on the mother ship.”

Bond’s the name, James Bond!

After my visit with Madeline, I was walking back toward the Green Park Tube Station, as I walked toward the Burlington Arcade, posh shopping precinct beloved by toffs, since the days of Bertie Wooster, I remembered seeing a piece on TV about copies of James Bond’s iconic cars being on display at the arcade. Here is what I saw:

And finally

I stopped by the National Portrait Gallery and was delighted to see that a portrait by Patrick Heron, one of my favorite artists was on display and my long-anticipated portrait of Queen Camilla with the King was still on display. The Heron portrait is of author A.S. Byatt.

More Wigmore, The Silk Roads, and The Wallace Collection

The ŠkampaQuartet at Wigmore Hall

I must say that three-times lucky was how I felt after the Škampa Quartet’s performance at Wigmore Hall. This incredibly talented Czech string quartet played Mozart and Brahms and provided a lovely Czech traditional song as their encore. Two violins, a viola and cello, all played with great expertise provided an hour of absolutely delightful music for a rapt audience. Like most of these concerts, this one was a full-house of classical music fans.

The Silk Roads

I am fortunate to be staying in a flat very close to the British Library, a large modern brick building with a lovely courtyard in front that holds its own against its Victorian neighbor, the Saint Pancras Hotel and the massive Saint Pancras International Train Station with which it shares two city blocks on Euston Road in London. The library gathered an incredible collection of manuscripts on various materials and objects of interest that demonstrated how the international trade that was carried out along the silk roads, brought together people, languages, and cultures from around the ancient world.

The cultures and lives the above items represent cover great portions of the ancient world. There were also things like a letter from a wife, left behind in a silk road trading town when her husband returned to China and never came back for her or their daughter. They were left in dire straits. As real as life is today.

The Wallace Collection

Culture has just been pouring out of my ears recently. I decided to revisit the wonderful Wallace Collection on another dreary day.

The Wallace Collection is in Hertford House on Manchester Square. I have written before about this unique collection of furniture, sculpture, china, paintings, all in the former townhouse of the Seymour family, Marquesses of Herford. The townhouse has an interior courtyard that has been covered to keep out the elements and turned into an elegant restaurant. Here are just a few of the incredible pieces you will see when you visit this wonderful place.

I could spend hours just looking at the furniture and objets d’art. That china cabinet alone knocks my socks off every time I see it.

Then there are the paintings.

I’ve covered a lot of ground here. So, I am going to save my return to the Esoterik Collection for my next installment.

Music, Kids Stuff, and an Amazing House

More of Wigmore!

My second visit to Wigmore Hall, this season, was a Monday midday concert. As you can see from the picture on the left, there were fresh bouquets on either side of the stage. You can also see the grand piano and the microphones above it. These Monday concerts are broadcast on the BBC. Alim Beisembaev, a 26-year-old, from Kazakhstan, played pieces by Bach, Chopin, Debussey, and Stravinsky, each more stirring than the other. This is a young man with a bright future. Piano music has always fascinated me. As a child, I remember the piano-infused theme from the old American soap opera, “The Edge of Night.” This was not one of my mother’s preferred “stories,” so I knew little about it, but the music was so sophisticated and the Manhattan settings, started my interest in this instrument. I highly recommend trying to see this young performer if he comes to your community.

Kids Stuff

One morning, I was out and about early and saw these two ambulances. Bloomsbury includes the Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children and several specialized clinics for sick children.

Such a nice and thoughful way to help little children and their families.

Sir John Soames’ Museum

Sir John Soames, considered one of England’s greatest architects, was also a collector of painting, sculpture, artifacts, etc. In his will, he requested that his house be opened to the public, unchanged so that people could see how a house of the time looked. He died in 1837, and his museum is still with us today. The museum did acquire an adjoining house which now contains the giftshop and rooms for exhibitions by artists.

I had not been to the museum in many years, but on a damp and grey morning, I made my way to Lincoln Inn Fields, a lovely square in the Holborn neighborhood. Everyone from the young man who greeted people at the bottom of the entry steps to the docents in each room, could not have been friendlier or more knowledgeable. Because of the sheer number of objects and the interesting architecture and decoration of the house, itself, these docents do make the experience all the more rewarding. Here are some pictures I took:

I mentioned above, exhibit space for art beyond Sir John’s collection. One such artist is British Liberian artist Lina Iris Victor. Here is some of her interesting work:

And so, the seasons are finally changing. As I was returning to the Holborn Underground Station after my visit with Sir John, I passed the church of Saint Anselm and Saint Cecilia. I have visited this interesting urban Catholic church before and discussed its connection with the Italian community in London. As this is the start of Italian American Heritage Month back in the States, I thought I would share a few pictures from this recent return visit to the church.