An Idol and Icon Their Headstrong Daughter Rose
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The Argus, Tuesday, May 20, 2003 CFM 25 theatre preview STRONG STUFF: Pieter-Dirk Uys Foreign MEDIA PARODY: Hello, Bright City supporter Calling out FOREIGN AIDS: for a hero PIETER-DIRK UYS, HELLO, BRIGHT CITY, Theatre Royal, New Road, Ditchling Village Hall, Brighton, last week Lewes Road, Ditchling HARD-hitting, heart-breaking and tomorrow until Saturday humourous. That is the summary of this show from South African BRIGHT City has been a place performer Uys, in Brighton for the of chaos and fear since the arrival first time to introduce his many of the mysterious and devilish parodies of people from his home- super-villain known as The Hawk. land and to get across the message The corrupt mayor and incompe- that South Africa is in crisis with an tent police do nothing to stop the masked baddie from murdering, Aids epidemic. THIS CHARMING LADY: Patti Smith may have looked older at her gig at Charleston but she lacked none of her legendary power As he admitted, he was probably burning and thieving her way preaching to the converted last night around a city that has been brought with an audience of South African to its knees. ex-pats and Sussex people who are When the unsuspecting Orrydian only too aware of the dangers of the family arrive in Bright City for a killer disease. pleasant holiday, their expectations His message was bleak but he are shattered after the kidnapping of has hope as Apartheid was beaten An idol and icon their headstrong daughter Rose. Could local media magnate because the fear was eliminated audience rapt. Her poetry, and now Aids can be beaten if fear WHEN I was a teenager, George White, whose TV ratings visceral and passionate, bore of that is eliminated, too. Patti Smith was my idol. have boomed since the troubles music all the trademark Patti Smith A brilliant show gave us all some- Brighton Her seminal single Because began, be playing a part in the thing to think deeply about. The Night had been a big PATTI SMITH, contradictions. devastating crime wave? Lines washed with bril- This energetic musical, with Sponsored by Facilitate. hit but it was nothing Charleston, near Firle, liance at points tipped into Festival compared to her albums Lewes, Saturday a style straight out of the great James Barber cliche but there’s no denying American comic book, is a bold Horses and Easter. she is a genius. [email protected] she admitted her nervousness parody of how the modern media Angry songs torn with long- Accompanied only by nly an and delight at performing seems to dictate events as much as ing and lust, she spoke to me of acoustic guitar, Smith’s voice at Charleston, flashed her report them. a world a million miles away beatific smile and began to was as gorgeously rich and evocative as ever. But this The exhilarating choreography classical from the sanitised suburban read poems from Woolf’s and pumping musical score adds up one I was in. The Waves and perform wasn’t just a trip in nostalgia. Her songs are still stunning, as to an adrenaline-filled evening Bohemian, exotic and her own verse and acoustic of entertainment – it might apparently fearless, she made renditions of her songs. is Ms Smith. Privileged to have been even change the way you look at everything seem possible. Forgetting words and losing the media. Twenty-five years on, song sheets was of no matter. party to such brilliance, this is dressed in Seventies drainpipe Self-deprecating, she fielded a woman whose right to legend Starts 7.30pm, plus Saturday trousers, drape jacket and both audience comments and has been confirmed once again. matinee 2.30pm, tickets £8-£10/£6-£8 pencil tie, Patti looked older the lowing of the cows outside Louise Ramsay cons. Call 01273 845635. but still recognisably iconic. with ease, not only funny but louise.ramsay John Harrington May 2003 A devotee of Virginia Woolf, charming, too, and held the @theargus.co.uk [email protected] TALENT: Brighton Youth Orchestra Sound of the future BRIGHTON YOUTH ORCHESTRA, Dome Concert Hall, New Road, Brighton, last week WHILE the name Brighton Youth Orchestra is perfectly accurate, RARE: Mediva are a unique group who specialise in recreating religious songs POWERFUL: Brighton Festival Chorus gave much life to Britten’s lament to war what it is about is really a group of musicians who just happen to be young. Medieval sounds of Spain Requiem for man’s horror The orchestras, both the junior and senior ones, sent out a truly ONE of the gems of the Brighton BRIGHTON Festival assembled a adult sound and conductors Ian Festival is the series of lunchtime classical dream team for its performance of classical McCrae and Andy Sherwood took no concerts at the Pavilion Theatre. Benjamin Britten’s War Requiem. prisoners. For a modest price, you can hear MEDIVA, It requires a large orchestra, a BRITTEN’S WAR REQUIEM, With support from Brighton established artists, rising stars Pavilion Theatre, large chorus, a small chorus, a Dome Concert Hall, Festival Youth Choir and the and some more unusual ensembles. New Road, Brighton, chamber organ and three fine solo Church Street, Brighton, Glyndebourne Youth Opera Group, One group belonging to the latter is singers – and no expense was they gave rousing readings of some Mediva, a group of singers/musicians last week spared for this production. last week pretty tricky stuff. who perform religious songs from gave the audience an insight into Brighton Festival Chorus and its Interspersed with the mass were the If Brighton and Hove City Council Medieval Spain. the world of the pilgrim, singing youth choir are no strangers to the poems of Wilfred Owen, some of the is truly committed to the arts, it It may sound a little rarified but the songs that would be sung along work, performing it regularly in very best verse to come out of the could do no better than throw more this five-strong group make such the way. France where one of its recorded First World War. This was a money to Brighton Youth Orchestra arcane music incredible fun. The The voices were beautifully matched performances recently won the performance of terrible beauty and whose members will become the recital was a celebration of the and Brighton-based Clare Norburn, French equivalent of a Grammy. one that will stick in the memory core audience of classical music for artform delivered with lots of Mediva’s leader, has a fine soprano for a long time. generations to come. Chorus master James Morgan has laughs and a great deal of joy. voice and managed to get her tongue built his chorus into a major vocal Sponsored by The Royal Bank Of Mike Howard Using Arabic drums, recorders and around some difficult dialects. force which sent shivers down my Scotlnad features shawms – a kind of oboe – Mediva Mike Howard spine from the very beginning. Mike Howard @theargus.co.uk.