Friday Five: White Hot Crucible

I've just been to see the film of the Old Vic production of The Crucible, directed by Yaël Farber with taut, crepuscular choreography, including the meticulous scene changes, highlighting the sense of isolation and repression. Although I have studied the play and seen half a dozen versions of it, I have not watched it since I played the role of Elizabeth Proctor for Wellington Repertory in 2007 (played in this version by Anna Madeley as strangely simple), which messed with my head more than any role I have ever played. This production has reminded me of the following things:

5 Points from The NT Live Crucible:

1. When done well, this is a spectacularly gripping and powerfully intense piece of drama; done badly it is very long and boring. Fortunately this was very much in the former category. Although the final act is inescapably somewhat melodramatic and verbose, the three and a half hours of absorbing drama are thoroughly rewarding and sadly still relevant.
2. The role of Reverend Hale is one of the best example of the transformation of character an actor could ever hope to play. Adrian Schiller delivers one of the most dynamic performances seen on stage.
3. Silence is as important as words, if not more so.
4. Those girls are nasty self-indulgent little bitches and they all need a damn good slap.
5. I'm still in love with Richard Armitage - he is brilliantly strong but conflicted as John Proctor.

Friday Five: Ramones on Repeat

C J Ramone

Feeling rather old and a little bit foolish, we went to see C.J. Ramone at the Transit Bar. Although not one of the original Ramones, he did play with remnants of the band for several years, so is perfectly entitled to play their music. It's not all nostalgic cover versions, however, as he has released a few albums in his own name, and they are packed full of short, punchy, punky numbers with rock influences.

As it was part of my non-drinking month, I was driving. It wasn't unpleasant to be totally sober at a gig, although  I didn't feel like moshing and getting all sweaty and beer-soaked. Despite the obvious youthful element (who have no idea how to mosh), we didn't feel too out of place. The support bands (Hard-Ons and No Assumption) were enthusiastic and suitably loud. In fact, the whole gig was loud and I couldn't hear a word that Him Outdoors was trying to say to me, but that's sort of the point, isn't it?

I really enjoyed the mix of C.J.'s new stuff with the old favourites, interspersed with a few anecdotes about the characters of The Ramones and the dynamics between them. Apparently none of the band except Joey liked 'Baby I Love You' (used ironically - I think - in a Cialis advert), so they never played it live - we heard it here tonight. And 'I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend' was rather contentious as it was written by Johnny about Joey's girlfriend (whom he later went on to marry). Watching a 49-year-old bloke sing these songs with his NY baseball cap on askew and his tongue poking out sarcastically was kind of funny, but he still treated the material with respect and energy. 

5 Favourite Songs from the C.J. Ramone Gig (in no particular order):

1. Blitzkrieg Bop
2. Judy is a Punk
3. Carry Me Away
4. R.A.M.O.N.E.S. (by Motorhead)
5. Last Chance to Dance

Friday Five: Scents that don't make sense

I'm not going to dwell on this, but the perfumes used to cover odours in the toilet seem to me a little odd. Pine forests, lavender flowers, and spring blossoms are popular, leading to the unsettling feeling that something may have taken root in the soil in there. 'Clean Linen' bothers me with the suggestion that someone may have inadvertently muddled the laundry and water closets. Ocean breezes are also often used, conjuring the worrying thought that the cistern has flooded.

Poopourri

Air fresheners should certainly freshen the air by chemical means, but who wants their lavatory to smell of home baking? I find fake food fragrances particularly sensorially discombobulating.

5 Disconcerting Smells from the Smallest Room:

1. Vanilla
2. Sparkling Citrus
3. Apple Cinnamon
4. Frangipani & Mango
5. Fresh Berries

Friday Five: Visiting Breweries

Tough decisions in the Wheatsheaf beer garden

Although the region is famed for its wineries, there are obviously a fair few breweries in the Barossa and nearby regions too, and it would be remiss of Him Outdoors not to sniff them out. So, as a companion piece to the previous post, here are some that we sampled.

5 Barossa Breweries:

1. Barossa Valley Brewing - located in Tanunda, the heart of the Barossa, this brewery understands that the way to compete for customers is to offer them something exceptional. The beers on tap range from a honey wheat ale to a coffee chocolate porter, with the full flavour spectrum of pale ales, smokey reds and hoppy IPAs in-between. The pizzas made with local ingredients and an interesting approach (lamb borek infused with Turkish spices, topped with tzatziki) accompany the beers perfectly when eaten on the sun-drenched deck enhanced by the squawking of a clattering of cockatoos. Best Brew: Threesome; a mix of Hefewizen, Semillon (from David Lehmann of David Franz Wines) and Riesling (from Ronald Brown of Maverick) - it's an interesting blend, which tastes initially of the beer and then lengthens into the wine flavours. It may be a gimmick, with its provocative name and unorthodox combination, but what are boundaries for, if not to be given a good solid nudge now and then?

   

   It's wine and beer!

2. Lobethal - We've been here before, but as the Tour Down Under cyclists were passing three times as part of their circuit, we settled in with some beers - the brewery is usually only open at weekends, but made the very sensible assumption that people who ride bikes like beer and so opened for the event. The outdoor area provides shade and a prime viewing position, and, once the cyclists had moved on, we adjourned to the spacious beer hall to watch the remainder of the race on the big screen. Best Brew: Bruce; an Australian interpretation of an English bitter, using Maris Otter malt, nutty golden oats and Whitbread yeast. The combination of UK Challenger and NZ Waimea hops gives the beer a distinctive flavour and, at 3.5%, it is eminently session-able.

   

   What better way to wait for the cyclists?

3. Prancing Pony - this is a flash, shiny new brewery in Mt Barker where you can see the beer being brewed before your very eyes. The beer is fire-brewed: a process brought over from Europe where flames are used rather than steam to heat the copper kettles. The premise is that the resulting higher temperatures bring out greater flavours in the beer; in much the same way as a flame-grilled steak will taste different from one cooked in an conventional oven. This may or may not be true, but the beers are good. Best Brew: Black Ale; the nose is dark chocolate and molasses; the taste is of liquorice and floral hops with an earthy, woody, slightly bitter finish; the suggested food match is slow-cooked meat dishes such as lamb shanks or beef cheeks.

   

   Serious contemplation

   
   
4. Rehn Bier - always keen to be supportive, we tried the beers from a small local microbrewery. The couple run the business together (he brews; she markets) and they can be found at the Barossa Farmers' Market and other such locations. They are a part of the community and believe in sustainability and organic principles (the packaging is made from recycled cardboard; solar panels supply the electricity; spent grain goes to local farmers for stock food) and are clearly passionate about artisan brewing. Best Brew: Maple Porter; the elegant brown ale is enhanced with maple syrup and American Cascade hops. If you want the specifics it's 4.2% and 45 IBU, but if you just want to drink it and enjoy the flavours of North America, you could do a lot worse.

   

   Local beeroes

5. Wheatsheaf - totally unassuming from the outside, this pub has one of the finest whisky lists I've seen outside the British Isles and Ireland. But we're here for the beer and that's pretty good too. Claiming, "We pour full-flavoured characterful Australian and imported craft beers on tap: no skinny lagers or low-carb blands; instead we recommend real beer and regular exercise", the pub has an excellent range (including Lobethal, Feral, Bridge Road, Stone & Wood, 8 Wired, Parrotdog). It also brews its own under the Wheaty Brewing Corps label, so we sat in the beer garden and sampled a few. Best brew: Schmutzig Berlinerweiss; it consists of German Pilsner and Wheat malts with a single addition of Magnum hops, but it's really all about the bugs - Pediococcus to be precise. Combined with French Saison yeast, the super bug culture results in a beer that is funky, dirty and delicious!

   

   The unassuming exterior of the Wheatsheaf Hotel

Friday Five: Barossa Wineries

Our trip to Adelaide was mainly for the cycling, but obviously, one can't pass through the Barossa region without stopping at a winery or two. Or a dozen. So we did, and here are some of them.

Bethany Wines cellar door

5 Wineries We Visited on Our Barossa Trip:

1. Peter Lehmann - set among fabulous gardens and cultivated lawns, this was a wonderful place to start (and handily just round the corner from our accommodation). In 1979 there was a grape glut and the growers couldn't sell their grapes, so Peter Lehmann set up saying, 'Give me your grapes, and I'll make your wine'. Of course the growers had to trust him and wait for at least three years before they saw a return - it seems to have been successful! We drank many different shirazes, ranging in price from $20 to $100. Top Drop: 2010 Stonewell Shiraz; a classic example of the rich concentrated old vine style, packed with flavours of dark fruits and chocolate, with a touch of aniseed.
2. Wolf Blass - Him Outdoors had a particular inclination to see this winery. It was one of the first in the region, and although it's big and somewhat corporate, it didn't disappoint. We were served by Jenny who did an excellent job, explaining all the different labels to us (red; yellow; silver; gold; white; grey; brown; sapphire; black; platinum) and talking us through the range. Founder Wolfgang Blass believes that the winemakers of the Barossa should really just stick to shiraz, and, on the evidence of this tasting, they could do worse than heed his advice. Top Drop: 2012 Brown Label Classic Shiraz; an intriguing blend of the same grape from three different regions - Barossa; McLaren Vale; Langhorn Creek - produces a soft and approachable wine that is still robust and richly flavoured. The brown label was not a successful marketing colour, but was reinstated for the year of Wolfgang's 80th birthday with much greater success.
3. Bethany Wines - Bethany itself is a beautiful little spot steeped in German history; the village was settled in 1842 by 28 families who emigrated from Prussia. The Schrapel family planted their first vines here in 1852, and the winemaking philosophy is to produce food-friendly, elegant wines. Top Drop: Old Quarry Fonti; white port made from Muscat QP Blanc Muscadelle grapes grown on some of the oldest vines at the Homestead Vineyard, harvested late in the season, then fortified with premium quality brandy seasoned in oak barrels. It has aromas of caramelised fruit and nuances of orange marmalade - delicious!
4. Two Hands - the experience is a little different from other cellar doors; we were invited through to the patio, given the wine list and encouraged to pick and choose samples from it. Top Drop: Twelftree Grenache Rose; of course we had to try the wine with this label! The Twelftree wines are an exclusive selection of six wines handmade by Michael Twelftree on a very small scale, using a blend of new and traditional techniques to maintain the purity of the grape variety and showcase the regional characteristics. The Grenache Rose from Moppa Springs is bright, aromatic, energetic and strictly limited (with only 50 cases being produced).
5. Yalumba - A marvellous tasting in the chateau followed by a tour of the cooperage, which Him Outdoors was very keen to see. We popped in just as they were closing but one of the lads (Corey) was happy to stay around and chat and answer all his questions. The cooperage is not lucrative or even economically viable, but it is quite the marketing exercise and all part of the tourism. Top Drop: 2012 Virgilius; Eden Valley Viognier from old vines which produces a great intensity of aroma (orange blossom and ginger) with a long opulent palate, rich with apricot, stone-fruit and spice flavours, and a fresh citrus finish.

Wolf Blass tasting room

Friday Five: Apps

We have got a long trip coming up. There is an awful lot of nothing in Australia and we are driving across about 1,000km of it (a mere fraction, I know). To help us on this journey we have a few apps for our listening pleasure. Since getting a phone which allows me to, I have listened to many of these diverting entertainments. These are my current favourites (blame my mother for the last one):

5 Apps on my Phone:

1. Mark Kermode and Simon Mayo's Film Reviews
2. Friday Night Comedy (The News Quiz/ The Now Show)
3. Great Lives
4. BBC Radio 3 Arts and Ideas: Free Thinking
5. The Archers Omnibus

Friday Five: Best films of 2014

The list is fairly self-explanatory, but a couple of things to note are that I'm only including films that were actually released in 2014. I saw Still Life in 2014 and it is excellent, but its release date was 2013 (even 2012 in some places) so it can't qualify for the list. It was too hard to whittle it down to five, and, as it's my blog and I can do what I like, I kept it at seven. And they're in alphabetical order because I couldn't pick the very best.

7 of the best films from 2014:

1. 20,000 Days on Earth – Not only a fascinating insight into the more-than-mildly-bonkers mind of Nick Cave, but also a discourse on the transformative power of performance. Sharply directed by Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard, the fusion of documentary and drama with talking heads and concert footage is absolutely excellent. It won the directing award at the Sundance Film Festival; it deserves to win many more at many more.
2. Calvary – Written and directed by John Michael McDonagh, and starring Brendan Gleeson as a good priest, this film has all the commanding scenic shots, black humour, depth of plot and characterisation you would expect. Its combination of deeply disturbing morality and theatrical reverence is both subtle and shocking, reverberating long after its short (1hour 40mins) running time.
3. The Grand Budapest Hotel – Sort of like a combination of Fawlty Towers, Allo Allo, and a bumbling prison escape/ murder mystery/ chase-sequence thriller: wonderfully weird, impeccably acted and every scene fantastically framed – I love this sort of description-defying stuff! Wes Anderson directs the tale of the adventures of Gustave H (Ralph Fiennes), the legendary concierge of a famous European hotel between the wars, and exceptional actors fall over themselves for a bit part.
4. Mr. Turner – Timothy Spall is brilliant in Mike Leigh’s earthy and grimy biopic in which humanity is ugly, and the only beauty is found in the paintings and the scenery. The film is as much about the nature of fame and celebrity as it is about art and the passing fads in the cultural consciousness. While J.M.W. Turner is the major planet around which all the other actors orbit, they all shine brightly in this firmament.
5. Nightcrawler – Excellent and disturbing film about how we get the news delivered to us in the way we deserve. Jake Gyllenhaal gives a chilling performance, Rene Russo mines the emotions behind the cut-throat news service industry, and writer/director Dan Gilroy offers up a lot to think about.
6. Paddington – Paddington Bear was one of my childhood favourites, along with Bagpus, The Clangers, The Magic Roundabout and The Herb Garden. I loved the books, I loved the TV series, and now I love the film – feel-good film of the year. Everyone gives a top-notch performance from Ben Wishaw as the voice of the bear, to Hugh Bonneville and Sally Hawkins as Mr and Mrs Brown. Whereas Disney would have ruined it, Heyday Films, you looked after my bear. Thank you.
7. The Trip to Italy – Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon are back and as brilliant as ever. Their (largely unscripted, as is director Michael Winterbottom’s wont) blokish banter of insults and continuous non-sequiturs is reminiscent of the rambles you used to have down the pub in the good old days before someone would whip out their smart phone and kill all creative discussion. The back-drop of scenic Italian countryside, gourmet meals and plush hotels is merely a bonus.