Monday 27 February 2012

Barbican Hurrah

My favourite London arts centre, the Barbican, is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. And some pretty special events are lined up for the occasion:

- In April, Cate Blanchett will be starring in Botho Strauss' "delicately surreal" Gross und Klein (Big and Small). Apparently the 1978 play is like Alice in Wonderland for grown-ups, and Blanchett already gained accolades for performing it with the Sydney Theatre Company last year.

Photo from here.
My tickets are booked. Und du?

- As if one ueber-actrice wasn't enough, Juliette Binoche will be gracing the Barbican Theatre in a contemporary version of Strindberg's Mademoiselle Julie. The play, already peformed at the Avignon Festival last year, is a naturalistic exploration love, lust and class, with Binoche as its fatalistic heroine. Intrigued? Le Monde called it "une catastrophe", but I'm not discarding Juliette (nor Julie) that easily. Not least because Lanvin is doing the costumes.

Photo: Gerard Julien/Scanpix

A propos superlatives, the Barbican Gallery will soon be hosting the UK's biggest Bauhaus exhibition in 40 years. After the excellent though technical OMA/Progress show, Bauhaus: Art as Life promises to be a wide-angled take on the movement, including architecture, art and politics.


I happen to be visiting the world's largest collection of Bauhaus buildings in Tel Aviv next month. I'll compare and report back!

Gross und Klein: 13 - 29 April 2012
Bauhaus: Art as Life: 3 May 2012 - 12 August 2012
Mademoiselle Julie: 20-29 September 2012

Thank you Barbican. Who needs the Olympics?

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