02/11/2014 – Scene Magazine – From the heart of LGBTQ+ Life

OPERA REVIEW: La Bohème

Posted on 02/11/201404/11/2014 by Eric Page

La Bohème

English National Opera

This is the third outing for Millers La Boheme and it’s developing in to a fine vintage, full of flavour and body. Under revival director Natasha Metherell we experienced one of opera’s greatest love stories, tracing the doomed relationship between the impoverished poet Rodolfo and his seamstress girlfriend Mimì with an evocative design from Isabella Bywater and a heart rending emotional translation from Amanda Holden this was a glorious production, combining to overcome the occasional rather desperate plot mechanics to highlight the real doomed passion of the lovers.

Millers production was radical for its time, harking back to the earthy novelty of poverty, although this production is more traditional in its outlook it never-the-less maintains an eye for detail, set in a shabby 1930’s left bank Paris, all hand to mouth poverty and noble humour struggling through.

David Butt Philip is a revelation as Rodolfo, transfixing the house with his rich perfect tones with glorious full power, he wrapped the angst and role in such delicious tenor perfection that we all sighed every time he stopped singing. What a debut! Angel Blue, herself debuting in the role of Mimi if not the opera itself was equality delightful but just slightly less controlled with her big bright voice, however she most certainly knows how to project and keep the eyes of the audience on her when she’s on the stage and she doesn’t’ disappoint. I adored her. I didn’t; believe they were in love though, as although technically perfect there was no emotional warmth between them on stage.

More info and some musical highlights click here:

Jennifer Holloway’s Musetta is wonderful brassy and huge with her soft seductive voice doing all the heavy lifting for the role as she’s too charming a presence to have the rough edge that Musetta needs. Barnaby Rea sang his heart out as Colline and George von Bergen’s Marcello was full of pomp and reflective charm and they made a good supporting cast. The chorus were sweet although they often seem like such an afterthought in this Opera, and I so wish they would lose the kiddies, but then the rest of the house cooed over them.

Gianluca Marciano brought a warmth and depth to the music conducting the ENO orchestra, keeping them just the right side of mawkishness while allowing the rich and sometimes over blown emotional content to swell and ebb accordingly. The orchestra wrestled on occasion with some of the cast reaching out over the tempest of music pouring out the pit, but I suspect this was a first night twitch as were the hasty drop of the curtains before the final music faded out.

This is a crowd pleaser of a show musically and the audience were most pleased by it, with some throw away vulgarities and some silly set pieces and guttural estuary English stops from the Factory Girls it’s not the ultimately engaging on a visual level, but over all it was an engaging and entertaining evening, and although Angel Blue shone as Mimmi, it was David Butt Philip who really won the audiences heart.

Recommended

Plays until November 30

For more info or to book tickets click here:

Campaign launched for transgender and intersex rights in Scotland

Posted on 02/11/2014 by Besi

New campaign calls for reform of gender recognition law in Scotland and an end to unnecessary ‘normalising’ surgeries on intersex children.

A NEW campaign has been launched in Edinburgh calling for legal equality for transgender and intersex people in Scotland.

The Equal Recognition campaign was launched by the Scottish Transgender Alliance and the Equality Network, the Scottish LGBTI equality charity, and includes a call for the Scottish Government to change the law to recognise a third gender in Scotland.

Currently transgender people who do not identify as male or female, but rather have a non-binary gender identity, have no legal recognition of their gender unlike in other countries including Australia, Denmark, Malta, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and New Zealand where a third gender is given recognition.

Intersex people – who are born with bodies which cannot be classified as clearly male or female – are often denied basic human rights by being subjected to genital surgeries in early childhood that damage and traumatise them for life. These interventions may sterilise an individual, often leave deep scarring, and can cause loss of sensation. Therefore the campaign calls for intersex children to be protected from unnecessary genital surgeries while too young to give or withhold their informed consent.

The campaign also calls for reform of the Gender Recognition Act 2004 to make it easier for transgender and intersex people to have the gender they live as legally recognised. The charity says that transgender people in Scotland are currently forced to undertake a humiliating psychiatric assessment simply in order to have the gender they live as reflected on their birth certificate.

Over 150 transgender and intersex people from across the country joined the charity to launch the campaign in the biggest push for transgender and intersex rights to date in Scotland. An online petition was also launched.

To sign the petition, click here:

Nathan Gale, Scottish Transgender Alliance Policy Officer for the Equality Network, said: “Scotland is falling behind a growing number of countries around the world who now recognise in law that not everyone can be neatly categorised as male or female, and instead ensure that all trans and intersex people are accepted and protected. It is time for Scotland to catch up, recognise our existence and respect our diverse bodies and identities.”

Robin Duval, 29, a non-binary trans person from Edinburgh said: “I feel like I’m leading a double life. My friends know I don’t feel male or female and respect that, but the stress of having to pretend to be something that I’m not, everyday, just to fit in with society has a massive impact on my health and wellbeing. It affects every part of my life, whether I’m at work, going to the doctors, travelling through passport control, or even just going to the toilet. I just want to be accepted for who I am in the eyes of society, and have my gender recognised in the law with the same rights as anyone else.”

Becky Kent, 52, a trans woman from Edinburgh, added: “For me, recognition of my gender is simply about official acceptance of who I already know that I am. Nobody but me knows who I am inside. It is terribly insulting to have to get the permission of a psychiatrist in order to get my birth certificate changed. I’m a competent, responsible adult. I should be trusted to know who I am.”

Jennie Kermode, an intersex activist from Glasgow, said: “The first priority for any government concerned with the rights and well being of intersex people must be to end normalisation surgery carried out before the patient is old enough to consent to it, where there is an absence of urgent medical need.”

The Equal Recognition campaign has been launched as a call to action at the inaugural Trans and Intersex Conference of the Isles in Edinburgh. The event has brought together transgender and intersex equality activists from across Scotland, the UK, and Ireland, to discuss the high levels of discrimination and prejudice that they continue to face. The conference has been made possible by funding from VisitScotland.

Chris McCoy, Equality and Diversity Manager at VisitScotland, who addressed the conference, said: “VisitScotland is delighted that this important conference is being held in Scotland, and to support it through our Conference Bid Fund. We are working with the Scottish tourism industry to make this country more accessible, which includes making it inclusive of all people.

“It is vital that we understand the barriers and the issues that trans and intersex people face. This conference will enable us to hear first-hand their experiences, giving us information and education to ensure that Scotland is really inclusive, not only in what we say, but in what we do to make this a reality.”

The Scottish Transgender Alliance is the Equality Network’s national project funded by the Scottish Government to secure greater equality for transgender people in Scotland:

For more information, click here:

PREVIEW: Thank You for the Music

Posted on 02/11/2014 by Besi

Experience the UK’s No 1 concert show Thank You for the Music.

CELEBRATING the 40th anniversary of ABBA’s Eurovision triumph, hit stage show Thank You for the Music is coming to town for one night only in December.

The cast will take fans back to 1974, to the night when Bjorn, Benny, Agnetha and Frida arrived as pop music superstars by winning the Eurovision Song Contest with their self-composed song Waterloo right here in Brighton.

ABBA literally lit up the Brighton Dome, sparkling in sequins and tottering about in silver 6 inch-heel platform boots. That was just Bjorn and Benny!

It was the night stalwart Eurovision presenter Katie Boyle famously presented the evening without any knickers – her salmon pink satin and feathers dress prompting a visible panty line panic just as she was about to go on stage.

This set the tone for a typically kitsch evening that saw the Eurovision orchestra’s conductor dressed as Napoleon for ABBA’s performance and Agnetha wearing her now iconic midnight blue tunic and gem-encrusted knitted cap.

The win catapulted ABBA to global fame – Waterloo was a number one hit in ten countries and even a top ten hit in the States. It was to be the first of nine number one hit singles, nine chart-topping albums and 19 top 20 singles in the UK.

In addition to releasing singles and albums that chalked up worldwide sales totalling 370 million, there followed a record-breaking movie, a smash-hit West End musical and now the UK’s number one concert show …Thank You for the Music.

The ultimate tribute concert show revives all of ABBA’s chart topping hits, including Dancing Queen, Super Trouper, Mamma Mia, Thank You for the Music, Take A Chance on Me, The Winner Takes It All, Chiquitita, I Have A Dream, Gimme, Gimme, Gimme and, of course, Waterloo.

Now in their fabba-ulous 21st year, the superb, all-star cast have entertained the nation with lycra-tight harmonies and superb musicianship for longer than Bjorn, Agnetha, Benny and Frida did during the 70s and 80s, according to show producer Michael Taylor.

Now recognised as the leading ABBA concert show – the trade mark for the name Thank You for the Music has been registered by the show’s producers.