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Two Ladies: La Bella Bimba at Barons Court Theatre / Canal Cafe Theatre

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T hey sing. They dance. They clown around. They even wash clothes! Such is the story of La Bella Bimba, part of the Voila Theatre Festival, which highlights new and emerging artists. A tale of two Italian ladies who land in 1920s New York, trying to break into Broadway without speaking a word of English. It’s harmless, primarily even if a little nonsensical, and is currently playing as part of the Voila! Theatre Festival .  I caught the performance at the Barons Court Theatre , where the intimate setting created an evocative atmosphere reminiscent of dark New York alleyways. The space was almost claustrophobic with a distinct smell of rising damp, making you feel immersed in the story of two Ladies hanging around the theatre doors of Broadway. On the plus side, the theatre has some of the most comfortable seats you will find in any pub theatre in London. As the naive and hopeful singers, Co-creator Lucrezia Galeone as Carlotta and Sarah Silvestri as Cecilia are fine singers with co...

Stream of conscious: Black Matter


With theatre's closed over the past year and creatives out of work, it's not surprising to see that with everything going on, there's plenty to write about. Or put into a song cycle. Actor Giles Terera presents his new song cycle Black Matter inspired by the events he saw on London's streets in a streamed concert event this month. 

Living in London's Soho over the past summer of lockdown, Black Lives Matter, Eat Out To Help Out provided plenty of inspiration for observations about being a black man in Britain today. He notes that "I saw Soho shift from deserted tranquillity, where the only sounds were birds and church bells to the noise and heat of demands for social justice and civil unrest. I saw couples and families sneaking bike rides, and I saw violence – protests and peacemakers, homelessness and empty properties. People helping each other and people hurting each other. I saw confusion and hope and strength."

The topics vary from deportations and the Black Lives Matter movement to artist Khadija Saye's death in Grenfell Tower. Terera's musical influences vary from blues and jazz to musical theatre. Through these styles, his smooth vocals contrast against the sharp observations about what it is really like living in Britain today. But while there's much to be angry about, he's giving audiences enough positive messages so that they're ready to change the world. 

Filmed at Cabaret venue the Crazy Coqs in Piccadilly with just Terera a piano or guitar, the focus is on the man, the music and the message. Not every streamed concert can claim to look or sound as good as this one, and the attention to detail in getting this recording looking and sounding so good is to be admired. 

But the empty cabaret room with just the table lights on reminds us that we should be there. The stream could have benefited from more introductions of the material to give insight into the songs. But perhaps that might have to wait for when performed in front of an audience. 

The concert will be streamed and available globally from March 24 through to March 31 and runs for an hour.

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