Wilton’s Music Hall has announced the final strand of events for The Chrysalis Club, an eclectic interim arts programme of events, gigs, screenings, classes and performances which will run until September 2015, as the world’s last surviving Grand Music Hall in London’s East End enters the final months of vital building works.
Over the summer, Wilton’s will welcome two opera companies to the hall. Firstly, on the 22 and 23 July Ryedale Festival Opera will present The Merry Widow which has held audiences spellbound ever since its premiere in 1905. In the first performance of a new English translation by John Warrack, The Merry Widow is the story of Hanna Glawari, a sophisticated widow who captivates all of Paris. Following this on 6 August, Wilton’s will host Les Bougies Baroques who will perform Il Parnaso Confuso by C W Gluck. Led by conductor Ian Peter Bugeja, Les Bougies Baroques are an internationally-acclaimed, young generation of Baroque pioneers who specialize in bringing 16th – 19th century music to intimate settings.
Ole Bull aficionado Peter Sheppard Skӕrved will bring the work and unique style of the influential musician to Wilton’s on 8 July in Barnstorming with Ole Bull. A pioneer of 19th century violinists Ole Bull achieved international acclaim after an appearance in Bologna in 1834. On 31 July, award-winning company Familia de la Noche will return to Wilton’s for an exclusive preview of their new Edinburgh Fringe show The Very Grey Matter of Edward Blank.
Wilton’s film programme this summer includes Cinema Club’s James Dean Season which will screenRebel Without A Cause and Giant on 7 and 14 July respectively. In addition to the James Dean Season, Wilton’s will also hold a Live Scored Season in which the Lucky Dog Picturehouse will present classic silent films accompanied by a live musical score. Rounding off the summer programme, the 1921 silent film of Hamlet directed by Svend Gade and Heinz Schall will be screened on 27 August accompanied by a live score from Robin Harris.
Further information on Wilton’s and its conservation can be found here: www.wiltons.org.uk
THE CHRYSALIS CLUB AT WILTON’S
Cinema Club: James Dean Season
Rebel Without a Cause
Dates: 7 July
Times: 7:30pm
Prices: £4
Nicholas Ray’s juvenile-delinquent film (originally a vehicle for Marlon Brando) opened after the death of its star James Dean in a car crash and made Dean into an icon of rebellion. The storyline takes place over a 24-hour period and follows Jim Stark (Dean), a restless teenager always in trouble with the law. His mother smothers him, while his father is weak and ineffectual and the family has only recently moved to Los Angeles to try and save Jim from a life of crime. However, when Jim is picked up for being drunk and disorderly he notices Judy (Natalie Wood) at the police station and determines to ask her on a date at high school the next day. This leads him into conflict with Judy’s boyfriend, Buzz (Corey Allen). He is determined to prove himself with his new found ‘friends’ by taking part in switchblade fights and a ‘chickie’ game where cars race to the edge of a seaside cliff.
Barnstorming with Ole Bull – Maverick Virtuoso
Dates: 8 July
Times: 7pm pre-concert talk, 7:30pm concert
Prices: £12.50 adult, £6 child
Ole Bull was the true pioneer of 19th Century violinists. Mainly self-taught, he was catapulted to international fame almost by chance after an appearance in Bologna in 1834. He went on to conquer audiences on both sides of the Atlantic, quite literally giving concerts where no one had gone before, knife-fighting in the old west, playing on the top of the Pyramid of Cheops and bringing classical music to previously excluded audiences, dovetailing popular songs of the time with classical compositions.
Ole Bull aficionado, Peter Sheppard Skӕrved, is delighted to bring the work and unique style of this massively influential musician to Wilton’s. This special performance will recreate those which Bull loved to give in salons and small theatres, weaving together his transcriptions of Nordic folk music, virtuoso works and music by his favourite composers such as Mozart, Gounod and Bach. Peter will also present the British premiere of his reconstruction of Bull’s American Fantasy, a ‘barnstorming’ piece incorporating Home Sweet Home, Pop! Goes the Weasel, Arkansas Traveler and Hazel Dell; Peter first performed this to great acclaim at last year’s Bergen Festival.
In association with the Bergen International Festival
Gabrielle Aplin
Dates: 9 July
Times: 7.30pm doors
Prices: £15
After 63.5 million Spotify streams, 80 million YouTube views, 1.5 million sales of singles from her debut album English Rain, and #1 chart positions in the UK and Australia, Gabrielle Aplin performs songs from her new album including title track Light Up The Dark, being released 10th July.
Written by Gabrielle with long time writing partner Luke Potashnick, Light up the Dark immediately telegraphs Aplin’s fresh Feist-meets-Cat Power style. Mixed by Craig Silvey (Arcade Fire, The National, Florence + The Machine), Light Up The Dark is available as an instant grat track for fans who pre-order her upcoming second album which shares the same title.
Yoga Nights… and Relax
Dates: 13 July
Times: 7.30pm
Prices: £12
Yoga puts us into challenging positions (sort of like the tube in rush hour) and then teaches us to breathe our way through it. So many of today’s illnesses result from a buildup of stress and, as we know, there are very good reasons why London life is never characterised as leisurely. We want to help you stretch and ease away the strain.
The class will be run by Sarah Hunt, the founder of Fresh Living Yoga + Nutrition, an exclusive health and wellness company based in London. Her classes are designed to boost your energy levels, improve your core strength, minimise stress and help you take steps towards finding your inner balance.
Cinema Club: James Dean Season
Giant
Dates: 14 July
Times: 7.30pm
Prices: £4
Living up to its title, everything in this picture is big, from sprawling ranch location to the high-powered stars. Rock Hudson stars as the confident, stubborn young ranch baron Jordan ‘Bick’ Benedict, who woos and wins the hand of Southern belle Leslie (Elizabeth Taylor), a seemingly demure young beauty who proves to be Bick’s match after she settles into the family homestead. The film sees James Dean’s final performance before his tragic death, as poor former ranch hand Jett Rink, who strikes oil and transforms himself into a flamboyant millionaire playboy, earning a second posthumous Academy Award nomination. The talented supporting cast includes Mercedes McCambridge as Bick’s frustrated sister, put out by the new woman of the house and with Carroll Baker and Dennis Hopper as the Benedict’s rebellious children.
Sunset Boulevard, presented by Cine-Real
Dates: 16 July
Times: 7:30pm
Prices: £10
Gloria Swanson stars as Norma Desmond, an ageing silent-film queen, and William Holden, as the struggling young screenwriter who is held in thrall by her madness. Winner of three Academy Awards, director Billy Wilder’s powerful orchestration of the bizarre tale is a true cinematic classic. From the unforgettable opening sequence – a body found floating in a decayed mansion’s swimming pool – through to the inevitable unfolding of tragic destiny, Sunset Boulevard is the definitive statement on the dark and desperate side of Hollywood.
This evening will be brought to you by Ciné-Real, one of the only film clubs in the UK to exclusively play films in their original 16mm format. For this special one-off evening, you will be able to enjoy a classic film with the same sound and quality audiences would have experienced when it was originally released.
Ciné-Real is a non-profit which aims to unite film makers, actors, writers, directors, producers, photographers and enthusiasts in their appreciation of classic film.
The Trad Academy Sea Shanty Choir
Dates: 17 July
Times: 7.30pm
Prices: £12.50 advance, £15 on the door, £8 concession
The Trad Academy Sea Shanty Choir, London’s finest non-audition community choir, will be singing songs of the sea alongside folk singer and WWII veteran of the Normandy Landings, Jim Radford. Well-established favourites of the UK’s shanty festivals, join them for an evening of maritime music that will whisk you back to the days when Wilton’s was busy with the sound of sailors fresh from the London docks.
The Merry Widow
Presented by Ryedale Festival Opera
Dates: 22 July – 23 July
Times: 7:30pm to 10pm
Prices: £25 Best Seats, £20 Standard Seating, £18 Partially Restricted Views
Franz Lehár’s Merry Widow has held audiences spellbound ever since its premiere in 1905. Sung here by a cast of outstanding young singers, in the first performance of a new English translation by John Warrack, it tells the story of Hanna Glawari a rich and sophisticated widow who captivates all of Paris. Her wealth could save her near-bankrupt little country of Pontevedro, if only she does not marry a foreigner! The diplomats who surround her are desperate to keep her money in the country by persuading her to marry Count Danilo. He’s an old flame, just waiting to be re-kindled, but also a proud man who still enjoys his bachelor lifestyle and the easygoing ladies he finds at Maxim’s nightclub.
In a sub-plot, the charming Frenchman Camille de Rosillon does his best to seduce the ambassador’s wife Valencienne, who is bored enough to be tempted but too ‘respectable’ to succumb. Meanwhile, the irrepressible Hanna flirts, charms and dances her way through the farcical events surrounding her. The conflict between political duty and romantic intrigue brings out the best in Lehár in this winning streak of intimate waltzes, flirtatious polkas, exuberant can-cans and catchy melodies.
Carradine’s Cockney Sing-A-Long
Dates: 27 July
Times: 8pm
Prices: Pay What You Can (£1 minimum)
After an uproarious series of sing-a-long sessions in the Mahogany Bar and a festive spectacular in the hall last year, our piano playing host is back. Leading you in a traditional sing-a-long, music includes ditties from the Music Hall era, WWI and II, the West End stage and traditional popular songs from across the decades. It’s a good old-fashioned knees-up!
Buster Keaton & Harold Lloyd
The Lucky Dog Picturehouse Present a silent classic with live musical score
Dates: 28 July
Times: 7:30pm
Prices: £10
Join us for an evening of hilarity as we show four iconic short films by American masters of silent comedy Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd.
Harold Lloyd’s Number, Please? sees him vying for the affections of a young lady intent on keeping both he and his rival dangling, whilst in An Eastern Westerner, he learns that his city charm may not be enough to survive in cowboy country.
In One Week, Buster Keaton suffers all the trials and tribulations of home DIY as he and his young wife attempt to build a house by numbers. Our second Keaton short The Scarecrow is one of the most perfect examples of 1920’s silent comedy, with a love triangle, stunts and set-pieces aplenty and even a canine co-star!
Dancing in the Dark
Dates: 30 July
Times: 7.30pm doors, 8pm performance
Prices: £15
London’s one and only blindfolded charity gig is back with a bang for 2015. Join us to experience and explore music like never before. With a few a capella songs from Grammy award winning singer-songwriter Imogen Heap and performances from internationally acclaimed beatboxer Shlomo and the London Contemporary Voices, this will be a show like no other.
The Very Grey Matter of Edward Blank
Dates: 31 July
Times: 8pm
Prices: £12.50
Edward Blank is extraordinary.
An exceptional literary talent and ghost writer, Edward Blank has the ability to change Mills and Boon into James Joyce before breakfast. The demand for his work is so great that the letterbox clatters non-stop with tapes for transcription and he never leaves the solitary world of his tiny magnolia flat.
But Edward is far from alone. Breaking out from his fractured conscience are an anarchic family of imagined companions, each with a hook in Edward’s life that pulls him deeper into fantasy. His mind is broken and Edward can’t leave.
Edward seems happy in his ordinary-extraordinary life until, one day, a voice on an audio tape changes everything, challenging how far he will go to protect his fragile reality when visions of his forgotten past begin to creep in.
Award-winning company Familia de la Noche return for an exclusive preview of their new Edinburgh Fringe show.
Il Parnaso Confuso by C W Gluck
Dates: 6 August
Times: 7.30pm
Prices: £18 full price, £15 concessions
Les Bougies Baroques bring the true spirit of Baroque to Wilton’s. Take our auditorium’s glorious acoustic, add the exquisite accompaniment of historic instruments to the sublime tones of three sopranos and a countertenor, then simply sit back and enjoy.
Led by conductor – harpsichordist/fortepianist, Ian Peter Bugeja, this internationally acclaimed, young generation of pioneers in early music perform with zest, energy and passion and specialise in bringing 16th to 19th century music to intimate and historic settings. Performed on original and reproduction instruments, this is the frivolous, light and frothy tale of Apollo, the Muses and a misunderstanding over a wedding date. First performed in Vienna in 1765 by four archduchesses and conducted from the harpsichord by the future Emperor Leopold II as a surprise wedding gift for his brother, Les Bougies Baroques’ production is the perfect marriage of historical and contemporary operatic values.
Step Out With Swing Patrol
Dates: 7 August
Times: 7pm class, 7.30pm dancing and entertainment
Prices: £15 (including class)
Continuing this series of hugely popular dance nights, Swing Patrol are returning with the usual taster class at 7pm, followed by social dancing until 10.30pm. There will be performances by the pros and guaranteed good times for everyone, regardless of ability. Look out for displays by some of the best dancers on the scene as we welcome old hands, first-timers and everyone in between!
Hitchcock’s The Lodger (1927)
The Lucky Dog Picturehouse Present a silent classic with live musical score
Dates: 12 August
Times: 7:30pm
Prices: £10
Inspired by the chilling mythology of Jack the Ripper, Hitchcock’s silent masterpiece stars legendary singer and actor Ivor Novello as a secretive young man with a past shrouded in mystery. His arrival at a London lodging-house coincides with a series of grisly murders carried out by a figure known only as The Avenger, leading to suspicion, jealousy and a true Hitchcockian climax.
Yoga Nights… and Relax
Dates: 13 August
Times: 7.30pm
Prices: £12
Yoga puts us into challenging positions (sort of like the tube in rush hour) and then teaches us to breathe our way through it. So many of today’s illnesses result from a buildup of stress and, as we know, there are very good reasons why London life is never characterised as leisurely. We want to help you stretch and ease away the strain.
The class will be run by Sarah Hunt, the founder of Fresh Living Yoga + Nutrition, an exclusive health and wellness company based in London. Her classes are designed to boost your energy levels, improve your core strength, minimise stress and help you take steps towards finding your inner balance.
Hamlet: Drama of Vengeance
With live score by Robin Harris, performed by Robin and Laura Anstee
Dates: 27 August
Times: 7pm
Prices: £10
For those who know the Shakespeare play, this Hamlet is not without its surprises. The film’s departures from Shakespeare are as striking and conspicuous as are its points of adherence. Asta Nielsen’s unmannered performance at its centre, coupled with eloquent use of breath-taking, expressionist sets, which so strikingly showcase her performance, ensure that the film’s imagery and resonances linger in the mind long after the final frame. In 2005, a colour-tinted print of the film was rediscovered in Germany and it is this print, beautifully restored by the Deutsches Filminstitut that is being screened today.
Robin Harris will be performing his musical score for this suspenseful re-imagining of the epic Shakespearean story.
Tricity Vogue’s All Girl Swing Band
Dates: 28 August
Times: 8pm
Prices: £15
Ukulele strumming cabaret star, Tricity Vogue, presents her All Girl Swing Band for a night of sunny, feel-good vintage music with modern attitude. This all-female ensemble oozes musical talent and irrepressible charm. They’ll have you on your feet in no time to an energetic and entertaining mix of 20s, 30s and 40s swing, plus Tricity’s irresistibly catchy originals and witty, retro arrangements of pop favourites. The icing on tonight’s cake comes in the vivacious form of special guest tap dancer, Josephine Shaker, with her jaw-dropping moves and hilarious antics. Inspired by legendary 40s all girl band leader, Ivy Benson, Tricity presents her full 9-piece line-up this evening so don’t miss this rare opportunity to enjoy her critically acclaimed band in all its glory, complete with horn section, piano and four-part harmonies. Swing along, sing along and bring spare socks.