theatre
Bilingual West Side Story
The Puerto Rican Sharks – one of two rival gangs fighting over a patch of Manhattan turf – now speak and sing in Spanish. But is a linguistic shift enough to make West Side Story relevant again? Or has one of the world’s most cosmopolitan cities simply changed too much with each new wave of immigrants for the show to keep up.
Magic realism on stage
“Allende’s book is an epic family saga, across three generations, full of ghosts and wonderment – a classic example of a genre, magic realism, that is notoriously difficult to stage. We sent our reporter Andrew Purcell to find out how they’re bringing the spirit world to life.”
Robert Wilson - Trailblazer
This edition of the BBC World Service documentary strand, Close-Up, focused on the work of pioneering American theatre director Robert Wilson. Presenter Harriet Gilbert interviewed Wilson himself. I reported from the launch party of his redeveloped Watermill Centre on Long Island, speaking with artists inspired by Wilson, among them actress Isabella Rosselini and songwriter Lou Reed.
