Stars in their Eyes

Shakespeare's Troilus and Cressida, Globe Theatre, London.
Originally uploaded by Kaustav Bhattacharya

Last night, Kevin and I visited Shakespeare's Globe Theatre for the first time - a blasted curse on our names for not visiting before after nine years in London! The play was Troilus and Cressida, which I knew nothing about, and which I loved (despite there being a preponderance of despicable queer characters with no redeeming qualities). The only actor I recognised was Matthew Kelly, who played a camp old queen who likes to perform a song or two for the audience and fawn over semi naked young men. He stole the show just as much as the actor who played the leprous hunchback beggar. It was only a fiver to stand and now I'm in the mood for buying season tickets and reading Bill Bryson's biography on the Bard (which I started, anyway, last night in a fit of excitement, and which is very good.)

On Monday, I was given a tour of a fairy house in South London (not open to the public), tucked away behind some bushes and an unmarked door on Wandsworth Road: the home of Kenyan-born poet and writer Khadambi Asalache. His house, which is now being taken care of by the National Trust, is completely covered with beautifully designed wood carvings, art works, paintings and collections of random things (tea cups, ink bottles, etc), many of which inspired by mathematical theory (he had a MPhil in Math), Islamic design and his memories of Africa. In his writing room, we heard one of his poems read out loud as we stared at one of his murals. Afterwards, we sat in his kitchen drinking tea and talking about life. No photo does justice to the place.

( Photos of Khadambi Asalache's home )

Got Me Looking So Crazy Right Now

Antony and the Johnson's cover of Beyonce's "Crazy in Love":