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DANNY ROBINS' EVENTS GUIDE: 7TH OCTOBER 2010
Post categories: Danny Robins
|14:31 UK time, Thursday, 7 October 2010
The Battle of Hastings - Live! - Oct 9th and 10th
It's not been a good week for the Hastings with its historic pier burning down, but this weekend sees the town showing off what it's most famous for - the Battle.
Of course, the keener history students amongst you will know the battle didn't actually take place in Hastings but in a field about 6 miles away by a village very coincidentally called Battle (think they might have named it after the event). So, it's here that the massed throngs of re-enactors gather to recreate the action of 1066.
The actual anniversary is 14th October, but the re-enactment is taking place on St 9th and Sun 10th this year. Loads of 'enthusiasts' come down and take part - camping out in historically accurate tents, doing falconry, archery and riding displays and building up to the big event - the battle itself, scheduled for 3pm prompt each day. There'll be about 400 burly men tooled to the teeth as either Saxons or Normans and ready to knock chunks out of each other in the name of historical authenticity.
I love a battle re-enactment and this is the mother of them all. Unlike the real battle you do have to book tickets in advance sadly.
Hendrix in London - Fri 8th
The Story of London is a week-long, London-wide festival of events, exhibitions, films, performances, talks and even walks that all explore different aspects of the capital.
You may have already sampled some of the things on offer if you've been in London this week. The event that has particularly caught my eye is Hendrix in London. It's happening tomorrow, Friday 8th, at 3pm at the Covent Garden Odeon cinema on Shaftesbury Avenue.
A panel described as 'distinguished Hendrix experts' will be discussing the guitar legend's 'enduring importance and influence'. It's certainly an impressive line up - there's the well known music journalist Charles Shaar Murray, Hendrix biographer Harry Shapiro and Richard Lloyd - guitarist from the band Television, who knew Hendrix and recorded an album of Hendrix covers last year - 'The Jamie Neverts Story'.
Hearing those three discuss the great man should be really interesting and, better still, it's free, though you are advised to book in advance by calling 020 7399 1953.
The Story of London events carry on until Sunday.
Fight the Power
And finally, I thought I'd recommend a few theatre shows that have a theme of fighting against authority.
The first two are adaptations of classic anti-authority books. Northern Broadsides, the company who recently did the Lenny Henry Othello are putting on a production of George Orwell's 1984 - about a future world ruled over by the omnipresent Big Brother. Of course 1984 is now well in the past and Big Brother has been successfully defeated but the production's getting some great reviews and is touring the country between now and the end of November. They're in Halifax next week.
Up in Scotland, the brilliant and innovative Citizen's Theatre are putting on a production of A Clockwork Orange - again it's set in a future that's probably already happened, but it retains its power to shock. This is based on the original book as opposed to Kubrick's notorious film. It's running from 13th October to 6th November.
And finally, it's not theatre as such but it's a man who always puts on a great show - comedian, TV presenter, activist and agitator - Mark Thomas. Hopefully you've seen stuff Mark's done in the past but if you haven't he's basically a one man anti-corruption crusade.
His latest project is called Walking The Wall - basically he decided to go rambling in the Middle East and walked the entire length of the Israeli Separation Barrier crossing between the Israeli and the Palestinian side. Of course, he got into trouble whilst doing it (6 arrests and 1 stoning apparently) and this show is about that.
There's a full tour planned for the spring, but he's doing lots of preview shows at small theatres in London and Croydon over the next few weeks - it's a great chance to see him in an intimate venue experimenting with new ideas.
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