La Machine La Princess [Strictly Awesome]

[PhilipG]

Originally Posted by lindylou

That's a good one Philip


great pics from everyone else too

Thanks, LL.
I'm posting 3 now.
I only know how to do them one at a time.

[Klaatu]

Originally Posted by gregs dad

The last hour at home before its walk through the crowds,

Great pics...Is that Obie Wan with his light sabre there?...he's very tall!

I must get myself a digi- camera (when I've got the cash) so I can join in with all of you great photographers here.

[Paul D]

[arrr_bob]

Originally Posted by geoffrey

La Machine
Liverpool city centre

Lyn Gardner
The Guardian,
Monday September 8 2008

She came, she crawled and she conquered.

Theatre review: La Machine / Liverpool city centre | Stage | The Guardian

which for many Liverpudlians will be their only exposure to the Capital of Culture programme.

How patronising! Someone please shove a Superlambanana up her ****

For all its considerable delights, this was not the Sultan's Elephant. La Princesse - as the spider is called - is not nearly as loveable, and this performance lacked the narrative drive and human dimension that the pachyderm had

Pfft, anyone can love a cute elephant... much more challenging to build a monster spider that had children upset when it had finally gone forever down the tunnel.

La Machine was a much more traditional carnivalesque parade, with the set-piece reliance on smoke, water and flame that characterises a great deal of large-scale outdoor work, but with a bigger budget - £1.8m - and much more kit.

It's hard to believe that it ONLY cost £1.8m, but I guess that's modern French engineering for you.

Indeed, there were times when the parade of cranes and pulleys were almost more awe-inspiring than the spider itself, and I wasn't quite sure whether what I was admiring was engineering or culture.

Engineering is culture - when you consider the world leading engineering projects that created world leading cities like Liverpool, that's a silly thing to say. It's no wonder kids shun engineering as a subject and choose media studies instead. And then people have the cheek to moan that our new buildings aren't very interesting, cost too much or arrive late.

[arrr_bob]

Err this post seems to have appeared twice... oops!

[Max]

Originally Posted by arrr_bob

How patronising! Someone please shove a Superlambanana up her ****



Pfft, anyone can love a cute elephant... much more challenging to build a monster spider that had children upset when it had finally gone forever down the tunnel.



It's hard to believe that it ONLY cost £1.8m, but I guess that's modern French engineering for you.



Engineering is culture - when you consider the world leading engineering projects that created world leading cities like Liverpool, that's a silly thing to say. It's no wonder kids shun engineering as a subject and choose media studies instead. And then people have the cheek to moan that our new buildings aren't very interesting, cost too much or arrive late.

Most of our new buildings ain't that Interesting Imo. Except for the extended canal which Is cool, the council are ruining our world heritage site.

For 1.5 to 1.8 Million we do seem to get poorer versions of the big events big cities like London get which seems true.

Theres only been like 2 or 3 big events which you can consider a capital of culture event since most of the events happen annually anyway.

[arrr_bob]

Originally Posted by Andyl

Sorry Bob if I was tetchy - we just wanted to know if she had a 'friend' on Sunday...

It was great. I first saw it on the side of the tower on Wednesday, on the way to work and you just knew it was going to be brilliant - loads of passers by stood open mouthed or taking pictures. I went to have a closer peek with some friends on Thursday evening when it was by the arena, you just couldn't get an impression of what it was going to be like moving.

I missed all the action on Friday cos of work and unfortunately had stuff to do on Saturday daytime but managed to get to Concorse House by 7pm. Unlike Sunday night, there were less people around on Saturday and I was able to get a good spot on the roadside near the big TV screen. The sense of excitement in the crowd as it finally appeared in the distance by Lewis' was wonderful and then seeing the whole event get closer trying to work out what the hell was going on was utterly surreal. Then it got real close, legs waving around over our heads, fire cannons going off, water sprays (cue massive cheers at getting wet!).

It seemed to go off the boil when it stopped to be put onto the crane and so people started to leave but I'm glad I stayed to see it move on to the tower. In retrospect it's hard to see how you can make the dangerous and slow task of moving a multi-tonne machine into the air into theatre but somehow it was still a beautiful sight.

Inevitably we set off late on Sunday and she was already off the tower but not yet moving so we headed straight for the tunnel (you could hardly move near Lime St - way busier than Saturday night) and managed to get a reasonable spot on the Churchill Way / Dale St side. Once again the anticipation was fantastic and when the noise and flashes started coming from up by the Empire everyone forgot their tired legs and was straining to see anything. First the orchestra wheeled its way down on cherry pickers got everyone gee'd up and then went quiet. When La Princesse finally appeared it was crazy, legs everywhere, bright lights, snow storms, water jets, ballet-like music. Everyone was loving it. From where we were stood seeing much was difficult and when she disappeared into the tunnel entrance and you couldn't anything - but it gave the effect of a slow disappearance and then the only sounds left were the humming of generators and the satisfied rumble of the crowd making their way home.

A result, in sporting parlance.

[Andyl]

Thanks Bob

I think you were right first time "That was F-ING ACE!"

One of the best web-video's we saw was of her 'climbing' back up the tower... I can only assume that there were still 'crew' onboard as the legs were still moving... it sent shivers down my spine!

Re: the expense - There was a young lady from Artichoke on Northwest Tonight last friday explaining that a proportion of the money has actually gone back into Merseyside, ie hotels, equipment hire, storage and rehersal areas etc...

Also, don't the organisers also have to pay for policing and health and safety risk assessments etc?


For all the excitement, fun and world wide press generated, it sounds like it was worth every penny!

Respect to the La Machine Team ... especially as one of them broke both ankles abseiling down the tower


Andy

[seasidenan]

Originally Posted by PhilipG

It wasn't you, Seasidenan.
You mentioned page 17, and without mentioning names it's obvious who prompted my remark.
My computer is so slow, it's now taking me about 5 minutes to transfer each photo from flickr, and I was P'd off that day, and started to wonder why I should bother when four consecutive posts (to varying degrees) didn't like the idea of a spider.
And one of those posts did indeed s l a g it off.

.

Thank you PhilipG. I'm fairly new here and would hate to upset anybody. Not in my nature to do that, much rather be kind and helpful, and most of all encouraging. I've enjoyed your photos, expecially of the spider, and they mean a lot to those of us who don't live in Liverpool any more, but like to know what's going on Not nosy, you understand, just like to know

[geoffrey]

Originally Posted by arrr_bob

How patronising! Someone please shove a Superlambanana up her ****

I can see where you're coming from with that bob but I think you're wide of the mark.

Having read many of her reviews I'd say Lyn Gardner has got an agenda but I don't think it is one of putting down Liverpool, scousers or the world outside London. What she sticks up for is that her readers and funding bodies should recognize that Theatre doesn't have to be a case of sitting in the dark for two hours and clapping at the end (and there's lots won't take anything seriously that doesn't take that form).

On of the great things about that experience was that in the periods of waiting I got chatting to complete strangers and I bet others did the same, it was that kind of occasion.

A few of the people I talked to hadn't been to any events or exhibitions - they weren't angry and excluded, they didn't have grey lives poorly lived - rather they had busy schedules and lots of activities. They were only seeing this Theatre because it mugged them while they were out shopping and like us they thought it was great.