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Passion Play: Theatre Royal: Review

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One of my least favourite genres is Middle Class Adultery as I always think that there’s too little at stake. It’s not like Othello where the merest suspicion of cheating on your husband will get you a dagger through the chest; in modern times as long as you make sure you get the good CDs then you might as well leave the offending partner. Peter Nichols’ Passion Play certainly makes me examine my prejudice: it succeeds by dint of a playfully witty script, some intriguing ideas about the nature of monogamy and four heartfelt, emotionally rich performances. If nothing else I learned that the reason I think that adultery  lacks significance has probably something to do with being a man.

Eleanor (Zoë Wanamaker) and James (Owen Teale) are comforting their friend Kate (Annabel Scholey) on the death of her lover Albert. Kate is the young common-law widow who stole the much older Albert from the couple’s friend Agnes (Sian Thomas). Agnes is still bitter and feels that her quest to destroy Kate is a case of “fighting evil“. Eleanor thinks her friend should be more forgiving, leading Agnes to say, with an irony Eleanor can’t immediately appreciate, “you can only tell me to forgive because you haven’t the vaguest idea how this experience feels“. Needless to say Eleanor gets to feel this experience very soon as Kate starts to pursue her husband.

What marks Passion Play out from the usual run-of-the-mill adultery piece (such as Stoppard’s wildly overpraised The Real Thing) is the intriguing idea of having both Eleanor and James played by two actors, one showing how the character acts in the real world, the other showing the thoughts underlying the outward projections. Samantha Bond and Oliver Cotton both give accounts of their respective character’s psyches which perfectly complement, yet give an extra dimension, to their worldly counterparts.

The only weak part of the writing is the woman who’s the necessary catalyst for the events. Kate is an amoral seducer of men’s husbands – the older the better – and pretty much any man she comes into contact with. Her life consists of swanning round the world, buying expensive clothes, taking the occasional photograph to be exhibited in modish West End galleries, and having an incredible amount of sex. In many respects she seems to have wandered in from a Jackie Collins novel.

However, the play taken as a whole is an intelligent, gripping and acidly funny examination of the lies, the self-deceit and the contradictions that can be the end result of an act as simple as sleeping with a woman who’s not your wife.

For more information and tickets click here.

Continues at the Theatre Royal until Saturday 27 April.

Conservatives call for review of city protests

Cllr Geoffrey Theobald
Cllr Geoffrey Theobald

The Conservative Group Leader on Brighton & Hove City Council, Cllr Geoffrey Theobald is calling for a wide-ranging review into the policing of protests and marches in the city following Sunday’s March for England which had a serious negative impact on local traders and cost taxpayers hundreds of thousands of pounds to police.

In a Notice of Motion submitted to the Full Council meeting on  May 9, Conservatives call on the Council’s Chief Executive to set up a review involving the new Chief Superintendent for Brighton & Hove – Nev Kemp, the Police & Crime Commissioner – Katy Bourne and other key partners of the Council such as business representatives.

In particular, the review should address whether alternative locations can be used for protests, away from the tourist hotspots of the seafront and Laines.

The call for a review is also being supported by local Conservative MPs – MikeWeatherley and Simon Kirby.

 

Cllr. Theobald said:

“Of course we fully respect the right of individuals and groups to protest and march in the city but this has to be weighed up against the impact it has on the livelihoods of our local traders. Sunday was one of the warmest and sunniest days of the year so far and should have been a bumper day for shops, cafes, pubs and restaurants. Instead any visitors to the seafront would have been greeted by ugly scenes of hatred, violence and hundreds of police officers in riot gear. I am hugely concerned about the damage that this sort of thing does to our reputation as a vibrant tourist destination and we are calling on the main players to sit down and talk about how this can be avoided in the future.”

Simon Kirby, MP
Simon Kirby, MP

Simon Kirby MP for Kemptown & Peacehaven, added:

“I was pleased to see on Sunday that a small number of racists who descended on the city were far outnumbered by rational people opposing bigotry. I do have genuine concerns about the impact of the march on tourism and local business, as well as the cost of security which is borne by residents of the city. That is why I think that in future a more appropriate location than the seafront may be found for the demonstration. I also spoke with the policing Minister last night to raise the possibility of additional funding from central Government to help cover the cost of security.”

Mike Weatherley, MP
Mike Weatherley, MP

Mike Weatherley MP for Hove & Portslade, concluded:

“Many people are simply getting fed up with the constant protesting which takes place in the centre of Brighton. It is unpleasant for residents and visitors alike, and traders’ livelihoods are impacted.”

Former Council Leader calls for March for England to be banned next year

Simon Burgess
Simon Burgess

Simon Burgess, former Labour City Council Leader is, in a personal capacity, calling on the City Council to end the ability of a small number of March for England (MfE) protestors to disrupt the city and run up enormous policing bills.

The city was brought to a standstill on Sunday, April 21 by a small group of supporters of ‘March for England’ exercising their ‘right’ to bring their protest to Brighton & Hove to campaign for St Georges Day to be made a national bank holiday.

It is the sixth year MfE have marched in Brighton & Hove and each year more local residents come out to join the groups of anti fascist supporters opposing the presence of MfE in the city.

In 2012 the anti-fascists supporters headed up by Unite Against Fascism (UAF) were able to block the route of the marchers causing chaos in the city centre.

This year the police “for safety reasons” moved the march to Brighton seafront and bused the MfE protestors from Brighton Station to Brighton Pier where they marched along the seafront to Middle Street and back, bringing the seafront to a standstill all afternoon and decimating the business of seafront traders.

The main march went off with few incidents but there were reports of violent incidents throughout the city centre late into the evening as small groups of fascists and anti-fascists clashed with each other.

Sussex Police reported 19 arrests for offences ranging from affray to possession of an offensive weapon. More than 700 police officers from all over the country were drafted in to police the event with estimates of the cost coming into several hundred thousand pounds

Simon, said:

“I was proud once again to stand shoulder to shoulder with our city’s diverse population to show the homophobic, transphobic and racist English Defence League and MfE that we don’t want their hate and prejudice here. The vast majority of people opposing their presence do so in a non-violent way but unfortunately violence takes place between some on both sides and there is a significant risk of innocent people being injured or abused not just at the march but over the whole weekend as evidenced by the extra Police presence during that whole time.

I realise my call for a ban will cause concern but should we really put the right to come to our city to march above resident and visitor safety and our local economy? No, enough is enough. The MfE and EDL come here simply because they hate our diversity, almost none of them live here. In contrast local protesters, for whom this is often their first protest, outnumber them by a factor of ten to one proving the city wants none of their message of hate.
 
“If the council calls on the Police to implement a ban it will not shut down legitimate protest in this city. Barely any MfE marchers live in the city and both the level of threat to public safety and the disruption to local businesses is out of all proportion to the numbers coming here to march.”

Simon Kirby, MP
Simon Kirby, MP

Simon Kirby, MP for Kemptown & Peacehaven, said:

“I believe that it is important to our democracy that we respect people’s right to free speech and peaceful demonstration, however abhorrent we find their views. I was pleased to see that a small number of racists who descended on the city were far outnumbered by rational people opposing bigotry. 

“I do have genuine concerns about the impact of the march on tourism and local business, as well as the cost of security which is borne by residents of the city. That is why I think that in future a more appropriate location than the seafront may be found for the demonstration. I also spoke with the policing Minister last night to raise the possibility of additional funding from central Government to help cover the cost  of security.”

Mike Weatherley, MP
Mike Weatherley, MP

Mike Weatherley, MP for Hove & Portslade, added:

“Unfortunately our wonderful city has become a magnate for all kinds of protests. Given that Brighton & Hove has become the destination of choice – regardless of any actual link to the area – I believe that the Government should recognise that it is unfair that we should keep picking up the bill. While I will be talking to my ministerial colleagues about setting up a special discretionary fund to help pay for the operational cost of policing these kind of marches, I don’t think that many people would think that it stifles free speech to stop those who are clearly intent on violence and disruption from coming to Brighton & Hove.”

 

Stop HIV within a generation

THT

Gay and bisexual men in England have the power to halt the spread of HIV in their community within a generation, according to a major new campaign launched today by HIV Prevention England (HPE).

It Starts With Me will run until Spring 2015, making it the largest-scale HIV prevention campaign to target gay men in this country to date.

Created by Terrence Higgins Trust (THT) and funded by the Department of Health, it will reach men through press and online adverts, posters in gay venues, and will be rolled out across England through a network of national and regional organisations, funded by HPE to promote the campaign in their local communities.

For the two year duration of the campaign, It Starts With Me will rotate between a number of health messages, providing men with information and advice on how to protect themselves and their partners from HIV.

The campaign’s over-arching message is simple: every sexually-active gay and bisexual man in England can help stop the HIV epidemic in its tracks by:

• Testing for HIV at least once every twelve months, and more frequently if they have taken a risk, or show symptoms of seroconversion illness.

• Taking the medication they need to stay fit and well, if they have been diagnosed with HIV.

• Protecting themselves during sex by using condoms and finding other ways to avoid risk.

• Participating in community action by finding a way to support the campaign and spread the word to their friends and contacts.

Scientists and public health bodies agree that this combination of measures would drastically reduce undiagnosed HIV among gay and bisexual men, long recognised as a key factor driving the epidemic.

A short video clip at www.StartsWithMe.org.uk explains how modern drug treatments can reduce the level of virus in the body to an undetectable level, meaning someone with HIV who has tested and is on treatment is far less likely to pass the virus on than someone who remains undiagnosed.

Cary James, Head of Health Improvement Programmes at Terrence Higgins Trust, said:

“While a cure or vaccine for HIV remains stubbornly out of reach, what many gay men don’t realise is that medical advances mean it is now within our community’s grasp to stop the virus in its tracks. By getting as many people with HIV as possible tested and on effective treatment, we should see new infection rates fall rapidly. 

“To succeed in this, we need gay and bisexual men to understand that HIV is just as relevant an issue today as it was in 1982. Every day in this country around eight more gay or bi men are diagnosed, and that number is increasing. We can reverse this trend, but we must do it together or not at all. Each and every one of us has a responsibility to keep ourselves and our partners safe, so the message really is that HIV prevention starts with you… and you… and you.”

Gay and bisexual men are invited to sign up to It Starts With Me by visiting www.StartsWithMe.org.uk .

From there, they can assess their sex life to find out when they should have their next HIV test, find the nearest place to take a test and order a free HIV postal testing kit. There will also be a dedicated Facebook page where people can join in the conversation, and share stories and online resources. People will be encouraged to champion the campaign by sharing Facebook posts, tweeting stories and spreading the word among their local communities.

There will also be a Facebook group at www.facebook.com/startswithme and Twitter feed at @startswith_me

HIV Prevention England is a partnership of community organisations headed by Terrence Higgins Trust and funded by the Department of Health to carry out national HIV prevention work in England among communities at an increased risk of infection.

For more information about THT, CLICK HERE:

Registration opens for Brighton Half Marathon 2014

Brighton Half MarathonThe Brighton Half Marathon 2014  was officially launched at the Seattle Hotel in Brighton Marina last night, Monday, April 23 and registration for the 2014 is now officially open.

The 2014 race will take place on Sunday, February 16, 2014, starting at 9 am on Madeira Drive on Brighton’s seafront with a total of 11,000 places available for runners.

Brighton Half Marathon

The Brighton Half Marathon, sold out in record time last year with all places gone by the end of September. The race is organised by and is the main fundraiser for The Sussex Beacon, a unique centre providing innovative services to meet the changing needs of people living with HIV.

Now in its 24th year, the Brighton Half Marathon is one of the longest established and most popular seafront road race events in the UK and the first major half marathon of the new year. Perfectly suited as a warm up for all spring marathons, the race has been growing steadily over the last couple of years, attracting local club runners as well as beginners and seasoned runners who want to take part in an iconic race on the South Coast.

Partners for the 2014 race confirmed so far include the Seattle Hotel, Visit Brighton, Brighton & Hove City Council and Studio57 Clinic.

Mayor of Brighton and Hove, Cllr Bill Randall with sponsors and supporters
Mayor of Brighton and Hove, Cllr Bill Randall with sponsors and supporters

The Mayor of Brighton and Hove Cllr Bill Randall was in attendance last night along with members of the press, media, Green Party, sponsors and representatives of this years official charities including The Sussex Beacon, WaterAid and Rise.

Event manager Paul Bond said:

“We are very excited to launch the 2014 race and to announce that registration is now open. The Brighton Half Marathon 2013 was a huge success with lots of positive feedback from the runners and everyone involved. We will be working on delivering an even bigger and better event in 2014 and on further improving the race day experience for runners and spectators.

“We expect that places will be selling faster than ever and are encouraging anyone wanting to be on the start line next February to sign up as soon as possible.”

A new website and new colour logo were unveiled at the launch event and registration officially opened for the 2014 race.

Entry costs £30 for affiliated runners and £32 for non-affiliated runners which includes a goody bag and a medal at the finish.

Charity packages are available. Any charities wanting to buy places should, CLICK HERE:        half.marathon@sussexbeacon.org.uk

Or telephone: 01273 645697

To register for the race CLICK HERE:   www.brightonhalfmarathon.com/

To join the Facebook page, CLICK HERE:   www.facebook.com/BrightonHalfMarathon

Or follow @BrightonHalf on Twitter.

Brighton Half Marathon

 

 

 

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