The end of October has arrived, making our days darker and colder. But the end of October also means it’s Halloween time accompanied by a series of events (which you can read about in tomorrow’s Do It). And then there are the fish harvesting season. Don’t miss one of the last opportunities to see fishermen harvesting a great amount of fish from the lakes in the Třeboň area: lake Velká Černá (29-30 October), Hejtman (30-31 October), Svět (4-6 November). Make sure you get there before 7am to see the beginning and be ready to eat fresh fish.
On the occasion of Czechoslovakia’s 90th anniversary, the Prague Castle is hosting three exhibitions: “28 October at Prague Castle” considers the role of the castle and of the president between 1918 and 1948 (The Imperial Stables), “The Czechoslovak Legion in Russia 1914 – 1920” (the Old Royal Palace) and “Slovak Picture (Anti-Picture)”, an overview of 20th century art in Slovakia (Riding School). Another exhibition, focusing on everyday life in the history Czechoslovakia, has opened at Můstek.
Prague Castle visitors will have an opportunity until May to see a unique exhibition of golden Incan artifacts, a part of Peru’s national treasure. The exhibition “Curse of Gold, 1,000 Golden Years of Incas”, presenting golden goblets, death masks, ritual knives and jewelery of pre-Columbian cultures, opens 1 November at Nejvyšší purkrabství.
On Saturday, the world-famous vocal and instrumental ensemble, Les Arts Florissants, led by cembalo player and conductor William Christie, will play at the National Theatre as part of the autumn music festival Struny podzimu. They will present their concert-platform version of Jean-Philippe Rameau’s opera Les Indes Galantes, one of their interpretations of 17th and 18th century music.
To hear more classical music, go to the Military church of St Nepomucký in Hradčany. The chamber music ensemble Duo Brikcius, represented by two young cellists Anna and František Brikcius, will play music that Luigi Boccherini, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Gideon Klein or Gioacchino Rossini wrote for two cellos. Starts 7:30pm, entry free.
For a reggae night, check out Roxy. Horace “Sleepy” Andy, one of Jamaica’s leading singers and songwriters, also known for collaboration with Massive Attack, will play with Dub Asante Band on Tuesday, 7pm.
The next few days will also celebrate physical theatre, visual performance and experimental works. Alfred ve dvoře will stage a series of “unfashionable fashion shows” called Female Weapons, presented by Kolouchův sen, an independent group of female artists, who explore unconventional ways of creating and presenting clothes and accessories. (29-31 October)
Do you know a bilingual couple? Would you like to know more about international relationships? Go see Láska je Love, Love is Láska at Divadlo Na Zábradlí on 30 October. It is for the last time this year that Alexander Komlosi, an American director living in the Czech Republic, and actress Eva Čechová, present this bilingual project.
Since 2003, the Prague Playhouse has been promoting English language theatre in Prague. On 4 November, they will present their first production of the 2008/9 season: Jane Martin’s Criminal Hearts, the story of an unlikely friendship between two very different women from very different worlds. Prague’s Divadlo 90 will stage the performance also on 7, 9 and 12 November.
Miloco is a multicultural ensemble based in Prague, dedicated to creating new and challenging physical theatre through improvisation, live music and movement. Their multi-media performance La Machine tells the story of Hurtus and Lili, two clowns in love who use their fantasies to survive in near-impossible circumstances. (1 November, Divadlo Komedie)
Another venue hosting experimental theatre projects these days is Hala C, a former factory space in Libeň. The Czech festival Nultý bod will last until 31 October.
Argentinean choreographer and dancer Gustavo Russo brought together a group of dancers and musicians from Buenos Aires to create a unique tango performance Tango Seducción.. On Wednesday, the show arrives to Divadlo Hybernia.
Pass the Popcorn
The Japanese Cultural Institute in Prague has organised a series of film screenings and presentations dedicated to Japanese anime film, including Doraemon, the nation’s “anime ambassador”. The event takes place at Divadlo Na Prádle on 30 October (7pm), 31 October (6:30pm) and 4 November (6:30pm). But if you don’t speak Japanese or Czech, try one of the premiers scheduled for this week.
A new movie about England’s King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn hits Czech theatres. In Justin Chadwick’s The Other Boleyn Girl, the focus is on Anne (Natalie Portman) and Mary (Scarlett Johansson) as their father and uncle conspire for one of them to win over the king. “Good performances by the female leads and all the appurtenances and costumes of the time might attract fans of period movies, but there’s not enough flash and fire to grab the attention of a wider audience.” (Hollywood Reporter)
Coming together to solve a series of murders in New York City are a DEA agent (Mark Wahlberg) whose family was slain as part of a conspiracy and an assassin out to avenge her sister’s death. The duo will be hunted by the police, the mob and a ruthless corporation in the new action movie Max Payne by John Moore. “Mr. Moore does a fairy good job of adapting the cinematic aspects of first-person shooter games back into cinema, and in devising a coherent color scheme and sound design for Max’s escapades.” (New York Times) “Mark Wahlberg has followed his deserved Oscar nomination for The Departed with questionable choices, such as Shooter and The Happening. But this is a career low.” (Rolling Stone)
Nights in Rodanthe is a seaside-set romance directed by George C. Wolfe. Recently separated Adrienne (Diane Lane) leaves her kids with her ex and heads to a North Carolina inn to help her friend (Viola Davis) prepare the inn for the season. There she meets Dr. Flanner (Richard Gere) and embarks on a life-changing romance. “The movie attempts to jerk tears with one clunky device after another, in a plot that is a perfect storm of cliche and contrivance.” (Chicago Sun Times)
