eternal love

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The tempestuous tale of Abelard and Heloise The Strypes Lonely the Brave Punt and Dennis Russell Kane music theatre films listings comedy family days out what’s on 06:02:14 Eternal Love

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Eternal Love: The story of Abelard and Heloise

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Page 1: Eternal love

The tempestuous tale of Abelard and Heloise

The Strypes • Lonely the Brave • Punt and Dennis • Russell Kane

music • theatre • films • listings • comedy • family days out

what’s on06:02:14

Eternal Love

Page 2: Eternal love

26 | February 6, 2014 | cambridge-news.co.uk | Cambridge News

The critical list: more hot ticketsRound-up

� QUICK to admit a preoccupation withdeath, psych-folkster Cate le Bon ison her third album, Mug Museum, andplaying Cambridge Junction on Monday(February 10). Rock edged folk witha 1970s vibe, her career owes a lot toSuper Furry Animals founder Gruff Rhyswho helped nurture her, and now, asidefrom touring solo, she’s even supportedthe Manic Street Preachers. The gigstarts at 8pm and tickets are £10 from(01223) 511511.

� ST Vigor’s Church in Fulbourn is hostinga Sunday afternoon of tea and choralmusic on February 9. Fulbourn ManorGround will open at 2pm for guests to takea wander, followed by tea (and hopefullycake) at the church from 2.45pm. Theconcert will kick off at 3.30pm featuringthe Amici Vigoris Singers with RalphWoodward on organ, conducted by DavidSheppard. Tickets are £10 per personand can be bought on the door. For moreinformation, please call (01223) 723115.All proceeds will go to the Arthur RankHospice.

� IF you’re inneed of a goodold laugh, headto this month’sJesterlarfcomedy nightat CambridgeJunctionon Friday(February 7).Compered bycheeky chattychappy DaveTwentyman,cockneycomic RichWilson headlines with “hilarioustales of misadventure and riotousshenanigans”, supported by suitcasetoting music hall funny guy GeorgeEgg. You’ll also get to see rising starSean McLoughlin chatting about livinglife on a shoestring. Tickets are £12and the show starts at 8.30pm. Visitjesterlarf.co.uk for more details.

� SADLY no, the humble CambridgeCorn Exchange cannot bring you the realFleetwood Mac (sob), but they can bringyou Rumours of Fleetwood Mac, theFleetwood Mac Forever – World Tour 2014.And hell, the Mail on Sunday said: “Theydo Fleetwood Mac better than FleetwoodMac.” On Tuesday, February 11 thetribute act will be playing old favourites soslickly it could be the real deal and not aknock-off. Tickets are £22.50 from (01223)357851.

� LITTLE Eagles (originally performedby the RSC), charts the life and largelyuntold story of Sergei PavlovichKorolyov, who “in spearheading theSoviet space programme, set humanityon a course to the stars.” Discover howand why he did it, and the pressures hefaced – because, although Yuri Gagarinwas the first man to look back at Earth,Sergei Pavlovich Korolyov put himthere. On from Tuesday, February 11until Saturday, February 15 at 7.45pm,tickets are £6-£8 from (01223) 300085.

Eternal LoveTheatre

� Eternal Love: The Story of Abelard and Heloise, Cambridge Arts Theatre, Thursday, February 6 – Saturday, February 8 at 7.45pm. Tickets £15-£30 from (01223) 503333 /cambridgeartstheatre.purchase-tickets-online.co.uk

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STANDING on The Globestage, rain pouring throughthe open roof and puddling

where punters would havedrunkenly hollered, prostitutesplied their trade and marketstall holders clamoured overtheir livestock (and the actors),strangely I didn’t feel the urge tostart a soliloquising.

That might be due to my severelack of acting talent (and the factthere’s no blood on my hands), orit being really quite a masterpieceof a space. I think I’ll go withboth.

I was in London to find outabout the latest incarnation of

acclaim with its initial run, is nowback and going on tour for thefirst time with the English TouringTheatre.

The plot, doused in scandal,passion and contention, revolvesaround the true story of Abelard,a theologian and teacher, whofalls madly and catastrophicallyin love with his rather brilliantstudent Heloise. When shegets pregnant out of wedlock,Abelard’s enemies in the church,who are already ill amused by hiscontroversial views, use it as anexcuse to destroy him.

The 12th centuryromance is

the second in a triptych of playsformer Cambridge studentBrenton has devised for TheGlobe, following in the stepsof 2012’s Anne Boleyn and theupcoming Doctor Scroggy’s War.

Original director John Dove hasreturned, as has a large chunkof the cast and crew that workedon Anne Boleyn (also directedby Dove), and it’s a big deal,hence me lucking out on a trip toShakespeare’s Globe.

We even got a sneak peak ofthe new indoor Globe which is litentirely by candlelight. GemmaArterton is currently starring inThe Duchess of Malfi but has only

low, it likes humour and it wearsseriousness easily.

“I’ve always felt very much athome writing for the Globe, asterrifying as it is.”

Fortunately Eternal Love knowshow to pack a punch. Pithy,vibrant and straight talking –despite being a historical piece– for Dove, the essence of the playis that it captures a point in timewhen ideas and individualitywere far outstripping the status

“It was a tremendous timeand we suppressed it in orderto build upon orthodoxy againafter it ended,” he says with trueanguish, feverishly adding: “It wasall happening at this time, withenormous talent.”

Brenton agrees: “It’s abouta time when the world wasbreaking up and new possibilitieswere pouring into Europe. Theywere discovering Aristotle againand huge philosophical advanceswere being made and it was alsoa time of incredible conflict,because of the new ideas.

“Abelard and Heloise are rightat the centre of this.”

The lovestruck couple areplayed by Cambridge born JoHerbert and David Turzaker,who are together in real life(no tiffs on set so far we’retold) and also starred in Anne

as Anne and Henry

Both writer and directorare quick to dispel any

notion of the productionsbeing two sides of thesame coin though.“There are echoes,”

ELLA WALKER takes a tour of The Globe and chats to the director,writer and cast of Eternal Love: The Story of Abelard and Heloiseahead of a run at Cambridge Arts Theatre

about the latest incarnation ofplaywright Howard Brenton’spEternal LoveE , opening atCambridge Arts Theatre tonight.C

First staged in 2006 asIn ExtremisI , it was writtenspecifically for The Globe, and,safter scoring some rather healthya

romance is The Duchess of Malfi but has onlyalmost set herself on fire once or

twice apparently. . . But enoughbragging about my escape

from the office.It must have been a

challenge to write forsuch an infamous space.“It puts the fear of godinto you because it’s

Shakespeare’s theatre andyou feel haunted,” Brentonlaughs. “You think there’s aghost up in the top gallerylooking down, disapproving,saying ‘cut that scene!’ Youcan almost sense it and itis challenging. You get 1600

people, under the flight pathsto Heathrow; you have to grabtheir attention.

“But it’s a storytelling theatrewhich is beautiful and also it

likes a mix of high and

low, it likes hseriousness

“I’ve alwahome writinterrifying as

Fortunatehow to packvibrant anddespite bein– for Dove, tis that it capwhen ideaswere far outquo.

“It was a tand we suppto build upoafter it endeanguish, fevall happeninenormous t

Brenton aa time whenbreaking upwere pourinwere discovand huge phwere being ma time of incbecause of t

“Abelard aat the centr

The loveplayed byHerbertwho are(no tiffstold) anBoleyn

VIII.Bot

are qnot

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COUPLE: Jo Herbertand David Sturzaker

Follow us on Twitter@CamWhatsOn

Page 3: Eternal love

Cambridge News | cambridge-news.co.uk | February 6, 2014 | 27

Lonely the BraveMusic

CAMBRIDGE born five-piece Lonely theBrave are slowly but surely taking therock scene by stormInfluenced by the likes of The National,Pearl Jam and Deftones, they’re madeup of Mark Trotter on guitar, AndrewBushen on bass, unconventional shysinger David Jakes (he fronts the bandfrom the back of the stage), Gavin “Mo”Edgeley on drums and second guitaristJoel Mason, they’ve got the support ofRadio 1’s Zane Lowe (he invited themin for a Maida Vale session no less) andDaniel P. Carter, plus they have recentlysupported Don Broco on tour.Classing themselves as “Five mentrying to be something to someone,”on Twitter (@lonelythebrave), the bandhave already had success with their firstEP Backgrounds, including single BlackSaucers, and have just released theirnew single, Trick of the Light.Now they’re headlining their own run

of dates, including a sold out, finalnight homecominggig at CambridgeJunction. Apologies if you missedout on tickets, but they’re local ladsthrough and through, so here’s hopingthey come back soon.After all, Mark is a huge fan of the city’smusic scene: “I love the music scenein Cambridge, but then I’ve grown upin it. It’s great because there is a realcommunity, everyone knows everyone. Idon’t know if there’s enough places forpeople to play anymore, if I’m honest.“[But the] scene is strong and thepeople involved are really lovely. I thinkthere’s a lack of venues to support thatscene at the moment, is my personalfeeling on it, but the scene is alive andkicking.”Hear, hear.

� Lonely the Brave, Cambridge Junction,Saturday, February 8 at 8pm. SOLD OUT.

Dove concedes. “[But] the heart ofeach is different, and that’s whatyou’ve got to go for, otherwiseyou’re doing a comparison whichdoesn’t work.”

Then again, it’s lead by a strong,modern female character and isracy, sexy and violent at times (fora start there’s a sex scene on analter and a brutal castration thatwill inevitably make you squirm).

“I think there are links,” saysJo (Heloise). “Both couples wereextremely brave.

“The whole world is talkingabout them, they shouldn’t reallybe doing this but they can’t helpthemselves and they do it anyway.They think less, maybe they’re abit more heart driven [than Anneand Henry].”

“They changed their time, ifthat doesn’t sound too grand,”adds David. “The freshness oftheir thought, the newness oftheir approach to philosophyand religion, was reallyquite extraordinary.”

When asked whypeople should comealong, Jo says: “Theway Howard writesit is so accessibleand modern, shortand sharp and sweet.It’s really quick, it’sreally funny, it’s reallymoving.”

But personally, it’sthe love story at theplay’s heart, not just

the revolutionary philosophisingthat drew her to the part,

particularly after researchingthe original source material –

letters Heloise and Abelardsent each other over thespace of a decade.

“The letters theywrote to each other areheartbreaking,” she says.“I remember when Iwas reading the letters,thinking, you just wouldn’tget this now. You get textswhich are just ‘alrightbabe?’ and these longletters, she describes it as

full of our love and pain and ourhopes to live a better life, and it isall about that.”

“Abelard and Heloise justconnected on a mental plane,very powerfully,” confirms Dove.“It’s all in print.”

You may not leave the theatrebelieving love will conquer allbut Dove would like it to: “Giveus hope again that society canblaze in the way that it did, andit really did. It was very aliveto movement, to invention, tonewness: it was a revolution.”

Surely that’s better than a heartsand flowers happy ending.

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REHEARSAL: Everyonelearning the steps

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