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Frequently asked questions about performance analyses by interdisciplinary artist Lee James Broadwood. The Live Performance Mentor: combining critical theory and performance analysis to provide technical feedback for London’s live artists. The Live Performance Mentor combining critical theory and performance analysis to provide technical feedback for London’s live artists FAQs About The Performance Critic What is The Live Performance Mentor? The Live Performance Mentor is a professional service provided by interdisciplinary artist Lee James Broadwood to theatremakers and live performance artists desiring expert feedback on their work. The service is available in person across the UK and online across the globe, and in the form of consultations, workshops or performance analyses. Sessions can range from introductory or rapid-advice sessions lasting 30 minutes to full-day sessions lasting 8 hours. Where and for how long has The Live Performance Mentor been active? As a provider of performance analyses, The Live Performance Mentor has been active for six years now, releasing analyses both publicly on this site and privately, by request. During this time, the service has been available in London and Brighton, UK, and in Nantes, France. It was also available across the entirety of the UK and to clients in the USA during the 2020-2021 "lockdowns". Currently, in-person consultations and workshops are offered in London, and online sessions are available to clients across the globe. Whilst public performance analyses of physical performances are available only to those in London, performance analyses are offered to performances taking place elsewhere or viewable only by recording/livestream. What is a performance analysis? Where theatre/performance critic newspaper articles or journals, or theatre/performance review blogs, publish commercial reviews or promotional content, The Live Performance Mentor's performance analyses assess the integrity and efficacy of live performances and their origin texts/scores. Though public performance analyses are accessible to all my website visitors, analyses are intended to benefit the overall craft and creative awareness of the theatremakers and performance artists who request them. Performance analyses assess all aspects of the work, including acting and performing techniques and styles; choreography, dance and movement; story and plot development, structure and continuity; lighting, sound, set and costume design/operation; written texts; and more. They concentrate on what was original, poignant, articulate and coherent about the performances in study, what was not, and why. It is also common that they suggest alternative methods that could have avoided unwanted tensions, awkwardness, blandness or fallibility. Performance analyses, unlike commercial reviews, do not provide the reader with subjective responses to or general synopses of performances, nor do they intend to promote the creatives' work to readers or to celebrate the past, present and upcoming successes of these creatives. They are offered for dramaturgical, critical and pedagogic purposes only and consider solely the specific performance in study as it currently stands. Who writes The Live Performance Mentor's performance analyses? All performance analyses are written by Lee James Broadwood. Is the service free? Some services are free, yes! Otherwise, services are kept affordable. Please visit The Live Performance Mentor's site to see a full breakdown of services and their prices. Please note: All reviews are offered subject to the provision of a complimentary ticket to your performance, as per industry standards. The cost of a ticket to your performance cannot be deduced from the amount required for the release of a private review. To cover travel costs is not necessary. No VAT is applied on payment. Can I find The Live Performance Mentor on social media? The Live Performance Mentor is on social media, yes! @mytheatrementor across all platforms. Alternatively, you can follow Lee James Broadwood on all social media platforms, where public performance analyses are shared amongst other exciting content: @ljbroadwood Is it possible to be notified whenever a new public performance analysis is published? You can subscribe to this website to be notified whenever new content is released by Lee James Broadwood. Alternatively, you can follow The Live Performance Mentor on social media to discover public performance analyses and other exciting content: @mytheatrementor Requesting a Review What is The Live Performance Mentor? The Live Performance Mentor is a professional service provided by interdisciplinary artist Lee James Broadwood to theatremakers and live performance artists desiring expert feedback on their work. The service is available in person across the UK and online across the globe, and in the form of consultations, workshops or performance analyses. Sessions can range from introductory or rapid-advice sessions lasting 30 minutes to full-day sessions lasting 8 hours. Where and for how long has The Live Performance Mentor been active? As a provider of performance analyses, The Live Performance Mentor has been active for six years now, releasing analyses both publicly on this site and privately, by request. During this time, the service has been available in London and Brighton, UK, and in Nantes, France. It was also available across the entirety of the UK and to clients in the USA during the 2020-2021 "lockdowns". Currently, in-person consultations and workshops are offered in London, and online sessions are available to clients across the globe. Whilst public performance analyses of physical performances are available only to those in London, performance analyses are offered to performances taking place elsewhere or viewable only by recording/livestream. What is a performance analysis? Where theatre/performance critic newspaper articles or journals, or theatre/performance review blogs, publish commercial reviews or promotional content, The Live Performance Mentor's performance analyses assess the integrity and efficacy of live performances and their origin texts/scores. Though public performance analyses are accessible to all my website visitors, analyses are intended to benefit the overall craft and creative awareness of the theatremakers and performance artists who request them. Performance analyses assess all aspects of the work, including acting and performing techniques and styles; choreography, dance and movement; story and plot development, structure and continuity; lighting, sound, set and costume design/operation; written texts; and more. They concentrate on what was original, poignant, articulate and coherent about the performances in study, what was not, and why. It is also common that they suggest alternative methods that could have avoided unwanted tensions, awkwardness, blandness or fallibility. Performance analyses, unlike commercial reviews, do not provide the reader with subjective responses to or general synopses of performances, nor do they intend to promote the creatives' work to readers or to celebrate the past, present and upcoming successes of these creatives. They are offered for dramaturgical, critical and pedagogic purposes only and consider solely the specific performance in study as it currently stands. Who writes The Live Performance Mentor's performance analyses? All performance analyses are written by Lee James Broadwood. Is the service free? Some services are free, yes! Otherwise, services are kept affordable. Please visit The Live Performance Mentor's site to see a full breakdown of services and their prices. Please note: All reviews are offered subject to the provision of a complimentary ticket to your performance, as per industry standards. The cost of a ticket to your performance cannot be deduced from the amount required for the release of a private review. To cover travel costs is not necessary. No VAT is applied on payment. Can I find The Live Performance Mentor on social media? The Live Performance Mentor is on social media, yes! @mytheatrementor across all platforms. Alternatively, you can follow Lee James Broadwood on all social media platforms, where public performance analyses are shared amongst other exciting content: @ljbroadwood Is it possible to be notified whenever a new public performance analysis is published? You can subscribe to this website to be notified whenever new content is released by Lee James Broadwood. Alternatively, you can follow The Live Performance Mentor on social media to discover public performance analyses and other exciting content: @mytheatrementor RETURN TO THE PERFORMANCE CRITIC

This mesmerising anthology is divided into four categories, each demonstrating the versatility and art of the poet: LOVE AND ROMANCE, MELANCHOLIA, FANTASY AND INTRIGUE, and DARK. This anthology provides the reader with powerful and visceral vignettes to celebrate the beauty of life and of imagination, and to appreciate our fragile safety from ubiquitous dangers and pains. Some poems are commemorations of the serene and the romantic, whose magic is often… This mesmerising anthology is divided into four categories, each demonstrating the versatility and art of the poet: LOVE AND ROMANCE, MELANCHOLIA, FANTASY AND INTRIGUE, and DARK. MORE INFO VIEW EXCERPTS ORDER NOW Only £15.99 - Ebook Version Coming Soon! About Book ABOUT THE BOOK The works included in this collection provide the reader with powerful and visceral vignettes to celebrate the beauty of life and of imagination and to appreciate our fragile safety from ubiquitous dangers and pains. Some poems are tributes to the serene and the romantic, whose magic is often overlooked in our fast-paced and sterile world; others sensationalise the horrors so commonplace to our homes and streets that their alienation reveals their truly harrowing and insidious reality. Fictional in nature, these poems are presented alongside eleven special poems dedicated to the poet’s beloveds. PARTIAL EXCERPTS Extracts 'Riverboat Island' Bobbing on a riverboat, hand in hand, heart in heart, for an island far from here, the bold lovebirds depart. Written in the ripples thin, vows eternal, vows of love. Constellations spell their names, behind the moonlit clouds above. 'Firefly' I know you hear me whilst I cry. Hush, my twinkling firefly. I am here, and all is fine, my gentle shimmer, my nightly shine. I know you watch me whilst I pray; worry not your wings away, for I am here, and all is fine. No need to fear, my butterfly. ‘I No Longer Love You’ 'Lauren Taylor' Sunset heart. I used to love you, but now, you’re my eclipse. I prise my soul from your spirit; my kisses, from your lips. Once bewitched by the glints within your eyes and homesick for your chest, I remove your impression from my pillow, and, from my heart, the rest. Violet blush, and silent lips, brunette hair, eyes opaline, hollow skin, and fading gaze, sapphires where carmine had been, Lauren Taylor, aged fourteen, found Bradley Flynn and in deep love fell, warmed by his dulcet passion-words, soothed by his voice of caramel. Extract: ‘Duchess’ Red wine turned to crimson for the powders in their fists, the dukes, ever gallant, must escort this duchess home tonight, in such a state as this. But the poor, little duke who should choose this victim, little does he know… our duchess is a murderess— as his luck should go… Extract: ‘Nectar’ Thawing nectar on my lips, let this not be our last kiss. Hold me tightly, close to you. Feel one rhythm beat again from two. Sugar sweeter once before, show me love awaits once more behind this kiss of honey blue. Soaked my skin in saccharin, glazed his love-yous with black lies, lulled my butterflies to sleep, and with blue nectar bound my eyes. 'Labour' Bleach-white walls, and freezing room. They gather around my bed. Electric shock. Jolt. Convulse. No life within it yet. Regulated ventilation. Coffin made of glass. Death-kissed body crimson. And the wait’s over— at last. CLICK HERE TO ORDER YOUR PERSONAL COPY TODAY SEE ALSO Click on a title below to see more information, excerpts, and purchasing options. THE EXPLOSA SERIES Visit My Bookstore

The Live Performance Mentor analyses NEITHER HERE NOR THERE, Golden Goose Theatre, London. This is a most creative and unique performance written by Isabell Friis and Sunny Jiu Liu, and produced and directed by Jiu Liu. Recounting elements from Friis’s life and that of Yufei Lucia Jiang, the play blends a multitude of storytelling devices together exceptionally well. It is usually the case that having multiple, distinct devices allows for stylistic incongruity or discontinuity, with each competing against the others until order and cohesive voice are lost. However, in this performance, they each add an extra otherworldly layer, capturing the imagination of a child, in early parts of the performance; the sense of “the Other” in the use of disembodied voices, silhouettes, symbols, etc.; and then general visceral perception/feeling as the characters reach adolescence/adulthood. This is efficacious and successful, serving as a multifaceted, visceral and symbolic representation. It is also enjoyable in its variety and dynamism. However, I would recommend further attention be given to the respective communications of each device (shadow-puppetry, projections, consecutive translations and direct address vs enclosed monologuing/dialoguing, soundscapes, etc). If each device is bringing a unique and distinct voice, texture, mood and message of its own, each earns its place and brings yet another piece of information, another layer of depth. If the audience perceive a crossover, however, there is likely to be a muddy sense of inconsistency and redundancy across each device’s use. This could be seen with how the shadow puppets are used to symbolise figures from the characters’ pasts, who are vocalised by murmurs and utterances off stage. Yet, in other parts, Character A (played by Friis) is seen voicing the workers at the Nigerian Immigration Service, or Character B (played by Jiu Liu) is seen translating her conversation with her mother to the audience. These translation scenelets, in particular, might be worth re-examining when considering the relationship between the two primary characters: why can Character B not be translating her conversation to Character A? This allows for consistency in audience address and establishes a relationship between the two of them. Currently, they are distinctly separate characters/stories, united only by theme, and experience of prejudice, until the very end of the play when we are re-presented Character A’s opening scene. It is perfectly fine to have them unrelated to one another directly throughout; they do not need to meet somewhere in their timelines because they are already connected in this way. However, if they should physically meet, this meeting should be expectable and repeated throughout; otherwise, the final revelation of their relationship feels like an afterthought and allows for a jolting disconnection. There is also a disconnect when considering why we are re-presented Character A’s opening scene and not Character B’s — perhaps it would be interesting to play with two perspectives of the exact same scene? I do have some notable concerns in regard to blocking and the topographical arrangement of technical entities and theatrical properties. The most notable is having the projector placed at the audience members’ eye-/seat-level and positioned amongst them in the stalls. This would become even more apparent if the audience were bigger, but any latecomers and fidgeters interfere with this. Indeed, I myself inadvertently covered the throw of the projector several times in my own fidgeting. Additionally, performers themselves blocked the projection screen, sometimes at quite vital moments. It also then becomes a health and safety risk and adds an extra production-level concern. For shadow puppetry, the light and the cut-out together can be moved to keep the hardness of the resulting shadow consistent whilst playing with size and position. There were quite a few times where cut-outs were moved independently where they needn’t have been, and this caused softening of the shadows and an overall ‘blurring’ or ‘fuzzing’ of the image. Rotating the flat cut-outs also interfered with visibility. This   private analysis  has been publicised as per the request of the creatives. To discover the difference between public and  private  analyses, please click here . Request a Performance Analysis To request your own (public or  private) analysis, please click the button below. -

The Live Performance Mentor Analyses BODY OR SOUL, Omnibus Theatre, London. Body or Soul , co-written by performer Laura Turner (playing Jessie) and director Stephen Gillard and presented by Fury Theatre, tackles some gritty topics, and it does so unbridledly but with feeling. I was delighted to find that the performance presented the very same character in two separate walks of life — as Jessie (also Turner) and Jessie Bae (Emily Vickers). The main way that this is understood, apart from through explicit inter-character address, is through costume. The organisation and timing of costume changes throughout are excellent; it feels natural and organic and is not marked or showy. However, there ought also to be a distinct similitude between characterisations. Currently, the profiles we are offered by Turner and Vickers are completely dissimilar. There is the choice at the beginning of the performance to have the two perform choreographed and specific synchronised movements, and though these could have been much tighter, these really did help to communicate this shared identity. But hereafter, no idiosyncrasies are shared, and we lose this interconnectedness which is extremely important for this performance. We should only be exploring how a person's choices and a change of their context and circumstances  can impact their life. To also have discrepancy, variability and dissimilitude between the two subjects thus complicates and dilutes the focus of our study. However, both performers have mastered well speaking shared lines in unison, with the same intonation and with a natural, unrobotic delivery, which is most commendable. On the topic of characterisation, all performers are clear on their intentions and deliver lines well. There is a mixture of definitions of character profiles, however, with further work on subtlety, nuance and idiosyncrasy in line delivery and/or character profile desirable. Shifts in mood and emotion are also sometimes too extreme or caricatural, which should be regarded carefully. The manner in which Beth's (Stephanie Riley) and Callum's (Simon Payne) movement across the two playing spaces are conceived is appropriate and enjoyable, although I would urge refinement in moments where the characters are responding to each unique Jessie in quick succession. Movements for the Jessies themselves in scenes of inactivity could be better fleshed out as well, with engaging though non-distracting movements and activities conceived. As for the focus of the written text, there is a significant contrast between the material presented and the expressed line of study. Jessie seems to have given up both her soul (personality, interests, relationships, etc.) and her body (the demand to be physically present in an online space, her image and voice used on social media, etc.); Jessie Bae, on the other hand, seems to have only given up her body, realigning or modifying her soul, not losing it completely. The sex work scenes do have a significantly different energy; they are quirkier, funny, sometimes predatory, and — most importantly — more particularised: we see first-hand what Jessie Bae's client interactions and working context look like, and we share a significant amount of time with her in this space. Conversely, we have only hearsay knowledge of Jessie’s interactions, and so not only do we have limited understanding of what draws her to persist with this job and to be addicted to it, but we are also left to have less empathy and compassion for her, for we can only see how it affects those around her. Jessie ends up boyfriend-less and friendless, stuck and powerless; Jessie Bae ends up empowered and powerful, self-actualising, free of a boyfriend who only suited her previous lifestyle, and with a wonderful friend who shares her perspective wholly. The objective is notably not to glamorise sex work or claim it is ‘100% “right”’, yet the material does work to this effect. This standard public analysis ends here. A premium analysis may be requested (see below). [Premium Analysis] For the Creatives Behind this Performance: Additional Notes Are Available on… Character Profiles: Detailed Analyses Per Actor Written Text: Organisation and Communication of Moral Perspectives Written Text: Creating Realistic Dialogue and Consistent Character Voice Set Arrangements, and Theatrical Properties Audience Interaction/Encroachment: Positioning of Actors, and Offstage Etiquette Premium analyses are delivered privately and are deliverable within 48 hours of their request. Request a Performance Analysis This standard public analysis was produced at the request of the creatives behind this performance. To request your own (public or private) analysis, please click the button below. -

The Live Performance Mentor Analyses MAN IN THE MIRROR, Golders Green Hippodrome, London. Man in the Mirror is an excellent performance with striking visuals and enjoyable choreography. Particularly exceptional is the makeup, which captured Michael Jackson’s likeness superbly and was longevous, though fading slightly at the midway-point of the performance. A wonderful array of Michael Jackson’s songs are included, sweeping through his various eras, which are each reflected well in set, video and costume design [though I would have liked even more variety from this latter]. Whilst the function of audience interactivity could be improved upon, performer "CJ" himself has excellent grounded presence, corporeal awareness and exudes [vocalised] respect for his work, which is commendable. Choreography is sharp and intentional, certainly reminiscent of Michael Jackson’s performances with distinct movements calling from his dance repertoire. Costume has also been chosen well to complement movement — as well as aesthetic. Ensemble synchronicity could be improved, however, across all the dancers, and whilst the Stage-Right side of the band are vitalised and demonstrative, the Stage-Left side seem less enthused in their facial and bodily expressivity, which compromises Upstage activity significantly. CJ’s wife stands out as exemplary for her lip-syncing abilities; I would urge the other dancers to note how she locks her head into position when lip-syncing towards a microphone on a stand. Without this locking in, it is clear that the backing vocals are not coming from the onstage performers, as the dancers’ mouths are nowhere near the correct position for sound to be picked up. Still with regard to choreography: in particular, with the original ‘Thriller’ having so iconic a choreography, heavily culturally studied and, most significantly, a collective work, it was quite disappointing to see how unstructured this rendition was and that CJ spent most of the song alone, pacing back and forth on the stage, repeating the same, relatively simple movements. A quicker costume change here or a rearrangement of titles would ease this — I see no reason, for example, why this song could not have followed ‘Billie Jean’. On the topic of ‘Billie Jean’’s choreography itself, small hiccups are sometimes negligible, but I would urge CJ to further rehearse placing the suitcase down upon the stool, as its dropping off compromised an otherwise deliberate and tension-driven overture for this song. Beyond this, for CJ himself, his movements are precise throughout, if a little underperformed [I imagine from the regular over-repetition of these throughout his career]. My top two major concerns for this performance are CJ’s diction and [a venue-specific issue] technical issues. Particularly when performing higher-note titles, words are often completely lost, but this is redeemed by excellent vocal control and faultless energy as well as by an exceptional recreation of Michael Jackson’s familiar vocal isms: his percussive breaths, exclamations, yelps, etc. Technical issues here refer solely to the volume of the microphones. Sound was heavily distorted by the lavalier microphones, whereby the opening song, in particular, was much too loud and clipped, which was a shame, considering how sleek the visuals, band music and choreography were. Sound quality was greatly improved by the later use of handheld microphones, though the lavaliers did improve as the show went on. My next major concern is one of cultural appropriation: to observe the white dancers come out wearing headscarves and performing movements of prayer and supplication, exultation and rejoicing, is significantly inappropriate and ought to be reworked. Whilst the objective here was noble and well-intentioned, the result is not to contemporise the song’s meaning and to call for peace and justice in modern times but to play dress-up as a particular sociocultural profile within the context of family entertainment. I urge this be reconsidered. I would really urge CJ not to refer to himself as a Michael Jackson impersonator [especially so repeatedly]. Whilst his dedicatory messages about continuing Michael Jackson’s legacy and the significance behind Michael Jackson's work as ‘the world’s best entertainer’, as he put it, the effect of this is equally a complete destruction of illusion. Knowing full well that this is not truly Michael Jackson, a recognition only exacerbated by the horrific history of his death, and so already having to suspend our disbelief, it is counter-productive to go through such trouble to develop/learn the choreography, dedicate this performance to him, appear like him, sound like him, and then communicate ‘this is all artifice’. These dedicatory messages, which appear to be central to CJ's work and so need to be included, could be communicated via projections in text form, which would separate them from the world of the stage, or [still not a personal favourite but much better] at the end of the performance, instead of regularly throughout. Overall, an incredibly enjoyable performance whose video and lighting design complement its dynamism and refinement. Judging by the advertisements alone: of all other Entertainers shows, this is, by far far far , the best of those on offer. This private analysis has been publicised as per the request of the creatives. To discover the difference between public and private analyses, please click here . Request a Performance Analysis To request your own (public or  private) analysis, please click the button below. -

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