I went to see… Piaf: Une vie en rose et noir – A life in pink and black

French chanteuse Edith Piaf is a legend.
Outside of France, the world may only recently have discovered the impact of the ‘little sparrow’ (the meaning of “piaf’” in French) with the success of the Oscar winning movie “La Vie en Rose” , starring Marion Cotillard, but in France, Edith Piaf has long been a symbol of national pride and indomitable French spirit – a woman brought up on the “mean streets” of Paris, who battled against all odds to become the country’s most popular entertainer. No other French singer is quite so widely known, wildly adored or has been more ‘mythologized’. And for good reason: Edith Piaf’s life reads like a soap opera, a real rollercoaster of drama.

In the musical story of her life, “Une Vie En Rose Et Noir”, the play gives a more rounded overview of her life than in the movie, which focuses more on her suffering. I appreciated that very much since I had worried it would be a diluted version of the film. It wasn’t. The format of the show was simple though: her trials and tribulations were brought to life through her songs, interpreted by Nathalie Lhermitte (whose voice has long been compared to Piaf’s), accompanied only by an accordionist, and interwoven with biographical inserts and key facts narrated by journalist and critique, Jacques Pessis. Also, since it was entirely in French, I was surprised to find that more than half the audience was from every other nationality and still connected with the music and could follow her story through the songs.
I treated myself to a great "first class" seat - 4th row centre. Money well spent indeed for Nathalie Lhermitte was superb both in voice and play and it was great to hear all the great songs I love so much.
A great, wonderful evening indeed!

Dubai Annual Art Exhibition

What a great idea ART DUBAI is! Internationally selected art pieces - these 2 from Indian artists - to view in a surreal setting like the Madinat Juneirah Hotel make for a memorable experience indeed!

The setting itself is worth sharing with you.

The exhibit stretched out to include the exterior, along the 'river'. In fact, one could make it a whole day affair, going back and forth, sipping a drink on the terrace when tired, then coming back indoors for more viewing, do a little shopping, alittle more viewing, stop for a little shisha smoking, and then get a lovely dinner by candlelight at the end of the day!

Notice the decorative details around the gallery area...


I particularly enjoyed this drawing... it made me think of Benjamin! I thought it was wonderfully kind and generous of this Korean artist to show where her inspiration came from and give it humble tribute.

Fascinating in its quintessence! ...

And what about Ghandi?!!! His path of passive resistance is remarkably well interpreted in these definitely contemporary pieces , don't you think?! This by itself, abundantly justified my time spent at the exhibit!

A fresh Oasis at lunch time…

I found this little oasis outside the FedEx office building. What a treat on a hot day!

There is also a lovely cafeteria on the ground floor that caters to the employees of the 4 buildings complex which makes the place very lively at lunch time.

A GREAT LITTLE FIND!