Yesterday I went to a dazzling exhibition by dear friend Es Devlin at the National Portrait Gallery. The piece is such an interesting idea. It’s called “A National Portrait for the National Portrait Gallery”. It’s a digital artwork developed by Es and invites every adult in the UK to become a ‘co-author’ of a changing, evolving series of self portraits, via the NPG app or in person on a QR code. Es and her work are totally inspiring. Egalitarian and fantastic.
Oh my love, how can it be 24 years ago that we met in a techno club in Berlin and when you asked what I did for a living I said I was an electrician and you told me you were a bricklayer. It feels like 5 minutes ago. Thank you for this extraordinary life and adventure. A gift.
I went to the last night of American Psycho at the Almeida Theatre. The acting was electric and kinetic by a young cast, which served the piece brilliantly. Both costume by Katrina Lindsay and Jonathan Lipman - an ideal combination - and design we really beautiful and transformed the space in the Almeida. Best of all though was seeing my dear friend and collaborator Es Devlin, who designed AP and the new Tristan at The Met, with a director whose work I really like. The show looks thrilling. And Es looked beautiful.
The day before yesterday I went to Tracey Emin’s show at the Tate. Monolithic and intimate. Then on to the National Theatre for Maxim Gorki’s Summer Folk. It’s a huge, sprawling play which I love and is done so rarely. The production was emotionally (and literally) a bit bare, it was witty. Then onto the Young Vic last night for Arthur Miller’s Broken Glass and the view when I arrived back.
It was my mother Pam’s 90th birthday yesterday. Thank you for all your wonderful birthday wishes. I read her every one of them to her. She thanks you ALL. We had a wonderful time last night with dear friends. She’s an absolute life force!
Thank you to the glamorous Heide Betz for a delicious dinner and wonderful company yesterday. What a pleasure. Meeting Toni Brayer, Joel Goodrich and especially seeing Robert Beadle again was a total delight. Thank you to Vincent Gotti for the beautiful pictures. With Jorn-Andre Horaczek.
We had a superb dinner at Atelier Crenn last night. Delicious food, great service and the best of company with Sherri and Jorn-Andre. Just about over jet lag.
Back in Berlin and I can’t get Benji’s (Benjamin Perry Wenzelberg) powerful tunes out of my head! But now the show is over I want to offer the hugest thanks to Paul McNamara. It was Paul’s inspired idea to present the European premiere of “Nighttown” and to put Benji and I together to collaborate. His enthusiasm and ambition for the opera was infectious and carried everyone along with it. He’s the visionary leader of the Dutch National Opera Academy who has revolutionised this course and who energises, inspires and nourishes the artistic ambitions of all the singers he mentors and teaches. Also thanks must go to our producer Maddalena Deichmann for her tireless work on behalf of my production and the DNOA. She found a perfect collaborator for me in Lidewij Merckx. An inspired costume designer and fabulous woman, whose passion for detail and fashion matched mine. Maddalena also found our great child dancer, Selva. She and Paul work wonderfully together and are a great, symbolic team. Also thanks to the Koninklijk Conservatorium Den Haag - Royal Conservatoire The Hague, who gave me such a warm welcome to Den Haag and enthused over the opera and production. Lastly to the singers for their brilliant, brave work and my fantastic assistant Ivet Serra Aynó, who offered the best advice when I was tired, or apples and pears when I forgot to eat. She also offered a sharp intellect and the warmest heart in service of my production.
