The age-old debate of science versus religion looms large in Angels and Demons by Dan Brown.
On the religious side, there is the mysterious disappearance of four Cardinals who are front runners for the position of Pope, while on the science side, the fate of a volatile sample of anti-matter hangs in the balance.
This scenario serves as the backdrop for the debate about the driving forces for good and evil in the world.
Is pure science the best way for man to acquire knowledge and power and begin to understand the world around him? Or is science without God a recipe to dismiss faith and intuition and replace it with intellect and cold logic?
If a man believes in God, and accepts the existence of a superior, omniscient power in creating the universe, there is still the question of whether to accept that belief in the way it is practised and preached by religious bodies such as the Catholic Church.
This book is the first thriller to feature Harvard Professor Robert Langdon, and is a prequel to the Da Vinci Code. If the style of one book appeals, then you may enjoy the other.
It’s up to our reluctant hero to save the day – and if not quite the world, at least part of it, from destruction.
Italian scientist Vittoria Vetra joins forces with Langdon after her father, the eminent physicist Leonardo Vetra, is murdered.
Their attempts to decipher a series of ancient symbols lead them to various churches and monuments across Rome, culminating in the holy of holies – the Vatican.
The clues point to the evil handiwork of an occult sect known as the Illuminati (whose clandestine members also put in an appearance in the Da Vinci Code).
When a new pope is to be chosen, the four cardinals mysteriously disappear – only to turn up one by one, dispatched in various gory ways, bearing a symbol of the Illuminati branded into their flesh. Each represents one of the four elements.
The author maintains that all references to works of art, tombs, tunnels and architecture in Rome are factual – lending an authentic background to a story which contains all the usual ingredients of a thriller but does at times stretch credibility to the limits.
Wednesday, 30 January 2008
Friday, 25 January 2008
Worst title for a Bond movie to date?
Daniel Craig as 007 and Judi Dench as M are back in the next Bond, no 22, which is going to be called... Quantum of Solace.
Seriously? Come on guys, surely you can do better than that.
Suggestions, anyone?
Seriously? Come on guys, surely you can do better than that.
Suggestions, anyone?
Monday, 21 January 2008
Backstage pass
What's on in 2008?
Check out
http://backstagepass.seatwaveblogs.com/2008/01/pimp_your_2008.php
Check out
http://backstagepass.seatwaveblogs.com/2008/01/pimp_your_2008.php
Wednesday, 9 January 2008
Bunbury Banter on Hayes FM
Bunbury Banter radio plays
The latest series of short radio plays produced by Bunbury Banter Theatre Company.
streamed live on
www.hayesfm.org.ukTuesday, 8 January 2008
Theatre buff
Entertainment news, views, previews and reviews of forthcoming shows:
http://theatrebuff.seatwaveblogs.com
http://theatrebuff.seatwaveblogs.com
Monday, 12 November 2007
Theatre
Theatre has to fight to survive in the increasingly crowded market of multi-media entertainment on offer, including cinema, TV, DVD's, internet surfing and online social networking. So it would be wise to play to its strengths – bearing in mind it's hard to beat the thrill of a live performance.
Its appeal relies partly on the special atmosphere of a shared experience, the immediacy of the interaction between performers and their audience.
The wide variety of drama now available on TV has led to viewers becoming increasingly sophisticated. Chances are they will be able to spot an obvious plot twist a mile off. So traditional theatres which still rely on a safe but predictable repertoire of comedies and whodunits may find their audiences dwindling.
Hence the call for "cutting edge drama" - cracking scripts which are spot-on in capturing current trends and ideas in evolution. A small theatre company can turn around a selection of short, sharp scripts and take them from page to stage in a matter of months. (Compare this to the year or more it takes to bring a movie or TV series to our screens.)
There is a thriving fringe theatre culture in and around London, where smaller venues offer an intimate and informal atmosphere, often pub-based, providing an opportunity to combine a few drinks with a reasonably-priced evening’s entertainment.
While cinema audiences may be lured by the latest blockbuster, theatre-goers are often more discerning, seeking an experience which will make them sit on the edge of their seats not through a car chase ending in a huge explosion, but through the verbal fireworks of dramatic conflict between well-depicted characters.
Stage and screen don’t have to be in direct competition - there is a symbiotic relationship developing between them. Stage plays can become screenplays, and vice versa. One way to attract movie-goers to the theatre is to put one of their idols on stage. Getting a celebrity in the cast is a great way to generate publicity and good box office returns.
Why do movie stars choose to tread the boards for a fraction of their usual salary? For the kudos, the physical and mental challenge of performing live every night and above all, the rapt attention of a live audience, the adulation, the applause.
Surprise, shock, laughter, tears, a roller coaster of emotional responses, all the ingredients of classic theatre, as first advocated by the dramatists of ancient Greece, are just as important today. But for theatre to remain relevant to modern audiences, the basic rules of survival apply – evolve, adapt and move with the times.
Its appeal relies partly on the special atmosphere of a shared experience, the immediacy of the interaction between performers and their audience.
The wide variety of drama now available on TV has led to viewers becoming increasingly sophisticated. Chances are they will be able to spot an obvious plot twist a mile off. So traditional theatres which still rely on a safe but predictable repertoire of comedies and whodunits may find their audiences dwindling.
Hence the call for "cutting edge drama" - cracking scripts which are spot-on in capturing current trends and ideas in evolution. A small theatre company can turn around a selection of short, sharp scripts and take them from page to stage in a matter of months. (Compare this to the year or more it takes to bring a movie or TV series to our screens.)
There is a thriving fringe theatre culture in and around London, where smaller venues offer an intimate and informal atmosphere, often pub-based, providing an opportunity to combine a few drinks with a reasonably-priced evening’s entertainment.
While cinema audiences may be lured by the latest blockbuster, theatre-goers are often more discerning, seeking an experience which will make them sit on the edge of their seats not through a car chase ending in a huge explosion, but through the verbal fireworks of dramatic conflict between well-depicted characters.
Stage and screen don’t have to be in direct competition - there is a symbiotic relationship developing between them. Stage plays can become screenplays, and vice versa. One way to attract movie-goers to the theatre is to put one of their idols on stage. Getting a celebrity in the cast is a great way to generate publicity and good box office returns.
Why do movie stars choose to tread the boards for a fraction of their usual salary? For the kudos, the physical and mental challenge of performing live every night and above all, the rapt attention of a live audience, the adulation, the applause.
Surprise, shock, laughter, tears, a roller coaster of emotional responses, all the ingredients of classic theatre, as first advocated by the dramatists of ancient Greece, are just as important today. But for theatre to remain relevant to modern audiences, the basic rules of survival apply – evolve, adapt and move with the times.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
