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Kuwait Times
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Kuwait Times
Versailles orchestra plays New York in ‘Affair of the Poisons'
Acrobatics, fortune tellers, opulent gowns and palace intrigue: the New York debut of the Versailles Royal Opera Orchestra was a performance befitting the era it recalls. Monday's immersive show 'Versailles in Printemps: The Affair of the Poisons' centered on France's 17th-century period of excess and seediness that its creator, Andrew Ousley, told AFP has parallels to the present day. At the evening staged in Manhattan's new Printemps luxury emporium, guests and performers alike donned velvet waistcoats, silky corsets, feathered headdresses and powdered makeup. Core to the performance's tale was the discovery of arsenic, Ousley said -- the first 'untraceable, untastable poison.' 'Everybody was just poisoning everybody.' And at the web's center? A midwife and fortune teller named La Voisin, he said, a 'shadowy-like person who basically would peddle poison, peddle solutions, peddle snake oil.' 'She was the nexus,' Ousley continued, in a scheme that 'extended up to Louis XIV, his favorite mistresses' -- inner circles rife with backstabbing and murder plots. The poisoning scandal resulted in a tribunal that resulted in dozens of death sentences -- until the king called it off when it 'got a little too close to home,' Ousley said with a smile. 'To me, it speaks to the present moment -- that this rot can fester underneath luxury and wealth when it's divorced from empathy, from humanity.' Along with a program of classical music, the performance included elaborately costumed dancers, including one who tip-toed atop a line of wine bottles in sparkling platform heels. The drag opera artist Creatine Price was the celebrant of the evening's so-called 'Black Mass,' and told AFP that the night was 'a beautiful way to sort of incorporate the ridiculousness, the campness, the farce of Versailles with a modern edge.' Drag is 'resistance,' she said, adding that her act is 'the essence of speaking truth to power, because it really flies in the face of everything in the opera that is standard, whether it's about gender or voice type.' An artist performs during a show called "Versailles in Printemps: The Affair of the Poisons." at the Printemps store in Lower Manhattan, New York City. Madame Athenais de Montespan played by Erin Dillon performs. Madame Athenais de Montespan played by Erin Dillon performs. Madame Athenais de Montespan played by Erin Dillon performs. An artist rides an escalator at a show called "Versailles in Printemps: The Affair of the Poisons." at the Printemps store. An artist performs during a show called "Versailles in Printemps: The Affair of the Poisons." at the Printemps store. Versailles Royal Opera Orchestra performs during a show called "Versailles in Printemps: The Affair of the Poisons." at the Printemps store. Period instruments The Versailles Royal Opera Orchestra formed in 2019, and its first stateside tour is underway: the series of shows kicked off at Festival Napa Valley in California before heading to New York. On Wednesday it will play another, more traditional show at L'Alliance New York, a French cultural center in Manhattan. The orchestra aims to champion repertoire primarily from the 17th and 18th centuries, and plays on period instruments. 'Playing a historical instrument really gives me a feeling of being in contact with the era in which the music was composed,' said Alexandre Fauroux, who plays the natural horn, a predecessor to the French horn distinguished by its lack of valves. Ousley runs the organization Death of Classical, an arts non-profit that puts on classical shows in unexpected places, including the catacombs of Brooklyn's Green-Wood Cemetery and crypts in Manhattan. Monday's spectacle included over-the-top performance, but Ousley emphasized that the evening was ultimately a celebration of classical artists. 'These are players who play with such energy, to me it's more like a rock band than an orchestra,' he said. And the mission of putting on such shows is about something bigger, Ousley said: 'How do you fight against the darkness that seems to be winning in the world?' 'When you can sit and feel, with a group of strangers, something that you know you feel together -- that's why I work, because of that shared connection, experience and transcendence.'--AFP
Bangkok Post
23-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Bangkok Post
Versailles orchestra plays New York in 'Affair of the Poisons'
NEW YORK — Acrobatics, fortune tellers, opulent gowns and palace intrigue: the New York debut of the Versailles Royal Opera Orchestra was a performance befitting the era it recalls. Monday's immersive show " Versailles in Printemps: The Affair of the Poisons" centred on France's 17th-century period of excess and seediness that its creator, Andrew Ousley, told Agence France-Presse (AFP) has parallels to the present day. At the evening staged in Manhattan's new Printemps luxury emporium, guests and performers alike donned velvet waistcoats, silky corsets, feathered headdresses and powdered makeup. Core to the performance's tale was the discovery of arsenic, Ousley said -- the first "untraceable, untasteable poison." "Everybody was just poisoning everybody." And at the web's center? A midwife and fortune teller named La Voisin, he said, a "shadowy-like person who basically would peddle poison, peddle solutions, peddle snake oil." "She was the nexus," Ousley continued, in a scheme that "extended up to Louis XIV, his favorite mistresses" -- inner circles rife with backstabbing and murder plots. The poisoning scandal resulted in a tribunal that resulted in dozens of death sentences -- until the king called it off when it "got a little too close to home," Ousley said with a smile. "To me, it speaks to the present moment -- that this rot can fester underneath luxury and wealth when it's divorced from empathy, from humanity." Along with a program of classical music, the performance included elaborately costumed dancers, including one who tip-toed atop a line of wine bottles in sparkling platform heels. The drag opera artist Creatine Price was the celebrant of the evening's so-called " Black Mass," and told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that the night was "a beautiful way to sort of incorporate the ridiculousness, the campness, the farce of Versailles with a modern edge." Drag is "resistance," she said, adding that her act is "the essence of speaking truth to power, because it really flies in the face of everything in the opera that is standard, whether it's about gender or voice type." Period instruments The Versailles Royal Opera Orchestra formed in 2019, and its first stateside tour is underway: the series of shows kicked off at Festival Napa Valley in California before heading to New York. On Wednesday it will play another, more traditional show at L'Alliance New York, a French cultural center in Manhattan. The orchestra aims to champion repertoire primarily from the 17th and 18th centuries, and plays on period instruments. "Playing a historical instrument really gives me a feeling of being in contact with the era in which the music was composed," said Alexandre Fauroux, who plays the natural horn, a predecessor to the French horn distinguished by its lack of valves. Ousley runs the organisation Death of Classical, an arts non-profit that puts on classical shows in unexpected places, including the catacombs of Brooklyn's Green-Wood Cemetery and crypts in Manhattan. Monday's spectacle included over-the-top performance, but Ousley emphasised that the evening was ultimately a celebration of classical artists. "These are players who play with such energy, to me it's more like a rock band than an orchestra," he said. "When you can sit and feel, with a group of strangers, something that you know you feel together -- that's why I work, because of that shared connection, experience and transcendence."
Int'l Business Times
23-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Int'l Business Times
Versailles Orchestra Plays New York In 'Affair Of The Poisons'
Acrobatics, fortune tellers, opulent gowns and palace intrigue: the New York debut of the Versailles Royal Opera Orchestra was a performance befitting the era it recalls. Monday's immersive show "Versailles in Printemps: The Affair of the Poisons" centered on France's 17th-century period of excess and seediness that its creator, Andrew Ousley, told AFP has parallels to the present day. At the evening staged in Manhattan's new Printemps luxury emporium, guests and performers alike donned velvet waistcoats, silky corsets, feathered headdresses and powdered makeup. Core to the performance's tale was the discovery of arsenic, Ousley said -- the first "untraceable, untasteable poison." "Everybody was just poisoning everybody." And at the web's center? A midwife and fortune teller named La Voisin, he said, a "shadowy-like person who basically would peddle poison, peddle solutions, peddle snake oil." "She was the nexus," Ousley continued, in a scheme that "extended up to Louis XIV, his favorite mistresses" -- inner circles rife with backstabbing and murder plots. The poisoning scandal resulted in a tribunal that resulted in dozens of death sentences -- until the king called it off when it "got a little too close to home," Ousley said with a smile. "To me, it speaks to the present moment -- that this rot can fester underneath luxury and wealth when it's divorced from empathy, from humanity." Along with a program of classical music, the performance included elaborately costumed dancers, including one who tip-toed atop a line of wine bottles in sparkling platform heels. The drag opera artist Creatine Price was the celebrant of the evening's so-called "Black Mass," and told AFP that the night was "a beautiful way to sort of incorporate the ridiculousness, the campness, the farce of Versailles with a modern edge." Drag is "resistance," she said, adding that her act is "the essence of speaking truth to power, because it really flies in the face of everything in the opera that is standard, whether it's about gender or voice type." The Versailles Royal Opera Orchestra formed in 2019, and its first stateside tour is underway: the series of shows kicked off at Festival Napa Valley in California before heading to New York. On Wednesday it will play another, more traditional show at L'Alliance New York, a French cultural center in Manhattan. The orchestra aims to champion repertoire primarily from the 17th and 18th centuries, and plays on period instruments. "Playing a historical instrument really gives me a feeling of being in contact with the era in which the music was composed," said Alexandre Fauroux, who plays the natural horn, a predecessor to the French horn distinguished by its lack of valves. Ousley runs the organization Death of Classical, an arts non-profit that puts on classical shows in unexpected places, including the catacombs of Brooklyn's Green-Wood Cemetery and crypts in Manhattan. Monday's spectacle included over-the-top performance, but Ousley emphasized that the evening was ultimately a celebration of classical artists. "These are players who play with such energy, to me it's more like a rock band than an orchestra," he said. And the mission of putting on such shows is about something bigger, Ousley said: "How do you fight against the darkness that seems to be winning in the world?" "When you can sit and feel, with a group of strangers, something that you know you feel together -- that's why I work, because of that shared connection, experience and transcendence." The drag opera artist Creatine Price was the celebrant of a recent so-called "Black Mass" at a night of classical music and performance art in lower Manhattan AFP The Versailles Royal Opera Orchestra performs at the Printemps store in Lower Manhattan July 21, 2025 during a show called "Versailles in Printemps: The Affair of the Poisons" AFP Madame Athénaïs de Montespan played by Erin Dillon joins other performance artists at the Printemps store for a performance of the Versailles Royal Opera Orchestra AFP At the evening staged in Manhattan's new Printemps luxury emporium, which opened on Wall Street on March 1, guests and performers alike donned velvet waistcoats, silky corsets, feathered headdresses and powdery makeup AFP Monday's immersive show "The Affair of the Poisons" centered on France's 17th-century time of excess and seediness that its creator, Andrew Ousley, told AFP has parallels to the present day AFP
IOL News
07-07-2025
- Entertainment
- IOL News
Dakota Johnson takes the helm: a 'very personal' directorial debut that promises to captivate
Dakota Johnson is currently directing her first full-length feature film. Image: Instagram. Dakota Johnson is stepping into the director's chair for the first time in a project she says is 'very close to her heart'. The acclaimed actress, best known for her roles in 'Fifty Shades of Grey', 'Black Mass" and 'Suspiria' revealed her plans during an online interview while attending the 59th Karlovy Vary Film Festival in the Czech Republic. Not many details were shared about the upcoming film, but Johnson described the project as a genuine reflection of her passion for telling nuanced female-centric stories. This deeply personal venture is born from her collaboration with Vanessa Burghardt, her co-star from "Cha Cha Real Smooth", whom she praised as an "incredible autistic actress". 'I've always felt that I'm not ready to direct a feature. I don't have the confidence, but, with her, I feel very protective and I know her very well. I can see this world, so I just won't let anybody else do it. That's the real answer," said Johnson. On Sunday, July 6, at the prestigious festival, Johnson was also honoured with the prestigious President's Award. American actor Peter Sarsgaard and actress Vicky Krieps from Luxembourg were also honoured on the opening night, Friday, July 4. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading Aside from Johnson's weighty directorial ambitions, she is also attending the festival with two films: Celine Song's romantic drama 'Materialists', where she stars alongside renowned actors Chris Evans and Pedro Pascal, and Michael Angelo Covino's 'Splitsville', which she produced under her banner, TeaTime Pictures. In 'Materialists', Johnson portrays a matchmaker, further blending her roles as both actress and producer. As she dives deeper into the directing realm, Johnson also reveals her eagerness to tackle challenging roles. The versatile actress hinted at her yearning for complex characters. "I'm itching to play a psychopath and would love to do an action film. I'm open to anything," she said. Before her debut, Johnson directed the music video for Coldplay's 'Cry Cry Cry' and produced the short film 'Loser Baby.' Reflecting on her experiences at film festivals, Johnson expressed: 'I love coming to film festivals, just because everyone loves movies so much. I think art can really reach people, and so, festivals in places like this make me feel inspired and hopeful.'
Mint
07-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Mint
Dakota Johnson talks about directing her first feature, avoiding 'toxic sets'
Washington DC [US], July 7 (ANI): Dakota Johnson, who is known for 'Fifty Shades of Grey', 'Black Mass', 'How to Be Single', and many others, shared her plans for directing her first feature based on a script by an autistic actress she has acted with in a film, according to The Hollywood Reporter. "I think I will direct a feature, a very small one, hopefully soon. And it's really close to my heart and very close to TeaTime. We're making it with Vanessa Burghardt, who played my daughter in Cha Cha Real Smooth. She's an incredible autistic actress, " she said in an interview. The star shared, "I've always felt that I'm not ready to direct a feature. I don't have the confidence. But with her, I feel very protective, and I know her very well, and ... I just won't let anybody else do it," according to The Hollywood Reporter. As a director, Johnson has already directed the Coldplay music video "Cry Cry Cry" and the short film "Loser Baby." She wants to continue telling female-centric stories through her TeaTime Pictures and avoid "toxic sets." When asked what attracted her to do TeaTime projects, she shared, "Usually, it's something that is either visually or emotionally provocative. And I don't mean that in a sexual way. I mean it in the sense that it provokes something that is different from what you see on TV right now or on streaming platforms. A lot of them are also female characters. So it's female-centric films where the woman is different from what you see, and complex and nuanced, and maybe an anti-hero that you love," according to The Hollywood Reporter. "I can't waste time on toxic sets anymore," Johnson said. "With producing, that's one of the perks," she added. "Now, ... being a producer and developing my own films, I can choose all the people," she said. She also shared that the parameter to measure the success of projects is changing, "I think that the barometer for that is shifting right now. It's hard to measure success based on box office numbers now, because it's so all over the place," she said, as per The Hollywood Reporter. Johnson added, "It's really hard to make movies right now and to get people to believe in what you want to say. I don't think movies will save the world, by no means, but I do think it's nice to have them around." Johnson made her film debut at the age of 10 in Antonio Banderas' 1999 movie, Crazy in Alabama. In 2010, she appeared in David Fincher's The Social Network. Her recent credits have included the likes of Maggie Gyllenhaal's The Lost Daughter (2021) and Carrie Cracknell's Persuasion (2022). She next stars in Amazon's Michael Showalter-directed romance thriller Verity, opposite Anne Hathaway and Josh Hartnett. (ANI)
