Film

INTERVIEW: JAMAAL FIELDS-GREEN (MJ the Musical)

Interview

New York’s Jamaal Fields-Green took over the role of Michael Jackson in the smash hit London production of MJ the Musical 14 January, 2025.

— You’ve played Michael Jackson in MJ the Musical on Broadway, on the US national tour, and now on the West End. Does it feel different performing in London? Or is it really just the same as performing the show anywhere?

I’d say it’s a bit of both. There are actually slight differences in blocking across the companies. Thankfully, audiences all over the world have the same reaction to the show — the love and enjoyment is always there. But where London differs is the reservation the audience has during the show: it’s different from what I’m used to, but I like it. It allows us in the company to further engulf ourselves into the world we’re creating.

— What drew you to this particular role?

It’s Michael Jackson! Honestly, this role allows me to really exercise the ability to be a triple threat. I have to sing, act, and dance at a high level. Getting the chance to do that, while also leading a show, was an opportunity I couldn’t miss out on.

— What are the challenges of performing this show in London, versus performing in New York, or the rest of America? What do you miss?

Really, I would say just the location and the culture… being in a new country. It didn’t take me long to get used to the reserved audiences. Getting to stay in one spot is nice. I hadn’t had that in a while. Other than that, everything else is about the same.

— What’s next for Jamaal Fields-Green?

The world! I have a lot of plans and goals set for myself while I’m here in London. I want to do a play while I’m here, after my time with MJ is over. Between acting, singing and dancing, acting has always been the one I’ve felt most at home with. I have a lot of music on the way — I release music under the name “J. Hasan“. I recently started working on my newest short film, and we’re aiming to shoot it this summer. TV and film is another big thing I’ve been chasing for a while. Overall, I’m looking to grow was an artist, and further cement myself as a force in the industry.

MJ the Musical is playing at the Prince Edward Theatre 6 March 2024 – 13 September 2025.

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CHASING THE REAL: ITALIAN NEOREALISM | London, BFI Southbank

Recommended

The new season at London’s BFI Southbank is on Italian Neorealism, including some rarely screened films. This two-month season features the different formal approaches taken by seven directors who made reality into a spectacle. The season includes twenty titles, from rarely shown gems to seminal works.

Highlights include Rome, Open City (1945), Four Steps in the Clouds (1942), and Shoeshine (1946), where season curator Giulia Saccogna will be giving introductions to the screenings. Christina Newland and academics Professor Richard Dyer and Professor Stephen Gundle will join Saccogna for “Journey Through Italian Neorealism”, offering new perspectives on this influential movement in cinema history.

BFI members can also join a six-session course exploring the portrayal of reality in Italian neorealist film, entitled “City Lit at the BFI: Italian Neorealism – The Cinema of Everyday Life”.

This decisive decade is ripe for rediscovery; it’s been 80 years since Rossellini started work on Rome, Open City (1945) and 70 years since the ‘official’ end of the movement, yet it remains relevant to our current times in its ability to teach us the importance of freedom and to reinforce our capacity for compassion.

LISTINGS:

Rome, Open City (1945)
A foundational Italian neorealist film and a dramatic portrait of a city under occupation.

Four Steps in the Clouds (1942)
A rural interlude for a city employee turns into an idyllic interruption to the monotony of his life, in one of the first films to display neorealist traits.

The Children Are Watching Us (1944)
Family, betrayal and alienation: a masterpiece ahead of its time.

Ossessione (1943)
Emerging from the tumultuous climate of Italy in 1943, Luchino Visconti’s sensational debut wipes out years of fascist rhetoric with its bitter, transgressive realism and radical sexuality.

Paisà (1946)
The second part of Rossellini’s revered war trilogy is a key milestone of Italian neorealism which reveals a truthful simplicity in six searing tales.

Germany, Year Zero (1948)
The final part of Rossellini’s war trilogy divided audiences at the time, while Chaplin called it “the most beautiful Italian film” he’d ever seen.

Shoeshine (1946)
Distinctly compassionate and humane, De Sica’s foundational neorealist drama was the first ever winner of the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film.

A Tragic Hunt (aka The Tragic Pursuit) (1947)
A little-seen gem, set in the chaos of post-war Italy, by one of the crucial voices in the development of neorealism.

The Bandit (1946)
The trauma of the Second World War is explored in one of the treasures of Italian cinema.

Bicycle Thieves (1948)
The Oscar-winning drama that represents post-war Italy more vividly than any other.

La terra trema (1948)
Visconti’s social conscience, impacted by war, prompted this strikingly beautiful portrayal of the unjust humiliation of workers in southern Italy.

The Mill on the Po (1949)
Alberto Lattuada achieves a starkly poetic grandness with this variation on the themes of neorealism, set during the historic revolts in the Po Valley.

Bitter Rice (1949)
Nominated for an Academy Award and harshly condemned by the church, this drama attracted international acclaim and success, rightfully earning its place in the history of neorealist cinema.

Book for all events across May and June 2024 on the BFI website.

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INTERVIEW: JIN HAO LI | Glasgow, BBC New Comedy Awards 2023

Interview

— Congratulations on winning the semi-finals of the BBC New Comedy Awards 2023. How did that feel?

Not to be gross, but the biggest takeaway was genuinely the friends I made. We all agreed to do this bit: when they announce the winner, if it isn’t you; bury your head in your hands in disgust and disappointment. Everyone committed. It was the funniest thing they filmed that night, and meant a lot more than if they just clapped for me.

— For someone who’s never seen you before, how would you describe your stand-up comedy style?

I would say it’s a warm hug that lasts too long.

— How did you get into stand-up?

The first live stand up show I saw was back home in Singapore. I was wearing my army uniform at the time and sat in the front row. I absolutely deserved getting roasted. But the biggest feeling that night was, if this is the standard that is acceptable to face the public, there is nothing to be afraid of.  So I did it the following week and once you start, you can’t really stop.

— What’s next for Jin Hao Li?

I’m building towards my first hour, which has to be excellent and immortalised. I’m working on two scripted projects at the moment: a sketch show, and a series that I’m writing with my friend Iris, about Chinese actors living in London.

Watch the BBC New Comedy Awards 2023 on BBC iPlayer.

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DANNY ELFMAN’S MUSIC FROM THE FILMS OF TIM BURTON | London, Royal Albert Hall

Recommended

Danny Elfman will take centre stage at the Royal Albert Hall this October 2023, at a special concert celebrating the composer’s lifetime of work with director Tim Burton. For over thirty-five years, four-time Oscar nominee Danny Elfman has established himself as one of the most versatile and accomplished film composers in the industry.

Elfman himself will make an appearance at the concerts at the Royal Albert Hall on 7 October 2023, which will span three decades of his collaborations with Burton, taking in fifteen classic scores including: Pee Wee’s Big Adventure (1985); Beetlejuice (1988); Batman (1989), Edward Scissorhands (1990); Sleepy Hollow (1999); Alice in Wonderland (2010); and Frankenweenie (2012).

Led by the BBC Concert Orchestra and Crouch End Festival Orchestra, conducted by John Mauceri, the concert will also feature violin soloist Sandy Cameron and a performance from Elfman, as he brings to life his unforgettable songs from The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993).

Danny Elfman’s Music from the Films of Tim Burton had its world premiere at the Royal Albert Hall in 2013, and returned for more sell-out performances the following year. The show now returns to London for a special tenth anniversary performance.

Playing at the Royal Albert Hall Saturday 7 October 2023, 2:30PM and 7:30PM.

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ALEXANDRA PALACE FIREWORKS FESTIVAL | London

Recommended

Alexandra Palace’s Fireworks Festival is one of the biggest and best in the country; described as “the Glastonbury of fireworks” (ITV). On Saturday 5 November 2022, the venue will be taking on a full festival across its 196-acre park and historic palace, with outdoor live music, DJs and street food.

The legendary display will light up Ally Pally’s epic skyline, soundtracked by a specially curated playlist. There will be a huge family area, including a bonfire and fire shows. Visitors can also step inside the Palace, with the ice rink featuring an ice disco, while the Great Hall will be transformed, as is now tradition, into the UK’s largest German Bier Festival, featuring pulsating live music, including Europe’s leading Elvis tribute act, ‘One Night of Elvis’. The Palace’s award-winning theatre will host film screenings, while Gok Wan MBE headlines the DJ bill with a set of soulful and uplifting club classics.

“We’re going big,” says Simon Fell, Alexandra Palace’s Fireworks Festival director, “with a sensational display and massive bonfire. It’s a proper festival vibe with live music and street food, perfect for families. It’s going to be spectacular!”

The firework display will start at 8pm, but visitors can join the fun anytime from 4pm. Early birds can enjoy an up-close fire show by Tottenham-based Chivaree Circus, with the bonfire lit at 6:30pm. The party continues with food, drink and live music until 10:45pm.

Book online for Saturday 5 November 2022. Tickets £16.50.

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