Laurie Anderson performed the last of four Barbican shows in her Homeland tour Saturday night, with her next performance tonight at the Theatre Royal Norwich as part of the Norfolk & Norwich Festival of jazz, classical, dance, and performance art. The Observer's Carol McDaid sums up Laurie's appeal this way:
What people really love about Laurie Anderson are the stories she tells, and the way she tells them: her singular lullaby voice a perennial balm ...; her humane, watchful wonder at the world---America in particular---and the mess it's in, conveyed through everyday tales that buttonhole the listener.
This time around, those tales come without the giant-screen visuals Laurie has often used in her work. McDaid says there's plenty to take from what's being said to trigger the visuals, "as all-too-familiar images from Iraq and Guantánamo flash up on cue inside your head."
In addition to the political components of the piece, Laurie offers "touching glimpses of family" says McDaid, "and moments of sparse beauty, too, as the violin magically spins its own web of accompanying lines. Anderson asks questions but doesn't claim to have the answers ..."
To read the review of the final Barbican performance, visit music.guardian.co.uk. For more information on tonight's event, visit nnfestival.org.uk.
