Jagger edge
What : Your Room Will Be Ready Where : Royal Albert Hall When : February 2021 Photo : Paul Bernstein
To kickstart the venue ’ s 150th anniversary activity , the team at the Royal Albert Hall released a short film that provides a stark contrast between its current haunting emptiness and a rich history that has seen it host an array of remarkable figures from Albert Einstein to Jimi Hendrix .
The 90-second film , titled Your Room Will Be Ready , finds Mick Jagger reading an evocative WH Auden poem . Shot by BAFTAnominated director Tom Harper , and with a score by Academy Award-winning composer Steven Price , the film anticipates the return of live events to the venue while reflecting on its many past glories .
Clips of the empty 5,272-capacity venue are interspersed with archive footage dating back to the 1930s that includes Shirley Bassey , George Michael and Luciano Pavarotti , Albert Einstein speaking out against the Nazis in 1933 , and Freddie Mercury ’ s appearance at Fashion Aid in 1985 .
Due to the pandemic , the Hall ’ s anniversary celebrations have been extended into 2022 . Since Covid struck , more than 330 shows have been cancelled at the venue and it has lost more than £ 34m in income .
Royal Albert Hall CEO Craig Hassall said , “ We ’ re especially thrilled that Sir Mick agreed to narrate the film , almost 60 years on from his first performance here . Tom ’ s aim with the film was to evoke the excitement and humanity of live performance , which is the true soul of concert venues and something we are desperately missing right now .”
08