Don’t Trip Off The Glitz

Adam Lambert is, without doubt, a truly beautiful specimen of manhood. He is also a breathtaking singer and great entertainer.

I was desperate for Adam to bring his Glam Nation tour to the UK for months. Then he announed the London date and within a day I had my hands on one of the hotly coveted tickets. I couldn’t wait and even booked the day off work so that I could go early to queue. Unfortunately I’ve been so wrapped up in other stuff I’d all but forgotten the show and I’d not listened to the album in weeks. Yesterday was a rather stressful day anyway and to make matters worse it was also tube strike day (do NOT get me started on that, I’m still furious about it). Not sure what time to arrive, I ended up leaving earlyish with the intention of checking out the queue situation and then possibly going for a coffee if there was no need to wait in the cold. It took me over two hours to get there and by then there was no point in not joining the queue. In the end I waited for four hours in the freezing cold to get somewhere in around the fifth row, a fair bit off centre. Unfortunately, there was little more I could have done about it as the first four rows or so were made up of people with ridiculously expensive meet n greet tickets.

Complaints aside, I still had a very good spot and after an hour or so the feeling had returned to my toes, which helped a little. There wasn’t quite the same magic as when Take That are on stage, but even so, when Adam finally appeared most of my discomfort disappeared. He played pretty much the whole album and it was a great show, if a bit on the short side. I’d love to see him again in a few years (though obviously I’d love to see him again before then), when he has more material, in a big arena gig. He has so much potential with all the ‘glam’ stuff to put on a spectacular show. Shepherds Bush Empire, whilst lovely for it’s intimacy (I also saw Basshunter there last year) doesn’t really allow for much in the way of set or spectacle.

That said, I still loved it/him. I was actually totally blown away by his voice. I mean, I always knew he had some serious talent, but I had no idea he could sing so well live. I have to admit I was a little disappointed with a few songs, specifically ‘Soaked’. It’s one of my all time favourite tracks by any artist and I love the way he normally sings it live, with the big drawn out notes in the final rendition of the chorus. This time he did it differently and didn’t do any of that. Was just a little bit gutted. I also would have loved to hear ‘Time for Miracles’ and think given his whole ‘love’ theme, he should’ve included it, though I can’t find any record of him singing it live, so perhaps there are good reasons for it’s lack of inclusion. I would also have loved him to sing ‘Can’t Let You Go’ as well, as it’s such a beautiful song, but I always knew that was a long shot. (On that note, the way he said ‘love’ when he introduced the theme sounded like something straight out of ‘Hair’ and the two-finger peace sign seemed to be a bit of a theme too. Left me thinking that I’d love, love, LOVE to see him and Gavin Creel together – it would be too awesome for words!)

He made up for a whole lotta my grievances, however by snogging his bassist (again). Tommy Joe Ratliff is cute (or at least looks it when he’s all made up – edit: having seen more pictures since I started writing this last night, I have to say, he’s just plain cute, with or without the glam. In fact I have a bit of a crush on him too) and apparently straight, but he seems to spend a lot of time kissing and/or tongue duelling Adam. It’s sooo hot though! Especially the way Adam grabs Tommy’s hair and comes over all dominant *shivers*. I’ve been tempted to write a Drarry fanfic inspired by Adam for ages, involving glam!Harry doing a lot of strutting which drives lust-crazed!Draco insane. All this Adommy stuff is just adding fuel to the fire. I don’t think I’ve ever come across a band!Drarry fic before, but I think I’m going to have to write one and soon, before the mere thought of it melts my brain (second edit: This has now been started, with Adamesque!Harry and Tommyesque!Draco. Whether I ever finish it or not, however, is another matter). I actually spent far too much time watching Adommy vids on youtube today, but seriously… So. Damn. Hot.

I appear to have digressed somewhat… So, point: Adam = fabulous. I had an amazing time and it was definitely worth all the discomfort and the inevitable cold which I’m sure will manifest itself in the next couple of days. In fact, I got the impression that most of the people near me had seen the show at least once before, if not more, which left me wishing I’d splurged and gone to see him elsewhere as well. And of course I’ve been listening to his album practically non-stop since yesterday morning and watching youtube videos and drooling copiously over pics/vids of both Adam and Tommy (and Adommy) and I now wish I’d gotten back into him before the gig rather than after it, I think I’d have enjoyed it all a lot more if I’d been more excited/in the mood. What sucks the most is who knows when he’ll be back here again. (I’ve discovered that obsessing over British bands is so much easier/more fulfilling, simply down to their proximity.)

Somewhat surprisingly, I actually managed to take a few decent pictures (amongst the hundreds I seem to have of the camera belonging to the irriating woman stood in front of me) and I shall leave you with one of my favourites (a little blurry, but there’s just something I like about it) :

Adam Lambert - London 29.11.2010

 

Until next time, keep it glam,

K xx

Jason Manford

I could probably listen to Jason Manford reading out the yellow pages and enjoy it. Fortunately for the rest of the audience at the Hammersmith Apollo, he actually spent most of the evening telling jokes. And they were damn funny too.

Before I get to the main event, just have to mention the support act ‘Dead Cat Bounce’. They’re an Irish comedy band and I thought they were great. Definitely worth checking out their stuff here: Dead Cat Bounce

Jason has been one of my favourite comedians for some time now. He’s funny without being needlessly crude or offensive and, erm, he’s sorta, kinda cute. He’s also from Manchester, which means that a) I have an automatic soft spot for him, being half Mancunian myself and b) his accent makes me melt. Completely.

As usual, I’ve forgotten pretty much everything he said, but one highlight that I can recall include a story about his brother liking the ‘Dangeroos’ at the zoo – which were in fact lions labelled with the sign ‘Keep back, these animals are dangerous’. There was also a bit about the checkouts in supermarkets and ‘unexpected item in bagging area’. I would now very much to shout ‘unexpected item in my house’ next time the ocado man brings an alternative item! Anyhoo, if I remember anything else of note, I shall let you know.

I have to say though, I thought he dealt rather well with all the heckling, especially given all the stuff that’s been in the press lately. Shame, as well, since I used to enjoy his twitter chatter. Not that I agree with extramarital twirting (twitter + flirting? no?), but honestly, it’s got nowt to do with me as long as he’s still funny. I was reasonably impressed though, as he came across far more macho than I’d ever imagined him being! Anyways, personally, I’m not a fan of heckling, mostly because it’s rarely funny. Often all that’s achieved is ruining the comedian’s flow and spoiling the joke for everyone else. Of course, sometimes it’s funny, but mostly I think it’s just drunken prats trying (and usually failing) to look ‘big’ in front of their mates.

Anyhoo, mini-rant over. Point is, I highly recommend seeing Jason live if you get half a chance. He’s appearing at the O2 next year with the same show, in case you missed him this time round. I’d almost be tempted to go again just to see him (yes, I have yet another crush) but I’d rather just save my money for the dvd!

In other news… I’M GOING TO AMERICA!!! Steelicious, I’m coming to get you .

I finally booked it all yesterday (except for one internal flight) and I’m going to Boston for 5 nights and New York for 4. I am so excited, I can’t tell you. So, now I’m just waiting (somewhat impatiently) for the tickets to go on sale for the Hair shows in Boston. Of course, I’m not just going to see Steel get his kit off again (though it is in the top five reasons for going ) so I also need to make a few decisions about shows on Broadway – Phantom (obviously) and Priscilla (Will Swenson *thud*), plus an opera at the Met, but I’m reluctant to actually book anything in case something unmissable crops up, like a Gavin Creel gig. And there’s also the fact that I don’t know what will have newly opened between now and then, possibly starring other people worth seeing. Allison Case or someone like Andrew Kober would definitely be a strong incentive to see any show. Will keep an eye on things though and see what happens. It would also be extremely awesome if they did a Boston Be-In while I’m there. Think I’d have to be very lucky though.

Anyhoo, I’ve also written a bit of a review of Harry Potter 7.1, but I’m going to see it again on Sunday, so I shall wait until then to post it in case I have any new insights to impart. I did enjoy it though.

Other than that, I just booked to see the Glee show at the O2 next summer. Going on my own, yet again, but hopefully should be awesome. Especially since I heard the super-mega-foxy-awesome-hot Darren Criss might be involved. So, before then, I’m off to see Adam Lambert on Monday! Very exciting. Sucks I can’t dye my hair though . It was going to be hot pink, specially for the occassion. Not got much else booked for next couple of weeks, but looks like Flashdance closes soon, so I might rush out and see that. And of course, I still need to see Priscilla, Dirty Dancing, the new Love Never Dies and Phantom with John Owen-Jones. To name but a few…

Anyhoo until next time,

K xx

PS. Did I mention I’m going to America?! Woop!

Adriana Lecouvreur

Adriana Lecouvreur is definitely up there with the operas I’ve most enjoyed. The plot, though nothing out of the ordinary, is interesting enough to keep one entertained and I particularly enjoyed the romantic aspect. The lovers really did seem to be in love.

The plot is simple enough and ends in typical operatic tragedy. Adriana, an actress, loves Maurizio, Count of Saxony, and happily he loves her too. Unfortunately, the (married) Princesse de Boullion also loves Maurizio and isn’t best pleased to be spurned for a lowly actress. She does her very best to put a spanner in the works and drives the story forward with her almost charicaturesque evilness. Michonnet, the stage manager at the theatre also loves Adriana, but that makes little difference to things, to be honest. He acts more as father figure, friend and confidant than anything else, though he has some nice scenes.

The cast were truly superb. Angela Gheorghiu (who I previously saw in La Traviata and actually wasn’t too keen on) impressed as Adriana and gave me an inkling of why she is such a well known and respected opera star. Alessandro Corbelli was wonderful as Michonnet and Michaela Schuster played the bitchy princess spectacularly. As for the dashing hero, Maurizio, lets just say I now have a bit of a crush on Jonas Kaufmann and shall be googling/spotifying him in the near future. His voice was lovely, his face and stage presence even lovelier.

I also had a rather better seat for this than I had anticipated. I was sat in the cheap seats of the lower slips – somewhere I have not previously had the pleasure of sittining. Of course, the view was still significantly restricted, but no where near as badly as in the upper slips, I felt. I was almost on top of the stage (above the orchestra), so admittedly had a better view of the tops of the company’s heads than their faces, but since they looked up quite a bit, I didn’t find that too problematic. There was also the benefit of having a reasonably comfortable ledge to rest on, at a good height and no one behind whose view may be blocked by leaning/fidgeting. I would definitely but opera tickets (though not ballet) in the lower slips again, provided the price was reasonable.

In other news, I had a rather cultured day, with the Opera in the evening and a visit to the British Museum in the afternoon to see the exhibition on the Book of the Dead. I also spent a good couple of hours drinking coffee in Caffe Nero and dining on tomato soup in Pret re-reading Harry Potter 7, which though perhaps not as cultural, was no less enjoyable.

The Book of the Dead exhibition (open until March) was interesting, particularly to someone like me who so enjoys Egyptology and, more specifically, staring at hieroglyphics, but I must admit that even I got a little bored by the end. It seemed a little repetative. Of course, given the subject matter and the nature of the texts, repetativeness is relatively inevitable. I think, also, that I suffered from the same problem I often have at museums – the descriptions are all very basic, many providing little more information than the name of the object displayed, perhaps a little on the provenance. I always want to know more. I’m interested in the little details and I get frustrated by the lack of them. The final part of the exhibition was a long text with only a smattering of signs none of which even mentioned the parts than interested me. That said, I didn’t bother with the audio guide, which may well have provided a wealth of information that I missed out on.

I also don’t think it helped that my feet were hurting from my high heels before I even arrived, it was far too hot and between my needlessly, but inevitably heavy handbag, big winter coat and the hardback copy of HP7 I was lugging around with me, I wasn’t particularly comfortable. There are, of course, cloakroom facilities available at the museum, but the exhibition was expensive enough without spending more money on what was little more than a couple of hours indulging personal curiosity.

Anyhoo, thats about it for now, so until next time,

K xx

Sylvia

Sylvia has definitely earned it’s place amongst my favourite ballets. Though perhaps a little on the short side, it’s a lovely romantic story, based on Greek mythology, with a beautiful score and gorgeous classical choreography.

Of course, I always enjoy a night out at the Opera House and this was no exception. Though I have to say there was added benefit, not only because I had my best seat to date (row M of amphitheatre right), but also because I went with Mummy, who was lovely enough to purchase not only a programme, but an ice cream for me as well! Anyway, moving on to the performance itself, as I already mentioned, I enjoyed it for a whole host of reasons. Firstly, I shall turn to the plot (skip this paragraph if you’d rather not know).

From my brief amount of research, I found that the plot is widely thought to be the weakest point of the ballet. Though it certainly wasn’t the most exciting, or particularly original, of story lines, for me, there was enough in it to entertain. Sylvia, one of Diana’s nymphs, is loved by a shepherd named Aminta, however she shows no interest in him. A scuffle involving Eros ensues, leaving Aminta on the point of death and Sylvia, pierced through the heart by Eros’s arrow, now in love with Aminta. Unfortunately, the evil Orion also rather fancies Sylvia and kidnaps her. The second act then involves little more than Sylvia attempting to escape, finally succeeding with the help of Eros. The final act takes place in front of Diana’s temple, during a festival for Bacchus where the lovers are reunited at last.

It was beautifully told, through a fantastic melding of music and dance. I felt the choreography fit the music better than any ballet I’ve seen previously. The first scene with Sylvia and her attendants was a particular highlight for me, both musically and choreographically. The set was also rather marvelous and I specifically enjoyed the transformation scene in which Sylvia is rescued from Orion’s lair by Eros.

I also adored the music. I have to admit that I rarely take any special notice of the music, unless I already know it, but I loved this so much that I’m intending to purchase a recording. I think the only other ballet music I’ve enjoyed so much is Swan Lake. (I did buy Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet way back in the summer, but I don’t think it’s even made it onto my ipod yet.)

Lauren Cuthbertson was breathtaking as Sylvia and interacted beautifully with Sergei Polunin’s Aminta. Sylvia’s attendants (too many to list by name) also impressed me greatly. The choreography, to me at least, seemed exceptionally complex and very fast and I thought that they dealt with it splendidly. Johannes Stepanek (Eros), particularly in the first act, was also fantastic. I don’t want to give too much away, so shall refrain from commenting on what it was that particularly caught my attention, but I really was blown away by him.

Unfortunately, we had a party of school girls in the two rows behind us, who successfully drove me INSANE througout. One of my major pet hates is people talking through shows, especially if they’re not even talking about said show. My friend was amused by one of the girls commenting with his favourite line ‘I could do that’, but they just annoyed the hell out of me, to be honest. Especially since they seemed to find a lot of it funny in a way that I’m not sure it was specifically intended to be. At least not to the extent of laughing out loud (as opposed to a quiet smile of mirth, which would have been quite sufficient). For the most part, I was able to ignore them, being suitably wrapped up in the performance, but they were still an almost constant irritation. Rant over!

Anyhoo, sorry it’s taken me so long to get this one up, but I can promise it won’t be so long to wait for my Adriana Lecouvreur review, as it’s already pretty much written and just needs a quick check over before posting.

So, anyways, until then,

K xx

Let The Sun Shine

So, Sylvia review is still coming, but I finally got around to watching Hair (the film) this evening and felt like writing about that instead, so enjoy…

So, I actually enjoyed the film far more than I thought I would. I have to say, I missed a few of the songs – I would say some of my favourites, but then they’re practically all my favourites. No Crissy, which was sad, as she’s one of my favourite characters, and it meant no ‘Frank Mills’. There was also no ‘Going Down’, though, I think half the reason I love that one quite so much is because it’s a Berger song.

Berger is the main character in this, though, far more so than Claude (and yes, I crushed on this Berger too – who really weirdly reminded me strongly of Gavin Creel at one point, despite not resembling him at all at any other time) – and therefore gets more songs. For example, ‘I Got Life’ is all Berger, baby, and a totally awesome. Sheila is less a part of the tribe, though she gets more into it as the film progresses, Hud, Woof and Jeanie are the other starring members (no Dionne, though the girl singing Aquarius at the start with the huge, flower decorated, afro looked like she was based on her).

Anyhoo, it is very different in some ways, but pretty damn similar in others. Some of the interactions change, perhaps some of the histories and there’s a big surprise at the end, but it still all boils down to a generation dealing with Vietnam. And a bunch of hippie types on drugs, living it up in the big apple. The songs are the same, as are, for the most part, the characters. Jeanie is still pregnant and still wants Claude, Claude still loves Sheila, Sheila is still hung up on Berger. (As am I ). There’s perhaps a little more plot than the show, but there’s still a lot of random singing and trippy dance routines. And I still felt like running off to join a protest at the end of it.

All that said, the more I think about it, the more different it seems. The same songs and characters make it seem far more similar to the stage show than it actually is. The plot really is totally different. I think I’ll have to watch it again at some point when I’ve pulled myself together a bit.

But for now, I’ll leave it there, I think, as I don’t want to give too much away. The end is definitely something I shall refrain from spoiling for those of you who have not seen it and still wish to, but I shall just say that it left me crying my eyes out. If the stage show had ended like that, I would have given in to tears at every show, I think. (To be fair, I almost did cry on several occasions, particularly when I had good seats, but I never quite got there before being roused by the curtain calls and dance-party).

Unsurprisingly, it has left me a) wanting to buy/make more hippie clothing and b) desperately wanting to just login to the BA website and book my damn flights to Boston. I have to see the show again, I just have to.

Anyhoo, it is rather late and I should probably be getting myself off to bed. Especially since I’m blatantly going to end up reading a few more chapters of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows before I got to sleep (I always try and reread each book before I see the film and I’ve got til Wednesday to finish the rest of this one – I still have about 2/3s left since I left it rather late to get started on this one).

Will still try and get the Sylvia review up by Monday, but no promises this time (beyond the one I already made that it WILL go up eventually).

So until then,

K xx

 

Panto’s on Strike!

You cannot beat a pantomime that ends with a sing-a-long to Robbie Williams’s ‘Angels’ (though unfortunately I missed the cameo by the man himself!). Nuf said really, but as that would make for a rather shoddy blog post/review, I shall elaborate a little further.

Panto’s on Strike, showing at the Manchester Opera House until 27th November, is an adults only panto, starring Johnny Wilkes and Paddy McGuinness (who also wrote the show). They play themselves, drawn into panto-land after evil King Foo (or Foo-King), played by Brian Capron, kidnaps Princess Crystal. King Foo demands that he will only release the princess if the baddies can win in panto this year, resulting in the rest of panto-land going on strike in protest. Coleen Nolan’s fairy godmother calls on Johnny (-Who? -Robbie William’s best mate -Oh, Johnny!) and Paddy (Peter Kay’s mate) to save panto.

What follows is a show which manages to take the mickey out of panto, while still successfully keeping all the trappings of the genre – from ‘She’s (the prostitute, in this case) behind you!’, to the aforementioned sing-a-long, to a messy ‘cooking’ scene (Paddy has a rather nicer chest than I had expected – and yes that is relevant here), to a host of stupid (and crude – ‘Did she pull him off that way?’) jokes.

Overall, it was a top night out. It wasn’t (entirely) needlessly crude (despite what was said in one of the reviews I read), but used the free-reign provided by the age limit to push the jokes and innuendo a little further. (Anyone who says panto is ‘innocent’ hasn’t seen one lately. Or, at least, seen one as a grown-up capable of understanding the not-so-subtle undertones. ‘Normal’ panto is just as filthy, they just hide it better!) Anyhoo, if you enjoy panto, I highly recommend this one. If you don’t, perhaps you’ll have a little less fun. It’s silly and, to be honest, rather immature. But that’s the beauty of panto, even an adults only one. It allows you to be a child again, or at least indulge the childish part of you that still giggles at the name ‘Dick’ Whittington. Or ‘Big Dick’, as he was known in this one. And no, he wasn’t particularly tall…!

Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately for those who don’t want any more spoilers, I left it a bit late to write this up, so I’ve forgotten most of the jokes, but I shall end with the suggestion that, if you’re a Robbie fan that is, you should watch out for the ‘bunny’ picture on the far right wall of Paddy’s flat. It amused me no end!

So, Sylvia review is still to come, I promise, and I’l try to get it posted over the weekend. Also, off to see Adriana Lecouvreur on Monday and Jason Manford on Wednesday, so expect more reviews in the not too distant future.

Anyhoo, that’s all from me for now, so til next time,

K xx

PS. Still loving ‘Progress’

PPS. I defy anyone who is both walking somewhere and listening to ‘Kidz’ at the same time not to at least be tempted to go striding down the road in time to the beat. I swear I got home in half the time, just because of the overwhelming urge to march!

Dramagical

Dramagical is possibly one of the best made up words I’ve ever heard. It comes from the first Hair on Tour video blog, courtesy of Josh Lamon, who I have never seen but I think I’m going to like, and Allison Guinn, who I have already seen and already like. Josh twittered the youtube link one afternoon a while back, just before I left work for the day and I had just enough time to watch and enjoy.

As I’ve already mentioned, my longed for America trip is now, at least temporarily, on hold. But in true ‘me’ style, rather than attempting to take my mind off it, I’m clinging harder than ever. I have now seen the aforementioned tour vlog (along with several (read: tens, possibly hundreds of) Hair/Gavin/Steel videos) several gazillion times, especially since putting some of them on ipod to cheer up dull train journeys.

Watching the video blog for the first time, I must admit to having some feelings of, shall we say, bitterness. After all, I still felt I should have been watching it, knowing that I would be seeing the show again in only a few months. That all changed approximately two minutes and eleven seconds in. Skip forward thirty seconds more and you should have seen my face. My smile was so wide you could’ve fit, erm, something very wide in it. Despite everything. Despite the rubbish that had happened in the previous 24 hours, Steel Burkhardt still had/has the power to make me smile. Several weeks on, I still grin everytime I watch it and had been eagerly anticpating episode 2 in the hope that I would get to see a little more of Steelicious (tho I was sure I’d enjoy it even if I didn’t!). And isn’t that what it’s all about? Who cares if I obsess a little more than is strictly healthy? Its not like it’s going to effect him in any way beyond the two minutes of his time I may request at a stage door one day. But seeing him, even on film, makes me happy. And for the forseeable future I’m not sure I’ll have quite as much happiness as I’d once hoped.

So, having now watched the second episode, sadly lacking in any form of Steeliness, I’m still rather desperate to go to America (despite the slight fear I’ve now developed regarding the possibility of Steel not performing for some reason or other). As expected, I still enjoyed the vlog, particularly the insight into what the role of the swings. Think Larkin Bogan might prove to be another of my soft spots in the new(ish) tribe. He seems totally adorable. And since I’m mentioning new soft spots, I rather liked the look of Lawrence Stallings as well (from what I saw of him in episode 1).

In other news, over a couple of pints in the pub a few weeks ago, I found myself telling a few of my colleagues about this place. I’m not quite sure how it came up, and it’s probably testament to my state of mind at the time that I even mentioned it all. Ya see, although this place isn’t exactly a secret, I have, as yet, told very few people of it’s existence And I’ve refused to give even those few the URL. It’s not like that was ever the plan, but as I may or may not have mentioned in the past, I’ve become so fascinated with the flow of traffic that I don’t want to ‘pollute’ the stats by telling anyone how to find it. Anyhoo, for whatever reason, I told a few more people about the existence, if not location of my little blog. It has now left me wondering how hard it would be for someone to find it, based solely on their knowledge of me and the fact that I have a wordpress blog. I suspect it would be remakably easy, but who knows. Maybe they’ll find me and I’ll have my answer, or maybe they won’t care enough to try! (I have, however, also mentioned it to my cousin, who seemed far more keen on finding it, so we shall see if he has any success!)

Think that’s actually all for now! Weird, I know. Panto and Sylvia reviews still to come, but until then, I shall leave you with episode 1, get into it! (And watch out for GORGEOUSNESS from 2:11!):

K xx

Progress

So, a day late, thanks to the useless postal service, but I now have my copy of Progress, the brand new album by the newly(ish) reunited Take That. This is just a quicky (yeah right, quick, who exactly am I kidding?!) post with some first(ish) impressions (based on my thoughts after a second run through).

PROGRESS:

The Flood – Love. (Thought so on first listen. This has since been upgraded to ‘Awesome’.) One of the best Take That songs ever written. Fact.

SOS – Love. Should be the next single.

Wait – Not sure. Possibly a grower (already much better on second listen).

Kidz – Like. Reminds me a little of the Gorillaz and the teensiest bit of Britney with the la la las.

Pretty Things – Ok. Reasonably indifferent at the moment.

Happy Now – Not sure. Verse is better than the chorus. Sounds a bit Scissor Sisters-esque.

Underground Machine – Somewhere between like and love. Another grower, I think.

What Do You Want From Me - Love. Quite Markyesque, actually, and refreshingly adult. Rather heartwrenching after ‘Look Back, Don’t Stare’ though.

Affirmation – Not keen. Not really my taste. But then there has to be one.

Eight Letters – Love. Seriously, Love. Mandatory Gary ballad (with lyrics by Rob?) – lyrics, melody, vocals… beautiful.

Flowerbed (bonus track) – Like. Classic Jay track, I think. And I always do enjoy Jason on lead vocals. There’s not enough of him on this album.

A fuller review will probably follow when I have had time to fully appreciate the album. It’s definitely very different from anything Take That have done before, but as a whole, so far, I’m loving it. It’s far more upbeat and dancey than any of the previous albums and seems like a fabulous mesh between Take That of old, Take That of four and Robbie Williams of solo. If this is the sound of Take That – mark 3, then something, somewhere, has gone very, very right. It has left me in a state of almost indecent excitement for the tour next summer. In fact, my only criticism so far is that it should be several tracks longer and include a couple more with Jay and Howard on lead vocals.

On a similar theme, I also saw Take That perform on XFactor on Sunday. I quite successfully managed to watch only the ten minutes or so in which they appeared, while avoiding everything else about the show (though I didn’t quite manage to miss Cheryl Cole’s tribute-to-Star-Wars hairstyle). But I digress. My point is that I watched Take That perform as a five piece for the first time in approximately 15 years and I was totally choked up over it. It was absolutely beautiful to behold.

Robbie, the poor little lamb, looked terrified, but I thought he calmed down a lot after he made it through the first verse all on his lonesome. The gorgeous Gary looked so darn proud and happy to be there, it was magical. Dramagical in fact (you’ll have to wait for the forthcoming Hair on Tour vlog related post for an explanation of that one). Mark just looked chuffed to bits to have his old mate back on stage with him/them again. Hell, they all just looked so damn HAPPY to be there together. My heart still wants to burst out of my chest whenever I watch them. I’ve seen a fair bit of criticism over Robbie’s nerves, but a) I think he’ll get better with time and b) That’s one of the best things about the whole situation now – he has his mates up there with him to support him. And I’ll bet they want him to succeed and be happy just as much as he wants it for himself, as much as his lovely wife wants it for him and as much as us millions of fans who have waited fifteen years for this moment want it. I think he will just grow and grow and by next summer, the show that the five of them put on will be even more spectacular than the Circus tour – with or without the elephant!

Anyhoo, reviews from Panto and Sylvia coming soon, plus the aforementioned blog about Hair on Tour…

So until then, just in case you missed the event of the decade:

K xx

Look Back, Don’t Stare

So last night was the premiere of Take That’s new docu-film thingy at the BFI IMAX in Waterloo. My reasons for going were four-fold. First, it’s Take That related, nuff said. Second, there was always the possibility, however small, that the boys themselves may put in an appearance (though they didn’t ). Third, what Take That fan with time and means would pass up the opportunity to see the boys on a 20 metre tall screen, not me, that’s for certain. And finally, being out on Saturday night, I knew I was going to miss the TV premiere, so not only did this mean that I got to see the film early rather than late, I also got to see it in full, rather than the cut down version which will be shown on ITV.

I’ll admit I was a little nervous before the start, in part, because I was worried about what might come to light it what was, by all accounts, going to be a rather frank and honest film. I live in constant fear at the moment of anything that may add fuel to the Robbie-haters fire. However, I was also nervous because I was on my own (again) and I’d already spotted a few of the ‘super-fans’ (I’ve seen them before, many, many times. I’ve even met a few of them on occasion, but they’re not the most friendly bunch and succeed in making me feel rather insignificant on a regular basis. Partly because I’m not ‘fan’ enough, partly because I don’t have the time, money, knowledge or network to follow the boys quite as thoroughly as they seem to. And partly because I naturally feel insignificant anyway).

Anyways, I needn’t have worried. What followed was around 100 minutes of beauty (and plenty of nice close ups). They showed Take That’s progress as a five-piece from the initial reunion last year, right up until more recent events. It was fascinating, emotional, sweet and funny. It was polished, yet with a few raw edges. Of course, I loved watching Gary and I tend to forget how funny he can be, whether intentionally or not. I’d be more than happy to take him up on his offer of listening to him rave about whatever the little boxes were (I think they were pedals), not because I have the slightest interest, you understand, but just to listen to him talk. He could make a shopping list sound sexy. Anyways, moving on, I’ve always loved hearing Jason’s insight into things and there was plenty of it in the film. He’s always seemed to me to be a bit of a thinker and somehow deeper than the others. Though, having said that, Howard, to me, has always been deeply emotional. Not in a crying at everything way (like me ) but just that he feels things deeply. I’ve seen the quote about him considering suicide after Take That split back in ‘96 far too many times, but it makes my point, I think. As for Mark, they touched briefly on the rough year he’s had without over exposing it or making it in any way the focus. I thought it was very tastefully done. And then there’s Rob. As I was leaving, I overheard someone criticising the film for being too Robbie orientated, but having thought about it, I feel that it was inevitable as well as necessary. His return is an integral part of the Take That story from the past year and it would have seemed slightly ridiculous not to focus on it. That said, I don’t think he ‘took over’ or anything so overly dramatic. The film documented them getting to know each other again as a band, fitting Robbie into the new (noughties versus nineties) band dynamic and learning to work together again, this time as equals, to produce what I’m sure is going to be a fantastic record. It was also awesome to hear Robbie’s ‘I get embarrassingly excited when the five of us are in a room. It feels like coming home’ quote from his own lips. Personally, I was embarrassingly excited by the fact that the boys seemed to have exactly the same posh swivel chairs in the various studios that they worked in as the one I am currently sitting on in the office at work!

So, anyways, despite all that was revealed regarding Robbie (his fears, insecurities and the fact that he actually walked out at one point), it actually left me with the hope that this is truly going to be so spectacular, I can’t even begin to explain my excitement. I’d already heard 30 second clips of each track of ‘Progress’, but there was a little more revealed in the film. Needless to say, I cannot WAIT to hear the album in full. As for the tour, I’m still slightly concerned that Robbie will pull out, but I think that the other boys understand him enough now that they can and will support him. And with Ayda in the picture as well, lets just say that I think though he might consider it, and though I’m sure there will be many rows and tantrums, I still think he will walk out on stage at the Stadium of Light next year and prove to everybody that it was all worth it, that he deserves to be there and that above all, he is a damn good entertainer and a member of one of the best pop groups of all time.

In other news, I now have an extra draw to New York as the boys first got together to work as a five piece again in the Electric Lady Studio there. I would now dearly like to visit it (or at least look at the window and go ‘oooh’), however, life is still rather up in the air at the moment and I still feel unable to book The America Trip. Unsurprisingly I am not best pleased about putting it off longer and I was rather devastated to find yesterday that flights had gone up by over £100 since last week. Fortunately, it seems the airmiles flights have not been similarly affected and I can still get the same flights I initially chose for the same price as last week. However, I am now left with the dilemma of whether I should just go ahead, book and damn the consequences, or give it just a week or two more in the hope that my situation will be a little more settled and I can book in the knowledge that the trip won’t cause me too many problems. There is also the slight possibility, however, that in holding off, I may be able to go for a day or two longer and it is that, rather than my fears over inconvenience, that has put me off booking this very instant. After all a day or two more in New York is a show or two more on Broadway… And you never know who may have a gig. Anyway, it’s a rather enticing thought!

Anyhoo, as I already mentioned, I’m off to Manchester England, England (I’ve been listening to the Hair soundtrack again) this weekend for Panto’s On Strike, and I’ll get to spend some time with my grandma and cousins, who I rarely see, which will be nice. Still a little nervous about what the show will involve, and we’re in the second row so that could be a little scary if they go down the audience participation road, but hopefully it’ll just be a fun night out at the panto.

And I shall leave it at that for now.

So, until next time,

K xx

Roméo et Juliette

So last night saw another visit to the ROH, this time for Roméo et Juliette, the Opera sung in French. Yet again, I was a little on the tired side and my BB9 seat in the upper slips didn’t make things much easier. However, despite spending the first act fighting to keep my eyes open and the fourth or fifth (I forget which) trying not to get distracted by the subject of the not-quite-argument I had with my friend during the second interval, it was beautiful.

Unsurprisingly, I’ve always loved Romeo and Juliet. Of course, a big part of that is Shakespeare, but it’s such a beautiful story that even without the words, I still adore it. I saw the ballet at the ROH earlier in the year and very much enjoyed it (even though I missed the balcony scene AND Juliet’s suicide thanks to those wonderful upper slips seats I had for that performance) but I think I may have enjoyed the opera more. I felt, somehow, more connected to the characters, particularly the two leads.

Of course, it being an opera, the death scenes were rather drawn out. In fact, even Juliet’s pre-death scene (with the potion to make her appear dead) was rather extended. It was the final scene however that threw me a little. I’m not sure how many versions I’ve seen in the past, but I’ve never seen such a long overlap between Romeo’s death and Juliet’s awakening. Bearing in mind that Romeo utters the immortal line “Thy drugs are quick. Thus with a kiss I die.” And having drunk the poison before Juliet wakes up, he doesn’t normally have much time, if any, to have a chat with her. Not so in this opera.

Romeo drinks the poison and appears on the verge of dying, until Juliet wakes up, that is. Romeo seems, miraculously,  to recover completely and they look as though they’re about to run off into the sunset together. This confused me a little, it must be said, and I genuinely wondered for a minute if I’d missed something and they were actually changing the ending, though I was sure I’d seen Romeo drink. At the last moment, it would appear, Romeo suddenly recalls that he’s meant to be dying and the death scene begins in earnest. They sing to each other, they embrace, Juliet stabs herself and finally, finally, they both die.

Despite all that, I still thought it was an absolutely beautiful scene. And I cried more during the final act of this opera than I have in any other live performance (except the first time I saw Love Never Dies). It was almost more poignant somehow, to see the effect each lover’s suicide had on the other. Over dramatic or not, it was my favourite scene in the performance, possibly equalled only by the bedroom scene at the start of act 4, on the morning on which Romeo’s exile must begin (which, incidentally, was also my favourite set of the production). What can I say? I just love a bit of love.

Anyhoo, I saw Piotr Beczala as Romeo and Nino Machaidze as Juliet (I think). They were both spectacular, but I have to say that I very much enjoyed Piotr’s performance. His voice was magical and his stage presence was wonderful. I found my eyes drawn to him almost constantly, even when he wasn’t wearing his pirate-y loose white shirt (which is THE sexiest item of clothing any man can wear. Ever.).

I think I would definitely see this one again at some point in the future. I wasn’t actually too fond of the music, but the story, cast and staging more than made up for it. And it would be nice to see it from a slightly better seat.

So, moving on, there’s not all that much to look forward to, theatre wise, at the moment. Though actually, come to think of it, I’m still going to see Panto’s On Strike in Manchester on Saturday and I’m back at the Royal Opera House on Monday for a ballet (Sylvia). So, perhaps I should retract that comment. I can’t even complain that I’m not booking anything new as in the past week I’ve booked to see Liam Tamne in Dick Whittington, Hadley Fraser at Waterloo East and I’m considering booking to see Striking 12, also as Waterloo East, as, not only is the show right up my street and at a theatre I will go out of my way to patronise, it’s also starring the lovely Simon Bailey.

Anyways, I’m aware I still owe you a Love Never Dies review and the promised ravings about the newly available ‘Hair’ videos, but they will have to wait for now. So until then,

K xx

It’s so FLUFFY!

(Or the alternate title: Despicable Rigoletto)

So, Rigoletto was nice and cheerful… But then it is an Opera and it is rather rare for them to have happy endings. Or beginnings, or middles. Though it was a good performance, with a cast that shone. It was just a little bit dark. A lot dark.

So the briefest of brief outline of the plot for those who don’t know it and can’t be bothered to google it; The Duke of Mantua, a womaniser, upsets a girls father and he and Rigoletto, his jester, are cursed. Rigoletto gets a bit freaked out. The Duke then decides to seduce Rigoletto’s secret daughter, Gilda, who is in love with the Duke, thinking he is a poor student. When some pissed off nobles kidnap Gilda and hand her over to the Duke, Rigoletto isn’t best pleased and plans to have the Duke assassinated by Sparafucile. Unsurprisingly (it is an opera after all), things don’t work out very well and everything ends miserably with a nice long drawn out death scene with far more blood than I have ever seen in a stage show to date. (Amusingly, on Wikipedia it says ‘For a moment, she revives’. All I can say is that is one seriouslyv long ‘moment’. I think it was probably the longest death I’ve ever seen in a non-spoof, particularly for someone who was meant to be dead already.)

Cheerful, no? But it was good. I can’t list the cast here as the programme is at home, but I thought the Duke was spectacular, as were Rigoletto and Gilda. And I LOVED the set. It was relatively simple, as opera house sets go, with only the one giant piece of main scenery that rotated. The front, which was meant to be the Duke’s palace, was a slanted wall with a walkway made out of metallic mesh and Perspex detail, such as half of a pediment above the door, that looked modern, yet somehow fit well with the old fashioned costumes. The back was a house which acted as Rigoletto’s in one scene and the assassin’s in another, distinguished by it’s angle on the stage and the entrance used.

The opening scene was a little more, er, graphic than I had been expecting, having not noticed the ‘warning’ on the ROH website. There was full on nudity (which I’ve obviously seen on stage before, and far closer than I was last night way up in the slips, but this was a different type of nudity. It was meant to be sexual, whereas at Hair, the nudity at least, wasn’t about that at all), a fair few women walking around with their breasts out for no real reason I could see and a lot of dry humping. It was actually pretty fascinating as a scene, with lots of little stories going on in every part of the stage between the different groups of actors and I’d actually quite like to see that one scene again, just so I can fully take it in. I kept having to look away from the action to read the surtitles, so I at least had a vague idea of what was going on and every time I looked back something seemed to have changed. The scene as a whole was erotic, visually stunning and very well choreographed and I have to say that I rather enjoyed it!

The rest of the show wasn’t quite so visually stimulating (and I mean that purely in a ‘there wasn’t much to see, with only a couple of characters on stage at any given time’ sorta way, not in a ‘no more naked people’ way), which actually worked in my favour, given my restricted view position in seat CC 17 of the upper slips (it was weird actually, we were in seats 16-19, which were ordered 17, 16, 18, 19! Given the fact that the numbers are embroidered onto the seat backs, I can understand why this wasn’t changed, but I thought it was a rather adorable quirk and am now tempted to go for seat CC16 in future, just for the hell of it). I was able to sit back and listen, watching the limited action through the ornate bars of the balcony barrier thingemy. That said, one of the final scenes between the Duke and Maddalena, Sparafucile’s sister, was also a highlight for me. Perhaps it’s just because I prefer romantic(ish) scenes to stroppy men arguing, but I rather enjoyed it. Maddalena was great and I though her acting was fabulous.

So, unsurprisingly, what I thought was going to be a short review, has run away with me a bit and it’s far longer than I thought it was anticipating. Despite that, I shall continue with my intended review of Despicable Me. Which. Was. AWESOME!

Whether it needed to be 3D or not, I’m not so sure. I’ve yet to be truly won over by the 3D film thing as I find for the most part, it just strains my eyes a bit for no good reason. And they cost LOADS. 3D aside, however, this is definitely one for the DVD collection (though I said that about Wall-e and still haven’t got around to purchasing a copy). The characters are all fantastic and I love love LOVE the little yellow blob minions (my friend calls them tic-tacs). It’s a good, fun family film, but beyond that there are so many little jokes all the way through that I was not the only one laughing out loud (and it was tube strike day, so the cinema was pretty empty). Without wanting to ruin it for anyone, some of the highlights for me were the ‘Bank of Evil (previously Lehman Brothers)’, the boogie robots and the minions in pretty much every scene. There is also the littlest girl’s reaction to the fluffy unicorn at the fun fair. It’s in the trailer, which I’ve seen far too many times and I STILL love it. The two quotes, pre-unicorn “It’s so fluffy I’m gonna die” and post-unicorn “It’s so FLUFFY” (in this case it’s the way she says it, rather than what she says) are so so good, I can’t even find the words to express the awesomeness! Anyhoo, go see it. It = good.

So, I have plenty more to say – the first Hair on Tour vlog is now up AND there’s a short, but oh-so-sweet, 30 second montage video of the touring cast, with Steelicious as Berger! But I have probably said enough for one day (especially given the fact that my Hair related prattling would probably go on for at least another few thousand words), so I shall hold off until next time. I can assure you, however, that there will be more on that story later!

Anyways, off to Oxford with the girls this afternoon, which will be a nice break, so, until next time,

K xx

 

Sweet Charity

Sweet Charity (at the Theatre Royal Haymarket until the end of the week) was a top night out. It’s a fun show, with a fun soundtrack and a fabulous cast.

Tamzin Outhwaite was fantastic as Charity Hope Valentine. Her voice was great and she just oozed personality. The male lead, Mark Umbers, was awesome. He played all three of Charity’s men and was spectacularly believable as all of them. He’s a truly versatile actor and I particularly loved his Vittorio Vidal – genius. Other than that, Charity’s two friends (played by Tiffany Graves and Alexis Owen-Hobbs) were great. I was actually very impressed by Alexis, who was actually the understudy for the role, and found myself watching her whenever she was on stage. I saw her as Annie Borrowman in Never Forget, so I wasn’t sure how much of that was just a recognition thing, but still, I thought she was very good. My sister also raved about her afterwards, though, which in my opinion is high praise indeed!

I think one of my favourite scenes was the one in the movie star’s bedroom (with the aforementioned Vittorio). The comic timing was fantastic and the acting was fabulous. I’m not really sure why I loved it so much, but perhaps it’s partly because it’s a situation I’d love to find myself in (though I’m sure I’d be just as star struck and embarrassing as Charity)!

I thought the set was great and I managed to get front row seats (G-d bless the day ticket!) so I saw it up close. The seats themselves were fabulous. After Sister Act, I was a little worried about restricted view, but these were great. I could see everything, including everyone’s feet, and didn’t even get a crick in my neck from looking up all evening.

Of course a Sweet Charity review from me wouldn’t be complete without a mention of the ‘Rhythm of Life’ church scene. It was like a, totally unexpected, little slice of Hair right there in the middle of the show. From the music, to the costumes to the way they acted the scene, it was full on hippie and I LOVED it! (Though I think my flared jeans are better than theirs! In fact, I spent the interval working on my latest, and most elaborate, pair. The flare pannels are made of strips of different coloured fabrics – yellow, orange, pink and purple on one leg, green, sky blue, royal blue and purple on the other. Both decorated with silver rick rack. They’re not quite finished yet, though they’re wearable. I’m still hoping to add some coloured patches with hippiesque embroidered detail. To be fair, neither of my other pairs are finished yet either, but they’re only missing a bit of embroidery.)

So, moving on, I almost booked my America flights Monday evening, but after spending the day changing my mind over whether I want to go to Boston or New York first (final decision was, eventually, Boston), I was a little reluctant to book until I’d managed to keep from changing my decision for at least a few hours! I was also given the option of using some of my dad’s airmiles, which would save me enough for a couple of theatre tickets, at least! However, as it’s not the most convenient way of doing things (can’t do multi-city, so my whole last day would be travelling), I wanted to have a serious think about what to do. That said, I knew before I went to bed Monday night that it was worth saving almost £150 on flights, even if I lost my last day in New York (travelling back to Boston) and wound up arriving back in London at 5:15am Monday morning, on a day which I intend to spend at work.

Anyhoo, I decided to be ‘sensible’ and sleep on it, then (assuming I hadn’t thought of a better option), I was planning on booking yesterday evening. Unfortunately, various circumstances have now changed and now is not a great time to book a holiday, never mind one as expensive as this one. Hopefully I’ll still be able to go, but until things have settled, so to speak, it’s just not a good idea. While part of me knows that it’s probably for the best, a bigger (and much louder) part, just wishes I’d booked Monday night as planned. I guess, for now, I just have to hope that this was all for the best and that I’ll still get the opportunity to go. Who knows, maybe it will even work out better and I’ll be able to go for longer, or with someone, or something. I won’t be holding my breath though.

I could go on, but I shall refrain, for the moment. I will just leave you with a little further insight into the way my brain works and the weird mental state I now find myself in. There is a new poster at one of the tube stations I visit on an almost daily basis. It’s an advert for something clothing related and stars Orlando Bloom, looking particularly edible covered with a dusting of snow. On any normal day, a pretty face on the tube is enough to bring a smile to my face, however, this particular face, bears a rather strong resemblance to a certain, also rather beautiful,  American Broadway actor, Paris Remillard. And now, everytime I see that poster, my head goes ‘Orlando -> Paris -> Hair on Tour’. Until yesterday, that made me smile brilliantly enough to give my fellow commuters reason to don sun glasses. Now it just depresses me.

Of course, I have the Take That tour to look forward to, and don’t get me wrong, I’m hugely excited about it, to say nothing about the forthcoming album release, but… Hair has been the first thing I’ve been properly obsessed with, on par with Take That, in who knows how long. I love it and I love loving it. And I was SO excited about getting to see it on tour; to see some of the old faces *cough*Steel*cough* and all the new ones too… Knowing that if I had just booked on Monday like I planned to, or if this latest news had come a day later, I would have booked the flights and the trip would be on… well, it sucks, big time.

Anyways, hoping to see Despicable Me 3D tonight, tube strike allowing, and then Rigoletto and the ROH tomorrow, so life goes on. And so, until next time,

K xx

Take That Tickety Goodness

Part I (Tue 26/10/10):

So… I’m maybe just the little teensiest bit excited for the Take That tour next summer… *fidgets*… OMG I feel sick I’m so excited! The live feed with the boys was awesome. I was hopping up and down in my seat for about fifteen minutes before and then it started ten minutes late and they all looked so hot and they were so funny and now I want a Samsung Galaxy Tab and the tour starts in Sunderland again which I know I can get to, no problem, and they’re splitting it into 4-piece, 5-piece and Robbie so I get to see all of them in one go and OMG OMG OMG! Weeeeeeee! *bounces*

I would politely clear my throat at this point and continue the post in the guise of a sane person, but I’m just too darn excited! This tour is going to be incredible, I can feel it. I’m now going to be on edge pretty much constantly until I have at least one ticket to my name on Friday. And I’m not even sure which date(s) I should aim for. London, obviously, but which dates?! Think best plan would be weekend standing.

Anyhoo, moving on before I have a premature heart attack…

This year has been a damn good year and now next year has the potential to be even better. The America trip is on, it’s just a matter of days now until I can book the international flights at the very least. I’m going to New York and coming back from Boston, I think, and intending to spend four nights in NY and five in Boston. So I WILL see Hair again, at least twice if all goes to plan. And with luck I’ll see a fair few Broadway shows while I’m at it. As if the excitement of that wasn’t enough, to now add the promise of Take That at Wembley at least 4 times, not to mention the fact that I can do some, if not all, Manchester dates AND opening night in Sunderland… Next year. Will. Be. Epic.

In other news, I finally found out the name of Gavin’s guitarist at the Jazz Cafe, courtesy of a lovely person on Gavin’s fb fan page. His name is Lael Goldberg (laelg.com). I’m not sure what I’m going to do with this info, besides following him on twitter, which he doesn’t really use anyway, but it’s solved a puzzle for me if nothing else.

Part 2 (Today):

Unfortunately I now have a new puzzle as I saw Liam Tamne with a guy after the show last Sunday who I recognise from somewhere, but can’t for the life of me think where. I’m sure it’s theatre, but that really doesn’t narrow it down much. I thought asking him about this weekend was pushing the stalker thing a little too far. I shall just have to live with not knowing.

So, this wasn’t supposed to be a two part entry but since I never got around to finishing/posting the above, I may as well finish it properly before I publish it.

Sooooo I have tickets… WOO! I managed to get two pairs on Friday for the 2nd n 3rd July at Wembley Stadium. The excitement has cooled a bit now, after all, it’s been several days and it’s six months til opening night, never mind the Wembley dates, but I was bouncing on Friday. Of course all the ticket sites had already crashed before it hit 9am and didn’t really recover all day. (Apparently one million tickets were sold and demand was double what it was for MJ tickets last year! So proud of my boys!) I’m actually not sure how I managed to get any, never mind for two different dates, but I stopped trying after that. I felt guilty clogging up the lines and trying for more when so many people didn’t have any. It’s not going to stop me trying to add dates over the next few months, but I’ll wait until most have given up. I still haven’t decided what I’m going for, other than opening night in Sunderland, but definitely some, if not all, of the weekend Manchester dates and maybe all the London ones. Luckily GA includes unreserved lower tier seating, so if I’m stuck unable to queue I’ll be ok getting a reasonably decent seat, I think. That said, it’s just not the same if I can’t get close, so I might have to cull the number of dates to suit the limited amount of time off I can take (only have four days for TT purposes).

Anyways, think that about covers the Take That events of the week (excepting a mini incident when the boys were on Capital Radio and I ended up nipping out of work to go to the studio, only to find it had been prerecorded that morning. Embarrassing as half the office knew where I went and after running halfway there I was wheezing for about two hours afterwards as well. Was not impressed.)

I had intended to leave it there, but actually I’ve just discovered that John Owen-Jones is the new London Phantom. After Les Mis, I’m sure I don’t need to say that I HAVE to see the show again! I’ll leave it a while, I think, maybe even til after Xmas, but Phantom has definitely pushed it’s way back up my ‘to see’ list. Given that I’ve yet to see the new Christine and Raoul either, I think I can justify it. Actually tempted to leave it til just before New York for Broadway/West End comparison purposes, but wouldn’t want to risk missing John Owen-Jones by putting it off too long. It’s also just occurred to me that I’m likely to miss Ramin’s last Love Never Dies performance, but sacrifices must be made and Steelicious comes first.

Anyhoo, I’ve definitely rambled enough for one post, so, until next time,

K xx

 

Departure Lounge Departs

So this afternoon I saw Departure Lounge for the third and final time. It was, without doubt, one of the best shows I’ve seen. It was funny and moving, with a fantastic soundtrack and a truly amazing cast. Of course, I’ve already reviewed it here, but I just wanted to add a bit more.

It was the last show and I suppose the cast really gave it their all. But to be honest, it was so good the other times I saw it, I’m not sure they hadn’t been giving it everything at every show along the way. I know a few of them have been having trouble with their voices but you really couldn’t tell. All five of them were spectacular.

I wasn’t planning to hang around at the end, partly because I’ve already had my programme and CD signed, partly because I figured, as it was the final show, they’d be too busy talking to friends etc. afterwards to want to be disturbed and partly because I didn’t think anyone would wait with me and I feel stupid enough waiting for them when I have company, never mind on my own.

Thing was, Stephen Fry was in the audience this evening and my friend was a little starstruck. So she wanted to hang out afterwards and possibly get a photo so we hung, and I got my coveted photos with the boys. We also, after much whispered debate and suspicious hovering with camera in hand, managed to work up the courage to ask Mr Fry for a pic, which he seemed happy enough to pose for. It was rather exciting, really, tho I think I may have been more excited about the cast *cough*Liam*cough*.

In full on fangirl mode I wound up telling them all that I’d seen it three times. Jack Shalloo recognised me, which was both awesomly cool and rather embarassing at the same time. As for the lovely Liam (I’m just a little bit in love with his BEAUTIFUL voice), I managed to work up the guts to ask him about the panto and he told me he was playing Dick Whittington. I said I might have to go see it then and he said it was a big one and it should be good, or something along those lines. For some reason I then felt the need to volunteer the information that I’d been to a couple of pantos in Birmingham before, that they’d been good and that I was going to an adults only panto in Manchester this year and, though I wasn’t sure what it would be like, I was hoping it would be good. He said he was sure it would be and I then left in the form of an embarrassed puddle of (possibly misplaced) lust. And I’m sure that made fascinating reading… Anyhoo, point is, Liam is playing the lead, so I’m going to Brum this Christmas!

In other news, I still haven’t written my Sweet Charity review, though it was very good, nor have I written the Love Never Dies one (though I have tried, just finding it rather difficult to write without too many spoilers). Other than that, I have a half written Take That related post which I shall try and finish in time to publish tomorrow.

Only one show this week, Rigoletto at the ROH, and I’m actually unlikely to book anymore. For one, I could probably do with a trip to Pineapple (the dance studios, that is, it’s been… a while) and for two, I’m actually intending to book my America trip this week, or at least some of it, and despite my rather impressive Take That (and now ‘Hair’) fund, its looking like I’m going to need a bit more cash if I want to see as many performances of Hair plus Broadway shows as I would like and still be able to afford to do things like eat. So saving a bit more for the Hair fund wouldn’t be a bad idea.

Anyhoo, think that’s about it for now! Departure Lounge was wonderful and shall be sorely missed. Though a West End production could never be the same (the intimacy of the venue and the small cast is a big part of it’s charm, I feel), I still hope they manage to take the show there. It deserves to be seen by many more than it ever could in a smaller, lesser known venue.

So, til next time,

K xx