Grease Is The Word

I’ve seen Grease three times before, but only ever on tour, in Manchester years and years ago (which was awesome as they used lasers for the car transformation in ‘Greased Lightning’ and I’ve not seen anything like it since) and more recently in Birmingham and Wimbledon (because Graham Tudor was playing Doody and I loved him. In fact, if anyone knows what he’s up to these days, do let me know as I’d love to see him again). I‘m not sure how much longer Grease will be in the West End as Ghost opens at the Piccadilly Theatre later this year, so I decided I should catch it before it (potentially) leaves.

The production is actually the same as the one that I saw on tour a few years ago, but there is something just a little more magical about seeing something in the West End.

Thanks to GILT, I had a seat in the third row of the stalls, though a little off to the side. It was actually a bit close for a show like Grease with so many big ensemble numbers, but since I’ve seen the show before, it was rather nice to be able to see their facial expression, especially Danny’s . I could tell who was wearing a wig and who wasn’t, which was both annoying and kind of cool at the same time. Danny’s, for example, despite the impressive size of his quiff *wink, nudge*, was all natural baby. And you know how I feel about men with nice hair. As if he wasn’t gorgeous enough…

Anyways, as a show, I enjoyed the way the characters seemed to have a bit more personality than in the film. Weird for a stage show, I know, but Rizzo seemed to really hate Sandy and Danny was just SUCH a player… Perhaps they were more caricature-ish, but whatever, I enjoyed it. It made them all seem more three dimensional and interesting.

My favourite scene went hand in hand with one of my favourite songs – ‘Those Magic Changes’. Doody was very good, though it was a shame he didn’t actually play the guitar (especially as, from the way he moved his fingers, it looked like he probably could) and the shower dancers… I know I’ve seen the routine before, but up close it was a bit WOW. Three hot men, in TINY towels, dancing with shower heads and loofahs… Sounds silly, looks it a bit, but DAMN it’s hot! I also liked ‘You’re The One That I Want’, but I think a lot of that related to the sexy look on Danny’s face throughout .

Danny Zuko was played by Matthew Goodgame and I fancied him from the moment he came on stage, so as far as I’m concerned, that means he was well cast! He does have a rather nice voice too, though, as well as a beautifully expressive face and GORGEOUS hair! I also quite liked Michael Pickering’s Doody and the majority of the male dancers. Jon Reynolds drew my eye in almost every scene, so he gets a special shout out (even if, as a backing dancer, he should probably fade into the background a tad more). Jamie Capewell as Kenickie was good too, but I thought he looked far too old for the part, even considering he’s meant to be a bit older than the rest of them. Vince/Teen Angel was played by Jason Capewell and mostly just made me cringe (in a ‘dad dancing’ kinda way), though he was very good in the role.

As for the girls, Siubhan Harrison’s Rizzo was brilliant and her ‘There Are Worse Things I Could Do’ was spellbinding. I wasn’t actually all that keen on Carina Gillespie as Sandy at first, but she grew on me hugely in the second act, so overall, I thought she was pretty marvelous. ‘Hopelessly Devoted’ has always been one of my favourites and I thought she definitely did it justice. The rest of the Pink Ladies were also very good.

The stage door afterwards was cold, chaotic and a little bit surreal! There was a magician/balloon guy who was handing out balloon animals to the cast (they all knew who he was as apparently he did their Christmas party and has seen the show over 100 times…) and most of them came out at the same time. In the chaos, I totally forgot to wait for Rizzo and Kenickie, but I did meet the rest of the T-Birds and Pink Ladies, as well as Sandy and delicious Danny. I’m sure Matthew will be ecstatic to know he’s been added to my stalking list (somewhere below Liam, Ramin and Steel for now, perhaps around the same level as Simon Bailey…). He was so damn lovely though! I cannot tell you enough how much I appreciate actors who are smiley and friendly at stage doors. I’m only ever asking for a few minutes of their time and that’s mostly so I can inform them how brilliant I think they are. I know they’re tired after the show, but really, as a fan, I’m what keeps them in work. Anyhoo, unanticipated rant over, Matthew was very chatty, asked where I’d been sitting etc. and was helpful enough to take my pic with Carina and also Michael (Carina offered but my camera was playing up so he teased her about not being able to take it and took it instead. I felt kinda bad for Carina when it worked for him first time! Especially if it was actually my camera causing the problems!). So, anyways, I definitely have a new theatre crush.

So, if you’ve never seen Grease on stage, I would highly recommend it and if you can see it with the lovely Mr. Goodgame, all the better! (Did I mention that his quiff was real?! So, so hot… )

Anyways, Priscilla next week which I’m really looking forward to, especially after the cheesy night I had this evening. Also seeing Love Never Dies, yet again, hopefully with Ramin and Dean. I think this might have to be the last time though. I’ve seen it so many times, that I just don’t think I can justify going again before 5th March, at least, not without a special offer. So unless Ramin is off this week, it will have to be goodbye . All I can do is pray that he’ll come back again soon and I’ll get to see him in something shiny and new.

So, that’s it for now,

K xx

PS. Random weird fact: I saw a member of the Love Never Dies company/crew on the tube home. I didn’t recognise her but she was wearing a black zip up top with ‘Opening Night, 9th March 2010, London’ on it, remarkably similar to the one I’ve seen Dean Chisnall wearing on several occasions. I didn’t see the back, but I’m certain if she had turned around, I would have seen a picture of an aged mask surrounded by coloured lights. I really shouldn’t have recognised from a casual glance, but I did… I’m such a theatre geek!

 

Fiiigaro, Figaro, Figaro…

Il Barbiere Di Siviglia was one of the most enjoyable operas I’ve seen to date and to think I very almost missed it! For some reason, I was under the impression that I didn’t have anything booked this week until Grease on Saturday night. Fortunately, I had reason to check my diary Monday lunch time and found that not only was I supposed to be going to the opera that night, I also had a ‘real’ magic show booked for Tuesday. So much for an empty week! Anyways, 20 minutes of nerve-racking (I hate the phone) crackly classical hold music later, I was finally put through to someone at the ROH who informed me that I would be able to pick up a reprinted ticket that evening, no problem. So, crisis averted. I got my seat in the very back row of the amphitheatre and had a very nice evening.

The opera tells the story of a couple of young lovers, Count Almaviva and Rosina, kept apart by Rosina’s guardian who wants her (and her large dowry) for himself. The count, with the help of Figaro, the barber of Seville, disguises himself as Lindoro, an impoverished student, to prove he is loved for himself and not his title. Hijinks ensue, courtesy of a few mad-cap plans and the idiocy of Dr Bartolo, Rosina’s guardian and Don Basilio, her music teacher.

The music didn’t exactly sweep me off of my feet, aside from the infamous ‘Figaro’ line, but the rest of the production more than made up for it. The plot was amusingly ridiculous and littered with jokes, the casting was fabulous and the set was spectacular.

I’ve always enjoyed the staging at the ROH, at least when I can see it, but they really outdid themselves on this one. Everything fit the light heartedness of the story remarkably well and the way they had the whole set shifting back and forth at the end of the first act was something else. I also enjoyed it when Rosina went on a bit of a rampage in the second act when she thinks she’s been betrayed, knocking over a piano and a cupboard in the process. Overall, I was highly impressed.

The cast were another highlight. Their voices were as good as one would expect from singers leading an ROH opera, but their acting was equally as good. John Osborn played the dashing count opposite Aleksandra Kurzak’s wonderfully portrayed Rosina. I thought she was particularly brilliant in the over-dramatic scenes and, of course, she has a dazzling voice. Levente Molnar starred as Figaro and displayed beautiful comic timing as well as a rather remarkable clarity when singing at super-speed. Bruno Pratico’s Dr Bartolo was also superb but my highlight had to be Ildar Abdrazakov as Don Basilio. He didn’t have as large a part as the others, but his solo in act one had me in fits.

So, despite almost missing it, I had a wonderful evening and would highly recommend the production. Particularly to those who criticise the traditional over-dramaticisms and elongated death scenes of traditional opera.

In other news, I’ve booked a VIP ticket to see the Bobby Cronin concert next month. I actually heard about it via Simon Bailey’s website, but it turns out Liam Tamne is performing as well, so that was enough to convince me to purchase a ticket. I’m actually a little nervous about the VIP thing as I’m not really sure what to expect. It cost me a fair bit extra, but not an unreasonable amount and at least the money went to charity. It includes a good seat (row B vs. row K) and a meet ‘n’ greet before the show. Given that the people I’d actually want to meet (Simon and Liam), I have already met before and will no doubt meet again, it’s not as though I really needed this. I’m going to this one on my own as well and add that to the fact that I still get stupidly startstruck around any performer who I admire, I’m a little bit nervous about what I’ve let myself in for.

Anyhoo, I already mentioned that I’m going to the WoS awards (and I’ve got a fab seat for that one too), so will get to see Liam then, but unfortunately I’m missing another of his concerts as I’m in Manchester that weekend and it doesn’t look like I’ll be back in time. I really hope he gets a role in something soon so I can go see him whenever I like. I’m going to need it once Ramin disappears in March.

So, next up ‘real’ magic (aka physics) at Imperial College, just for a bit of a change. Back to normal with Grease on Saturday though.

So until next time,

K xx

PS. I don’t think I’ve mentioned it yet, but Adam Lambert is raising money for Charity:Water for his 29th birthday on 29th January. He smashed his goal of $29,000 in the first day, but he’s going to need some serious help reaching his new target of $290k by the end of the week. I know I don’t normally do the charity thing, but if any of you would like to donate, the link can be found here: Charity:Water.

GB40 – Forever Love

So, to continue on where I left off…

The concert itself was just amazing. Totally, unbelievably, awesome. I sttill can’t really describe it coherently, there are just no words strong enough. Afterwards I phoned a friend of mine and just kept repeating the words ‘Oh my G-d [friend's name here], it was amazing!’. He’s still teasing me about it now.

To start with a minor critique, honestly, I would have loved to hear a few more solo tracks, but ‘Open Road’ was spectacular and I got to hear ‘Forever Love’, which was the main thing, and just as awesome as I thought it would be. I think we were all kinda desperate to hear ‘Lie to Me’, but he sang so many songs, I can’t really complain! In fact, the only track I might have swapped out is ‘Sunday to Saturday’ just because I’ve never been overly fond of that one. Given that I was worried that it would be more of an ‘evening with…’, I was over the moon that he sang every song (well barring Shine, but he still sang backing vocals on that, and hell, it was Take That, you’re not going to hear me complaining!).

Special guests included Ellie Goulding, Chris Martin, Midge Ure and Stuart Price, as well as the rest of the Take That boys (minus Robbie who was in LA, but sent a video message – in which he was naked. Completely. *thud*). When Robbie’s video started (which only showed him from the shoulders up) there were a lot of boos amongst the cheers. Gary had to give the audience a ‘not impressed’ look, which was kinda sad . The video was longer than any of the others (compared to those from Chris Moyles, Elton John, etc.) and was really lovely. Robbie actually looked quite emotional. Anyhoo, when he was done speaking, the camera panned out to show him stood on a balcony in LA, holding one of his dogs against his waist, wearing not a stitch of clothing, with his manhood caught between his legs (which just looks weird, even on him!). He then turned around to show off his DELICIOUS arse, before the video cut. I was too busy drooling to notice Gary’s reaction to that, but he did look a little shell shocked when it ended, I thought.

Unfortunately, I can no longer just enjoy Robbie’s antics without worrying about what the haters will think and say about it. I know a lot of people were glad he wasn’t appearing on stage because they didn’t want him to try and steal the limelight from Gary. I suspect many of them thought the video was just as bad, if not worse, than a live appearance. However, I was perfectly happy to get a nice big screen shot of a rather buff (huh, I never use that word, weird) looking Robbie and then move on with the show.

So, other than Gary’s solo stuff, he managed to perform all my favourites: ‘Pray’, ‘Million Love Songs’, ‘Rule The World’, ‘Said It All’ etc.. I was also blissfully happy to hear ‘Like I Never Loved You At All’, even though it was with Ellie Goulding, who I don’t much like. Fortunately, she has a voice that quite nicely fades into the background when one doesn’t focus on it and I could fully enjoy Gary’s vocals. I never thought I would get to hear that one live and it was absolutely beautiful. Back for Good’ with Chris Martin was also rather good, though Chris hardly sang and practically ran off the stage the second the song was over. Who’d have thought the front man for a major band would be that shy!

It was also amazing to hear him sing a couple of the Take That songs which usually feature other band members on lead vocals. I mean, I love ‘The Flood’, love Robbie’s vocals and wouldn’t have it any other way, but it was still beyond amazing to hear Gary sing it. Same goes for ‘Never Forget’. I also like Shirley Bassey’s ‘This Time’ a hell of a lot more with Gary singing it. Nothing against the Dame, but I’m just not much of a fan of hers. Though to be fair, Gary could probably make me swoon singing a nursery rhyme!

Anyways, I actually managed to get a copy of the set list off a lovely man who was coiling up cables at the end of the show, so for those who are interested, this be it:

Greatest Day

Reach Out

Open Road

Million Love Songs (feat. Mike Stevens on sax)

Like I Never Loved You At All (feat. Ellie Goulding)

The Flood (feat. Stuart Price)

Eight Letters/Vienna (feat. Midge Ure)

Piano Medley (I’d Wait For Life/The Circus/Love Ain’t Here Anymore/Why Can’t I Wake Up With You)

Forever Love

Sunday To Saturday

Wondering

This Time

Nobody Else

Back For Good (feat. Chris Martin)

Pray

Said It All (feat. Mark Owen)

Shine (Take That)

Patience

Never Forget

Rule The World

Cuddly Toy

Setlist, ticket and Gary mask from GB40

I could actually keep going on, raving about every song he sang (‘Eight Letters’ was beautiful and they had better perform it in the summer), but this post has got a bit out of hand (given this is already the second part of it), so I shall try and refrain. Ish.

The piano medley was pretty wonderful and gets me a bit emotional watching it back on video. The final song, ‘Cuddly Toy’, was a bonus performance, just for us lot and not broadcast on Radio 2. It was actually pretty awesome. I don’t really know the song (I know, I’m a shocking Gary fan), but I don’t think I’ve ever seen Gary go for it so much before. It was breathtaking to watch. I’m sure I’ll get lynched by a few people for saying this, but he actually reminded me a bit of Robbie. Gary has always seemed very controlled when he sings, but this was like someone had let him out of a cage. It was absolutely spectacular, even for someone who didn’t really know the track.

And that brings me to the end of the GB40 over excitement. It’s kinda sad really. BUT… it’s now only 4 months til opening night! I actually don’t know what I’d have done with myself after Gary if I hadn’t known that I’ll be seeing him sing again soon. I also heard that the band are recording more music as a five, so that is definitely something else to look forward to .

Anyhoo, the next post will herald the return of my normal one-shot reviews and chaotic switching between obsessions. Opera, physics magic and Grease this week, so watch this space.

So until then,

K xx

GB40 – Never Forget

So in case you couldn’t tell from the near hysteria at the end of my last post, I rather enjoyed GB40.

Beginning at the beginning, I arrived at the Empire just before 6:45am, after a slight delay involving no central line and a lot of mental swearing when I had to go BACK to King’s Cross. Fortunately, the half hour delay caused by dolling myself up and TFL being crummy didn’t make a difference, as I wouldn’t have been any further forward in the queue.

I’m not sure exactly how many people were there when I arrived as there were 5 occupied tents as well as a fair few other people, but when they handed out raffle tickets later on, I was 30th in the queue (though ticket #30 went walkabout, so I was actually given #31). Not bad going, but I do sort of wish I’d been able to camp out overnight. (Yes, I really am ‘one of those’, but I’m also not an idiot, so I won’t do it on my own and I don’t know anyone else as crazy as me!).

Anyhoo, another woman arrived about 10 minutes after me and we got chatting. She knew others in the queue and as more people slowly arrived, the network of people to talk to grew. Time went faster than I thought it would, but I was still outside in the cold for 12 hours (except for a trip to a nearby cafe for breakfast with a couple of women from the queue). It was a LONG day!

The crowd was very international and I got chatting to people from all over the world as well as across the country. A couple of girls directly in front of me were Israeli and were sharing their snacks. Everyone else was looking at the Bamba and Bisli with no idea what it was and I’m stood there going ‘Ooh, I love this!’. It actually turned out that one of the girls got married recently in an Israeli youth village that I lived in for five months as a teenager. It’s a small world!

There were, of course, a few highlights. Someone, somewhere, had the idea of getting the people at the front of the queue (and therefore the hardcore fans), to sign Gary’s piano. So from around 9am they let small groups of us wander round to the back and sign a black upright piano with gold and silver pens. It was really lovely . And I must say I love the idea that Gary now has my autograph!

We also saw the Take That band arriving and when my new friend decided to go and talk to them, I figured I may as well go too or risk regretting it. I ended up getting my photo taken with Mike Stevens (MD) and Lee Pomoroy (bass), then Jamie Norton (keyboards – who is absolutely GORGEOUS up close and has officially knocked Milton off the top spot in my TT-band crush list) and finally Milton McDonald (guitar).

The boys (minus Robbie) were sighted a few times, but I managed to miss them all. Weirdly I wasn’t that disappointed, though. I hadn’t expected to see them anyway and the only ones I would have flipped over were Gary (who only appeared once and was only seen by one girl) and Robbie (who wasn’t there anyway).

Of course, they didn’t let us in at 6:30, so we were all getting nice and impatient. I did see Gareth Walker (Take That’s choreographer and dancer) arriving with his wife, though, so that was nice. They were actually very organised about letting people in slowly and in order, so I think I probably got the spot I deserved given how long I queued for, give or take a few spots off centre. There were only about 20 people in the front row though, so off centre in the second one was perfectly reasonable!

The flow of people coming in was so slow, though, that I thought I might be able to risk going to the cloakroom. I asked the girls in front of me to save my spot and they said no, which was fair enough and I wouldn’t have objected, if they hadn’t then been rather rude about it. But whatever. The girls who appeared behind me were the total opposite and not only agreed to save my spot, but even kept it for me when everyone stood up for the support act. I will be forever grateful to them, even though I have no idea who they were!

Anyhoo, Delta Maid was the support. She’s a bit country for my taste, though she has a lovely voice. She wasn’t on for long though and watching her was far more enjoyable than bouncing impatiently for half an hour waiting for Gary with no one to talk to!

In the gap before Gary, I got a right crick in my neck staring over my shouder at the first balcony where all Gary’s friends and family were congregated. I saw Peter Kay, James Corden, Jason Donovan, Lulu, Gary Go and Gareth again. Also saw Dawn with Daniel and Emily who looked adorable.

Anyways, this post has got rather long already, so I’m going to stop here and put the review of the actual concert in my next post.

In case you can’t wait that long though, here’s a little something to keep you going:

Gary Barlow at GB40

Part two coming soon,

K xx

GB40 – The Greatest Day

So this blog is going to be a bit of a journal entry, at least, that’s the plan. I may not be back again til the train home, this evening, but one hopes that will just be because I’m too busy chatting to other crazy fans to scribble anything down.

20^th January 2011:

5:25am – On the Piccadilly line
I’ve been up for exactly an hour now, though I did manage to get about 5 1/2 hours sleep (I can’t make it to bed before midnight for work, but Gary is an entirely different matter!). I hadn’t really intended to go quite this early, but after someone posted a photo on FB early yesterday evening of the four tents already outside the Empire, I kind of panicked, just a little… So, the new plan was to get the first train into town this morning. Despite the fact that I was up within 5 minutes of hearing my alarm (another feat only Gary could inspire), I decided dolling myself up a bit was more important than getting to the Empire for 6:15 instead of 6:30, or there abouts. We shall see when we get there if that was a mistake or not. So, I’m tired and totally on edge, but for better or worse, I am now well on my way. I’ll check back in later xx

The ‘entries’ that follow, are my facebook GB40 updates from throughout the day. I think they give a nice overall feel for what my day was like, but I’ll elaborate a lot more and explain the bits that need clarifying in ‘GB40 – Never Forget’ this weekend.

8:45am – Outside Shepherd’s Bush Empire
Have now reached the two hour mark. Can no lomger feel toes, but still chipper.

10:00am
3.5 hours n just signed Gary’s piano. Toes may fall off soon, but still chipper. Yes, chipper.
(The last bit was a response to someone on FB objecting to my use of the word ‘chipper’.)

12:45pm
Halfway there! And just had my pic taken with Mike n Lee! No longer have toes, but bamba n bisli from Israeli Gary fans has helped.

4:00pm
G minus 4 hours. Pics with Milton n the DELICIOUS Jamie to add to the collection. Missed the boys though . Excitement is mounting steadily… *bounces*

6:50pm
FINALLY inside and beginning to be able to feel my feet again. In the second row at the end, but better than nowt. G minus 70 minutes!

10:00pm – Back outside again
Best. Concert. Ever.

10:45pm – On the Hammersmith and City line and I’m back to blogging, sort of.
So… Oh. My. G-d. I am actually speechless. Which isn’t great for trying to write a blog, really. That was the best concert I have ever been to, Take That shows included. I have never, ever felt this blown away by a show before. I just… Wow… I love Steel and Adam and Tommy Joe… But the way I feel about them doesn’t even come close to the way I feel about Gary. I will never forget this night. Never.

And I’m actually going to stop there, because right now I am just too overwhelmed to be fully coherent. I’ll try and put up another post this weekend with a proper break down. Which shouldn’t be too tough as a lovely lovely man gave me his set list.

Happy Birthday, Gary.

K xx

PS. I’m still shaking!

Back To My Boys

So, weirdly, I had a dream about Tommy Joe last week. I mean, it’s not that weird, given that I have his calendar by my bed (alongside the Take That one which is currently sporting a rather delicious picture of Gary B – only one more day til the big day! Woot!), have watched several Adommy videos pretty much every day for the last month and he is also currently playing the starring role in the background images on both my phone and my lap top. However, I don’t normally dream about fun stuff, so: weird.

To be fair, I rarely remember my dreams, but when I do they’re normally strange, nonsensical things that aren’t even worth remembering. The other night, however, was rather different. Not that I can recall much of it now, but I was in a bar somewhere when I ran into a rather intoxicated Tommy Joe. I believe I was trying to tell him how pretty he is, when he decided to kiss me. Only it was more of a lick (20^th Century Boy at Glam Nation in London style, in case you were wondering… yes, I did watch that video the day before and you should watch it too – see below particularly the bit at around 1:02), which then turned into a rather steamy snog. Details are rather hazy now, sadly, especially since I’m certain that we didn’t stop at kissing, if ya know what I’m sayin’ *wink, wink, nudge nudge*.

Anyhoo, in other news (though not really that ‘other’), my Tommy Joe Ratliff hoodie finally showed up a couple of weeks ago. It’s so awesome that I spent most of last week barely resisting the temptation to go buy more stuff. I’ve already got the calendar (and now hoodie) from TJRmerch, but Angel Batz have some rather awesome stuff too and I wouldn’t want to play favourites so it would only have been fair for me to go splurge a bit more. Especially as it’s all for a good cause (all profits from both sites go to the Ratliff family). So, er, yeah… there are now three shirts on their way to me from Angel Batz… yay! It’s also probably a good thing that they didn’t redesign their PicturePerfect range until a couple of days ago or there might have been four on their way instead…

I still want the Adam Lambert calendar too, but I just cant justify the cost. If they’ve still got them in stock next time my dad goes to New York though, I’m getting one. Alternatively, I could spend inordinate amounts of time playing the new game on Adam’s FB page and trying to win (or finish in the top few), but I can’t really see that working out too well.

In actual other news, though still on the subject of America, there’s been a slight glitch in my beloved America Trip. My hostel in New York has changed ownership and as such, doesn’t fit the requirements I had when I booked it. Very disappointed as it was pretty much perfect, if a bit of a walk from the theatres. Fortunately, I now have a job again, so I can afford to spend a little more on accommodation, but it’s costing me a lot more. I’m still hoping desperately that my dad will be able to arrange to be there then, but I still need a back up. Which is costing me more for four nights than all seven (or possibly eight) theatre trips that I’m hoping to do (most of which will be top price Broadway tickets…). It hurts though. Partly because about five minutes after I booked, I realised I had a 10% off voucher, but it’s particularly because I will pretty much only be using the room to sleep, shower and store my stuff in. At that price, I feel like I need to spend at least a day sitting in my room, using their free wifi to stream youtube videos or something, just to get my money’s worth! Anyhoo, very frustrated by it all especially as I’ve still not heard back from the new hostel owners regarding my cancellation either, which isn’t too promising.

My evening did improve somewhat when the pre-sale tickets for Hair in Boston got released though! I have now booked top price (last night was painfully expensive – thank goodness I just got paid!) tickets for my first and last night in the city and I cannot WAIT! Steelicious, I’m coming to get you! Sort of. In a non-stalkerish, respecting him as an artist, kinda way. *ahem* Yay!

Anyhoo, I’m a bit torn over whether I should try and see Gavin Creel while I’m in Boston. He’s in Prometheus Bound at the ART in Cambridge, which I believe is only a ten minute taxi ride from where I’m staying. But it didn’t fit in with my Hair plans and I wasn’t willing to give them up, even for Gavin. Especially as he did a FB Q&A a few weeks back and said he was coming back to London this year. I could risk booking to see him on the Monday, but then if the tribe do a Be-In that day, there’s no way I would want to miss that. So, it’s not looking too promising at the moment, unfortunately. But still – HAIR!

Continuing on the topic of spending far too much money on tickets, I’ve been umming and ahhing over whether to go to the What’s on Stage Awards ceremony for a while now. I discovered this week that not only will Caissie Levy be performing, but also the boys from Departure Lounge (awesome in itself, but this means Liam Tamne – nuff said, really) and the Sheytoons (which, obviously, means Ramin Karimloo). So, yeah, I’m going… And, I may also have booked another GILT ticket for Love Never Dies, the weekend Joseph Millson is apparently off, which hopefully means I’ll get to see Dean Chisnall play Raoul again, this time from the fourth row of the stalls. I could definitely get used to these top tickets.

So, just in case I wasn’t excitable enough… next up is GB40… tomorrow!!! I’m trying not to think too much about it as I’ve been feeling sick for over a week now, stressing about what time to arrive, what to wear, what to take with me… etc. etc. But I have been getting myself reacquainted with Gary Barlow’s solo stuff and remembering quite how much I love listening to him sing. I’d forgotten how amazing ‘Lie to Me’ is. I need him to sing Forever Love, I’ve waited over ten years to hear that song live, but if he only sings one other solo number, I would love for it to be that. I would be very, very surprised if he did though.

Anyhoo, I shall stop there before I get myself all worked up again! How’s that for a post about everything and nothing in particular.

So, until next time,

K xx

PS. One. More. Day! Hell YES!

What A Piece Of Work Is Man

So, Hamlet at the National was a very enjoyable way to spend an evening. It was my first play of the year and, I hope, not my last.

I think this is probably one performance that doesn’t require a plot summary, so I shall refrain and move straight on to my thoughts. Firstly, however, I apologise in advance if my language appears a bit flowery throughout this post. Having spent three hours watching Shakespeare, however, it was rather inevitable and so you shall just have to forgive me. Particularly as my (usual?) eloquence is likely to suffer for it.

Overall, I thought it was a very good production, set in the modern day. This is actually the first ‘real’ performance of the play that I have seen (I don’t think it can be fairly compared to the musical comedy I saw in Edinburgh, nor the school play I saw when I was a teenager), but I felt it managed to keep the feel of Shakespeare while doing away with some of his more over-dramatic tendencies.

I thought some of the comedy was very well done, bringing it up to date without (I assume) changing the wording of the scenes. Given that Hamlet is a tragedy, I suppose I was rather surprised to find myself laughing. Particularly as I seemed to miss a most of the jokes early on, though whether that was to do with my hearing or lack of culture, I couldn’t say. The dramatic scenes were equally well executed and the maddness, both Hamlet’s and later on, Ophelia’s, were very well arranged and performed. The scenes between Hamlet and his friends were also very well acted.

The cast was reasonably strong, though I found it hard to understand some of the longer speeches. Rory Kinnear was absolutely spectacular as Hamlet. His speeches were clear and his acting both believable and enthralling. I was also impressed with David Callder’s Polonius (and his Gravedigger) and Ruth Negga’s Ophelia. The weakest member, I thought, was Patrick Malahide as Claudius (the King). He didn’t seem to have quite the polish nor the presence to pull off such a commanding character. I also wasn’t overly keen on Claire Higgins’ Gertrude (the Queen), though I thought her acting was very good.

I don’t actually know Hamlet all that well, having never read the play, nor seen it professionally performed until this evening. However, I found it rather surreal that it was not the most famous speech which caught my attention, but another. One which I know so well that I was practically mouthing the words along with Hamlet. I have since had a couple of notable tracks from the Hair soundtrack whispering around my head.

“What a piece of work is man, how noble in reason, how infinite in faculties, in form and moving how express and admirable…” and so on and so forth.

Though that song was rather eclipsed by Hamlet’s final line, which put The Flesh Failures firmly back into the forefront of my mind (not that it ever drifts too far away. I adore that song).

“The rest is silence.“

Anyhoo, I suppose all that is rather irrelevant, but, unsurprisingly, it really struck a chord with me and I felt that it needed to be mentioned.

Anyways, I would highly recommend seeing this production as for me, it has provided a new incentive to try and see more plays this year, rather than ‘just’ musicals, operas and dance shows. Though speaking of dance, there’s a Tango show coming to Sadler’s Wells in April that I rather fancy. And speaking of dance, I really need to get back to Pineapple. It’s been a shockingly long time since I last went dancing.

And so ends my weekend of culture. It is now time to return to the regular menu of cheese! Which means, next up, in case I haven’t mentioned it yet, is GB40! Though I do actually have a random ramble post about Tommy Joe Ratliff, New York and The America Trip, which is likely to get published between now and then.

So, until next time,

K xx

PS. Did I mention, TWO days til GB40! I’m somewhere between too excited for words and almost sick with nerves. Stupid really, but it’s so important to me that I’m terrified of being disappointed, or worse and far more likely, having a bad view!

 

Matthew Bourne’s Cinderella

So far, I have seen Matthew Bourne’s Dorian Grey and his Swan Lake, also at Sadler’s Wells, and been blown away by both. His version of Cinderella, therefore, had a fair amount to live up to, but it did not disappoint.

The show takes place during the London Blitz and includes most of the usual plot points and themes. Cinderella is a downtrodden daughter in a large family of step-siblings, none of whom are particularly nice to her, save her wheelchair bound father (her step-mother is a particularly nasty piece of work). Her slippers sparkle against the drab grey of her world, though her ‘prince’ is actually an injured pilot. The ball takes place at the Cafe de Paris, the night it sustained a direct hit. The angel (a male dancer replacing Cinderella’s fairy godmother) takes her there in something more akin to a dream sequence, however, I’ve yet to read all the stuff in the programme which might give me a better idea of exactly what everything was supposed to mean.

The music is Prokofiev’s and the performance takes some aspects from the traditional ballet. Having seen the Royal Ballet’s production twice in recent months, I was perhaps in a better position to compare the two. I was rather taken with the way the alternate versions seemed so closely interlinked whilst being so thoroughly different.

The first and third acts, I found totally spell binding. By contrast, I thought the second act dragged a bit, with too much of the ‘dancing for the sake of dancing’ that bores me in traditional ballets. However, I think that perhaps I spent too much time focussing on the main routines and not the smaller interplays between the characters, which Matthew Bourne’s is particularly good at portraying.

A few of my particular highlights include; the scene in the first act, with the introduction and interplay of the family at home, as well as the following section in which Cinderella is left alone and dances with a mannequin (played by a man for most of it, though I’m not sure if it was actually her pilot or someone else as I was too far away, in the very back row, to see his face). The opening scene of act two, in the destroyed Cafe de Paris was beautifully poignant and bedroom scene at the end was also spectacular, managing to be both breathtakingly erotic and achingly sweet at the same time. Though I’ve always adored bedroom scenes. I also enjoyed the closing scene in the third act that took place in Paddington station. In fact, I very almost cried at the end.

Noi Tolmer, who played Cinderella was by far, for me, the star of the show. I thought she was absolutely spectacular. Neil Westmoreland played her pilot and was very convincing. Their pas de deux at the ball and afterwards in his room, were beautiful and I thought they were well cast as a pair. The angel, played by Christopher Marney, also seemed to have a good chemistry with Cinderella and I enjoyed the way he ‘moved’ her around the stage. Michela Meazza played the step-mother and I believe I’ve actually seen her before as Lady H in Dorian Grey, but I could be wrong on that. She is very, very good at playing the seductive, conniving, slightly older woman and I can see why she may often be cast in those sort of roles.

Anyways, to round up, I thought it was a wonderful show that I would highly recommend. It’s only showing at Sadler’s Wells until 23rd January, but I believe it is then off on a tour of the country. Catch it if you can.

In other news, apparently people (well one person, at least) are now searching for Liam Tamne naked and coming across my blog… I really do hate to disappoint but I don’t even remember if he stripped off during Hair (my eyes were on Steelicious throughout that particular scene, even if he was hiding at the back *sulk*). I do so wish I could help though. Especially as it’s something I definitely wouldn’t mind seeing a bit of myself!

Anyhoo, back to being all cultural. Hamlet at the national is next up, but it’s back to cheesy musical theatre next weekend, with Grease!

So until the next time,

K xx

 

Giselle

Giselle at the Royal Opera House, starring Carlos Acosta, was something I’d been looking forward to for some time, as several of my previous posts will attest to. Unfortunately, my seat was at the back of the amphitheatre again, but I had a clear, unrestricted view and for the price, I really can’t complain (though my aunt was there with some of her family and seated in the stalls which did prompt a brief visit from the green-eyed monster!). Amusingly, before the performance begun, there was an announcement with some cast changes. They turned out to be reasonably minor, but the audience wide groan at the words ‘cast’ and ‘changes’ and the sigh of relief when the words ‘Carlos’ and ‘Acosta’ were not mentioned, was something else. Particularly the way everyone then broke into relieved and excited chatter, though the lights had already begun to dim. I mean really, I thought a ROH audience was above panto style reactions!

Anyhoo (don’t read this paragraph if you don’t want to know how it ends), Giselle tells the story of a girl who falls in love with the wrong man, Loys, who turns out to be the engaged Count Albrecht in disguise. Despite warnings from her mother and Hilarion (a forester who also loves her), she perseveres. When she finds out her lover’s true identity, she dies, stricken with a weak heart and driven mad with anguish. After her death she is called to join the Wilis, spirits of women who have been jilted and died before their wedding day. They prey on men, forcing them to dance through the night, until they die. Hilarion falls into their trap, as does Albrecht, but despite everything, Giselle still loves him. Though exhausted and near death, in the end her love saves him from the Wilis, saving her from becoming one herself in the process and allowing her to rest in peace.

The first act, if I’m honest seemed a bit uneventful for the most part, but then, that said, the opening sequence between Giselle and Albrecht was both sweet and amusing and I very much enjoyed it. The final scene of the act was also rather magnificent, particularly Giselle’s descent into madness.

The second act, I enjoyed far more. The Wilis were quite spectacular – 26 ballerinas, plus Myrtha, their queen, all dresses in white dresses and veils, making patterns across the stage. It reminded me a lot of the swans in Swan Lake; absolutely beautiful. Albrecht’s dance was also spectacular, though I think that was, for me, mostly down to the dancer rather than the choreography. Overall, the second act felt a lot less like ‘dancing for the sake of dancing’ than the first act, even though, to an extent, I suppose that’s really all it was. I guess the difference was that it was more to my taste and seemed more interesting to watch.

Tamara Rojo was spectacular as Giselle and, of course, Carlos Acosta was magnificent as Albrecht. Despite the fact this is the ninth ballet I’ve seen in about six months, I am by no means a connoisseur and I can’t really tell who is good and who is not. During the first act, whether I would have though anything much about Carlos Acosta had I not heard his name so often, I don’t know. The second act was an entirely different matter, however. He blew me away completely. He seems to have an inner strength and presence that I often find slightly lacking in the male principals, but there’s also something more than that, which I can’t quite put my finger on. My mum would probably call it charisma, though, to me, he does seem somehow more macho than a man in tights has any right to be!

Anyways, last night also heralded my first visit to the ROH stage door. I was there for almost an hour and practically had to chase Carlos Acosta down the street for a hastily scribbled autograph, but it was worth it. My programme was signed by Carlos and Tamara and I left with a smile on my face, as well as a determination to return after the next performance that I attend.

So, I laughed, I (almost) cried and I am definitely glad I came. I’m already looking forward to Swan Lake (along with the rest of the performances I have booked over the next few months, of course).

I’ve actually booked a ticket to see Stuart Matthew Price’s show on the Battersea Barge in Feb. I hadn’t really planned on it, but Caissie Levy and Hadley Fraser should be there and the tickets were selling out fast, so I figured ‘why not?’. Should be enjoyable, given how awesome I thought he was at Hadley Fraser’s Waterloo East gig, even if I have yet to hear the album that he will be showcasing. It was also rather cool as I tweeted Stuart to say I’d bought a ticket and he replied saying ‘Woop! Can’t wait to see you there!’, or something to that effect. I don’t think anyone’s ever tweeted me back before, never mind someone in the ‘celeb’ sphere. Even if he’s not exactly what one would call a celeb.

Anyhoo, more reviews on the way after tonight’s performance of Matthew Bourne’s Cinderella and tomorrow’s of Hamlet at the National. There’s also a random ramble about Tommy Joe Ratliff (who’s name has been sadly lacking in my last few posts) and my New York hostel drama to come, so watch this space.

Until next time, peace, loVe and glitter,

K xx

 

The (Second) Coolest Theatre Moment – Ever.

So, Coolest Theatre Moment number one is and probably always will be Steelicious at Hair (see The Steel Saga – I don’t go on about it, do I?!). But last weekend’s moment is now running at a very close second.

On Sunday, I went up to Birmingham to see Liam Tamne’s Dick at the Hippodrome. I took the opportunity to meet an old friend for lunch, but, let’s face it, the reason I went was all Liam. And he did not disappoint.

I’ll admit to not really remembering much about the story of Dick Whittington, but the panto version barely even touches on what I recall. Despite that, it was a fun show full of all the necessary panto ingredients. Stars included: Joan Collins and Nigel Havers as king and queen rat (I thought he was rather good, while she seemed a bit off, but then it was the second show of the day), Keith Harris with Orville (and briefly Cuddles) who was rather fun (playing the rat catcher(s)) and Julian Clary, who I actually rather liked as the spirit of the bells.

There was plenty of booing, hissing, shouting and cheering. There was a sing-a-long, a bit of ‘oh yes it is’ing, though there could have been a better ‘it’s behind you’ type scene. There was a panto dame, a cat, a pretty girl and a dashing Dick. Plenty of over the top acting, over the top costumes (mostly on Julian Clary, but the chorus were rather well dressed too) and bits where you couldn’t quite tell if they were scripted or not. Of course, there was also plenty of innuendo and not just about Dick’s name. And then there was a rather deliciously muscular Sultan of Morocco, played by Jeremy Fontanet who definitely deserves his own shout out!

Songs included ‘Don’t Stop Believing’, ‘My Heart Will Go On’ and ‘Lady’s Choice’ (from Hairspray), to name a few of my favourites. Hearing Liam sing ‘Don’t Stop Believing’ and Titanic was rather enjoyable, I must say.

There was even a scene, which was probably my favourite, done on wires. Julian and Liam were suspended high above the stage, behind a curtain painted to look as though they were swimming in the sea. It’s an effect I’ve not seen before and even given the fact that the angle was slightly wrong from where I was sitting, I still thought it was brilliant! (Though whether I’d have loved it as much if the scene hadn’t included Liam, I don’t know. I pretty much only had eyes for him throughout!)

Anyhoo, much as I enjoyed the panto and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys the genre, though it was perhaps not the most polished panto I’ve seen, it has nothing much to do with the reason I was buzzing the whole way home (and still keep grinning to myself randomly almost a week later). I was lucky enough to purchase tickets for the front row of the stalls and at the very end of the show, during the bows, the lovely Liam looked up and caught my eye. His eyebrows rose in, what I assume was surprise, and then he smiled at me and waved! From the stage!

Of course I went to the stage door after and got autographs from Joan (who was a total diva), Keith (who was rushing off with a sore throat) Nigel (who I hardly noticed as Liam came out while he was signing my programme) and Liam. We had a brief chat and unfortunately, as of yet, he doesn’t have anything else lined up, but I will keep you posted as soon as I hear anything. He definitely deserves something awesome. Every time I see him, I’m even more impressed. Turns out he’s a great dancer as well! Anyhoo, we talked about the WoS awards (vote here) which Departure Lounge is nominated for, but it’s up against LND and Legally Blonde, so it’s rather unlikely to win (me and my friend then had a random debate about it, while poor Liam just stood there, oops!). I wasn’t really sure what to say to him though. I was already over excited after the wave and I can’t seem to help getting starstruck even with someone as ‘normal’ as Liam. I just couldn’t believe he’d actually remembered me! When I mentioned it, he said he didn’t forget faces or something similar. My friend (who Liam also recognised), however, told him it was because I was stalking him (I have a charming friend).

Anyhoo, moving on from the rather excitable and therefore less eloquent part of this post, getting recognised was pretty awesome (there are people I went to school with who don’t even remember me), but to get recognised from the stage and waved at totally made my week!

And so, I think I shall leave it there for now. Next up is Giselle (with Carlos Acosta!), so will be back with a review of that, if not before.

Peace, loVe and glitter,

K xx

 

Steel Burkhardt, Naked

Or, the less exciting title: ‘A Year at the Theatre’

So, now that I’ve got your attention… First off I’ll do my best to clear up a couple of other often searched for terms. To the best of my knowledge, Steel Burkhardt is not gay. My source is his FB page where he states that he’s interested in women, so I think we can probably take his word on that. I don’t know how old he is, but his birthday is apparently 12^th May and I would guess that he is around the 26-27 mark (at least based on his appearance and when he graduated from high school – info also gleaned from his FB page).

As for the naked part, I’m not too sure what people are actually after when they search for that term, but for photos I would recommend trying the link I posted a few weeks ago (click here and scroll to the end). If you want to know if he gets naked in the show, all I can tell you is that he did in London and I can see no reason why he wouldn’t on tour. Other than that, I can also recommend episode 3 of ‘Touring with Josh and Allison’ (I think I might have to thank Josh Lamon and Allison Guinn in person for this one!). Watch out especially for a few blissfully wonderful seconds at 3:07, 4.38 and, most notably, 4:54. All I can say is I cannot wait to get to America!

So, moving on. 2010, as I’ve already mentioned, was a pretty fantastic year and theatre, in many of its forms, was a big part of that.

Hair came to London and changed me irrevocably (I do wish I could still use that word without being instantly reminded of Twilight), Love Never Dies opened in the West End, I attended the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, I saw more shows at the Royal Opera House than I can count on my fingers and I’ve got a FB album with almost 150 photos of  various stars and celebs (mostly posing with me) that doesn’t even cover the whole of 2010.

And so (drum-roll please), the final count is as follows:

I saw 50 different live shows, which breaks down to: 17 musicals, 7 ballets, 7 operas, 6 live music performances, 6 stand-up comedy shows, 5 dance shows, 1 pantomime and 1 play.

That doesn’t even include the Fringe, at which I saw 31 different shows in six days.

Of course, I also saw Strictly Come Dancing, but since I wasn’t technically in the audience, I’ve left it out of the final count. I also haven’t counted the Tea Dance I went to in Edinburgh, as, if anything, I was a performer rather than an audience member!

So, including all the shows I saw multiple times (most notably Hair, Love Never Dies and Departure Lounge), I went to NINETY THREE live performances last year. Which works out as roughly 3 shows a fortnight. (It would probably be a good idea not to attempt to estimate how much that all cost me!)

I was actually asked yesterday what the highlight of my year was and I didn’t even need to think about it. Giving Steel Burkhardt my number in front of a theatre full of people (the full, extended story is here: The Steel Saga), well let’s just say it will be hard to top it this year, but I will do my very best (see my upcoming post for evidence that this resolution is going swimmingly well, thanks to the lovely Liam Tamne). And I do have GB40, The America Trip and Take That on tour to look forward to. Not to mention the tens of shows I’ve already got booked, including Priscilla, Grease, not one, but TWO ballets starring Carlos Acosta and Matthew Bourne’s Cinderella, to name but a few.

It’s hard not to feel hopeful when there is so much to look forward to. I’m a little stressed at the moment, what with starting a new job and having an issue with my New York hostel that needs sorting (more on those in the near future, I’m sure), but the good far outweighs the bad.

I hope that this year treats you as well as last year treated me. Whether that means seeing more shows than you can count, hearing the kind of news that leaves you smiling for weeks on end or seeing Steel naked!

Peace, loVe, glitter and, above all, happiness.

K xx

PS. I do not apologise for the traffic stealing title of this blog! It was inspired both by the unexpectedly high number of hits I’ve been getting from the search string ‘Steel Burkhardt naked’ and also by Josh Lamon in the above video ‘Touring with Josh and Allison: The Quest for Better Ratings’!

‘Til I Hear You Sing

So, the ‘new’ Love Never Dies… (there are a few minor spoilers ahead, so turn away now if you’d rather not know)

It’s SO different and yet somehow the same. The characterisation is much, much better now, I think. They seem much closer to the people they were in the original show (well, film). The Phantom is darker than he was in the old version and it works a lot better. Raoul is also less of a prat, Meg is less twisted and Madame Giry is far more so. The show fits even better with the film now and I get the impression that was the intention, based on the opening sequence. (Though don’t get me started on that – it just relates to one of my major issues with the film and its location etc..) The opening scene is not new, in fact it has changed very little. It has just been promoted from halfway through the first act, to the beginning and with marvelous effect. Christine’s sudden appearance in New York, though a little contrived, at least seems a little more plausible now.

‘Beneath a Moonless Sky’ is still the wonderful song and scene that it always was. A few of the opening lyrics have changed, but nothing too notable. They’ve now removed the slap, kept in the touching, but somehow made it more real. Of course, seeing it from so close and actually seeing their facial expressions makes it all far more believable, but there was still something more to it. It’s definitely still my favourite scene, through all the changes.

The end of the scene, after ‘Once Upon Another Time’ and the bit with Gustave, is very different. This is where the darkness of the Phantom is seen again and it’s highlighted by the use of another piece of music from the original show. He gives Christine an ultimatum this time, similar in style to those he’s given in the past, and much worse than the one he later gives Raoul. It works well and it also sets up another scene between them later on when the truth comes out about Gustave. That scene has been mostly rewritten and I adore the new version.

The second act has changed very little. Which is unfortunatly now a criticism. The way they played with Meg and Madame Giry’s characters, I was expecting a very different ending. Meg’s breakdown seems far more out of character now than it did before.

Though I must say that I liked the minute changes to ‘Devil Take the Hindmost’, particularly the Raoul’s new lines about the Phantom! And Raoul was a slightly more pleasant character than in the original version. Still older, drunk and a bit of a bastard, but you can see the man he once was, in Paris, at the Opera.

And finally, to the end. It has changed far less than I was expecting. Weirdly, after what I said in my last post about the floods of tears, thought I welled up, I didn’t actually cry through the whole emotional Christine scene. In fact it wasn’t until the Phantom’s anguished cry that they finally spilled over. The rest of the scene, now featuring a slightly different collection of characters, was what properly set me off. I definitely approve of those changes, they work wonderfully well.

So overall impression: The changes were, on the whole, an improvement. I still found myself hoping that Raoul wouldn’t give Christine the single red rose, after they made the show even more obviously a sequel to the film, but wasn’t surprised that they left it in. The characters, aside from the two Girys in the final couple of scenes, were much better, seeming more like older versions of their Phantom of the Opera selves than they did before. There are some wonderful little interaction scenes between them and I can’t actually think of anything that I particularly missed, aside from the occassional line of song.

Stage door afterwards was normal, though rather busy. I bought a new brochure, without realising it’s exactly the same as the old one, but with a new cover. Figured I may as well get it signed though, so will just need to take it along next time to grab Sierra’s autograph. Celia Graham, the understudy for Christine, was very good and I thought she was a great actor, but her voice isn’t quite as powerful as Sierra’s on some of the higher notes. That said, she killed it in the final verse of ‘Love Never Dies’. Of course, I also got my pics with Dean Chisnall, who has thankfully cut his hair short again (I know I’ve developed a thing for long hair, since ‘Hair’, but he looks far better with it short), and Ramin, who is the politest person I think I’ve ever met! He kept calling me ma’am. I don’t think anyone’s ever called me ma’am before!

I think I’ve made my decision though. Two more tickets before Ramin and Sierra depart. Ideally the last show, though I’m still not sure I can manage it logistically, and (if there is one between now and late Feb) a show with Dean playing Raoul. I’d love to see him play opposite Ramin one more time before he leaves. Must remember to send a message for Ramin’s leaving card actually. It will be a sad, sad day for London theatre when he goes. Will just have to pray that he’s back again before too long. I can’t afford another America trip this year!

Anyhoo, since I wrote this (I’m a bit behind with my posts – I’ve got two more to come), I saw Dick Wittington in Birmingham, with the lovely, LOVELY Liam Tamne! And then next up I’ve got my marathon weekend – Giselle at the ROH with Carlos Acosta on Saturday, Matthew Bourne’s Cinderella at Sadler’s Wells on the Sunday and Hamlet at the National on Monday, phew! At least I’m starting 2011 as I mean to go on. I’ve got a record to break (which I can’t remember offhand, but will be mentioned in another post in the near future)!

And I shall now shut up, for a while. Or at least until I stop finishing every other sentence with and exclamation mark!

So, until next time, remember, love never dies,

K xx

PS. Glee is back on TV! Woot

Love Never Dies

I am writing this on my way to the Adelphi to see Love Never Dies (from the 3rd row of the stalls!), complete with all the new changes. Unfortunately, Sierra is currently in New York and won’t be preforming, but I’m sure her understudy will be just as good. Anyway, though I won’t be able to publish this until I get home, it is my very last chance to express my thoughts before I see the new version. I will add another post soon, however, with my thoughts on the changes.

So, Love Never Dies is, in my opinion a beautiful piece of musical theatre. Is it as good as Phantom? No, probably not, but does that make it any less of a good show? No it doesn’t. Unfortunately, it is difficult to view LND without the comparison. It can be seen as a show in it’s own right, but I suppose it’s intended as a sequel and therefore makes more sense with the original.

The plot takes us to Coney Island, ten years after the end of Phantom of the Opera. The Phantom owns a theme park style outfit, ‘Phantasma’, with Meg Giry as his star and Mme Giry working somewhere behind the scenes. When Christine, with husband Raoul and son Gustave, are thrown into the mix, however, the delicate balance of their lives is thrown completely off kilter.

The music doesn’t quite reach the magnificence of the theme from the original show, but it is by no means lacking in powerful, dramatic music. ‘Beneath a Moonless Sky’ and ‘Beauty Underneath’ are strong, theatrical pieces and are two of my favourite songs from the show. The phantom’s ‘Til I Hear You Sing’ is simply spectacular. I could actually list half the soundtrack here, but I shall refrain. Admittedly I’m not too keen on the vaudeville style stuff (though I did like ‘Only For Him’, which they’ve since taken out of the show), but the rest is great. Honorable mentions have to go out to ‘Devil Take the Hindmost’ which is a fantastic duet between Raoul and the Phantom and Christine’s ‘Love Never Dies’. Of course, I also like pretty much anything the phantom sings and not just because Ramin is the phantom!

In the interest of full disclosure, I do think it’s a shame there’s no scene with the three of them (the Phantom, Christine and Raoul), as the final scene of the original Phantom is one of my favourites. There are also various discrepencies. I think for the most part, LND works best as a sequel to the Gerard Butler film, rather than the stage show. Much as I love that movie, I do have a lot of issues with it, one of which is that Christine never seems as scared of the Phantom as she should be (however, I’m not going to get into that here). But, it does work better with the the character development in LND, I think.

The cast are fab. I obviously don’t need to repeat again how awesome I think Ramin is in general, never mind as the Phantom. Sierra Boggess is beautiful and talented and I adore her rendition of ‘Love Never Dies’. I also love that she played Christine in the original (in Vegas) and it’s lovely that there are a couple of pictures of her in the brochure from then, looking rather young and innocent. It’s a nice touch. I don’t exactly like Joseph Millson (Raoul), though he’s growing on me over time, but I think that’s mostly because Raoul is meant to be a bit of a prat in this, plus he was a little impolite at the stage door the first time I saw the show. I’ve seen the understudy for Raoul, as it’s Dean Chisnall (who had the lead in the original cast of Never Forget) so I made a point of seeing the show when Joseph was off. And I have to say, ‘Devil Take the Hindmost’ with two of my favourite leading men was epic! Summer Strallen, as Meg, is also fantastic.

The rest of this post may contain light spoilers, so if you don’t want to know, I’d recommend that you stop reading now.

As I’ve already mentioned, ‘Beneath a Moonless Sky’ is one of my favourite songs in the show and also one of my favourite scenes. It is the first between Christine and the Phantom and the power and the passion in it simply blows me away. The scene has changed slightly with each performance I’ve attended and though I adore the way it looks now, I can’t help but miss the way it was when the show first opened. Back then, the two stars didn’t touch at all throughout the whole scene. They came close, reaching out to one another before tearing away. It was hot, passionate and unbelievably erotic. By the time they actually kissed at the very end, I was desperate for it. Now, Christine throws herself into his arms before pulling away and trying to slap him. Still powerful, but it doesn’t build the tension in the same way.

Another of my favourite scenes is the ‘Devil Take the Hindmost’ number between the Phantom and Raoul. I adore the tension and underlying violence of the scene. I know one of the criticisms is that the Phantom has mellowed too much over the years and I think this scene is one in which we really see that the Phantom hasn’t changed that much. He’s still strong, manipulative and ruthless.

There have been many other changes since the show opened (obviously not even considering the new major ones), though most are as subtle as the ones I’ve already mentioned. A huge chunk of the beginning was cut out, which I felt rather took away from Meg’s character and her motivations, but it was probably quite a good decison. There are also a lot of changes to the songs which remain and I hope they re-record the soundtrack at some point, perhaps when/if the show finally opens on Broadway. Though I suppose it’s unlikely that a new recording would feature Ramin.

I’m both excited and nervous about the new changes. When I first saw the show after they cut half of the beginning, I was on the edge of my seat throughout, wondering if the end would still be the same. Now, I know something, at least, has been changed about it. And though I’ve avoided reading anything that might contain spoilers, I’ve heard that the new ending has made people cry even more than the old one. Bearing in mind that the old one still made me sob my heart out the fifth time I saw it (never mind the state I was in after the first time), I’m a little bit worried about the effect it will have on my state of mind!

Anyway, I know when I started writing this post (several months ago), I had bucket loads to say, most of which I have apparently forgotten, so, I shall leave it for now and get back to you when I have yet more to say.

I hope you’re all having a sparkling 2011. So, until next time,

K xx