In The Night Garden Live

We took Jessica to see In The Night Garden Live today along with her cousin Scarlett-Rose. It has been such a wonderful day – seeing the look of delight on Jessica’s face when we first arrived was such a magical moment and both little girls thoroughly enjoyed the show and had a fabulous time. We got to meet Iggle Piggle and Upsy Daisy after the show and as soon as Jessica saw them she went running up to them and gave them big cuddles and kisses. Scarlett-Rose, bless her, was a bit frightened by them though as they were so big.

Road Show

Went to see Road Show at the Menier Chocolate Factory with the in-laws last night. It was a really good show, very typical Sondheim with its complex ensemble numbers and clever lyrics. The cast were all excellent and scene changes were a delight to watch, everything was very slick and beautifully choreographed. I had been warned to bring a cushion though as the seating isn't very comfortable. Even with the cushion, I spent the last 20 minutes of this 95 minute one act show focusing more on trying to get comfortable rather than on the performances which was a shame.

Backstage at Musical Mischief

So of course, now that things are slowing down at work and I’m in the third trimester, I’m taking things easy, putting my feet up and relaxing… Or, maybe not! This week I’m helping out backstage for Musical Mischief – this year’s Pastiche Theatre concert. Of course, I’m not moving scenery or anything – just making sure that people are in the wings at the right time. Even though I’ve given up treading the boards, I just can’t walk away from the am-dram scene entirely. I have to confess though I am missing being on stage just a tiny bit this time…

Ladder logic

During the get-in of a show, the seats in the auditorium are pushed back, so to get to the sound box at the back, where Michael is usually working, I have to climb a ladder. The fact that I’m still happy to do this at seven months’ pregnant seems to cause my mother-in-law concern that I am putting her granddaughter at risk. I wouldn’t do it if I thought I was likely to fall – my daughter’s safety is the most important thing to me too. Surely having more weight at the front means I’m less likely to fall off anyway?

Preparing for another show

Despite having given up on treading the boards nearly a year ago, I haven’t quite managed to detach myself from am-dram entirely – I still help by putting the programme together and Michael likes to get involved on the technical side so we end up going to a couple of the last rehearsals before show week and then being around during some of show week itself. It’s a strange feeling to be involved in the show in this way – whilst you are still a little part of it all, in some ways you don’t really feel part of it at all.

Thank you for the music(als)

Spent the afternoon at a surprise party for the director of the am-dram group I used to be involved with. After about fifty years of directing am-dram shows, she decided to step down after the most recent production of Kiss Me Kate and so today was a chance for lots of people who have been involved in various shows over the years to say thank you for all the hard work she has put in. It was good to see lots of the people that I have done shows with in the few years I was involved in the group.

Hot Mikado - review

The cast were clearly enjoying themselves from the very first moment they appeared on stage in SOS’s production of Hot Mikado, an updated jazzy version of the G&S classic, resulting in some very enthusiastic and energetic moments, particularly in the ensemble numbers. Jason Sly and Vicky Wilson in the lead roles of Nanki-Poo and Yum-Yum were somewhat overshadowed by Matt Sturgeon and Marlene Hill who both gave superlative comedic performances in the roles of Ko-Ko and Katisha – the latter being particularly well suited to the part with her rich, soulful voice and dominating stage presence. Overall, a very enjoyable show.

A good decision

I ended up helping backstage last night for Kiss Me Kate (as a gofer for the stage manager – no moving heavy scenery for me – just lots of running about making sure the cast are in the right places). It was nice to feel part of it (or as much as you can be as stage crew) but I didn’t miss being on stage which was slightly surprising. I haven’t missed rehearsals, the stress of preparing for a show, the annoying politics that are part of every am-dram group I’ve ever been involved in. Taking a break was the right decision.

Another op'nin', another show...

Kiss Me Kate opens at the Compass Theatre this week. I’m not really involved with this show (except for putting together the programme) but Michael is doing the sound design and so the only way I can really get to see anything of my husband this week is to spend half my evenings at the theatre. Being pregnant is a great reason not to be involved in moving set or anything like that so I’ve mostly spent the time sitting at the back of the theatre near the sound desk half-watching what’s going on on stage whilst knitting baby clothes.

Aladdin

Had a lovely trip home to see my sister, niece and nephew performing in the local panto, Aladdin. It seemed most of my family had also decided to come to see the same performance so we took up most of the back row. Unfortunately, the sound wasn’t great and whilst we could hear the principals, we couldn’t hear a word of any of the chorus’ songs. It was a shame as we could see everyone was putting lots of effort in – if only there had been a few float mics on the stage, it would have been so much better!

Billy Elliot

One of our Christmas presents this year was tickets to see Billy Elliot. I have to admit it wasn’t quite as good as I was expecting given the quality of the film. There were some memorable songs but it lacked depth (maybe I was expecting too much from a musical?) and Mrs Wilkinson’s accent was a bizarre combination of Australian and Geordie and something that wasn’t really either. The dancing was superb though – my favourite moment was when Billy and his older self danced together which was amazingly good. Overall I’d give it eight out of ten – definitely worth seeing.

Passion - review

Passion started off well with a beautiful opening with lovers Clara & Giorgio singing about how happy they were together (a clear indication of a doomed relationship). The music was evocative, emotive and restless at times and was easily the best thing about this show which otherwise had a fairly weak and unconvincing storyline (Giorgio eventually choosing the ugly, obsessive and clearly mentally unhinged Fosca over the beautiful but unfortunately married Clara) and seemed to confuse ‘real love’ with obsession. Scene changes were impressively slick and acting generally good, but overall a night of Passion that left me feeling unsatisfied.

Les Misérables review - part 3

The other notable performances came from Ashley Artus and Lynne Wilmot playing the larger-than-life characters of M and Mme Thénardier with their perfect comic timing, particularly during Master of the House. Overall, an excellent evening – I laughed, I cried, but mostly I sat and watched, completely lost to everything but the story unfolding on the stage below – except for the occasional moments where the magic was broken thanks to a fellow theatre-goer just a few seats away who seemed to be under the illusion he was at Sing-a-long-a-Les-Mis. Minor irritations aside, I enjoyed it very much – 9.5 out of 10.

Les Misérables review - part 2

On the whole, the cast were outstanding. Gareth Gates was surprisingly good as Marius, managing to make me completely forget the boy-band image from Pop Idol days for the whole time he was on stage. John Owen-Jones as Valjean and Earl Carpenter as Javert both gave powerful performances. The only disappointing performance came from Rosalind James in the role of Éponine – her toe-curlingly exaggerated dying groans during A Little Fall Of Rain led me to wonder if she had trained at the School of Coarse Acting. Instead of being moving, her character’s demise filled me with a sense of relief.

Les Misérables review - part 1

We went to see one of the 25th anniversary performances of Les Misérables at the Barbican on Saturday night. As expected, it was really good – a bit more raw than the original production – the songs seemed more emotional and although they were all sung well, the focus was definitely on acting the song through rather than singing it and there were some small changes to the score. Victor Hugo’s paintings were used very effectively as backdrops and projections – particularly the Parisian street scenes used during One Day More and the scenes in the sewers after the fall of the barricade.

...and exit, stage left

The cast list for Kiss Me Kate is out. I’ve been debating during the summer whether or not I would do this show or if it was finally time for me to have a break from musical theatre for a while. However, it seems that the decision has been made for me – my name is not on the cast list at all – not even for the chorus. Maybe it was because I’ve been asked to be the pianist for the show (not by the director though) – which I have declined. Looks like it’s time for me to exit stage left.

The Storyteller

Went to see the tap show ‘The Storyteller’ this evening and really enjoyed it – whilst the acting and Irish and American accents were decidedly shaky at times, the choreography and dancing as usual were excellent, very slick and sharp and everyone on stage was enthusiastic and animated throughout. Unfortunately there were a few hitches – the constant low-level feedback coming through the sound system was somewhat irritating and there was an awkward moment lasting a couple of minutes when the wrong track was played and the stage remained empty. Overall though, a fabulous show as always – well done to everyone involved.

Musical Masquerade - review

It’s always nice to get a good review of a show and the review of Musical Masquerade was pretty positive from start to finish – in fact, there was only one negative comment in it which was sandwiched in between two positive comments and so passed almost unnoticed. I’m feeling very chuffed after reading the review – I’m mentioned twice – the trio I sang in is described as “a particularly beautiful blending of voices” and then later on I’m singled out again with my solo number getting a mention. This is definitely one review that will be going in my shows scrapbook!

Musical Masquerade - last night

Another show has come to an end. The last night went reasonably well – in fact, considering how completely under-prepared the company was two weeks ago, the entire show has gone reasonably well. The best moment of last night’s show had to be in the last number ‘You Can’t Stop The Beat’ when Bryan came on in drag much to the surprise of most of the cast (it is the way the number should have been done normally but we were performing it in T-shirts and jeans rather than in proper costumes). Not sure what the director made of it though!

... and relax!

Show week + final creative assignment deadline = potentially stressful situation. Fortunately, it hasn’t been as stressful as I thought it might be. Being away on holiday last week and having a break from everything including assignment-writing really helped. Plus, I’ve found myself procrastinating a lot less and actually sitting down and writing which makes a nice change. I’ve written my short story and submitted it this morning. It is such a relief to be able to completely relax and not have to try and write in between show numbers! Plus I can do craft projects again without feeling guilty!