How to feed a family... book review

I was recommended the book ‘How to feed your whole family…” by Gill Holcombe by a friend and it has since become my favourite cookery book ever. The recipes are so straightforward and easy to follow and are absolutely delicious (the pork with apple and apricot was described by Michael as the best meal I have ever cooked!) and so far Jessica has happily eaten each of them. I love the meal plans at the back of the book with a shopping list for five evenings worth of meals (some of which use left-overs) which have also been very handy.

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.

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.

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.

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!

Tap show

The dance school which runs my tap and ballet classes also has weekly classes rehearsing for the main show which is performed every 18 months or so. This week is show week for their latest production – “Circle of Life”. The plot linking the dances focused on mankind through the ages so the music for the dances included things like the Flintstones’ theme and “Millennium”. As always, the dancing was extremely good (I’m always amazed at how everyone remembers all the routines as there’s so many of them!) and other than the occasional technical hitch, it was a really good show.

Fiddler on the Roof

I went to see an amateur production of “Fiddler on the Roof” this evening. I used to act with the group who put on the production, and some of my friends are still involved (one of whom was playing Grandma Tzeitel). It was the best production I’d seen from that group in about three years – the principals were well cast, the choreography was great, the chorus were animated and the lighting and sound were good. Just some minor hiccups (like the mens’ chorus being two bars ahead of the music at one point) but all in all, a great production.