musical theatre

The Good, The Bad and The Phenomenal

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It’s been theatre time again over the last few weeks. Sometimes we don’t seem to go see a show for ages and then suddenly we are going numerous times. One was good (well better than good, but I saved phenomenal for later), one was bad (It probably sounds a bit harsh, but it was awful) and the final one was phenomenal.

I’ll start with the “Good”

Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake

I have not seen many ballets compared to other types of shows and have generally seen ones where I am already familiar with the story. When I was given the opportunity to see Swan Lake, I jumped at the chance, as I know Matthew Bourne’s work is very different to the classic ballets. I went with my eldest daughter to Bradford Alhambra when the show was touring a couple of weeks ago.

I certainly wasn’t disappointed! The music alone is beautiful to listen to, but coupled with the amazing dancing it was magnificent. From the moment it started, I was entranced. There was so much to look at on the stage throughout the whole performance. I just couldn’t take my eyes off the stage. The style of dancing was unusual and quirky in parts, but so satisfying to watch. The swans were such powerful dancers, graceful and strong and sometimes a little bit scary. The costumes were impressive and unexpected, from long flowing gowns, sparkly mini dresses and pyjamas There was not a traditional tutu in sight.

There were some very dark moments in the story, which were projected so well through the dancing, but there is also a lot of lighter moments which made the audience laugh out loud. I would definitely like to see some more of Bourne’s work, as it gives a completely different slant to ballet which I really enjoyed

Bat out of Hell

I was looking forward to this as I had never seen it before, but sadly I was very disappointed. It was bad! I didn’t read the synopsis before I went, but then I very rarely do, as I hope that the show itself would tell the story for me. Unfortunately it didn’t. It was a very weird mixed-up story with characters that didn’t seem to know who they were or what they were portraying.

Some of the singing was good, but a lot of it wasn’t. At first I thought they were having issues with technology, as they were passing hand held microphones between the cast whilst singing, which apparently is meant to appear more like a rock concert, but just made it look a bit amateurish. The acting from most of the cast was lack-lustre and at times downright annoying.

There were some scenes when I wasn’t sure whether it was trying to be a parody, a comedy or whether the performances were meant to be serious. There were a couple of moments in it where it was just downright cringey. The cameraman videoing for the screen throughout was distracting. It also felt like there were too many people on stage. It reminded me of a school performance where everyone is given something to do, which is fine on those occasions, but not in a full on professional production.

At the interval my friend asked me “Is he meant to be dead” and my reply was “I don’t know and I really don’t care”. It is the first time I have been to a show where I considered leaving at the interval.

The second half wasn’t any better and I spent the last half an hour just waiting for it to be over. I feel for the performers involved, as I don’t think this show did some of them justice. My husband quite rightly pointed out that the band were amazing and he had spent most of the show watching them rather than the performers on stage. They definitely put in 100% effort. There were lots of people in the audience who absolutely loved it and I have heard and read rave reviews, but this was definitely not for me.

Kinky Boots

This is one of my favourite shows and I was very excited to see Joahnnes Radebe taking the part of Lola. I have never heard him sing and there are some big numbers in this production, but he hit every note and his portrayal of Lola was funny, moving and uplifting.

The whole cast were exceptional in all aspects of singing, dancing and acting. It is hard to pick people out of such a great cast, but the characterisation of Lauren was one of the best I have seen and had me in stitches at times. The choreography was wonderful and it just filled me with joy to watch the dancing with Johannes at the centre.

There have been a few changes since I last saw it. The set has been altered slightly, but gives more room for the superb dance numbers. There are quite a few different costumes to previous production, but I thought they worked really well. The other difference is that the Angels are more diverse looking which is more in keeping with the shows ethos of being yourself and accepting people for who they are.

This was an absolutely wonderful night out and I left the theatre feeling elated and singing along to the songs for the rest of the week. It was so good in fact that we went back to see it again later in the week and it was just as good!

A Trio of Theatre Visits

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Just recently I have been lucky enough to enjoy three trips to the theatre. All of them were to shows I’ve not seen live before. I’ve done a little review on each one

Hamilton

Bradford Alhambra was the location for the touring production of Hamilton. I have seen the Broadway version which was filmed and shown on the Disney channel, but was looking forward to seeing the live version in person.

Firstly I have to say that it was much better for seeing live, as most things are. When the show first came to the UK several years ago, there was a lot of hype surrounding it.

Although the music isn’t generally the type of music I would listen to, I enjoyed the score. I would say that there are a couple of really good songs, which do stick in your mind, but on the whole, it’s not one of those where I travelled home unable to stop singing. The production was amazing, as was the choreography. I was able to hear more clearly the words of the songs than when I watched it on TV.

In my opinion, I think the cast did a great job. I really enjoyed the production and I can understand all the hype when it was first produced. It was great to see something I had not seen before, but it isn’t one I would be rushing back to see.

Only Fools and Horses

I wasn’t really sure what to expect with this one. It was a TV comedy I grew up with and I always found it funny, but wasn’t sure how it would lend itself to being a musical. It was on tour and we saw it at Leeds Grand Theatre.

The show is built around the upcoming wedding of Rodney. There were all the usual jokes, bad French phrases and physical comedy you would expect. The cast were excellent, bringing the characters to life on stage. The singing and music were good. There were no real memorable musical numbers, other than the theme tune, which was used at the beginning and then during scene changes.

All in all it was a really good night. There were lots of laughs out loud moments and great characterisation. It worked really well as an entertaining piece of theatre, appealing to fans of the show.

Calamity Jane

This was one I was really looking forward to. It was a firm favourite with my family when we were young. My children always loved watching the film when they were little and my husband was in the school production when he was younger. The touring production was at Leeds Grand Theatre.

The show was excellent, with everything you would expect from a traditional musical. The ensemble were incredible, playing musical instruments alongside singing, dancing and acting. They put their heart and soul into
all the big musical numbers, with some excellent choreography and great singing.

However, I know this is likely to be an unpopular opinion, but I wasn’t a huge fan of Carrie Hope Fletcher’s portrayal of Calamity. She was good, but there were times, particularly in the first act when I couldn’t hear what she was singing. She also appeared a bit laboured in some of the dance numbers. I know she is seen as a big ticket seller and has a massive following, but I have seen other less well known performers over the years, who could have done a better job.

This did not spoil it though as the whole show was fast paced and left you uplifted and singing your head off on the way home, which is just what you need from a night at the theatre

London Theatre Trip

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It was definitely time for a another theatre trip to London. My daughter and I usually go to the Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre near her birthday in August. This year we struggled to find a weekend when we were both free, so our visit was delayed until almost the end of September.

Meg has recently moved out of Central London to Leighton Buzzard, into a lovely apartment by the canal with her boyfriend. I travelled on the train on Friday afternoon. It was more straightforward to travel into London’s Kings Cross, walk to Euston and catch the train back out to Leighton Buzzard. There are other ways to do it, but this seemed the quickest and easiest route. It was a pleasure to sit on the train, eat my lunch and read my book without any interruptions. It’s very rare I get chance to sit for two hours without having to get up to do something. It may sound sad, but it felt like a bit of a treat.

There were no issues on the train and I arrived in Leighton Buzzard around 4pm and was met at the station by Ed. After a catch up on the latest news and events, we had a tasty risotto cooked by Ed (referred to as dinner by them, but tea if you live further north). We then played a few card and board games, followed by Tiramisu for desert. It was a very enjoyable evening and it was relaxing to be looked after by someone else instead of running round after everyone.

On Saturday morning, I slept longer than usual, due to the quietness and darkness (we don’t really get this at home as we live near a main road) and as a bonus, the weather was glorious. We had a breakfast of fruit, yoghurt and freshly baked croissants before catching the train into London.

Neither of us really knew what we wanted to do, so we walked from the Euston Station heading towards Regents Park, thinking we would have a little walk whilst we decided what to do. We didn’t really want to go shopping and it was too nice to be inside, so we ended up spending the whole of the day in the park. We walked (a lot!), sat and had a drink and a snack and listened to jazz at the bandstand (although it was almost finished by the time we sat down). There was also an exhibition of modern art as part of Frieze London. It was interesting to look at, but I openly admit I don’t really get most of it and prefer my art a little more traditional and to look like something tangible. Maybe I just don’t have the imagination to see some of the sculptures for what they are meant to be, but they don’t really appeal to me. I enjoyed looking around the sculptures and it was amusing listening to some of the conversations around them. Some were like me, not really understanding what it was all about, but the best were the people who talked about them in an intelligent way. I’m never sure whether they really do, or whether it’s a case of being pretentious to appear intellectual.

After a delightful afternoon in the sunshine we headed of to have something to eat at The Real Greek in Marylebone, which was only a short walk from Regents Park. We enjoyed some tasty food and drinks, before making the short journey back on foot towards Regents Park for the evening performance of Fiddler on the Roof.

I love the open air theatre. The reason we originally went was because it was the first one to reopen after the Covid pandemic, but it has now become a yearly tradition for us. The productions are usually excellent and this was no exception. From the moment the fiddler played the opening bars, I had goose pimples. The singing was amazing with some beautiful harmonies. The acting was superb, with some very moving, emotional performances. The girls were more spirited than in the film and older productions, which I liked. It was very well cast. I love the show and the music and this didn’t disappoint. The threatening storm held off until after the performance, despite several flashes of lightening in the last half an hour.

There was a cancellation of trains on the way back, so it was a late journey and a packed train back to Leighton Buzzard. We enjoyed a cuppa and a chat when we got back, heading off to bed at 2am. It’s a long time since I had such a late night and I definitely felt it later in the week

The following morning, we went for breakfast at the vibes cafe at the side of the canal. We sat outside, but undercover as it was raining, but fairly warm. The breakfast was very tasty. I had brioche French toast with fresh fruit and maple syrup. After breakfast it was time for the short walk up to the train station to catch the train into London and then home. Unfortunately, once again there were cancellations and delays on the trains, but I managed to make it back to Kings Cross in plenty of time for the train back up north.

My husband collected me from the railway station and on returning home there was a lovely Sunday roast all ready. What a lovely surprise. It was a great weekend and I felt I had time to chill out and enjoy some relaxing time with my daughter

A Weekend Break In London

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This is quite a late post, as once again I have been so busy, I never got around to writing it at the time. During the glorious summer, I went to London with my husband and our youngest daughter and her boyfriend. We arranged to spend some time with our eldest daughter whilst we were there. We had an amazing weekend, with beautiful food and gorgeous weather. We were so busy and saw so many things, so were exhausted by the time we got home, but it was well worth it.

The British Museum and a Pleasant Surprise

We travelled by train, dropped our cases off and et our eldest daughter. Our first stop was the British Museum. It was extremely hot inside and we started off by looking at all the Egyptian relics. I had read reviews before I went and I had to agree with some of them, that there is nothing British about the museum. It is full of items “recovered” from other countries. It is great to see the artefacts, but I question the need to have so many items out of their natural environment. Although I love history and I am no expert, it did feel like there was just loads and loads of the same things for miles and miles. After about an hour, we decided to leave the museum and go and have some fresh air.

We walked down to Trafalgar Square and were excited to see the whole area was set up for the Women’s Euros. There were music acts on stage, food and drinks and football events around the square. The steps had been covered with coloured Astro turf. We got drinks and sat on the steps, spending the afternoon in the sun watching the events and people watching.

Come From Away

In the evening we were booked in to see Come From Away at the Phoenix Theatre. On the surface, this musical has a strange premise, as it is about the terrorist attacks of 911, where the aeroplanes were diverted from landing in America, to Newfoundland, where thousands of people were accommodated by a small community.

The show was incredible. The small cast played several different characters in such a believable way. The singing and acting was astounding. There were moments of laughter and some very moving scenes. It was one of the best performances I have seen in a long time.

 Changing of The Guard and New Introductions

This is an event that really surprised me. I remembered watching the Changing of The Guard as a child, but it was so much better than I remembered. The ceremony lasted about an hour altogether, with some beautiful band music, marching, ceremony and tradition. I love the sound of a brass band in the open air and this did not disappoint.

Recently, with the death of Queen Elizabeth II, and seeing all the pomp and ceremony on TV, it made me feel so privileged to have seen this in real life.

Later in the day we went to The Bike Shed, a restaurant in Shoreditch. When I say restaurant, it also has a tattoo and barbers’ shop, merchandise and a motorbike workshop. The motorbikes arrive through the outside seating area. It is a fascinating place, with excellent food. This evening we also met our eldest daughter’s boyfriend for the first time. It was lovely to finally see him and to see our daughter so happy.

Afterwards we went to Junkyard Golf, where we had cocktails and great fun playing the crazy golf. It was a lovely, relaxed evening and we laughed constantly.

The Tower of London

We visited the Tower of London a few years ago, but there is plenty to see, so it is always worth another visit. On this occasion, we also walked through the moat area, which has been planted with a sea of wildflowers. As it had been quite hot, some of the flowers were probably past their best, but it was a lovely day, so it was nice to wander through in the sunshine.

We enjoyed looking around the historic Tower and visited as many of the areas as we could, learning lots about the Tudor buildings, but also the interesting exhibition about the Tower during more recent conflicts, where it was utilised for training the armed forces.

We couldn’t visit without seeing the Crown Jewels and although it was busy, the queue soon moved forwards and we were able to see the amazing exhibition. They are so impressive and beautiful to see under all the lights, which makes them look exceptionally sparkly and regal. In these times of austerity, it seems strange to enjoy looking at something so lavish and extravagant, knowing that the value of the jewels could help so many people in need, but I love the history attached to them and the amount of people waiting to see them, is testament to the value of them as a tourist attraction as well as their monetary value.

Grease

This has always been one of my favourite films and I have watched it so many times over the years. I have also seen the stage musical a couple of times in the past. The production at the Dominion Theatre was slightly different, with some aspects that were great and some not so good. The dance numbers and ensemble pieces were impressive and lively. However, Danny and Sandy seemed to have very little chemistry. The transformation of Sandy in the finale was lack lustre but did not spoil the amazing singing and dancing in the final stages of the show. There were times when the musical seemed to merge with the storyline of West Side Story, which was unnecessary and a little confusing.

It was an enjoyable show, very uplifting with great songs and Peter Andre was amazingly funny and entertaining.

Imperial War Museum and Camden Market

As well as all this, we managed to fit in a visit to the Imperial War Museum. This is an amazing place which really makes you think about the tragedy of war and the cruelty that humans can inflict on each other. It may not sound like the most uplifting of places, particularly the section on the Holocaust, but the personal stories make the experience moving and fascinating as well as horrifying.

We were all a little subdued when we came out of the museum but followed this up with a visit to Camden Market.  I have never been her before, but really enjoyed the atmosphere of the market, the variety of shops and stalls, but most of all the extremely tasty street food.

All in all, we had a superb weekend. There was certainly a lot of variety from hilariously funny laughs to thoughtful, sombre moments. It was great to spend some time together as a family and I can’t wait to do it all again. The other thing, which was good to see, was the business of London itself and the return of international tourists to our country after a tough couple of years for the travel and hospitality industry.

A Bit Of A Catch Up

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I thought I would just write and let you know what has been going on over the last couple of months. In many ways things are starting to get back to normal, although the pandemic is still very much with us.  I am still quite cautious if I am in a place with lots of people and feel more comfortable in the outdoors than being in an enclosed area. I have managed to get out and about to a few places and return to some of the things that I really love to do.

I’ve managed to get a couple of decent walks in with my brother, whose Charity Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge is delayed until next May. So far I have walked Pen-y-Ghent and Ingleborough with him. He is really good as when he gets a little ahead, he walks back to collect me, meaning he always walks quite a bit further than me. I am still unfit, having reverted to all my old eating habits during the last lockdown over winter. I get plenty of exercise but I do need to stop eating quite so much of the wring types of food, especially in between meals or on an evening.

Having said that one of my other great loves is eating out. It has been great to start doing that again over the last few weeks, particularly in places where you can book a table and know that it is not going to be overcrowded. We have met up with friends on a couple of occasions and it has felt great to be doing something “normal”

As a little treat, my sister in law and I took our mums and mum-in-law out for afternoon tea at Angelina’s Tea Rooms in the Mill Village at Batley. To be fair I had bought the vouchers as a present for Christmas 2019, but we have never been able to use them. It was a really pleasant afternoon, as we rarely all get chance to spend time together. It was lovely to see the older ladies relaxing and chatting whilst enjoying their teas. There were plenty of sandwiches and cakes for all of us and as much tea as you could drink. They all went home with a little box of leftovers which was an added bonus.

Birthday Treats

At the end of July, for my youngest daughter’s birthday, we took both her grandmas (my mum and mum-in-law) out for lunch at The Garden Café, at Bennetts Eggs in Liversedge. It was a warm sunny day. The food was great, if a little much for both the older ladies, who went home with a doggy bag to have for lunch the following day. We had a lovely afternoon, and it was great to be able to spend some time together. After lunch we strolled around the little petting farm before dropping them off back home.

Later in the week, as another birthday treat,  we went to an Escape Room with my husband and my daughter’s boyfriend. I absolutely love escape rooms, and this is one of the things that we have not been able to do over the last eighteen months with all the restrictions. I enjoy the puzzle solving and working together. I am always amazed at how everyone thinks differently. Puzzles that are obvious to one person don’t make any sense to another and it is great to see everyone playing their part to get out in time. If you’ve never done an escape room, I would recommend you give it a go. They are all different levels and themes, so you would be able to find one that suits you. The one we chose was a Titanic theme, in an Escape Room very close to our home. It was not too difficult, and we managed to get out with a good amount of time to spare, with lots of laughs along the way.

A Trip To London

In august it was my eldest daughter’s birthday, so I arranged to visit her. I travelled down on the train and we stayed in a nice hotel near to St Pauls Cathedral. She only lives forty-five minutes away from the centre of London, but I thought it would be nice for her to have a change of scenery, after the lockdowns and not being able to do many of the things she normally enjoys.

I arrived on the Sunday afternoon, and we popped into the amazing Theatre Café for lunch and a couple of cheeky cocktails, before going to the theatre. We had booked to see David Walliams’ Billionaire boy at the Garrick theatre. This may seem a strange choice for two adults, but as her friend was in the production, it was great to support them and see something that we wouldn’t normally see. The production was entertaining. There were lots of funny moments, which appealed to adults, but went over the children’s heads. However, the children did find the jokes about “pooping” and “farting” hilarious.

We popped back to the hotel for a relaxing swim and sauna, before heading out for something to eat. It wasn’t easy to find an open restaurant close by and we did not want to go too far. We arrived at Gordon Ramsay Maze Grill just as they were about to take the last orders at 8pm.  The atmosphere was pleasant enough, the service was efficient, and the food was reasonable, but I was not completely blown away. It did feel that they were getting ready to close by the time we finished our meal. By the time we left there was just us and a couple of ladies on the table next to us. Luckily, no one made us feel that we were being a nuisance by being there.

The following day I had persuaded my daughter to take part in a Sherlock Holmes outdoor game, which took us around the streets of London following online clues on an app. It was an interesting couple of hours. I was surprised by how much building and maintenance work was going on. Considering the amount of time restriction have been in place, it would have been more sensible to carry out the repairs then, rather than in the height of the summer holidays. It was certainly much quitter than usual, with the obvious lack of international tourists, which seemed strange in a capital city.

On the Monday evening, we went to the open-air theatre at Regents Park. We had enjoyed it so much last year, I didn’t really mind what was on, I just wanted to go back. This summers production was Carousel, which I haven’t seen for years and even then, only on film. The production had an unusual setting, with very neutral colours and clothing styles, which di not depict a particular era. The singing and dancing were beautiful. Although it is probably an outdated story, it had been altered to make it a little more relevant to modern times. I am not a fan of changing everything to suit modern values (sometimes we need to see how things were, to understand how far we have come and how much change is still needed), but on this occasion I think that it was needed and was not overdone. All in all, it was a great evening, helped by the warm weather and the different atmosphere that is gained by being outdoors.

On Tuesday, we went out for a walk and had breakfast, before checking out of the hotel. We walked to the station and got on the same tube, before saying our goodbyes and heading off home.  Although we had had a busy couple of days, I felt relaxed as I travelled back home.

Paddle Board Practice

After having our paddle board lesson in June, we decided to invest in a couple of inflatable paddle boards to take with us on our holidays. Although that sounds fairly straight forwards, as we knew exactly what we wanted, it seemed that everyone else in the country had also had the same idea. We eventually managed to pre order some and they arrived on 2nd August. As it was a fine sunny day(and we were self isolating), we spent some time inflating them in the garden. This took quite a while and a lot of energy. Needless to say we have now invested in an electric pump!

Over the August Bank Holiday weekend we went up to Ullswater and spent the day on the lake, with friends practicing on our paddle boards. We had a great day, but I am still struggling to get from kneeling to standing without leaning on my husband. Luckily he is proficient and very confident on his paddle board, so is able to assist with this without me tipping him into the water. Hopefully it will come with practice. If not I’ll just have to keep leaning on him every time i want to stand up!

Feeling Blessed

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At the time of writing this blog, I am patiently awaiting the arrival of my great nephew. He is due at the weekend, but I guess that it could be any day now, so the anticipation is growing. This is my niece’s first child and my brother and sister in law’s first grandchild. My niece’s partner already has a boy, who is definitely part of the family, but this is the first baby that we have had for a few years, which is always exciting.

Santa’s little helper

One of the reasons that I feel particularly blessed this week was because I got to see my eldest daughter in London. I had gone to London for a conference and luckily had some free time in the evening. She is currently working as one of Santa’s helpers (I’m not sure she’s an elf, as she’s quite tall), so I was able to go and see her at work. She seemed very happy, along with all the other little helpers.

As a bonus I also got to make a snowman and see Santa in his grotto. I may be a grown up, but there is still something very magical about Christmas, particularly seeing the little children’s faces light up at all the twinkling lights and snow scenes. I know that it’s probably still a bit early for Christmassy things (1st December is probably my limit), but sometimes you just have to take the opportunity that is handed to you.

 

 The Book of Mormon

Also whilst I was in London I finally got to see “The Book of Mormon”. Now I know that this is not everyone’s cup of tea. It is very inappropriate in places and some people may find it offensive, but I have been wanting to see it for ages. Luckily I got to go with my daughter and my friend from work.

I thought that it was hilariously funny. The singing and acting from all of the cast was amazing. It takes the mickey out of lots of different musicals along the way, as well as poking fun at religion. Although I think that for me, there was a moral to the tale, whether that was what was intended or not. I think the moral was that it doesn’t matter what religion you are, or what you believe in, but if you are giving people hope and help, then that is better than converting them to a religion that they don’t really understand and then walking away and leaving people in poverty and danger.

I would definitely see it again if I had the chance, but if you are easily offended, don’t like bad language or feel that religion is not meant to be humoured then I would give it a miss.

 

 

 

 

 

Old Friends and Fat Friends

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Dealing with change

This week I went to a leaving “do” for a friend that I used to work with. I left the department almost two years ago, as it was time to move on and have a change in direction with my career. Since then it seems that a lot of my old friends and colleagues have also moved on. Some have moved to other departments, but this particular friend has moved on completely, leaving the job and starting a new career and a completely new direction.

It was lovely to catch up with old friends and colleagues during the course of the evening, but also quite emotional, as it was the end of an era, with the department that I worked in completely changing. The sad thing is that a lot of the staff who work there are very disillusioned and demoralised. It is such a shame as it used to be such a great place to work, with a brilliant team spirit. Hopefully as new staff move in, it will have a new lease of life and will become a great place to work again.

To all those that are leaving, I hope that they find a new challenge and a role that they love and are passionate about. I certainly feel that I have found that in my role, although it doesn’t stop me moaning and getting frustrated at time.

 

Fat Friends The Musical

This weekend me and my husband went to see Kay Mellor’s Fat Friends The Musical at Leeds Grand Theatre. I like Kay’s writing and have enjoyed the different series that have been on TV. I definitely liked the Fat Friends series as it was really funny and was so recognisable by anyone who has ever had a weight problem or attended a slimming club.

The show was really funny. It’s a long time since I heard my husband laugh out loud like that. The cast were really good, with some really strong singing and acting. It was nice to see local actors, particularly Neil Hurst, who we have seen many times in pantomime at Halifax. My only real issue with it was Freddie Flintoff. I know that having a celebrity sells tickets to a show, but there are loads and loads of young people out there who have studied drama or musical theatre that are desperate for work, that I fail to see why an ex cricketer who cant really act and definitely can’t sing, would be offered a role like this.

I know that I am biased as my daughter and many of her friends are seeking Musical Theatre work, but the same goes for pantomimes who have “famous” people in them, with current or former careers (or who are famous for being famous), rather than employing talented actors singer or dancers.

I am also a bit of a theatre snob and find it a bit annoying when someone famous comes on the stage and everyone cheers. Not particularly a problem in the Fat Friends production as it was very light hearted and a little “pantomimey”, but in a serious moment in a production when people screech and whistle, I find this irritating.

At least there was no one texting, facebooking or taking photos in the middle of the performance for a change, which is another pet hate of mine.

Diary of a Wimpy Woman

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This week I have been feeling a little bit sorry for myself as I have had cold, a sore throat and now a very annoying tickly cough. Normally I don’t bother about this kind of thing, but I think it gave me a reason (or an excuse depending on how you look at it) not to do the 10k run that I had signed up to. Basically I wimped out and talked myself out of doing it. I feel a bit annoyed with myself now, but at the time, I just couldn’t summon up the enthusiasm to do this.

Blood Brothers

On Saturday evening I went to see Blood Brothers at the Alhambra Theatre in Bradford with my husband and my friend (Funnily enough I wasn’t too ill for this!). I have seen this show quite a few times, but it never loses its appeal. I love the story and the songs are absolutely amazing. The acting and singing from this cast was brilliant and it never ceases to amaze me how the characters change from the first part to the incredible ending.

There are some superb characters within the show. My husband loves this show and always says that he would love to play the part of the narrator. I’d love to play Mrs Johnston. The only chance of this happening is in our own kitchen when we have the soundtrack on and we sing along. It doesn’t hurt to dream!

A nice winter break

So today my husband and I (I sound like the Queen!) have travelled with a couple of friends to Center Parcs at Whinfell  Forest, for a short break. It is quite cold, but its lovely to be out in the fresh air and away from the hustle and bustle of daily life. Today is the first day of the Christmas period for them, so there are lots of lovely twinkly lights and Christmassy things around. It’s a bit early for me, but it actually looks lovely and has a really nice feel to it.

 

Shows and Showers

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Life is a Cabaret

On Friday evening I went with a couple of friends to see Cabaret at Leeds Grand Theatre. I have only ever seen the film version before. My eldest daughter had seen the stage version a few years ago and had been really impressed by it, so I thought I’d give it a whirl (Mum, it was amazing… you have to see it!)

The production was excellent and I really enjoyed the show. All the performers were amazing, particularly Will Young and Louise Redknapp. The ensemble were pretty stunning too and showed off some impressive dance talent. I hadn’t told either of my friends anything about it, as I didn’t want to spoil it.

The first half is pretty crazy, set in Berlin, mainly centred around the Kit Kat Klub and its eccentric performers. It’s definitely not for those who are easily offended, but does a really good job at getting the point across.

One of my friends wasn’t really sure whether she liked it or not. However during the second half, the mood changes as the Nazis start to make their presence known, culminating in a pretty shocking ending (even though my daughter had told me about it, I wasn’t really prepared for how gobsmacked I would be).

All in all it was a great show. It wouldn’t be on my list of must see again, but I’m definitely glad that I went to see it. In this age where tolerance (or lack of it) is in the news all the time, it certainly makes you think about how we treat others who don’t necessarily fit in with our ideas of what is “normal” or acceptable.

 

On a lighter note

On Sunday I was invited to my niece’s baby shower. I’ve never been to a baby shower before. They weren’t really around when me and my friends had our babies. If I’m honest I wasn’t really sure what the purpose was, or what would be expected of me, whether I should buy a gift now or later, or both?!

My youngest daughter and I went along to the baby shower, armed with cup cakes with blue icing and appropriate “it’s a boy” toppers. I didn’t really want to take a present for the baby as I want to do this when he is born. I know this is probably an old fashioned view, but that’s just me. We did however take her a little present, just for her, rather than baby.

To be honest it was a really lovely afternoon. It was nice to see everyone and catch up and it was particularly good to see my lovely niece looking so well and clearly enjoying being pregnant.

On the way home my daughter said that it was probably the last time we would all be together for a while, as once she has the baby she won’t want everyone there at once (Sometimes she speaks a lot of sense). I guess that this is one of the purposes of the baby shower, a chance for us to be together, to celebrate her pregnancy and wish her well, rather than everyone turning up within a week of her having the baby, when she is just getting settled with her new family.

Now it’s just waiting and wishing her all the best and lots of love x

Image result for baby shower

A Lottery Dream

~ 50themusical ~ 2 Comments

Just recently some friends and I got talking about what we might spend our money on if we won the lottery and also about the things that we would like to do when we retire. I find it fascinating how different we are and what we think would make us happy if money was no object.

Some wanted new houses or very elaborate home improvements, some wanted to buy a fancy car. I don’t have particularly expensive tastes and I’ve never been a big fan of “things”. My house is somewhere that we live as a family, where people can come and feel comfortable. It does need some refurbishment, but it wouldn’t be anything particularly swanky or expensive,

I don’t particular wear a lot of jewellery and I’m not really into designer clothes. I do quite like a nice pair of shoes, but I’m not sure I’d spend my full pension or lottery win on shoes!

My ideal way to spend the money, would be to travel and see all those places that I’ve not been able to see, either due to lack of finances or lack of time. There’s lots of places in America that I’d still like to visit, Canada, Iceland, Switzerland, Lapland, in fact there is plenty of the world that I’ve not seen. A lot of the holidays that we have had have suited us as a family and it’s only been very recently that me and my husband have started to visit some of the places that we want to see, that the girls may not have been particularly interested in.

The other thing that I would love to do is to be able to book and see lots of different musical theatre shows, without having to worry about the cost. It would be lovely to travel to London, Broadway or Las Vegas to see different shows every few weeks. I am very lucky in that I do go to the theatre fairly often, but tend to book things that I’ve seen before, or that I have a pretty good idea that I am going to like. It would be wonderful to be able to book something without having to think about paying a lot of money for something that I end up not liking.

To be fair there are very few musical theatre shows that I haven’t enjoyed. Even those where I have thought it wasn’t my particular cup of tea, I’ve enjoyed watching just for the sheer spectacle, the costumes or just seeing the wonderful talent of the performers. I love a good show or a concert and I would certainly be able to fill my time with these things.

Who knows, I might even be wearing a new pair of shoes !!