musicals

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

I’m Back!

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I didn’t realise it was so long since I last wrote my blog. In one way, there doesn’t seem to have been very much going on, but me and my husband seem to have been so busy, I haven’t had time to sit down and write. I have taken on extra hours and responsibilities at the Food Bank, am still running our small business-Mezzy Creations and we are helping my renovate my daughters house. Alongside the other day to day things, there never seems a moment to spare. I decided this morning to try and sit down and write my blog, as I have always enjoyed doing it and don’t know why it has been sidelined so much.

Musicals are definitely back

One of the most exciting things to happen over the last few months, is that the theatres are open and I have had chance to go and see some amazing productions, including some I have not seen before. The first one was School of Rock, which we bought as a Christmas present for my daughter and her boyfriend. He had not been to see musicals at the theatre before, but loves the film. We thought that this would be a good way to introduce him to the theatre. It was an absolutely amazing show, with an outstanding cast of adults and children. It was so engaging from the very beginning, right up to the standing ovation at the end. I think we have a new theatre convert and it was such a joy hearing him singing the songs and talking about it over the next few days.

Six The Musical was also another show I had not seen before. This was one that had been booked last year, but was postponed, along with many others. I wasn’t sure whether this would be my cup of tea. Although I had heard rave reviews about it, I did not know if it would be more suited to younger people. I couldn’t have been more wrong! This was a lively production, with some great music, comedy and some wonderful performances by such a small cast. It is only a short musical compared to most, with no interval and it never stopped entertaining throughout. I was absolutely blown away by it and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it.

We have also been to see The Book of Mormon, which we have seen in the past, but once again it didn’t disappoint. Although very inappropriate and probably offensive to everyone, it is very entertaining, hilariously funny and thoroughly enjoyable. The only issue is, it’s very difficult to find a song you can sing out loud once you leave the theatre.

Choirs are also back

Throughout the pandemic and for many moths afterwards, it has been very difficult to sing in groups. Thankfully we are now back at Batley Community Choir, although numbers have diminished which is such a shame. We have still managed to sing together and I know that those who go get so much out of it. It’s great to be able to sing in a group, even if you don’t have a brilliant voice. We were lucky enough to take part in a charity event with a number of local choirs, raising money for Kirkwood Hospice. It was a great evening, both to be able to sing again for an audience, but also to listen to the other choirs. I think we sounded pretty good too!

I have also started singing with a new choir, Leeds Musical Theatre Choir, which began earlier in the year. This is a choir on a much larger scale with over 100 singers. As it says in the name, the songs are all from musical theatre productions and the quality and volume of sound produced is phenomenal. Some of the singing is quite challenging, but being able to listen to others around you, really helps to get it right. I have to say though, sometimes I am so caught up in listening to the sounds, that I forget to sing.

If you’ve ever thought of joining a choir, but can’t read music or think your singing voice isn’t good enough, I recommend that you get in touch with your local community choir. No matter how big or small, it’s a lovely warm feeling singing with others, is great for you wellbeing and also a good way to meet new people.

Back on the canal boat

Another holiday which was delayed from last year, was our trip on a canal boat. We chose to complete the Black Country Ring, from Gailey Marina, as it was a route we are a little familiar with. The last time we went on the canals, we were with our friends who had been before, but this time we were with different friends, which supposedly made us the more knowledgeable ones!

We had an amazing week, blessed with really good weather. There is so much to see along the canals, with an ever changing landscape as you travel along.

Some of it has changed slightly particularly in the area where the scenery has been devastated to make way for HS2. Around Birmingham city centre, there is lots of regeneration going on, but also lots of neglected areas once you leave the city centre. I was appalled at the amount of litter and filth that was in the canal in various places. It is such a shame that people treat these areas of beauty with such disrespect.

We visited the Black Country Museum again, which is a brilliant place to visit. It is currently having lots of building work done, making areas to depict the 50’s and 60’s, which will be superb when it is completed. The work didn’t spoil the visit and at various places you can see plans of how the new areas are going to look once they are completed.

One thing that was great about the museum was the enthusiasm of the people who work there. They are so knowledgeable and have great tales to tell whilst staying in character. We were particularly entertained by a couple who were having a picnic to celebrate their wedding anniversary, and a young lady who was crocheting whilst travelling on the bus, all very entertaining.

Well I think I’m caught up for now. Hopefully it won’t be too long before I get chance to write again.

Everyone’s Talking About….

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Well another month has gone by and a few things have changed. We have had another baby in the family, which is always a lovely thing.  She is my great step-niece (if that’s an actual thing) I haven’t met her yet, but from the photographs she looks beautiful, so it will be lovely to see her. Unfortunately last night my brother told me that she is in hospital, so I’m keeping my fingers (and everything else crossed) that she is okay.

My eldest daughter has returned to live at home, after working abroad for a few months, she was really unhappy, so is now back with us. It’s nice to have her home, but I’m sure it won’t be long before she finds some work again.

A trip to Portugal

As our daughter was working out in Portugal, my husband and I decided to go out and visit her for a few days. We stayed at the Vila Gale Cerro Alagoa in  Albufeira. The hotel was really lovely, set in really beautiful grounds with a really big pool. The rooms were really nice and we had a room overlooking the pool. We only had breakfast there, which was amazing. There was some much delicious food to choose from, both healthy and not quite so healthy.

When we left the UK the weather was amazingly hot, so arriving in Portugal to an overcast, but warm day was a little bit disappointing, but as the day wore on, the sun came out and it stayed hot, but quite windy for the rest of the days we were there.

Albufeira was quite nice, although quite a busy place. We only got to see a small part of it over a few days, so it’s really difficult to give a proper opinion. Maybe we’ll go back one day and see a bit more of it.

Everyone’s talking about Jamie

On Sunday afternoon I went to see Everyone’s Talking About Jamie. This was recorded from the theatre, but shown at the cinema. I have heard some of the music from it previously and knew that it was about a sixteen year old boy who has the dream of becoming a drag queen.

I was absolutely blown away by the show. Everything about it was absolutely amazing, from the set, the singing, acting and dancing. Everyone who was in it was so talented. The story has you laughing one minute and crying the next. It is a really feel good show, but with the message that you should follow your dreams and accept people for who they are.

I have to say that I would love to see this live now at the theatre, so I’ll add this to my “must see” list.

 

 

 

 

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.

 

A Lottery Dream

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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 !!

 

 

A woman of a certain age

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What are we waiting for?

As I get nearer to 50 I have begun to realise that people expect certain behaviour from you as you get to “a certain age”, as demonstrated by the following conversation at work this week:

Male colleague: I need a haircut

Me: I’m trying to grow mine a bit

Male colleague: I think when women get to a certain age they shouldn’t have long hair

Me: Well what’s a certain age?

Male colleague: Well I know how old you are because you’ve invited me to your 50th

Me: So what’s classed as long hair

Slight pause, followed by an explanation of who he knows, how old they are and how long their hair is!

The thing is that I feel more confident, less stressed and more free to do some of the things that I’ve put off for years whilst waiting to lose weight, waiting until the children are more independent, waiting until I can afford or waiting until I retire.

Things to stop wasting your time with

My daughter posted an item on Facebook  20 Things You Should Stop Wasting Your Time Doing In Your 20s. I looked through it and I realised that a lot of the things that are still relevant to me and some of my friends of a similar age. It’s sad that we let our insecurities and self doubt restrict our lives.  I’m certainly still guilty of a lot of things on the list – namely

Feeling the need to justify your choices

Looking for reassurances that you are enough

Letting other people’s fear dictate your decisions

Talking about improving your life but never doing anything about it

Never leaving your comfort zone

Keeping your life cluttered

Deciding you’ll only do things when you have money or lose weight

Being afraid to ask for help

Sound familiar to any of you?

So part of this year’s plan of action is to start and shake these things off !

The girls

I was really lucky to be able to go to London with a couple of lovely ladies from work to see “The Girls”, this weekend which is the musical based on the Calendar Girls. It was a brilliant show, funny in some parts and very moving in others. It is written by Gary Barlow and Tim Firth. The script and the music seem to go hand in hand to create a retelling of the story in a new way. It is based on a true story involving a group of women from a Yorkshire Women’s Institute, who raise money for a sofa at a local hospital, where one of their husband’s died. They do this by creating a nude calendar. Very brave ladies who went against convention for a great cause.

The really great thing about it for me was the women in the show. Not only did they have great voices and superb acting skills, but their bravery in baring (nearly) all live in front of an audience was impressive in itself. The show talks a lot about women’s roles in life, what’s expected of women by their partners, children and society in general. It also teaches us a lot about ourselves. How we put on a brave face or try to be something we are not to fit in with others. One song especially struck a chord with me – “What age expects”- I’m not as old as the lady in question, but this line certainly says it all

“Don’t be the colour of your hair, be the colour of your heart”

Absolutely! And its no one else’s business how long that hair is !

Harrods – What a disappointment!

And finally just a little bit of a moan.

One of the things we wanted to do whilst in London was to visit Harrods. We had a few things that we wanted to buy. So off we went with our overnight cases, having checked ot of the hotel this morning.

Initially we were turned away from two exits and told to go round the building with no explanation from the slightly snooty security staff. I know I’d had a good night out but I didn’t think I looked rough enough to be refused entry.

On the third occasion we were directed to the next door on and were handed a bag drop card. We went to the bag drop and were told that our bags would be scanned and then we could leave our bags for £25 per item. The consolation was that you then receive a £25 voucher to spend in Harrods. Lovely, we thought, great for security and nice to wander round without the bags. Also fair enough that they charge you to leave your bag if you just wander round and don’t spend anything. Sadly this is not the case (excuse the pun) You have to spend £50 to get £25 off, so unless you spend £50 each, it costs you £25 each to leave your bag.

Come on Harrods, this is a really elitist system. If you’re concerned for security, I am more than happy to have my bag scanned and check it in.  I don’t mind paying for the privilege and getting some of the money back, but £25 is a joke.

My feeling is that it is not about security at all, but about making a bit of extra money, or just putting the average, non millionaire visitor off entering your store!

 

Moan over. After all it’s been a great weekend spent with lovely people doing things that I love most. Here’s to the next one ladies and here’s to all “women of a certain age” who refuse to be tied down by other people’s opinions of them. I certainly intend to be one of them.

 

 

 

 

2017 – The year I am fifty

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Just like millions of other people at this time of year, as New Years Eve approached,  I started to think about what resolutions I should make for the New Year. And, just as I have done for many years I know that I will make them and break them within a matter of days, if not sooner. So why should this year be any different?

This year I will be 50!

It’s hard to believe. It seems like only yesterday that I was running around after my two young daughters, then suddenly I turned around and there they were, women in their own right, with their own dreams and aspirations, their lives stretching ahead of them. I must admit that I panicked at first. I love my husband to death, but I did wonder what would happen when we were on our own. I never had any doubts that we have a strong relationship, but could it pass the “empty nest” test? At the moment only one has left and is in third year at University and will probably not return. The other is in the last year of sixth form, making decisions about her future.

My husband and I have already started to enjoy the freedom that grown up children bring. Having holidays and weekends away without children was pretty new to us.  I’m positive that as I head towards 50 our lives will not be the same.  Not worse, not better, just different. He’s already 50, by the way and seems undaunted by the fact.

Reflections on years gone by

I think I am very blessed.  As I have said already I have a lovely husband (almost 26 years married) and two beautiful daughters (no bias there at all). I have had a stable job for almost 27 years and could officially retire in 3 years. I think I’ve been a sensible (some would say boring!) person, but have enjoyed life, not taken too many risks and always tried to do the right thing. Planning the things I was going to do when I retire kept me looking to the future and got me out of bed on a morning.

Things changed over the last year or so. Just after Christmas 2015, very suddenly, I lost a close friend who was a year younger than me. Another close friend was diagnosed with cancer shortly afterwards. I decided that “when I retire” was no longer the time to do things, but that I should do them now.

Here’s to the future

So as I head towards 50 I started to think about the things that I could do this year to make a difference to my life and possibly to others too. I wanted different resolutions. I still need to lose weight, get fit and all those other things that I promise myself every year, but I wanted this year to be special.

I was chatting to my brother who has recently published two books and I jokingly said “I think I’ll write a book”. He suggested I write a blog and promised me it would be easy.

So this it the first of my resolutions – To write a blog. No one may ever read it, but at least I’ll have a record of what I achieved. It also means I’ll have to make sure that my life is interesting enough to have something to write about.

I already have some holiday and travel plans (watch this space) and am planning a big party for my 50th Birthday, which is in April.

Why “50 the musical”

Well I love musical theatre! I always say that if I won the lottery I would spend the money just going to the theatre. I would see all those musicals that I haven’t had the time or money to see yet.

I like to think that setting my 50th year to music and dance would make it more exciting! I’m not sure who is going to play the part of me as yet, I’ll give it some thought.

Of course I’ll be seeing some musicals this year and no doubt telling you all about them in my blog.