Regents Park Theatre

A Variety of Theatre Visits

~ 50themusical ~ Leave a comment

In August I was once again lucky enough to attend theatre productions on a number of occasions. Each event was brilliant, but they were also very varied. As you most likely know, my preferred choice is musical theatre, but recently have been fortunate to see some slightly different performances, which is always interesting and adds a new perspective to the world of theatre.

Fiddler on the Roof – Grand Theatre, Leeds

I have always loved this show, ever since seeing the film version when I was very young. I have seen a number of stage versions. This one was the same production I saw in Regent’s Park last year. I was interested to see how it would transfer to indoor theatre, as the outdoor theatre definitely makes an impact on productions.

I went with my friend who has never seen the show before. I have tried many times to get my husband to go and watch it, but although he likes the majority of the music, he finds the film too long and boring, so will not give the live version a go.

The production lived up to expectations. The singing and harmonies were beautiful. The dancing, particularly by the men was amazing and the set was pretty impressive and very close to how it had originally been staged at the outdoor theatre. I wasn’t sure what my friend would think, but at the interval she turned to me and just said “wow”, which told me everything I needed to know.

There has been some criticism of the use of regional accents rather than the traditional Jewish accents. For me it did spoil it at all and I would prefer actors using their own accents, or ones they know well rather than hearing disappointing attempts at an accent which then takes away from the enjoyment of the show.

I am so glad I got to see it again. It is an old story, but the themes of suspicion of others, rebellious children, culture clashes, politics, belief and tradition are all still relevant in todays society. The sad thing is that in many ways we don’t really seem to have moved forward.

The Tempest – Ascott House , Leighton Buzzard

I have not seen a lot of Shakespeare and generally stick to the well known ones (Romeo and Juliet, MacBeth), or the one I learned at O’Level (A Midsummer Night’s Dream). The main reason I saw this was because my daughter’s partner was in the production. This was an outdoor event, in the most beautiful surroundings on a beautiful sunny day, with very lovely snacks and in the company of friends, so what’s not to like?

The Tempest is a story of romance, magic, betrayal and forgiveness. In this production the majority of the actors play a number of characters. This works very well and the majority of the acting was entertaining and convincing. It had some very funny moments, involving people within the audience. There was a lot of action, running around the stage and out into the audience which gave it an energetic feel.

It was an excellent evening and a good way to see Shakespeare if you’re not sure whether you’ll like it or not. It certainly makes the plays more accessible to an audience who may have previously avoided Shakespeare.

Brigadoon – Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre

I am a massive fan of this theatre and feel that it gives new life to shows that have not been seen for many years. The theatre itself has a lovely atmosphere, particularly at this time of year when you suddenly realise that it has become dark whilst you have been watching.

As always the set was imaginative and stunning. The show began with two pipers walking down the extremely steep steps to the stage, such a beautiful sound and sight which made the hairs stand up on the back of my neck.

The story is about a village which only appears every one hundred years. There is love, laughter and jealousy amid some beautiful music and some of the most incredible dancing I have seen in a long time. The singing was breathtaking.

The costumes were a blend of traditional Scottish attire, muted colours and a modern twist, which worked really well and looked beautiful.

As always in newer productions some things had been altered from the original, but in this instance it did not feel that it interfered with the flow of the show and for me, actually added to the drama of the story. I enjoyed the evening and I would describe it as “nice”, which sounds a little bit flat, but it left you feeling warm and calm rather than elated or heartbroken.

Guys and Dolls – Wakefield Youth Theatre, Theatre Royal Wakefield

We have supported the Youth Theatre at Wakefield for many years and have never been disappointed with any of their productions. This year was no exception. Guys and Dolls is one of my husband’s favourite shows with his favourite number being “sit down you’re rocking the boat”.

This production had everything you could hope for, colourful costumes, amazing singing, excellent acting and precise, energetic dancing. All the leads were flawless and the ensemble gave their all to each and every number.

My husband’s favourite number was performed to absolute perfection and we left the theatre feeling impressed and with our moods lifted, ready for the rest of the weekend.

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!