The Sparkles of a Year!

Hello my lovely readers. Hope you are all well and had a lovely Christmas and are well prepared for the New Year. This blog is going to be slightly different and not particularly theatrical but I read a fellow theatrical blogger (Ignitedbyadream) who did a similar type post and felt inspired to do the same. As my last blog of this year I think it's very fitting to look back on 2012 and then look forward to all that's happening in 2013.
At the start of 2012 I was just a uni student who liked musical theatre and really liked Priscilla. I felt as though I was the only person in the world who was completely nuts about musicals...how wrong I was! During the past year I have made so many great friends who like me (and all you lot) have a passion for musicals but more than that they are simply great people; people who even when I fall pick me back up and set me on my feet again so I can continue to fight. It's here that I'd like to give a big shout out to Sharon McLaughlin, Jane Cuming, Carol Clowes, Bex Clowes, Faye, Rob Jones, Lisa Vessey and Callum Mathers...you guys are totally amazing and are proof of how family isn't always blood!
Moving on...2012 saw quite a few theatrical highlights for me including starting this blog (thank you all for reading), going to West End Bares, finding my favourite theatre in the world (the Wales Millennium Centre) and going to London on my own! All in all I think 2012 was a really good year and quite a turning point for me both as a person and theatrically.
So what does 2013 hold in store? Well a hell of a lot of theatre trips, more than I've ever been to before. Mainly Priscilla but with a bit of Rocky Horror, Once, Loserville, Cabaret and Kerry Ellis thrown in. Hopefully I'll be seeing West End Live and West End Bares again (it'll be lovely to see some of you there as well...and basically just a load of rushing round and finally feeling like I fit in.
To finish off I'll give you my three New Year’s resolutions:
1. To remember that life will never be perfect but that I have perfect friends who will help me face it.
2. To see as much theatre as possible and travel round the country whilst doing so.
3. To dance like no one is watching, to sing like no one is listening, to dream as if I'll live forever and to live as if I'll die today!
I hope you enjoyed reading this rather random last blog of the year! Please, please tweet me on @GreenGirlsRox, I'd love to hear from you. Just before I leave for the year I just wanted to add this little quote I made up myself...think it's very fitting...

Lots of love

Kat

xxxx

Musical of the Month - Money and Magic

Happy Christmas and happy New Year to my wonderful readers! Hope you're all well at this festive time of year. Anyway, I thought I better get going with this month’s Musical of the Month.

Well this month I thought I'd do a show that completely blew me away when I saw it and when it came on my iPod I remembered how much I'd enjoyed it. The musical in question is How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.

I saw this when I was lucky enough to go to New York nearly two years ago. I remember wanting to go and see something that wasn't over in the West End so we asked the advisor at our hotel what she'd recommend and she recommended this. She, also, said that Daniel Radcliffe was in it as the lead. Now as a major Harry Potter can I was quite excited, however, the age old doubt of celebrities is musicals resurfaced. I know Dan had acted on the stage before but I'd never seen him and was very worried about his ability to sing and dance!

The next evening we headed over to the Al Hirschfeld Theatre and were handed our playbills (free of charge...Broadway is certainly better that the West End in that respect!) before taking our seats. Well the curtains opened and wow for the next few hours I was carried away into another world!

Now the show itself isn't particularly spectacular...I mean there's not clever scenery, fancy lighting or amazing special effects but the story, the performance and the songs were just wow!

The story is very funny and extremely clever and very, very real! I don't want to go into too much depth in case any of you ever get the chance to see it.

The songs were very quirky and funny and I still love listening to them now. My absolute favourite has to be Brotherhood of Man which is just fantastically clever, witty and a beautiful uplifting piece. My one criticism is that although I find the songs good, they may not be as amazing of you haven't seen the show, however, I'd still recommend that you try them out!

And finally the performance...firstly as a Fosse show you'd expect the dancing to be second to none...well it was better than that, it was a gazillions times better than Chicago...WOW just WOW is all I can say. The actual performers were brilliant with all of them being perfectly tuned to each other. I was particularly impressed by John Larroquette who was incredibly funny and just exceptional. However, the person who really stole the show was Dan...and I'm not just saying that as a Harry Potter fan, he was literally superb! Not only was his acting amazing (kinda to be expected) but his singing and dancing were out of this world! I'll attach a video so you can all watch in awe and wonder. I think what made it better was that it was totally not expected. I think it is safe to say that Dan definitely has the crown of best celebrity in a show ever!!!

After the show I decided go to the stage door expecting a similar thing to the West End...how wrong was I!!! The whole theatre had turned out and there were barriers and police men who kept telling people off from standing on the road! I managed to get a pic of Dan's hat and that was it but it was lovely to see such support for the actors!!!

Overall, this was a brilliant show and I'd recommend anyone who gets the chance to see it or Dan on stage to take it! I, also recommend you all to have a look at the YouTube videos! I definitely think this is a very worthy musical of the month!

Have any of you had the chance to see How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying? If so what did you think? What do you think of the YouTube videos?

Hope you're all having a great time at this festive time of year.

Lots of love

Kat

xx

 

There's A Little Ditty...

Hiya everyone,

Yet again I feel like I haven't posted in ages, I'll tell you what I'll be better next year as I have like a million and one theatre trips planned. Since last time I have booked to go and see Kerry Ellis on 12th May at the London Palladium. I have, also, booked my hotel for when I see Once (which I won tickets to!)...I'm telling you one thing I am so in love with that hotel it's just beautiful!

Anyway let's get on with the blogging...I wanted to try something slightly different this time and see what you make of it. I recently rediscovered my passion for doing these little ditty's when I wrote a Priscilla one to try a cheer them up. Basically they're little stories (not sure if that's the right word but hey ho) using the titles of/quotes from musical songs. So here we go...

Well due to the title of this blog, the first one has to be Oliver, which is done to the tune of 'Oom-Pah-Pah ...

 

There's a little ditty they're singing in the city,

Especially as long as he needs me.

And I'd do anything to buy those sweet red roses,

Or just to get some strawberries ripe.

 

Oom-Pah-Pah, Oom-Pah-Pah,

There's a boy for sale!

Oom-Pah-Pah, Oom-Pah-Pah,

Who will buy?

There's sausage and mustard

Cold Jelly and custard!

When we sing Oom-Pah-Pah.

 

Oh when we're reviewing the situation,

You've got to know we'll be back soon.

Just consider yourself that it's a fine, fine life,

And know that you'll have to pick a pocket or two.

 

Oom-Pah-Pah, Oom-Pah-Pah,

There's a boy for sale!

Oom-Pah-Pah, Oom-Pah-Pah,

Who will buy?

Magical, wonderful,

Marvellous food!

Oh let's just sing Oom-Pah-Pah

 



 

 

Well, you've guessed it, the next one has to be Priscilla...would it be me if it wasn't would it!?!...no tune, just a bit of randomness :)...

 

 

Well when I looked at both sides now I thought to myself that I will survive as long as I say a little prayer for you. However, that a bit difficult as I'm in the downtown section of boogie wonderland right in the centre of Venus, just sat here eating my swedes looking at the cock in a frock on a rock. So why don't you just come and colour my world but please don't leave the cake out in the rain because I'll never have that recipe again as I lost it in MacArthur Park and it was very sad as me and that recipe, well, we belong together because we both go west and listen to the pop musik together but I suppose I'll have to cope, let's just say, thank God I'm a country boy! 

 

And finally, for now, let's have something a bit more traditional and do Les Mis, to the tune of 'Do You Hear the People Sing...

 

 

Oh do you hear the people sing,

About the fact I dreamed a dream,

And the lovely ladies sing,

'bout a castle on a cloud.

And when I'm all on my own,

The stars will look down,

On the master of the house,

Once again!

 

Oh oh will you bring him home,

To the little fall of rain?

And will you drink with me,

At the end of the day?

There are empty chairs at empty tables,

When I'm all alone.

Oh please do bring him home,

just one day more!

 

 

I hope you enjoyed those little bits of randomness... please let me know what you thought by commenting below or tweeting me at @GreenGirlsRox...I'd love to hear from you :)

Love you lots and jelly tots

Love

Kat

xx