Musical of the Month: Let's Go Fly a Kite!

Hi everyone, hope you've had a good, theatrical February and are ready for all the joys that March will bring you. I realise that I've still got my blog of The Duckhouse to write but thought I better do February's Musical of the Month first as we're nearly at the end. 

Being truly honest, this month I've been raving about three shows but I've blogged about two of them before, Book of Mormon (first blog and second blog) and Witches of Eastwick. The other show that I've had a bit of an obsession with is Mary Poppins. I re-found my liking for this show after seeing the film Saving Mr Banks at the end of January; if you didn't catch it at the cinema I really recommend that you buy it when it comes out on DVD. Anyway seeing the film made me decide to pop my Mary Poppins musical CD in my car CD Player and I've loved re-listening to the songs.

The CD had always used to be the CD my family listened to when we went to see my friend, Megan, in Kent. My favourite song then used to be 'Brimstone and Treacle (Part 2)', however, nowadays I'm in love with, 'Let's Go Fly a Kite'. This is partly because it's such a great song but, also, because the part of Saving Mr Banks that went to this song was so beautiful and happy it would capture anyone's heart. The other song I really love is, 'Being Mrs Banks' which is really sweet, romantic and, to me, embodies what the story is really about.

As for the show itself, I saw it ages ago, when I first started getting into musicals, when I was about 11 or 12. I remember the plot being a bit of a shock at the start as it was quite different to the film and a lot more scary, nevertheless, once I relaxed into it, it was a really great show. From what I can remember the set was amazing and the cast were brilliant and, overall, it was such a beautifully, sweet show that was suitable for all the family; I really wish it would come back or at least tour. 

Anyway, that's enough for now; did any of you see Mary Poppins when it was in the West End and what are your opinions on the musical?
Let me know either by commenting below or tweeting me at @GreenGirlsRox

Hope you have a good March.

Love you all

Kat

xx

Dreaming Baby Dream

Well, well, well, finally here it is, my blog about Dreamboats and Petticoats which I saw at Nottingham Theatre Royal in November last year...yes it does feel like ages ago doesn't it! If you haven't read my blog before I have been meaning to write this post for ages and haven't got round to it what with all the chaos that has been going on in my life (I won't explain as I'll be here for pages and pages and you'll get bored and switch your computers off) in addition to writing my dissertation for my third and final year at uni...scary!

So what of Dreamboats and Petticoats, well if you're wanting to go to the theatre for a highly educational and deep production with lots of twists and turns then this show is not for you. However, if you want a little bit of light hearted relief from your day to day life then go on and buy yourself a ticket (the tour finishes at the end of May in St Albans so you've got plenty of time yet). Basically, the show itself is pretty cute-sie with an decent plot and some great tunes. 

The song list is truly phenomenal, well I do like music from that era, and is really what makes the show, however, I won't go on about this too much as I reviewed the music on my blog previously so if you want to see a more in depth discussion of it click here. Nevertheless, seeing the show in the flesh really brought the music alive particularly as there was a live band on stage. The only annoying bit about this was one of the Saxophone players seemed to have a thing about bending her head backwards so the Saxophone was vertical; now I do agree that this can look cool and jazzy when done once or twice but when she did it two or three times during every song it got a tiny bit repetitive...just a little moan there. However, the rest of the cast were brilliant and truly brought the teenage love story feel to life.
The set and lighting were simple but just right for the show. Everything was very realistic, which was just the right tone for the show. I particularly liked the realism during the fairground section when the dodgeums were brought onto the stage...I don't know what it is but seeing a fairground brought to life on a stage always makes me smile :)
I think that's all I've really got to say...so if it Dreamboats and Petticoats comes to your area I'd definitely say you should get a ticket if you want a fun, cute night out to escape from the reality of the world.

If you've seen the show or just fancy a chat please either comment below or tweet me at @GreenGirlsRox.

Love you all

Kat

xx 

Musical of the Month - The Revisited Show

Hello everyone, well we're at the end of January already and I still haven't written my Dreamboats and Petticoats review...I will do it I promise. Anyway, it's time for the Musical of the Month so let's get going. 

This time I'm going to do it a little differently as I'm not going to do a specific show but a type of show: the revisited type. This is the type of show that draws you back in again and again. Before you get scared this isn't another Priscilla blog, although I have seen that a lot, no, the reason behind this blog is that last week I was down in London as decided to take the time to see three shows that I'd wanted to see again for ages but hadn't got round to it. 

The first show I saw was Matilda, which I'd seen twice before and had been lucky enough to have a back stage tour thanks to the lovely Mark McGowan. This show is truly magical and the kids are super talented; I don't know who else I had but Georgina Pemberton played Matilda and was fabulous. The adult cast is super, as well, but special mention must go to Joshua Wyatt (Michael Wormwood), Lisa Davina Phillip (Mis Phelps) and Alex Gaumond (Miss Trunchbull). The scenery is, also, quite something and Tim Minchin's score is quirky and brilliant. To see the show I was sat a few rows back in the dress circle and had a great view, which was made better by only paying 50p of my own money thanks to saving up my theatre tokens that I'd got from previous birthdays and Christmas'. Overall, this was a truly great show and I was glad I went back to watch it again. 

The next show I was lucky enough to revisit was Les Miserables, which was made all the better by meeting fellow blogger, Dawn Smallwood, and her friend, Alexandra Lewis, at the stage door after the show. For this performance, Simon Shorten played Valjean and was superb at it, as was Tam Mutu (Javert), Na-Young Jeon (Fantine), Cameron Blakely (Thénardier) and Wendy Ferguson (Madame Thénardier)...well actually the whole cast was fabulous but these were my favourites. The show itself was fantastic with some great scenery and the classic score (made better by my front row seat in the dress circle for only £45), which made a truly phenomenal night out at the theatre. I was really pleased to see this legend of a show again as I have wanted to see it another time ever since I saw it when I was about 15ish but I had always put other shows in front of it, going back made me realise what a great show it was and how I probably wouldn't be leaving it so long before going back.

The other show I revisited was Mamma Mia, which again I think I saw when I was 15/16 so was a good 4 - 5 years since I'd been. I'd, also, been meaning to go back for a long time as I had to leave before the finale the last time I saw it so I could catch my train so needed to go back and see this part. Once again I managed to get a brilliant day seat; front row of the Dress Circle for £20 with the most perfect view ever (the ticket said restricted but it really wasn't)! I was a bit doubtful of the cast to begin with, mainly because they weren't what I pictured in my head (naughty me for watching too much of the film), but after the first few songs they grew on me and gave a super performance, particularly Dickie Wood who played the mischievous Pepper. As many of you probably know the songs are taken from the music that the band ABBA wrote and as an ABBA fan this means they are just my cup of tea and produced a good party atmosphere. The set itself was good, however, I think more could have been done to decorate the stage area as it ended up looking like a blue box, and the dangling tree was a little questionable as well. Nevertheless, once I got into the show this was forgotten and with some truly comic as well as touching moments the show was definitely worth the revisit. 

But what makes a revisited show so special, well I think it allows you to really explore the show and to focus on some on the details that you may have missed the first time. Also, it's interesting to see how different cast portray the characters differently and how a show changes when put in a different theatre (aka Mamma Mia). Additionally, if you're like me you'll find that you forgot certain magical moments from the first time you saw a show and it'll touch your heart when they're played out and you remember them. Furthermore, shows do change and are adapted to fit with the times; there was quite a few moments in Matilda that had been updated since the last time I saw it and it was interesting to see what changes had been made. And, finally, I think if you really enjoy a show there's no harm in going to see it again and again; theatre is there to make people happy so I see nothing wrong in seeing the same show again and again if it makes you really happy. It's because of these reasons why "The Revisited Show" is my Musical of the Month for January :)

I hope you've been having a theatrical month; are there any shows you like going to see again and again, if so please comment below or tweet me at @GreenGirlsRox, I'd love to hear from you.

Love you all

Kat

xx

Musical of the Year - Flying Free

Hello everyone, I know I've missed several Musical's of the Month and I've still got a Dreamboats and Petticoats blog to write but I thought it would be a good way to finish of 2013 (well start 2014 but it's really finishing 2013, just a bit later than planned) by having a Musical of the Year. 

This musical has ticked all the boxes for me, not only is it a truly spectacular show but it's, also, been my lifesaver this year and reminded me what is really important. For those of you who are regular readers of my blog I think you may be a little surprised to hear that the show in question is not Priscilla! Priscilla, itself, is in a very close 2nd place but this particular show just pipped it to the post. The show in question is the last show I've been to see and was the perfect way to finish off my year of 2013. However, this wasn't the first time I've seen this particular show, in fact I've seen it 11 times now (I think), including twice on Broadway; yes, I'm talking about the sensational show Wicked. 

Before discussing the cast at my most recent viewing let me give a bit more detail as to why this show is my Musical of the Year. Well, firstly, Elphaba is me in musical theatre character form; the odd ball who stands up for what she believes is right no matter what the cost. Then there's some really beautiful lines such as, 'Do you think I want to be this way? Do you think I want to care this much? Don't you know how much easier my life would be if I didn't', 'Elphaba: You're the only friend I've ever had. Glinda: And I've had so many friends, but only one who mattered', 'Elphaba: You're still beautiful. Fiyero: You don't have to lie to me. Elphaba: It's not lying...it's looking at things another way' and then, perhaps the most beautiful lines of all, in my eyes, 'So if you care to find me look to the western sky! As someone told me lately: "Ev'ryone deserves the chance to fly!"

And if I'm flying solo at least I'm flying free to those who'd ground me take a message back from me. Tell them how I am defying gravity. I'm flying high defying gravity and soon I'll match them in renown. And nobody in all of Oz, no Wizard that there is or was, isever gonna bring me down!'.

Too me all those lines are capable of touching a special place in my heart but the last ones, the lyrics to the last verse of Defying Gravity, are more special to me than anything as they serve as a reminder to say that you shouldn't let anyone, no matter how important, stop you from achieving your dreams, whatever those dreams may be. 

If that wasn't reason enough as to why Wicked should be the Musical of the Year, the show, also, has amazing costumes, brilliant special effects, the right balance between humour and seriousness and, as hinted at, a killer set of songs, to the extent that the first lines of Dancing Through Life gave me the inspiration to my education dissertation; 'The trouble with schools is they always try to teach the wrong lessons. 

So that's why you should make this your number one priority to see in 2014, but why are the current West End cast so brilliant. Well, over time I've seen quite a lot of people in the cast, including the formidable Kerry Ellis and Oliver Tompsett. No one had ever really loved up to Oliver's performance of Fiyero until this last time. The chap (I'll do a full list of names below) was nothing like Oliver but there was just a little something special about his portrayal that really got me liking him. In fact, there was just something special about the whole cast who delivered a truly stunning performance of an already spectacular show; there was just a little something, and I can't quite put my finger on what, that made the show feel extra specially magical. I, also, must mention that the girl who played Elphaba was mesmerising and had the clearest diction and most amazing voice I've heard in a long time. The current cast are just the cherry on top of an already perfect show. 

So that's why Wicked has to be my Musical of the Year. All that's left to say now is I'll see you all in 2014; happy new year everyone. If you ever want a chat either comment below or tweet me at @GreenGirlsRox, I'd love to hear from you. 

Love you all

Kat

xx

Cast List:

Elphaba - Willemijn Verkalk

Glinda - Savannah Stevenson

Fiyero - Jeremy Taylor

Madame Morrible - Sue Kelvin

The Wizard - Sam Kelly

Nessarose - Katie Rowley Jones

Boq - Sam Lupton

Doctor Dillamond - Paul Clarkson

A New Year

Well, here we are and it's 2014! Its doesn't seem that long ago since I was writing my new years post for 2013 but so much has changed since then as well. I've seen so many shows, with the two main shows of the year having to be Priscilla, which I saw in Manchester, Oxford, Wimbledon, Southampton, Nottingham, Belfast and Hull, and Rocky Horror, which I saw in Grimsby, Cambridge, Manchester, Cardiff and Nottingham (to see my blogs please click the locations). I, also, got the chance to review Spamalot or Last Minute Theatre Tickets, which was an amazing experience. Another well deserved show mention is Wicked, which I have doubled my love for this year as it, particularly, have stood by me and built me back up after the times of trouble. Finally, the new gem of  a show I found this year was Newsies which I hope so much comes to the West End as it is one of the most amazing shows I have ever seen.

As for life in general, well 2013 has not been the best year for me, saying that it's through the times of trouble that we notice the light that is around us in our friend and family; suddenly you realise which are the people who are always there for you and I'm pleased to say there is a lot of people out there for me and I'm truly blessed to know so many. I won't, however, go naming names as I'm more than likely to forget someone and don't want to cause offence but I'm sure all these wonderful people will know who they are. 

And then what of the hope of 2014, well hopefully I'll have a better time and be a lot less accident prone. However, let's look at the most important thing, theatre, well I hope to see Priscilla at least once more in the new year (well I bet you could guess that anyway). I, also, really hope to see Miss Saigon as I've heard the music and very good things about previous productions of this show so cannot wait to see a new production. As well as this, I'm hoping to see The Duck House as it looks like a very funny show that is a little different than my usual musical theatre show (due to the lack of songs). 

So that's all for my sum up of the year, before I go I'll leave you with my best three theatre bloggers. Also, I feel it's necessary to pause for a second to pay a thought for all involved with the accident that happened at The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime and hope that everything gets sorted out as quickly as possible.

The Best Three Theatre Bloggers:
Dawn Smallwood: http://dawnsmallwood.blogspot.co.uk
Thoughts of a Blue Eyed Girl: http://thoughtsofablueeyedgirl.blogspot.co.uk
Ignited by a Dream: http://ignitedbyadream.wordpress.com

Hope you all have a good year and remember to defy gravity, be a little bit naughty and remember to seize the day! It would be lovely to hear from you, please contact me either by commenting below or tweeting me on @GreenGirlsRox.

Love you lots

Kat

xx

It's Time to Dress Up!

Hi guys, I know it's been an age since I published a blog but I'm going to appeal to your better nature and ask if you can bare with me while I'm in my final year of university, which constitutes running around like a headless chicken for the majority of the time...I'm sure any of you who have been to university will understand.

This blog is going to focus on two shows, mainly because I have written blogs about them both before so don't want to go on about them too much, I do, however, feel that it is nice to write about them again as, as you'll know, every theatre experience is different, exciting and new in their own way. 

The first show is The Rocky Horror Show (to see my previous blogs please click the venues: Grimsby, Cambridge, Manchester and Cardiff), which sadly finished its tour during November (don't kill me if I'm wrong!). My last stop off at this show was in Nottingham on 28th November where I saw the show twice...yes I'm crazy enough to have seen the same show twice in one day! I saw the matinee performance with my mum and then saw the evening show with my mum and two friends who had never seen the show before. Well, a great time was had by all with much dressing up and time warping in the aisles.

Overall, the show was much the same as when I have previously reviewed it...which if you can't remember was A-MAZE-ING! However, there was one cast change, which was that Richard Meek was playing Eddie/Dr Scott rather than Joel Montague. I have to say that, although Richard played the role differently to Joel, I'm not sure which one I prefered as they were both great performances and really got the character of Eddie/Dr Scott across. It just goes to show that just because someone plays a role differently doesn't make them better or worse than the original, just different.

So I would say that I am rather gutted that the tour finished, though I do understand that a 40th anniversary tour cannot run forever, but if any of the main cast (I'll list them below) appear in another show I would be tempted to go and see them in that and I would, also, be tempted to go and see the show again in a future version of the tour...both cast and show are fabulous.

Rocky Horror Cast (some roles were played by more than one person over the course of the tour, I'll only list those who I saw):

Frank N Furter - Oliver Thornton

Ben Forester - Brad Majors 

Sam Attwater - Brad Majors

Danny Harmer - Jannet Weiss

Roxanne Pallett - Jannet Weiss

Harry Neale - Rocky

Henry Davis - Rocky

Rhydian - Rocky

Philip Franks - Narrator

Kristian Lavercombe - Riff Raff

Ceris Hine - Columbia

Abigail Jaye - Magenta

Maria Coyne - Magenta

The other show I wanted to talk about was my latest visit to see the tour of Priscilla, which this time was in Hull (for any of my previous blogs please click the venues: Manchester, Oxford, Wimbledon, Southampton, Nottingham, Belfast). The main thing to say about this show is I cannot believe how much I can still enjoy it after seeing it so many times yet each time I know that I will definitely be going back as many times as I can before it the tour finished (I'm secretly hoping that it won't and it will just be an ever going tour).

One thing that was different this time is something that is more to do with the business that goes on backstage than what the audience sees. I, reliably, found out that due to the backstage area of the theatre being really small it was only possible to fit one acts worth of props and costumes backstage so during the interval the company had to take all of act one's stuff back to the lorries that were parked outside the theatre and move act two's stuff into the theatre. I don't know about you but I found this particularly interesting and an insight into the complications of life with a touring show.

I, also, have to come out and say that I am now fully converted to the touring production of the show and will confess to preferring it more than the West End version...and yes that is even with the tour not having a 'full bus'. As well as the fantastic cast, what really has sold me on the tour is the replacement of Downtown with It's Raining Men, as an opening number this song really let's you know you're in for one of the most fantastic shows ever.

So that they don't feel left out I will, also, list the full Priscilla cast, and if the sad day comes when the tour closed I will be making a point of finding out which shows these guys are going into as they truly are fantastic. 

Priscilla Cast (some roles were played by more than one person over the course of the tour):

Jason Donovan - Tick/Mitzi

Noel Sullivan - Tick/Mitzi

Richard Grieve - Bernadette

Graham Weaver - Adam/Felicia

Giles Walting - Bob

Julie Stark - Marion

Emma Kingston - Diva

Ellie Leah - Diva/Shirley

Laura Mansell - Diva

Frances Mayli Mccann - Cynthia

Alan Hunter - Miss Understanding

Regan Shepherd - Farrah/Young Bernadette

Ian Oswald - Dance Captain

Bleu Woodward - Dance Captain

Hope all you're all ok and are having fun in the run up to Christmas. Keep looking out for my blog on Dreamboats and Petticoats, which I saw when it came to Nottingham in late November, and, also, a blog about Wicked, which I'll be seeing tomorrow :). If you have any questions or queries or just want a chat please comment below or on Facebook or tweet me at @GreenGirlsRox.

Love you all

Kat

xx

    

Manic Monday's (and other days as well)

Hello everyone, well I've officially started back at uni so my life is currently manic...I mean, for goodness sake, I haven't even written up my last Rocky experience from the end of September...it's coming soon people. Anyway, if truth be told my Musical of the Month would be exactly the same as last month as I still haven't managed to take the Newsies CD out of my car CD player for more than a day yet (well except for when I crashed my car but that's another story boo hoo). However, that may be a bit dull for me to go rabbiting on about the same show (I know I do it for Priscilla...oops) so for any of you who are interested in this fabulous show here's the link to my last Musical of the Month. But what about this month, well I'm going to cheat and do a play not a musical as the other show that has been completely taking up my life is Adult Child/Dead Child by Claire Dowie. 

This play has been monumental to me this past month (well actually for quite a few months) as my friend, Holly, and I decided to put it on at our university. The date we performed was the 10th October (so actually it was pretty near the start of October but hey ho) and, as far as we could tell, people seemed to enjoy it and learnt something from it. 

The play itself focuses on a person (who is non gender specific) who is assumed to be schizophrenic and explores the reasons why they have ended up that way. The play raises issues such as lack of love, loneliness, loss of childhood, friendship, parental abuse and mental health; however, Claire Dowie (the playwright) claims she wrote the play about nothing at all. 

For our depiction we chose to opt for portraying the play in a in-yer-face style so there was a lot of going up to people as shouting in their faces, pushing people and at one point I went over and sat on a person's knee for five minutes. This seemed to heighten the tension and create more dramatic impact to the play. 

We, also, had the audience sat separately and in the round. The separation was so that people would feel isolated and, particularly wouldn't be able to grab onto their friends hand if they became scared; they'd have to deal with their fear themselves, just like the character did. We chose to do the play in the round as we felt this made the audience closer to the play (they weren't just sat in one big block). Furthermore, the roundness of the audience was akin to a brain, which depicted the fact that the play was happening within the character's brain. We extended this thought by chalking words such as 'crazy' and 'lunatic' on the wall so as to show that these were the words spinning around the character's head as it was what other people were calling them; it, also, brought to life the phrase "The writing's on the wall". 

Additionally, we based our concept around childhood as we felt that the main impact on the character's life was their childhood. This resulted in the space being strewn with toys from our childhood, including building bricks, toy trains and a very large teddy to name a few. 

The highlight, and also the worst moment, of the play for me was when I accidentally pushed one of the audience members a bit too hard and they fell off their chair (ooops). Although I was extremely worried it was, also, very hard to stop laughing and lots of the audience came up to me at the end saying how bad they felt for laughing. Luckily said audience member, who just happened to be my boyfriend (and no I don't usually go around beating him up, I just didn't realise quite how strong I was) was ok and the show carried on quite well after that. 

We are now very sad that the experience is over and are hoping to revive it at some point. I hope you have enjoyed reading about my experience of performing Adult Child/Dead Child by Claire Dowie; if any of you have any other topics you'd like me to cover in the coming weeks please comment below or tweet me at @GreenGirlsRox and I'd be happy to oblige (I'm a bit theatre-less at the moment). 

Anyway, love you all

Kat

Xx

 

P.S. Please forgive me of any speling errors as my computer has only just been fixed (thanks to the my amazingly clever boyfriend and his brother) after becoming very infected so I don't have Microsoft Word yet to spell check everything on.