One Singular Sensation

Hi everyone, hope you're all ok...I'm feeling a little behind on blogging but here goes. 

Well last week I was living in London as I was doing the Musical Theatre Audition Techniques Course at Arts Educational. Over my life I've got used to the write up to courses being slightly exaggerated in relation to what the course delivers so was completely amazed when this did exactly what it said on the tin. I have to say it was, probably, the most useful, interesting and fun thing I've ever done! I haven't done any other Musical Theatre course so I haven't got anything to compare it to in that sense but in terms of life experience it was definitely one of the best. 

Well during the week (on the Wednesday) my mum came down and we went to see A Chorus Line together before it closed. My main reason for picking the show was because I love the song One and, thus, thought I'd love the show. I have to say I was a little worried about the fact there was no interval due to the show being set in real time. However, although I did get a tad restless toward the end, this didn't really seem to bother me; the only really strange thing was just getting up and walking out the theatre rather than having an ice cream in the middle, if that makes sense. 

The show itself was rather strange but very good. The plot centred around an audition and the life stories of the auditionees so probably doesn't sound the most exciting, however, it was fascinating and exiting with some great songs thrown in there. 

As I mentioned I went to go and see the show because of the song One so of course I loved it when they performed it. The other songs were really good too and all had little funny quirks, just like the characters who were singing them. The other song I knew already was What I Did For Love; now I don't want to spoil the show so I won't go into too much detail but I have to say I wasn't expecting it to be sung in that sort of context...any of you who've seen A Chorus Line will probably get what I mean and for those of you who haven't, well, it's probably not what you think...knowing what the song is actually about makes it so much more powerful to me now; it's a song anyone who wants to be in showbiz or has succeeded will get. 

Now onto the set...well what appears to be a rather bland black stage is transformed into a classy performance space when the mirrors turn round and actually create a beautiful space to perform. The addition of the mirrors adds depth and another layer to the dances. For a set that is very minimalistic it is, also, very beautiful. 

And, finally, the actors...well they were just amazing and all round triple threats. For the performance I went to there was quite a lot of understudies (LucyJane Adcock was Cassie, Genevieve Nicole was Sheila, Alice Jane Murray was Judy, Harry Francis was Mike and Michael Steeldon was Mark), nevertheless there were all fantastic and you couldn't tell at all. 

Overall, I really enjoyed the show and am very pleased that I went. I would urge you to go and see it before it closes as it was a one of a kind show. 

As usual, I'll leave you with a few photos from my trip.

The London Palladium

 

 Me Outside the Theatre

And finally, keep your eyes peeled as I'm jetting off to Washington and New York this coming Monday so will be blogging (or perhaps vlogging) about some of the theatre out there. 

Other than that I'd love to hear your opinions by either commenting below or tweeting me at @GreenGirlsRox. 

Love

Kat

Xx

It is a Plane...I've Just had its Wings Clipped!

Hiya everyone, just a quick-y this time as I know I've done many, many reviews on this show before (please click the venues to see: Manchester, Oxford, Wimbledon, Southampton and Nottingham). I've just a few points to add about the amazing show that is Priscilla. 

Well, after I'd seen the show in Wimbledon I turned to my mum and said that for my birthday I just wanted to be as happy as I was at that moment...and so it was decided that we'd go and see Priscilla as my birthday treat. It just so happened that the show was in Belfast!!!

So after a lot of planning we jetted off to Belfast. The city itself was really nice even considering we spent an hour on my birthday walking the wrong way in the pouring before deciding to get a taxi...this did mean we found a really nice hairdresser to re-straighten my hair!

So what do I have to say about the actual show? Well, firstly Noel Sullivan was playing Tick rather than Jason Donovan. When I'd seen Noel in Southampton I hadn't been too sure and, especially as I'd fallen in love with Jason in the role the week before in Nottingham, I was a bit disappointed when I realised it would be Noel. Well, I needn't have been as he was fantastic and had really grown into the role. I now really don't mind who I see play Tick again, out of the two, as both are a-maze-ing and play the role uniquely but super-ly as well. 

The other thing I really wanted to say was how beautiful Belfast Grand Opera House is. I walked into the auditorium and was just stunned by the magnificence and the ceiling was fantastic. It's such a shame it's so far to travel for me as it really was one of the most beautiful theatres I've ever been in and I urge you, if you're ever in Belfast, to see a show there just so you can marvel at its splendour. 

That's all I really need to say as I do know I go on about this show but there are so many new things to see plus each venue is different...I mean the evening performance in Belfast was the best and most electric yet! 

So all that's left to do is leave you with a few photos of my trip...

From Left to Right: Mum and Me at Belfast Grand Opera House; The Outside of Belfast Grand Opera House; Me with Liam Marcellino (Ensemble); Me Outside Belfast City Hall; Me with Regan Shepherd; Me at the Airport with Belfast Bear; The View from George Best Belfast Airport; Me with Richard Grieve; and Me in the Grand Opera House.

 

Right I'll love you and leave you. Please comment below or tweet me at @GreenGirlsRox if you have any comments on this blog or just want a chat. Keep your eyes peeled for my next blog on A Chorus Line. 

Love you lots

Kat

Xx

Someone Left the Cake Out in the Rain

Hello everyone, hope you're all well as July draws to a close. Now I've know I've already done my Musical of the Month post (please click here to view) but Well I just got to say a little bit about my latest trip to see Priscilla. I know I've seen this many times before (please click the locations to view my previous blogs: Manchester, Oxford, Wimbledon, Southampton) but there are a few extra things I'd like to say. 

Firstly, it was really nice to see the show on sort of home turf. This past week the show was in Nottingham which is what I class as my local theatre...there is a theatre in Lincoln but it never gets any of the big tours. But, really, sitting down to watch the show so close to home was really something special plus it allowed me to see it three times in a week with breaking the bank on a hotel. 

The other thing I was amazed at was how many new things I saw, which considering by last Friday I was onto my 7th tour is something. 

I was, also, really pleased with Jason Donovan. I know I've seen him before but he really, really impressed me this time. There's some Priscilla fans who aren't too keen on his performance as Tick but to me he's just right for the role. I don't know whether it was because he was the first Tick I saw but when I imagine Tick I think of him. Furthermore, this time I was especially impressed with his voice and characterisation, which was really hilarious. Well done JD...you rocked Notts. 

Another thing to mention is that Nottingham was a venue where the Diva's didn't fly. I'm presuming that this was because the theatre didn't have capacity for flying as that is what was said when they didn't fly in Torquey. It was a bit of a shock to begin with but I don't feel it detracted anything from the show and, actually, they way they did it worked really well. 

Additionally, Nottingham was another venue, like Wimbledon, where the dance captain, Ian Oswald, along with Aaron Sweeney-Harris came out during the interval and chose people. Now you could only go up once in a week, which is fair enough, so I managed to get up on Thursday. I was picked to go on Wednesday but too many people had been picked by accident so I volunteered to go back as I had two more chances...what really impressed me was that both the guys remembered and saved me a slot on Thursday...this Priscilla cast is just so amazing and filled with such lovely people...perfection. 

Finally, I can't leave without mentioning the two guys who, for me, steal the show...I literally can't take my eyes off them. Please give a big cheer for Alan Hunter and Regan Shepherd. What makes them even better performers, other than their great legs, brilliant characterisation and stunning charm, is how nice they are at the stage door. I'm not saying that everyone else isn't nice, just that these two are exceptionally nice. Additionally, it was Regan's birthday last Thursday so I got him a little gift...just a framed painting I'd done. 

All in all I had a great time last week and can't wait to see it again on my birthday next Thursday in Belfast (yes I'm double showing as well!). 

I'll leave you with some pictures from my trip.

 

Me Outside the Theatre

Jason Donovan

 

Me with Regan Shepherd (with the birthday present I gave him)

Me with Alan Hunter

 

Now all that's left to say is I hope you enjoyed reading this. If any of you are Priscilla fans please either comment below or tweet me at @GreenGirlsRox...I'd love to hear from you. 

Love you lots

Kat

Xx

I Met Him on a Monday and my Heart Stood Still

Hi everyone, I thought I'd post my Musical of the Month post a tad early as on the 31st I'm jetting off to Belfast to see Priscilla for my birthday on the 1st August (best day of the year!). This is, also, a rather special post as on the yesterday (25th July) Stage Right celebrated it's first birthday. It's strange because it doesn't seem like yesterday since I started blogging and wondering if anyone would actually read what I wrote but then again so much has happened in this past year: I've made friends, lost friends, completed my 2nd year at uni, discovered a whole blogging and Musical Theatre community, found some great shows and revisited some old ones (many times) and just generally changed a lot as a person...here's to another great year :) 

On a similar note, watch this space come August as I'm extremely busy Musical Theatre wise...as mentioned I'm seeing Priscilla in Belfast but I'm, also, spending a week in London at the Arts Ed Musical Theatre Audition Techniques course, continuing working on Adult Child / Dead Child with Holly...oh and just happen to be spending 5 days in Washington and 5 days in New York...busy, busy, busy. I've, also, seen Priscilla in Nottingham twice already this week and am going back today (keep your eyes pealed for the blog on this). 

Well, anyway what's this month's Musical of the Month. At the start of July I decided to sort out my iTunes and whilst doing so I remembered my mum had brought me the Dreamboats and Petticoats CD for Christmas so after uploading it to iTunes I decided to bung the CD into my car CD player where it has stayed to this very day!

Now I haven't seen the show but it is currently touring so I  hoping to go when it comes to Nottingham in November. However, I do know the show is set in 1961...get your polka dot skirts and quiffs out...and the music is just stunning. 

Other than musical theatre my music tastes consists on anything from between 1920-1960's oh and a bit of 1980's too...basically pop before I was born. This means that the music used in Dreamboats and Petticoats is, to me, perfect as not only is it from an era of music I like but it's got a musical theatre twist to it. The other thing that is perfect about these songs is that they just suit the warm, sunny days we are having down to a T. 

I can't really say much more about this show other than this is definitely a soundtrack worth buying...I just love it!

Have any of you seen Dreamboats and Petticoats? And are you doing anything interesting this summer? If so I'd love to hear from you either by commenting below it tweeting me at @GreenGirlsRox. 

Love

Kat

Xx

Taking Off the Heels and Make-Up of Rocky Horror (Spoiler Alert)

Heya everyone, hope you're loving all this sunny English weather...and to those of you who aren't English, hope you're having great weather too! So my last theatre trip was a road trip down to Cardiff, with my friend Ellie and her friend Mandy (who is really nice as well), to see Rocky Horror again. 

To put things in perspective I live in Lincolnshire (East Midlands) so am about 200miles away from Cardiff...crazy right!!! Well, after some crazy singing, a few wrong turns, a car boot that wouldn't open and a pit stop to buy and fill up with windscreen washer fluid we arrived at the Travelodge in boiling hot Wales! We then relaxed for a bit before grabbing a bite to eat at the conveniently placed Weatherspoons next door before donning our outfits and heading off to the theatre. 

Now I have been to see Rocky Horror three times already (please click here the locations to view: Grimsby, Cambridge and Manchester) so I've decided to do this review a little bit differently. I will start, however, with the few differences from the last time I went...

The differences with this performance were that Rhydian from the X Factor was playing Rocky. He actually surprised me in being a better than I had expected him to be. 

The theatre was, also, a bit smaller than Manchester (and had ridiculously too few ladies loos...I know most theatres don't have many but this was simply crazy!) and I was a bit disappointed by the atmosphere...I mean the cast were still on fire and Oliver Thornton was still perfection in motion but the audience weren't quite as hyper as they had been when I saw the show at Manchester...although this could be seen as a good thing as it meant I could practice my shouting out..."Just one big one!".

However, what I really wanted to talk about in this blog is the message of Rocky Horror. I think I may have skimmed over this briefly in past reviews but I'd like to go into a bit more depth...please prepare for me to go full drama nerd! Oh and, also, be warned there are some MAJOR SPOILERS...if you don't want to know the plot it's probably best if you stop reading now!

For the majority of the show it would appear that there isn't really a message and that the show is just fun...well I suppose the whole show may appear like this to some. However, as it says in my bio at the side I study drama at uni and, anyway, I always like to look into a show to see what meaning can be taken from it and applied to the my everyday life...maybe I look too deeply into these things but I really do think theatre is there to teach people things (please click here to see my blog on this). 

To start off let's take Brad and Janet, two seemingly normally young adults who seem to come out of a time of innocence where everyone was nice and weddings and your woman cooking tea were all that mattered. These two then get corrupted into a world if debauchery and sexual pleasure when their car breaks down and they decide to try the castle down the road for a phone. To me, Brad and Janet seem to portray how easily innocence can be corrupted and suggest that being a bit worldly wise about the constantly changing world (rather than sticking your head in the sand) can save you from corruption...after all look at Riff Raff, Magenta and Dr Scott. 

The three characters previously mentioned all demonstrate some knowledge of the world and the corruption that goes on in it yet none appear to fully succumb to it. Riff Raff and Magenta act along with Frank and his life of overindulgence and sexual pleasure yet we never see them in any sort of sexual manner. And it is suggested (despite his German twinges) that Dr Scott has been sent to by a government to put a stop to Frank's way of life and to end the corruption that takes place in the castle. By the end of the play these are the only three characters who have not changed for the worst which to me can be surmised to be because of the fact that they know of the corruption that goes on in the world but do not fully enter into it. 

And then we come to the most interesting character in the show...Frank, the main man himself; the epitome of corruption. Frank lives a life of sexual indulgence and expects everyone to bow before him. I always love to hear Columbia's line to him, "You chew people up and then you spit them out again...You're like a sponge. You take, take, take, and drain others of their love and emotion." as it just sums up the character of Frank; the only person he cares about is himself. It is because of this corruption, self-indulgence and caring only for himself that Frank ends up dead. To me this can teach people a lot particularly when combined with the fact that Columbia dies because she cares too much about someone who only cares for them self...in this world there is a fine balance that will lead to survival and happiness which involves sometimes putting others before yourself but making sure that those who you do would do the same for you...we can't go around treating people like dirt because all too soon we'll look around as see that there's no one there to really care for us. 

So there is a great deal that can be taken from this supposedly 'just for fun' show. I don't know whether you'll agree with it all, maybe you'll have found something different in it, but this is my opinion and what I get from it. 

I'll leave you with two things...a picture from my trip (and yes I've dressed up...there's nothing wrong with having fun at Rocky Horror, it's just, in my opinion, there's a bit more to it than that)...and a quote from the show for you to ponder, "And crawling on the planet's face, some insects called the human race. Lost in time. And lost in space, and meaning.".

 

 

Me Outside the Theatre

 

I hope you enjoyed reading my views, as mentioned they are just my opinions...but I'd love to hear what you get out of the show. Please either comment below or tweet me at @GreenGirlsRox. 

Love

Kat

Xx

Eating Jam, Ham and Spam-a-lot!!!

Hi everyone, hope you're all enjoying the sunny weather. This is a rather strange blog in the sense that most of the blog won't actually be on this page. This is because I was asked last Tuesday if I'd go and review Spamalot at the Playhouse Theatre on Friday (5th July)...umm yeah of course. 

So at about midday my friend, Ellie, and I set off to London with some glorious weather in tow. Because the show started at 6pm we decided to hit the shops in Covent Garden. Well after spending far too much, getting a rather strange look off the guy in Paperchase when I asked Ellie of we she wanted to go to the Disney store (I don't see what's wrong with an 18 and a 19 year old going to the Disney store) and Ellie buying a the gorgeous Lots-O-Huggin bear (who really smells of strawberries) we stopped off at Maxwell's for some dinner (and yes we did get the waiter to sniff the bear!). 

And then it was off the the theatre with us. Now as I mentioned at the top, I'm not actually writing about the show in this blog but for my full review please click here and please browse around the rest of the website as well :). 

After the show we decided to take a look at the River Thames as we were right near the Golden Jubilee Bridges. I know it goes without saying but the views were really breath-taking and it was really pleasant to stand there in the warm of a summer's evening. 

All to soon we had to head off back to Kings Cross (buying some chocolate pasta from Hotel Chocolat on the way...yes you did read that right!) and back home for us. 

Before I go I'll leave you with some pictures from the trip...

 

The Theatre

Ellie with Lots-O-Huggin Bear

View of the Houses of Parliament from the Golden Jubilee Bridge

View of the London Eye from the Golden Jubilee Bridge



Me Outside the Theatre

I have to say I really enjoyed this experience and am really grateful to Neil from Last Minute Theatre Tickets (@LondonTheatre1) for giving me the opportunity. Please do check out my full review, I hope you enjoy it. 

Love you lots

Kat

Xx

Musical of the Month - Turn It Off

Hi everyone, I can't believe it's July...come to think of that I think I've started all my Musical of the Month posts this year with practically the same sentence! But then this year is going super fast!!!

Well, anyway as it is July I suppose I should do June's Musical of the Month post. I'm going to keep it short as I've literally just published a blog about this musical (please click here to view). So what is it then...well to be honest I've only really been raving about this for the past week and a bit but the more I think about the show the more impressed I get, plus I am hooked onto the soundtrack...all of which explains why Book of Mormon has to be my Musical of the Month. 

I was really unsure about this show when during the show itself and I left the theatre, however, now I've put my drama student hat on I can now see that what initially comes over as a great big ball of cheese, is actually a really intelligent piece of theatre, when you start to unpick it. 

Firstly, it could be described as quite a postmodern musical...now I know from doing a whole module of postmodernism how difficult a concept it is to understand but for the purpose of this blog basically it means that the show has carefully taken bits from other places and inserted them into its own concept to create a fresh new show. After having the CD for Book of Mormon on repeat it's quite clear that there's a lot of cleverly taken ideas, for example: there are many references to The Lion King and Star Wars; the beginning of the song I Believe is rather like that of I Have Confidence from the Sound of Music; additionally, in the song Spooky Mormon Hell Dream there's part of the song Jesus Loves You, This I Know (just a children's religious song). To me, although this is copying, the way it is done just seems to make the musical a lot more interesting and exciting. 

Another interesting part I found was the Starbucks coffee cups being placed in the Mormon hell. At the time I just thought this was weird but looking back it makes perfect sense and it's placing consumerism in hell...a rather intelligent concept. 

I, also, liked the double meaning behind the majority of the songs, where basically the actions were telling a different story to the words. My favourite place for this was during Turn it Off as Elder McKinley sings about being gay as something wrong and how he's managed to turn off his gay-ness, yet he is exceptionally camp during the whole song. To me this really struck me as I thought it emphasised the point that you can't just turn off who you are more than if the show had just sung a straight meaning with no twist. 

Finally, a I mentioned in my last review, I was amazed at how a show that takes the mick out of religion is actually remarkable religious in its message. 

I am definitely thinking of like to see this show again (once all the hype has dyed down) to watch out for more clever  bits. Overall, I think that the Book of Mormon is a show that can deliver on all levels (it can be cheesy for those who don't want to go to the theatre and think but, also, rather academic as well)...plus the music is addictive!!!

So that's it for June's Musical of the Month...I hope you enjoyed reading it...all that's left to do of for you to head off to The Prince of Wales theatre and when you have please either comment your views below or tweet me at @GreenGirlsRox. 

Love you all

Kat

Xx