Medea (Sherman Cymru)

I admit that a Greek Tragedy about an abandoned wife who murders her child as revenge on her husband did not immediately appeal to me. The most serious piece of theatre I've seen is Hamlet, and Shakespeare is comparatively modern when put next to Euripides, who wrote Medea in the year 431 BC. For me all the appeal was in the actress playing the title role - Rachael Stirling, daughter of Diana Rigg who played the same role to great acclaim just twenty years earlier. I have been a fan of Stirling since she made her name on TV in 'Tipping the Velvet' (I was 18, of course that particular drama was going to make me a fan of both Stirling and Keeley Hawes!) so I couldn't miss the opportunity to see such a good actress perform at a local(ish) venue.


I imagine if Mike Leigh ever made a film of Euripides' Ancient Greek tragedy it would be something like this updated  version. The play deals with Medea, the wife of Jason (and the Argonauts), who is filled with anger towards her husband after he leaves her to marry a younger woman; in the original play Medea is a barbarian woman and the 'other woman' is daughter to a King.
Mike Bartlett moves this version of Medea from ancient Greece (Corinth) to a generic middle class suburbia, complete with an Ikea-style, dolls house-like set. Stirling's Medea is now a sweary, smoking city girl who the other characters, and audience, are slightly scared of. Her performance is brilliant, Medea goes from depressive to truly disturbing scene where she plunges her hand into a pan of boiling water, a scene made even more shocking by Medea's son watching in still silence; to pathetic, when she offers to have a baby for her childless male neighbour. Towards the end she becomes really worrying and scary, particularly when she pretends (as it turns out) to be amicable towards he ex-husband and his soon to be wife, these scenes are truly worrying because we know things are about to turn very dark. Even at the end the fact that I still felt some sympathy towards Medea was a testament to the performance of Rachael Stirling.
The majority of rest of the cast were just as good at their parts, Amelia Lowdell was instantly dis-likable as Medea's snobbish work colleague, Pam, as was Christopher Ettridge (Reg from Goodnight Sweetheart) as the landlord; Lu Corfield, as the put upon neighbour (and childminder), and Paul Shelly as the childless neighbour, Andrew were both suitably sympathetic in their performance. On the other hand Jason, I thought, was a little two-dimensional in the character of cheating husband. The only thing I didn't understand was who the builder character was supposed to be, was he a supposed to be in place of a Greek chorus?

After my initial reservations about about Ancient Greek tragedies, and after seeing this production I'd quite like to see a more classical version as well. And I'm never going to be able to listen to David Bowie's Aladdin Sane in the same way again!

Agatha Christie's The Mousetrap

So I've been waiting 60 years to see The Mousetrap... not really as I'm only 28, but I have wanted to see the play for quite a few years, ever since I was that geeky kid reading Agatha Christie books - I first read Murder on the Orient Express when I was in Junior School.
There's not much to say about the plot, the less known the better, but it's a archetypical drawing room whodunnit; nothing has been changed in the 60 years it's been going, even the set is almost unchanged. That being said I have, for some strange reason and I don't know how, have always known who dun it; I once went to see an Eddie Izzard show where he joked about doing his first gig in the London theatre next to The Mousetrap and he joked about the killer saying everyone's knows, I thought it was one of those things people just know without knowing how they knew. None of this though spoiled it for me, I know who-does-it in Murder On The Orient Express but that never takes away any of the delight I take in watching the film/TV-movie or reading the book again.

Tour cast. Photo from http://www.newtheatrecardiff.co.uk/what%27s-on/mousetrap/

As with most Christie plays most of the action takes place in one room, this means that the cast is everything. I couldn't fault most of the cast. Corrie's Bruno Langley, at first appearance, seemed miscast; I'm not sure how much theatre he has done but he seemed to be shouting for the beginning of his performance (instead of projecting *sounding like I know what I'm talking about*) though he did seem to tone it down as the play went on, but I think that he was maybe too young for the part- or it I might just have a prejudice against soap stars in the theatre. The older cast, Graham Seed (Major Metcalf); Jan Waters (Mrs Boyle) and Karl Howman (Mr Paravicini), were clearly the more experienced theatre performers; playing pure Christie characters, and as Waters has played the same part serveral different times she fits the role like a glove (a black leather glove ;-). Steven France as Christopher Wren turns from screamingly camp (a bit too much) to the pathos and angst of what is clear but never stated. The standout performance was that of Thomas Howes as Sgt Trotter, with two series of Downton Abbey he should be comfortable wearing a period character and in some parts of the play he is, as the 'detective' character he has to carry some of the scenes and he does this well, as if he's been in theatre all his career.
The set, characters and plot - there's a reason why this has lasted so long. All the elements are present and correct: the black leather glove, the lights going out - murder, the red herrings; all that you would want from an Agatha Christie play, this will probably run for another 60 years!

Sweeney Todd! (Happy Birthday me)

Most years around my birthday my mother complains that she doesn't have a clue what to get me, not to mention my sister waiting only a few days before to ask what I want, so this year I let my mam and dad know well in advance what they could get me - a ticket for Sweeney Todd. Even when there were rumours of a West End transfer of the Chichester festival production, I wondered if I'd get to see it, so it was just my luck when the limited run included August.
For anyone who doesn't know the story, Sweeney Todd arrives back in London seeking revenge on the judge whose trumped up charges sent him to Australia so he could have his way with Todd's wife. Along the way on this course for revenge he slits a few customers' throats and sends them downstairs for Mrs Lovett to make into pies... You know, the usual jolly musical fare!
I've wanted to see Sweeney live for years, I own both the Patti LuPone cast recording and live NY Philharmonic concert CD (as well as watching the video of the original production starring Angela Lansbury) but as much a fan of LuPone that I am, her cockney accent is only a few syllables away from Dick Van Dyke's! So it made a good change to hear Sweeney Todd sung in convincing accents. Both Michael Ball and Imelda Staunton were brilliant, Staunton seemed to be channeling Julie Walters for her Mrs Lovett, but that's not to take anything away from her performance, it's fair to say she provided all the comedy. Ball was excellent as usual, scarily brilliant considering the last time (and first time) I saw him in a musical he was in a dress playing a working-class mother in Hairspray! Ball's performance was the best that I've heard this musical sung, Epiphany being the stand-out number of the show, with Ball's vocals and acting, and even the set which rolls out so close to the front of the stage that he could almost give the audience a shave with the razor he swings about! The rest of the cast were just as excellent but it's probably true to say that this is Ball & Staunton's show, I wouldn't mind betting on Oliviers for them next year!
The set is interesting to say the least, and with it being so big and the main actors and ensemble being spread around it it was sometimes slightly hard to know where to look. I thought the setting being moved to the 1930s instead of Victorian London was going to be the only part of the show wouldn't work but it didn't take anything away from the story or the music, and of course the first half of the 20th Century had its murderers too! A brilliant show even if you don't come out singing any of the numbers, but that probably has something to do with Sondheim being notoriously hard to sing along to!

Legally Blonde

Just as I was about to, begrudgingly, book three of the cheapest tickets for Legally Blonde at the Wales Millennium Centre (honestly, the actors look like ants it's so high up) I happened to notice a Facebook email telling me I had won 4 tickets. I'm never that lucky!

The musical, based on the 2001 film starring Reese Witherspoon, deals with a seemingly stereotypical blonde sorority girl who gets in to Harvard law school to follow her boyfriend who's dumped her for someone serious. While there she learns to use what she has (brains and fashion knowledge) to win a big murder case, and teaches others that old lesson of judging a book by its cover! That old stuff!

This musical is actually funny, funnier than I expected it to be, and not just dialogue, it's also lyrically funny. The actors having to be able to sing and show off their comedy chops was given a prime example in the performance of Rhona McGregor as Paulette (understudying for Jennifer Ellison who had to pull out temporarily). The other surprise being Iwan Lewis as Emmett who's voice reminded me of Christian Borle who I'd seen in 'Smash' (on Sky Atlantic) and I later found out originated the role on Broadway! As Elle Woods, Faye Brookes must have the toughest time with two sets of boots to fill - that of Reese Witherspoon and Sheridan Smith (I unfortunately didn't get to see her in the role but her comedy acting even comes through on the cast recording) who won an Olivier award for her West End performance in the role. Brooks more than filled these with her voice and comedy acting. Gareth Gates, the other 'big' name in the show was the weakest link, he just isn't good (my opinion) but he wasn't awful that he ruined the show and the other actors around him were just so much better, and his part isn't really that big, that you didn't really notice him that much.

The music and choreography were exceptional, especially the second act opener 'Whipped Into Shape' which must be really hard to sing and do what are essentially exerciser dance moves and skipping. For a touring set the set itself is pretty good, and anyone (me) who didn't see the West End production the it sets the scenes of a Harvard Law school and Paulette's salon really well.

It's camp, frothy fun and it was better than I expected. It's entertainment at its best!

Sister Act - The Musical

Singing nuns in spangly habits in a musical based on the 1992 film Sister Act - what's not to love!?

I would argue that 20 years is long enough for a film to be considered a classic, not to mention constant showings on weekend afternoons, so I'm calling Sister Act a modern classic. As soon as there was a musical adaptation announced I knew I would want to see it, even without the songs featured in the original film. When the show's West End closing notice was reported I was disappointed that I would never get to see it, then a tour was advertised - I was excited, then disappointed again (Cardiff wasn't among the first venues), then excited again but with an air of impatience as the Cardiff dates were on sale but still a year away. So, I have waited 3 years to see this musical... it was worth the wait!

Michael Starke, Cynthia Erivo, Denise Black
(Photo © http://www.sisteractthemusical.com/tour/)

Apart from the retro setting of the 1970s and the original songs the musical rarely strays from the original film, albeit with added musical-style razzle-dazzle. As in the film the musical deals with the troubles of nightclub singer Delores Van Cartier who, after witnessing a murder by her gangster boyfriend, hides out in a convent as a nun, the total antithesis of her current lifestyle; clashes with the Mother Superior and eventually leads the choir into disco/soul success. Anyone (i.e. everybody) who's seen the film will know the plot, it's nothing new or revolutionary, it's basically 'Some Like It Hot', but with nuns; the old culture-clash, fish-out-of-water genre of comedy. What makes the film so iconic is the cast and the music, and the same can be said of the musical. Cynthia Erivo as Delores is both an astounding singer and comedic actress; as is Cavin Cornwall as the villian of the piece Curtis Jackson, a deeper voice hasn't been heard since the late Barry White left us! As well as singing, both their accents are so believable it's a surprise neither are actually American. Denise Black as Mother Superior is best when she really gets to use her voice, which sadly isn't often enough; and Michael Starke's (Sinbad from Brookie) Monsignor, while not a singing role, provided plenty of comedy. Of course it's the nuns that steal most of the show, and many of the actresses performances are reminiscent of the original film performances. Who can fail to laugh at a load of nuns in glittery habits singing disco 'hymns' or, even funnier, running Scooby-Doo style through doors from armed gangsters!?

Infectious music, impressive sets, funny and touching and incredibly camp! The only nun-based musical that matters! When it finished I could have sat through it all over again! 

p.s. I can't be the only person in the theatre that night who got the MASH joke/reference...?  

Scissor Sisters - Magic Hour

Since I'm not going to see anything for a while I thought I'd do this.

In an ideal, yet impossible world, a new album by your favorite band would be exactly the same and freshly different at the same time. It's probably fair to say that the Scissor Sisters are my favorite band so their new album, from a personal view, is the most eagerly anticipated release of 2012. A new album from them is preceded with a sense of excitement tinged with a little bit of dread; it's going to be too much of a departure or maybe too samey, that kind of thing. Coming only two years after their last album, which by contrast followed a four year gap, the worry is that it was too rushed. The input from Calvin Harris also brings worries of 'stunt collaborations'. The album opens with Baby Come Home, the second single, which is clearly the most recognisably Scissor Sisters' song. If there's anything wrong with this album it's that there is no clear musical style running through it. There's the pseudo rap of 'Shady Love', Ibiza anthem-like 'Only the Horses', calypso-styled 'San Louis Obispo' and the sort-of Will Powers-like, Ana Matronic-led bizarre brilliance of 'Let's Have a Kiki'. I think 'Year of Living Dangerously' is the song that most recalls their first album, in particular 'Laura' and Return to Oz' (which I love). I n short there were some tracks, on first listen, that I didn't give much thought about but I'm sure on my second or third listen to the album I'll love it all; after all, I loved their 2nd album which was critically their weakest.

Who's Afraid of Rachel Roberts?

Torch Theatre Company's production of Who's Afraid of Rachel Roberts at Cardiff's Sherman Theatre.

All I really knew about the actress Rachel Roberts was that she was Welsh and she committed suicide in a terrible way. I knew she had acted in 60s 'kitchen sink' dramas but was unaware she was Oscar nominated for This Sporting Life and I didn't even know she was married to Rex Harrison. The only film I'd seen her in was Murder on the Orient Express, where she played a Teutonic, Countess's maid (where she reminds me of my GCSE Art teacher, but that's another story), a character part near the end of her career... and life.

Roberts was born in 1927; the daughter of a Welsh minister, who she adored, and a mother who rejected her at birth. She studied at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, became a BAFTA winner and an Oscar nominee but she more-or-less gave up acting to become a wife to Harrison, who called her Academy Award nominated part “a grubby role in a squalid film.” She failed to revive her stalled career in the 1970s, mainly acting in supporting roles, although the decade provided her with critical success, as the authoritarian head teacher of a Victorian girls' school in Picnic at Hanging Rock, and her third British Academy Film Award. In 1980, after discovering Rex Harrison had remarried, Roberts attempted suicide, for the fourth time, by swallowing barbiturates, and in a final act of tragedy she drank a caustic substance which propelled her through a decorative glass partition.

The play doesn't dwell on this although it is clear that it takes place on the day of her death, she kept her diary right up until the day she died; and she refers to her BAFTAs as awards for her suicide attempt.For the most part the play balances along the line between funny and tragic with Roberts relating high points of her life and marriage and changing to depression at the flick of a switch, traveling through comedic points to vulgarity back to comedy of her 'hellraising' ways; a particular example of this involving a dog at a Hollywood party (I shall say no more). Richards Burton and Harris are remembered as legends for their hellraising activities at the glitzy parties but maybe the same isn't thought of female hellraisers, maybe because, dare I say it, it just isn't ladylike? I suppose these days Roberts would be diagnosed as being bipolar.

Actress and co-writer Helen Griffin. Photo © http://www.torchtheatre.co.uk

Helen Griffin, another BAFTA winning Welsh actress plays Rachel Roberts and co-wrote this one woman play. She doesn't really look that much like her subject and as there is not much archive footage of Roberts on chat shows; the tapes of an infamous appearance on The Russel Harty show were destroyed; there is not that much footage of the real woman to compare her too, but that doesn't really matter. It is clear why Griffin won her BAFTA, and she portrays not only the dark side of Roberts but the fact that she really was actually a good actress. It takes a good actress to in turn portray another good actress, it also takes an excellent actress to switch back and forth between comedy and tragedy like she did for the majority of the performance. For a life so troubled this one-woman-play turned out to be (perhaps somewhat unexpectedly) entertaining, not at least due to the exceptional performance of Griffin!

(Lack of) Theatre etiquette!

 The theatre would be a wonderful place if it wasn't for the rest of the audience!

I remember when these were only 20p, between then and now they went up to 50p and their current price - one pound?! 27 isn't old but plenty of things annoy me these days... God help me when I am a grumpy old man!
I'm not even sure that anyone uses the binoculars anymore. That being said, I still wouldn't like to see them disappear; that one of the negatives about the WMC, they don't have them but they could really do with them, if sitting in the Upper Circle your so high up the actors might as well be ants!
Phones going off; people talking; eating, with the constant rustle of packets. When I went to see Emmylou Harris the man sitting next to me just ate a bag of crisps through the whole thing! Drinking, cans mainly, I don't mind people drinking from bottles (e.g. water) as you can't really make much noise that way, a can is really quite loud, but there was someone with a can of Fosters when I went to see Murder on The Nile - just because you're sitting in the upper circle doesn't mean you can act like it's a pub! Also, when someone gets slapped in a play don't loudly go "Oooohhhh!", unless you're watching a panto, in that case you can make all the noise you want because I wont be in the audience! I would of thought you're not allowed to take stuff like that in the auditorium with you. But I suppose what mainly annoys me is people coughing, why do the always seem to wait until the quietest moments; a dramatic scene ends, dramatic pause - and then someone coughs and then it seems to begin a spate of coughs, like a cacophony of bronchial dominoes! Slightly less annoying, and a more pointless annoyance, is people dressing like tramps, I was once incredulous when seated behind a man in a football shirt! I'm not saying dress up, but have some sort of sartorial self respect.

I'm assuming this is all down to my imagined, romantic nostalgia. I don't remember the days when people used to dress up to go to the theatre, the irony being that if I was born in that era I probably wouldn't be able to go to the theatre as often as I do. I wish people dressed up these days, but it's not as if the majority of audience are dressed like scruffs. I at least I'm keeping my end up, style-wise... I wore a nice jumper anyway(!)

'Smash'! (But is it...?)

The initially camp start (glittery dress, Over the Rainbow) is cut short with one auditionee ushered out and the next one in getting her arse perved at –  the ‘we are not Glee’ message couldn’t have been clearer if it was flashed up onscreen. This is further put across with the introduction of all the grown up characters and their grown up problems, Debrah Messing’s character and her husband are trying to adopt added to her job as the musical's co-writer causes friction in their marriage; an aspiring actress with parent issues; a veteran chorus girl.

I must admit I’m getting a bit bored of Glee, I find myself fast-forwarding through a lot of the singing, and due to the fact half the characters will be leaving soon I might stop watching it. I had high hopes for this, especially because Anjelica Huston is in it (with the same hairstyle as she sported in The Witches) ... and Bernadette Peters! As I thought she would Huston steals the show, simply by walking down a corridor! I wasn’t too excited about Jack Davenport involvement though, I was never a fan of ‘Coupling’ and I’d go as far to say he is the least memorable of ‘This Life’. I just couldn't see it myself "Really, Jack Davenport in a musical drama series playing a sleazy Bob Fosse type? A choreographer!?" He seems to do sleaze well at least... The first dance rehearsal/number took
But it isn't Glee, most of 'musical' scenes in that are played to the other characters, singing cover songs; Smash has original songs and the of the pilot ended with a character walking down a New York street belting out a tune! Well if that's not musical I don't know what is. I read a review that said it's got more in common with Dennis Potter than anything else; as I studied The Singing Detective in Uni I am looking forward to these similarities showing through. . . Maybe I'm too old for Glee now anyway! Besides, Sky Atlantic hasn't disappointed my so far.
. . .

The most surprising thing about this new series is the fact A. A.Gill, writing in The Sunday Times' Culture, seems to actually like it!

Agatha Christie's Murder on the Nile

If you're going to see Murder on the Nile it would be best to have no previous knowledge of the original source whatsoever. Agatha Christie based this play on her novel Death on the Nile, albeit without the inclusion of her most famous creation - Hercule Poirot; the author was apparently tired of the Belgian sleuth. I didn't 'not enjoy' this play but I think I am too familiar with the subject, I love Agatha Christie's Poirot and I had read the book and have seen the film version several times along with the ITV version, so I knew who did it from the very beginning - unfortunately this meant there was no mystery! Also, I think I'm spoilt with these plays, the first 'Agatha Christie Theatre Company' production I saw was Witness for the Prosecution (loved the film, only saw it once) and then Verdict which I was completely unfamiliar with, my unfamiliarity meant I enjoyed them much more. So I spent most of the first half trying to figure out who the characters were in relation to the original novel. Dennis Lill played Cannon Pennefather who was the 'Hercule Poirot' part and the main three characters were changed in name only. As with Elize du Toit in Verdict I unfortunately didn't think much of Susie Amy's acting, luckily for me she was only in a third of the first act... then gets murdered. I think I again was spoilt because the first actress I saw in a Christie play was Honeysuckle Weeks who I've been a fan of ever since BBC1's 'Goggle Eyes'.

It was obviously Kate O'Mara (left) who was going to, and did, steal the show. Her character was a combination of Bette Davis and (Dame) Angela Lansbury's characters (in the 1978 film) and she got to say the funny lines, as funny as anything Maggie Smith gets to say in Downton Abbey - when explained to that her velvet scarf was used in the murder she replies with haughty "how impertinent!". The rest of the cast, as usual with the Agatha Christie Theatre Company, were excellent! The set was also very impressive, with all the ACTC productions I have seen the sets have been suitably evocative.

As this play was just over 2 hours long, and less characters, there was not enough time for the famous Christie elements - the suspect questioning; the general sleuthing, and the finale 'drawing-room exposition' where Poirot would gather together all the suspects and explains in detail who, how, and why! As a fan of all things Agatha Christie I was disappointed with how little I enjoyed this but at the same time, paradoxically, as a lover of all things Agatha Christie I loved it!

                                                                         

This was the first time that I sat in the upper circle of Cardiff's New Theatre and possibly the last, although they are refurbishing it and having new seats - the current ones are uncomfortable and if you are below average height (short) and you sit in the front row there's a big brass handrail... right in my eye-line... I am short, I wonder if it's the same for average heighted people?

These are the upper circle seats and although they are not particularly comfortable I really love them. I don't think I'd sit there again, I don't know if it was these or the Arriva trains seats that made my back ache, leaning forward to look over the handrail couldn't have helped though. The New Theatre are selling these seats. I. Would. Love. One!! If I could I would buy one. How cooool to own a piece of the New Theatre and history, someone would've sat in them watching Shirley Bassey... I don't actually know if Shirl ever played there, she probably did... Someone would have sat there watching La Dietrich! Now I know for sure she was there!

http://www.newtheatrecardiff.co.uk/new-seats-scheme/

                                        

p.s.  Please! Readers, feel free to comment. I'm paranoid that nobody actually reads this, just spambots and automatic website robots! (I failed my A Level IT and don't know what they're called!)

The Olivier Awards 2012

It's that time of year again, the Tonys (or The Oscars) of the West End... Tonys named after Antoinette Perry, at least people still know the name Laurence Olivier and who he was, although I'm not really typical of people my age. Anyway, this year was the second time the Olivier Awards have been broadcast and anyone who watched last year's coverage could not disagree that it was a complete disaster - every 5minutes the TV broadcast was interrupted to go to the radio coverage, which meant watching two middle-aged men in a small room talking about the last award given out; two Americans, Paul Gambaccini and some unknown, and as someone said on Twitter no coverage of American awards would have two Unknown British journalists talking about Broadway! Not even the appearance of Angela Lansbury could save it!
So compared to last year this year's coverage, again on the BBC Red Button and Radio 2, presented by Ken Bruce, seemed like a vast improvement! There were some technical difficulties but when the picture failed I turned on the radio and listened to that until the problem was fixed; there were also a few minor sound issues but other than that the coverage was the complete opposite of last year's - uninterrupted! This meant not only did we get to see the presentation of the awards but also the performances from the shows nominated Best Musical Revival and Best New Musical, my favorite of these were Sharon D Clarke performing "I'm Outta Here" from Ghost the Musical (amazing voice, why she's never made an album I don't know!) and Sarah Lancashire performing "Nobody" from Betty Blue Eyes, I'm rather disappointed that didn't have a longer run, I wouldn't have minded seeing that... it had an animatronic pig voiced by Kylie Minogue for God sake!
Living where I do means I don't get to see much of these shows that get the awards, I have been to London to see something every year since 2009 but the awards have only been broadcast twice in their 36 years so I wasn't aware of the winners in previous years. I haven't seen any of this years but to be honest, as i previously said, the only would I did fancy seeing has finished with a rather short run. That being said it was a good chance to see some musical numbers from current shows. I am surprised that the Young Vic's production of Hamlet starring Michael Sheen was up for anything, maybe it's because it wasn't strictly in the 'West End'? I'm pretty sure I'll be seeing one of next year's winning shows though, Sweeney Todd is bound to win something, best actor for Mr Ball or actress for Ms Staunton. Incidentally I am loving the double act of Micheal Ball and Imelda Staunton presenting for the second year in a row, I hope if they continue broadcasting it these two will present a few more! Maybe in a few years it will be off the Red Button and on normal telly.

An Inspector Calls!

Firstly, I didn't do the play at school, I think only the top set English class did it and I was disappointed when I wasn't allowed to go with them when they went to see it, the same thing happened when the drama class went to see The Mousetrap, that was a several years ago now and I'm finally getting to see both this year.

So, I thought Blood Brothers was the most nihilistic evening in the theatre but Stepehen Daldry's production of J.B Priestley's play certainly tops that, imagine if Willie Russell had written Downton Abbey! That was my idea of An Inspector Calls.
It's not exactly a straightforward play and it seems that there are different interpretations of it. It's part drawing-room thriller; Christie-style whodunnit, social morality play and class satire. Similarly the themes can also be down to individual interpretation, guilt, class divide, morality, socialism vs capitalism, even the pliability of youthful politics?; and I was left with questions, that was probably the point, who or what was the Inspector? I noticed the similarity between the name Goole and 'ghoul'.
As for the acting, every actor had the dramatic chops for their parts, but it's Tom Mannion's (familiar from regular TV appearances) Inspector as the lynchpin of the piece. Kelly Hotten and Henry Gilbett as the 'children' of the are the characters who change the most, spoilt and selfish to begin with they end up the characters the audience care about.
The set could be considered to be the other character, a Dali-esque dollhouse of a 'building' on stilts that means, if sitting in the stalls, you have to literally (but not socially) have to look up to the Birlings and they look down (literally and socially) on a cobbled street. The house plays it's part towards the end of the play when the Birlings situation dramatically alters. Although set in 1912 it occupies three time zones: 1945, when it was written (the street set and silent characters' wartime costumes) and the present (the Inspector's final speech to the audience, with the house lights up). With all that's going on socially, politically and economically in real life An Inspector Calls is just as relevant now as it was then (1912) and then (1945)!

A Night at the Opera!

I've been fiddling with this post for a while but think there's no more I can say in it, so...
                                                                                                                                    
Last month I went to the Opera... I wish I could say I "saw an Aida, whose bust was so big it would often impede her" but I can't because I didn't. That'll have to wait until I actually do see a production of Aida, and if her bust doesn't impede her I'll be greatly disappointed. (If you don't know what I'm on about, have a watch of the film 'Beaches')

Incidentally I didn't realise how far the actual stage is from the seats, much further than a normal play, I sat down and I was in the front row even though I thought I was going to be a few rows back but I could, in fact, lean forward and see the orchestra.

Look, there they are. They were the pits(!) :D

Aaaaanyway, it was my first opera so I went to see the Welsh National Opera's production of La Traviata, one of the 'best first-time operas' (an actual opera star told me that, Joyce Didonato in fact... on twitter anyway). I've actually seen Porgy and Bess but I'm not entirely sure that that is classed as a proper opera? Okay, this was my first opera in another language. Since becoming a fan of Anna Netrebko a few years ago (admittedly, initially on a superficial level) I have tried to get into opera, and the La Traviata arias on her CD quickly became favorites. Everyone knows Sempre Libera, it's in loads of films (Priscilla Queen of the Desert for one) and brindisi - the drinking song, any song about drinking, in Italian, is going to be good.
So the orchestra started up and it actually made the hair on the back of my neck stand up, this was also my first experience of live classical music as well, honestly I could've just listened to the orchestra on their own! This being my first opera and not really having that much knowledge of the medium I can't really say anything about the musical side, although the singing sounded great to me. The three main singers - Joyce El–Khoury, Jason Howard (he's Welsh you know) and Leonardo Capalbo (apparently unrehearsed replacement) - were all, as far as I could tell, excellent! Although the two arias that I knew well (Brindisi, Sempre Libera) are in the first act I must admit that I did expect to enjoy the other acts less, to be honest I was worried I was going to be bored but the combination of comedy (gypsy & matadors scene), drama and eventual tragedy kept away boredom and secured my attention. The only other production I've had any experience of is watching a filmed production of Anna Netrebko and Ronaldo Vilazzon in a modern and sparse staging. After seeing the opera live and with full period costume and sets it is clear that that is the only way to see it! Before seeing it I was worried that I would be bored or my attention would get distracted but I definitely wasn't. I did find the surtitles a bit odd though, even though I had read the story beforehand I still relied on them for more specific views of what was going on at times.
After seeing my first opera I've now got my first opera recording on CD, admittedly my classical music collection is never going to outnumber my indie/alt/rock/jazz/pop/country CDs but at least nobody is going to say my tastes aren't eclectic! I was actually excited about my first opera CD, which annoyingly got lost in the post and took ages to arrive. I opted for a recording with Montserrat Lombard, she is the first opera singer I ever encountered even though I probably hadn't even heard of the word 'opera', I've always liked how she comes across in interviews, especially when she talks about her friendship with Freddie Mercury. I hope I do go to an opera again, even if it's just another production of La Traviata!

Bobble hats and ticket stubs!

So, who won the Grand Slam on Saturday?!... Oh yeah, we did!

So yeah, Wales won the Six Nations! (Amazeballs!) And the Daily Mail was up in arms about the drunkards, and general state of Cardiff on Saturday night... obviously they haven't seen Cardiff on a regular Saturday when there hasn't even been any rugby on! One of my mates on fbook said that all the pictures did was make him wish he had been there to watch the match, and I know just what he means. I was in Cardiff when we won in 2005, the first time since- (well I don't know when), and that was awesome!... I can't remember where I watched the 2008 win. My father never took me to the rugby when I was a kid, like you see kids with their parents at the stadium on TV. The first time I remember rugby being really big was when we hosted the World Cup in the (then) new Millennium Stadium... we even got to finish school early to watch the opening ceremony - we watched some of it in our Media Studies class, quite out of character for our headmistress because she stopped our non-uniform days for charity, because it would distract us. PAH! I got my first Welsh jersey, back then they were actually still rugby jerseys rather than the stretchy nonsense they are now, I bought it in a Tesco in Twickenham - oh, the irony! Talking about fans' jerseys, why do you never see those red and white bobble-hats that everyone seems to wear when you see footage of matches from the 70s/80s?!... I want one! You just see huge groups of people in daffodil heads, inflatable hats, or fans generally looking, well, stupid... am I getting old?! Although I thought those ridiculous head adornments were stupid ten years ago!

Anyway, my grandad used to love rugby and he also never threw out stuff like programmes and even clippings from newspapers. I think that must be where I get it from, my growing collection of programmes shows no sign of stopping. I can't throw anything away either. Then I saw this - Ticket Stub Diary, this looks awesome! I've got tickets in drawers, coat pockets, inside books and an envelope full of them; cinema tickets, theatre tickets, exhibit tickets, etc! This definitely appeals to the massive geek in me... who am I kidding, my geek side isn't hidden. Though, it may just be too geeky even for me.

...I'm off to search the internet for stripey bobble-hats and ticket stub diaries.

I bloody love 'Scrubs'

I'm sure I wrote on here that, although it's gonna be mainly theatre/arts/ents based, I'll write about whatever. It's my prerogative, it is my blog after all.

So I've been watching Scrubs again, it is possibly my favourite TV show ever! It's definitely my favourite sitcom (with Frasier coming 2nd). Even though the 2nd half of it's run it started to go slightly down hill, and I even refuse to acknowledge the 10th season where they introduced almost all new characters, it will always remind me of my 20s (even though I'm still in them!).
(Incidentally,  imagine my excitement when I heard Zach Braff's new play was doing a small tour before it was going to the West End, and imagine my disappointment, albeit inevitable, when it turned out that the "tour" of the "UK" was Edinburgh and Manchester)  :(

As well as being a hilarious comedy it has also introduced me to some awesome music and bands and also reminded of some others.

So here's a list of my 15 favourite songs featured in Scrubs (my fave TV show):

 

1. Cheap Trick - I Want You to Want Me
2. Colin Hay - Overkill
3. Leroy - Good Time
4. Billy Joel - Sometimes a Fantasy
5. The Shins - New Slang The Shins is the band that I discovered because of the show.
   
6. Cast & Jill Tracy - Waiting for My Real Life To Begin I love this song, and this version sung by the cast, it's also in my favourite overall episode.
7. Journey - Don't Stop Believing Everyone thinks Glee made Journey 'popular' again, but it didn't, Scrubs did!
8. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - American Girl
9. Josh Joplin Group - Camera One
10. Tammany Hall NYC - Cindy
11. Old 97s - Question
12. The Fray - How To Save A Life
13. Barenaked Ladies - If I Had A $1,000,000
14. Guided By Voices - Hold On Hope 
15. Nina Simone - Sinnerman 

Lazlo Bane - Superman No list of Scrubs songs is complete without the song used as its' theme song.

And, as well as bringing some great music to my attention, Scrubs also confirmed that Alanis Morissette is awesome!

Why I don't do comedy reviews!

Last week and the week before I went to see two famous Welsh comedians... well, one famous one and one rising comedian, Rhod Gilbert and Elis James. Rhod is famous everywhere because he is hilarious and Elis is rising in popularity due to his appearances on TV and filling in on Rhod's radio show on Radio Wales (and online) as well as his own shows.

At his Last show. I got told off when I took this even though I was taking a picture of a sign and it hadn't started... nothing had even happened! 

Anyway someone asked me on Facebook if I would write a review for their blog and I did. I also found out that comedy reviews are hard, not like plays and stuff. Hence what I wrote being a bit rubbish, here it is -

Rhod Gilbert: The Man With the Flaming Batternberg Tattoo, work in progress show

Last week was Rhod Gilbert’s charity gig at the Parc & Dare Treorchy. Firstly well done for raising over £6,000 for the Valleys Kids charity.
He was late but we didn’t really mind, even his reason for being late was funny, he apparently “just left late” and he literally went on stage straight from his car, hadn’t had anything to eat and needed a pee. He spent a few minutes on the venue and telling us why he likes playing the valleys, and the audiences (we “just take the piss” apparently), including an incident with a parking space and man in his dressing gown (and nothing else).
The material seemed familiar, as it would to anyone who watches and listens to Rhod on TV and radio - I mean who could forget that particular ‘Work Experience’ episode that this tour’s name comes from? But it wasn’t too familiar, I personally forgot about the show he was on at Christmas so the bit about his girlfriend’s present to him was fairly new. As it was a preview show he said some of it worked and some didn’t but personally couldn’t find fault with any of it, saying that though the “Toasty Jeff/travelling chef” possibly went on a tiny bit too long but was still hilarious. The whole thing was a hilarious anger-rant filled two hours leading up to the video punch-line we’ve come to expect; this one was funnier than the last. If this was just a work-in-progress the polished show should be awesome!
At the end of the gig he auctioned off a pair of tickets (£200 to the same charity) to see him in London, the audience managed to get him to pay for the travel but couldn’t get him to pay for an hotel too.

(Here's the blog it was on - http://ofthefunandthefunny.blogspot.com/)

Anyway, the Parc & Dare, my local theatre, has been properly tarted up! Which is a good thing, just wish they would start showing films there again, but they apparently make all their money from live things so that's good I suppose.

The week after I saw Elis James, he has a funny voices and he does funny accents. His support bloke was ok, though I think he stole a joke from Bill Bailey, and he looked like an "inflated Martin Clunes" (his words), I did not notice this until he said it, and he did too. Anyway Elis was good again buuuuuut he was only on for an hour and half of that was old stuff, still funny though!, and I suppose the small gigs are where comedians tune up their currant shows for the full tour, and Edinburgh festival. But what I was more disappointed about was that he didn't tell us, what I like to call, his "Grandmaster Flash is teasing me" story, which is hilarious!

HAMLET!

I actually forgot that I went to the theatre event of the year - Michael Sheen in Hamlet at the Young Vic. The last Shakespeare play I saw was Antony and Cleopatra (starring Vanessa Redgrave... I know, right!?) in 1995 when I was 10 or 11. I can't remember the last time a well know Shakespeare play with well known actors came to the New Theatre Cardiff.
They announced the big new that Sheen was to play Hamlet almost a year in advance and I bought a ticket immediately, having somewhat of a man-crush on Michael Sheen I just had to go!

So having the whole day in London ahead of  me I decided to go places, I was going to go to the building where Poirot's flat is on TV but I couldn't be bothered when it came to it, I saw the new(ish) memorial to the WWII Special Operations Executives.

I've passed The National Theatre a few times but have completely missed Laurence Olivier, how fitting that, on a trip to see a production of Hamlet, I purposely went to see this statue of Lord Larry as Hamlet. Look at him with his big sword. Anyway I went on from there to the Tintin Shop, in there I saw a famous actor who nobody else seems to have heard of, Stephen Campbell Moore. I told him he was in one of my favorite films 'Bright Young Things' and he was lovely about it, I have a bit of a man-crush on him too (maybe my subconscious is telling me something). I will reiterate - he was lovely! Also that day I had seen Dave Lamb (Come Dine with Me), Andrew Buchan and Tony the pedo from Eastenders.

Anyway, Hamlet! At the Yong Vic theatre. First off, I wasn't too sure about the setting, which seemed to be a 1970s mental home. Before the play you could go on a 'journey' (no Don't Stop Believing involved), a different way in to the theatre, where the staff stood around pretending to be hospital porters, this added to the 'mental hospital' atmosphere. Slightly creepy. I was also slightly disappointed that we didn't get to see The King's ghost, instead Hamlet becomes possessed by him, I must admit this left me feeling slightly cheated. If you weren't familiar with the play some of it wouldn't make sense, I'm not sure the ending would be clear if you were a Shakespeare expert. I think I might have preferred a more classical interpretation for my first experience of Shakespeare in 16 years! It was still brilliant, and in my opinion Shakespeare is more about the acting than anything else! Michael Sheen was excellent, as were the whole cast particularly Sally Dexter as Gertrude, but it was clearly Sheen's 'show' (possibly a bit biased as Sheen's hometown is not far from where I live!). Due to walking around all day (celeb spotting!) my eyes did get slightly tired but the use of Roy Orbison's 'Crying' for the first act climax woke me up. Although, it wasn't all so well received, there were more empty seats than I expected and the group of people next to me didn't come back after the interval - I could swear I could feel them bristling at Sheen's delivery of the "country matters" line.
I'm gutted I didn't hang around afterwards to meet the man himself but due to some inconsiderate burk trying to chuck himself under a train I might've missed my train if I'd stayed.  :-(

Filler!

Last year I also went see Verdict - Agatha Christie play, Elize du Toit can not act! Why am I surprised, she was in Hollyoaks(!)

The History Boys - Brilliant! Almost the same as the film but completely different.

The End of the Rainbow - Tracie Bennett's almost one-woman-show as Judy Garland, amazeballs! A bit too over the top with some of the comedy bits.

One of the round pretend pictures fell off in the middle of it, I found that slightly funny!

I also saw Kylie Minogue! Flippin' Kylie. Frickin awesome!