I went to the wonderfully shabby chic Wilton Hall last week to see the all male version of Pirates of Penzance. Having never seen anything by Gilbert and Sullivan before I had no idea what to expect, especially as men played all the female characters.
I have to say it was amazing. The venue was small and the action took place everywhere without the aid of microphones. I have never heard a man with a falsetto like that of the leading lady. I was totally wowed. It was funny and touching, and there was never a dull moment.
We went home singing and then listened to it all again on Spotify!
Tuesday, 20 April 2010
Tuesday, 6 April 2010
Debbie Harry gorgeous
A bit of buggery on a Sunday afternoon is not everyone's cup of tea but I went to see the exceptionally well executed play "Rip her to Shreds" at the Old Red Lion Theatre last week (http://www.icarustheatre.co.uk/shows/rip.html)
In the first few minutes - there weren't many people there, and the initial acting was a little shaky - I was a bit worried but once it settled down it was funny, sad and endearing all at the same time. It was a bit over the top in places but all in all I really enjoyed it and the brilliant support roles played by the mother, father and brother helped. It was made all the better by having a lovely meal in Cubre Libre afterwards and a full and frank discussion on the practicalities of the sex scene!
In the first few minutes - there weren't many people there, and the initial acting was a little shaky - I was a bit worried but once it settled down it was funny, sad and endearing all at the same time. It was a bit over the top in places but all in all I really enjoyed it and the brilliant support roles played by the mother, father and brother helped. It was made all the better by having a lovely meal in Cubre Libre afterwards and a full and frank discussion on the practicalities of the sex scene!
Tuesday, 16 March 2010
Cultural girl about town
I've been pottering about like a little pottery thing lately and have been enjoying multiple visits to galleries, films and a random one day course on the Green Man. It must be Spring!
I went to see Alice in Wonderland, and it was all right. I think my expectations were so low by the time I went to see it that I took it all quite well. I wasn't very impressed with Alice, she seemed to suck all the joy out the film. Johnny Depp to seemed to be struggling. As for the White Queens eyebrows, well there is no need for that! She looked equally as unpleasant as the Red Queen, who I did like. Most of my love in this film goes to the animals, I liked the cat, the dog and the frogs! Don't bother though, really.
I then went to see a Guy Maddin double bill: Careful and the Saddest Music in the World, mental and marvellous are the only words I can find to describe these. Incest in the Alps and beer bathing singing contests are some more. Go and see them. I want to see My Winnipeg now.
Finally at the weekend I went to the Simon Anand exhibition at the V&A of photos taken before actors go on stage. It was wonderful and full of famous faces having a fag, putting on lippy, looking whimsical in grease paint. This was followed by Henry Moore at the Tate Britain. Who would've thought he was such a good artist. His war and mining pictures were amazing. It was really good to see a lot of his earlier and more random work. Shame you couldn't touch them though. I gave the one outside the Tate a big hug afterwards.
I went to see Alice in Wonderland, and it was all right. I think my expectations were so low by the time I went to see it that I took it all quite well. I wasn't very impressed with Alice, she seemed to suck all the joy out the film. Johnny Depp to seemed to be struggling. As for the White Queens eyebrows, well there is no need for that! She looked equally as unpleasant as the Red Queen, who I did like. Most of my love in this film goes to the animals, I liked the cat, the dog and the frogs! Don't bother though, really.
I then went to see a Guy Maddin double bill: Careful and the Saddest Music in the World, mental and marvellous are the only words I can find to describe these. Incest in the Alps and beer bathing singing contests are some more. Go and see them. I want to see My Winnipeg now.
Finally at the weekend I went to the Simon Anand exhibition at the V&A of photos taken before actors go on stage. It was wonderful and full of famous faces having a fag, putting on lippy, looking whimsical in grease paint. This was followed by Henry Moore at the Tate Britain. Who would've thought he was such a good artist. His war and mining pictures were amazing. It was really good to see a lot of his earlier and more random work. Shame you couldn't touch them though. I gave the one outside the Tate a big hug afterwards.
Monday, 8 March 2010
Curiouser and curiouser
No its not the supposedly rubbish Alice in Wonderland! I went to the Old Red Lion to see a play called Alice's Adventures in the New World.
It had a brilliant summary on the promo info which made it essential viewing in my book:
It is 1882. You are a seventeen year-old girl and you have just discovered your deceased mother is still alive and living in America. You set off to find her and meet:
a) an artist with an opium addiction
b) a depressed Socialist preaching free love
c) a hypochondriac debutante
d) a cattle rustler whose four husbands have all mysteriously disappeared
e) Oscar Wilde
f) your mother or
g) all of the above.
If you get a chance you should really go and see it. With an all female, corset wearing cast - the male characters were distinguished by a paper moustache - its very clever and even breaks into a song and a little dance every now and again.
We were left a bit deflated by the ending but the journey itself was superbly acted, funny and touching.
It had a brilliant summary on the promo info which made it essential viewing in my book:
It is 1882. You are a seventeen year-old girl and you have just discovered your deceased mother is still alive and living in America. You set off to find her and meet:
a) an artist with an opium addiction
b) a depressed Socialist preaching free love
c) a hypochondriac debutante
d) a cattle rustler whose four husbands have all mysteriously disappeared
e) Oscar Wilde
f) your mother or
g) all of the above.
If you get a chance you should really go and see it. With an all female, corset wearing cast - the male characters were distinguished by a paper moustache - its very clever and even breaks into a song and a little dance every now and again.
We were left a bit deflated by the ending but the journey itself was superbly acted, funny and touching.
Tuesday, 23 February 2010
My life in three acts
I went to see the rather marvellous life story of Bette Bourne the other day at the Soho theatre. It was a moving and amusing slice of living history that is usually hidden in the LGBT world.
Although it was slightly scripted - a re-enactment of a conversation between Bette and Mark Ravenhill - it was still pretty amazing.
I could have listened to Bette talk for hours. It made me wonder why we never get to hear from the older LGBT crowd. If you listen to Bette's story it make's you realise that many of his peers probably never made it that far.
I think we should listen more to wonderful people like Bette and learn from the tales they have to tell.
Lesson number 1: If someone picks you up in Soho, takes you back to their flat, and tells you they are not queer, they are probably lying. As Bette said, 'turned out he was very queer indeed!' LOL
Although it was slightly scripted - a re-enactment of a conversation between Bette and Mark Ravenhill - it was still pretty amazing.
I could have listened to Bette talk for hours. It made me wonder why we never get to hear from the older LGBT crowd. If you listen to Bette's story it make's you realise that many of his peers probably never made it that far.
I think we should listen more to wonderful people like Bette and learn from the tales they have to tell.
Lesson number 1: If someone picks you up in Soho, takes you back to their flat, and tells you they are not queer, they are probably lying. As Bette said, 'turned out he was very queer indeed!' LOL
Thursday, 4 February 2010
Middle aged minge but still hot!
How rude! I saw the lovely and liberated Ursula Martinez last night. She did a show at the Barbican, telling short stories from her life, and then recounting emails she recieved after a copy of her Hanky Panky magic show appeared on the internet a few years ago.
For those who haven't seen it, this is the clip she showed us
The emails she read out were hilarious and accompanied by photos of sad looking middle-aged American men, nudists who wanted to use her as a poster girl to champion their cause, or those who just wanted to do something else to her.
I enjoyed both halves of the show but I really could have just listened to her telling the snippets of stories from her life all night, especially as she is from the same 'manor' as me.
Oh, and she did get naked at the end!
For those who haven't seen it, this is the clip she showed us
The emails she read out were hilarious and accompanied by photos of sad looking middle-aged American men, nudists who wanted to use her as a poster girl to champion their cause, or those who just wanted to do something else to her.
I enjoyed both halves of the show but I really could have just listened to her telling the snippets of stories from her life all night, especially as she is from the same 'manor' as me.
Oh, and she did get naked at the end!
Wednesday, 3 February 2010
Wotever Winter Ball
The music was great cheesy 80s, the dance card with the slow dance power ballads was inspired and the table of cupcakes had to be seen - and tasted to be believed.
There was a prom photographer, a kissing booth and at midnight we got two rather saucy bedtime stories from writers Shaun Levin and Helen Sandler.
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