LadyDay

This has been a busy and eventful year with so much happening in the world and in politics.  Like so many of us I have been caught up in day to day events which means I have neglected my blog!  But no more so as a start ...

yesterday we got caught up in town in the deluge!! We had no choice as we were going to see LadyDay.... it was worth getting drenched - this was a truly memorable occasion - 
Audra McDonald was superb acting her way through the rise and fall of Billie Holiday in a nightclub setting which spilled over into the audience. A truly talented lady who can act but more importantly can sing like Holiday - we were transfixed by her emotional and authentic performance - exhausted by the end as we got caught up in the raw deal she had in life. Tickets expensive...but worth every penny - you get what you pay for....

If we had one minor criticism it would have been preferable to have had a brief interval which would not have interfered with the story ...

Back to Normal!

Its surprising how much time has been taken up with activities around the General Election.  Thankfully we were delighted with the results so all the efforts were worthwhile.

Since the 8th May we have been busily reinstating our hobbies and interests and getting back to normal ....whatever that is!

this period includes 2 Theatre trips.....

The first was The American Buffalo at the Wyndham Theatre,  which has an impressive cast - Damian Lewis, John Goodman and Tom Sturridge.  I must admit it was the cast which attracted us to see this play.

It is regarded as an American classic, however we found it a little hard going.  The acting was  superb but then what did we expect from these accomplished actors?  The beginning was slow but did gather some form. The story although thin did bring out the relative strengths and weaknesses  of the 3 characters. We left asking ourselves did we really enjoy this? The jury is still out.

Its worth reading Quentin Letts review as I think he has provided a fair analysis.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-3058373/QUENTIN-LETTS-night-review-Damian-Lewis-Tom-Selleck-soup-strainer-moustache-shocker.html



The second trip was to Matilda the Musical at the Cambridge Theatre a couple of days ago. This was a half term treat for my grand daughter and we presumed that it would be primarily aimed at children but we were pleasantly surprised that it could be appreciated by adults too.  Thoroughly enjoyable and "Matilda" (Anna -Louise Knight)  and the other young members of the cast were incredible.  They remembered their exhaustive lines without a hitch and delivered in a very professional manner.
The adult actors were also very impressive and so believable in their roles.


More information on story and cast - see link below...

http://www.theatrepeople.com/shows/matilda-the-musical?utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=maltida%20the%20musical&utm_campaign=Matilda&utm_content=QzWG9OLr%7Cpcrid%7C4435526855%7Cpkw%7Cmaltida%20the%20musical%7Cpmt%7Cbe&mkwid=QzWG9OLr&pcrid=4435526855&pkw=maltida%20the%20musical&pmt=be

Good time had by all !!

Skylight

I don't spend all of my spare time at the Theatre although just lately it seems so!

Yesterday we went to see Skylight at the Wyndham Theatre and it is described very well in this review.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2659792/Carey-Mulligan-Tom-Nighy-try-rekindle-lost-passions-new-play-Skylight-opens-preview-London.html


The big names almost always guarantee a full audience and even at the matinee we attendedthis was the case. Although we enjoyed the play it did require a great deal of concentration.  I was often distracted by Bill Nighy walking erratically around the stage almost in a robotic fashion.  There was also the disconnect of the age difference between the actors. Bill Nighy looked much older than his 64 years and Carey Mulligan looks much younger than her 29 years making the likelihood of a liaison implausible.

However both injected a great deal of emotion into the doomed relationship and there were some very good lines which we all could relate to.............

Certainly worth seeing and we did discuss it endlessly over our meal ....so on that basis alone it must have been good!

Its a small world………..

Last Thursday evening we went to see "The Weir" -at the Wyndham Theatre.  Impressive performances from the well known cast, although the content required a great deal of concentration - here is the summary….

Conor McPherson’s critically acclaimed play opens at the Wyndhams theatre on 16th January and plays for a strictly limited season until the 19th April 2014.

The Weir was first produced in 1997 at The Royal Court and earlier this year enjoyed a sell out season at the Donamar Warehouse with an impressive cast list including Risteárd Cooper, Brian Cox, Dervla Kirwan, Peter MacDonald and Ardal O'Hanlon

The play opens in Brendan’s bar, an isolated rural Irish pub, where the men gather for their daily pint. Brendan along with Jack and Jim discuss Valerie, a pretty young woman who has arrived in their midst from Dublin.

Valerie arrives at the bar with Finbar, a local businessman. The men reminisce and  regal her with stories, trying to impress her with supernatural tales of souls past and of spirits very much present. But Valerie’s story is more chilling and more real than any of the men could have foreseen.

The play is typically bitter-sweet, and on its première in 1997, The Weir won the Evening Standard, Critics’ Circle and Olivier Awards for Best New Play, and established McPherson’s place as one of our greatest living playwrights.

The Weir has become an undoubted modern classic and with this fantastic cast it is a must-see play.

We did enjoy it - however we were troubled by a woman directly behind us, probably in her early 40s who fell asleep more or less from the start and snored so loudly I had to turn round and nudge her…..this seemed to do the trick …….

The impressive cast were so recognisable……..I kept thinking of TV productions in which the individual actors starred  like "BallyKissAngels", "The Bourne Identity" (I think Brian Cox was in this one or another Bourne :)) and the much missed "Father Ted"

However the most intriguing part of the evening occurred at our pre- theatre meal. I noticed a group of people opposite us and in particular a woman who had her back to us. I know it sounds strange but even from the back this woman seemed so familiar particularly her hair.  Eventually I could see her face and I know I have mentioned similar things before…..but it is getting really scary….  but here was a woman who we haven't seen for about 10 years, we exchange Christmas cards and keep trying to meet up.  As she now lives in Devon it has always been difficult to make this happen.  By coincidence she had some consultancy work in London and met up with friends who shared her birthday.  We were all delighted to see each other and had hugs all round.  What struck me about her is that she had just celebrated her 70th birthday -( I must confess I thought she was much younger!) but she was so bright, bubbly and full of life and still doing work on an ad hoc basis. For as long as we have know her she has always been hungry for the next project and making it happen.  How refreshing in this day and age…..truly an inspiration.  We parted company with the same promises of meeting up and this time we are going to make it happen……………..




http://www.fromtheboxoffice.com/detail/2BPU/London/Wyndham_s_Theatre/The_Weir

Barking in Essex!

Last week my husband and I went to see "Barking in Essex" at the Wyndham Theatre.  We had been warned in advance by friends that there is a lot of lets say choice language and we were not disappointed!!! We didn't really know what to expect and we were pleasantly surprised as to how enjoyable this play turned out to be..... essentially a silly, farcical with lots of British humour and excellent acting from all the cast.

The reason why I am singling out this play more than others is down to the truly magnificent Sheila Hancock.  This statuesque lady is now 80 years old but it hard to accept that she is this age.  She has extremely good posture and a great figure and wonderful cheekbones.  She is someone who seems to regard age as just a number and continues to work in energetic roles despite having had major illnesses.  What a fighter and an inspiration for women of all ages.  Lesson for us not to talk yourself old!  Keeping fit and active must be her mantra!