takingcentrestage-blog1

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Happy new year!

Ok. I know it’s late, and the festivities have all but ended,  but it’s shaping up to be a very theatrical 2018!

I have been to see the wonderful Mercury theatre pantomime, which this year is Snow White and the seven dwarfs. As always it is a pure delight, and the wonderfully funny pairing of Dale Superville and Antony Stuart Hicks are a real crowd pleaser, full, of laughs, plus adlibs, stage bombing and sheer hilarity! They get the audience fully engaged and love every minute! The dwarfs are played by puppets, which are very cleverly handled and performed with members of the cast.

So, as it nears the end of its run, we can look forward to the next years panto, and wonder what the mercury writers will come up with next. The full houses nearly every night, and audiences that come back year after year, speak volumes. Shows you don't need big names to make a panto successful.

So, 2018. What is in store? So far I have booked Hamilton, School of rock and Wicked.  I have also booked a wonderful thriller called Frozen (not to be confused with the Disney smash hit), starring one of my favourite actors in Jason Watkins. Then onto Bury St Edmunds for the first of my 2 visits, the lovely Birdsong, staging a comeback to commemorate 100 years since the end of world war 1. It’s been on my list of shows I’d love t see, so very exciting. The second visit is in August, t see an Agatha Christie play called The Frightened Lady, featuring an all star cast. Mixed in with various musicals, and other things besides, it’s looking to be a great year, exploring new theatres, revisting old favourites, and immersing myself in lots of exciting theatre. Happy days ahead.

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It’s the most wonderful time of the year...

When Christmas preparations are in full swing, the nights are pulling in and winter has well and truly set in, theatres across the nation are revealing their spring programmes.

The ones I have seen, look full of wonderful shows, lots to see and something for everyone. Highlights for me include the hit musical Cilla, the classic Miss Saigon, the Take That musical The Band, and lots more! I also like the sound of Strangers on a train, featuring an all star cast, the wonderful Birdsong, commemorating 100 years of the end of WW1, and musical comedy Quartet. With other theatres still to release their spring programmes, 2018 is beginning to look rather exciting!

Of course 2018 is also a year to see wet end shows, which will be dominated by the smash hit Hamilton, rehearsals for which are in full swing, and due to open in a few weeks time. Not forgetting the classics like Wicked, Phantom and Les Mis, and the dance sensation 42nd street. There’s so much to see, the hard part will be finding time to get it all in!

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Love theatre day.

So. Today is Love Theatre day. Theatres and theatre fans up and down the country are celebrating through live videos, behind the scenes and other bits and pieces. It’s been lovely going through the posts and seeing why people love theatre so much.

So. Here’s my contribution.

Why do I love theatre so much? For 2 and a half hours, you can immerse yourself into a different world, a story and not worry about anything else. Theatre can make us feel every emotion, and it’s shared with people we may never see again. You leave with a feeling of sheer joy, buzzing with excitement at what you’ve just seen. Everyone talks about it, commenting on how wonderful it was. There is, for me anyway, nothing like it!

I love travelling to different theatres, from the smaller pones to the big west end theatres, full of history and nostalgia. I’ll happily see most things, from musical theatre to comedy, drama, murder mystery or a good old panto. I’ll even see Shakespeare! Theatre has done wonders for me, and there’s nothing I love more than seeing a good show, there is so much choice and lots to choose from. The opportunities are endless!

So, I Love Theatre! and I’m very much looking forward to a theatre filled 2018. A huge thank you to all the casts, technical teams, front of house staff and everyone connected with theatre for making it all happen, for us to enjoy. Thank you!

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education and a dog called Razbo.

Ok. So this is something different, but, something I also enjoy and would like to share.

This week, I attended a talk by Dr Alice Roberts, entitled Tamed, 10 species that changed our world.

As talks go, it was very interesting, and opened our eyes to things that happened many thousands of years ago, that we take for granted today.

The main question was: who domesticated who? Did we domesticate animals, or did they domesticate us?  I leave that for your perusal.

The auditorium was mostly full, only a couple of rows empty, mainly academic type people, discussing in the interval about things that had been said. One lady, sitting in the same row, said “I don’t know how she can talk for 90 minutes without stopping for a glass of water”. That, in itself, was an achievement. Dr Alice had the entire audience fully engaged, talking about her television work, previous experiences, funny stories and lots of interesting visuals. The audience, was captivated.

So. A dog called Razbo. What is that all about? Razbo, was a dog that lived over 30,000 years ago. Potentially the first domesticated dog, found by archaeologists, identified by geneticists.  Dr Alice has launched a campaign, to encourage dog owners to call their new canine companion, Razbo.

Dr Alice’s new book, Tamed, is well worth a read.

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Mysterious phonecalls, affairs and a jolly good time!

Cambridge Arts Theatre. One of my favourite theatres, always so welcoming and a joy to visit (do go if nearby!) Plenty of amazing touring shows and something for everyone.

This time, however, was to see How the Other half Loves. An Alan Ayckbourn creation, or, as I found out, an absolute masterclass in comedy acting. The timing was impeccable, the audience roaring with laughter and thoroughly engaged with what was going on. It, in my eyes, was an overwhelming success. The cast (comprising of some well known names), worked beautifully together, and it was a joy to watch.

And now, I need a moan.

The theatre (along with others, I suspect), has imposed a new bag policy. Bags are not to go into the auditorium. This is for safety and security reasons, very wise.  The majority of the theatre goers abided by the new rules, and placed their bags and coats in the cloakroom (which was handled brilliantly by theatre staff), however, there were a few that still took bags in, despite adequate signage and reminders by theatre staff. It's a new policy but needed policing more when heading into the auditorium. The cloakroom is well signed, and easy to find. We were reunited with bags and coats promptly after the performance. Well done Cambridge!

Moan over.

Back to the play. It was a delight, and a huge success. I heard one lady say "I don't know how he remembers all those lines!" and others saying how they were enjoying it. The dinner party scene was absolutely marvellous, special mention to Sara Crowe and Matthew Cottle, who were the stars! Extremely funny. Great performances all round, and thank you to the cast who met their adoring fans after for autographs etc.

It's a huge thumbs up from me!

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First blog post!

Ok. I’ve ventured into the world of blogging. My dad thought this would be a good idea, so we shall see!

I love the theatre. There’s no denying that. I love nothing more than seeing a good show, soaking up the atmosphere and having a jolly good time! It’s so nice to be able to submerse yourself in something and not worry about the outside world for a couple of hours. No need to worry whatsoever.

I’m open to anything. Musical Theatre, comedy, drama, or a good old murder mystery. I’m even open to adaptations and Shakespeare if it’s done well.

2017 has been an amazing year really. Seen 2 big west end shows (42nd street and Wicked), and lots of great, wonderful shows at local theatres. Been travelling far and wide this year, and 2018 will be much of the same. 

2018.The year of Hamilton. The much talked about, hotly anticipated show, written and (on broadway at least) starred in by the genius that is Lin Manuel Miranda. I am seeing it twice, and I’m sure it’ll be great. The Apollo Victoria has undergone a massive refurb to accommodate Hamilton, so it’ll be all new. Noone knows what will happen. All I do know is... it’ll all be about the Room where it happens.

So. Back to the blog. I’ve decided to include reviews, thoughts and anything else theatre related. I’ll update regularly (work permitting), and I’m sure I’ll have lots to put on here!

For now at least, I’ll leave it there. Until the next blog post which I’m sure will be tomorrow.