South Pacific

Another lovely evening with Georgia at the Theater Royal in Plymouth. A lot of things to say about this production, it was something I had never seen before but always wanted to, and I can't say it was incredible. I think the most detrimental aspect was the length. It clocked in at roughly 2 3/4 hours which is far too long for a show. I did love the story line though and I though the musical numbers were good but the acting was some-what lacking. I think the whole show has an acquired taste in terms of the fact that I have never seen the film and my Mum: who went to see the same show a different day, thought it was very good, she had grown up with it and had a certain appreciation for it that we did not. We were very disappointed that we didn't get to see Samantha Womack, as keen Eastenders fans I'm sure this would have been strange but I do think we would have enjoyed it more. I sufficiently annoyed Georgia with my rendition of 'Wash that man right outta my hair' so all was good :)

Murder on the Nile

I really enjoyed this as I had never seen a mystery before- and I had always wanted to see an Agatha Christie show- I don’t think there are many genres left that I haven’t seen yet, my overall opinion was really good although I think that the set could've been more extravagant to compliment the  fantastic use of sound effects and costumes.  It was especially interesting seeing what Charlene (a french student) thought of the show as she doesn’t understand English completely. She said that she was fine apart from when they spoke really fast- which is funny because it doesn't come across fast at all to us. The acting was outstanding and the roles cast very well, I felt that the humour from Kate O'Mara's role was much needed as in a way it added to the suspense by making people suspect different people due to her sarky but provocative comments. (It was also nice to receive a tweet from Susie Amy afterwards who was very lovely- and very pretty). Georgia was very happy to find the first person she has ever met with the same birthday as her (Ben Nealon).

This is the website for the production we saw, with information and images on there!

http://www.kenwright.com/index.php?id=1222

Please help me share my blog by telling people about it as I really need feedback- thanks xxx

Doctor in the House

I loved this show. I hadn’t seen a comedy before- certain parts of other things I have seen have been humorous like Legally Blond. The show starred Joe Pasquale and Robert Powell and we were lucky to be able to go to the stage door afterwards (back to tradition) to meet them and get their autographs. As Robert Powell said- it was just very silly. I wouldn’t hesitate to go and see something with them in again. The set was very inventive and the special effects, music and script was very good. the Video below is the promo for it when it came to Plymouth.

Missing

     I think the only way to describe this piece of theatre is odd. I had never seen anything like it before and I wouldn’t say I didn’t enjoy it but I also wouldn’t say I loved it. I definitely wouldn’t pay to see it or necessarily see it ever again, and I wouldn't recommend it for young children as it was a bit disturbing. It's really weird seeing different peoples interpretations of it as I saw a girls status on Facebook about how she found it amazing, whereas Georgia and I were not really... well, i don't really know actually.
     I think it was a good experience as it is good to experience different thing, also the lighting was very good and the whole thing well-polished- the timing was incredible. But other than that I don’t feel there is much more to say about it.

HenryV

     On the 17^th of May 2012, Georgia and I went to See Henry V at the Theatre Royal Plymouth. It started at 7.30pm and we had good seats (like last time at Breakin convention- Although Georgia will disagree). Our seats were in row B of the stalls, and right in the middle in seats 12 and 13.

     I am not a big fan of Shakespeare’s, I think he was very clever and his storylines incredible but I don’t really enjoy myself when I go to see it. I found myself very bored although not as bored as expected due to the amazing special effects and lighting. I didn’t expect to be encaptured by the storyline as I was. I also thought the make-up was incredible; it was so realistic I wouldn’t be surprised if it was real (which I hope and don’t think it was). I was in awe of the actors- the amount of lines they each had to learn was staggering and I didn’t pick out any mistakes at all (although I do not have much experience with Shakespeare) Overall, I am glad I went as it was a good experience but I wouldn’t pay to go and see it again in a hurry. A certain someone we were sat near to didn't exactly help improve our experience.

     Although I said I'm not a big fan of Shakespeare, I don't think this was the best play to go and see as a first experience, I would love to go and see something like 'Romeo and Juliet' or 'A Mid-summer Night's Dream'. I hate to admit it but I think that neither myself or Georgia understood a lot of it because of the difficult language and the fact that a lot of it was in french. We definitely understood the story line completely, it just detracted from the performance tyring to understand completely.

Breakin' Convention

     On the 11th of May 2012, Georgia and I wen to see the Breakin' Convention tour at the Theater Royal/Drum Theater in Plymouth. The production was: 'An international festival of HipHop dance theater'. Although the art form was obviously dance- it did include some beat boxing which was new to us both. I had not seen things exactly like it before: apart from the BeatBreakers crew, whom I had seen before in a cultural dance festival at Plymouth University (in which I performed also).

     Overall, I found the whole experience breath-taking and I recommend to anyone and everyone as it is something worth going to see. I saw it free with the ANLO scheme but I definitely would have paid money to see it if I had needed to. The night consisted of 2 performances, one in the drum Theatre (a little theatre adjoining the main theatre) and one in the main theatre. In the drum performance my friend and I had to be separated as seats were not allocated, although I didn’t mind too much as we were directed to front row seats! This performance consisted of an opening by beat boxer Dainjamouth, who was then followed by Puzzle, A group consisting of both boys and girls. Their performance included a main dance at the start and end but in the middle different group came on a did a bit, like a group of approximately 7 year olds and two groups of teenage girls. They were very good individually but when performing together it was unpolished and out of time, and you could really differentiate between the good dancers and the people who did it for fun. After puzzle was ‘Express Crew Street Factory’, who were very good and very cute. They were a group of about 10 6-10 year olds? (Although I am not entirely sure about their ages). They were absolutely phenomenal, especially for their age.

The main show in the Theatre royal was a lot better I think. My views about the different performances:

o   BeatBreakers- As I have seen these before- I found myself comparing the two different performances, and I have to say that I preferred their performance last year as they had more variation in their music- which was also well know compared to this time. But they were still incredible and their timing and choreography was tight and well executed.

o   TrashDollys Dance Company- Although good as is expected for an event like this, both my friend and I found it dreadfully boring and unexciting. We thought the same about Class 66. This was also boring and a bit unfortunate as their piece lasted 15 minutes.

o   Tricky Crew- My friend and I both thought this to one of our favourites, It wasn’t too long and was very captivating and cleverly choreographed.

o   Vagabond Crew- As is specified in the program, this is the best B-Boy crew in the world, and this certainly showed in their performance. It was incredible but it was 35 minutes long and dragged on. Their theme was evident and sustained throughout and parts were very funny.

o   ILL-Abilities^TM- These were favourites of the night. I am not afraid to say I nearly cried in their performance it was so inspirational and brilliant. The program details their performance but not them. There were 6 people (one of which wasn’t there and they showed a video of him). One has lazy legs which meant he had to use crutches; I think he was one of the best. Another was born with a shortened arm and leg and next to no fingers (this was the one who was missing), Another 2 were missing both or one leg, one to cancer and the other’s feet are at knee height- the cause is suspected to be thalidomide as he has been like it since birth. Another was deaf- and he said during his solo that he creates his own beat in his head and this was incredible as it always seemed to fit and be in time with the others when they danced together. Overall, this group was awe-inspiring; I think it goes without saying as they got a standing ovation half way through their performance as well as afterwards. I love their motto: ‘No Excuses, No Limits’. It really puts thing into perspective and make you think. I highly recommend everyone checks out their website: www.illabilitiescrew.com

So… Overall it was absolutely incredible as I have already said, but I cannot put into words how this experience has made me feel (especially ILL-Abilities^TM).

Swallows and Amazons

     On the 3^rd of May 2012, my friend Georgia and I went to see Swallows and Amazons at the Theatre Royal Plymouth. The show involved singing and acting and it reminded slightly of when I went to see The Witches in 2006. We went with the ANLO scheme so we didn’t have to pay anything.

     As with ‘The King and I’ I found the start a bit slow and boring. The use of props was very good although some looked a bit cheap and tacky. Also- The whole thing wasn’t really aimed at my friend and I’s age group so parts which were meant to be funny we often found ourselves not laughing at. Despite this I thought it was worth going to see, especially because we got really good seat for nothing, and did start to enjoy myself- especially at the end. I really liked how they included audience participation with the cannon balls and passing the boats back through the audience (Georgia and I got to hold the Amazon for a long time). So overall it was good but not my favourite thing to go and see and I don’t think I would be willing to pay money to go and see it.

I've been seeing that I've been getting a few views on my blog, and I was wondering if people could possibly leave some comments as I need them for my arts award. Anything: small or big, is appreciated. Thank you xx

The King and I

     On the 12^th of April 2012, my friend and I went to see The King and I at the Theatre royal Plymouth. The show involved singing, dancing and acting and I had seen things like the storyline before (The Sound of Music) but I had never seen Oriental Ballet in such a form as this. We went with the ANLO scheme so we did not have to pay anything.

     Although the start was slow and a bit boring, I found that I really enjoyed the whole thing. Especially the play within it- The little Cabin of Uncle Tom (I think). The dancing was beautiful, as were the costumes. I thought that the balance between humour and seriousness was just right. The role and performance by the children was especially astonishing given the ages of some of the children, it was very well practised and executed. I learnt from it that you never turn your back on the King of Siam- or any monarch for that matter.

I definitely wouldn't list it highly in my favourite things I have been to see because of the fact that the standard was not as high as many others and I didn't feel it was as well polished as previous things. The theater was as good as usual and I felt that the award they have received for the most welcoming theater was well deserved. The video here shows a sort of trailer for the tour we went to see long with comments by other people at the performance in Edinburgh.

Cornwall Youth Wind Orchestra

On the 3^rd of April 2012, the Cornwall Youth Wind Orchestra assembled in the RumStore at Carnglaze Caverns for their annual concert. The orchestra is one of Music Cornwall’s ensembles and includes 60 of the most talented musicians between the ages of roughly 13 and 20 from across the county, with members from Saltash to Penzance. The concert lasted about 2 hours not including the interval and this year the theme was pieces from around the world. The audience consisted of about 300 people including many special guests this year. The program this year:

o   Four Character Studies from Master Humphrey’s Clock, by Malcom Binney

o   Yosemite Autumn, by Mark Camphouse

o   Lincolnshire Posy, by Percy Grainger

o   Nocturne for Harp, by Claire Grundman

o   Wedding Dance, by Jacques Press

o   The White Tower, by Otto Schwartz

o   Outback, by Thomas Doss

o   Encore; Maleguena by Ernesto Lecuona

I didn’t just watch this concert; I took part in it as I am a member of Cywo (Cornwall Youth Wind Orchestra) and I loved it. It wasn’t a new experience as this was my second year as a member, but in a way it was a new experience due to the different musical program, this overall year at Cywo was better than last year because I have made lots of new friends that I have loads in common with and am more likely to stay in touch with due to this. I think last year’s program was better simply because there was music that people would have recognised like West Side Story, and an audience is more likely to enjoy it if they can recognise the music as a lot probably weren’t trained musically and therefore wouldn’t have appreciated the music as much. I would definitely recommend this whole experience to anyone, but it comes with quite a lot of pressure and is a lot of hard work. The meetings are only once a month but are all over the county and are very long days (The longest being 8.30am till 9.00pm!). You also have to be a certain (skill/grade) level as the pieces are not easy and Janet- the conductor- does not settle for ok!  The work is worth it though, when you take you final bow and know you’ve done well.

This is a little bit of information about the orchestra from the music service website!

Link: to the website showing photos taken at the event

Link: to the music service website report on the event

The Phantom Of The Opera

    On the 3rd of March 2012, my mum, Godmother and 4 other people went to the Theatre Royal in Plymouth to watch Cameron Mackintosh’s production of the Phantom of the Opera. As the title details, this show was an opera, but it also contained acting and some dance. It was a new experience for me as I had never seen an opera before.

    Overall I found it very good because of the mixture of suspense, joy and other varied emotions that the singers created. The part at the start when the cloths are ripped suddenly from the chandelier made me jump (as was intended) - it didn’t help with the position we were sat in, meaning we were right level with it. At certain parts I felt very much like crying, as was the nature of the story. The only thing that ruined it for me was the fact that I could see the wires and saw the phantom go under the bed at the end. As this was not their fault, I cannot find anything else bad about it. My enjoyment was totally unexpected as I do not tend to enjoy Opera at all, it is in no way my style of music. I was also surprised by the fact that I recognized any of the songs ie: Think Of Me and The Angel Of Music.

       Although I state that I enjoyed it even though it was an opera: I don't think I would enjoy any other opera's as I really don't like that music style. I would like to be surprised if I was to ever go and see another and I would still recommend going to see phantom of the opera even if you: like me, don't like opera.

The Theater Royal was a fantastic venue as usual and prices were quite reasonable.

Legally Blonde

             On the 26th October 2011, my Mum, Rose and I went to see Jerry Mitchel's Legally Blonde musical tour. It was in Manchester- the Manchester Opera house. The Theater itself was incredibly beautiful and antique and had recently been restored. We didn't have the best of seats but that couldn't be helped.

       My overall feeling of the show was very good. I hadn't seen anything much like it before and I loved the story line. The humour was well balanced with the drama and I loved the use of costume. The set was also especially clever and what with it being a reasonably new musical I was surprised with the number of songs I recognized. The musical numbers were incredible and being an instrumentalist, I had a special appreciation for their performance: which was very good. My favourite musical number was probably chip on my shoulder, below is a video of the song but i think that the version in the tour i went to see was much better but ya know... The only thing I think could be improved was the length. This isn't very easy to fix due to the fact it is a very precise, international musical but i do think  it seemed to pass especially quickly: this probably wasn't helped by the fact that i enjoyed it so much!

I would recommend it for most people, although i'm not sure some younger men would appreciate it due to the 'girly-ness' of it, for example I would not take my two older brothers (who are 18 and 20).

Until next time

Katie

xxx

The 'Big-uns'

This post shall be about the big shows I have been to see: some on the west-end and some elsewhere- enjoy:




The Sound Of Music:
I do believe that I was 8 when I went to see this as a birthday present. It was at the Palladium on the west end and was very inspirational for me. Starring in it was Connie Fisher: winner of the BBC show 'How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?', and having watched it from the start and voting for Connie at least once every week, you imagine my excitement. I don't remember much about the show apart from the fact that the set was incredible and it was from then on, my ambition to be one of the Von Trapp children one day. Like many of my West-end dreams-  have not quite achieved it yet. 
For me, the most exciting part occurred after the show, when we went to the stage door to meet the actors and actresses. I was literally bouncing along the tube train after I had my picture taken with Connie and got Connie, Captain Von Trapp, Mother Superior, Fredrick and Liesl's autographs. It is something I shall never forget and I seriously recommend this show to everyone!


Joseph and his Technicolor Dream-Coat,
This I do know the year of: 2009. I went with my primary school during our residential to London It was very exciting to go with my school friends and It's funny when we look back and realize we were probably too young to be drooling over Gareth Gates topless, who starred in the production. It was a great show and I set myself a dream yet again to be just one of the children in it. I was disappointed not to go to the stage-door to get his autograph, which had now become the norm for me.


My Fair Lady
I think this was the first big show i went to see. It was at the Theater Royal in Plymouth and I loved it. I loved the musical number: 'I'm getting married in the morning' and 'Get me to the Church on time'. I loved the romance in it and I distinctly remember the use of a gramophone- by which I was fascinated. I wish I remembered more about it but I think I was only about years  old.


Billy Elliot
My family and I went to see Billy Elliot in 2008 at the Victoria Palace Theater in London, just before heading off to Canada on holiday. The reason we went was because a Friend of Matt's from School was starring in it: Josh Fedrick (type him into YouTube-there are some videos about him and he was also the Billy Elliot who danced with Bruce Forsyth on his birthday tribute (BBC)). The whole thing was absolutely amazing and i realize now how much of the humour in it went over my head. As usual with big shows- we went to the stage door and I loved seeing peoples faces as they had been waiting for ages and Josh just casually walks up to us and starts talking to us.


Wicked
What can I say about wicked, apart from the fact that it was just astonishingly, beautifully amazing, I'm not sure what I can say. I think it has to be one of my favourite things I have seen so far. Another of my dreams sprang up in 2011 when I went to see it for my birthday present like Sound of Music, I will be Elphaba one day. The production starred Rachel Tucker as Elphaba and Louise Dearman as Glinda the Good-witch. 




Okay so now i have done that we can get on to the proper reviews that I know everyone's been waiting for- hehe :P
See ya soon
Katie
xxx

BA: Before-ANLO :D

  

          Before I turned 14 and was eligible (again) for the ANLO scheme, I went to the theater less frequently (due to the price), and when we did go it was to big shows. I have been going to the theater since a very young age and instead of posting boring things about shows I don't remember very well, I have decided to write one post detailing all the things I have been to see and maybe a few things about them. Here goes....

(By the way they won't be in order as i don't have a clue when some of them were),

I think the first things I went to see at the theater were little plays in the Drum Theater in Plymouth. They were put on especially for very young children (ie, age 6 and below) and included things such as Peter Pan. I briefly remember a scene from one which was set in the antarctic and included a penguin and an iceberg, but that's about it.

I also went to see many Christmas Pantomimes, I remember a few but I especially remember one I went to see when I was in year 6 (2008/09), this is because Alice, a friend of mine was in it. I specifically remember the 12 days of Christmas rendition they performed which was hilarious and involved a load of loo rolls landing on Thomas Bradley's head.

I have been taking ballet classes since the age of 4, and because of this I have been to see many ballet performances, including: Matthew Bournes Nutcracker, Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty.

I am also a keen reader, and enjoyed Roald Dahl when I was quite young, I have seen The Witches and The BFG on stage and I remember The Witches quite vividly even though I was only about 7. I especially loved the stairs scene when the giant mice were using an equally giant quality street to get up them. I also remember the fact that it is the only thing I have ever seen with my brother Matt (at the Theater Royal) and I distinctly remember him enjoying it loads: even if he won't admit it now.

It was tradition for any years that my family and I go to Sterts Theater in Cornwall to see the performances put on there: they included the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the Wizard of Oz, Wind in the Willows, Chitty, Chitty, Bang, Bang and possibly a few more (but i can't remember). They were put on by more amateur troops and I loved them. I also loved the theater: what with it being outdoors (we always brought plenty of blankets and cushions).

With School (secondary school) we went to see the Diary of Anne Frank at the Drum Theater in Plymouth as we were studying it at the time. I don't think the theater had ever seen so many tears (it didn't help that we are an all girls school). It was such a sad story and it was especially good as it starred 2 girls from our school.

 I think that's enough to be getting by with for now: I have decided to just do minor things on here and bigger shows on a seperate post so that i can show them more appreciation.

Goodbye for now!:)

Katie

xxx

Hello :)

Heya, 

So this is my blog about all performances to do with the performing arts I have ever seen: but especially the times I go to the theater (mainly at the Theater Royal in Plymouth). It is partly for my silver arts award but also because I just love going to the theater and want to share my experiences.

I will be saying alot about ANLO (A Night Less Ordinary- like the name of the blog) which I a government/arts council scheme for young people where you can get free/discounted tickets to go to the theater. The link tells you more about it.

I go to the theater very frequently- especially in the last 5 months, so my reviews of recent things I have been to see will be very different to the reviews of shows I may have seen years ago.

With this blog I hope to not only share my experiences but inspire others to go too as theater is a dying art form due to the price of going.
Other experiences may include concerts and recitals.

Enjoy!
Love Katie :)


Find me on Twitter: @katie_w_x
This is the link to more information about the ANLO scheme!
http://www.theatreroyal.com/content.asp?CategoryID=1451