Musical - Tell Me On A Sunday

In a bonus week of theatre I went to see this on the Saturday Matinee (23rd July) in Malvern with John and Auntie and Grandma.

I had heard bits about this Andrew Lloyd Weber musical and it's relationship to Song and Dance but didn't understand things for sure but have subsequently read the programme of what we saw, and read the programme that Mum had from seeing song and dance in the 1980s.

I enjoyed seeing it, and am pleased to have seen it, but wouldn't choose to go and see it again. Before I went I knew of two songs that were going to be in it (Take that look off your face, and Tell me on a Sunday) from ALW compilation CDs I have had and then looking in the programme before hand i recognised the name of Unexpected Song and then during the show I recognised Last Man in My Life when it came on.  It was fascinating to see how one woman could command the stage by herself for that long (admittedly only 1hour 40mins including the interval, but still mega impressive!).  It was Claire Sweeney doing this tour.  And there isn't really any talking in it, just singing and the song after song didn't feel too odd to me.  I did close my eyes a few bits, but I think I was just tired!

I am tempted now to draw up lists of the Andrew Lloyd Weber musicals I have and haven't seen.  I was disappointed some years ago to realise how few I had actually seen. So here goes:

Seen 
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat
Jesus Christ Superstar
By Jeeves
Evita
Tell Me on A Sunday
Cats
Starlight Express
The Phantom of the Opera
Whistle Down the Wind
The Beautiful Game

Not Seen
The Likes of Us
Variations (Song and Dance)
Aspects of Love
Sunset Boulevard
The Woman in White
Love Never Dies

Well, I think that's really good!  I have definitely ticked some off recently.  I wonder if they're all on my definitive list (checked and they all appear to be there).  I would definitely like to see Aspects of Love, Sunset Boulevard and The Woman in White if possible. 

German Grand Prix

Just had to pause the recording of today's German Grand Prix to go upstairs and get my computer.  Had begun to wonder whether I should blog about it as I had been in an excited mood about the race today, and then (no, not a Martin comment) a great Hamilton overtake leapt me to action!  Hamilton passed Weber off the start into the lead, and then on lap 13 as the cameras had just gone back to the two of them and they were commenting on how Ham would have to extend his first stint, they said 'He's run wide' and it was barely noticeable but then it was tense as Weber got alongside him and was in the right place for the next corner but then it was the start finish straight and Ham managed to slip stream past him and just get him into the first corner!  Go Lewis!!  It was heart beating stuff.  Now I know I would have words with my children for writing a sentence that long, but I like it being that way.  I'm doing it for effect!  Now, I will resume, and if the race isn't too exciting I will fill you in on the rest!

Good replay, but it is still so close with Ham, Weber, Alonso in 3rd.  Phwooff!!!  Great fights all over the place!  They're coming in for tyres now.  Vetel was 10 seconds behind Alonso with Massa right on his tail.  Then Button has spent the race behind Petrov in 9th after a poor start but is getting closer to passing him.  Feel it's got to be any minute.

Lap 16/17 - Blimey!  that was a complicated moment.  Massa got Vettel into the last corner then Weber got past Vetel too, Vetel pitted then Weber (who'd pitted) was all over Massa (who'd not) into the first corner, as Ham closely followed by Alonso, came out of the pits and were just behind them.

Lap 18 so now Massa's pitted, it's Weber, Ham, Alonso (covered by 1.3 seconds) with Massa and Vetel a little further back.  It's not proving a good day for the World Champion who qualified in 3rd, first time off the front row in 14 races and he's now back behind all the main players.  Well, button is 4th but don't think he's stopped.

Lap 32 - Ham just gets Webber at the second pitstop.  Weber pitted first then there was some argy bargy on first couple of corners.  Ham keeps it for now.  What about Alonso on next lap?  Alonso gets Ham but Ham does what Weber didn't and went round the outside in turn two and gets the lead in the argy bargy!

Lap 36 - ooohhhh.  Was just going to write about Button's good move up to 6th, but then he had a radio message saying he had to 'box this lap' because they had a hydraulics problem.  Booo

Lap 60/60 Well it was nerve racking towards the end.  Especially wondering who would pit first and how near the end on to the less favoured tyres which were 1 and a half seconds a lap slower.  But victory was secured for Hamilton!!!  Woop woop!!  and Vetel only 4th so pretty good all round!

Funny incident.  During the race, Lizzie has been finding new apps for my phone in an entertaining and useful way.  With two laps to go she was reading headlines from the new BBC News App:  Greece secures debt deal; blah blah blah; Hamilton beats Alonso to... aghhhhhhh!!!!  It was funny!!  fortunately it was only 2 laps to go!

I haven't titled this post yet.  Poor one for Martin.  Think I might go conventional ;-)

Musical - Grease

Last night I took myself off to see Grease at the New Theatre in Oxford on the first day of the Summer Holidays.  Wasn't absolutely desperate to go, as I felt I knew it quite well, but very pleased  I did go.  It got me thinking about when I last went to that Theatre (seems to be Joseph a year ago, they had a new box office area now) and how many times I have seen Grease at the Theatre.  It definitely felt to me like I had seen it quite recently, but I couldn't quite think when, and I have just looked at my definitive musicals list and the only Grease moments on there are when I was 8 and when I was in 6th Form, which is what I could remember last night.  I'm wondering if I have seen a school version at all, and of course I did see the film at the open air cinema last year.

I really had a great time and loved it.  I was impressed with all the singing and most of the acting too.  It seemed pretty true to versions I remember - there were lines said in the same tone as the film, and others in the same was as my original London cast recording CD from the 90s.  I liked Rizzo and her outfits reminded me of the film a lot. I liked

• that Danny and Sandy sang the opening Sandy number from balconies on opposites sides of the stage as in my memory.
• that they sang 'those magic changes'
• We Go Together was brilliant at the end of the first half.
• that Patsy danced along the bar singing the Rydell fight song in the finale
• Greased Lightning
• that they often sang with hand held mics to make it a bit concert-esque.
• Rock and Roll Party Queen

I wasn't as keen on the second half:

• I have never really liked Beauty Queen Drop Out and resolutely kept my hands to my sides instead of clapping.  
• Sandy (by nature of the story in the musical) wasn't at the high school dance and in the competition and I do enjoy that bit in the film.  I really didn't like ChaCha.
• They didn't do the car race and I have mixed feelings about this.  I think I remember from before (though could totally be making this up) that they sort of did the car race by having two cars roughly next to each other in the mainly dark and car whooshing noises going on.  And I wasn't a particular fan of that though I couldn't see how it could work otherwise.  So in that sense it was good they didn't have it.  But the sudden appearance of 'You're the one that I want' consequently felt out of place and I couldn't feel the excitement of it as I do normally - it having been my favourite song when I was 8.  
• Not specific to the second half, but I found (at least from the circle) Danny, Kinickie and another of the T-Birds far to similar to easily tell apart!

All in all it was a good evening and I was super pleased I went!

Musical - Million Dollar Quartet

Hi blogging world!  It's been a while! These boyfriends ;-)  they do take up so much time!  and then there was report writing...  But yesterday was the first day of the summer holidays - horray - and it's time to start getting caught up!

Thursday 2nd June - Half-term holidays

John and I had an exciting time planned going to an Adventure Stories evening at a pub in London to hear Dave Cornthwaite talk and to hear a phone conversation with Sarah Outen.  I suggested (surprise surprise!) that we try to see a matinee at the theatre.  I made a list of all the Thursday matinees - a surprisingly long list and on the journey there we managed to shorten the list down to 4 potentials (others included Shrek the Musical, Betty Blue Eyes and ...).  Million Dollar Quartet got lucky (or as I originally wrote in the post title Millionnaire Dollar Quartet) by being in the theatre closest to Leicester Square Tube Station where we got off and so was our first port of call.  I decided we would go to theatres and ask for their cheapest seats as opposed to doing a half price ticket booth as they tend to just be half price of the most expensive tickets.  They could do us £10 tickets, but they were restricted view apparently meaning if you leaned half way over you could see half the stage?!  But the next price bracket up was £15 for the balcony.  Sold!

While standing in line at the box office I read some of the info about the show.  It was set on one night, December 4th 1956, when four rock and roll legends had a jam session at sun records.  We returned wandered round London and returned to watch the show and were told they weren't opening the balcony and our tickets had been upgraded to the Stalls - cool!  The audience mostly seemed to have been there in 1956 and there was a lot of good shoulder bopping and even singing started in one song then seemed to continue to the end of the show!

It was a really fun show.  I didn't know all that many songs but I did know some.  The actors/musicians seemed great to me, playing it all live  John and I were eager to google about the event afterwards to find out how much was real.  I did cry at one point, when they recreated a photo taken on the night and then showed the original photo on a big screen.  There was a great encore bit and a lady in front of us got up looking as if she was leaving, but went to dance in the aisle instead and Elvis sang one of his encore songs to her which I liked.  Then Jerry Lee Lewis said something about God commanding us to dance so the audience got up and I loved that!  We bought the CD afterwards and have had many a car journey with it!