Last week’s blog post generated a lot of responses – I had a number of people reach out to me to say how much they enjoyed reading about my daughter’s first trip to the theatre. It seems her wondrous amazement touched a fair few hearts and got my readers reminiscing about their first experience which, I have to say, gave me a smile as big as a Cheshire cat! I’m glad so many of you could share in her joy: getting such a show of appreciation for something I’ve written never fails to surprise and delight me as I’m my own worst critic for everything I do. I suppose I’m trying to say…thank you! All the lovely comments honestly meant so much to me.
Speaking of first experiences, I had one of my own this week. *STANDS UP* ‘Hi. My name is Julie and I have never been to the Royal Albert Hall’. Shocking, I know, but true. Well, it was – until Thursday night. Thursday 12th May was of course, the night of the 2011 Classic Brit Awards. I’d been looking forward to this for some time, for a variety of reasons: one having to be the outstanding line-up of the night’s performers; another being the chance to visit such an iconic London venue and, as some of you may have gathered through Twitter, I was very excited to be able to dress up and inject a little glamour into my life for one night! A long black evening gown and ‘up-do’ are essential when gracing the RAH with your presence…
What a fabulous night it was. If you have never been to the Royal Albert Hall, you simply must go – pictures do not do it justice. Standing there in person, soaking up its opulence was unbelievable. It is such a beautiful building, truly a grand piece of London history and architecture.
We were fortunate enough to acquire seats which gave us a close-up and clear view although, with the design of the Hall, you’re pretty much guaranteed a decent view wherever you are sat. The night’s nominees were in place at their tables before the stage which looked absolutely stunning; the set and lighting teams really out-did themselves on this occasion.
Il Divo made a perfect opening act, stood upon four circular podiums with a spotlight shining down on each of them and filling the Hall with the sound of their dulcet tones. I could listen to their voices all day. Four incredible talents who are so deserving of their Artist of the Decade award they returned to collect later in the evening. Followed by the company of Les Miserables, we were treated to performances from departing cast members such as Samantha Barks as well as a sneak peek at some of the incomers, including Lisa-Anne Wood, Liam Tamne and of course, Alfie Boe! I don’t want to give to spoil it for those of you who may be watching the televised Brits on Sunday 29th May, but I will say this: boy are you going to be blown away after June’s cast change…If you haven’t yet bought your tickets, run to that box office as fast as you can!
It would seem our Les-Misers were just as excited to be there as we were as, after someone forgot to turn the mics off once offstage, they could be heard over Myleene Klass (the Brits presenter) enthusiastically discussing just how much they had enjoyed performing – “Oh my God, that was so much fun!”, “That was AMAZING!” and so forth… Glad to hear it guys! ;)
Further performances throughout the night from violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter and trumpeter Alison Balsom went down a storm, as did the Eric Whitacre Singers who were joined on stage by the man himself. A personal highlight for me was Katherine Jenkins: as beautiful as she is gifted, she brought a smile to my face and maybe even a little tear to my eye. I’ve been quite surprised to find that the general consensus on Miss Jenkins among theatre-types I’ve spoken to on Twitter is not a favourable one. It seems she is not particularly rated as an opera singer, due to her commercialism and certain career choices, I gather…Well, everyone is entitled to an opinion – me as much as anyone else – and I think she is outstanding! Another voice I could gladly listen to all day and being able to experience her live like that, was one of those memories to be carefully stored away and never forgotten.
Her rendition of ‘Chanson Boheme’ from Carmen (a favourite opera of mine) was sublime, as was her later duet with Alfie Boe in tribute to late composer, John Barry. Responsible for bringing us timeless scores such as those from Born Free and of course, James Bond, The Classic Brits honoured him with a posthumous award for Outstanding Contribution to Music. Presented by actress Virginia McKenna, who was accompanied on stage by the Duchess of Cornwall (who coincidentally, was sitting in the box directly behind us for the evening), the award was accepted by John Barry’s close friend, lyricist Don Black. The night was perfectly rounded off by a special appearance from the one and only, Dame Shirley Bassey, paying tribute to Barry with the Bond theme song, Goldfinger. I have never seen my mum so excited in my life! J
I won’t detail the Classic Brit winners here – not everyone wants the spoilers…but tune in to ITV1 on Sunday 29th May to find out for yourselves and marvel in all of the wonderful performances from the night. I think the only thing which could have made the Brits perfect for me would have been a big old pizza box, right there on my lap. Or maybe a carton of chinese… For future reference, eating dinner BEFORE arriving in Westminster is a very good idea. The benefit of hindsight – hey ho! At least I didn’t have a food-bump belly to go with my lovely dress! ;)
I did not make the same mistake on Sunday. After spending the day in London with my dad, sisters and our collective children – belated birthday treat for dad. We took him in the Terror Tombs…not that Terror-fying to be honest – we all sat down to a delicious dinner together before I headed off to The Pleasance in Islington for the last night of THE PORK CRUNCH.
My Twitter followers reading this will all be well aware of THE PORK CRUNCH by now as I have been twittering about it endlessly over this last month. Apologies for anyone who may have been annoyed by it, but I am a big advocate of new writing and when something as good as THE PORK CRUNCH comes along, the more support that can be drummer up for it, the better!
If you didn’t go along to see one of the thirteen performances; boy, you really missed out…They had a full house for their last showing on Sunday and the response from the audience was fantastic. THE PORK CRUNCH is full of a multitude of vastly hilarious moments, which had the audience clutching their sides, gasping for breath and wiping tears of laughter from their eyes. I exaggerate not!
Adam Hunter has written a play which not only tickles the funny bone, but delivers a swift jab of reality in dealing with the dark and desperate side of life. Starring alongside the brilliantly funny Roger Wood and Mia Austen, the three take on a combination of characters between them and have a wonderful working chemistry. The small, dark space compliments the dark comedy of the play and creates an atmosphere of intimacy between the audience and the actors, helped out by the speeches Adam delivers into the audience.
The three main characters of Terry (Hunter), Dave (Wood) and Shelly (Austen) are well-written and instantly likeable: Hunter plays Terry as a sweet, mixed-up, down-on-his-luck guy while Wood is hilarious as fast-talking, Jack-the-lad Dave, infusing him with just the right balance of ‘mouth’ and heart, with Austen’s sharp-tongued, assertive Shelly plays off against him brilliantly. All three are looking to turn their lives around, trying to escape their mediocre existence in search of something more fulfilling.
THE PORK CRUNCH is compelling, exciting and an uproarious success – Adam’s drug-fuelled defilation of a £3,000 fish and the sight of Adam ‘prancing’ around in his underpants are two things which will bring a smile to my face on those days when one is needed. I can only hope that plans to try and bring the play to next year’s Edinburgh Fringe come to fruition because THE PORK CRUNCH is one of those gems that must be seen and admired by as many people as possible: I am sure that whatever happens, this is not the last we will see of it.
As well as enjoying a highly entertaining 90 minutes of Porky-time, I had a delightful time afterwards having a drink and a chat with the driving forces behind it: Adam Hunter and Simon Greiff. Adam is not only a talented actor and writer; he’s also a very lovely and fun guy. Having spoken with him through Twitter, it was nice to finally meet face-to-face out in the real world – as it was with Simon. I’ve been twittering with Simon since I interviewed him for my TPR feature on new writing, The Best of British, so it was particularly pleasing to put a face to that name. A truly great person and just a joy to get to know; as was his lovely wife, Annalene.
Adam and Simon have basically done the entire production on their own. It has been a labour of love, developed over the last two years and their passion for this work is simply inspiring. It’s been a long road for them, but their belief, determination and hard work overcame all the obstacles and they should be extremely proud of what they have achieved here. I am very happy that it went so well for them and also, that I got to be a part of it in a small way. I wish them all the best in whatever comes next.
For SimG Productions, that ‘next thing’ will be the upcoming cabaret night, Scott Alan and Friends. For one night only, acclaimed American songwriter Scott Alan will be hosting and performing with a selection of his West End friends: Annalene Beechey; Stuart Matthew Price; Ashleigh Gray and Cassie McIvor. Coming to the intimate Jermyn Street Theatre on Friday 24th June, 10.30pm – if you don’t want to miss out, go to www.SimGProductions for details on how to book.
Another forthcoming event to take note of is POPULAR! –The Songs You’re Not Allowed To Sing Anymore… New theatre company, Three Card Cabaret, is collaboration between Chris Macklin and John Webb-Carter. Presenting an evening of musical theatre, featuring songs that ‘no West End performer would dare take into an audition room’, POPULAR! stars Michael Baxter, Adam Bayjou, Poppy Carter and Ashleigh Jones, including MD Chris Macklin. It runs from 24th-28th May with a different special guest appearing alongside the core performers each night, beginning with Helena Blackman, then Sam Harrison, Lucy May Barker, Anton Stephans and Jessica Robinson. It promises to be a great night, so go along to the Landor Theatre at 8pm – for one night, two nights, or even all five! Tickets are available through www.landortheatre.co.uk.
On a personal level, it is an exciting time for me. I am juggling a number of features and interviews, the latest of which is up now on The Public Reviews website. Make A Difference with MADTrust focuses on the wonderful charity behind the recent West End Eurovision, who TPR have just made their Charity of the Year! Being involved with both TPR and the Trust, I am incredibly happy with the development of this new relationship and hope to see it blossom into something beautiful. We’re trying to raise a minimum of £1,500 f0r MADTrust, so if you would to donate to a very worthy cause, go to our Just Giving page to find out how.
I’m off to Love Never Dies again tomorrow night, courtesy of a ‘certain kind someone’…who was generous enough to offer me a ticket once they learned that my mother had won two tickets and was taking my daughter. She got them through an online Twitter draw from @LondonTheatre1 – a top-notch guy whose site offer good value theatre tickets and is currently running a series of interviews; ‘Meet The Cast’. Follow him on Twitter if you’re not already! J
I’m always delighted to see this phantabulous show, almost as much as my mother – but not anywhere close to my daughter! We’re going through the daily count-down once again and she simply cannot wait to go back. Come back next week to see if her second trip lived up to the experience of the first!
Remember, create, love, inspire!
Miss Julie
UPDATE! Scott Alan and Friends has sold out in record time! Great news - for those who missed out, better luck next time. :)
UPDATE! Scott Alan and Friends has sold out in record time! Great news - for those who missed out, better luck next time. :)
