People Places and Things is a hard-hitting exploration of addiction from all viewpoints: the addict, the counsellor and the family. I learnt a lot about addiction in general, how it’s a toxic combo of low self-esteem and self-glorification. I suspect every member of the audience did, since we are all harbouring some kind of compulsive behaviour to make life enjoyable. I’m watching the…
The 1885 Singers – Mozart and Dvorak Masses for Mother’s Day. What an unusual combo, a rarely-heard early Mozart piece followed by a more mature Dvorak work, both technically difficult and sung beautifully. I didn’t know either of them, but there’s no question of ‘Will I like the pieces?’ – the 1885 Singers deliver a delightful evening every time.
One mum nailed…
The House with Chicken Legs, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank, till 30 December.9+. By Les Enfants Terribles.
This is an original combo of: Panto meets Russia meets Grief. Does it work, though?
The Panto
The acting was larger-than-life, with the Baba and Yaga matriarchs carrying the comedy very well. The heroine Marinka began to grate with her over-earnest wide-eyed, chin-jutting…
Cinderella at the Lyric Hammersmith, 18 November 2023 – 6 January 2024. Our 16 year old and her 2 guests, 16 and 5, all loved it: 4/5 stars. The Lyric always does a great panto, so just book every year, it’s bound to be a hit with the kids AND keep the adults amused.
The Characters and Acting
Cinders was a comic fusion of passive ‘Woe is Me’ archetypes and feisty…
Remember, Remember, the 5th of November! So goes the saying, and it certainly will be remembered in the Annals of the Parish of Roehampton, as the church welcomed a large gathering – 82 signed the visitors’ book – to celebrate the launch of the newly hung set of 8 bells. Much has been written about this epic journey in Ringing World (RW 23.06.23) and the Surrey Association Newsletter…
If you want to be a part of lyric soprano Aivale Cole ‘s way back to stardom, her next performance is a Christmas Concert at St Mary’s Church, Putney, on 16 December 2023; look out for tickets on We Got Tickets (GAFA Pacific Christmas). I say be a part of, because she welcomes every member of the audience with a warm smile, and wraps you up in her life through fluffy back stories…
Taylor Swift Eras Tour, a marathon concert which is an autobiography in time, space and sound. Taylor Swift has cherry-picked songs from each era of her life which correspond to each album. And she’s globe-trotting. 5/5 stars and I’m not a Swifty: for her sheer good-nature, her voice, her lyrics, her costumes, and her sets.
Good-nature
She had me welling up with her heart-felt thanks…
‘Wherever you go, shine’. So goes Malan Breton’s motto, and he definitely walks the walk. Diamanté on black, glittering trains, glossy PVC in black and red, brushed silver, shimmery silks…
Of course there’s the outlandish flourishes, like a sheath dress that looks like the model got stuck halfway through a birthing ball. But we were really blown away by some beautiful…
Carcassonne in Occitanie, South-Eastern France, is a small place, and I had allocated two days; I was on my way to Narbonne where I was invited to a wedding by the family of my French exchange of 40 years.
A rest at the west exit, with a great view of the town and valley
This is the problem with Carca, it’s a stop-off, before the beach, before the mountains. But it deserves better, two days…
According to Tui in the Times recently, (10 August) ‘Holidaymakers will swap Med for Belgium’, I mean who needs forest fires and 40 degrees in the shade? I whole-heartedly support this, based on my recent trend-setting visit to the neighbouring Netherlands, another country which has been unjustifiably overlooked. I might be suffering from some rose-tintedness, but the country seems…