Today, Up in the Cheap Seats (UITCS) were on YouTube, watching a production of Hairspray, with Jennifer Hudson and Ariana Grande. Part of Andrew Lloyd Webber's channel, The Shows Must Go On. By now, I'm afraid it's gone off-air again..
As usual, I started early. And straight away, I was launched into a bright, breezy, peppy, feelgood musical. Spent the next couple of hours or so bopping along to the music. Catchy tunes, bright colours, and a couple of messages to take away, as a fat girl from Baltimore struggles to get herself on tv, and once that's achieved, struggles to get her black friends on too - this is set at the start of the 60s. Politics lite.
Interestingly, the call afterwards was on Zoom again. And again, we had a nice, long chat. And while some agreed with my assessment, a lot of people were disturbed that the political messages in the story weren't delivered more forcefully. As someone joked, perhaps the lockdown was depressing us! The misgivings of others were inspired by the ongoing, terrible events in the States - and as one person said, perhaps this wasn't appropriate to stream, at the moment. And yes, that deserves discussion. But hey, in the end, this is a musical - a feelgood one. And if I want politics, Hairspray isn't where I'll go for it! Still, as I say, a lite introduction to what was happening at the time - if you need it.
Tomorrow (or thereabouts), London Literary Walks gives the results to the final (sigh) round of their quiz.. Now, tomorrow is actually a bank holiday in Ireland. And gee, for me too, as my company introduced an extra day off some years back, in return for overtime worked to get a release out - and decided to keep the tradition! And that bank holiday happens tomorrow. So I get two in a row, hah! Looking for something to do tomorrow afternoon, I think I'll probably watch something on Mubi. Highest rated film currently showing is The Stranger (1991) - an Indian film about a well-off family that receives a visitor, claiming to be a long-lost relative..
And on Saturday, back with UITCS for another musical - Reasons to be Cheerful. Interestingly, for the talk after, we're back on Jitsi again..!
Sunday 31 May 2020
Saturday 30 May 2020
Storytelling & Musical: Beauty and the Beast
The London Irish Centre was live on Facebook with storytelling this morning, 11am BST. I did manage to wake in time, tuned in. Now, when I'm asked about storytelling, people think it's kids' stuff, and I have to correct them - unfortunately, this was actually kids' stuff. Decent enough, but I signed out after the first story. No, if I'm after storytelling, the Crick Crack Club has gone online - and I must get around to listening to them!
This weekend, otherwise, is all about Up in the Cheap Seats. This afternoon, I saw a remake of Beauty and the Beast with them, broadcast by Chichester Festival Theatre. Logged on a little early, which I find wise - you never know what'll go wrong, and it gives me a chance to troubleshoot tech for the talk afterwards.
Well gee, my first thought was - is today going to be all about kids?! This production, you see, follows the lead of The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe, in taking the perspective of kids evacuated from London during the Blitz to a large, rambling, scary house in the country. The actual story is then told to them by other kids staying there.
Hmm. You know, I don't think that one person from our group managed to keep their attention on it the whole time! I did find it charming, overall - although, not being familiar with either the animated film or the live-action, I only had the original story for comparison. So, talking animals were a new one on me, which I guess came from one or more of the versions I haven't seen. Hey-ho, I can adapt.. I liked the production in general, including the exoskeleton that the beast wore, which could be removed easily at the end. The songs were pretty, and I've always liked the story. Ultimately though, as one person observed, she was glad we didn't pay to see this..! A bit forgettable.
Afterwards, we switched from Jitsi, favoured by this group in general, to Zoom - but as the morning's storytelling had been on Zoom as well, and gave problems, I switched to my phone again. Relatively problem-free, after I figured out everything I had to configure to get it to work on my phone. And we had a great old natter! Nearly an hour talking to each other, and little enough said about what we'd just seen - no, I was delighted, instead, when Normal People was brought up, and I could gossip about that a bit. Anyway, it was great to chat to people for the first time in ages!
Tomorrow, we're on YouTube, watching a production of Hairspray, with Jennifer Hudson and Ariana Grande. Part of Andrew Lloyd Webber's channel, The Shows Must Go On.
And on Monday (or thereabouts), London Literary Walks gives the results to the final (sigh) round of their quiz..
This weekend, otherwise, is all about Up in the Cheap Seats. This afternoon, I saw a remake of Beauty and the Beast with them, broadcast by Chichester Festival Theatre. Logged on a little early, which I find wise - you never know what'll go wrong, and it gives me a chance to troubleshoot tech for the talk afterwards.
Well gee, my first thought was - is today going to be all about kids?! This production, you see, follows the lead of The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe, in taking the perspective of kids evacuated from London during the Blitz to a large, rambling, scary house in the country. The actual story is then told to them by other kids staying there.
Hmm. You know, I don't think that one person from our group managed to keep their attention on it the whole time! I did find it charming, overall - although, not being familiar with either the animated film or the live-action, I only had the original story for comparison. So, talking animals were a new one on me, which I guess came from one or more of the versions I haven't seen. Hey-ho, I can adapt.. I liked the production in general, including the exoskeleton that the beast wore, which could be removed easily at the end. The songs were pretty, and I've always liked the story. Ultimately though, as one person observed, she was glad we didn't pay to see this..! A bit forgettable.
Afterwards, we switched from Jitsi, favoured by this group in general, to Zoom - but as the morning's storytelling had been on Zoom as well, and gave problems, I switched to my phone again. Relatively problem-free, after I figured out everything I had to configure to get it to work on my phone. And we had a great old natter! Nearly an hour talking to each other, and little enough said about what we'd just seen - no, I was delighted, instead, when Normal People was brought up, and I could gossip about that a bit. Anyway, it was great to chat to people for the first time in ages!
Tomorrow, we're on YouTube, watching a production of Hairspray, with Jennifer Hudson and Ariana Grande. Part of Andrew Lloyd Webber's channel, The Shows Must Go On.
And on Monday (or thereabouts), London Literary Walks gives the results to the final (sigh) round of their quiz..
Friday 29 May 2020
Film: Torvill and Dean
Tonight, I had a peek at Torvill and Dean, on tv. Of course, I knew who they were - although this did jog my memory somewhat. Multi-winning British ice skaters, famous for their Olympic gold-winning performance to the music of Bolero.
And it's very engaging! Well worth a look, if you come across it. Plenty of behind-the-scenes stories of how they came from nowhere, two Nottingham kids interested in ice skating, and eventually - ice skating being rather a small world - their teacher decided to pair them together.
And the rest is history. Kind of. We still get plenty of behind-the-scenes angst, disagreements, sexual tension, injury, family problems. The thorny question of whether (or when) to give up the day jobs. And as they start to win stuff, they set their sights on bigger goals. There's a bit of skating in the film - not enough to be repetitive. The reproduction of life in the late 70s / early 80s (the film itself is quite recent) is interesting - particularly when they arrive in Sarajevo for the fateful Winter Olympics in a Trabant belching fumes, to be put up in typically spartan-looking Soviet accommodation! with suspicious-looking Soviets constantly giving them the eye..
I love how, apparently, Jayne Torvill hated Bolero at first. And most of the thought of the film obviously went into the preparation for that performance. The passion with which Christopher Dean describes his idea to her is catching - I haven't heard anything so inspiring in ages. And the tension as the competition approaches - the most important of their lives - is beautifully built. Watch out, also, for the overawed parents arriving in the stands, dad with a packed lunch..
Predictably, for the performance itself, they use snatches of the real thing. And it ends with their perfect scores. Yep, well worth a look.
Gotta get to bed - I'm already up too late! given that the London Irish Centre is live on Facebook with storytelling tomorrow morning, 11am BST.
This weekend is all about Up in the Cheap Seats. Tomorrow afternoon, I'm seeing a remake of Beauty and the Beast with them, broadcast by Chichester Festival Theatre.
On Sunday, we're on YouTube, watching a production of Hairspray, with Jennifer Hudson and Ariana Grande. Part of Andrew Lloyd Webber's channel, The Shows Must Go On.
And on Monday (or thereabouts), London Literary Walks gives the results to the final (sigh) round of their quiz..
And it's very engaging! Well worth a look, if you come across it. Plenty of behind-the-scenes stories of how they came from nowhere, two Nottingham kids interested in ice skating, and eventually - ice skating being rather a small world - their teacher decided to pair them together.
And the rest is history. Kind of. We still get plenty of behind-the-scenes angst, disagreements, sexual tension, injury, family problems. The thorny question of whether (or when) to give up the day jobs. And as they start to win stuff, they set their sights on bigger goals. There's a bit of skating in the film - not enough to be repetitive. The reproduction of life in the late 70s / early 80s (the film itself is quite recent) is interesting - particularly when they arrive in Sarajevo for the fateful Winter Olympics in a Trabant belching fumes, to be put up in typically spartan-looking Soviet accommodation! with suspicious-looking Soviets constantly giving them the eye..
I love how, apparently, Jayne Torvill hated Bolero at first. And most of the thought of the film obviously went into the preparation for that performance. The passion with which Christopher Dean describes his idea to her is catching - I haven't heard anything so inspiring in ages. And the tension as the competition approaches - the most important of their lives - is beautifully built. Watch out, also, for the overawed parents arriving in the stands, dad with a packed lunch..
Predictably, for the performance itself, they use snatches of the real thing. And it ends with their perfect scores. Yep, well worth a look.
Gotta get to bed - I'm already up too late! given that the London Irish Centre is live on Facebook with storytelling tomorrow morning, 11am BST.
This weekend is all about Up in the Cheap Seats. Tomorrow afternoon, I'm seeing a remake of Beauty and the Beast with them, broadcast by Chichester Festival Theatre.
On Sunday, we're on YouTube, watching a production of Hairspray, with Jennifer Hudson and Ariana Grande. Part of Andrew Lloyd Webber's channel, The Shows Must Go On.
And on Monday (or thereabouts), London Literary Walks gives the results to the final (sigh) round of their quiz..
Tuesday 26 May 2020
Film: Hoop Dreams & Play: Venus in Fur
I was thinking film for Sunday. Had the same thought a few nights before, actually - but being sick to the teeth of nature documentaries, I thought I'd finally avail of my Mubi membership. Three months' free trial, and I hadn't availed of it yet! Highest rated on it at the time was Kurosawa's last epic (as advertised) - Ran. The Japanese version of King Lear, really. So, I tried to watch it. Twice. The first time, I gave up after about 10 minutes - there was so much buffering, I'd got through under 3 minutes' worth of material. The second time, I did a bit better - managed 26 mins worth of material in just over an hour. Both times, I got tired and gave up. Third time lucky..?
What I can say about the first 26 minutes is - it's quite shouty, the (16th Century) costumes are really weird, and the scenery is spectacular. Well gee, by the time I got around to watching something, there was a higher rated film on Mubi - and not particularly fancying listening to bearded Japanese men shouting at each other, I went for Hoop Dreams instead. It's a (very long) documentary about two black teenage boys from Chicago, both talented basketball players, who are scouted for a school just out of town called St. Joseph's, which has a strong focus on basketball, with a number of players headed towards college basketball, and professional careers.
I kind of sorted my Mubi problem - they must show films in very high res, because in the settings page, you can choose among three (high, medium, low). I tried each, and settled on low (described as standard res) - I still had some buffering, but manageable - less than half an hour added to a three-hour film.
So - I have zero interest in basketball. But the film does delve deeply into these kids' home lives, and their careers through high school - they briefly mention what happened to them next, but I had to do my own search to find out more. And by the end, I was interested - it's something of a marathon, but you do find yourself getting hooked, and wanting to know more. What a journey it is - although they mention a successful alumnus, neither of these kids reaches those dizzy heights (spoiler).. and with the litany of problems they face, you can see why.
You expect the standard problems - one has terrible trouble with recurring injury, both struggle to keep their grades up, which is a requirement. Then the other's family discovers that what they thought was a full scholarship is nothing of the kind, and they can't afford the balance - so the school unceremoniously kicks him out, and requires a further payment before they'll even release his transcript to the school he returns to! I don't know that St. Joseph's comes out of this too well - on top of this, the coach is a slavedriver, criticising the injured kid for not having the killer instinct he did before his injury, then making him come back too soon, just making it worse.
Well, there is life outside basketball, and they'll be ok. But hell, the background they come from.. random attacks (not to mention deliberate fights) shorten lives, and the father of one was shot dead by robbers shortly after the film was released. The brother of the other was shot dead some years later. There's jail, teenage pregnancy, redundancy leading to inadequate welfare, which in turn means the power is cut off.. it's no wonder that they dream of a glittering future away from this. The shots of them strolling around college campuses, at the end of the film, are a sight to behold - a new world awaits. I remember the feeling, although all I was trying to escape was boredom! You don't know when you have it lucky..
So, I enjoyed it - although there is no way it needed to be that long.. As for Ran, it's no longer showing on Mubi. Which doesn't distress me too much.
I've been quite busy since, with a decent tv schedule as well. So I had no chance to blog. Yesterday being a bank holiday, I planned to watch Venus in Fur, showing on YouTube, as suggested by Up in the Cheap Seats - in the end, it was tonight before I got to it! Definitely not the best recording - probably not intended for public consumption, with the camera jerking around, and most particularly, dreadful sound quality. They don't get the mic right until about 15 minutes in - the beginning is really faint. All the worse because the audience inexplicably finds the start hilarious, and keeps bursting out in raucous laughter! When you have the volume turned up so you can hear the actors, then you get a burst of deafening laughter (the mic must have been at the back) - you begin to wonder whether it's worth continuing.
Do give it a shot - it's really very good. And audiences laughing at inappropriate moments is, sadly, something I'm used to. And, as usual, the laughter stops after a while, when they realise it's not a comedy (why does everyone seem to expect everything to be a comedy?!). The play is a two-hander, with a theatre director about to leave for the night after a day spent looking for the female lead for his new play. Suddenly, in bursts a young woman, who's been delayed, and is desperate to read for the part, and persuades him to read with her.. and wouldn't you know it, it's as though the play was written for her! But has he bitten off more than he can chew with this mysterious woman..?
It it funny - the more so when you can hear it, with the volume at a suitable level, and the audience not drowning it out. And it's sexy. The play that he's casting for is based on a 19th Century novel, and is all about domination.. it's fascinating to watch Lauren Kampman completely manipulate the director as he tries, bemusedly, to figure her out. By the end, I don't think we're any more sure than we were about who she really is, but it doesn't matter - she's given him a masterclass in how to be dominant. And struck a blow for feminism! Recommended, with a caveat about the laughter and poor audio at the start.
This weekend is all about the same group. On Saturday, I'm seeing a remake of Beauty and the Beast with them, broadcast by Chichester Festival Theatre.
On Sunday, we're on YouTube, watching a production of Hairspray, with Jennifer Hudson and Ariana Grande. Part of Andrew Lloyd Webber's channel, The Shows Must Go On.
And on Monday (or thereabouts), London Literary Walks gives the results to the final (sigh) round of their quiz..
What I can say about the first 26 minutes is - it's quite shouty, the (16th Century) costumes are really weird, and the scenery is spectacular. Well gee, by the time I got around to watching something, there was a higher rated film on Mubi - and not particularly fancying listening to bearded Japanese men shouting at each other, I went for Hoop Dreams instead. It's a (very long) documentary about two black teenage boys from Chicago, both talented basketball players, who are scouted for a school just out of town called St. Joseph's, which has a strong focus on basketball, with a number of players headed towards college basketball, and professional careers.
I kind of sorted my Mubi problem - they must show films in very high res, because in the settings page, you can choose among three (high, medium, low). I tried each, and settled on low (described as standard res) - I still had some buffering, but manageable - less than half an hour added to a three-hour film.
So - I have zero interest in basketball. But the film does delve deeply into these kids' home lives, and their careers through high school - they briefly mention what happened to them next, but I had to do my own search to find out more. And by the end, I was interested - it's something of a marathon, but you do find yourself getting hooked, and wanting to know more. What a journey it is - although they mention a successful alumnus, neither of these kids reaches those dizzy heights (spoiler).. and with the litany of problems they face, you can see why.
You expect the standard problems - one has terrible trouble with recurring injury, both struggle to keep their grades up, which is a requirement. Then the other's family discovers that what they thought was a full scholarship is nothing of the kind, and they can't afford the balance - so the school unceremoniously kicks him out, and requires a further payment before they'll even release his transcript to the school he returns to! I don't know that St. Joseph's comes out of this too well - on top of this, the coach is a slavedriver, criticising the injured kid for not having the killer instinct he did before his injury, then making him come back too soon, just making it worse.
Well, there is life outside basketball, and they'll be ok. But hell, the background they come from.. random attacks (not to mention deliberate fights) shorten lives, and the father of one was shot dead by robbers shortly after the film was released. The brother of the other was shot dead some years later. There's jail, teenage pregnancy, redundancy leading to inadequate welfare, which in turn means the power is cut off.. it's no wonder that they dream of a glittering future away from this. The shots of them strolling around college campuses, at the end of the film, are a sight to behold - a new world awaits. I remember the feeling, although all I was trying to escape was boredom! You don't know when you have it lucky..
So, I enjoyed it - although there is no way it needed to be that long.. As for Ran, it's no longer showing on Mubi. Which doesn't distress me too much.
I've been quite busy since, with a decent tv schedule as well. So I had no chance to blog. Yesterday being a bank holiday, I planned to watch Venus in Fur, showing on YouTube, as suggested by Up in the Cheap Seats - in the end, it was tonight before I got to it! Definitely not the best recording - probably not intended for public consumption, with the camera jerking around, and most particularly, dreadful sound quality. They don't get the mic right until about 15 minutes in - the beginning is really faint. All the worse because the audience inexplicably finds the start hilarious, and keeps bursting out in raucous laughter! When you have the volume turned up so you can hear the actors, then you get a burst of deafening laughter (the mic must have been at the back) - you begin to wonder whether it's worth continuing.
Do give it a shot - it's really very good. And audiences laughing at inappropriate moments is, sadly, something I'm used to. And, as usual, the laughter stops after a while, when they realise it's not a comedy (why does everyone seem to expect everything to be a comedy?!). The play is a two-hander, with a theatre director about to leave for the night after a day spent looking for the female lead for his new play. Suddenly, in bursts a young woman, who's been delayed, and is desperate to read for the part, and persuades him to read with her.. and wouldn't you know it, it's as though the play was written for her! But has he bitten off more than he can chew with this mysterious woman..?
It it funny - the more so when you can hear it, with the volume at a suitable level, and the audience not drowning it out. And it's sexy. The play that he's casting for is based on a 19th Century novel, and is all about domination.. it's fascinating to watch Lauren Kampman completely manipulate the director as he tries, bemusedly, to figure her out. By the end, I don't think we're any more sure than we were about who she really is, but it doesn't matter - she's given him a masterclass in how to be dominant. And struck a blow for feminism! Recommended, with a caveat about the laughter and poor audio at the start.
This weekend is all about the same group. On Saturday, I'm seeing a remake of Beauty and the Beast with them, broadcast by Chichester Festival Theatre.
On Sunday, we're on YouTube, watching a production of Hairspray, with Jennifer Hudson and Ariana Grande. Part of Andrew Lloyd Webber's channel, The Shows Must Go On.
And on Monday (or thereabouts), London Literary Walks gives the results to the final (sigh) round of their quiz..
Saturday 23 May 2020
Film: Swimming Upstream
I knew absolutely nothing about Swimming Upstream when I saw it on the tv schedule - but hey, there was nothing else decent on, so I said I'd give it a shot.
Turns out to be based on the autobiography of Tony Fingleton, an Australian champion swimmer who got a scholarship to Harvard, became a screenwriter, and stayed in the States. This film, however, concentrates on his rise to stardom, and his life in Australia - in particular, his fractious relationship with his alcoholic, pushy father (Geoffrey Rush), whose ambition damaged Tony's relationship with his brother - also a promising swimmer.
Very watchable, this - and Geoffrey Rush does (as usual) a brilliant job in portraying the alternately charming and vicious drunk. No trouble at all, either, to watch groups of fit, damp young men compete in competition after competition.. Not the greatest of films, but worth a look - if nothing else is standing out.
I'm thinking film for tomorrow. Had the same thought a couple of nights ago, actually - but being sick to the teeth of nature documentaries, I thought I'd finally avail of my Mubi membership. Three months' free trial, and I hadn't availed of it yet! Still haven't, really - highest rated on it at the moment is Kurosawa's last epic (as advertised) - Ran. The Japanese version of King Lear, really. So, I tried to watch it. Twice. The first time, I gave up after about 10 minutes - there was so much buffering, I'd got through under 3 minutes' worth of material. The second time, I did a bit better - managed 26 mins worth of material in just over an hour. Both times, I got tired and gave up. Third time lucky..?
What I can say about the first 26 minutes is - it's quite shouty, the (16th Century) costumes are really weird, and the scenery is spectacular. Dunno what the problem with Mubi is - I don't have the same issue with YouTube, or any of the theatre websites. Watch this space..
Turns out to be based on the autobiography of Tony Fingleton, an Australian champion swimmer who got a scholarship to Harvard, became a screenwriter, and stayed in the States. This film, however, concentrates on his rise to stardom, and his life in Australia - in particular, his fractious relationship with his alcoholic, pushy father (Geoffrey Rush), whose ambition damaged Tony's relationship with his brother - also a promising swimmer.
Very watchable, this - and Geoffrey Rush does (as usual) a brilliant job in portraying the alternately charming and vicious drunk. No trouble at all, either, to watch groups of fit, damp young men compete in competition after competition.. Not the greatest of films, but worth a look - if nothing else is standing out.
I'm thinking film for tomorrow. Had the same thought a couple of nights ago, actually - but being sick to the teeth of nature documentaries, I thought I'd finally avail of my Mubi membership. Three months' free trial, and I hadn't availed of it yet! Still haven't, really - highest rated on it at the moment is Kurosawa's last epic (as advertised) - Ran. The Japanese version of King Lear, really. So, I tried to watch it. Twice. The first time, I gave up after about 10 minutes - there was so much buffering, I'd got through under 3 minutes' worth of material. The second time, I did a bit better - managed 26 mins worth of material in just over an hour. Both times, I got tired and gave up. Third time lucky..?
What I can say about the first 26 minutes is - it's quite shouty, the (16th Century) costumes are really weird, and the scenery is spectacular. Dunno what the problem with Mubi is - I don't have the same issue with YouTube, or any of the theatre websites. Watch this space..
Talk on Richard III
Today, back with London Social Detours for an NPG talk on Richard III.. specifically, on what a famous portrait of him can tell us about his true character. Well, that's how it was advertised anyway.
Signed on roughly on time - happily, we didn't have the tech problems of previously. Not with logging on, at least - although it proved a lesson in screensharing for both host and speaker. (Yes, the host has to stop sharing in order for anyone else to start.. and the speaker had to get help to start her slideshow!)
The slides were well-chosen, albeit with rather spidery calligraphy for the titles. And we opened with that famous portrait - where we learned that his action of putting a ring on (or taking it off, it's not clear which) refers to his being free to marry, following his wife's death. It's an action repeated in several portraits of him, and it's interesting to speculate why. Not that we did in this talk, mind. But it's not her fault that I didn't learn anything else new in this talk - well, apart from the fact that, when they were digging up that car park in Leicester where he was buried, they happened to start at the section labelled "R" - and that was where they found him! Oh, and his skeleton showed signs of scoliosis..
All the rest I already knew - and indeed, must commend her on her summary of the Wars of the Roses. As she mentioned afterwards, it's kind of necessary to give the background, as it would have shaped Richard's personality so much. And I knew all that stuff, what happened to his brothers, the rumours about the validity of his brother, Edward IV's, marriage.. Gotta commend her, also, on her accuracy; I've known several guides and speakers get their facts wrong. And yes, if you ever want an expert on royalty, you could do worse than consult me.. I've never come across a tv quiz question on royalty that I didn't know. What can I say - it's a hobby! ;-)
Well, I'm thinking film for tomorrow. Had the same thought a couple of nights ago, actually - but being sick to the teeth of nature documentaries, I thought I'd finally avail of my Mubi membership. Three months' free trial, and I hadn't availed of it yet! Still haven't, really - highest rated on it at the moment is Kurosawa's last epic (as advertised) - Ran. The Japanese version of King Lear, really. So, I tried to watch it. Twice. The first time, I gave up after about 10 minutes - there was so much buffering, I'd got through under 3 minutes' worth of material. The second time, I did a bit better - managed 26 mins worth of material in just over an hour. Both times, I got tired and gave up. Third time lucky..?
What I can say about the first 26 minutes is - it's quite shouty, the (16th Century) costumes are really weird, and the scenery is spectacular. Dunno what the problem with Mubi is - I don't have the same issue with YouTube, or any of the theatre websites. Watch this space..
Signed on roughly on time - happily, we didn't have the tech problems of previously. Not with logging on, at least - although it proved a lesson in screensharing for both host and speaker. (Yes, the host has to stop sharing in order for anyone else to start.. and the speaker had to get help to start her slideshow!)
The slides were well-chosen, albeit with rather spidery calligraphy for the titles. And we opened with that famous portrait - where we learned that his action of putting a ring on (or taking it off, it's not clear which) refers to his being free to marry, following his wife's death. It's an action repeated in several portraits of him, and it's interesting to speculate why. Not that we did in this talk, mind. But it's not her fault that I didn't learn anything else new in this talk - well, apart from the fact that, when they were digging up that car park in Leicester where he was buried, they happened to start at the section labelled "R" - and that was where they found him! Oh, and his skeleton showed signs of scoliosis..
All the rest I already knew - and indeed, must commend her on her summary of the Wars of the Roses. As she mentioned afterwards, it's kind of necessary to give the background, as it would have shaped Richard's personality so much. And I knew all that stuff, what happened to his brothers, the rumours about the validity of his brother, Edward IV's, marriage.. Gotta commend her, also, on her accuracy; I've known several guides and speakers get their facts wrong. And yes, if you ever want an expert on royalty, you could do worse than consult me.. I've never come across a tv quiz question on royalty that I didn't know. What can I say - it's a hobby! ;-)
Well, I'm thinking film for tomorrow. Had the same thought a couple of nights ago, actually - but being sick to the teeth of nature documentaries, I thought I'd finally avail of my Mubi membership. Three months' free trial, and I hadn't availed of it yet! Still haven't, really - highest rated on it at the moment is Kurosawa's last epic (as advertised) - Ran. The Japanese version of King Lear, really. So, I tried to watch it. Twice. The first time, I gave up after about 10 minutes - there was so much buffering, I'd got through under 3 minutes' worth of material. The second time, I did a bit better - managed 26 mins worth of material in just over an hour. Both times, I got tired and gave up. Third time lucky..?
What I can say about the first 26 minutes is - it's quite shouty, the (16th Century) costumes are really weird, and the scenery is spectacular. Dunno what the problem with Mubi is - I don't have the same issue with YouTube, or any of the theatre websites. Watch this space..
Thursday 21 May 2020
Concert: Scouting for Girls
We've been given another round of the London Literary Walks quiz - well actually, its companion quiz. Which I've about half answered - still haven't had a look to see whether I can figure out any more. Meantime, having a so-so choice on the tv this evening, I had a peek at what had been going on in Meetup. And so it was that I saw that Up in the Cheap Seats were watching a performance by Scouting for Girls. D'you know, I wasn't the slightest bit familiar with them - but said I'd give them a go. Goodness knows, it wasn't a long performance, anyway!
So, it seems they had been supposed to play the Royal Albert Hall, and were now doing a brief online performance instead. Each in their respective homes. Not exactly a simultaneous performance, mind - from what I could see, it is just the one of them really playing music, in a very well-equipped room - lots of instruments, a couple of which he plays. There's almost half an hour of music - the other 10 minutes or so is given over to dedications.
So - yeah, they're good. I'm never going to be a massive fan, but there are worse ways to pass a half hour or so. A couple of the pieces, I recognised - and the guy can both sing and play. And is decent to look at. And the songs are good. Better than most of the dross out there. Yes - recommended. And they have details of how to donate to the Albert Hall, by text from a UK number. Horrible to think that such an iconic venue could be in trouble - and they're not the only ones.
And on Saturday, back with London Social Detours for an NPG talk on Richard III.. specifically, on what a famous portrait of him can tell us about his true character..
So, it seems they had been supposed to play the Royal Albert Hall, and were now doing a brief online performance instead. Each in their respective homes. Not exactly a simultaneous performance, mind - from what I could see, it is just the one of them really playing music, in a very well-equipped room - lots of instruments, a couple of which he plays. There's almost half an hour of music - the other 10 minutes or so is given over to dedications.
So - yeah, they're good. I'm never going to be a massive fan, but there are worse ways to pass a half hour or so. A couple of the pieces, I recognised - and the guy can both sing and play. And is decent to look at. And the songs are good. Better than most of the dross out there. Yes - recommended. And they have details of how to donate to the Albert Hall, by text from a UK number. Horrible to think that such an iconic venue could be in trouble - and they're not the only ones.
And on Saturday, back with London Social Detours for an NPG talk on Richard III.. specifically, on what a famous portrait of him can tell us about his true character..
Monday 18 May 2020
Play: Sea Wall & Online Hangman
Early yesterday afternoon, Up in the Cheap Seats were seeing - ooh - Andrew Scott, in Sea Wall. Wouldn't you know it, this is the one - written specifically for him - that I missed, back in 2018! By minutes! Because of moving into my new flat, and I'd bought an expensive ticket 'n' all. Two minutes over, and they wouldn't let me into the Old Vic, and had nowhere for me to watch on screen. Tsk. Well, another I finally got to see.. and was really looking forward to. And I had just as good a view as I would have had on that occasion!
Started a little early, as usual - though apart from a couple of buffering issues at the start, it worked fine. It's a one-man show - in the film version, Andrew Scott starts the camera and starts chatting to you. Uneasily. The play is directed straight at the audience. And it meanders pleasantly, as you try to figure out what it's about.. he launches straight into a heap of anecdotes, without context or explanation.
You just know something is coming. So it's not entirely a surprise when it hits - what is surprising is the way it completely blindsides you. Make no mistake, the shortness of the play has no effect on the power of the message - and the aftereffects creep up on you so slowly that it's no wonder that several of us were crying on the call afterwards.
Beautifully written, beautifully acted. Natural speech, natural delivery - you have no warning of what's going to happen, or when - just as the narrator doesn't. Absolutely devastating. What a combo of things to watch this weekend.. although it was supposed to stop free streaming this evening, I think, it's now viewable until 9pm (BST) next Monday - because it's proved so popular. And for a review, check out the excellent Q+A with the playwright and Andrew Scott, which took place during its brief showing at the Old Vic. But make sure you've seen the play first, as - of course - there are spoilers. Seems to be based on the writer's personal experiences - intensely reworked. Fascinating to hear what Andrew Scott says about the connection between this and Hamlet. Also interesting to hear that this brief run was the longest it had anywhere..
See this. Oh, and you can pay $6 and download it..
The Jitsi call afterwards worked ok for me, although some had problems. And we were almost all blown away by the sheer power of the piece. As someone remarked, the silences spoke louder than the words..
Later that afternoon, London Social Detours (LSD) had an online game of hangman! Well-known play or book titles, which we had to suggest. So we learned to use Zoom's whiteboard feature - we'll all be tech wizards after this. And although we could all have annotated, the host did it all herself - entering the spaces for letters, with instruction from us, and drawing the hangman. I only got two, but hey. And I provided the only unguessable book title of the day - after which we ended the call - with Wolf Hall! which, you see, lacks many common letters..
Had to be up early this morning for a meeting - the week is chock-full of them. And what with watching supplementary videos about the play, it's taken forever to do this blog.
We've been given another round of the London Literary Walks quiz - well actually, its companion quiz. Which I've about half answered - will take another look when I get a chance.
And on Saturday, back with LSD for an NPG talk on Richard III.. specifically, on what a famous portrait of him can tell us about his true character..
Started a little early, as usual - though apart from a couple of buffering issues at the start, it worked fine. It's a one-man show - in the film version, Andrew Scott starts the camera and starts chatting to you. Uneasily. The play is directed straight at the audience. And it meanders pleasantly, as you try to figure out what it's about.. he launches straight into a heap of anecdotes, without context or explanation.
You just know something is coming. So it's not entirely a surprise when it hits - what is surprising is the way it completely blindsides you. Make no mistake, the shortness of the play has no effect on the power of the message - and the aftereffects creep up on you so slowly that it's no wonder that several of us were crying on the call afterwards.
Beautifully written, beautifully acted. Natural speech, natural delivery - you have no warning of what's going to happen, or when - just as the narrator doesn't. Absolutely devastating. What a combo of things to watch this weekend.. although it was supposed to stop free streaming this evening, I think, it's now viewable until 9pm (BST) next Monday - because it's proved so popular. And for a review, check out the excellent Q+A with the playwright and Andrew Scott, which took place during its brief showing at the Old Vic. But make sure you've seen the play first, as - of course - there are spoilers. Seems to be based on the writer's personal experiences - intensely reworked. Fascinating to hear what Andrew Scott says about the connection between this and Hamlet. Also interesting to hear that this brief run was the longest it had anywhere..
See this. Oh, and you can pay $6 and download it..
The Jitsi call afterwards worked ok for me, although some had problems. And we were almost all blown away by the sheer power of the piece. As someone remarked, the silences spoke louder than the words..
Later that afternoon, London Social Detours (LSD) had an online game of hangman! Well-known play or book titles, which we had to suggest. So we learned to use Zoom's whiteboard feature - we'll all be tech wizards after this. And although we could all have annotated, the host did it all herself - entering the spaces for letters, with instruction from us, and drawing the hangman. I only got two, but hey. And I provided the only unguessable book title of the day - after which we ended the call - with Wolf Hall! which, you see, lacks many common letters..
Had to be up early this morning for a meeting - the week is chock-full of them. And what with watching supplementary videos about the play, it's taken forever to do this blog.
We've been given another round of the London Literary Walks quiz - well actually, its companion quiz. Which I've about half answered - will take another look when I get a chance.
And on Saturday, back with LSD for an NPG talk on Richard III.. specifically, on what a famous portrait of him can tell us about his true character..
Saturday 16 May 2020
Film: Traders
These out-of-hours films on telly sure can be quirky. There were actually a few things I could happily have watched, at one point earlier tonight - but the summary for this film caught my eye. Not really what you'd expect, Traders was described as follows: "An unemployed man gets drawn into a game in which people sell their possessions and fight each other to the death." Hmm. Couldn't really shake my curiosity over this - so I watched it.
Now, I had missed the first few minutes - but it seems that the description is slightly off; Killian Murphy does indeed get drawn into this game, but he ain't unemployed. The guy who draws him in is unemployed - but he has actually designed the game. Oh, and it's not really a game - not the way he looks at it. anyway. More of, well, a commodity to trade in!
So, the premise is that there's a sort of classified ads page on the dark web, where you can sign up to trade, advertising what you're willing to offer. Someone accepts the offer, you meet at an agreed location - in this case, they all seem to use the same pub. Each has the same amount of cash, in a green bag (apparently, green sports bags are the most common type). So, if you want a more valuable trade, you need to fund it by selling something. You repair to a quiet location to do a body search of each other, checking for guns, which aren't allowed as they make too much noise. Other weapons are fine. You each write a suicide note, to make your potential demise less suspicious. You swap phones, to prevent either of you calling anyone.
You both then take three buses - each person in turn chooses a random number, and you travel that number of stops. You get off somewhere remote, help each other to dig a grave (in which one of you will be buried), and after that, anything goes. The survivor buries the loser in the grave, and takes both bags.
Gee, sounds charming, eh? Actually, it is.. another Irish offering, with Killian Murphy proving a very sympathetic character. Frankly, I wouldn't work in his day job either - both he and the other guy were just recently fired from financial jobs, and while he now has a much lower-paid job, the other guy hasn't found anything. So he develops this business idea, but he's hilariously annoying and clueless - he starts by suggesting they fight each other, but he's obviously unsuited to it. And it's actually quite believable, with Murphy starting off appalled, but gradually getting more used to it - you suspect that he agrees in the first place, mainly out of a need to pay the mortgage, but partly to have the chance to kill this annoying guy! A completely non-cliched plot keeps us interested. And it sure is interesting to see how the story develops, as the website proves incredibly popular.. Recommended!
Early tomorrow afternoon, Up in the Cheap Seats are seeing - ooh - Andrew Scott, in Sea Wall. Wouldn't you know it, this is the one - written specifically for him - that I missed, back in 2018! By minutes! Because of moving into my new flat, and I'd bought an expensive ticket 'n' all. Two minutes over, and they wouldn't let me into the Old Vic, and had nowhere for me to watch on screen. Tsk. Well, another I finally get to see.. and am really looking forward to. And I'll have just as good a view as I would have had on that occasion!
Later that afternoon, London Social Detours (LSD) has an online game of hangman! Well-known play or book titles, which we have to suggest.. I'll have to get thinking!
Monday, of course, sees another round of the London Literary Walks quiz.
And next Saturday, back with LSD for an NPG talk on Richard III.. specifically, on what a famous portrait of him can tell us about his true character..
Now, I had missed the first few minutes - but it seems that the description is slightly off; Killian Murphy does indeed get drawn into this game, but he ain't unemployed. The guy who draws him in is unemployed - but he has actually designed the game. Oh, and it's not really a game - not the way he looks at it. anyway. More of, well, a commodity to trade in!
So, the premise is that there's a sort of classified ads page on the dark web, where you can sign up to trade, advertising what you're willing to offer. Someone accepts the offer, you meet at an agreed location - in this case, they all seem to use the same pub. Each has the same amount of cash, in a green bag (apparently, green sports bags are the most common type). So, if you want a more valuable trade, you need to fund it by selling something. You repair to a quiet location to do a body search of each other, checking for guns, which aren't allowed as they make too much noise. Other weapons are fine. You each write a suicide note, to make your potential demise less suspicious. You swap phones, to prevent either of you calling anyone.
You both then take three buses - each person in turn chooses a random number, and you travel that number of stops. You get off somewhere remote, help each other to dig a grave (in which one of you will be buried), and after that, anything goes. The survivor buries the loser in the grave, and takes both bags.
Gee, sounds charming, eh? Actually, it is.. another Irish offering, with Killian Murphy proving a very sympathetic character. Frankly, I wouldn't work in his day job either - both he and the other guy were just recently fired from financial jobs, and while he now has a much lower-paid job, the other guy hasn't found anything. So he develops this business idea, but he's hilariously annoying and clueless - he starts by suggesting they fight each other, but he's obviously unsuited to it. And it's actually quite believable, with Murphy starting off appalled, but gradually getting more used to it - you suspect that he agrees in the first place, mainly out of a need to pay the mortgage, but partly to have the chance to kill this annoying guy! A completely non-cliched plot keeps us interested. And it sure is interesting to see how the story develops, as the website proves incredibly popular.. Recommended!
Early tomorrow afternoon, Up in the Cheap Seats are seeing - ooh - Andrew Scott, in Sea Wall. Wouldn't you know it, this is the one - written specifically for him - that I missed, back in 2018! By minutes! Because of moving into my new flat, and I'd bought an expensive ticket 'n' all. Two minutes over, and they wouldn't let me into the Old Vic, and had nowhere for me to watch on screen. Tsk. Well, another I finally get to see.. and am really looking forward to. And I'll have just as good a view as I would have had on that occasion!
Later that afternoon, London Social Detours (LSD) has an online game of hangman! Well-known play or book titles, which we have to suggest.. I'll have to get thinking!
Monday, of course, sees another round of the London Literary Walks quiz.
And next Saturday, back with LSD for an NPG talk on Richard III.. specifically, on what a famous portrait of him can tell us about his true character..
Musical: Cats
Today, I was supposed to be back with Up in the Cheap Seats (UITCS) for The Midnight Gang Musical, from Chichester Festival Theatre. But isn't it a good job it was free.. because another UITCS group was meeting at the same time to see this week's Andrew Lloyd Webber offering. Which is.. Cats! Starring Elaine Paige and Sir John Mills. I've always, always wanted to see this show, so cancelled the other. Available from yesterday evening for 24 hours in the UK - 48 hours everywhere else, interestingly!
I started watching a little early - always advisable, as someone with buffering issues discovered. Ah, what a difference from By Jeeves, last week! (Seems that Andrew Lloyd Webber has given a shout-out to anyone who lasted through it!). His material is just better suited to flamboyant productions, I think, and big ideas - the niceties of an English drawing room don't bring out his greatest talents.
This, however, is a delight.. I think we all felt the same. The costumes are great - the dancing is good, although personally I was enjoying the music, and just wished they'd get back to it. And oh, the music.. it turns out, however, that mostly it's taken from the poetry collection on which the show is based, T. S. Eliot's Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats. (Cat lovers take note, you're bound to find familiar felines here.) Expect some clever quips.
So, I had a ball. But what elevates it beyond a whimsical way to spend a couple of hours is that one song that Lloyd Webber apparently dashed off quickly, upon hearing that Elaine Paige had been cast. This version of Memory is absolutely devastating - as someone remarked, she's ruined the role for everyone else. I swear, one moment in this song provides enough justification for the existence of musical theatre. And the closeups that you get in this online version.. I just melted. I don't often give my laptop a round of applause - this, I gave two. For goodness' sake, check it out.. I'm curious as to why the film version is panned - but having seen Jennifer Hudson sing a snatch of Memory in the trailer, I think I'll skip it - not a patch on this.
For the videoconferencing afterwards, Jitsi was fine on my phone, although the smaller screen proved awkward for seeing everyone, once more people joined. But reception was good, and I'll be using my phone for Jitsi in future.
Early tomorrow afternoon, UITCS are seeing - ooh - Andrew Scott, in Sea Wall. Wouldn't you know it, this is the one - written specifically for him - that I missed, back in 2018! By minutes! Because of moving into my new flat, and I'd bought an expensive ticket 'n' all. Two minutes over, and they wouldn't let me into the Old Vic, and had nowhere for me to watch on screen. Tsk. Well, another I finally get to see.. and am really looking forward to.
Later that afternoon, London Social Detours (LSD) has an online game of hangman! Well-known play or book titles, which we have to suggest.. I'll have to get thinking!
Monday, of course, sees another round of the London Literary Walks quiz.
And next Saturday, back with LSD for an NPG talk on Richard III.. specifically, on what a famous portrait of him can tell us about his true character..
I started watching a little early - always advisable, as someone with buffering issues discovered. Ah, what a difference from By Jeeves, last week! (Seems that Andrew Lloyd Webber has given a shout-out to anyone who lasted through it!). His material is just better suited to flamboyant productions, I think, and big ideas - the niceties of an English drawing room don't bring out his greatest talents.
This, however, is a delight.. I think we all felt the same. The costumes are great - the dancing is good, although personally I was enjoying the music, and just wished they'd get back to it. And oh, the music.. it turns out, however, that mostly it's taken from the poetry collection on which the show is based, T. S. Eliot's Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats. (Cat lovers take note, you're bound to find familiar felines here.) Expect some clever quips.
So, I had a ball. But what elevates it beyond a whimsical way to spend a couple of hours is that one song that Lloyd Webber apparently dashed off quickly, upon hearing that Elaine Paige had been cast. This version of Memory is absolutely devastating - as someone remarked, she's ruined the role for everyone else. I swear, one moment in this song provides enough justification for the existence of musical theatre. And the closeups that you get in this online version.. I just melted. I don't often give my laptop a round of applause - this, I gave two. For goodness' sake, check it out.. I'm curious as to why the film version is panned - but having seen Jennifer Hudson sing a snatch of Memory in the trailer, I think I'll skip it - not a patch on this.
For the videoconferencing afterwards, Jitsi was fine on my phone, although the smaller screen proved awkward for seeing everyone, once more people joined. But reception was good, and I'll be using my phone for Jitsi in future.
Early tomorrow afternoon, UITCS are seeing - ooh - Andrew Scott, in Sea Wall. Wouldn't you know it, this is the one - written specifically for him - that I missed, back in 2018! By minutes! Because of moving into my new flat, and I'd bought an expensive ticket 'n' all. Two minutes over, and they wouldn't let me into the Old Vic, and had nowhere for me to watch on screen. Tsk. Well, another I finally get to see.. and am really looking forward to.
Later that afternoon, London Social Detours (LSD) has an online game of hangman! Well-known play or book titles, which we have to suggest.. I'll have to get thinking!
Monday, of course, sees another round of the London Literary Walks quiz.
And next Saturday, back with LSD for an NPG talk on Richard III.. specifically, on what a famous portrait of him can tell us about his true character..
Friday 15 May 2020
Film: The Drummer and the Keeper
I wasn't sure I'd keep watching telly tonight - I was up early (it's been a helluva week for meetings), and there wasn't anything on the listings that grabbed my attention. But hey, I kept flicking around, and decided to give tonight's film a go - which was one I hadn't heard of: The Drummer and the Keeper.
Turned out to be an Irish offering - now, these can be quite good, or quite twee; I said I'd stick with it for a few minutes to see which it might be. The drummer of the title - Dermot Murphy - also played Bob Geldof in Bohemian Rhapsody, it turns out, and is a drummer in real life. Just as well, considering that he has to play the drums in several scenes! Anyway, when we meet him, at the start, he's a bit of a mess - he's bipolar and not managing, and his psychiatrist recommends physical therapy. So he joins a football team for patients with psychological disorders - only to have a 17-year-old with Asperger's (who plays in goal) attach himself to him. They form an unlikely friendship..
It didn't sound the most attractive of storylines, and I wouldn't have kept watching - if the kid with Asperger's hadn't been so damn funny! Beautifully written script, which he pulls off perfectly. And of course, it's the humour that wins over the volatile, moody drummer. So I watched it right through - and discovered it to be unexpectedly entertaining, and unexpectedly moving, as each finds in the other the key to healing himself. The unconventional plot prevents it from getting boring, and I was very glad I'd watched. Recommended, if you get the chance! Kudos to them.
Tomorrow, I was supposed to be back with Up in the Cheap Seats (UITCS) for The Midnight Gang Musical, from Chichester Festival Theatre. But isn't it a good job it was free.. because another UITCS group is meeting at the same time to see this week's Andrew Lloyd Webber offering. Which is.. Cats! Starring Elaine Paige and Sir John Mills. I've always, always wanted to see this show, so cancelled the other. Available from this evening for 24 hours in the UK - 48 hours everywhere else, interestingly! And hopefully, for the videoconferencing, Jitsi will work - third time lucky..?
Early on Sunday afternoon, UITCS are seeing - ooh - Andrew Scott, in Sea Wall. Wouldn't you know it, this is the one - written specifically for him - that I missed, back in 2018! By minutes! Because of moving into my new flat, and I'd bought an expensive ticket 'n' all. Two minutes over, and they wouldn't let me into the Old Vic, and had nowhere for me to watch on screen. Another I finally get to see.. and am really looking forward to.
Later that afternoon, London Social Detours (LSD) has an online game of hangman! Well-known play or book titles, which we have to suggest.. I'll have to get thinking!
Monday, of course, sees another round of the London Literary Walks quiz.
And on the 23rd, back with LSD for an NPG talk on Richard III.. specifically, on what a famous portrait of him can tell us about his true character..
Turned out to be an Irish offering - now, these can be quite good, or quite twee; I said I'd stick with it for a few minutes to see which it might be. The drummer of the title - Dermot Murphy - also played Bob Geldof in Bohemian Rhapsody, it turns out, and is a drummer in real life. Just as well, considering that he has to play the drums in several scenes! Anyway, when we meet him, at the start, he's a bit of a mess - he's bipolar and not managing, and his psychiatrist recommends physical therapy. So he joins a football team for patients with psychological disorders - only to have a 17-year-old with Asperger's (who plays in goal) attach himself to him. They form an unlikely friendship..
It didn't sound the most attractive of storylines, and I wouldn't have kept watching - if the kid with Asperger's hadn't been so damn funny! Beautifully written script, which he pulls off perfectly. And of course, it's the humour that wins over the volatile, moody drummer. So I watched it right through - and discovered it to be unexpectedly entertaining, and unexpectedly moving, as each finds in the other the key to healing himself. The unconventional plot prevents it from getting boring, and I was very glad I'd watched. Recommended, if you get the chance! Kudos to them.
Tomorrow, I was supposed to be back with Up in the Cheap Seats (UITCS) for The Midnight Gang Musical, from Chichester Festival Theatre. But isn't it a good job it was free.. because another UITCS group is meeting at the same time to see this week's Andrew Lloyd Webber offering. Which is.. Cats! Starring Elaine Paige and Sir John Mills. I've always, always wanted to see this show, so cancelled the other. Available from this evening for 24 hours in the UK - 48 hours everywhere else, interestingly! And hopefully, for the videoconferencing, Jitsi will work - third time lucky..?
Early on Sunday afternoon, UITCS are seeing - ooh - Andrew Scott, in Sea Wall. Wouldn't you know it, this is the one - written specifically for him - that I missed, back in 2018! By minutes! Because of moving into my new flat, and I'd bought an expensive ticket 'n' all. Two minutes over, and they wouldn't let me into the Old Vic, and had nowhere for me to watch on screen. Another I finally get to see.. and am really looking forward to.
Later that afternoon, London Social Detours (LSD) has an online game of hangman! Well-known play or book titles, which we have to suggest.. I'll have to get thinking!
Monday, of course, sees another round of the London Literary Walks quiz.
And on the 23rd, back with LSD for an NPG talk on Richard III.. specifically, on what a famous portrait of him can tell us about his true character..
Sunday 10 May 2020
Film: The Beatles: Eight Days a Week - The Touring Years
Tonight, television obliged me with another film I hadn't seen - The Beatles: Eight Days a Week - The Touring Years. Yet another that's been languishing on my film list for an indeterminate period - also available on Amazon Prime. Mind you, this lockdown will have to go on for quite a while to make a serious dent in that list!
Directed by Ron Howard, this is a documentary film, and shot from the perspective of The Beatles' tours. Which is a great idea, as it focuses our attention on the music, pretty much completely ignoring their personal lives, and all the baggage involved. We get to see their sense of humour, as they start from such a humble base, amazed at what's happening to them - and the juggernaut rapidly grows to such an extent that it's in grave danger of crushing them!
It's fascinating - I'm also following Cilla at the moment, which is a tv miniseries about Cilla Black, who came from Liverpool at around the same time they did, knew them, and had the same manager. And so I had a bit of context, and it was terrific to see them at the beginning of their career, all excited at everything that was happening. As for Beatlemania - whoah. To be fair, the music is very catchy..
And there's plenty of music, which makes this a real fans' film. Towards the end of the film, we see them playing larger and larger venues, which is, of course, why they quit. Imagine, they were the pioneers of stadium concerts - but also imagine what that means, with acoustic problems, crowd control problems, problems simply of hearing themselves and what they were playing, over a wildly shrieking crowd. And no existing solutions to this. As they pointed out, the crowd couldn't hear the music - so what was the point? They didn't want to be a circus version of themselves. It was to be a while yet before others developed the stadium format - in particular U2, who, over the course of a long career, have constantly sought to improve the format of their live shows: always seeking to ensure that everyone in the room has as good a view, and can hear as well, as possible.
Tomorrow sees London Literary Walks' next quiz. Even though, as usual, he's bumped the date to the week after - doubtless so he doesn't have to keep rescheduling a Meetup.
And on Saturday, I'm back with Up in the Cheap Seats for The Midnight Gang Musical, from Chichester Festival Theatre. And hopefully, for the videoconferencing, Jitsi will work - third time lucky..?
Directed by Ron Howard, this is a documentary film, and shot from the perspective of The Beatles' tours. Which is a great idea, as it focuses our attention on the music, pretty much completely ignoring their personal lives, and all the baggage involved. We get to see their sense of humour, as they start from such a humble base, amazed at what's happening to them - and the juggernaut rapidly grows to such an extent that it's in grave danger of crushing them!
It's fascinating - I'm also following Cilla at the moment, which is a tv miniseries about Cilla Black, who came from Liverpool at around the same time they did, knew them, and had the same manager. And so I had a bit of context, and it was terrific to see them at the beginning of their career, all excited at everything that was happening. As for Beatlemania - whoah. To be fair, the music is very catchy..
And there's plenty of music, which makes this a real fans' film. Towards the end of the film, we see them playing larger and larger venues, which is, of course, why they quit. Imagine, they were the pioneers of stadium concerts - but also imagine what that means, with acoustic problems, crowd control problems, problems simply of hearing themselves and what they were playing, over a wildly shrieking crowd. And no existing solutions to this. As they pointed out, the crowd couldn't hear the music - so what was the point? They didn't want to be a circus version of themselves. It was to be a while yet before others developed the stadium format - in particular U2, who, over the course of a long career, have constantly sought to improve the format of their live shows: always seeking to ensure that everyone in the room has as good a view, and can hear as well, as possible.
Tomorrow sees London Literary Walks' next quiz. Even though, as usual, he's bumped the date to the week after - doubtless so he doesn't have to keep rescheduling a Meetup.
And on Saturday, I'm back with Up in the Cheap Seats for The Midnight Gang Musical, from Chichester Festival Theatre. And hopefully, for the videoconferencing, Jitsi will work - third time lucky..?
Musical: By Jeeves
Today, I was back with Up in the Cheap Seats (UITCS) - conveniently, an afternoon Meetup, where we were back watching an Andrew Lloyd Webber offering. This time, it was By Jeeves. The discussion afterwards was be on Jitsi, though - so I decided to position myself closer to the router, as I had terrible trouble with this before.
Started a bit early, as usual - which was just as well, with the odd need to leave the computer, and given that I needed to finish in time for the post-show chat. It starts well - you're positioned right in the thick of things, as an audience member for a church hall show, starring Bertie Wooster. As usual, he's ably assisted by his man, Jeeves. The show starts in a surprisingly (for Andrew Lloyd Webber) non-musical way, in slapstick fashion, and when his initial plan of playing the banjo falls through, we're instead taken through an extended anecdote from Wooster's memoirs - which comprises most of the rest of the show. They have to send for another banjo, you see - which arrives in time for the finale.
Ah lordy. Andrew Lloyd Webber and Jeeves & Wooster do not mix. Don't get me wrong - I love both of them, separately. I used to love the tv show. Someone in the post-show chat remarked that she roared with laughter at the books. We pretty much all agreed that this show, however, just isn't funny. I wondered at the fact that Lloyd Webber was involved in something with so little music - in the beginning, at least. He couldn't find a way to work Jeeves into the music, I think - so when Jeeves features, there is no music.
Soon, we're into a madcap romantic adventure in a country house. Mistaken identities, lots of different pairings - and the songs arrive. I did like one in the middle, about love being like a maze - but overall, this was underwhelming. Also too long - the tv series struck it right, at an hour per episode; this version, at over two hours, is just too much, and I lost interest. Was glad when it was over. Not recommended, and it's unsurprising that I hadn't heard of it before.
For the post-show chat, I didn't find that my change of location did much good - had a thought, and switched to my phone, which was much better. I'll use that for Jitsi in future. But it was great to see, and chat to, everyone!
Tomorrow sees London Literary Walks' next quiz.
And on Saturday, I'm back with UITCS for The Midnight Gang Musical, from Chichester Festival Theatre. And hopefully, Jitsi will work - third time lucky..?
Started a bit early, as usual - which was just as well, with the odd need to leave the computer, and given that I needed to finish in time for the post-show chat. It starts well - you're positioned right in the thick of things, as an audience member for a church hall show, starring Bertie Wooster. As usual, he's ably assisted by his man, Jeeves. The show starts in a surprisingly (for Andrew Lloyd Webber) non-musical way, in slapstick fashion, and when his initial plan of playing the banjo falls through, we're instead taken through an extended anecdote from Wooster's memoirs - which comprises most of the rest of the show. They have to send for another banjo, you see - which arrives in time for the finale.
Ah lordy. Andrew Lloyd Webber and Jeeves & Wooster do not mix. Don't get me wrong - I love both of them, separately. I used to love the tv show. Someone in the post-show chat remarked that she roared with laughter at the books. We pretty much all agreed that this show, however, just isn't funny. I wondered at the fact that Lloyd Webber was involved in something with so little music - in the beginning, at least. He couldn't find a way to work Jeeves into the music, I think - so when Jeeves features, there is no music.
Soon, we're into a madcap romantic adventure in a country house. Mistaken identities, lots of different pairings - and the songs arrive. I did like one in the middle, about love being like a maze - but overall, this was underwhelming. Also too long - the tv series struck it right, at an hour per episode; this version, at over two hours, is just too much, and I lost interest. Was glad when it was over. Not recommended, and it's unsurprising that I hadn't heard of it before.
For the post-show chat, I didn't find that my change of location did much good - had a thought, and switched to my phone, which was much better. I'll use that for Jitsi in future. But it was great to see, and chat to, everyone!
Tomorrow sees London Literary Walks' next quiz.
And on Saturday, I'm back with UITCS for The Midnight Gang Musical, from Chichester Festival Theatre. And hopefully, Jitsi will work - third time lucky..?
Saturday 9 May 2020
Film: Hampstead & Documentary: Planet Earth (Shallow Seas)
So, television provided another range of films today - most of which I'd seen. But not Hampstead, which was languishing way down my film list - so I watched that, this evening.
Diane Keaton plays an American widow with a picture-perfect life. She lives in a gorgeous flat in an old red-brick building in the affluent North London borough of Hampstead, works in a dinky clothes shop that she can walk to from home, meets up with the residents' committee (all-female) in her building, which is headed by Lesley Manville, keeps in touch with her son, James Norton. But all is not as rosy as it seems - and when she comes across a local homeless person (Brendan Gleeson) with a quirky streak, he provides a much-needed catalyst for change.
Hampstead looks lovely as ever - it's an artsy part of town, as well as an affluent one - mainly, I associate it with being very hilly. Just strolling around burns off calories. The only evidence of that here is a couple of shots of a long flight of steps - yes, I'm familiar with that too. Gorgeous view of Central London from Parliament Hill. Oh, and I cannot get decent mobile coverage there - not that that seems to be a problem in this film. Maybe they're on BT.
Anyway, back to the story. There's a very strong undercurrent of scorn of the Hampstead lifestyle - the committee seems as superficially friendly as you might expect, but there's nothing deeper, and one funny scene has a brattish child causing trouble in the shop, but when our widow tries to scold her, she's met with shrieking horror by the mother, defending her little darling. The local men seem emasculated, and there seems to be a constant run of petitions against one thing or another - some backed by ulterior motives.
On the other hand, we have Brendan Gleeson - who, it turns out, just showed up one day 17 years ago and built a shack, in a quiet corner. Every day, he bathes in the local pond, where he also frequently fishes for his dinner. (Another dig at the locals here - he has to watch out when they're around, because they expect him to throw back anything he catches.) He grows his own vegetables. Anyway, wouldn't you know it, the developers are moving in and want him out - and are prepared to play dirty. But can he prove he has squatter's rights..?
I liked it - actually think it's underrated on IMDB. Most of the main actors do an excellent job - although I'm getting a bit sick of Brendan Gleeson's constant whingeing in everything I see him in, expecting everyone else just to leave him to do things his way. Particularly galling is his performance in Mr. Mercedes, which I've started to follow again - who would ever oblige such an intransigent cop in any way? Works a bit better here, where he's more believable as a society drop-out. Anyway, I liked the back-to-basics message, liked the way it was played, liked the brief trip they took to the British Museum - was a bit underwhelmed at the implausible ending, but what the hey.
Later, I caught up with another episode of Planet Earth - next up was Shallow Seas. As usual, I had a choice of the playlist, with excellent quality but some episodes blocked, and the full-length version, of dubious quality. Started with the playlist - but so many episodes were blocked that I had to resort to the full version.
And I'm glad I did, because it's another beautifully and imaginatively shot instalment - this one focuses on the abundant sea life in the shallow seas off our shores. And again, we're plunged right into the action, swimming right alongside the most incredible creatures. Jaw-dropping facts and beautiful images - even if you don't think you'd be interested in the specific subject matter, this series is always worth checking out.
Tomorrow, back with Up in the Cheap Seats (UITCS) - conveniently, an afternoon Meetup, where we're back watching an Andrew Lloyd Webber offering. This time, it's By Jeeves. The discussion afterwards will be on Jitsi, though - so I'll have to position myself closer to the router, as I had terrible trouble with this before. V annoying, how they persist in using this.
Monday sees London Literary Walks' next quiz.
And next Saturday, I'm back with UITCS for The Midnight Gang Musical, from Chichester Festival Theatre.
Diane Keaton plays an American widow with a picture-perfect life. She lives in a gorgeous flat in an old red-brick building in the affluent North London borough of Hampstead, works in a dinky clothes shop that she can walk to from home, meets up with the residents' committee (all-female) in her building, which is headed by Lesley Manville, keeps in touch with her son, James Norton. But all is not as rosy as it seems - and when she comes across a local homeless person (Brendan Gleeson) with a quirky streak, he provides a much-needed catalyst for change.
Hampstead looks lovely as ever - it's an artsy part of town, as well as an affluent one - mainly, I associate it with being very hilly. Just strolling around burns off calories. The only evidence of that here is a couple of shots of a long flight of steps - yes, I'm familiar with that too. Gorgeous view of Central London from Parliament Hill. Oh, and I cannot get decent mobile coverage there - not that that seems to be a problem in this film. Maybe they're on BT.
Anyway, back to the story. There's a very strong undercurrent of scorn of the Hampstead lifestyle - the committee seems as superficially friendly as you might expect, but there's nothing deeper, and one funny scene has a brattish child causing trouble in the shop, but when our widow tries to scold her, she's met with shrieking horror by the mother, defending her little darling. The local men seem emasculated, and there seems to be a constant run of petitions against one thing or another - some backed by ulterior motives.
On the other hand, we have Brendan Gleeson - who, it turns out, just showed up one day 17 years ago and built a shack, in a quiet corner. Every day, he bathes in the local pond, where he also frequently fishes for his dinner. (Another dig at the locals here - he has to watch out when they're around, because they expect him to throw back anything he catches.) He grows his own vegetables. Anyway, wouldn't you know it, the developers are moving in and want him out - and are prepared to play dirty. But can he prove he has squatter's rights..?
I liked it - actually think it's underrated on IMDB. Most of the main actors do an excellent job - although I'm getting a bit sick of Brendan Gleeson's constant whingeing in everything I see him in, expecting everyone else just to leave him to do things his way. Particularly galling is his performance in Mr. Mercedes, which I've started to follow again - who would ever oblige such an intransigent cop in any way? Works a bit better here, where he's more believable as a society drop-out. Anyway, I liked the back-to-basics message, liked the way it was played, liked the brief trip they took to the British Museum - was a bit underwhelmed at the implausible ending, but what the hey.
Later, I caught up with another episode of Planet Earth - next up was Shallow Seas. As usual, I had a choice of the playlist, with excellent quality but some episodes blocked, and the full-length version, of dubious quality. Started with the playlist - but so many episodes were blocked that I had to resort to the full version.
And I'm glad I did, because it's another beautifully and imaginatively shot instalment - this one focuses on the abundant sea life in the shallow seas off our shores. And again, we're plunged right into the action, swimming right alongside the most incredible creatures. Jaw-dropping facts and beautiful images - even if you don't think you'd be interested in the specific subject matter, this series is always worth checking out.
Tomorrow, back with Up in the Cheap Seats (UITCS) - conveniently, an afternoon Meetup, where we're back watching an Andrew Lloyd Webber offering. This time, it's By Jeeves. The discussion afterwards will be on Jitsi, though - so I'll have to position myself closer to the router, as I had terrible trouble with this before. V annoying, how they persist in using this.
Monday sees London Literary Walks' next quiz.
And next Saturday, I'm back with UITCS for The Midnight Gang Musical, from Chichester Festival Theatre.
Friday 8 May 2020
Play: Antony and Cleopatra
Today was a bank holiday (VE Day) - so I needed something to do, on principle. And I was thinking I'd follow Up in the Cheap Seats' (UITCS) lead from earlier in the week, and have a look at a livestreamed Showstopper! show, filmed in the Lyric a month ago without an audience (!), now available on Facebook..
..and then they advertised Antony and Cleopatra, screened by the National Theatre from last night, as it happens, for a week. Starring Ralph Fiennes and Sophie Okenedo. Now, that sounded interesting.. so that's what I watched. Eventually, once there was a gap in good tv programmes.
Oh dear. See, it's very, very long. Now, I've seen longer - including longer by Shakespeare, who also wrote this. But if it's compelling enough, you don't notice the length. Now, this is really well done - the acting is excellent, done in modern dress, as usual. Antony starts off in holiday mode - flowery shirt, expansive trousers - hanging out in Alexandria with Cleo, who spends almost all the play dressed in a variety of fabulous outfits in white. He then gets called back to Rome - for a brief period, there are a lot of meetings in military uniform, then it gets into the battles. The National's rotating stage served well to switch action between Alexandria and Rome.
But as I say, it's oh so long. And I fell asleep. I did catch mention of Antony marrying Octavia, then the next thing I knew, Cleo was pretending she'd killed herself and it all went to pot. Their lives, not the play. I do acknowledge that I missed an awful lot of stuff in the middle, but even trying to watch it again, I kept finding myself scurrying to the next bit. It is good, but as with many good plays, you could chop a lot of it. Hey ho. Kudos to them for using a real snake for her suicide, though!
I'll probably catch up with another episode of Planet Earth tomorrow - next up is Shallow Seas.
On Sunday, back with UITCS - conveniently, an afternoon Meetup, where we're back watching an Andrew Lloyd Webber offering. This time, it's By Jeeves. The discussion afterwards will be on Jitsi, though - so I'll have to position myself closer to the router, as I had terrible trouble with this before.
Monday sees London Literary Walks' next quiz.
And on the 16th, I'm back with UITCS for The Midnight Gang Musical, from Chichester Festival Theatre.
..and then they advertised Antony and Cleopatra, screened by the National Theatre from last night, as it happens, for a week. Starring Ralph Fiennes and Sophie Okenedo. Now, that sounded interesting.. so that's what I watched. Eventually, once there was a gap in good tv programmes.
Oh dear. See, it's very, very long. Now, I've seen longer - including longer by Shakespeare, who also wrote this. But if it's compelling enough, you don't notice the length. Now, this is really well done - the acting is excellent, done in modern dress, as usual. Antony starts off in holiday mode - flowery shirt, expansive trousers - hanging out in Alexandria with Cleo, who spends almost all the play dressed in a variety of fabulous outfits in white. He then gets called back to Rome - for a brief period, there are a lot of meetings in military uniform, then it gets into the battles. The National's rotating stage served well to switch action between Alexandria and Rome.
But as I say, it's oh so long. And I fell asleep. I did catch mention of Antony marrying Octavia, then the next thing I knew, Cleo was pretending she'd killed herself and it all went to pot. Their lives, not the play. I do acknowledge that I missed an awful lot of stuff in the middle, but even trying to watch it again, I kept finding myself scurrying to the next bit. It is good, but as with many good plays, you could chop a lot of it. Hey ho. Kudos to them for using a real snake for her suicide, though!
I'll probably catch up with another episode of Planet Earth tomorrow - next up is Shallow Seas.
On Sunday, back with UITCS - conveniently, an afternoon Meetup, where we're back watching an Andrew Lloyd Webber offering. This time, it's By Jeeves. The discussion afterwards will be on Jitsi, though - so I'll have to position myself closer to the router, as I had terrible trouble with this before.
Monday sees London Literary Walks' next quiz.
And on the 16th, I'm back with UITCS for The Midnight Gang Musical, from Chichester Festival Theatre.
Wednesday 6 May 2020
An Hour With Nick Hennesey
London Literary Walks' quiz came through - happy to say I'm still doing well! And I do enjoy it, particularly these days, without many calls on my time.
Unusually, I attended storytelling today! Yes, I skived off for an hour - one of my favourite storytellers, Nick Hennessey, was hanging out for an hour on Facebook. And oh my goodness, was I glad I signed in.. it was terrific! (once he followed our advice, and turned up the volume a bit.) Audio only. He played the harp, sang - and told stories.. for well over the scheduled hour. Some I knew, some not - it didn't matter. Finished with an excerpt from the Kalevala, which is a specialty of his. And it was all terrific - so soothing. I'd missed storytelling so much, it's been so long! Particularly in his case - he lives in the North of England, and doesn't make it to London that much any more. I think the recording is staying on Facebook for another couple of days.. seriously recommend you check it out. You might need headphones though! Oh, and it does take a few minutes for anything to start - the volume finally increases to manageable levels about 12 minutes in!
Now, Friday is a bank holiday (VE Day) - so I'll need something to do that day as well. And I was thinking I'd follow Up in the Cheap Seats' lead from yesterday, and have a look at a livestreamed Showstopper! show, filmed in the Lyric a month ago without an audience (!), now available on Facebook..
..and then they advertised Antony and Cleopatra, screened by the National Theatre from that day. Starring Ralph Fiennes and Sophie Okenedo. Now, that does sound interesting..
Unusually, I attended storytelling today! Yes, I skived off for an hour - one of my favourite storytellers, Nick Hennessey, was hanging out for an hour on Facebook. And oh my goodness, was I glad I signed in.. it was terrific! (once he followed our advice, and turned up the volume a bit.) Audio only. He played the harp, sang - and told stories.. for well over the scheduled hour. Some I knew, some not - it didn't matter. Finished with an excerpt from the Kalevala, which is a specialty of his. And it was all terrific - so soothing. I'd missed storytelling so much, it's been so long! Particularly in his case - he lives in the North of England, and doesn't make it to London that much any more. I think the recording is staying on Facebook for another couple of days.. seriously recommend you check it out. You might need headphones though! Oh, and it does take a few minutes for anything to start - the volume finally increases to manageable levels about 12 minutes in!
Now, Friday is a bank holiday (VE Day) - so I'll need something to do that day as well. And I was thinking I'd follow Up in the Cheap Seats' lead from yesterday, and have a look at a livestreamed Showstopper! show, filmed in the Lyric a month ago without an audience (!), now available on Facebook..
..and then they advertised Antony and Cleopatra, screened by the National Theatre from that day. Starring Ralph Fiennes and Sophie Okenedo. Now, that does sound interesting..
Sunday 3 May 2020
Film: Split
Might not be in the UK, but this is a bank holiday weekend in Ireland - which doesn't mean that much to me, except that the range of tv programmes improves! In particular, the film selection - I was delighted to see Split, on offer this evening. On at the same time as the main evening news - but my mother obligingly agreed to watch the film instead. Sick of the daily diet of morose Coronavirus news, anyway.
Directed by M. Night Shyamalan, this is the story of James McAvoy and his multiple personalities. A few of them have become dominant - and have decided to kidnap some young women.. for highly dubious purposes. I always wanted to see this - I like Shyamalan's work, and the idea of McAvoy acting in several different personalities did appeal. Just slipped under my radar - which can happen easily, for films not rated quite as highly.
Perfectly understated, right till the chase at the end - typical for Shyamalan. And as usual, a perfectly simple story, which he can use to tell some kind of a parable about humanity in general. I really enjoyed seeing McAvoy slipping into the different characters - there are supposed to be 23, but in the entire film we only get to see seven - a couple only briefly, mainly for illustrative purposes. Apart from the scenes in the dungeons where he keeps his prisoners, he keeps nipping out to his psychiatrist - and we follow her at a conference, where she gives us a little lecture about dissociative personality disorder.
Otherwise, the only respite we get once the girls are kidnapped is a series of flashbacks about one of them - why we are seeing these gradually becomes apparent. As usual in horror films, this one girl is quieter than the rest, doesn't really fit in - it's unusual for her to have been hanging out with the others at all, and it was them that our psycho really planned to take. And sure enough, this one is the best equipped with survival skills, and the only one with the nous to get out of there using her own skills. An interesting parallel is, in fact, drawn between her and her kidnapper.. as gradually, and subtly, drawn out over the course of the film.
Understated, with a constant tension - as always with Shyamalan, I liked it very much. And the self-powered heroine of the piece, Anya Taylor-Joy, has a haunting intensity about her that suits the tone of the film. Yep, recommended. Delighted I subjected my mother (and her dog) to it - hey, there isn't even much gore..
Waiting for another set of quiz questions from London Literary Walks - due on Tuesday, I believe.
Unusually, I'm attending storytelling on Wednesday! Yes, I intend to skive off for an hour - one of my favourite storytellers, Nick Hennessey, is hanging out for an hour on Facebook.
Now, Friday is a bank holiday (VE Day) - so I'll need something to do that day as well. And I was thinking I'd follow Up in the Cheap Seats' lead from earlier in the week, and have a look at a livestreamed Showstopper! show, filmed in the Lyric a month ago without an audience (!), now available on Facebook..
..and then they advertised Antony and Cleopatra, screened by the National Theatre from that day. Starring Ralph Fiennes and Sophie Okenedo. Now, that does sound interesting..
Directed by M. Night Shyamalan, this is the story of James McAvoy and his multiple personalities. A few of them have become dominant - and have decided to kidnap some young women.. for highly dubious purposes. I always wanted to see this - I like Shyamalan's work, and the idea of McAvoy acting in several different personalities did appeal. Just slipped under my radar - which can happen easily, for films not rated quite as highly.
Perfectly understated, right till the chase at the end - typical for Shyamalan. And as usual, a perfectly simple story, which he can use to tell some kind of a parable about humanity in general. I really enjoyed seeing McAvoy slipping into the different characters - there are supposed to be 23, but in the entire film we only get to see seven - a couple only briefly, mainly for illustrative purposes. Apart from the scenes in the dungeons where he keeps his prisoners, he keeps nipping out to his psychiatrist - and we follow her at a conference, where she gives us a little lecture about dissociative personality disorder.
Otherwise, the only respite we get once the girls are kidnapped is a series of flashbacks about one of them - why we are seeing these gradually becomes apparent. As usual in horror films, this one girl is quieter than the rest, doesn't really fit in - it's unusual for her to have been hanging out with the others at all, and it was them that our psycho really planned to take. And sure enough, this one is the best equipped with survival skills, and the only one with the nous to get out of there using her own skills. An interesting parallel is, in fact, drawn between her and her kidnapper.. as gradually, and subtly, drawn out over the course of the film.
Understated, with a constant tension - as always with Shyamalan, I liked it very much. And the self-powered heroine of the piece, Anya Taylor-Joy, has a haunting intensity about her that suits the tone of the film. Yep, recommended. Delighted I subjected my mother (and her dog) to it - hey, there isn't even much gore..
Waiting for another set of quiz questions from London Literary Walks - due on Tuesday, I believe.
Unusually, I'm attending storytelling on Wednesday! Yes, I intend to skive off for an hour - one of my favourite storytellers, Nick Hennessey, is hanging out for an hour on Facebook.
Now, Friday is a bank holiday (VE Day) - so I'll need something to do that day as well. And I was thinking I'd follow Up in the Cheap Seats' lead from earlier in the week, and have a look at a livestreamed Showstopper! show, filmed in the Lyric a month ago without an audience (!), now available on Facebook..
..and then they advertised Antony and Cleopatra, screened by the National Theatre from that day. Starring Ralph Fiennes and Sophie Okenedo. Now, that does sound interesting..
Concert: Tribute to Andrew Lloyd Webber
Today - middle of the day, for once - Up in the Cheap Seats (UITCS) was watching this weekend's offering by Andrew Lloyd Webber. This time, it's his 50th birthday concert, featuring a famous cast singing his most famous numbers at the Albert Hall. And I was delighted to be able to join them, for once!
I started early, to give myself a little break before the chat afterwards - I'd never used Jitsi before, which they use for chats, and thought it might be good to give myself some leeway. You can watch through Andrew Lloyd Webber's own website - or through his The Shows Must Go On channel, on YouTube, as I did.
And goodness, I was in seventh heaven with this concert - it's glorious! It was filmed in 1998, mind, which explains why you see some oddly young-looking famous faces. Donny Osmond reprising Joseph and the Amazing Techicolor Dreamcoat, anyone? Or Sarah Brightman! (I agreed with comments afterwards about how artificial she looks - in comparison with other female singers in the show.) It was fun, guessing what would come up next - and most of the big numbers are there. And there are some real surprises - Antonio Banderas, Glenn Close - and what on earth were Boyzone doing, plonked in the middle? Ronan Keating gives Michael Ball a cheeky wink for the finale. My personal favourite - probably Elaine Paige, singing Memory to end the show.. she smashed it. Available for a few more hours at time of writing, and highly recommended.
Sadly, the Jitsi call afterwards was underwhelming - it just couldn't cope with my internet connection, even with my video turned off. Others had trouble too. I've never had these problems with Zoom - it's a pity this group always uses Jitsi. Ah well, who knows when I'll next be able to join them for a chat? It was good to see them, anyway.
This evening, they're back with Hampstead Theatre for The Arrest of Ai Weiwei. I was thinking of watching it too - but it didn't take me long to realise I'd seen it before! Seven years ago.. my first time ever there, in fact! I think this is the last of their online broadcasts, sadly - available until 10pm. I guess they expected to be open again, after that.
And damnation, I keep forgetting to mention that I'm attending storytelling on Wednesday! Yes, I intend to skive off for an hour - one of my favourite storytellers, Nick Hennessey, is hanging out for an hour on Facebook.
Now, Friday is a bank holiday (VE Day) - so I'll need something to do that day as well. And I was thinking I'd follow UITCS' lead from earlier in the week, and have a look at a livestreamed Showstopper! show, filmed in the Lyric a month ago without an audience (!), now available on Facebook..
..and then they advertised Antony and Cleopatra, screened by the National Theatre from that day. Starring Ralph Fiennes and Sophie Okenedo. Now, that does sound interesting..
I started early, to give myself a little break before the chat afterwards - I'd never used Jitsi before, which they use for chats, and thought it might be good to give myself some leeway. You can watch through Andrew Lloyd Webber's own website - or through his The Shows Must Go On channel, on YouTube, as I did.
And goodness, I was in seventh heaven with this concert - it's glorious! It was filmed in 1998, mind, which explains why you see some oddly young-looking famous faces. Donny Osmond reprising Joseph and the Amazing Techicolor Dreamcoat, anyone? Or Sarah Brightman! (I agreed with comments afterwards about how artificial she looks - in comparison with other female singers in the show.) It was fun, guessing what would come up next - and most of the big numbers are there. And there are some real surprises - Antonio Banderas, Glenn Close - and what on earth were Boyzone doing, plonked in the middle? Ronan Keating gives Michael Ball a cheeky wink for the finale. My personal favourite - probably Elaine Paige, singing Memory to end the show.. she smashed it. Available for a few more hours at time of writing, and highly recommended.
Sadly, the Jitsi call afterwards was underwhelming - it just couldn't cope with my internet connection, even with my video turned off. Others had trouble too. I've never had these problems with Zoom - it's a pity this group always uses Jitsi. Ah well, who knows when I'll next be able to join them for a chat? It was good to see them, anyway.
This evening, they're back with Hampstead Theatre for The Arrest of Ai Weiwei. I was thinking of watching it too - but it didn't take me long to realise I'd seen it before! Seven years ago.. my first time ever there, in fact! I think this is the last of their online broadcasts, sadly - available until 10pm. I guess they expected to be open again, after that.
And damnation, I keep forgetting to mention that I'm attending storytelling on Wednesday! Yes, I intend to skive off for an hour - one of my favourite storytellers, Nick Hennessey, is hanging out for an hour on Facebook.
Now, Friday is a bank holiday (VE Day) - so I'll need something to do that day as well. And I was thinking I'd follow UITCS' lead from earlier in the week, and have a look at a livestreamed Showstopper! show, filmed in the Lyric a month ago without an audience (!), now available on Facebook..
..and then they advertised Antony and Cleopatra, screened by the National Theatre from that day. Starring Ralph Fiennes and Sophie Okenedo. Now, that does sound interesting..
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