Musical: Hairspray

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..!