Musical Performance: The Show Must Go On

Well, my mother finally got sick of the same old stories on the current affairs programmes tonight. Now, on Sunday - Thumbs Up Theatre Toronto watched a live stream from the Palace Theatre London! It was the swansong for The Shows Must Go On - a medley of songs from the famous musicals. Sadly, of course, I was stuck watching tv with my mother, as usual. But YESSSS - IT'S STILL AVAILABLE! For a week afterwards, it seems - so, until Sunday night, I guess. So I whacked it on my phone..

Oh man, it's awesome. I don't know how many times I broke down, just to see live musical theatre back. And the nostalgia of all the shows I'd seen - & Juliet, Hamilton, Mamma Mia!, The Book of Mormon, Come From Away, Everybody's Talking About Jamie, Les Misérables, The Phantom of the Opera. The shows I'd booked, which got cancelled - Dear Evan Hansen and Tina. And all the others: SIX, The Lion King, Mary Poppins, Pretty Woman, Back to the Future (jeez, I didn't even know there was a musical of that!), Matilda, Wicked, and The Prince of Egypt!

Songs were introduced in pairs - one from each musical - and belted out with gusto. Even my mother listened to most of it - and decided that the singer of Bring Him Home from Les Misérables wasn't as good as Colm Wilkinson. She came with me to Dublin to see that - Phantom, we saw in London when I was a kid. I can't fault John Owen Jones' powerful performance, though. But the standout performance for me was Aisha Jawando - practically channelling Tina Turner in an explosive performance of We Don't Need Another Hero, from Tina. Oh, I MUST book for that again.

Peppered throughout the show are ads for Theatre Support Fund, where you can donate, or buy merchandise. I have my eye on the t-shirt, personally.. might wait until I'm back, though, and it's cheaper: and the whole spectacle finishes with a speech by Sadiq Khan (interesting to watch the chat at this point, where people wondered what he was going to sing), and a thrilling version of The Show Must Go On, performed by the whole company! Ah, if you love musical theatre, you just have to watch this..

They're advertising Crazy Rich Asians as the Saturday night movie. Awesome, another I hadn't seen.. being stuck in Ireland for the pandemic is at least helping me get through my film list..

Musical: Ruthless

This evening, Up in the Cheap Seats is watching Michael Ball perform a Heroes concert, full of showtunes, on The Shows Must Go On. However, this is only in some parts of the world - here, they're showing us Ruthless, the musical that spoofs musicals. It'd be great to see a musical again, it's been a while - and hey, I couldn't have watched with the group anyway, they're watching too late for me..

And yes, it is great to see a musical! A Broadway production, it has a bit of everything - as you might expect. Marvellous performances as we watch Shirley Temple's evil twin plot and scheme her way to the lead role - no surprise that it's once she gets it, the show takes off! I particularly loved grandma's number, "I hate musicals". Had it all been that good, I'd have been more entertained. So - I didn't find it laugh-out-loud hilarious, but I did chuckle. Amusing entertainment for a cold afternoon. Showing until 7pm tomorrow, GMT.

Tomorrow, looking like film again - and Amazon Prime kindly sent me an advertising email while I was watching Ruthless. Some highly rated stuff - so I'll give it a shot! Highest among them - that I'd be interested in - is Good Omens, a sci-fi comedy about the end of the world. Somebody has triggered Armageddon, it seems, and it's up to an angel (Michael Sheen) and a demon (David Tennant) to stop it. Frances McDormand is God, Miranda Richardson plays the hapless medium who represents the first recorded case of angelic possession. Based on a book co-written by Terry Pratchett, it looks quite clever - and I do love that the Antichrist is a small boy. Seems so appropriate. Anyway, I love that kind of stuff - and end-of-the-world stories seem so appropriate, these days!

Musical: From Here to Eternity

Yesterday, Up in the Cheap Seats was watching From Here to Eternity: The Musical on YouTube's The Shows Must Go On channel. As usual, they were running too late for me - but hey, I could watch it independently. Wow, it's months since I watched that channel! About time I got back to it

And I'm so glad I did. The music is really catchy (lyrics by Tim Rice), and I'd forgotten how much I missed watching a musical. The frequent musical numbers do drag out the story - but it's worth staying with it, the ending is quite moving. Just a shame I couldn't have joined the group and chatted about it. Also a shame that it's already unavailable..

For Saturday, back to film. And gee, Raindance kept its site up! So I'll have a look then and see what's still available..

Dance: Celtic Tiger

Today, there still isn't anything I can make on Meetup. But yesterday, Up in the Cheap Seats was watching Les Blancs, streamed by the National Theatre. Unable to make it yesterday, I thought I might watch it today instead..

And then, another bunch of people from the same group advertised a watching of Michael Flatley's Celtic Tiger, this evening on The Shows Must Go On. Ok sure, his shows are always worth watching - I'm surprised though, I thought the channel was exclusively for Andrew Lloyd Webber's stuff! As usual these days, they were to start watching too late for me - so I watched it on my own.The ads on YouTube were slightly annoying - but it's available at a couple of other links on Time Out and Playbill.

Ah, Michael Flatley. He won the Guinness World Record for number of taps per second, you know (still holds the record as the highest paid dancer ever), and was the first American to win a title at the World Irish Dancing Championships. (Irish parents, you see, and I guess they instilled in him a passion for things Irish.) Turns out he's also an award-winning flautist - so I suppose, when he seems to play in the show, he probably is actually playing!

The show was filmed live, outdoors in Birmingham in 2005 - he's retired since, with aches and pains all over, as you'd expect from the torture they inflict on themselves. And it has all the glitz, glam, and razamataz that you'd expect from this flamboyant performer. Starts with the standard, militaristic drumming of lines of dancers - it's almost 10 minutes before there's any accompanying music.

At the start, they're in warrior clothing - the girls at the front dressed like Amazons, he himself flounces on in a stylised gladiator costume. We're then taken on a whistle-stop tour of Irish history, a video montage at the rear displaying attractive aerial shots of Ireland.. we get dancers that represent nature - bird and flower costumes - and a very nationalistic bit where Irish-dancing British soldiers (in stylised uniforms) set fire to a cottage, spewing out a huge number of scraggly-looking Irish in rags, hollow-eyed. Michael is the saintly and persecuted priest. Fast-forward a bit, and the same soldiers are having a pow-wow with some more confident-looking Irish guys, as Michael Flatley reads a bit of the Proclamation of the Republic. A few musical interludes are interspersed - FYI, the song "Four Green Fields" refers to the four provinces of Ireland, "in bondage to foreigners". This was a good performance - I could have done without listening to the other singers.

So far, so coherent. The rest of the show, however, seems to be an excuse to throw all sorts into the mix - different styles of dance, different costumes - under the guise that Ireland is now careering into the modern world. And there's a helluva lot of dancing before they finally leave - at which point I was slightly relieved, if only for consideration of their poor joints!

I have to agree with the comments under the video - I've seen better. It does veer towards tackiness - and in one particularly questionable sequence, a prim Aer Lingus stewardess (in very non-regulation specs) has her head turned by a dashing pilot (guess who?), and is inspired to - ahem - strip off, down to a stars n stripes bikini (leaves the heels on, though). As someone pointed out in the comments, this was before the #MeToo movement!

Ah well, on balance it's enjoyable, if flawed. And he's done an awful lot for the popularisation of Irish dance. I've seen a few shows like this, and I always enjoy them - but this isn't the best I've seen. Anyway, if you want to check it out, it's on until 7pm tomorrow (BST).

And for tomorrow? Again, nothing I can actually make on Meetup - might get to see Les Blancs, after all.

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..!

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..

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..?

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..

Quiz & Musical: Love Never Dies

This afternoon, London Social Detours (LSD) had a quiz - in the afternoon, on Zoom, so I signed up. We had to be on camera, and write down our answers - and it was interesting, the questions based on London in the main. Happily, there was a royal section, which - of course - I got full marks on. Joint fourth overall, out of 37 - with 20 questions right out of 30; the winner got 24. Not bad, then! Only minor technical quibbles - whenever I turned on my mic, I got static when the others were speaking - so I left it off, mainly. And I got kicked out at one point. Of course, as she's not yet registered, we have a 40-minute limit on meetings - so we have to log in every 40 minutes. And someone still had trouble getting audio! Ah well, it was fun.

I said I'd also try to catch this week's offering from The Shows Must Go On!, where Andrew Lloyd Webber musicals are streamed for free for 48 hours - this week, it's Love Never Dies, a sequel to Phantom of the Opera. As advertised by Up in the Cheap Seats (UITCS). I suppose I could have watched it with them - except that they limit the numbers, for technical reasons, and fill up quickly. Anyway, it would've been tight, after the quiz - even though nobody felt like hanging around after it was finished.

Television was unusually good tonight - so it was very, very late by the time I got around to this: but I was in the mood. And it had already been an evening marked by musical offerings. Continuing in that vein, Love Never Dies is a continuation of Phantom, set 10 years later, in Coney Island - Christine, now married with a son, has been invited to sing there, and with her husband's debts, they need the money. But a surprise awaits her - she has unfinished business, and a desperate choice to make..

Fabulously Gothic in set design and plot, with Christine playing, again, the classic, pale Gothic heroine with blood-red lips, it's a breathtaking production. The music, to be honest, doesn't pack quite the punch of Phantom - but that would be hard to top. I liked the music best when it reprised the tunes from the original. And I see that feedback from the group was mixed - for that reason, in general. Me - I loved it. Even though it doesn't match the original Phantom - but it is terrific in its own right - and surprisingly moving.. Available for the next 13 hours or so, from time of writing. Do see! (And Man with the Hat, if you happen to be reading this, that recommendation applies especially to you - you'd love it. This sort of production always reminds me of you..)

Tomorrow, as usual, I'm following UITCS' lead in watching Hampstead Theatre's weekly offering, which this week is the currently topical Tiger Country, set in the NHS.

On Monday, London Literary Walks has scheduled a continuation of the music quiz that was running.. a mistake on the organiser's part, he accidentally made the next bit a separate event! Glad he's still running it - when I saw the first event had ended, I was afraid he'd stopped, and I do enjoy them!

Next Saturday, behold, LSD has my attention again - they're doing an online murder mystery, where everyone chooses a character and (optionally) dresses up. Small fee. Cool! We get scripts, it seems.. And I've been chosen to be Sierra Tango, police constable! Seems it's been booking heavily, and that was all that was left. Fine by me. Must figure out what I'm doing by way of a character image, or fake background..

On the 3rd, back with Hampstead Theatre for The Arrest of Ai Weiwei. UITCS is, of course, seeing it that evening.

Now, the 8th is a bank holiday - 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..

Film: Child 44, Google Maps: Cat Island, & Musical: Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

Last night, Child 44 was shown on telly - and I made sure to watch it, as it had come across my radar before, but I hadn't seen it. Not to mention that it stars the excellent Tom Hardy, as a child who is liberated from a concentration camp at the end of WWII by the Russians, and grows up to join the secret police in the Stalinist era. Falling foul of the wrong people, he finds himself exiled to the sticks, with his wife, Noomi Rapace, under the command of a more sympathetic Gary Oldman, who helps him to investigate the suspicious-looking deaths of many small boys.

Well, Tom Hardy was excellent. Unfortunately, I rapidly lost interest in the film - as grey and depressing as you'd expect, it has few redeeming features. Relies too much on fight scenes too, which I have zero interest in. Can't really find any reason to recommend it.

So, as my mind wandered, I decided to follow a suggestion of Anthony's Cultural Events and Walking Activities Group (ACEWAG) for today, for a virtual trip around Cat Island, on Google Maps. An island with a huge cat population - and his challenge is to count as many as you can (I got over 50). If you do the same, watch out for the sneaky pusses hiding behind walls..

This evening, Up in the Cheap Seats (UITCS) are watching Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Andrew Lloyd Webber is streaming a whole heap of his musicals on YouTube for free - all you have to do is subscribe to his channel, The Show Must Go On. Shows will be released at 7pm every Friday, for 48 hours - and this first was released last night. Again, I had to watch early. But I suspect I'll be back to this channel! The problem, of course, with such a busy group as UITCS is, when you remove commuting time.. they can pack so many more events into a day..

Now, this is excellent. I'd never seen it before - and this is the official performance, with Donny Osmond as the titular, biblical Joseph, who's the favourite of his father, Jacob (Richard Attenborough), but betrayed by his jealous brothers and sold as a slave to an Egyptian officer - Joan Collins plays a blinder (in a non-singing role) as the officer's wife, who takes a shine to her husband's handsome new slave.

Irresistibly catchy and memorable songs, great production values, a witty take on the story. Highly worth a watch - but hurry, only available for free until 7pm tomorrow! (I think that's GMT).

Tomorrow morning, ACEWAG is heading on a virtual tour of Mount Everest, on Google Maps again! So I'll tag along. He's actually closing down this group, so this is likely to be my last event with them - I'm not sufficiently invested in it to join his Facebook group.

Tomorrow afternoon, why, London Social Detours has another event I'm interested in. (And for once, she's not charging..!) She's reading a chapter of a book entitled London: The Wicked City, and there's to be a chat afterwards. First sociable thing I'm planning!

And yes, UITCS is busy again.. They're watching a play called Wild, on the Hampstead Theatre website tomorrow evening. Another by Mike Bartlett, by the synopsis, it sounds like a dramatisation of the story of Edward Snowden. So that sounds interesting.. and as Hampstead Theatre is only streaming plays free for a week each, tomorrow is the last day for this.