4 day Weekend update part 1 - Thursday/Friday
Thursday: Went to matinee performance of Aladdin at Birmingham Hippodrome starring John Barrowman. Very good supporting cast including Don Maclean (ex-Crackerjack presenter and bonafide brummie), The Grumbleweeds as the policemen and the little guy from Banzai as the Emperor. The production was slick but a bit patchy - worked better in some places than others.
John was in good voice but I kind of got the feeling that they were all going through the motions. Maybe mid-run tiredness or saving themselves for the evening performance. John did mention Torchwood several times (this was the day after the first episode, of course) and he cracked up during a scene with Abanazar. According to the programme, the guy playing Abanazar (Peter Gallagher) was a director on ‘Any Dream Will Do’ so I got the feeling they knew each other well. He was also very tall - a head taller than John who is not short! My sister thought that JB was looking a little porky but I put it down to the costumes (cummerbunds are sooo last year!).
Overall, the panto was fun, especially the genie who was a 3D cartoon - yep, we all had to wear the specs! I wasn’t so keen on the music used - a funny mix of original and cover songs (including one from High School Musical *cough*), and a lot of it seemed to be pre-recorded, by which I mean the group numbers, not John and the princess’s solos. They had also shoe-horned the daleks into the story which was entirely unnecessary but probably got bums on seats.
Friday: Travelled down to London on the train which was fine except there was no refreshment car or trolley so we stopped for tea and a pasty at Marylebone before going to the hotel. Stayed right by St Pauls cathedral this time - would recommend this hotel as worked out about £50 per night each based on 2 sharing and was only a couple of minutes walk from the tube. It was room only but as I had booked a ‘suite’ we got a small kitchen area with a microwave, fridge and kettle so could fix ourselves something or eat out. There was also an M&S Simply Food between our hotel and the tube station. Sorted!
That night we went to the National Theatre to see ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ which was absolutely fantastic. I knew the reviews had been good, especially for Zoe Wanamaker and Simon Russell Beale as Beatrice and Benedict, and they were well deserved. Hilariously funny but also touching, there was an almost melancholy air about the two of them when they were alone that disappeared when they were together. The set design was simple but effective, making good use of the turntable, and the musicians were a strolling band of players rather than relegated to a pit. It was a bit of a spot-the-face production with a wealth of recognisable faces in supporting roles, including Mark Addy as Dogberry, ably assisted by Trevor Peacock or ‘No, no, no, no, no’ from Vicar of Dibley.
Shakespeare’s words were also beautifully spoken. Simon Russell Beale is now my latest unlikely crush - charisma and stage presence counts with me!
John was in good voice but I kind of got the feeling that they were all going through the motions. Maybe mid-run tiredness or saving themselves for the evening performance. John did mention Torchwood several times (this was the day after the first episode, of course) and he cracked up during a scene with Abanazar. According to the programme, the guy playing Abanazar (Peter Gallagher) was a director on ‘Any Dream Will Do’ so I got the feeling they knew each other well. He was also very tall - a head taller than John who is not short! My sister thought that JB was looking a little porky but I put it down to the costumes (cummerbunds are sooo last year!).
Overall, the panto was fun, especially the genie who was a 3D cartoon - yep, we all had to wear the specs! I wasn’t so keen on the music used - a funny mix of original and cover songs (including one from High School Musical *cough*), and a lot of it seemed to be pre-recorded, by which I mean the group numbers, not John and the princess’s solos. They had also shoe-horned the daleks into the story which was entirely unnecessary but probably got bums on seats.
Friday: Travelled down to London on the train which was fine except there was no refreshment car or trolley so we stopped for tea and a pasty at Marylebone before going to the hotel. Stayed right by St Pauls cathedral this time - would recommend this hotel as worked out about £50 per night each based on 2 sharing and was only a couple of minutes walk from the tube. It was room only but as I had booked a ‘suite’ we got a small kitchen area with a microwave, fridge and kettle so could fix ourselves something or eat out. There was also an M&S Simply Food between our hotel and the tube station. Sorted!
That night we went to the National Theatre to see ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ which was absolutely fantastic. I knew the reviews had been good, especially for Zoe Wanamaker and Simon Russell Beale as Beatrice and Benedict, and they were well deserved. Hilariously funny but also touching, there was an almost melancholy air about the two of them when they were alone that disappeared when they were together. The set design was simple but effective, making good use of the turntable, and the musicians were a strolling band of players rather than relegated to a pit. It was a bit of a spot-the-face production with a wealth of recognisable faces in supporting roles, including Mark Addy as Dogberry, ably assisted by Trevor Peacock or ‘No, no, no, no, no’ from Vicar of Dibley.
Shakespeare’s words were also beautifully spoken. Simon Russell Beale is now my latest unlikely crush - charisma and stage presence counts with me!