The Italian Girl In Algiers

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The Italian Girl In Algiers

Okay I am still alive but life continues to be somewhat hectic.  I keep thinking things will calm down but of course now with All Saints at the beginning of November and St Andrew’s at the end Patronal Festivals, and two AGM’s in-between it mean there is no lull before the storm of Advent, Christmas and Epiphany.

However we did manage a trip to see Scottish Opera’s production of ‘The Italian Girl in Algiers’ by Rossini, and boy are we glad we got to see it.  Despite what the critics said we both throughly enjoyed it.  This was a co-production with the NBR New Zealand Opera and there was clever use of modern technology as the Opera revolved round the cast of a Soap Opera.  The singing was, as you would expect, superb, however even though I had been warned (a member of the cast is also a member at All Saints) I hadn’t expected to laugh quite so much, neither was I expecting the rap routine.  On reflection it is no wonder that purest critics didn’t appreciate it.  It’s run in Glasgow is now over however if you are in Inverness this weekend you could see it at Eden Court, His Majesty’s Theatre, Aberdeen is the venue for the performance on the 14th and it is ending up in Edinburgh on 21st, 25th and 27th November.

All The Fun Of The Fair

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All The Fun Of The Fair

And what fun it was.  A sad tale about love, family life and a fairground, indeed ‘A Winter’s Tale’; which was the opening song of the show.

The show is a story highlighted with some of the songs of David Essex, and David himself stars in this production which has had rave revues and no wonder.  Although it is sad tale, it is punctuated with humour, memories of the 1970′s and characters which are likeable.  It is not just David that sings, several of the cast get to sing some of his most well known songs, while there is also a sprinkling of songs which will be new to many. 

It was written by one of the countries prolific pantomime writers and at times it shows, which will probably stop it getting the Mama Mia! treatment and being transferred from the stage to the big screen, but then again I could be wrong and someone might come along and re-write it a bit so that it can be.

Sardines

I can’t remember when I laughed as much as I did last night and Hubby said the same, tears were streaming down our faces while my side and Hubby’s throat were sore with laughter by the end of the evening.  The cause of all the hillarity was Michael Frayn’s play ‘Noises Off’, a play about the characters of another play ‘Nothing On’. 

The first act is the rehearsal with constant interruptions and we discover the quirks of the characters, or should I say both sets of characters, for all but three of the actors where playing someone who for part of the show at least was playing someone else.  The programme cleverly had not only the biographies of the actors, but also of the actors in the play they were playing.  The second act was seeing the play being performed from behind the scenes as the relationships between the members of the cast and crew fall apart, while the final scene was seeing the play once more from an audience point of view but this time with the utter mayhem of the quarreling cast reigning.  The cast were obviously enjoying it as much as we all were and were all excellent.  And Michael Frayn’s writing is superb weaving between the two plays with ease and great skill.

What about the Sardines in the title of this blog?  I hear you cry, well those of you who have never seen the play at least.  The play within the the play ‘Nothing On’ is described at one point by it’s director as being all about sardines and doors.  The doors which people constantly go in and out, the plates of sardines which keep being picked-up, moved, lost, found and generally causing confusion.

If you have never seen it, I would highly recommend it, and even if you have I couldn’t reccomend this production of it highly enough, here is a link to the site of this production with tour dates and details of the cast.  In fact if anyone out there isn’t doing anything Friday night I will accompany you to the Kings Theatre, Glasgow to see it again, if there are any tickets left!

Via Glasgow

That’s how we did it.  Did what?  I hear you ask.  That was how we got to Argentina last night, via Glasgow. 

Okay that may be slightly misleading as I am not posting this from Buenos Aires, but from back home at the Rectory.  Last night we went to see Evita showing at the Kings in Glasgow, the set was simple but very effective, the choreography was first class, the understudy for Che, Robbie Towns was excellent watch out for that name I think we will be hearing more of it in the future.  There was a small groan that rippled around the audience when it was announced that Seamus Cullen (from BBC’s Any Dream Will Do) was having a night off, however, Robbie proved an excellent understudy and I doubt if Seamus could have done it any better!  Nikki Mae debuted with her role the Mistress, and while it could be said that she only had one song, what a performance surely it will be a platform for greater things.  It saddens me to say that the lead was less inspiring, in fact with a lesser score she would have been dire.  For most of the first half she couldn’t be heard, and for most of the second half it sounded as if she was shouting not singing.  That having been said it was still a good night, and having never seen a professional stage production of Evita I was glad we had gone. 

As we left I couldn’t help wondering if Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber would be looked upon to future generations as we look upon Gilbert and Sullivan!

Bondagers

Last night we were privileged to get a sneak preview of Studio 32′s latest production, Bondagers, and what a treat it turned out to be.  Claire as Totty is a star in the making her transformation on stage to the simple peasant girl was captivating.

For those of you unfamiliar with Bondagers, it is a play by Sue Glover which has become a modern classic.  Set in the Borders of Scotland on the large working farms it is a tale from the 1860′s when women, bondagers, were hired by farm hands to work on the farms they in turn had been hired to work on.  The work was hard you needed strong arms, strong hands, strong legs and strong shoulders to pick and sow the potatoes and neeps, and the pay frugal 10p a day.  You didn’t know were you might be sleeping and would soon be moving on, looking for more work.  Life was hard and those who led the life built strong relationships.  The play explores many of the relationships but it is the story of Totty which draws things to a climax. 

There are moments of humour, some wonderful Scottish songs, dancing all rolled into this glimpse of life that the bondagers lived.  The play is wonderful, Studio 32′s production of it is superb, opening night tonight is a sell out but somehow there are still tickets available for Friday and Saturday night, so if you are in reach of East Kilbride, enjoy a good play and are looking for something to do then I suggest you get in touch with the Arts Centre sooner rather than later.

The War Of The Worlds – Jeff Wayne’s Musical Version

“No one would have believed in the last year of the 19^th century that human affairs were being watched from the timeless worlds of space.”

Richard Burton’s powerful, calm, expressive voice boomed out from the hologram face projected onto the stage, the music from the 46-piece string orchestra and 10-piece band filled the SECC as Jeff Wayne conducted his powerful live extravaganza of the classic ‘The War of the Worlds’.

This was far more than a musical performance, projected onto a large screen the story was told using a mixture of old footage, actors, cgi and stills, smoke, dry ice, mirrors, firecrackers, low almost unheard bass notes making the floor and building shake as the fighting machines walked across the screen and wreaked destruction, the lighting was also used to great effect, both to accentuate the music and add to the drama.  From above a fighting machine descended to stand towering over the stage and dominating us all, searching and shooting it’s heat ray around the enthralled audience, as the H G Wells tale unfolded to the sound of Ulla and the rest of the unforgettable score that the public first heard nearly 30 years ago.  Okay so David Essex didn’t appear, the seats were still incredibly uncomfortable (the SECC really needs to do something about them), but all was forgiven as our senses were bombarded by the classic tale which is ‘The War of the Worlds’.

If like me you were wowed by the original album back in the 70’s then this production is a must, even if you weren’t this production is well worth going to see.  Beg, borrow or steal – well maybe not steal I wouldn’t advocate that – but do what you legally can to get a ticket I very much doubt you will be disappointed.

Floods

A flood warning went out last night for the eastern side of England, it should have gone out for Glasgow instead, well to be more precise the Clydeside Arena – or as it is known locally the Armadillo – were floods of tears of laughter nearly washed us all away.

Bill Bailey was performing his latest one man show Tinsleworm – yes apparently there is such a thing, similar to a silk worm, only it produces tinsel not silk, well according to Bill there is anyway!

Bill might be best known for being a comedian but that is but one string on his bow.  He is a wonderful musician and raconteur and through out the evening he entertained us with his music, stories and wit.  He actively encouraged hecklers, however I did wonder if he had regretted it as he totally lost it and ended up laughing so much he decided to lie down on the floor to try and calm himself.  It has to be said that half the fun was in seeing how much he was enjoying it himself, so much in fact that the first half over ran so the second half had to be cut really short. 

A thoroughly good night out!

Poor, Poor, Hubby

He missed out tonight on a trip to see ‘Joseph’ showing in Glasgow, and what a treat he missed.

Much is made about who plays Joseph these days, especially with the current programme on BBC1; however it is the narrator who really holds the show together and tonight we were not disappointed. Melissa Nettleford might have been an understudy but she showed she could carry the role with great style and character and as Harriet Shore (the programmed narrator) is unknown to me, I for one certainly didn’t think I had been cheated by the swap.

I did however feel slightly cheated about the number of brothers – Jacob had 12 sons, the songs refer to all twelve sons – sometimes by name, however at no time tonight were there twelve! It can be the strangest of things that cause distractions, and tonight number counting was mine – I blame my accounting past – everytime the brothers appeared I found myself counting them to see how many there were this time. Eleven was standard, ten popular, nine common, and on one occasion there was only eight. Poor, poor Jacob kept on losing sons!

But I am nitpicking; it was a great night, great singing, great score, great dancing and effects, lots of laughs, a singing camel, Elvis in a loincloth, and a motorbike. Plus, and this always adds to a shows enjoyment, it was clear that the cast were thoroughly enjoying it.

Will it ever date, or loose its appeal? Somehow I doubt it, the whole age spectrum was represented in tonight’s audience, but I guess you never can tell, after all there is no business like show business.

Once In A Lifetime

Last night we travelled back in time, back into the 1970′s and joined hundreds of other such time travellers at the SECC in Glasgow for the Once in a Lifetime tour.

Alright Showaddywaddy might not have been one of the greats of the 70′s but they got the party started fine style, dancing ‘Under the Moon of Love’ with their ‘Tiger Feet’. Everyone was singing and clapping and swaying.

Next up was David Cassidy, now I have never been a fan of his, and his performance last night didn’t change that. His voice didn’t last past the first couple of songs in his set, with flat notes aplenty, however his fans certainly seemed to be enjoying it, and if you had glanced my way you would have caught me singing along with ‘I Think I Love You.’

Then came David Essex, the one who we both really wanted to see, and he certainly didn’t disappoint. His voice just gets better and better. He detoured slightly from the night’s theme singing a track from his new album, however I for one was glad he did and have a feeling it will be joining the Rectory music collection very soon. Of course he sung Rock On, Lamplight and brought the house – or rather hall – down with Hold Me Close.

Finally the night ended with The Osmond’s – which was maybe a bit of an exaggeration as only Jay, Wayne and Jimmy where there. However they showed themselves to be true entertainers doing not only some of their own songs – although Hubby debated that fact as a couple of them although Osmond songs were so closely associated with Donny – and also a wonderful medley of other songs from the 1970′s including songs from Queen, Bee Gees and Elton John.

All in all it was a great night’s entertainment, although we probably wouldn’t have gone at all if David Essex hadn’t been on the bill.

Girl (And Boy) Put Their Records On

Last night we went to see the wonderfully talented Corrine Bailly Rae at Glasgow’s Royal Concert Hall. Unfortunately her sound crew don’t quite match up to the quality of her voice and we were four songs in before the balance was right and we were no longer being deafened by the drums and her voice wasn’t distorting during the loud sections; maybe they are more used to less acoustically well designed venues. Never the less once the sound problem was sorted it was a great gig, she has an incredible voice soaring and diving, quiet and intense, loud and powerful, she doesn’t just sing her songs she breathes life into them. We were also treated to songs from Led Zeppelin and Hendricks to blow your socks off, anyone who has ever thought of pigeoning holing her into the R&B category would have been in for a surprise, yes the song had a R&B/Soul vibe to them, but they were firstly rock.

The Glasgow Concert Hall is not a small venue but it still felt as if we were peeking into a front room and watching a group of musicians’ jam, they were all obviously having a great time and their energy and enthusiasm for the music oozed from the stage.

She nearly had the show stolen from her by her support act – certainly if the sound problem hadn’t been sorted his performance, in my view, would have saved the night from being a total wash out.

Jack Savoreti is a name I am sure you will soon become familiar with, those who had decided to stay in one of the bars rather than going in to hear him missed out big time, and I wasn’t the only one who thought so! For a brief moment it looked as if the support act was going to have to come on and do an encore. If you enjoy good music and you haven’t heard of Jack before I would recommend you go and visit his site at http://www.myspace.com/jacksavoretti and have a listen to him – his album is available at amazon my copy will soon

Who Want’s To Be A Millionaire?

There was no Cary Grant …

No Kathrine Hepburn ….

And no James Stewart …

But last night the words of Philip Barry’s Philadelphia story echoed.

There was no Bing Cosby …

No Frank Sinatra …

And No Grace Kelly …

But last night the songs of Cole Porter rang out.

High Society – doing it’s UK tour – was in town and being the old film fan (that is a fan of old films, not someone who is old and is a film fan) and theatre goer that I am it was on my must see list.

I started off slightly disappointed, the opening was overly long and while the singing and dancing by the servants – as the chorus – was excellent nothing would have been missing from the performance had it been cut or at least trimmed. Other songs were sung in a different order and by different people to the movie version, but this wasn’t a version of the movie, it was a stage production and an excellent one at that. Apart from Wayne Sleep, playing Uncle Willie, (who is looking old, and although managed to do the splits struggled to get back up again, and was out acted and out sung by everyone else) the rest of the cast was a list of un-known names to me, but not any more. Mike Sterling who played Dexter Haven – Cary Grant in the movie version – has a superb voice as does Sophie-Louise Dann who played Lis Imbrie the photographer from ‘Spy’ magazine; and Aly McInnes who played Mother Lord. Paul Robinson, who played Mike Connor, Frank Sinatra in the film, had an incredible stage presence and in my view was close to stealing the show.

All in all it was a great night out, apart from the woman sitting behind me who seemed to be fascinated by my hair and kept pulling it every time she moved!

Jools Holland And His Rhythm & Blues Orchestra

Last Friday saw a trip to the Clyde Auditorium, Glasgow, affectionately known as the Armadillo by locals. Rather late in the day this concert was discovered which meant that the only tickets left were up in the gallery. That was no gallery it was the roof space! We were higher than the ventilation ducts, the stage was miles away and those on it looked like ants, even though there was a projection on the back wall of the stage we couldn’t really see it because of a lighting gantry!

Okay that is the moan over now on to the really good stuff.

The Musicians
5 saxophones, 4 trombones, 3 trumpets, 2 guitars – this is beginning to sound like a Christmas song – 1 drummer, 1 percussionist, 1 keyboard player, 3 guest singers and of course the incredibly talented Jools Holland.

Just over two hours of ska, blues, boogie woogie, soul, R&B, and Jazz, even a couple of old Squeeze tracks were squeezed in! Ruby Turner came on and wowed us with her voice, smooth and powerful climbing the heights and delving into the depths. The musicians all took their turn at taking centre stage and thrilled us with their solo performances; the drum solo took me back years, to the Doune Castle – a pub in the south-side of Glasgow which I used to frequent many years ago down in the dark sticky floored basement there was always one of a stream of bands, looking for their big break and stardom, the night wasn’t complete until the drummer did his solo! The backing singer – whose name I can’t remember – was allowed on to do his own number, Jools’ fingers flew over the keys and made me wish I had listen to my piano teacher when I was 10! Jools is a fantastic musician and very generous with it, he knows he is good but rather than lording it, he encourages others into their place in the spot light too.

Then on came the star guest Lulu! Now I have never really been a great fan of Lulu up until that point, but hearing her live is an experience. Boy can she sing, and she jumps around the stage as if she is only a third of her 58 years. The crowd which were already jumping exploded as she started to sing and when she did ‘Shout’ there was a danger that we might no longer be in the roof space but in the open air as the roof blew off!

It was annoying that we couldn’t see the stage properly and if the concert had been mediocre then the bad seats would have made the whole might a disaster, but as it was the music saved the night big time. That being said, I have no plans to ever climb the 1001 stairs up to that part of the Armadillo again, in future tickets must just be bought sooner!