A Chorus Line

I have always loved A Chorus Line but had had problems trying to find another person who loves it like me to go with.  Imagine my surprise when my Dad suggested he go with me!  I knew he loves strictly but never imagined he would love a musical.

We had eaten a lovely lunch at J Sheekeys’ Oyster bar before going to a matinee performance.  I had not been to the Palladium for many many years and had forgotten what a beautiful theatre it is.

I was surprised there was not more merchandise on sale but they had programmes, mugs, key rings, t shirts and a sweat shirt.

We had great seats (second row of the stalls) and took them just before the performance started. The theatre was packed out so there must be other people like me who love A Chorus Line.  I saw no indication that there is a recession on – or perhaps a good show will always pull the crowd?

But would it live up to my rather high expectations?  It did! It was amazing.  I felt like I was living that audition with them.  I cried when it was sad and I laughed when it was funny.  ‘Sheila’ has the best line in the show – ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’ ‘Young!’

I love how each person really gave a good acting, singing and dancing performance.  It is hard to be an ‘all-rounder’ but the person who recruited this group of actors and dancers did good! Even my Dad was impressed and he is notoriously hard to please!

It is hard to pick one outstanding performance as every actor was perfect and I personally loved how they start off not being co-ordinated as they learn the steps through to being dazzling at the final curtain.

To me, the shows meaning says that a chorus line is never ‘just’ a chorus line. Every person in it has personality and issues.  It shows the very human side of show-business and what a difficult emotional process auditioning is.

The show is a very uplifting one and I left the theatre singing and wanting to kick my legs all through Leicester Square.  This is not just a show for ‘luvvies’ – it is a show for anyone who loves a ‘people’ show!  Go and see it – and if you need someone to go with, I’m available!

 

 

Man of Steel

Man of Steel

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No its ..erm a man of steel!  It doesn’t quite have the same ring to it does it?!

The film starts with a view of Krypton in a state of emergency.  Krypton is dying.  They have exhausted all the natural resources on the planet.  They decide to send a new-born baby to Earth as it is a young planet with resources and could be the future of the Krypton race.  This film gives you more of Krypton that we have ever seen in any previous Superman films, but unfortunately it leaves us wanting more.  Although this does explain the reasoning behind the fact why a normal Krypton would have super-powers on earth. 

You see several flashbacks of Clark Kent’s childhood which builds into the story of the man who is hiding his true identity. The nine year old Kent (played by Cooper Timberline) out-shines Henry Cavill’s version of Superman.  Henry’s version feels very wooden and his only expression being one of a slight frown (puzzlement that an Englishman got the role, perhaps?)

Both Kevin Costner (who plays Jonathan Kent) and Russell Crowe (who plays Jor-El) are both seasoned actors and it shows. They both give fantastic performances and make the bits where things aren’t being blown up, worth watching.

The ‘baddie’ for this film is General  Zod.  I feel he is a misunderstood character and Michael Shannon who plays him gives a great performance and gets a lot of well-deserved screen-time.

Amy Adams plays Lois Lane. Amy is a beautiful woman who started off life as Giselle in Enchanted.  So did the wardrobe department purposely move away from that look to give her the drabbest clothes they could find?  It really wasn’t necessary or fair on poor Amy.  Amy makes a great Lois as she is inquisitive, intelligent and not too pushy.  Lois also gets the best line in the film when Clark Kent joins the newspaper team…’Welcome to the Planet’.

Unfortunately there is little else in the script that lends itself to amusing and intelligent writing. I think the brief for this film was ‘Lets blow lots of stuff up’.

The special effects are good in places (such as on Krypton) but they overdo it in places with the CGI and smash as much as possible.  And I am irritated when the gung-ho troops say something like ‘How do I know you won’t turn on America?’ to Superman. Not ‘the world’..no…only the USA.  It felt rather arrogant.

This film has gone a long way to distance itself from the superman films of old. He doesn’t wear pants over his tights anymore and the ‘S’ is a sign for hope on Krypton.  It’s not an ‘S’ for Superman. This is Superman for a new generation.  But compare this film to any of the current other Super-Heroes films and this film is lacking.  Avengers Assemble and Iron Man are much better made with a much tighter script.

Of course this is only my opinion and I know I will not stop a billion-dollar industry who I am sure have already agreed for at least three more films on the contracts of the actors if this is a financial success (of which it will be).  But from one small person on the planet – I was not hugely impressed.

Or maybe I just prefer Batman or Iron Man (with their gadgets and feel more believable) to Superman. 

 

 

 

Only After Dark (OAD)'s 4th Birthday with special guest, Rusty Egan.

Only After Dark (OAD)’s 4^th Birthday with special guest, Rusty Egan.

Going to OAD is like going on a date.  The first date is exiting and all new, you don’t know what to expect, what to wear, how it will be.  I am now on my third date with OAD and I think it could be the start of a beautiful relationship.  I still get excited, but that is because I know the promise of what is to come…

Everyone remembers their first love.  Why?  Because it was their first.  Your first love, the first record you bought, the first time you (well you know!)…We live our lives by a list of firsts.  

My first experience of OAD had been magnificent.  It had been the Heaven 17 special.  It had been special and I fell head over heels in love with OAD.  How would another special be?  Would it be as good at the first time?  Of course it would!

This was a very special night.  It was OAD’s 4^th birthday and Rusty Egan was there to make it even more special!  Many veteran Darklings came along especially for this along with some people who had never been before.  It was a lovely mix and everyone was friendly and welcoming.  You are made to feel like you belong.  This is such a unique place to be.  It is an eclectic mix of people who all come to worship the music genres played.

A special occasion calls for a special effort.  I had not crimped my hair for over 25 years.  (With one exception for a fancy dress party).  But it felt right.  It looked right.  Damn it, I was right to do it and the lovely responses I had from fellow Darklings meant I had made the right decision.  

I was one of the first people to meet Rusty.  He was a lovely man who told my husband how lucky he was to have me.  (I hope hubby was listening!)  Rusty was warm, friendly and happy to sign our stuff.  It was a real pleasure to meet him.

My hubby is an ex-DJ who loves mixing.  He was very keen to hear Rusty’s sets from a technical point of view.  Personally, I couldn’t begin to see how you can mix so many genres together (New Wave, Electronic, Glam, Punk, Goth) but the genius that is Rusty Egan did so.  He started his set with the German version of Heroes (Could anyone ask for more?) and followed it up with Hard times by the Human League.  Everyone was on the dance floor.  We had love song (Simple Minds), Heart of Glass (Blondie) and Memorabilia (Soft Cell).  He followed that up with the night version of Planet Earth (Duran Duran).  He did not play a bad track and it flowed fantastically.  He also gave his new track, Dreamer (Metroland Night Version) an airing and it went down very well.  Rusty is a very talented DJ who can impress other DJ’s as well as keep everyone dancing on the dance floor.  

But let me tell you about the other music that was played, or in other words, why you should come every month!

I counted more than six Bowie tracks.  I feel so chuffed that I can go to a club that will play Bowie.  It is wonderful to find people like Debbie and David (and I am sure many more that I don’t know yet) who love Bowie as much as I do.  I counted at least five different Bowie T-shirts.  Nice taste people!

I have always loved Soft Cell.  I once wrote to Jim’ll fix it to ask if I could meet Marc Almond at a fairground.  I never got a reply. (Just as well now we know what we know about Jimmie Saville).  But my love of Soft Cell never dies.  I really enjoyed dancing to Memorabilia and Soft Cell is a staple diet at OAD. Feed me!

Duran Duran are from Birmingham and in honour of that, they too are played every time.  Planet Earth was the outing this time around.  And the original rum runner video was played especially for all those who were original rum runners.

A lot of early Human League was played.  I actually woke up the next morning with ‘Empire State Human’ in my head. (When I told Martyn this, he laughed!)  Also at least two Heaven 17 tracks were played.  I was in the ladies when ‘Let me go’ was playing.  So I got everyone in the queue to sing along and held the door ajar so we could hear it!

Pretty Vacant by the Sex pistols came on the TV screens.  (Did I mention there are lots of videos played on TV screens?)  I am not a fan of the Sex Pistols.  I know I will probably get abuse for saying this, but it’s my personal opinion they did not produce good music.  Or maybe I was just a bit young to appreciate it fully.  However I love the punk movement and what it represents.  I agree that individuals who feel let down by the system should have a way of expressing how they feel.  I love Green Day and think they have carried this punk ethos into enjoyable punk music with a huge energy and attitude.  Green Day are the modern day punks and this is all due to the Sex Pistols.  Therefore I have to respect what the Sex Pistols have given us along with all the bands that followed due to the influence of the Sex Pistols.

I feel love by Donna Summer has to be the best dance record of all time. It has so much going on.  It fits all genres and crosses any boundaries.  It is a mark of pure genius in the world of music.

I have always wanted to be Blondie.  Unfortunately I look a lot more like Kate Bush than Debbie Harry.  But I had always thought Debbie Harry was the ultimate icon and tonight (Mathew I am going to be) Blondie for about 3 minutes while Rapture plays.  For those three minutes I really was Blondie (I know every word to Rapture) and gave it my all!  No one came for my autograph afterwards.  However after dancing (rather wildly) to B52’s’ Rock Lobster I did get comments about how quirky I am!  Sounds about right.

This was only my third outing to OAD, but already I feel like I’m family.  I have made some wonderful friends there and of course you can never have too many friends so I hope to carry on going and making more friends.

OAD – Happy birthday with many many returns!!

 

 

 

 

 

Hear Rusty's new track here: https://soundcloud.com/the-electricity-club/rusty-egan-dreamer-metroland#play

 

 

 

 

Oz - The Great and Powerful

Oz: The Great and Powerful.

‘If you believe in yourself you can achieve anything’ is the motto of this story.  Now add a heavily sugared dose of Disney and you have an idea of what you have let yourself in for.

The film starts in traditional 4:3 ratio in b/w just like The Wizard of Oz.  And of course land into Oz with Technicolor or whatever they call it these days.  Oz is truly a beautiful land and some of the effects are amazing.

James Franco is Oz. He is a charmer, charlatan and player.  Rather like some of the men I have dated! 

Those who already know and love the story of the wizard of Oz will recognise subtle leads from the original film.  Watch out for the horse of a different colour, a flying money, Glenda the good witch and of course Munchkins and the yellow brick road.

Mila Kunis (who has eyes larger than Bambi – how do Disney do it?!) plays Theodora, a witch looking after the Emerald city with her sister, Evanora played by Rachel Weiss.  When Oz arrives in Oz he is mistaken for the Wizard in the prophecy.  And knowing there is riches for a reward he pretends he is the great wizard to win the reward.

New characters for this film include the china doll, who is adorable and Water fairies that bite.  Like the original Wizard of Oz, many of the characters from Oz’s real life are transported into Oz.  The china doll is obvious as the little girl who believes in Oz but cannot walk.  His friend is Frank who is also Finley the flying monkey.  And it is Disney, so the girl he always loved back home becomes Glinda the good witch.

The film keeps a good pace and is enjoyable all the way through.  It might be scary for small children and although it is a PG, it does have a warning about a mild fantasy threat.  It’s a first for me, but I remember being scared as a child of the flying monkeys in the original Wizard of Oz!

Verdict: If you need to forget about these austere times, this is the perfect film to take you away to a magical land (for a few hours anyway).

 

 

SIRO-A

Siro- A

What is Siro-A? Well that is a hard question to answer.  Some say they are Japan’s answer to Blue Man Group but I do not think that is a fair analogy.  Siro-A are very unique and original and break the boundaries of normal theatre.  They are not like anything you have ever seen before.  It is a visual and audio masterpiece of art and sound.

Siro-A doesn’t need a definition.  All you need to know is this is something that will blow your mind.  This is something that combines electronic music with computer technology, dance and visual stimulation.  Think Diversity meets Kraftwerk and you are someway to getting it.  It is a feast for your eyes and ears.

The show only lasts an hour but it has an high intensity, so both audience and performers would struggle to do more than that.  The show has lots of humour in it and is suitable for all nationalities as there is hardly any speech in the whole show.  My personal favourites were the T-shirt scene and the games such as Mario and breakout (A derivative of Pong).  I also liked Abe Toshinori. 

It is just an amazing show.  Go see it while you can! (At Leicester Square Theatre until 22^nd April 2013)

 

 

 

Only After Dark (Heaven 17 special)

Only after dark

Last night I travelled back in time.  It was to a strange distant land that I had forgotten about for over 30 years.  Last night I attended the OAD club. (For those of you who are not yet darkling’s, OAD stands for ‘Only After Dark’, a monthly club night based on the Bowie nights and the Rum Runner/Blitz Club nights of the late 70’s and early 80’s.).

It was an eclectic mix of people in my peer group made up of punks, new wave, Goths (who in my day were called alternatives), and anyone who is just not happy to conform to being described as ‘Normal’.  Style was a key factor.  To be individual and who you are.  This had been my upbringing.  And here I was back where I had started.  I had come home!

I knew this would be a very special night, not just because of how absolutely fabulous the music and people are, but this was no ordinary night.  Oh no!  This was a Heaven 17 special.  I need to thank Lucky Al for having his 50^th birthday there as he started the ball rolling to give us what was an amazing and exciting night.  And boy was lucky Al lucky!  Heaven 17 gave him a few very rare records (all signed) including one white label promo copy of Penthouse and Pavement.  (I went a suitable shade of green – Oh what I would give for a copy of that?!)  A thought ran through my mind.  We all have birthdays…can’t we do this every time someone has a birthday?  I didn’t care how impractical this was, I liked this thought!

The night was special in so many ways…Firstly there was a limited edition record for sale.  A version of The Human League’s ‘Only after Dark’ covered by Heaven 17 in numbered limited editions of only 100 copies!

Then there was a meet & greet with Glenn and Martyn.  They signed anything you asked them to and had a photo taken with you by a professional photographer (which was such a blessing as my husband got in real trouble for the very blurred photo he took at the Heaven 17 Buxton gig).  There was a big queue but Heaven 17, being two of the nicest people in the music industry added an extra meet & greet after the set for those who didn’t get the chance at the first one.

Then Martyn did a DJ set.  It was fabulous.  Everyone was dancing.  Everyone was friendly. Everyone was having a good time.  Everyone was lovely to each other.  Complete strangers complemented each other on their individual style.  Here was a place where no one judged you.  And if you ever wondered why women spend time in the ladies toilets, I was told how lovely my long and curly my hair was and how skinny my legs were! 

As the midnight hour approached, Heaven 17 performed a short set.  They started with ‘Fascist Groove Thang’.  I danced and danced.  They continued with ‘Black hit of space’, ‘Crow and a baby’ and their personal favourite, ‘Let me go’.  They did a paired down version of ‘You’ve lost that lovin’ feeling’.  With no backing singers, you could really hear Martyn’s soulful voice and how it perfectly complements Glenn’s deep vocals.  A perfect combination.

And they finished the set, not with their traditional ‘Temptation’, but with the only time they will ever perform ‘Only after dark’.  It was bitter sweet.  I totally love this track and to think you will never hear it again live makes me sad, but also so happy that I was one of the lucky ones.  I was more than lucky.  I had been there on the night they had played it for the first and last time.  I honestly cannot begin to tell you how amazing this night was.  Enough adjectives do not exist to describe it.  

For someone whose normally Saturday night often consists of being in bed by 10pm I wondered how I would last til 3am.  None of us are 20 anymore…but for some reason the music kept me going and to be honest I could have danced until 5am (shoes allowing).

The music is all late 70’s and early 80’s with a heavy helping of Bowie for good measure.  There are also TV videos showing how stylish we all were then.  I danced to tracks such as Bowie’s ‘Look back in anger’ (I don’t think I had ever heard that in a club before), ‘Sex Dwarf’ by Soft Cell and ‘Dear Prudence’ by Siouxsie and the Banshees.  For me personally, I missed the omission of Bauhaus (There should always be some Bela Lugosi!!) and Joy Division, but overall I swear I had died and gone to heaven. (well Heaven 17)…this was such a unique, special and wonderful night.

If you are from the punk/post punk generation, are a non-conformist and have a sense of style not appreciated by the masses you know what you need to do!  OAD runs monthly in Birmingham and has an active Facebook group which you can join to find out when the next one is.  

For me, I had come home and now I never want to leave!  Welcome to the darkside…darklings!

More photos can be found here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jasminestormie/sets/72157633026436360/

 

 

 

Hansel and Gretel – witch hunters

Hansel and Gretel – witch hunters

This film is the story of Hansel and Gretel, but with a difference. They are both witch hunters!

The story has a few interesting quirks such as the inventive weapons they use to kill witches and the fact that Hansel is diabetic because he ate so much candy as a child.

It is fast moving and full of action. It even has a troll. However, it has left me with lots of un-answered questions and the script is so bad in places, it is cringe-worthy.

Of course, the twilight generation will adore this film but then if they adored twilight it says a lot about the taste of a whole generation of wannabe witches, vampires and werewolves.

I found this film had issues with how fast the action was. It was so fast in places you couldn’t tell who was hitting who. (A bit of Matrix style slo-mo could have helped here)

Yes Hansel is diabetic but we have no idea where he gets his magically full injections from. 

There is an issue that Hansel and Gretel are arrogant witch hunters who could really do with learning that stealth is a good weapon. They almost let witches get away to get beaten up and do more running.  They have a fan called Ben who they are not that civil to and really despite catching lots of witches and making a good name for themselves as witch hunters, they are hard characters to like.  (By the way, whose idea was it to call someone Ben when Hansel, Gretel, Mina, basically everyone else has old style German sounding names?!)

The effects are good but with a bit too much cgi which is becoming the norm.  This is a shame and can be distracting from the film.

The saving grace of this film is the grand witch, Muriel who is evil and who has been given one or two lines with humour in it.

Overall it is not a terrible film, but this film is made for a certain generation (of which I am probably too old) and they don’t seem to mind bad scripts and lots of cgi!

Verdict: Well what else are you gonna watch on a Sunday afternoon? Columbo?!!