The Bodyguard. Milton Keynes Theatre.

My review of The Bodyguard at Milton  Keynes Theatre is now available: 

http://aboutmiltonkeynes.co.uk/review-bodyguard-musical-milton-keynes-theatre/

My first Tattoo.

Since I was 16 years old I had always considered having a tattoo.  My step-brother was a tattooist and was covered in them so from an early age I admired the artwork and talent.  My idea of what design to have has changed over the years; as a teenager I wanted stars and a moon on my ankle.  As I approached 40, I had decided on something abstract on my back.  Unfortunately, I fell down the stairs and hurt my back to that felt it was the universe’s way of telling me not to have a tattoo. So I left it. I still had virgin skin.   

In January 2016, David Bowie passed away.  I have loved David Bowie since I was 12 and would describe myself as so much more than a fan.  He is a part of who I am.  He knows me.  He loves me.  He raised me.  I felt lost without him.  But in my grief of his loss I found the Bowie community, many who felt the same way as me. They felt the loss as deep as I did.

So when some people started to get the ‘Blackstar’ tattoos I considered it too. I felt it was a permanent way of telling everyone how much I loved him with no words.  Not that I needed a reminder, but it would also comfort me in my grief.  It would be a big step as I hate needles and after watching all those tattoo mistake programmes I was worried about having something permanent on me that wasn’t perfect.  But I knew I really wanted this.  I wanted to join the gang.

I couldn’t just rush into it. I wanted to research to make sure I made the right decision. I found out that all tattooists should be registered with their local authority. Hygiene is very important too – so as I was faced with new photos of other people’s tattoos everyday on Facebook making me want it more – I still took my time to research.

I wanted a personal recommendation. It was hard as my friends offering suggestions hadn’t used the person they suggested. Or the artwork wasn’t the sort of design I was looking for. I knew I needed someone who was good at line work. Luckily since January two Facebook groups had been set up just for Bowie tattoos. This was great as I was able to look at variations of their Blackstar designs. I asked them for personal recommendations and narrowed my options down to two tattooists that I really liked and that were commutable. One was in Coventry and one was in London. I liked them both. When I found out that the London one wouldn’t do the stars as small as I wanted, my decision was made.

I nervously rang up Queen of Hearts in Coventry and spoke to Natalie. I was put at ease straight away. I felt nervous for so many reasons.

1.    I’d never had a tattoo before so was unsure of how it works

2.    I was worried about design and perfection of executing the design

3.    I was worried about hygiene

4.    I was worried about pain of the needle

5.    I was worried I may change my mind on the design after its on my skin

However as soon as I spoke to Natalie all my worries disappeared and I booked my appointment.   I had about six weeks from my initial call to my appointment and during that time I emailed her and spoke to her about all my worries and questions. All were answered and put me at ease.

So almost three months to the day we lost Bowie, I caught a train to Coventry.  I hadn’t been for many years and it has changed in places with new buildings and landscaped greens. Almost unrecognisable from the 70’s look of many buildings I remember.

I headed for the cathedral and with a print out from Google Maps and my smart phone tried to find my destination.  When I found it I was warmly welcomed and offered a cup of tea.  I relaxed and not felt rushed or hurried at all.  We discussed the final changes to my design and I chose my final font for the lyric which was actually a difficult decision. The font was called ‘Angelface’ which felt right and looked right.

I had decided a while ago I wanted the Bowie Blackstar’s.  I like the abstract design that spells out Bowie but that not everyone would know.  I like the idea of being part of a secret bowie society. I have always been a lyric person and knew that I also wanted a lyric on my arm.  This was a difficult job as I love so much of his work and so many of his lyrics mean so much to me. Eventually I narrowed it down to two.

‘It’s only forever’ from Labyrinth.  I liked this as my love for him is forever and so will the tattoo be.  And I do spend my life quoting from the film ‘she chose down?  Too late now’. ‘Come inside – meet the Mrs’.  ‘I need you Hoggle’.  Yep I was always a big Labyrinth fan and especially ‘You have no power over me’.

‘Cause you’re wonderful’ from Rock ‘n’ Roll Suicide.  I like the fact he could be saying I’m wonderful, or I could be saying he is wonderful. My blog is called ‘It’s a wonderful life’ and Iike the positive connotations. I also sang this loud when I visited the V&A Bowie Is… exhibition. When he says ‘Not only is this the last show of the tour but it’s the last show we’ll ever do’, I always cry.  It was the winner and the right decision to put it on my arm forever.  

I wanted it to look like a bracelet around my wrist and to finish it off have a small red heart as Bowie will always be in my heart.  This was my original idea and I had not seen anyone have anything like this to date.

I don’t know what I had been worried about.  The tattoo space was lovely and decorated in a quirky way.  It certainly appealed to my personality.  I felt excited about doing this.  It was the right time and the right place.  Natalie asked me what music I wanted to play and I chose Young Americans and Hunky Dory albums. I’m a 70’s Bowie girl at heart. I admit that I had a small tear in my eye when 'Somebody up there likes me' came on. 

To my surprise it didn’t hurt at all.  And suddenly I had a tattoo.  It had taken me years to find the right design, the right reason, the right place to have it but now I was a Blackstar and proud to be so.

Short vlog here:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmIXVP1yrtM

Hairspray. Milton Keynes Theatre. 07.04.16.

My first experience of Hairspray was the film.  The original film with Rikki Lake, Divine and Debbie Harry . I loved it immediately.  I have to be honest and say I have not brought myself round to watching the remake of the film.  I just can’t see John Travolta (sex god of Saturday Night Fever and Grease) dress up as a woman.  He was my own heart-throb once upon a time.  But I had never seen the stage show.  So front row on 7^th April 2016 I sat down not quite knowing what to expect.  A friend had told me that the music was written just for the stage show so I wouldn’t necessarily know the songs from the film.

The story is based around Tracy Turnblad who is a typical teenager in Baltimore during the early 60’s.  It’s a common theme of love, fitting in with your peers and racism.  Okay racism isn’t always a common theme but this show really addresses it well.

From the first scene of Tracy in bed (an upright bed on stage so we can see her) she is instantly likeable.  This makes the whole show work. All the songs have an energy and vibe that makes the show a feel-good show.  Tracy is played by Freya Sutton and gives a perfect performance of an chubby but enthusiastic teenager and her love of dancing.

We soon meet her mother Edna who is traditionally played by a man.  Matt Rixon honed his inner motherly instincts and was a rather pretty woman.  He was totally believable in the role and I enjoyed his performance very much.  Her husband is played by Peter Duncan and together they give Morecombe and Wise a run for their money as they are very funny on screen, especially during the number ‘You’re timeless to me’.  

Tracy’s best friend is geek Penny, played superbly by Monique Young.  Her awkward dancing and nervous status transforms when she falls in love and it is wonderful to experience.

Amber Von Tussle is the all-round cheerleader type.  The perfect hair, teeth, weight and level of bitchiness to be the best dancer on the Corny Collins Show.  She is played by Lauren Stroud and delivered an effortless performance of Amber.  It is hard to play someone that you know the audience may not like as everyone is rooting for Tracy. Lauren plays Amber with perfect balance to that we don’t quite hate her and can forgive her.  Claire Sweeney plays Velma, Amber’s mother, who is the producer of the show.  Claire was absolutely fantastic in the role and didn’t flinch for a moment out of character.  At one point she comes into the audience and stopped in front of me danced then stood on my chair to shout to the rest of the audience that they shouldn’t like Tracy or have ‘coloureds’ on her show.  Again it’s a difficult role to play because the character is made to be disliked but Claire was so great in the role and gave respect to Debbie Harry’s (yes Blondie!) original portrayal of the role.  If Amber is the cheerleader then her quarterback boyfriend is Link and he is played by Ashley Gilmour who gives a great performance of that teenage heartthrob.

I did mention racism and so let’s talk about some of the best black actors and dancers you will ever see!  Seaweed is the star of the Corny Collins Show on ‘Negro day’.  Once a month they allow blacks to host a show.  Dex Lee plays Seaweed and that boy could sing dance and oozed sex appeal.  I was almost expecting Tracy to fall for him instead of Link!  Seaweed has a cute little sister, played perfectly by Karis Jack.  Her enthusiastic dancing and petite-ness gave the character exactly what she needed.  Fantastic performance.  Their mother is Motormouth Maybelle and on tonight’s performance was played by Aiesha Pease.  Aiesha actually make me cry with her singing of ‘I know where I’ve been’.  Simply a faultless performance and extremely moving.

Every single cast member was exceptional and work as a team to bring the show together.  The dancers absolutely took my breath away with some of the moves.  With the exception of West Side Story (which is my all-time favourite musical) this is the best choreography I have ever seen on stage!

The moral of this show is dream big and it could happen.  I am not going to say ‘I have a dream…’ but you get the point.

Well done to everyone involved in Hairspray.  If you only see one show this year – make it Hairspray! 

Blancmange. The Stables. 21.03.16

Including tonight, this makes it four times I have seen Blancmange live.  That is the same amount of times I have seen Bowie.  A high status indeed. 

Blancmange are probably best known for their 80’s hit, Living on the Ceiling but if that is all you know about them you should take a second look.  Some 80’s electronic based bands like Depeche Mode and New Order can still fill stadiums but I truly believe that Blancmange have a catalogue of tracks that are equally as good and it is an injustice that they do not attract larger audiences to play the big venues.

The support was Jez Bernholtz.  This was more than just a support act.  It was art.  It felt like I had gone to the Tate Modern and was watching a video installation.  He had a video playing in the background while he mixed his music up.  It was very experimental and many of the audience were not expecting or enjoying it.  Several did walk out during his set.  But as Bowie says ‘If you feel safe in the area you’re working in, you’re not working in the right area.  Always go a little further into the water than you feel you’re capable of being in’.  Jez is certainly pushing those boundaries.

Blancmange, tonight were a trio and did a range of songs from the very old, (including a rare outing for I would), to the very new.  They have just released a new album and this tour is promoting that.  Neil is also working on another project ‘Near Future’ with Jez so that will be an interesting partnership.  Those lucky enough to attend the shows can purchase a promo CD of their work.

Blancmange played a mix of old and new tracks. Old tracks included UltraViolent, I can’t explain, Waves, Don’t tell me and of course the big hits of Blind Vision, Living on the Ceiling and my personal favourite Feel Me.  New tracks were mainly from the new album and the last album and included Radio Therapy, Star Fucker, The Fall, Paddington, Bloody Hell Fire, Judge Mental, Red shift, and getting the whole audience to sing along to (last night) I dreamt I had a job.

It’s not just that Blancmange are genius with the keyboard.  Neil is also a very funny and entertaining guy.  His stage presence and his interaction with the audience step this up a few more notches.  He joked about finding a 20p and sharing it with the audience.  He joked about the lack of clapping during the songs.  He really seemed to appreciate his audience.

After the show, Neil comes out to meet people, sign merchandise and pose for photos.  The merchandise is well thought out and there is something for everyone. 12” White vinyl, 10” Mavis, CDs, Cups, T-shirts and even a happy families playing cards!  Their artwork on their albums are also excellent and worth investing in.

I always had a sweet tooth but Blancmange is definitely my favourite dessert!

Chicago.....was it my kinda show?

Chicago. Did I love it? Did I hate it? Find out on my latest review for About Milton Keynes. 

http://aboutmiltonkeynes.co.uk/review-chicago-musical-milton-keynes-theatre/

Love Martin Shaw? You will love Hobson's Choice! 

See my latest review at Milton Keynes Theatre here: 
http://aboutmiltonkeynes.co.uk/review-hobsons-choice-milton-keynes-theatre/

Starman: Freddie Burretti - The Man Who Sewed The World

It was almost like belonging to a secret club. I felt like I had won a golden ticket like Charlie did in Charlie And The Chocolate Factory.  This film was so highly anticipated that there was a waiting list for ticket returns and many who dearly hoped they would be lucky enough to be invited.  However, I was lucky enough to be offered a ticket to attend a film screening of Starman: Freddie Burretti – The man who sewed the world.

I turned up early and ordered a drink.  People were mingling and Bowie played softly in the background.  Everyone who was anyone in Milton Keynes was there.  After all Freddie Burretti was a local boy, albeit adopted to Bletchley but born in London (the same as me actually).  This was not only a celebration of the man who dressed Bowie in all his Ziggy finery, but a celebration of a local boy done good.

Lee Scriven who made the film welcomed us all and introduced the Mayor.  The Mayor gave us a proud speech about local talent and Bletchley.  We were warned that this film was made on a very tight budget so I didn’t know quite what to expect.

The film tells the story of Fred Burrett who became visionary tailor, Freddie Burretti. The man who dressed David Bowie during one of his most iconic periods.

Freddie was never one to conform.  He always looked sharp designing his own suits from a young age.  His friends didn’t understand why he was always dressed up. His school friends speak of their memories of him and his brother talks openly about his relationship with him and shares some personal photos.

Freddie met Bowie in the El Sombrero club.  It is said that Freddie wasn’t too fussed about going over to say hello, but Angie Bowie loved what Freddie was wearing and invited both him and Wendy Kirby over.  Well, as they say, the rest is history. Freddie moved into Haddon House and David Bowie decided to make Freddie a pop star.  They formed a group called Arnold Corns in 1971.  This was a side project to Bowie’s own solo career. 19 year old Freddie was not known as Freddie in the group. Bowie thought it would be better to call him something outrageous.  His original idea was Elvis Presley but Freddie argued and said ‘you might as well call me Rudi Valentino’.  ‘Even better’ said Bowie!  Freddie was not comfortable as a front man and didn’t have the voice to sing.  But the songs originally written for Arnold Corns were the forerunners for what was to become Hunky Dory.

Freddie was much more comfortable designing clothes and the clothes he designed for Bowie are iconic works of art in their own right.  Freddie was responsible for most of the clothes during the 70s including the famous outfit for Starman which was fashioned on the Droogs from the film, A Clockwork Orange.  Bowie would always make it as a musician.  His songs stand up on their own.  But Freddie got Bowie noticed as a star in his own right.  Freddie’s clothes played a key role in making Bowie into an international icon.

What makes Freddie so fascinating is that at the height of Bowie’s fame, Freddie just walked away.  He moved to Israel.  When asked why, it is rumoured he said he liked the Army men in uniform.  The heartbreak of the story is his mum and brother never knew this and they never got to see Freddie again. He died in Paris on May 11 2001.

The film often featured several TV screens showing different footage which was very watchable. TVC15 anyone?  The personal interviews are interjected with inspirational Bowie clips which even now I found hard to watch and a tear fell from my eye.  To portray Freddie’s early life, actors Jordan Rivenberg and Estelle Randle give a great image of Freddie’s friendship with Wendy Kirby.  The film may have been made on a very tight budget but will easily stand up against any independent film.  It is beautifully filmed and very creative. An absolute must for any Bowie fan and anyone interested in fashion.

From this film, I understand a lot more about Freddie Burretti.  This unrecognised iconic tailor changed fashions (through Bowie) for generations to come.  The world would have been a much duller place without Freddie Burretti.

The evening was a charity event to raise money for Willen Hospice.  This sold out event raised a large amount of money for a good cause.