I'll text you Jane.  In the meantime, here's the link.  November to December. Let me know if there's any dates you'd like to do. I can't do Wednesdays .  Tuesdays would be good for me. 

http://www.royalcourttheatre.com/whats-on/let-the-right-one-in/?tab=1

-- Edited by Londonlaura on Monday 29th of July 2013 06:10:26 PM

Took my daughter and her friend to see Hairspray at Bristol Hippodrome last night as a birthday treat (her treat...not mine!)  It's not the type of show that I would normally consider going to see, but I took her to see Lion King back in the spring (for reasons....again not my choice) and was taken by surprise by just how much I enjoyed it.  The production was absolutely amazing.  I knew she'd love to see Hairspray, so thought we'd give it a go. 

I can only say that she is still buzzing....! 

Have you ever been sitting in the middle (well...ok - we were at the back!) of an audience which all jumps to it's feet for a standing ovation and is cheering wildly, and you just think 'hmmm, I suppose I'd better stand up or it'll look a bit churlish'.......?  Well - that!!!

Don't get me wrong...it was OK - I didn't dislike it.  I have spent considerably worse evenings in a threatre.  And I was obviously in a very clear minority....so if it's your thing - don't let me put you off!!

-- Edited by fifi on Wednesday 7th of August 2013 11:45:37 AM

We enjoyed Hairspray when we saw it with Michael Ball as Edna Turnblatt (is that the right name?) It was right at the beginning of the run in the West End so was very fresh.

Never seen Lion King as it doesn't appeal to me. I saw Cabaret with Will Young as the Emcee last September - he is in the touring version which starts at the end of this month. It is excellent - or rather he is!

Kat, that's the production I saw, with Conley and Dolenz. I enjoyed it, a good laugh, but wasn't swept away.

I vaguely remember the original movie with Divine and Debbie Harry. It was too long ago to really remember what I thought. John Waters' films are nearly always good so it was probably fabulous, just like Divine.

Ah, Broadway. Saw Jim Dale in Me and My Girl. And Les Mis, for the second time. And Forbidden Broadway! That was all back in 1988. Hope to return to New York one day.

You lucky thing!

Got a spare £20? You'll get change back at The Bush Theatre, Shepherds Bush if you go and see The Herd by Rory Kinnear (turns out he writes too!) It lives up to Patrick Troughton's general description of the theatre - 'people shouting in the evening' - and it's also highly amusing and touching. A family come together to celebrate the birthday of Andy, severely disabled and allowed home to celebrate his 21st. The family's dysfunction is highly claustrophobic and everyone's so caught up with their own dramas they can't see the wood for the trees. It's good stuff.
www.bushtheatre.co.uk/production/herd/

Due to London Theatre Direct (and, indirectly, Becca), I won tickets to go and see Perfect Nonsense on Thursday, which is the Jeeves and Wooster play with Matthew MacFadyen and Stephen Mangan.

Neither myself nor my husband are Wodehouse fans particularly (that kind of 20's farce doesn't appeal), but we were both really impressed by the production and the (three-person) cast. It was very funny indeed.

Mangan is a brilliant Wooster - has all the facial expressions down-pat and enough charm to make one warm to him quickly. MacFadyen plays Jeeves (obv!) plus a couple of other parts and Mark Hadfield plays everyone else, so of course it's not just the story that's amusing but how the cast get in and out of each of the costumes; part of the 'twist' (if you can call it that) is that Wooster doesn't realise how it's all set up so is surprised when he's talking in one direction at one character, but in fact there's a second character appearing at the other end of the stage.

All in all, a lot better than I expected and I would definitely recommend it.

Kat - would love to have seen that!  Fry and Laurie got me into Jeeves and Wooster...I've read quite a few - they are a pleasant, light-hearted kind of distraction from RL - and I imagine seeing Matthew MacFadyen and Stephen Mangan on stage would be brilliant..

I went to see the Bristol Old Vic Christmas production - the Little Mermaid - on Monday.  I bought the tickets ages ago (£10 preview...the good seats sell really fast!) because their Christmas productions are always fantastic...although I wasn't completely sure about the Little Mermaid.  When I found out it's directed by Simon Godwin - who directed 'If you don't let us dream' - I must admit I was pretty intrigued....the two are poles apart!

The performances were, on the whole, good - the sea witch (Beverly Rudd) and the Prince (Billy Howle) were fantastic - but the little mermaid herself was just a bit....boring! - and it did feel a little under-rehersed at times.  Although the costumes were fantastic!  It retained the darkness of the original Hans Christian Anderson story, but there was a bit of a panto feel to it at times, which I felt rather ambivalent about - it was entertaining, but it didn't really sit comfortably.....

But the stage design was possibly the best stage design I have ever seen!  The first act took place under water (with the 'littlest mermaid' being carried around the stage pretending to swim - sounds naff, but actually worked really well!) and the second act on a boat/dry land, with the surface of the sea featuring in both halves.  A sea swell shaped net which lowered to the floor and rose to the ceiling as the characters rose and sank through the water was simply magical!

I just need to mention Tristan Sturrock at this point - he's been in a number of productions that I've seen at Bristol Old Vic (Peter in Peter Pan, Tristan in Tristan and Yseult and the mermaids' dad in this)...and I think I'm becoming something of a fan....!!

 

 

 

 

 

UJ and Laura, glad to hear you had a great time at the theatre last night - I would have loved to see this one. It sounds like it translated to the stage well.

Oh, Jane! Sad LOL! But my condolences to your father and grandmother.

Aww that's awful Jane. I'm sorry to hear that :(