Feast on Beauty and the Beast

Well hello my lovely readers and thank you for waiting for me to come back with a new blog!  It has been such a busy few weeks for me.  Lots of homework (groan), festive celebrations (hooray), show auditions (more about that later) and LAMDA examinations (fingers crossed) which have kept me away from my blog, but I have managed to fit in a whole load of amazing shows which I will be blogging about very soon!  In the last two weeks I have been lucky enough to see Mary Poppins at the Prince Edward theatre in London, Dear Evan Hansen at the Noel Coward theatre in London, Curtains the Musical at Wyndhams Theatre in London and this year’s panto of Beauty and the Beast at the Gordon Craig theatre in Stevenage by the always brilliant Jordan Productions.  And it is the panto which I am going to blog about first because, well, it’s that time of year isn’t it?  Running until Sunday 26 January 2020, you’ve still got plenty of time to fit this show into your Christmas and new year holiday planner – it’s great fun!  Of course Paul Laidlaw was starring as the greatest Dame of all time, Dame Dorothea Derriere.  Every year I love to see Paul pull off the damiest of all pantomime dames and this year he did not disappoint.  Aidan O’Neill is also back, this time playing Potty Pierre, and he was hilarious.  He even made my Papa laugh and that’s saying something!  Carli Norris (who my mum says is in EastEnders which I don’t watch but I’m sure loads of you do) played Malevolent (boo hiss).  She turns Prince Gallant into a beast (Alex Scott Fairley) and just doesn’t want anyone to be happy about anything!  Rebecca Vere play the good and very French fairy, Fairy Formidable, and Grace Lancaster makes a beautiful Beauty.

First, I want to say a huge thank you to the amazing Gordon Craig theatre, who are so kind, and invited me to come and see this hilarious pantomime.  My family have made it a tradition to see the Gordon Craig panto every year and each year they seem to get better and better.  Now let’s talk about this one!

I am sure you already know the traditional story of Beauty and the Beast, and this pantomime explained it in a brilliant and exciting way to everyone! It is 100% perfect for everyone- I took my grandparents and they loved it!  My little sisters loved it too – there was something in it for everyone.  The songs, which are popular pop songs, and good ones too, are done brilliantly.  Some songs are adapted in a certain way to leave room for some great dancing, and of course, some fantastic jokes!  This was the only thing my grandparents were confused about as they seemed to think they were stolen from them!  But either way the actors in this pantomime told the jokers way better…sorry papa!

Another thing that is great about this year’s pantomime is the special effects and the costumes adapted to them.  I think they really have upped their game with the special effects, and as a big sister of two, I can say that they really make magic happen for the younger kids in the audience.

As I said just now, the costumes are also brilliant, some of which are beautiful, some of which are downright funny, in the best way ever!  These costumes are another component in making the magic come true.  The choreography, which is by Twist and Pulse again this year, is as good as always.

I asked my little sisters what they enjoyed most about the show.  One of them said she loved the falling plates – “okay ready”, and the other one said she loved the TNT explosion!  So, if you want to see what these things are then you will need to go and see the show for yourself!!  For tickets, call the Gordon Craig  box office on 01438 363200 or visit: www.gordon-craig.co.uk/beauty-and-the-beast-i2119.

Overall, what I can say about this show is that everything was faultless, and the effects and jokes were brilliant.  I fully recommend it to everyone who loves a traditional, feel good, slapstick panto!

Before I go, I am thinking about adding some vlogs to my blogs.  Let me know what you think!

*************************HAPPY HOLIDAYS ONE AND ALL************************

Ariella xx

Take a look…at The Jungle Book

It’s been a while I know and I’m sorry!  I have my SATS next week (for those of you who don’t know what they are, they are national written tests in English, maths and sometimes science) so blog writing time has been limited. I owe you a few reviews of shows that I have seen recently, but I wanted to sneak in this review because my lovely friends at the Gordon Craig theatre in Stevenage were kind enough to invite me along, together with my mum, dad and sisters and we had a blast.  Seriously, this show was hilarious.  Produced by Jordan Productions and Wicked Productions, this performance of The Jungle Book will be unlike any you have ever seen.  Of that I am sure.  If you’re looking for a family show that is full of humour then this is the show for you!  There are so many hilarious jokes.  Some of them are meant for the adults only but I think they might have underestimated the knowledge of an 11 (nearly 12) year old.  My little sisters didn’t understand the cheekiness though and were able to follow the storyline and to enjoy the jokes and one-liners without realising why my parents had tears rolling down their cheeks!  With fun for the children and the adults, this show has it all.

The classic tale of The Jungle Book follows a boy called Mowgli (played by Monifa James).  I thought it was amazing that a traditionally male role was played by a woman in this production and it just shows that anyone can play any role…and Monifa was great!  Mowgli is found by Bagheera (Ant Payne) and raised by Raksha (Suzie Chard) who has just had wolf cubs and Akela (Tom Swift) and one day, when the evil Shere Kahn (Edwin Wright) is on the prowl looking for his flesh, his friends and jungle family decide that it is finally time for him to return to his human mother.  The journey that Mowgli, Bagheera and Baloo the bear (Tom Swift) take through the jungle is told, with some very funny high jinx along the way!  One of my favourite parts is when Bagheera and Baloo tell a pun-filled pictorial tale which will have you groaning and laughing at the same time.  There is another hilarious part involving bees and honey (don’t ask), made even more hilarious when Bagheera falls head over heels and goes flying across the stage.  (I’m not sure that this part was scripted.  I think he genuinely slipped.  Sorry Ant, but it was sooooo funny.)  My mum’s favourite part was a series of pop song clips and references which had her singing her heart out.  So much so that when my littlest sister needed the toilet, she refused to take her and sent my dad instead!  Last, but not least, is the tongue-twister of all tongue twisters.  I love to act and am often practising tongue twisting shenanigans but this was something else.  I don’t know who was more relieved when they did it – them or the audience!

The songs (composed and directed by Toby Higgins) are lovely, the costumes are great (as always) and the set was cute.  Including the wobbly tree.  (See it and you’ll know what I mean.)  I also loved that the cast were the ones selling programmes and merchandise – great idea!

Jordan and Wicked Productions’ Jungle Book is on tour now so try and catch it.  Tour dates and locations, as well as tickets, can be found here: http://www.jordanproductionsltd.co.uk/current-productions/the-jungle-book-uk-tour/.  Honestly, this show would cheer up even the grumpiest, most miserable moaner so see it to cheer yourself up if nothing else!!!

I’ll be back soon.

Love Ariella xoxo

(Disclaimer: Someone smart has told me that I need to tell you that we received press tickets in exchange for this review.  However, I can promise you that my thoughts and opinions on the show are all my own!!!)

Hi Ho, Hi Ho, it’s off to the panto we go…

It’s panto season again and every year I wonder what new things could possibly be introduced to create another good pantomime.  Surely last year’s was as good as it could get?  Yet every year I am happily surprised and this year was no different.  I was really excited to be invited to Gordon Craig’s pantomime which this year is Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.  This amazing theatre was kind enough to invite me and my two sisters, and we invited our grandparents to join us!  Now, our Papa was a bit worried because he doesn’t like pantomimes.  In fact, he really didn’t want to go at all but eventually agreed to be dragged along because all four of us (my sisters, me and my nana) were nagging him and coming along was less annoying than our nagging apparently.  Anyway, I can tell you that my papa LOVED the show.  He laughed and laughed and laughed, as did all five of us.

The set was very inventive, making good use of a large stage and, with some very clever craftmanship, wonderfully capturing the look of the seven dwarves’ home.  The seven dwarves were marvellous, their acting perfectly matching their characters, and they were very good when it came to monitoring the audience, such as when to stop and start talking over the heavy applause they received.  Snow White (Hannah Boyce) was very expressive (and beautiful too), and the prince (Matt Lapinksas) was rather charming, but how can we forget the gorgeous stunner of a dame (Paul Laidlaw, returning to the Gordon Craig for the hundredth something time) who was hilarious in the role of Dame Delores Dingbat (aka Dame Dolly).  The evil Queen (Hannah-Jane Fox) was brilliant, and was a very entertaining baddie, with the perfect mix of evilness and jokes, and she interacted with the audience in a great way.  And, of course, back by extreme popular demand, Aidan O’Neill as Herbie the Huntsman, the Dame’s son whose job it is to protect Snow White.  He made some great knee slapper jokes, and had everyone rolling with laughter at his character’s hilarious antics!

The dance, choreographed by Twist & Pulse, was fantastically timed, brilliantly performed and was genuinely creative.  I always enjoy their choreography and was pleased to see them back at the Gordon Craig this year.  The musical score was great too.

Overall, the Gordon Craig theatre and Jordan Production’s Snow White pantomime was one of the best I’ve ever seen and I would HUGELY, HIGHLY, HAPPILY recommend it to everyone and anyone (including my papa).  From what I can see, there are a few tickets left over Christmas and the new year so hurry and book now.  Whatever you think of panto give it a try – it might just change your mind forever!  https://www.gordon-craig.co.uk/snow-white-and-the-seven-dwarfs-i1899.

By for now then,

Ariella xoxo

(Not quite) 100 years later…

On Thursday afternoon my sisters and I were invited to see Sleeping Beauty: A New Musical at the Gordon Craig theatre in Stevenage.  Those of you who keep an eye on my blog will probably remember that not so long ago we went to see a preview (https://gotoashow.wordpress.com/2018/02/18/sleeping-beauty-a-new-musical/) of this show.  I was as certain as I could have been that it was going to be a great show, and I wasn’t disappointed.  I’m sure you will all know the story of Princess Aurora (Sleeping Beauty).  She is cursed by the bad fairy and ends up pricking her finger on a spinning wheel on her sixteenth birthday and falling asleep for 100 years, until she is woken by the kiss of a handsome prince which breaks the curse.  Well, this production is true to that tale, with some changes to the classic version.  The fairies are represented by spring flowers.  Narcissus (like Carabosse in the Disney version) is the bad fairy (booooo) who puts the curse on Princess Aurora.  She is played by Ellen Vereneiks who made a brilliant baddie.  Her sisters, Primrose (Francesca Fenech), Tulip (Natalie Harman) and Bluebell (Rebecca Gilhooley) are the good fairies, who are given the job of protecting Princess Aurora (Abigayle Honeywill) in the hope that she never succumbs to Narcissus’ evil curse.  Unfortunately, as amazing and caring as they are, they don’t quite manage to protect Princess Aurora but they do everything that they can to help break the curse in the end.  I had seen sketches of the fairies’ and Sleeping Beauty’s costumes when I saw the preview and they were every bit as wonderful as I was expecting; they were absolutely beautiful and Lisa Hickey – who designed them – did an incredible job.  Princess Aurora’s dress has a sunrise theme (because the sunrise is her favourite time of day and because an aurora is natural display of light in the sky) and Catherine Lomax (the lovely Director and Executive Producer) told me that Narcissus’ dress was entirely hand-painted.  I thought this was phenomenal because the dress was amazing and dramatic which suited her character.  The fairies were great to watch.  Each one had a different personality.  Primrose: the eldest fairy, always knowing and wise.  Tulip: the fun fairy, always making mischief (in a good way!) and appreciating cake.  Bluebell: the fairy that’s always worrying but actually changes Narcissus’ curse to save Aurora’s life.

I loved the set.  My favourite part of it were the gates outside of Sleeping Beauty’s castle towards the end of the tale when Sir Bryce (Jonny Weston) and Prince Rowan (Glenn Adamson) are camping out before going in to rescue the sleeping princess.  Sir Bryce, Prince Rowan’s best friend, was snoring heavily (like my dad) which was very funny.  Also funny was when Prince Rowan took a little trip (ahem – he will know what I mean) after rescuing Aurora with true love’s kiss.

The music was great too and the lyrics really told the story very well.  My favourite song is Every Day’s A School Day but my mum’s favourite is “Happy Day” which is Aurora’s birthday song.  My mum has been singing it on and off since Thursday!!

I saw Rapunzel the Musical at the Gordon Craig last year and Sleeping Beauty was just as good.  Catherine Lomax, Phil Dennis and Khiley Williams have done an awesome job.  The show is perfect for children but my mum and nana enjoyed it too.  So that makes it the ideal family show.  If you don’t have time to catch it at the Gordon Craig (there are two shows tomorrow, 2 April 2018) then be sure to see if you can go and see it as it tours the country.  There will be four performances at the Middlesbrough Theatre on 6 and 7 April 2018, three performances at the Embassy Theatre in Skegness on 14 and 15 April 2018, and four performances at the Pomegranate Theatre in Chesterfield on 21 April and 22 April 2018.  Don’t miss it!

Finally, thank you to everyone at the Gordon Craig for inviting me!  I’m always excited to GO TO A SHOW!!!

(Us with the beautiful Abigayle Honeywill <3)

Ariella xoxo

Sleeping Beauty: A New Musical

ZZZZZzzzzzzz….oh!  Thanks for waking me up – I could have dreamt about the Gordon Craig theatre’s musical version for Sleeping Beauty for 100 years!  On Wednesday I went to see a sneak peak of this musical version of the famous story and…OMG…it’s going to be fantastic I’m sure.  The show opens at the end of March 2018 and you really need to book your tickets NOW: https://www.gordon-craig.co.uk/sleeping-beauty-a-new-musical-i1739).  You won’t regret it!  Abigayle Honeywill will be playing the lead role of Princess Aurora, and Glenn Adamson will be playing the prince.

I’m sure you are all familiar with the fairy tale of Sleeping Beauty, the girl who pricked her finger on a spinning wheel and feel asleep for 100 years, until she was woken by a handsome prince.  I am sure that the actors and actresses in this musical version of that well-known tale will do an awesome job (as they always do).  The show’s writers have written and composed what is going to be a fantastic soundtrack to accompany the production.  At the preview we were lucky enough to hear some of the songs that have been written for the show.  I thought that the lyrics were great; smooth, clear and very well linked with the story.  My favourite was called “Every Day is a School Day” which is sung by the good fairies, Primrose, Tulip and Bluebell.  These fairies look after Aurora during her childhood and manage to protect her from pricking her finger right up until her sixteenth birthday.  By the way, did you know that Aurora’s parents named her after the Roman goddess of the dawn because she filled their lives with the sunshine?  Remember this when you see what Sleeping Beauty is wearing in the show…

After the preview I was lucky enough to meet the cast and the Artist & Creative Manager, Catherine Lomax!  Catherine has co-written the production with Phil Dennis and Khiley Williams.  They were the same team that wrote their production of Rapunzel: The Musical which I loved last year (https://gotoashow.wordpress.com/2017/04/15/rapunzel-rapunzel-let-down-your-hair/).  Catherine had explained that she couldn’t wait to be involved with this production as the story of Sleeping Beauty is very close to her heart.  Can I please thank Tanya for inviting me and making it possible for me to meet the cast and Catherine, and also to all of them for taking the time to sit and talk to me and my sisters!  It was very exciting for me to be able to meet them all and to find out a bit more about exactly what goes in to writing, producing and performing a production.  I got to ask a lot of questions.  I asked the actress who will play Narcissus, the evil fairy, whether she minds being booed but she explained that playing an evil character is actually really fun because (1) you don’t have to play by the rules and (2) being booed is great because it means you’re interacting with your audience.  I also learnt that it’s helpful to record your lines on your phone so that you can listen to them at night time to help them stick in your mind.  This is a very good idea and one that I will definitely try next time I have lines to learn!

The Gordon Craig productions always have a great set and I am sure that this one won’t be any different.  I found out that the set only takes around three weeks to be built, yet they manage to look so good! I was also really, really lucky to see some of the ideas for the costumes and my eyes nearly popped out of my head…they’re going to be fantastic!

The cast and production team are so excited and enthusiastic about this production and I totally understand why…and I cannot wait to see it.  I hope you decide to book your tickets.  The musical will be showing   at the Gordon Craig theatre in Stevenage from 29 March until 2 April 2018 and it really looks worth seeing.  And if you’re not local to Stevenage fear not…it’s going on a countrywide tour afterwards.  So you really have no excuse!

Love Ariella X

PS: thank you again to Tanya for inviting me to come and see the preview, and to the wonderful cast and team who were so kind to me.  I loved it!

Jack and the Beanstalk does Christmas

Back in September I was lucky enough to have a sneak preview of the Gordon Craig theatre’s 2017 pantomime, Jack and the Beanstalk (https://gotoashow.wordpress.com/2017/09/19/fee-fi-fo-fum-gordon-craig-is-number-one-for-panto/).  Last week I was lucky again as I was invited to the show’s press night, with my mum and dad and my two little sisters.  We were all very excited to go and see the finished product and it did not disappoint.  My mum is not the world’s biggest pantomime fan.  In fact my mum never goes to the panto if she can possibly help it.  But I did catch her laughing a few times during the performance and I think there might have been some jokes that we kids did not understand…

I’m sure that most of you know the story of Jack and the Beanstalk so I won’t bore you with that.  If you don’t know the story…Google it!!!  Some of you might be thinking that Jack and the Beanstalk would be difficult to put on as a stage show because of the giant.  However, I thought the way that Gordon Craig did this was brilliant.  There is a giant beanstalk on the stage, and there is also a giant…but if you want to see how it’s done, go and see the show!  In this version the part of Jack is actually played by a woman (and brilliantly too) and I thought this was very clever.  In Shakespeare’s day all theatre parts were played by men, so it’s nice to see a lead role that would traditionally be given to a man, be given to a woman instead.  This panto is a great way to kick off the Christmas season and have a fab time with your family.  Also, the dancing and singing was fantastic and I liked it a lot.  The dancing was choreographed by Twist and Pulse who were runners up on Britain’s Got Talent a few years ago.  Like any good pantomime, there was lots of audience participation including a man called Jason who ended up covered in “milkshake” on stage!!  One of my favourite parts was Simple Simon played very well by Aidan O’Neill.  He had a great sense of humour and a brilliant way of interacting with the audience.  Jack’s family – Dame Trott and Simon – were very poor and their greatest possession is their cow, Clarabelle.  Clarabelle was another star of the show; she was very funny and you could almost understand what she was thinking just by looking at her. When I asked my sister who her favourite character in the show was, she said she liked Jack but also Clarabelle – “because she is really funny!!”.  Even my 3 year old sister was giggling all the way through.

There’s gunge, there’s fire, there’s songs, there’s jokes – everything that a great panto needs.  You should definitely go and see it if you can: https://www.gordon-craig.co.uk/jack-and-the-beanstalk-i1642.  Thank you Gordon Craig for inviting me and my whole family to see your awesome pantomime.  You’ve done it again!!

Love Ariella xoxo

PS: don’t forget you can buy theatre tickets in the annual London January theatre sale, Get Into London Theatre.  Booking is open now so go and see that show you’ve always wanted to see!!  https://officiallondontheatre.com/new-year-sale/

Fee Fi Fo Fum, Gordon Craig is number one (for panto)!

‘Tis the season to be jolly, fa la la la la, la la la la.  Well okay, it might not quite be the season (although the shops have lots of Christmas stuff in them already I’ve noticed) but you would definitely be jolly if you had been treated to a sneak peak of the Gordon Craig theatre’s Christmas 2017 pantomime with Jordan Productions!  I was so excited to have been invited to attend the press day for Jack and the Beanstalk and it did not disappoint me!  The Gordon Craig theatre and Jordan Productions have been producing shows and pantomimes for a few years and last year’s Peter Pan was fantastic.  (You can see my review from last year here: https://gotoashow.wordpress.com/2016/12/03/why-is-peter-pan-always-flying-because-he-neverlands/.  So I had high hopes of another fantastical Christmassy show and I am sure that it is going to be just that.  I haven’t seen the whole production – of course the cast are just starting to rehearse and there will still be lots of costumes to finalise and sets to build – but what I did see at the weekend was great fun, full of the usual pantomime jokes and giggles.  I was lucky enough to be given an opportunity to meet some of the cast members after the sneak peek.  It’s an amazing cast and you might even recognise some (if not all) of them.  Cliff Parisi (who will play Fleshcreep) has been in Eastenders and Call the Midwife (or so my mum tells me as I haven’t watched either of those) and Paul Laidlaw will play Dame Trott.  (This will be Paul’s 31^st year doing panto – can you believe that?!!  That’s more than three times my age!!)  Melanie Masson is Fairy Fuschia, Aidan O’Neill is Simple Simon and Lisa Mathieson will play Jack (yes, she’s playing a boy).  She has been in lots of West End shows which is my dream!!  Twist and Pulse will be doing the choreography like last year.

Having seen a taster of what’s in store, I asked the cast whether the props that we saw had been made just for the sneak peek.  It turns out that the props for the whole show are still in production but the ones we saw were likely to be used in some way too.  I also asked the cast whether they preferred to play a “goodie” or a “baddie” in panto.  Baddies are apparently good fun to play, but being booed all the time can be a bit miserable.  There was no clear winner and I’m not sure what I would pick either to be honest!

Gordon Craig has the longest running pantomime season in the UK.  You can see Jack and the Beanstalk between 1 December 2017 and 28 January 2018.  So you have plenty of time to see it, either before Christmas or as a great start to the new year!  You can buy your tickets here: http://www.gordon-craig.co.uk/jack-and-the-beanstalk-i1642

Pantomimes are always great fun and I am very much looking forward to seeing a few this Christmas if I’m lucky.  You won’t go wrong with Jack and the Beanstalk at Gordon Craig though I’m sure.  The bits that I saw were laugh out loud funny and I came away feeling very Christmassy indeed.  Now, where can I find a mince pie around here…??

Love, Ariella XOXO

Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair…

This week I was very kindly invited by the Gordon Craig theatre in Stevenage (one of my favourite theatres) to see Rapunzel the Musical.  It was great!  This is the second run of the show at the Gordon Craig and I missed it the first time round so I was very excited to have a chance to see it this time and I would encourage you all to do so too.  Last year I saw another musical version of Rapunzel at the Camberley Theatre so I was interested to see how similar – or different – they were going to be.  Actually they were very different.  The show in Camberley was a comedy really, more like a pantomime (although it wasn’t) whereas this version really told the Brothers Grimm tale of Rapunzel.

I really liked the set because Rapunzel’s elaborate tower was so detailed.  I also liked that the action moved from the stage to the tower and back again.  I’m sure you know the story of Rapunzel, and it is a very adventurous one at that!  The witch Gothel’s garden was portrayed perfectly and Viktor, her friend the woodpecker, was really funny!  I thought that they would just perform the show in a wrapped up version of the story but I was wrong!  They did not leave out one single detail, making the musical much more interesting and hilarious (in parts) to watch!  The acting was top quality, the songs were really catchy and all in all this musical is fantastic and is a must see for most ages.

The show started brilliantly, in Rapunzel’s parent’s sweet shop, with a song!  They were getting a birthday party set up for Prince Frederick, who was coming for his party.  This was before Rapunzel was born and her parents, Sophia and Karl, were longing for a child of their own.  A witch named Gothel lived next door to them and she had a herb in her garden that would bring a child when eaten.  So one night Karl snuck into her garden and tried to steal the herb but he was caught!  The witch agreed to give him the rapunzel herb, but on one condition.  On the child’s sixteenth birthday they must hand the child over to her.  Karl finally agreed but didn’t tell Sophia about Gothel and the pact he had made with her…  Rapunzel was born and had a very happy life and when she was born everyone flocked to see her.  Gothel brought a very special hairbrush for the baby girl.  Sophia brushed Rapunzel’s hair with it twice a day and it grew and grew…and grew.  I thought it was very clever how they showed the passing of time leading up to Rapunzel’s 16^th birthday, the day that Gothel came to get her.  I will leave the rest of the story for you to find out (although you can probably guess the ending!).

This was a brilliant telling of a classic tale, and the music and dancing were really enjoyable.  I giggled and clapped and tapped throughout the performance, even though there were some sad bits, and I highly recommend it to all.

If you’re quick you might be able to catch the show this Easter, otherwise be sure to book tickets for its next run in July:

http://www.gordon-craig.co.uk/rapunzel-i1637

http://www.gordon-craig.co.uk/rapunzel-i1703

Thank you so much to Connor Blackwell for inviting me; I had a really lovely afternoon and hope the show is a great success!

Have a super sunny Saturday.

Love, Ariella xxx

PS The answer to my king of rock question was…”Elvis Presley”!  But Chuck Berry was a good answer because lots of people call him the “father of rock and roll” – so well done!!