Confessions of a Theatre Snob

Friday, April 28, 2006

Royal secrets

I've just caught up with last weeks episode of Dr Who! It's a good job they show it 3 times, as with my life, I'd never get to see it. (I do have a video, I just can't remember how to find the video channel on the tv!!)

Fab episode, anyway, which left me even more impressed with Russell T Davies as a writer, and loving David Tennant's performance as the Doctor, and the way it is developing. It was also suitably 'Victorian gothic' for my taste, and I think I'd have been terrifed if I'd watched it as a child.*

I loved the way all the strands in the story were brought together at the the end and the suggestion the Queen Victoria had been bitten and that, therefore, lycanthropy has been passed down in the royal family! It also had echoes back to the 'Bad Wolf' theme from the last series, and even more excitingly, set up the 'Torchwood Institute', which as fans will know, is going to be the basis of spin off series with John Barrowman.

I can't wait to see where this series is going. I love a good dose of sci fi on the tv!

*I was scared by the daleks when I was young, and didn't come out from behind the sofa for about 5 years!

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Thursday, April 27, 2006

There beneath the blue suburban skies

On Sunday we visited the childhood homes of John Lennon and Paul McCartney, both of which are now open through the National Trust. The house that John grew up in is remarkably unchanged, with many of the orginal fixtures and fittings, and very middle class - hardly the home of a working class hero - it has a 'morning room' for goodness sake!

Paul's home is lower down the social scale, being a council house, with a small garden and an outside toilet, and is more of a re-creation of what it would have been like. What makes it is particularly evocative are the photographs, taken by Paul's brother Mike (late of The Scaffold), which are placed in the parts of the house in which they were taken. These black and white images show John and Paul in a corner of the living room, writing 'I saw her standing there', Paul stumming a guitar in the back garden (a scene that they have tried to re-create, by placing a deckchair beneath a line of washing, however, visitors can no longer sit in the chair since a large visitor sat in it and broke it), and climbing a drain pipe. Images of life before it all began.

Whilst my reaction wasn't that of some of the American visitors that they get - some of whom have been known to kiss any original artifacts - seeing the houses really helped me understand a little more about how incredible it must have been when Beatlemania really kicked in, and for a while, they were still living there. You forget that they were really part of the first generation that had the opportunity to be 'teenagers' rather than just go out and get a job.

I don't think you can be of my generation and not have been touched by the music of the Beatles - a memory evoked by a particular song, a particular lyric - and it was fascinating to see where they came from and learn more of their backgrounds. I have been playing my Beatles cd ever since the weekend and finding a new resonance in Penny Lane, having seen the bank, and the shelter in the middle of the roundabout.

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Wednesday, April 26, 2006

He's gone!

Yes! Syed has finally gone from The Apprentice. Finally it was just him and 'The Badger' in a team, and they lost with their 'fun day' on a cruise liner. I'm not surprised, as I'd have gone for the dance classes.

So it was into the board room for them both, and finally Alan Sugar was persuaded that Syed was just too much of a liability. It did seem like he was reluctant to make the decision though.

Down to 4 of them now, and next week they have individual interviews - I can't wait for that to see what they come out with in those.

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Bring on the bevvies!

I went to Liverpool this weekend for my extended 'birthday trip’, to see ‘Blood Brothers’, and also to see something of the city. It was good to be there when it wasn’t mid-winter and blowing a gale, though we did discover that some parts of Liverpool are always windy, and it is not a good idea to wear a full skirt.
And it was quite a weekend, from the taxi driver who took us into town, pointing out its red light district, to the sweltering heat of ‘the largest two tier theatre in Britain’, and a very entertaining night in the pub behind the theatre. ‘Ma Egerton’s’.
Before I go on, I think the pub needs a few words of introduction. We first discovered it over a year ago, on a legendary weekend which involved us taking in Whitby, Birmingham and Liverpool in the space of three days*. By the time we reached Liverpool we were hyper, and gagging for a drink, so we rolled into the pub to discover it had a painting of George Formby*** on the wall, and a free juke box. As this was just before Christmas, we found ourselves singing along loudly to Christmas songs with the rest of the pub joining in.
But I digress, we ate**** and revisited a spectacular fountain, and watched a bit of Dr Who on a huge TV screen, before heading into the theatre. I’ll be writing about the show separately, but suffice it to say that I have seen BB just a few times over the last few months, though there had been a gap of four and a half months since my last visit. Sadly there were a number of breaches of the ‘Theatre Snob’ rules that evening, the most irritating being a mobile phone that went off 3 times in one of the most dramatic scenes.
Post show, we headed for the pub, which, given the show came down just before 11pm, it was good to note had no discernable licensing hours. It was very full on this occasion so with some of the cheapest doubles on record in hand*****we ventured outside, which led to a chance encounter in a pub doorway and a discussion about Fish from the Marillion******. And there we were for the next two hours, for once, not schmoozing with actors, who were a mere stones throw away, but being entertained by Mickey, a Liverpool lad with a certain amount of charm (which was sadly lacking in his brother and his mates) who was greatly smitten by one of our number, and perhaps less smitten by her 'little sister'.
At least he never asked if I was their mother!!

P.S sorry about all the footnotes!

*some of our number had been in London the night before, but I was in Harrogate watching 'my' Aled**
**that would be the ‘Walking in the Air’ one
***the comedy value of this at that moment in time would just take too much explaining
****this is an essential part of any trip
*****one of the ‘minuses’ of the pub is that it serves really horrid wine, so I have to drink vodka
******Really, that has to be one of the strangest conversation starters - 'Kayleigh' - that was their hit!

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Tuesday, April 25, 2006

The play's the thing...

Sunday was William Shakespeare's birthday, and I'd been intending to blog about it, but got caught up in the events of the weekend, of which more later. But I can't let it slip by without a word.

As my own personal heroes go, Will's top of the heap, and has been for more years than I care to count, ever since I saw the film of Olivier's 'Richard III' when I was at school, and couldn't understand why others couldn't follow what was going on. That Chistmas I asked for the Complete Works and started reading the plays. I can still remember the thrill of the early stage productions that I saw. I probably wouldn't be that impressed by some of them today but then they were amazing.

This weekend the RSC* launched their Complete Works Festival, with productions of all the plays, by the RSC and by international companies, and I really have to go and see some of them. I've missed out on my Stratford trips over the last 3 years, as I've been so busy, and I need to get back there this year.

So, Happy (slightly belated) Birthday, Will - and I hope to move one step closer to my ambition of seeing all the plays on stage very soon.**

*'Let the records show' I love the RSC - I don't love all their productions, I don't necessarily love the politics of it all, but I love what it stands for - the theatrical heritage, and the fact that it's absolutely right that we should have a theatre company dedicated to our greatest poet and playright

**As it currently stands, two to go.

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Friday, April 21, 2006

And what have kings, that privates have not too, save ceremony

So, the Queen is 80 today, and she looks pretty good on it I think. She's been Queen for longer than I've lived, and I've seen her only once, as she drove past in a car in her Silver Jubilee year. I remember she wore lilac. She came to York last year, for Royal Ascot, but I didn't go. She has been a number of other times, but I've never again felt the need to go and stand in a crowd for hours on end, to catch a glimpse (though I have to say there are other people I've done that for, much more recently). And yet, I would describe myself as a royalist.

It may seem a bizarre, and even an anachronistic thing at the start of the 21st Century to have a monarchy, and yet I do feel it sets us apart, and gives us a sense of history and heritage - and I'm a big one for both of those things. I read an article in the Guardian today about how Elizabeth II should be the last Queen, and that when she goes, we should be a republic. I'm not a political person, well, certainly not politics with a big 'P', but I like the fact that alongside the goverment of the day, whatever party happens to be in, that we have someone else who we can look to as a figurehead. I think she's done a pretty good job. I'm not sure what I think about the future, however, given the behaviour of some of the next generation of royals and beyond, but I still know I'd rather have a monarch than an elected President. And I'm all for a bit of pomp and circumstance and some posh frocks.

Thursday, April 20, 2006

What's it all about?

So, having proudly declared myself as a 'Theatre snob', I thought I'd better set out the rules:

The Rules of Theatre Snobbery

  • Theatre is an Event, therefore always dress up (exceptions can be made when making a last minute decision to attend and having all your shopping with you)
  • Always buy a programme - those biogs have to be read
  • A theatrical performance is not a gig, therefore whooping is discouraged, but is allowable in the curtain call, similarly banners are frowned upon
  • A standing ovation should be bestowed rarely it - it is a thing to be treasured, unless of course the trade in signs saying 'I'm standing for...'* takes off
  • Whilst some theatres now allow this, taking alcoholic drinks into the auditorium should be frowned upon
  • Stage dooring is perfectly acceptable, and in some cases almost obligatory - actors like to be told how good they were
  • 'Post mortums' on the show should continue for most of the journey home
  • No one should need to leave the auditorium for the loo during the performance if they are more than 5 years old
  • Use of mobile phones is an absolute no no, as is the taking of photographs during the performance

NB these rules are not exhaustive, and may be added to as and when I think of another.

*I'm indebted to Corinne for this idea**

**Is the standing ovation primarily a musical theatre thing? I think I've stood for shows about 6 times in my life until seeing more muscials over the last couple of years (or maybe that should be, seeing some musicals a lot) when the audience seem to get to their feet as a matter of course.

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Wednesday, April 19, 2006

The Apprentice

Yes, I'm worryingly addicted to this, having never watched the first series, as I simply can't bear Alan Sugar, and could never work for him in a million years. And there are many of the candidates that I wouldn't want to be stuck in a house with. It's been shaping up nicely now for the last few weeks, with most of the no hopers having gone. (poor Tuan, once he took on the Project Manager role for tonight's task of letting flats, he was pretty much on his way) The ultra annoying Syed is hanging on by the skin of his teeth, but I'm praying for him to start spouting his b*****ks once again, and to be the next one out.

I'm not sure I'd want to employ any of them though, but hey, it's all about what makes good tv - and despite what they say at the start of the show, it is just another reality tv show.

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Monday, April 17, 2006

Bank Holidays

Odd days, aren't they - you don't know quite what you should be doing. I feel that I should 'do' something, but then can't face the fact that everywhere will be packed and I always seem to end up doing less than I intended, and that's certainly the case today. In fact, it was very much like a 'normal' Sunday (yes, I do know it's Monday) - a bit of shopping, a bit of housework, and a bit of tv.

I just caught the end of 'Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves', and revelled in watching Alan Rickman chewing the scenery and stealing the film from Kevin Costner. It's always annoyed me though with the American accents and the fact that they seem to get from Dover to Hadrian's Wall in a couple of hours.

As for Alan, well, he'll be back, as he's a bit of a hero of mine!

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Sunday, April 16, 2006

Where do I begin?

So, first things first. I'm not really sure what all this blogging business is about. Oh, I've been reading some for about a year now, but I'm really not sure how to set this up, or how it works - hey, it's a computer thing, and with my track record, therefore it's likely to break down.

But, for better or for worse, (sharp intake of breath) I finally have my own blog! And I'm now faced with the challenge of how do you write that first blog entry?

Who am I? I'm Val, I live in the beautiful city of York, which I love, despite the ridiculous cost of parking. I work part time - which often stretches to almost full time, and try to achieve that infamous 'work-life balance' which seems to have me running round like a crazy thing trying to fit everything in. I finished Uni 4 years ago as a 'mature' student, with a student debt and a degree in Film, TV, Literature and Theatre Studies - the title is a bit of a laugh, as I spent the last year and a half primarily doing theatre, which I loved, and there it is stuck at the end of the list.

So the title - why 'Confessions of a Theatre Snob'? well, it's what I am, in my own small way. So, I love my theatre - Shakespeare, musicals, straight plays - I'll give most things a go, but just don't ask me to sit through Waiting for Godot again!

Next, ground rules - this isn't going to be about work, but about the other things in my life - and there are quite a few of them, and about my thoughts on life the universe and everything - yes, I'm also a bit of a sci fi fan.

What else interests me - well, music, books, good food, wine (I always feel in these things that I should mention some kind of sport, but then I'd be lying)

So, that's it, the first one done - my prologue, so to speak.

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