Radio Silence

Posted on by RoseIW

Sorry for the radio silence!

This blogging lark is harder than I thought – I have so much I want to blog about, but finding a) the time and b) the guts to write what I’m thinking and press ‘publish’ is proving to be harder than I thought.

For someone who is fairly extroverted, this came as quite a shock.

After all, I’ve never had problems making myself heard! I speak up in meetings, I’ll prance and dance about on a stage from dawn ’til dusk and at parties you’ll find me hogging the karaoke microphone or participating in a dance-off in the centre of the floor.

I was a writer for a living for two years before I fell into my current job; I’ve written enough programme bios to make me sick of the sight of my own name; I run more theatrical social media accounts than I have fingers to type.

Why, then, do I find blogging so bloody difficult?

There’s a certain amount of pressure, I suppose, when you’re writing a blog, to be witty or funny or to write a post that will go viral. To blog every day lest you lose readers, to dedicate all your time to social media lest you lose followers, to change the world, to make a difference, to make millions.

There’s the worry of being shot down, that the words you’ve spent hours choosing and ordering simply won’t be good enough for the legions of strangers reading them.

There’s the need to be liked, the need to have your voice heard, the need to put your opinion somewhere in the hope of finding like-minded souls to whom your ideas will really mean something.

For me, though, none of that matters. I mean, don’t get me wrong, it would be nice to make millions or change the world, but for now I have a much smaller, much humbler goal in mind:

Being myself.

Sounds a little silly, doesn’t it?

And perhaps it is. But I’ve spent so much time trying to work out what the ‘point’ of this blog should be that I lost sight of why I started doing it in the first place: to have a platform for myself, be it for reviews, embarrassing stage stories, questions, opinions or otherwise.

Perhaps a clearer focus will come with time, but for now I’m just happy ambling through the world of blogging while I find my feet.

Who knows? Maybe, slowly, I’ll even get to grips with the fact that I don’t always have to be the all-singing, all-dancing personality I’m best-known for to get people to listen. Or read.

So here I am, ready to blog, with a new enthusiasm and the realisation that not every post has to be a life-affirming masterpiece or a tale of comic genius.

I hope you’ll stick with me – I have a feeling it’s going to be quite a ride!

It’s A Big, Bright, Beautiful Show!

Posted on by RoseIW

It’s hard to believe that the film adaptation of Shrek was released fourteen years ago, in 2001, to critical acclaim the world over. The unorthodox hero stormed the box office and the hearts of cinema-goers worldwide and earned himself several sequels off the back of his initial quest to rescue Princess Fiona.

Equally hard to believe is that Shrek: The Musical has been out since 2008 and, although familiar with the soundtrack, it’s taken me seven years to see it at the theatre. On Friday evening, at The Mayflower in Southampton, I rectified that.

With most of the dialogue lifted straight from the film – after all, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it! – and a songbook of original numbers to complement the action, it’s no wonder that this show is still filling houses. It’s a laugh-a-minute romp through the swamp!

The scenery is astounding, the Dragon is stunning, the stage is awash with colour from beginning to end and no detail is too small. It was the perfect setting for the tale, and those doing the telling did not disappoint.

The backbone of the show is the relationship between Shrek, played by Dean Chisnall, and Donkey, played by Idriss Kargbo. Both were on top form, their dynamic flawless, setting the bar high for the rest of the cast.

Luckily, their fellow performers were more than up to the challenge! Shrek is a true ensemble piece – only four cast members don’t play multiple roles – and each and every one of them was thoroughly invested in immersing the audience in the story.

Particular mention must go to Candace Furbert’s roof-raising performance as the Dragon, Keith Henderson’s energy as Peter Pan and Will Haswell’s excellent nose-control as Pinocchio.

What really struck me about this show was that it was like stepping into the film – each and every voice and accent was so close to the original; it added an extra dash of magic to an already enchanting show.

Often enough, new musicals will try to introduce songs that are, quite frankly, impossible to remember, filled with discords and odd intervals for the sake of trying to give the audience something ‘new’. Catchy modern show-tunes are getting harder to find these days, but Shrek: The Musical has them in abundance.

‘I Think I Got You Beat’, ‘Freak Flag’ and ‘Big, Bright, Beautiful World’ were just a few of the numbers people were humming as they left the theatre. But it was ‘If Words Fail’ that was the unlikely show-stopper of a number – not in the traditional bright-lights, big-notes and jazz-hands sense, but in a softer, subtler way, a song that resonates with any poor soul whose ever had those crippling nerves that come with a first confession of their feelings.

Each song is stuffed to the brim with comedy, too, even when you’re not expecting it. Even Princess Fiona’s introductory number, ‘I Know It’s Today’, takes a comic turn when an impatient Adult Fiona – played beautifully in the first half by Bronté Barbé – arrives on the scene.  One of my favourite songs in the show, it’s an anthem for little girls the world over who are growing up on fairytales and wishing for their own happily-ever-after.

The biggest bursts of comedy, though, came from Gerard Carey as Lord Farquaad – with impeccable comic timing and a serious vocal talent, Gerard had the audience in fits of laughter with every appearance, whether he was defying gravity or simply walking from one side of the stage to the other. Doing an entire production on your knees is one thing, but to swing across monkey bars, leap over dancers and get down on one knee is beyond impressive; just when you thought he’d exhausted his repertoire of possible moves, he’d pull another out of the bag. Comedy gold.

But perhaps the real star of Friday night’s performance was Nikki Bentley, who stepped in halfway through the performance to take over from Bronté who, due to illness, couldn’t finish the show. The new Princess Fiona opened the second half with ‘Morning Person’, a catchy ditty that delivers as many laughs as it does tap-dancing rats! Her cheeky Fiona flounced, flourished and farted her way through the second half to her happy ending with the audience firmly on side. And with a voice like hers, Nikki is absolutely one to watch out for in future productions – she certainly gained a legion of new fans on Friday!

Shrek: The Musical expertly walks the line between humorous and heartfelt. Although it never stays serious for long, the brief moments in which it tugs at your heartstrings – Shrek and Donkey’s falling-out, Fiona’s leaving for Duloc, Shrek’s final proposal – are so beautifully scripted and delivered that you’ll find yourself welling up every time.

It’s a tale of true love, but not as we know it, and everything that made the film so successful is in the musical, along with a host of extras (look out for the numerous nods to other musicals) that is bound to keep your toes tapping all the way home.

“You’ve never read a book like this, but fairytales should really be updated,” sings Shrek, as he stands to be humiliated in front of Lord Farquaad, Princess Fiona and, indeed, the audience, by now fully immersed in his tale. And he’s quite right. But I suppose you have to kiss a few princes before you find your ogre.

Shrek: The Musical is on tour until February 2016 – check out the website for dates and venues, and make sure you see it if you get a chance!

Understudies: The Show Must Go On

Posted on by RoseIW

Last night, I attended ‘Shrek: The Musical’ at The Mayflower Theatre in Southampton. I was happily tapping my toes and scoffing ice cream when an announcement came over the PA system:

“Ladies and gentlemen, we apologise for the delay in starting Act II. Due to illness, the role of Princess Fiona will be played by Nikki Bentley for the rest of the show.”

Well, I’ve been to a fair few shows in my time and can honestly say that this was the first time I’d known an understudy have to take over a role halfway through a performance.

And it got me thinking…

Understudies – and I’ve been one myself, though not on that scale – have a lot of pressure on their shoulders. It doesn’t feel that way at the time, when you’re caught up in performing and feeling the buzz of learning a principal part, knowing that you’re the ‘go-to’ guy or gal if something goes awry; but when the announcement is made and you hear the murmurs of anticipation or the disappointed groans, it can really set your nerves on edge.

It’s hard enough at the start of a show, when people are expecting to see one performer and you step out as an understudy wondering how many of the audience will be taking to social media later to lament the fact they got the understudy rather than the publicised lead.

To step into the leading lady’s shoes halfway through a performance, though, that’s quite the task. To open with comic gem ‘Morning Person’ is an even bigger ask. With little time to prepare and an audience waiting to see what curtain up would bring, Nikki Bentley flounced her way out of the swamp and straight into the audience’s hearts. She was a perfect princess.

I know only too well that this is ‘part of the job’ – if you’re an understudy, you have to be ready for the call at any time, that’s why you’re there. But even so, normally you get a little more warning!

Often, too, the shift of one performer to the leading role results in a quick switch-around in other roles, too. After all, before her unexpected upgrade from biscuit to princess, Nikki was playing Gingy and the Sugar Plum Fairy and someone had to step in to fill her shoes – to my shame, I don’t know who it was, but they were excellent.

It just goes to show how versatile you have to be to cut the mustard in live theatre, often learning multiple roles and choreography. As proved last night, anything can happen at any time and you have to react in the fastest and most appropriate way possible to keep the show running smoothly.

“The show must go on,” as all the greats will tell you.

This show certainly did.

My review of ‘Shrek: The Musical’ will be going live tomorrow, so keep your eyes peeled!

So Little Time

Posted on by RoseIW

Striding through London, heading for the Playhouse Theatre, I came across Big Ben. A giant, golden clock in the centre of London, framed by the London Eye and the Houses of Parliament, you can hardly miss it.

And yet one man, one of tens of thousands of suited and booted businesspeople power-walking around our nation’s capital every single day, managed to overlook the clock entirely. Standing at a crossing, he slipped his hand into his pocket, pulled out his phone and checked the time before dropping the gadget back into his pocket.

Flabbergasted isn’t a word I use very often, but it just about sums up my face as it looked in that moment. He checked the time. On his phone. In the shadow of Big Ben. And he wasn’t the only one.

A need for speed, perhaps? But surely, with speed in mind, it takes less time to tilt your head up and look at an actual, physical clock, than it does to go to the effort of finding your phone. Is the sight of that mammoth clock so everyday to the city-slickers of London town that it just doesn’t feature on their radars anymore?

It’s a sad testament to the hustle and bustle of modern life that we assume technology will automatically provide us with the speediest results, the most efficient of solutions and the best preservation of our precious memories…

I know I’m guilty of it at times. Mostly at events, where I have been known – not often, I might add – to stand with my phone held aloft, focusing on taking pictures as souvenirs rather than on making memories from the spectacle on stage, the atmosphere of the crowd and the company of friends.

Sometimes a memory is enhanced by not having 1001 photographs capturing every moment that you missed in person.

It’s a lesson often learned the hard way: all it takes is for one tiny blip and you’ve lost every single picture, only to then find that you can’t remember a thing about the evening for yourself…because you were too busy making sure your camera was on the right settings for the light, or focusing correctly. Not a single memory of sight or sound or smell or touch, and no-one to blame but yourself.

When did we become so reliant on our cameras, our iPads, our fancy phones, I wonder?

Take a moment to stop and notice your surroundings. Take in the details with your own eyes rather than the megapixels of your iPhone, and remember those vibrant colours. Take a deep breath and let yourself hear more than the snap of a camera phone.

Life moves so fast these days. Everyone wants to find the fastest, most efficient way of performing even the most everyday tasks; like telling the time, for example. Modern technology is a wonderful thing, and I certainly couldn’t be without it, but reliable it ain’t. That moment when your phone inexplicably crashes or freezes? It’s happened more times than I care to recall over the last twelve months.

How many times has Big Ben broken in that time, I wonder?