Cast
Andy Reiss
David Fawcett
Rebecca Vere
Katie Leeming
Venue – Sunderland Empire
Date – Saturday 1st April 2017
Continue reading “Beyond the Barricade (UK Tour 2017) Review”
Beyond the Barricade (UK Tour 2017) Review
7 Recent Movie Musicals You Should Watch!
As expected I totally loved La La Land, although I was a little bit scared that I might have been disappointed with my total love for musicals. As you will already know if you follow my blog I am very big on not only movie musicals but also going to the Theatre and have seen a lot of musicals on stage.
I am therefore a little bit annoyed and sick of people saying that La La Land has saved the musical genre, as we have actually had some fantastic musicals released to film in the past few years. The problem is though the fans of musical films seem to be few and far between now. The hype around La La Land will leave people disappointed I am sure, especially if they don’t usually like musicals.
Don’t get me wrong though as I am happy that it will help increase awareness of the genre, but I really do think that we should be thankful for some of the films we have had released over the past few years. The films I have picked in the list are from the past four years. So while we don’t get as many musical films out each year, we do still get a steady flow. I have tried to vary my choices on different types of music to really help show that no matter your music tastes you will be able to find a musical that suits your tastes.
I guess the biggest problems seem to be the adaptations from more well known stage shows, as they seem to be quite tricky to do! As I guess some scenes, songs and moments just work better on stage and don’t transfer to the screen in the best possible way. Sometimes the casting causes issues as well, but we have to just deal with that as well!
Continue reading “7 Recent Movie Musicals You Should Watch!”
Page by Page by Paige Tour – Review
An incredible evening with the first lady of musical theatre as she takes a trip through some of the incredible shows she has been part of and belts out some incredible songs from these shows. With plenty of stories and laughs in between to really share in how much Elaine loves being on that stage. But not only that she can still totally own the stage. I am truly honoured and privileged to have seen the absolute legend live after years and years of wanting to do just that, we will never really say goodbye.
Wolverine: The Musical
When fandom’s collide!
Just came across this absolutely brilliant video with Hugh Jackman using a Les Mis song with some very different lyrics, with a nice little plug for the up and coming X-Men: Days of Future Past!
10 Years On . . . That’s Chicago
Chicago winning Best Picture in 2003 at the Oscars is often regarded as a mistake due to the other films nominated that year. I fell in love with it but then again I am just a little bit of musical geek. So obviously I still love it and have it as one of my all time favorite films. The academy showed its supposed love for musicals that year but Oliver! was the previous Best Picture winner for a musical so it had been a very long time between a musical winning the best picture award. I think it’s quite scary that it is now 10 years on and loved how the cast we involved in the 2013 ceremony. Especially the All That Jazz performance from Catherine Zeta Jones that totally made the whole show for me. It’s a great song one of the best openings to a musical and it also helped show that she still has it after more than 10 years!
My Musicals Obsession
If you follow my blog or have come across it before you will know that I really do love musicals and have quite an obsession with them. This blog post is inspired by the latest release of Les Mis. I saw it at the cinema on Friday night and since Saturday morning I have listened to the soundtrack over and over again, think I’m up to my 10th listen now and I am going to see the film again at the cinema tomorrow night. This then got me thinking to how much I obsess over movie musicals! I mean I loved The Sound of Music and Mary Poppins growing up but my big musical obsession really started with Chicago, yes 10 years ago now. I actually watched it over and over again, you know the times when it finishes and then you just watch it from the start again. I loved everything about it (and still love it) I know every single word of it and have now since it 3 times on the stage as well.
45 Years of the Sound of Music!
The hills are alive with the sound of music, with songs they have sung for 45 years . . . yes that’s right one of the most loved and well-known films of all time is 45 years young. To celebrate that another special DVD is being released along with the a Blu Ray Disc release! (Yes I shall be purchasing that one sometime soon).
Oprah reunited the cast for the first time since the film came out and it really shows just how special it is. It feels good to see the Von Trapp family all together again. I am not afraid to admit that “The Sound of Music” has always been and will always be one of my favorite ever films. It’s one of my feel good films that really helps me when I feel down.
I’ve watched it from since I can remember and know all of the words off by heart . . . that’s the dialogue as well as the songs. Julie Andrews is just incredible and I cannot believe if people have not seen this film! I just think it really does have a bit of everything. It even makes me cry with the romance between Maria and the Captain.
Chicago (2002) / Nine (2009)
While I was writing my review for Nine (and even watching it) I was trying not to compare it to Chicago. Mainly because I love Chicago and it is one of my favorite films ever, so to compare another musical directed by Rob Marshall on one viewing would not be very fair. So I have decided to take a deeper look into both movies and not really say which one is better, but to show comparisons.
Nine (2009) Be Italian
The full song “Be Italian” which is on the trailer for “Nine” as been put on youtube. It is sung by Fergie and really does just build up my anticipation for this movie even more so.
Broadway: Wicked Review
This has been an obsession of mine for quite a while now, and I am so glad that I have eventually seen it and that it was on Broadway !!!
Cast
Nicole Parker as Elphaba
Alli Mauzey as Glinda
Rondi Reed, Madame Morrible
Kevin Kern, Fiyero
Brynn O’Malley, Nessarose
Alex Brightman, Boq
Timothy Britten Parker, Doctor Dillamond
P.J. Benjamin, The Wizard
It is a show which really does have everything, drama, romance, comedy and pretty much life. At so many points and moments in the show I related with how a character was feeling as I either feel like that now or have felt like that in the past about someone or something that has happened. I found it a very emotional experience and felt myself wanting to cry in parts, but then laughing. The friendship which came about after so much hatred between the two. So many twists and turns throughout the show, one of which I had no idea of from listening to the soundtrack over and over. But I know like that I have pieced together the full story from seeing the show.
I think the biggest show stopping moment is “defying gravity”. Which takes place at the end of the first act, just before the interval and it really is just incredible and fantastic.
Coming second to “Defying Gravity” in favorite songs from this musical (yes I love them all but have favorites, haha) as to be “As Long As Your Mine” the love song between Elphaba and Fiyero. Its just incredible, two people that you would never put together have fallen in love. Its quite a dark love song in terms of how love songs are in other musicals, but it is so lovely. “Just for this moment, as long as your mine . . . say theres no future for us as a pair . . . ” they both know that it will be difficult for them to be together forever, so they are happy just for this moment, as long as they are together. I find that so refreshing in entertainment where in movies and musicals the whole happily ever after, forever and ever thing going on.
The main story is focused on before Dorothy came to Oz. Although towards the end it kind of overlaps a little bit. But all of the characters are in there and I think its just fantastic how it all fits together so well. Just little details that have been put together, to make everything flow so well. I had attempted to read the book “Wicked” two years ago now. But I never really got into it, however I really do think that I will get it more now and understand more having a background to the story.
I now want the movie version to be made even more than I did before. I also want to see the show again, yes I did say this is an obsession of mine. “Everyone deserves a chance to fly!” I think everyone should go and see Wicked.
Let's Go To The Movies 