Theatre Trip: Chess

CHESS

Coliseum Theatre
Date: 30th April (Monday), 7:30pm
Seats: Upper Circle E11-14

(With Richard and friends!)

We have friends in town from Canberra, just for a few days, and when we had dinner on Sunday and they mentioned they were thinking of seeing a show, I was like, 'Well... I can help you with that!' Immediately I suggested Chess as a different and interesting  show to see that they wouldn't have seen before. They went to TKTS on Monday morning and picked us up seats together in the upper circle for £30 less than face value!

This was my second time seeing this show, but not this production - I went to Chess in Concert, a concert version which wasn't fully staged, back on my GAP year in 2008. Main cast was Josh Groban (Anatoly), Idina Menzel (Florence), Adam Pascal (Freddie), and Kerry Ellis (Svetlana). It was amazing, even though I had terrible seats, knew nothing of the plot beforehand, and mostly went to see Idina and Kerry. Now I know much more about the story in the musical and the story of the musical. 

It was a rush after a hectic day at work, but totally worth it. The first thing I noticed was the staging - full of squares, so it looked like a deconstructed chess board. They had moving set pieces with staircases attached, and the transitions and stage were really well managed. The front square, where they played the chess matches in the show, moved upwards so that everyone could see better. They used camera work and the set was a giant display, even with moving parts to let actors on and off. When it was down, it exposed the orchestra who were sitting above the stage, and when it was up you could even still see through it to the orchestra - I loved that. The cameras worked really well for the chess matches, and the reporting elements of it, sometimes the actors were facing away from the audience but the camerawork still let us see everything.

And the chorus were great! Actually, they had acrobats, aerial silk people, a lady in a hula hoop, and even a cheerleading routine! So so brilliant - all the countries were really well represented and given an atmosphere even though the set itself was very neutral.

Highlights of the more minor cast members for me, I was intrigued to see Sabrina Aloueche as part of the chorus. She was in the cast of We Will Rock You playing Scaramouche when I saw that back in 2008! Interesting to see her again. I also quite liked the guy who played Molokov (Phillip Browne), he was very good vocally, and dropped down the octave occasionally which always surprised me and made me smile.

Of the four main cast, one was definitely more of a disappointment than the others. Alexandra Burke, of X Factor fame, played Svetlana, and she was just too much a pop star for my taste. She had a funny way of moving her face when she sang which I found very distracting and I couldn't understand her words as clearly because of how she was singing, which was a shame.

Freddie Trumper (Tim Howar) was brilliant. He had the perfect mix of old school rocker vocals with enough musical theatre to make it work. Richard thought we may have ended up with the understudy (apparently he left the opening performance 4 days ago after Act One when his wife went into labour!), but he was obviously back, and he was brilliant. So emotional in Pity the Child too.

The main character, Anatoly, was played by the legend that is Michael Ball. Judging by the cheering, he was a main draw for many people at the show, and I thought was very excellent. The only downside I think for me was that when I saw the Chess in Concert performance in 2008, Josh Groban was absolutely incredible and that may have ruined Michael Ball's performance a little. It was absolutely a fantastic performance, but I'm not sure I'd choose him over Josh.

For me, the absolute stand out of the show was Florence. I was amazed to see that she was being played by Cassidy Janson - my very first Elphaba. I first saw Wicked on 13th February 2008, and at the time she was the standby Elphaba. I remember being disappointed she wasn't Kerry Ellis, but she was very good back then. Now she is incredible! Her vocals struck the perfect balance between musical theatre and pop vibes, it blended perfectly with Michael Ball, and she had so much emotion. At the end when they left each other, she even shed a tear. A real tear! So amazing.

I am so glad we have seen this production and not missed it, especially because it is only running for 5 weeks... Except it was so good now I want to try and get rush tickets and see it again (maybe even from the front row?)... I don't if our moving-house-month budget will stretch to that, but I'll campaign hard. I want to see it again SO BAD!

Theatre Trip: Young Frankenstein

YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN

Garrick Theatre
Date: 25th April (Wednesday), 7:30pm
Seats: Stalls AA8-9

(With Richard!)

I persuaded Richard to download the TodayTix app recently, as we were talking about going to see Chess (rush tickets), except that yesterday when Richard went to buy the tickets, he accidentally entered the lottery for Young Frankenstein instead! And even though it took me months to win (and even then only got the second chance draw), he won on his first entry!

We had the understudy for the Monster (I didn't catch his name, as I didn't buy a program for my second viewing), who was not as impressive physically but much better in facial expressions and better in singing than Nic Greenshields, who was playing it last time. Also, Ross Noble is no longer playing the role of Igor - which is a real shame. He was incredible last time, and while Cory English was funny, he wasn't that star factor. I did almost feel like he was better suited to being a part of a show though.

The show itself was just as funny as I remembered it! Some of the jokes were updated, but even the second time around they were just as funny. Some highlights were the gag when Igor was getting keys, then dropped them on the floor (not sure if that was an accident or not) and had to look for them again! Hadley Fraser was in such hysterics, he needed a moment to recover and lost it on stage. He also lost it when Igor did 'walk this way' - it was so ridiculous that I though he was just going to refuse to copy it, but he rose to the challenge.

The performances were brilliant. Dianne Pilkington and Lesley Joseph are fabulous actresses, but I do feel a little like they are better suited to bit parts these days. Hadley Fraser I love, he's so captivating to watch. He had a great moment when the back of the board didn't come down, but luckily it doesn't make much difference to the musical number. 

And Summer Strallen - she's the best. Funny, a great singer, and an amazing dancer. Also, potentially the best goof I've seen in ages - during the final number of Act One (Transylvania Mania), while dancing she did the biggest high kick I've ever seen, and she flinched. I could have sworn she kicked herself in the head. And funnily enough, in the next line, as the chorus were singing and she was dancing right on the front of the stage, she said out loud, "Haha, I just kicked myself in the head!" I love that about front row seats, you get the best moments that way.

We also loved one of the swings - found her so captivating to watch and followed her through almost every scene. She was fabulous, Bethan Downing. It was her West End debut so we should keep an eye out for her.

Maybe next time we'll get tickets for the show we actually intend...

Easter Break: Spain Day 8

This morning, the rest of my family got picked up at 7am for their airport transfer. We got up to say goodbye, because after their next stops (Greece and Rome) they're headed home to Australia. Then, we went back to bed for a sneaky nap!

We got up and packed up the apartment, left our bags in a locker downstairs, ten headed out on our adventure for the day! First stop, up the green line (L3) to Park Guell.

The park was a little disappointing. Several of the buildings were at least partially closed, so we didn't go in any of them. That just left wandering around the park itself, which was nice but not terribly inspiring. The architecture was definitely Gaudi but because it wasn't as decorated in the way the other houses were. That made it less cool. So we wandered for an hour and a half or so before heading back into the gothic quarter to find some lunch!

As we emerged from the metro, it started raining!!! And it rains like Sydney, big drops not drizzle like London. So we ducked into the nearest bakery for lunch there - ham roll! Luckily the rain didn't last more than a few minutes, so we stayed dry and safe.

(Basilica kitty! We made friends)

We spent the afternoon wandering or at through the Gothic quarter, visiting Basilica de Santa Maria del Pi, an important Basilica which has been there since the 14th century and features rose window from the same period.

We also visited the Catedral de Barcelona, which was beautiful. You could even go up on the roof to see the top of the buildings in the gothic quarter! It was very nice. The rest of the time we just wandered, exploring the little streets and shops.

Eventually we reached the beach again, but when we went for a snack at our favorite tapas bar, their kitchen was closed! Weird, seeing as their kitchen seemed to close at a different time every day we visited. But we went for a walk on the beach, with no shoes on!

Instead of beach snacks, we went back to the empanada place we'd been to a few nights ago for a snack. It was still super delicious. Then, back to the apartment to get our bags, then to the airport!

We were going to get a bus as that seemed quicker, however the bus driver informed us (after walking 10 minutes to the stop and waiting 10 minutes for the bus!) that our ticket only works on the red buses, and this was a yellow bus! So we walked to the metro and took that instead. Probably should have done that in the first place. Our flight leaves at 8:30, and we'll be landed back in London before 10pm local time. Looking forward to having washed clothes, my own bed, and all our creature comforts back.

Easter Break: Spain Day 7

Spain Day 7

This morning we let ourselves sleep in, and boy was it nice! Am looking forward to our bed back in London though, I have to admit... So we headed out a little after 10am, stopping briefly at a bakery on the way, and heading to Playa de Espanya. From there you can see all the way up the Avinguda de la Reina Maria Cristina to the Museum.

We walked up the avenue, admired the Magic Fountain (although it wasn't being magic yet), and walked up the steps to the Museum. We thought that was a good view, we hadn't seen anything yet! We followed the road around to the botanic gardens, to the Teleferic (cable car) up to Castell Montjuïc.

The ride was beautiful and the views only got better as we got higher, however the castle wasn't all that I'd hoped. It was cheap entry (€5, rather than the €25 we'd paid for Casa Batllo the previous day!) but it was rather small and very windy. Not to mention that we got there at lunch, but the car/cafe marked on the map was under construction and all they had was 5 vending machines! I was a bit grumpy about that.

On our way down we stopped at the halfway point to have a wander through the park, and then caught the cable car back to the bottom of the hill. From there, we got a funincular to the metro station, then headed to the beach! By this point we were ravenous (and it was 5pm), so we headed to the place Richard and I had had tapas a few days ago. We had a couple of jugs of sangria and tapas for our last proper meal in Barcelona, and a lovely one it was too! We were some of their last customers for the day, so they even gave us free shots of Limoncello!

By the time we got back to the apartment, it was 7:30, so we rested a while, then headed back to the Magic Fountain for the magic part. It does a light and sound display a few times a week at 9 and 9:30, and it was pretty spectacular! Lights, music and water all synchronised. Very cool.

We made a quick snack stop (and bathroom break) at a KFC, then headed back into the metro, returning to the Sagrada Familia so Richard could take some nighttime shots. He may have also slightly dropped his camera, but it seems okay. We got back on the metro just before it stopped running at midnight, then headed home for sleep.

Parents and David leave for their next destinations early tomorrow morning - we have one extra day, because we don't fly out until 8:30pm! So one more post before it's back to London...

Easter Break: Spain Day 6

Spain: Day 6

Today we had a most-of-the-day tour booked to take us up to Monserrat. Got up early again (this late night and early morning thing is starting to get to me...), picked up bakery breakfast (different bakery, of course), and walked to the tour office.

On the way on the bus we got some commentary, both teaching us about Monserrat itself and showing us varies other interesting points along the way. It took about an hour, but the last 10k were very windy and very uphill... Not so pleasant.

Once we got there, we were surprised how much there was. Lots of walking, hiking, rock climbing, as well as the monastery, Basilica, museum and an audiovisual installation. We had a little introduction to the place, were given tickets to the audiovisual installation and a liquor tasting, and set free for about 2.5hrs.

The Basilica was closed until 12 for religious services, so we all went for it liquor tasting. We tried 4 - one made with aromatic herbs (as a digestive), a walnut one, a hazelnut one, and a cream one (lemon and cinnamon flavour). Our favourite was the first one, so we ended up buying a bottle on the way back to the bus later on.

Then Richard and I decided we wanted to go on a short hike, so we caught the funincular railway (Sant Joan) up to the top, 970m above sea level. We were planning in a short walk around the top and riding the railway back down, but then we noticed that the walk all the way down would only take about 45 minutes, so we did that instead.

When we got down it was 1pm and our bus was leaving at 1:19 (the tour lady was very precise!), so we popped into the Basilica, which was lovely, bought or alcohol and headed back to the bus. We even had time to get some food! It was a lovely place to visit, although I do wish we'd had more time. A full day would have been better.

We got back to the apartment around 3pm, had a short rest, then Richard and I went to 2 more Gaudi buildings, Casa Butlla, and La Pedrera (Casa Mila).

Casa Butlla was incredible - it's all based on an underwater theme, which is very evident. The walls aren't straight, but curved to feel like sea caves, with sky lights all over the place to let in natural light. It's really beautiful, and decorated in warm wood feels very cosy and home- like. The light well in the centre of the building was really cool too, with tiles getting darker as you got higher up (because there's more natural light higher too), and smaller windows so that the floor gets the same amount of light in. I really loved it.

Afterwards we went down the couple of blocks to La Pedrera (Casa Mila). It's a very impressive building from the outside, but you actually can't look at very much, because it's still mostly privately owned apartments. The roof was cool, but most of the rest was either information about Gaudi we knew from the other places, or not so interesting. Maybe we just hit or Gaudi limit?

After this we headed back to see parents (David having gone out to meet a friend for dinner), and decided that we would like not tapas for a change. We ended up at a yummy Italian place not far from the apartment, and after dinner stopped at a super meerkat (supermercat = supermarket in Catalan) to get some ice-cream! By the time we got back with then, David was back, so we were glad we bought extra. And then bedtime.

Easter Break: Spain Day 5

Spain Day 5

Slept awfully last night, but got up early for our morning tour of Sagrada Familia. We were there at 9ish, luckily our metro cards work perfectly and the Sagrada Familia stop is on the same line as our apartment!

Our tour included headsets so we could hear our guideproperly as he lead us around. He was very informative and interesting, and clearly has great respect for Gaudi. He was a very interesting man, who was an architect who didn't work off plans. Instead, he modeled everything, and he took great inspiration from nature in his designs. The columns are tree-like, creating a forest feel to the space, and the stained glass don't have pictures, but instead follow the sun throughout the day (cooler colours for the eastern side where the morning sun hits, warmer colours for the western side for the heat of the day).

Our tour also included a trip up the Passion towers, which is a one way lift. From there you can see the construction as it is taking place and admire the view over the rest of Barcelona. It was very cool to see the roof structures much closer. Then you have to walk down, 400 steps to the bottom. At first, it was a staircase with walls on both sides and many little windows to walk through, however it turned out the main staircase was a much tighter spiral, no railing on the right, and you could lean over and see all the way down the middle to the bottom. Not one for the faint of heart!

After that we visited the museum, which is underneath the Basilica, and it's a museum to the Sagrada Familia and Gaudi's works. It was very interesting, and I know Mum in particular enjoying reading about the botanical and natural influences in his architectural style.

After we finally finished (and hit the gift shop, of course!), we headed to a street just nearby for lunch. We were able to eat our tapas with a view of the Basilica!

Then we headed back for a small siesta, before Richard and I went back to the beach for a stroll. It was nicer today with more sun and less people. We walked a while then stopped for a drink at a bar on the beach (I had the most sickly sweet lemonade).

By this point, family was back out around Barceloneta, so we meet at a bookstore, where I picked up another souvenir... Harry Potter in Spanish! So exciting, and it's a lovely cover. I'm hoping now to get a new one every time I go to a place with a new language!

Then we wandered to the waterfront for dinner, only we were so early we had to get a drink first. I had Mediterranean gin which was excellent, and served with burnt rosemary. It was a seafood restaurant which was lovely but quite expensive. Oops?

Spanish people really eat late... We never get home before 10:30pm, so get to bed late. Tonight was even later, didn't get to bed until 12!

Easter Break: Spain Day 4

Spain: Day 4

Today we got up much earlier (read: 7am) to make sure we were packed and ready for our 8:30 pick up to take us to the train station. We were headed today to Barcelona! We left Madrid at 10:30, and it's only a 3 hour train (high speed). We even traveled first class, very fancy.

When we arrived in Barcelona the first thing we did was to go to the accommodation, but we couldn't check in into 3 (just over an hour away), so we went for a walk towards the gothic quarter. Right on the edge if it we found Palau Guell, a palace designed by Gaudi for Guell to be his house. And what a house!

It was absolutely incredible. Gorgeous architecture, interesting house design, innovative solutions for light and space. Beautiful. We spent almost an hour and a half just exploring and learning about it. Highly recommend.

Afterwards the rest of the family headed back to the apartment to check in, but Richard and I continued walking around the gothic quarter. We ended up at Barceloneta, the beach, which was lovely if very busy and full of hawkers as well as tourists. Just on the edge of the beach we found a tapas place for snack time (at 5pm, pretty standard for Spain). We had potatas bravas, calamari and a jug of sangria. Yum!

By then it was getting to dinner time and kind of cold, so we headed back via the metro. We got a 4-day pass which will allow us to even get to the airport on Friday night! When we got back to the flat, we had about a half hour to rest before heading out for dinner. 

David found a place nearby which served empanadas - pastry with various savoury fillings. It was like many mini pies for dinner, so delicious and lighter after having a snack earlier. Then, bed.

Easter Break: Spain Day 3

Spain: Day 3

We had another late start this morning and Starbucks breakfast, then headed straight to Plaza Mayor for the parade we believed to be happening at 12. We got there around 11:10, and there were barely any people, however by the start at 12 there were 6 deep all around the barriers.

The parade was more like a procession, with a team of drummers coming into the square and performing. They played for more than an hour, amazing stuff, and had players as young as 7 (and one tiny little adorable 4 year old!). It was very cool, although because we spent 2+ hours standing in the sun everyone got a bit of sun (I got the least, thank goodness for spf in foundation!) After that it was definitely lunch time, which we had at a cafe we'd been to before.

After lunch we walked to Templo de Debod, which was ancient Egyptian. Very cool, although we couldn't go in because it was closed. The weather by this point was delightful, around 20C and lightly sunny - just what we had been hoping for! We headed back after the Temple for a siesta. Before dinner, Richard and I decided to go for a cycle to the river to explore the green corridor that runs along it. Only problem was, we found hiring bikes very difficult (needing passport numbers and a €150 holding deposit!!!), so we walked instead. We ended up in Casa del Campo, looking for the lake, which turned out to be fenced in and had basically no water in it. Oh well.

We walked back to the hotel to meet the rest of the family, then headed to a tapas restaurant to dinner (sans Dad, who passed on dinner due to heat from his sunburn). In the way, we found a difference tapas bar called 'House of Mushrooms' which looked delicious. It was a tiny place with space for about 20 patrons, but they did have space for a guy playing the piano live while we ate! We had ham and cheese, anchovies, mushrooms, and calamari. Delicious!

On the way home we stopped at a market we saw the other day, to get dessert. David and I had churros, the others more traditional pastry items, but all were delicious, and we took something back for dad too!

On to Barcelona tomorrow!

Easter Break: Spain Day 2

Spain: Day 2

This morning, we had a late start , meeting in the hotel lobby at 9:30, then heading to a Starbucks for breakfast (turns out cinnamon rolls in Spain are less pastry, more muffin texture). We had tickets for the city hop on hop off tour bus today, so we went to our nearest stop, however the bus came and didn't pick anyone up because nobody got off, so we had to walk to the palace, where there was another stop with people getting off and we could get on.

We started with the Madrid Historico route, which was quite interesting, lots of churches and pretty buildings. We went almost all the way around in just over an hour, then got off at Plaza del Sol looking for lunch. We ended up at a sandwich bar, where I had a calamari sandwich for lunch (yum!) and we had to stand because it was a literal bar with barely any chairs!

Then we walked back to the hotel (via the palace) for a siesta for about an hour, then we headed back out to see the rest of the city by tour bus. We caught the same tour bus, then switched routes to Madrid Modernico to see more of the city (including the Real Madrid stadium!). We did almost a full loop again, ending up back at Plaza del Sol for the second time that day.

From there, we walked up to Plaza Mayor, because we had read that there was to be a parade of some kind there for Easter Sunday. We ended up having dinner in the square, as it was getting late, and then stopped at an excellent ice-cream shop near the square (bailey's and brownie!) for the walk back to the hotel for bed.

Easter Break: Spain Day 1

Spain: Day 1

We were up early this morning, to finish packing and to go to my family's hotel to meet our airport car. My parents and brother have been visiting for about 5 days so far, and we're all off to Spain together! Our car to Gatwick was reasonably quick and we got there with enough time to spare for a Pret breakfast. 

We had a mid-morning flight to Madrid, which was uneventful, and we arrived around 2:30 (including putting our clocks forwards an hour because Europe).

We got our hotel car, checked in, then headed out for a walk. We are only about 10 minutes walk from the Royal Palace, so we headed there, only to find that there was to be some kind of parade soon! The Royal Palace is beautiful and massive, we ended up using it as a landmark the whole time in Madrid. So we waited, but I was feeling a bit ill from the plane. Dad walked me back to the hotel for a rest, and then went back to watch the parade with the others. When they got back it was dinner time (dinner is eaten quite late here), and we find a local restaurant that did some delicious food (I had mini fish and chips and guacamole, delicious!).

Then it was bed time, with a little sleep in planned for tomorrow.