A huge thank you to David for the images he took, making me look wonderful with breathtaking scenery and lighting. Gosh the cold air blew up that skirt!
Thursday, 27 November 2008
And Last Year.....
Probably the less said the better, but some days later I discovered that last year's excursion to NI had it's own Wikipedia page to remind me! Imagine my complete surprise!
Halloween
It was most injudicious of me to disappear just as things were getting close to Halloween. This year I accepted the kind hospitality of Vince and David in Northern Ireland where I would be attending the same party as I did last year – albeit in much more salubrious circumstances.
I had worked the nightshift and my flight was on Friday at midday so by the time I had checked in, eaten and sat in my seat on the plane I was fast asleep – for what seemed like 3 minutes when we landed in George Best Airport. I was greeted there by Vince and from the moment I arrived was constantly bombarded by bon hommie all around.
The boys have a gorgeous house and I could quite easily move into their bathroom permanently – sigh
Naturally, Saturday was the day of the party and I was a working girl. After a trip around Belfast in the morning and a quick visit to some of the shops there – new Speedos, saucy underwear, t-shirt, nothing drastic – I then hit the make-up table transforming David into Annie Lennox; Vince into The Dark Angel and Claire into the Mistress of the Dark. Once completed I donned my Roman gear and we headed over to the party.
I have not seen any pictures to post of my work, but hopefully I will soon.
Until then, suffice to say the party was a hoot and I won Best Male Fancy Dress and Claire won Best Female.
I have not seen any pictures to post of the party, but that’s probably for the best.
I had worked the nightshift and my flight was on Friday at midday so by the time I had checked in, eaten and sat in my seat on the plane I was fast asleep – for what seemed like 3 minutes when we landed in George Best Airport. I was greeted there by Vince and from the moment I arrived was constantly bombarded by bon hommie all around.
The boys have a gorgeous house and I could quite easily move into their bathroom permanently – sigh
Naturally, Saturday was the day of the party and I was a working girl. After a trip around Belfast in the morning and a quick visit to some of the shops there – new Speedos, saucy underwear, t-shirt, nothing drastic – I then hit the make-up table transforming David into Annie Lennox; Vince into The Dark Angel and Claire into the Mistress of the Dark. Once completed I donned my Roman gear and we headed over to the party.
I have not seen any pictures to post of my work, but hopefully I will soon.
Until then, suffice to say the party was a hoot and I won Best Male Fancy Dress and Claire won Best Female.
I have not seen any pictures to post of the party, but that’s probably for the best.
What HAS happened?
I have been fairly good with my blog to date and if the truth be told the last month has been great fun and madly busy - so where is all the gossip? Let's do some catching up!
Friday, 24 October 2008
Fantasy Island
I have finally chosen this as my costume for Halloween this year. OK, so it ain't very Halloween-ey but who cares, I've had Roman Follies Fantasies since watching Sian Philips snarling as the Lady Livia in I Claudius. Look out Ireland, you're gonna get a bit of Pax Romanis!
Strictly Limited
Two shows have transferred to the West End that I have given, for very different reasons, very poor original notices to. Piaf and La Cage Aux Folles. Whilst they will no doubt acclaim these as triumphant transfers, it is worth noting that they are strictly limited runs – ie they would not dream of thinking they could sell this rubbish indefinitely. I should be surprised if La Cage makes a profit, or even its twelve week run.
Piaf, featuring Elena Roger is running for a strictly limited 100 performances. Everyone agrees this one is a terrible show that many people feel is saved by the Miss Roger – not all of us. If you want to see this story done well, buy the movie and see it ALL done well.
Piaf, featuring Elena Roger is running for a strictly limited 100 performances. Everyone agrees this one is a terrible show that many people feel is saved by the Miss Roger – not all of us. If you want to see this story done well, buy the movie and see it ALL done well.
How About This?
For my Halloween Costume? Hmmmm, I may have put on a bit of weight since that movie, though.
Closure
Many of you will have read the recent scare-mongering regarding the credit crunch that is affecting the world at the moment. If the collapse of sterling wasn’t enough to convince you then no doubt the closure of The Girl With The Pearl Earring will. Three shows announced their closure in less than a week, namely the above play at the Haymarket, Avenue Q at the Noel Coward and Riflemind at the Whitehall. Newshounds noted how this was a sure sign of how the credit crunch was affecting the West End.
Utter tosh. Avenue Q is closing nearly 2 years after its expected close date. It garnered a lot of good publicity and for a relatively small, limited appeal show, it had a very good run in the West End. It will be making way for Calendar Girls, which is currently enjoying a decent tour and has a strong cast more than capable of attracting custom to the West End.
Riflemind opened in a flurry of hype – directed by Hollywood’s….that guy who played Capote – to universally lame notices. Most people simply observed that the play was boring and the real life escapades of derelict rock bands far more fascinating. Pearl Earring, too, opened recently to really bad notices.
These two plays would be closing in a really good financial climate. Don’t blame bad writing on the credit crunch!
Utter tosh. Avenue Q is closing nearly 2 years after its expected close date. It garnered a lot of good publicity and for a relatively small, limited appeal show, it had a very good run in the West End. It will be making way for Calendar Girls, which is currently enjoying a decent tour and has a strong cast more than capable of attracting custom to the West End.
Riflemind opened in a flurry of hype – directed by Hollywood’s….that guy who played Capote – to universally lame notices. Most people simply observed that the play was boring and the real life escapades of derelict rock bands far more fascinating. Pearl Earring, too, opened recently to really bad notices.
These two plays would be closing in a really good financial climate. Don’t blame bad writing on the credit crunch!
La Clique - Feck!
I adored La Clique.
OK, not being a regular at Edinburgh I realise this makes me a ‘Johnny-come-lately’ but what the heck, I know for a fact that the best that the Edinburgh Festival can produce is aiming for the streets of London. Edinburgh is a means to an end, not a goal, and the sooner it realises this, the better! Anyhow, back to La Clique and the triumphant arrival at The Hippodrome in Leicester Square. La Clique – a form of circus side-show – revel in what I am now calling Dark Ent. (as opposed to Light Ent.) – they are the old ‘spesh’ acts from the variety shows given a sexy revamp – tight bodies, rippling muscles, pierced tongue-in-cheek comedy and a headline venue. It appears this may be the last show at the old Hippodrome as the venue has now been granted its casino licence. Well, let that be an incentive to catch what may be the last show at the old Talk of the Town.
Joining me on this wild and wonderful evening were my dear friends from Belfast David and Vincent - or, as it appears I may have refered to them on the night Deevard nnnn Viinnnnsint. I cannot believe how drunk I got! Apparently, I sailed into the Retro Bar after the show; demanded champagne and eventually fell off my stool in front of a - I am sure - bored and embarrassed Lloyd.
Mmmm, classy! I swear somebody spiked my drink.
Anyway, I have decided to take the boys up on their offer of therapy for my drink problem by joining them in Belfast for Halloween. What fun!
Jermyn Street
Aside from the permanent residency I seem to have taken up at the refurbished Leicester Square Theatre, I have also spent a few evenings at the Jermyn Street Theatre. This teeny-weeny venue has played home to some interesting drama over the years, as well as a fair bit of comedy. Crooked Wood saw Jermyn Street’s first ever ‘in-house’ production and I must say it was frightfully charming. A couple of weeks later it was Informed Consent – an absolute disaster – except for providing us with a performance from the rather gorgeous Brett Goldstein. 
I have noticed since that the charming Mr G also performs the occasional stand-up. I shall keep my readers posted as to Brett…mmmm
Top 'n Tail
There seems to have been something deeply frenetic about the opening of the new season here in London. Aside from vague attempts to continue some kind of personal life – more of that later – I seem to have been seeing loads of shows. Sometimes up to four in a week. It’s been mad. It’s almost as if, with the credit crunch looming, producers are desperate to grab your entertainment budget for the rest of the year, before you spend it on food.
To begin with, upon returning from Gran Canaria, I went to see Joan Rivers at the Leicester Square venue, courtesy of PR guru Kevin Wilson. ‘Nana Newface’ was on top form as usual although there was an odd twist to her usual stand-up routine, in that she fashioned and marketed it as a play. It was her usual routine except with a set and 3 other playing the roles of producer, make-up artist and flunky. Whilst I was not reviewing Miss Rivers I was reviewing Miss Barr at the end of October. I was a big fan of Rosanne through the eighties and early nineties, so I was really looking forward to seeing one of my heroines live.
Had I had to buy a ticket to this show I would have been severely disappointed and I can only wonder what Ireland and Amsterdam are going to make of her act. She was only doing two dates in London and the evening I was there, there were plenty of seats available.
To begin with, upon returning from Gran Canaria, I went to see Joan Rivers at the Leicester Square venue, courtesy of PR guru Kevin Wilson. ‘Nana Newface’ was on top form as usual although there was an odd twist to her usual stand-up routine, in that she fashioned and marketed it as a play. It was her usual routine except with a set and 3 other playing the roles of producer, make-up artist and flunky. Whilst I was not reviewing Miss Rivers I was reviewing Miss Barr at the end of October. I was a big fan of Rosanne through the eighties and early nineties, so I was really looking forward to seeing one of my heroines live.
Had I had to buy a ticket to this show I would have been severely disappointed and I can only wonder what Ireland and Amsterdam are going to make of her act. She was only doing two dates in London and the evening I was there, there were plenty of seats available.
Keep On Running
Using this natty little device I have discovered a mile route, ‘around the block’ at home. I am hoping to throw a little bit of running into my keep-fit regime and I have been trying to work out an easy-to-measure plan. This website is perfect.
Sunday, 5 October 2008
The Birds
This little delight will make my Irish friends smile with happy memories. Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the classic movie.........and a year since our last Halloween Party, where you can see we had a squawking great time playing with our living Barbie.
Saturday, 4 October 2008
Saturday, 20 September 2008
I Can't Be Arsed!
When I first sat down after my hols to top-up my blog, the thing that adds pictures was not working. However, I wrote some marvellously witty copy and saved it ready to be uploaded next time. Naturally I cannot find it anywhere and I really cannot be bothered to re-count the sordid details of my time in Gran Canaria. Here are a few pics and that’s all you are getting.
Shocking.....I know!
Delay
No! I have not been on holiday for all this time, my laptop has been out of action. No doubt it picked up some nasty virus whilst sleeping around whilst I behaved like a born-again virgin on holiday.
Wednesday, 27 August 2008
Tomorrow
Friday I leave for a holiday in Gran Canaria. Hopefully it will provide sun, relaxation and a little fun to alleviate the general malaise I seem to have slumped into. Oddly, I am finding it very difficult to develop any enthusiasm for this excursion. Paul is coming with me and it appears to be his first holiday overseas in his adult life, as he has had to get a passport for the first time. My packing is nearly done, I simply have to get some travel insurance and change up some money.
I may do some blogging, as I know there are computers on the resort but I will not be able to upload any images - which judging by my selection of clothes, is probably a good thing.
I need to let go a bit on this holiday.
My Birthday
Well, I suppose as I get older I can’t expect every birthday to be a real hum-dinger, but I must say I rather enjoyed myself last Friday. Aside from domestic squabbles, a hearty congratulations to Jules, Paul and Griff for joining in with the karaoke and to everybody else who came along. The Windsor Castle at Clapham Junction has to be the straightest pub in South London and last Friday they were treated to myself and others camping it up something cronic. Griff proved that he obviously keeps his throat in good shape with a hearty rendition of Gold; Jules did her standards, Crazy and Dream a Little Dream. But the biggest surprise of the evening proved to be little Paul, who couldn’t quite shed his years as a performer and brought the house down with an uncanny turn as Bjork singing It’s Oh So Quiet! Couldn’t resist getting a snippet. He also did a duet with Jules of Love Shack, which I thought was great! Was lovely to see Chris, David, Robin and Terry too. Thanks to all who came.
Passive Aggressive
Confrontation has never been my strong suit. I have very firm views on certain subjects that I can argue about ad nauseum and if truth be told I probably do. But I am not what you would call confrontational, even on a domestic level and have even been labelled passive-aggressive by one or two people. I am not sure how fair that is but I suppose elements of it appear in my psyche. What happens when two passive aggressive people get together, I am not sure. I guess, somewhere in the future, a huge silent argument will rage violently.
Saturday, 16 August 2008
Getting On
Next weekend I shall be 43 years old. I would like to say I have lots of things planned but I don’t. Nothing. Nada. I haven’t got a clue what I want to do. Do you know what? I think I have finally reached the time in my life where I would kind of like someone to surprise me. But as a pointer here are some of the things I don’t want to do.
1. Discover fun in the darkroom at XXL
2. Take drugs
You know what. I may just go out of town for a couple of day and see if anybody actually notices!
1. Discover fun in the darkroom at XXL
2. Take drugs
You know what. I may just go out of town for a couple of day and see if anybody actually notices!
Friday, 15 August 2008
Friday, 8 August 2008
An Iconic Image
This image by Tristram Kenton made the centre pages of the paper this week as David Tennant opens in Stratford in Hamlet. I found the image highly evocative and can't wait until the Donmar try to get their own back with an equivilent image of Jude Law in his Hamlet. Don't even think about asking if I can get tickets for it when it hits the West End. It sold out practically immediately and I believe tickets are already being sold on e-bay for £500
Busy
It seems to have been really busy this week and I seem to have been at the theatre constantly - not the case obviously, but you know what I mean. Last Thursday I went to review Elaine Stritch at Liberty at the Shaw Theatre with Paul. It was good fun and she can still keep an audience on its toes. We were invited to a party after the show got to meet the lady herself, drank free wine and ate too many canapes! Hurrah!
After a shift at the hotel it was down to see The Shadowmaster at the King's Head. Not great but I couldn't work out if the actors were awful or the script. I decided it was the script. Still, it looked very good and it was the first instance I have ever seen a Colourist listed in a Fringe programme. What a larf!
On my only day off, I opted to drag Paul along again, this time to see An Audience with Edith Head. As I wasn't reviewing this, I shall link to the Wikipedia page as nobody seemed to know who she was. Funnily I got picked on by her throughout the show for my sartorial elegance - "What are those shoes? I haven't seen anything like those since The Ten Commandments!" Thankfully it was a VERY small audience and not press night, so nobody noticed. I did get my picture taken afterwards, as part of the 'package', with the dress she designed for Bette Davis in All About Eve. It was a fun, very camp night! For those wondering - yes! She was the woman upon whom Edna Mode in The Incredibles is based on.
Thursday, I found myself at The Roundhouse for the first time ever to see Miss Behave's Variety Nighty. It was all great fun but I was there alone, which was a bit sad. Howard was feeling poorly, Lloyd was consoling a friend who had just seperated from her boyfriend and Jules was knackered. Somedays I guess you just can't give away a free ticket! Next week I have Piaf at the Donmar, where there is no spare available.
After a shift at the hotel it was down to see The Shadowmaster at the King's Head. Not great but I couldn't work out if the actors were awful or the script. I decided it was the script. Still, it looked very good and it was the first instance I have ever seen a Colourist listed in a Fringe programme. What a larf!
On my only day off, I opted to drag Paul along again, this time to see An Audience with Edith Head. As I wasn't reviewing this, I shall link to the Wikipedia page as nobody seemed to know who she was. Funnily I got picked on by her throughout the show for my sartorial elegance - "What are those shoes? I haven't seen anything like those since The Ten Commandments!" Thankfully it was a VERY small audience and not press night, so nobody noticed. I did get my picture taken afterwards, as part of the 'package', with the dress she designed for Bette Davis in All About Eve. It was a fun, very camp night! For those wondering - yes! She was the woman upon whom Edna Mode in The Incredibles is based on.
Thursday, I found myself at The Roundhouse for the first time ever to see Miss Behave's Variety Nighty. It was all great fun but I was there alone, which was a bit sad. Howard was feeling poorly, Lloyd was consoling a friend who had just seperated from her boyfriend and Jules was knackered. Somedays I guess you just can't give away a free ticket! Next week I have Piaf at the Donmar, where there is no spare available.
Friday, 1 August 2008
Spotlight
The Spotlight Showcases took place in July this year. On the first night I took Lloyd along. He seemed to enjoy it although in most of these pictures he looks as miserable as sin.
The second night, as Lloyd was working, I invited Paul along.
Julie's Birthday in Balham
Was not a sober affair. It was, though, a fancy dress. I went as a San Francisco Daddy circa 1972....mmmmm
An English Country Garden
It may not be the most elegant garden on the block but it has been very successful this year already.
Saturday, 26 July 2008
A Flying Rip-off
Well, the holiday has been booked! What a palaver! Never, under any circumstances book a holiday with flydeals.co.uk - they are a bunch of lying shisters out to rip you off. Without going into too much detail, they phoned the day after confirmation to say that the Credit Card had been declined. Jules has a huge balance on her card so she was rather confused by this. They took her Debit Card details instead and then advised her:
a) The Debit Card payments were subject to charges
b) The price of the tickets had gone up by £10 each
When she got off the phone Julie called her Credit Card company to ask why they had declined her card and they advised her that no action had taken place. Basically, Flydeals simply held over the transaction for a day to get more money for the tickets.
Upon questioning Flydeals about this they refused to offer any explanation and said if she wished to cancel now, there would be a fee of £50. Furious, she called her bank and put a stop on any withdraw from Flydeals. She the bought tickets on the same flight for the same price through another company – who couldn’t have been more helpful.
The next day Flydeals had succeeded in withdrawing the total amount from her account and would only return it minus a cancellation fee of £50. There was nothing we could do except swallow the theft and tell the obnoxious Manager Helen – to f**k off!!!
For anyone planning on booking a flight, please don’t use them.
a) The Debit Card payments were subject to charges
b) The price of the tickets had gone up by £10 each
When she got off the phone Julie called her Credit Card company to ask why they had declined her card and they advised her that no action had taken place. Basically, Flydeals simply held over the transaction for a day to get more money for the tickets.
Upon questioning Flydeals about this they refused to offer any explanation and said if she wished to cancel now, there would be a fee of £50. Furious, she called her bank and put a stop on any withdraw from Flydeals. She the bought tickets on the same flight for the same price through another company – who couldn’t have been more helpful.
The next day Flydeals had succeeded in withdrawing the total amount from her account and would only return it minus a cancellation fee of £50. There was nothing we could do except swallow the theft and tell the obnoxious Manager Helen – to f**k off!!!
For anyone planning on booking a flight, please don’t use them.
Friday, 18 July 2008
Zorro!
For those of you reading my blog you will realise I am not uniformly kind to every show I see. I like to think I approach each play, musical or cabaret with an open mind. This week I found myself in the unusual position of reviewing a major West End musical 3 days after its official press night, so that I was free to cover the annual Spotlight Showcases at the Strand Palace Hotel. So by Thursday this week I had already had access to some reviews of Zorro, initially Michael Billington’s 4 star review for The Guardian but also The Metro’s mauling and in particular Mark Shenton’s turn of the screw on his Stage Website Blog. I felt I was not in for a great night. Upon my arrival I discovered that the opening was being delayed – badly delayed. 50 minutes later, with no real explanation, the show opened. I was not in the best of moods and had already sent texts to friends that I would have to cancel a date.
What took me by surprise was how good Zorro is. A real cracker of a show with a lively mix of camp humour, strong if a little sturdy dance routines, great musical numbers and an excellent story.
What took me by surprise was how good Zorro is. A real cracker of a show with a lively mix of camp humour, strong if a little sturdy dance routines, great musical numbers and an excellent story.
Mark Shenton continued his barrage of insults at the show and equally surprisingly began to harangue fellow critics for daring to like it too! I have an inordinate amount of respect for Mark’s place in the industry although I long ago realised our tastes differ to quite a degree. Quite where all this is coming from I am not sure but two of his commentators rally to his cause, in quite a ridiculous fashion, churning out the usual elitist rubbish Mark himself seemed to be hoping to avoid.
Thursday, 10 July 2008
A New Gay Musical
Words that usually send a shudder of anticipation down my spine, usually of a mixture of fear and exhilaration. So heading towards Barons Court with my fellow victim, Scott, I picked up my tickets for 24/Seven. A bigger shambles is unlikely to be seen in London in the London Fringe for quite a while.
Now nobody knows better than I the budget restrictions of mounting any theatre project in London but there is no excuse for, well, for want of a better word, incompetence. Firstly, we had been invited to the opening night as members of the press to review. There were about 6 people in the audience! Please, PR’s, remember if you can’t fill a Press Night, give up now! Give tickets away, if necessary but make sure there is a partisan contingent to applaud when necessary and offer support to the people on stage. The echoing silences between numbers must have been very daunting for the young cast.
That aside, there was very little reason to applaud anyway. The score was leaden, vaguely plagiarising various composers and reaching its notes loftily towards the level of opera. Whereas opera lends itself to broad themes and larger than life characters, 24/Seven was set in a caf̩ in Waterloo with work-a-day characters attempting broad themes. Profanity abounded, as it probably would with these characters, but none of it worked at all in this through-sung style. Think of the glorious turn in Jerry Springer РThe Opera where Chantelle explains that all she wants to do is fucking dance. Perfectly scanned, musically inspirational and a slick mix of pathos and aspiration. There were a few unintentional laughs from the lyrics which generally ranged from the banal to the hysterical. No attempt was made at design for this show, although the programme looked good. The young cast were very serious but not the greatest РI am guessing it is that time of the year when Edinburgh takes all the seasoned performers.
The biggest surprise were the writers who I had assumed were young college grads who were so new to scene. No! They seemed a little more seasoned than that. It also occurred to me that they may never have stepped into a café in Waterloo in their lives. Let alone one that covered a Prostitution racket, served liquor and did karaoke turns. Dear Lord! Sometimes you just want to give these people a good shake and tell them to go out and see what is being performed out there!
Now nobody knows better than I the budget restrictions of mounting any theatre project in London but there is no excuse for, well, for want of a better word, incompetence. Firstly, we had been invited to the opening night as members of the press to review. There were about 6 people in the audience! Please, PR’s, remember if you can’t fill a Press Night, give up now! Give tickets away, if necessary but make sure there is a partisan contingent to applaud when necessary and offer support to the people on stage. The echoing silences between numbers must have been very daunting for the young cast.
That aside, there was very little reason to applaud anyway. The score was leaden, vaguely plagiarising various composers and reaching its notes loftily towards the level of opera. Whereas opera lends itself to broad themes and larger than life characters, 24/Seven was set in a caf̩ in Waterloo with work-a-day characters attempting broad themes. Profanity abounded, as it probably would with these characters, but none of it worked at all in this through-sung style. Think of the glorious turn in Jerry Springer РThe Opera where Chantelle explains that all she wants to do is fucking dance. Perfectly scanned, musically inspirational and a slick mix of pathos and aspiration. There were a few unintentional laughs from the lyrics which generally ranged from the banal to the hysterical. No attempt was made at design for this show, although the programme looked good. The young cast were very serious but not the greatest РI am guessing it is that time of the year when Edinburgh takes all the seasoned performers.
The biggest surprise were the writers who I had assumed were young college grads who were so new to scene. No! They seemed a little more seasoned than that. It also occurred to me that they may never have stepped into a café in Waterloo in their lives. Let alone one that covered a Prostitution racket, served liquor and did karaoke turns. Dear Lord! Sometimes you just want to give these people a good shake and tell them to go out and see what is being performed out there!
Wednesday, 9 July 2008
Boots of Shame!
This year, if you have been paying any attention to this blog, I was party to Howard Hardiman’s installation at Gay Shame. The theme of Gay Shame was Masculinity and our corner of the Coronet Theatre was transformed into a Roman Spa, where the men who entered could strip, leave their belongings in a locker, don a white towel and enter at their own risk. Once inside they were at risk to infection from the Cock Zombies – evil, undead beings who would attack them with various fluids transforming them into the living dead.
The whole affair has certainly jumped to the top of my list of ‘Weirdest Jobs Ever’ and the evening was an absolute success. To begin with, Paul, my fellow zombie, were at a bit of a loss and spent our time grinding our hips trying to entice boys to part with their money. In the end we decided this was probably a little too scary and eventually they started trickling in. As the evening progressed it became more and more busy – non stop at one point – with men often stripping!!!! and some guys really getting into the ‘spirit’ – ahem.
At the door, Howard (our bait) lured the boys in, took their money and ensured they were stamped with the infected notice. It was quite freaky to see the zombies increasing in number throughout the evening and hopefully the very subtle point Howard was putting across was noticed by the clientele.
Howard has some images of the evening on his Flickr site (not sure what that is but it has lots of pictures on it) and Lloyd, my V.I.Z. (Very Important Zombie) called me today to let me know I was in QX Mag this week. Shame indeed!
My memories of the event can be summed up in this image. My boots for the evening – I wore boots and a towel for the event - splattered in blood and other vile fluids. What a great evening and many thanks to Howard, Paul and all those brave enough to enter. Also a big thank you to Jonotron – a jock strap no less? Shocking! Hee hee!
The whole affair has certainly jumped to the top of my list of ‘Weirdest Jobs Ever’ and the evening was an absolute success. To begin with, Paul, my fellow zombie, were at a bit of a loss and spent our time grinding our hips trying to entice boys to part with their money. In the end we decided this was probably a little too scary and eventually they started trickling in. As the evening progressed it became more and more busy – non stop at one point – with men often stripping!!!! and some guys really getting into the ‘spirit’ – ahem.
At the door, Howard (our bait) lured the boys in, took their money and ensured they were stamped with the infected notice. It was quite freaky to see the zombies increasing in number throughout the evening and hopefully the very subtle point Howard was putting across was noticed by the clientele.
Howard has some images of the evening on his Flickr site (not sure what that is but it has lots of pictures on it) and Lloyd, my V.I.Z. (Very Important Zombie) called me today to let me know I was in QX Mag this week. Shame indeed!
My memories of the event can be summed up in this image. My boots for the evening – I wore boots and a towel for the event - splattered in blood and other vile fluids. What a great evening and many thanks to Howard, Paul and all those brave enough to enter. Also a big thank you to Jonotron – a jock strap no less? Shocking! Hee hee!
Thursday, 3 July 2008
Catch Me If You Can
I will be at Gay Shame at the Coronet this coming Saturday on one of the stands. Come and say Hi - if you dare..........
New Painting
Inspired by my recent work I have a couple of days off coming up where I plan to make headway into a new art project. See if you can guess the subject of my affection. This one will be a 100cm x 100cm – hopefully it might even find a buyer!
In The Rawle
I had an interview this week with the lovely Matt Rawle who is about to step out on stage as the Latin do-gooder, Zorro! He was an absolute delight to interview - well, it was more like a chat, really - but he did let me take a couple of photos. Thank God! I do hope the show goes well for him.
For those out there who happen to be into feet, then here is a snap I took in the yard of the Garrick Theatre - I call it 'The Boots of Zorro'. It ties in quite nicely with the accidental 'footage' I got whilst I was recording the interview on my camera.
Sleep?!
If I remember rightly that’s something normal people do. My hours of slumberless fancy began, naturally, at the hotel where I managed quite well on Wednesday night. On Thursday morning I managed to snatch about 3 hours before heading off to interview the lovely Matt Rawle about his career so far and his new show, Zorro! I got home, thankfully by 3.00pm only to spend the next hour and a half trying to establish what is wrong with my USB connection. Apparently nothing that T-Mobile can understand! Back at the hotel by 10.00pm. Friday morning I got home and slept for another 3 hours before traveling out to Highbury & Islington for Terri’s wedding. I got back to the West End by about 7.00pm and popped in to see Lloyd. After another couple of snatched hours sleep we headed over to The Vauxhall Griffin for Pie & Mash where Matt ‘You have ruined my ma-ree-arge’ Lucas was DJ’ing. By 1.00am I could help myself no longer and traipsed back to the hotel where I collapsed into bed and slept solidly for about 10 hours. This can’t be healthy!!!! Thankfully it’s pretty rare.
Thursday, 26 June 2008
State of the Art
A title I have often used in publications when I simply can’t think of anything specific to write. I will give a run down of what’s happening in the West End at the moment. Here though, it is a little more desperate. I may have only lived in London for 10 years but I have never known the West End to be in such a state of flux. When I arrived Theatreland was riding on the crest of the long-run musicals – Starlight, Cats, Phantom, Saigon, Buddy, Les Mis – and naturally some are still running today. The point is that with the announced closure of Dickens Unbound, less than a month after it opened, it makes the third big West End failure in six months – Desperately Seeking Susan and Gone With The Wind being the other two. Marguerite seems to have advanced bookings for a while as well as a credible book and score but other than that, we await the opening of Zorro with much anticipation. Virtually re-cast for the West End – this one has been schlepping in the sticks with Amy Atkinson and Adam Cooper – we wait with baited breath to see if it will actually be any good. I hope so, at least if not for Emma William’s sake – two stinkers in a row doesn’t help a career as audiences might begin to question your judgement.
It is also interesting to observe that to accompany this fluctuating West End, legislation now insists that companies are no longer allowed to edit critics and thereby mislead audiences. The first noticeable changes are the publications that get quoted in the search for a favourable bon mot – Metro, Evening Standard or Daily Mail quotes are being replaced with Whatsonstage.com, South London Press or even The Stage. One quote, used in an ad for Never Forget, highlights the ‘best fire and rain effects on a West End stage’…….mmmmm, clutching at straws to find a good quote methinks.
To this end, I shall run a little competition – if you will. A couple of years ago I reviewed this show and hated it. If you were the Producer and this was all you had – how many doctored quotes could you get to drag audiences in? I have high-lighted an obvious one to give you the idea. There will be a small prize – probably a make-over or something - for the most quotes! Enjoy.
Saucy Jack and the Space Vixens
The Venue, London
6 December – 18 February
Across space in a seedy cabaret club a series of grisly murders occur by a character known as the Slingback Killer. As another artiste is discovered murdered the Space Vixens are called in to halt the blood lust and save the day with the Power of Disco.
The creators have put together a recipe for a real fun night out provided you don’t examine the ingredients too closely. Certain performances are quite powerful such as Fay Tozer as the voluptuous investigative vixen, Jubilee Climax. Carmen Cusack is quite superb as the lusty, biker-chick Chesty Prospects and until her entrance this show wobbles along on extremely dodgy platforms. Much is made of the Vixens prior to their entrance and thankfully they are actually worth the wait. Melitsa Nicola is a delight as Bunny Lingus and her scenes with Cusack are easily the best in the show. The rest is a mish-mash of sub-standard Rocky Horror fare held together with strong voices and sharp dance routines.
Wardrobe and make-up are particularly shabby with a design concept that shows little imagination and less skill. Discerning audiences may find that even the Power of Disco may not be able to save this night out.
It is also interesting to observe that to accompany this fluctuating West End, legislation now insists that companies are no longer allowed to edit critics and thereby mislead audiences. The first noticeable changes are the publications that get quoted in the search for a favourable bon mot – Metro, Evening Standard or Daily Mail quotes are being replaced with Whatsonstage.com, South London Press or even The Stage. One quote, used in an ad for Never Forget, highlights the ‘best fire and rain effects on a West End stage’…….mmmmm, clutching at straws to find a good quote methinks.
To this end, I shall run a little competition – if you will. A couple of years ago I reviewed this show and hated it. If you were the Producer and this was all you had – how many doctored quotes could you get to drag audiences in? I have high-lighted an obvious one to give you the idea. There will be a small prize – probably a make-over or something - for the most quotes! Enjoy.
Saucy Jack and the Space Vixens
The Venue, London
6 December – 18 February
Across space in a seedy cabaret club a series of grisly murders occur by a character known as the Slingback Killer. As another artiste is discovered murdered the Space Vixens are called in to halt the blood lust and save the day with the Power of Disco.
The creators have put together a recipe for a real fun night out provided you don’t examine the ingredients too closely. Certain performances are quite powerful such as Fay Tozer as the voluptuous investigative vixen, Jubilee Climax. Carmen Cusack is quite superb as the lusty, biker-chick Chesty Prospects and until her entrance this show wobbles along on extremely dodgy platforms. Much is made of the Vixens prior to their entrance and thankfully they are actually worth the wait. Melitsa Nicola is a delight as Bunny Lingus and her scenes with Cusack are easily the best in the show. The rest is a mish-mash of sub-standard Rocky Horror fare held together with strong voices and sharp dance routines.
Wardrobe and make-up are particularly shabby with a design concept that shows little imagination and less skill. Discerning audiences may find that even the Power of Disco may not be able to save this night out.
Doctor Who and the Attack of the Botox
As a fan of the series I was somewhat bemused by the appearance of Billie Fox nee Piper as Rose Tyler. Not in a peculiar plot-twist way, but in the fact that she seemed vaguely unable to speak without a lisp? What made me smile – thankfully I still can – is the fact that judging by the promo for this weeks exciting episode, Miss Barrowman has been zapped disastrously too! Will these beauties never learn?
Ever Feel The Urge?
I have never really been a big fan of takeaway food in the West End. When I have a shift at the hotel it can be so difficult to find something that can satisfy me. Now I have discovered how wonderful the Cornish Pasty Shop can be! One large traditional pasty left me feeling slightly guilty but thoroughly satisfied. I may try them more often now as it really filled a hole! .jpg)
A Midsummer Night's Pantomime
On what seemed destined to be a show-free week for me I was somewhat delighted when Lloyd called me to ask me to the RVT for a production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Naturally it was so sweet that somebody was actually asking me to a play and it was even more of a lovely surprise when it turned out that Jonotron, Howard and Griff were there too. Midsummer was a time for revels that seems to have been lost for many years and I thought it a marvelous opportunity for the team in Vauxhall to reclaim the festival and make it their own. And what better way than with this play! Upon arrival I studied the cast list with glee as it seems I had already reviewed each member and they all held a particular affection as promising stars in an increasingly eclectic cabaret firmament.
I can never quite fully take off my reviewer’s hat however and whilst I thoroughly enjoyed the evening’s entertainment I couldn’t help but wonder whether or not this had been a missed opportunity. Nathan Evans, who was responsible for the adaptation and also performed really hit the nail on the head giving relatively large audience just the sort of silly, camp entertainment they wanted. His cast were by and large impeccable. Each one, so used to handling a lively audience and ready and willing with a sly ad lib or an hilarious put-down – sadly ignored by a chattering bunch of late-arrivals right at the front! Rather like Shakespeare’s play this production was a broad, colourful pantomime interspersed with a few musical numbers, rhyming couplets, sauce, filth and audience participation.
Where was the opportunity that had been missed, I hear you ask? Rehearsal. Rehearsal. Rehearsal. The performances just – ONLY JUST - saved this show from looking thrown together the evening before. Nathan Evans – if you are listening – we deserve better than that so look to the future. You need to prepare this in plenty of time for next year. Fine tune the script, get the cast to commit, get access to more funding. Start a tradition. I want to be one of the people who in 10 years time whines on about how I was there when it all began. Make the RVT Midsummer Panto THE thing to do on Midsummer’s Night.
And if you ignore this? Well I may just have to put you over my knee, young man!!!!!
Saturday, 21 June 2008
Thursday, 19 June 2008
Quiz Night
It’s very rare that I manage to socialize with the people at work, save the occasional foray with Scott to a play. Last night a Quiz Night was organized at The Woolpack and I must say a rather good time was had by all. There was a meal – always a plus – and plenty of booze on tap. People were on fine form and the question rounds were a laugh too! They included a Tasting Round, where we had 10 bags of crisps and we had to guess the flavours; a Movie Soundbites round, that failed a little on sound quality and a TV Themes round – my strongest round. I must admit, you were fairly unlikely to get anything right in that round if you were born less than 25 years ago. Although a surprising number of people didn’t get The Sopranos – which I never watched.
TV Theme tunes wave over me with a glow of nostalgia and in actual fact, I have a bookmark on my computer at work to a site dedicated to many from around the world. If you fancy a touch of nostalgia, or a round or two against your loved one then click on the link to enjoy. Rediscover the delights of classics such as Laverne & Shirley, Cheers and St. Elsewhere or classic English fayre such as Juliet Bravo, The Gentle Touch or The Onedin Line.
Enjoy! And I hope you have better luck that my team had – we were fifth out of five!
TV Theme tunes wave over me with a glow of nostalgia and in actual fact, I have a bookmark on my computer at work to a site dedicated to many from around the world. If you fancy a touch of nostalgia, or a round or two against your loved one then click on the link to enjoy. Rediscover the delights of classics such as Laverne & Shirley, Cheers and St. Elsewhere or classic English fayre such as Juliet Bravo, The Gentle Touch or The Onedin Line.
Enjoy! And I hope you have better luck that my team had – we were fifth out of five!
An Offer I Can Quite Easily Refuse
This is the third message I have received on Gaydar in as many weeks in a similar vein. I am not sure what these boys, and they are just boys, are actually looking for but I was rather hoping my profile didn’t attract teenage Eastern European gold-diggers.
Hello!!!!!!!!!!!!My name Aleksandr!!!!!!! You know, what at you very remarkable structure? Yes it is valid so. I have read your structure. And you have seemed to me very good and remarkable the man. I would like to get acquainted with you. I would be very happy to our acquaintance. If you also want to get acquainted with me. I shall be very glad. Write to me on mine mail. Aleksandropen@rambler.ru
Hello!!!!!!!!!!!!My name Aleksandr!!!!!!! You know, what at you very remarkable structure? Yes it is valid so. I have read your structure. And you have seemed to me very good and remarkable the man. I would like to get acquainted with you. I would be very happy to our acquaintance. If you also want to get acquainted with me. I shall be very glad. Write to me on mine mail. Aleksandropen@rambler.ru
Sunday, 15 June 2008
Father Dear Father
Sunday has been rather fun but very knackering. Howard had a lovely party in Brockley to celebrate his birthday and after midnight I was in the garden fighting with lightsabres and drinking red wine. Also I got to slouch on the couch with Lloyd, which was nice. I got home at about 3.00am to find that Jules had fallen asleep on the sofa and had just woken up.
I got up at about 10.00am tidied up and then awaited the onslaught of children and fathers. I managed to get William and Taylor into the garden to help for a bit but they weren't very interested - I ended up doing a lot of work though, planting my sunflowers, some geraniums and replanting the lavender. I hope it was all worth it.
I then took the boys swimming which was very strange as, obviously, I could do very little except keep and eye on the kids and stop them from enjoying themselves too much. Back home there was a roast dinner in the garden. By the time they left at 7.00 I was out of it. Jules managed to take this photo of me after trying to be a father for a day! I think I will need to go back to Daddy School!
Wednesday, 11 June 2008
Family
I don't have a Father and have not had one for most of my adult life so Fathers Day has tended to pass me by much of the time. The concept of family life has bemused me ever since. I did not have a particularly good relationship with my Dad, although it was probably not much different than any other teen-son/father relationship. His death was sudden and to be honest I have never really been able to mourn him as he seemed so alien to me and I was so young, mentally at least, when he died of heart failure in 1981. I think my older brother was more affected by it as his teenage years were more angsty and there were lots of unresolved issues between the two of them. I remember him punching the wall in frustration when he died and the tears he shed. At the time I wondered why I shed none?
I have a very large family - six brothers and sisters and because of age differences and a mother who has managed to alienate so many of us, we have all gone on to lead separate lives. I am the only one who has moved out of Gloucester and in retrospect it was the only possible thing to do.
Large families do not necessarily make happy families. My parent’s was not a particularly happy marriage from what I could gather and I was too young to remember my father before the stroke that debilitated him for nearly a year. Essentially I grew up with a younger sister and an older brother in the home – my elder siblings had fled the nest and already building families. Father would be at the pub every night without fail and as I entered my teens my mother began seeing other men behind his back. We were encouraged to cover for her so I spent many nights growing up, praying that our mother would be back before my father got home. If she wasn’t, there would be trouble. No violence, to my knowledge but arguments, screaming, tears and trouble.
I spent many years thinking I understood my mother’s behaviour after dad’s death. Her re-marriage into a loveless union in order to have a nice home for once in her life. My new father didn’t like me and the feeling was quite mutual, but I left mother alone understanding how she needed the security he offered. It never occurred to me the damage my mother was inflicting not only on me, but on my younger sister, who was forced to move out and spent the next ten years suffering various mental breakdowns and entering a string of abusive relationships. When the step-father died two years ago mother was at last free to live her own life in a nice house where her family would be welcome. I visited her then and found it very difficult to talk to her. We had not held a proper conversation, a mutual understanding, for over 25 years. What can one say after this much time? I love you? I miss you? It’s so good to be able to communicate with you again after all this time? It was too late.
Since then, it appears I have another step-father. I was never informed of my mother’s new marriage, was not invited to the wedding and to this day, have no idea of my mother’s name. I have decided to keep it that way.
By a sheer fluke, however Me Julie's father, Jim will be arriving on Sunday for lunch. It has been a fair few years since I have seen him and Julie only invited him assuming he would once again refuse. He didn't - and he arrives on Sunday along with Julie's sister Sarah and her two boys William & Taylor.
So rather than spending a leisurely Sunday in bed with Lloyd he will no longer be coming over and frankly I don't blame him in the slightest – families are weird. It will be nice to see Sarah and the boys again - I shall take the boys swimming as it appears they both remember the last time I took them – 7 years ago. Seeing Jim will be odd, a bit like having a grown-up over for dinner. Let it be a day for Fathers. Jim will get a little drunk I suspect. Vincent in Ireland should be being spoiled rotten. I am sure that some bear community somewhere will be celebrating with a Daddy special in XXL or the Kings Arms.
I shall think of my father too and say a little prayer for him and all Fathers who are fighting for a chance to be allowed the right to communicate with their kids. I have learned through experience that not all mothers are natural parents.
I have a very large family - six brothers and sisters and because of age differences and a mother who has managed to alienate so many of us, we have all gone on to lead separate lives. I am the only one who has moved out of Gloucester and in retrospect it was the only possible thing to do.
Large families do not necessarily make happy families. My parent’s was not a particularly happy marriage from what I could gather and I was too young to remember my father before the stroke that debilitated him for nearly a year. Essentially I grew up with a younger sister and an older brother in the home – my elder siblings had fled the nest and already building families. Father would be at the pub every night without fail and as I entered my teens my mother began seeing other men behind his back. We were encouraged to cover for her so I spent many nights growing up, praying that our mother would be back before my father got home. If she wasn’t, there would be trouble. No violence, to my knowledge but arguments, screaming, tears and trouble.
I spent many years thinking I understood my mother’s behaviour after dad’s death. Her re-marriage into a loveless union in order to have a nice home for once in her life. My new father didn’t like me and the feeling was quite mutual, but I left mother alone understanding how she needed the security he offered. It never occurred to me the damage my mother was inflicting not only on me, but on my younger sister, who was forced to move out and spent the next ten years suffering various mental breakdowns and entering a string of abusive relationships. When the step-father died two years ago mother was at last free to live her own life in a nice house where her family would be welcome. I visited her then and found it very difficult to talk to her. We had not held a proper conversation, a mutual understanding, for over 25 years. What can one say after this much time? I love you? I miss you? It’s so good to be able to communicate with you again after all this time? It was too late.
Since then, it appears I have another step-father. I was never informed of my mother’s new marriage, was not invited to the wedding and to this day, have no idea of my mother’s name. I have decided to keep it that way.
By a sheer fluke, however Me Julie's father, Jim will be arriving on Sunday for lunch. It has been a fair few years since I have seen him and Julie only invited him assuming he would once again refuse. He didn't - and he arrives on Sunday along with Julie's sister Sarah and her two boys William & Taylor.
So rather than spending a leisurely Sunday in bed with Lloyd he will no longer be coming over and frankly I don't blame him in the slightest – families are weird. It will be nice to see Sarah and the boys again - I shall take the boys swimming as it appears they both remember the last time I took them – 7 years ago. Seeing Jim will be odd, a bit like having a grown-up over for dinner. Let it be a day for Fathers. Jim will get a little drunk I suspect. Vincent in Ireland should be being spoiled rotten. I am sure that some bear community somewhere will be celebrating with a Daddy special in XXL or the Kings Arms.
I shall think of my father too and say a little prayer for him and all Fathers who are fighting for a chance to be allowed the right to communicate with their kids. I have learned through experience that not all mothers are natural parents.
A Mellotron
Until today I didn't know what one of these was! Perhaps a Doctor Who monster? Really did not know. As of this evening, I have been asked to illustrate the front cover of the definative book about them. Want to know what one is? Look it up!!!!! Except you, Chris, who no doubt will be bristling with excitement over the project I am sure.
Thursday, 5 June 2008
Sex & The City
The fabled day finally arrived when on 28th May Sex & The City – The Movie opened in the UK. I dragged my poor unsuspecting date along to watch it at a very late showing in Leicester Square. Now let me say I am a fan of the series. I do not consider myself an unquestioning fan. I avoided much of Series 1 as I found the characters hard and decidedly un-likable. I have just revisited Series 2 & 3 on my new BT Vision service and it was nice to be reminded how great it became. It was not because of the shoes, and not because of the sex. It was simply because of the great writing. With this in mind, the movie could have been a stinker but the writing holds up and my date seemed to enjoy himself almost as much as I did. I shall not spoil the plot for those who have not seen it yet but fans will LOVE it and it manages to appeal to any newbies too.
I has just occurred to me however, that the movie may get a frozen welcome from those who work in the wedding industry. The average wedding now costs upwards of £20,000 and as Big cowered in the back of his limousine and watched Carrie scuttle to her humiliation in her gorgeous Vivienne Westwood frock I asked myself, are outlandish weddings guaranteed to frighten off the Groom?
I has just occurred to me however, that the movie may get a frozen welcome from those who work in the wedding industry. The average wedding now costs upwards of £20,000 and as Big cowered in the back of his limousine and watched Carrie scuttle to her humiliation in her gorgeous Vivienne Westwood frock I asked myself, are outlandish weddings guaranteed to frighten off the Groom?
Loving Art, Hannah and Martin - but not at the same time
My first week back in town meant getting straight down to The Landor Theatre in North Clapham where a new small musical would be premiered called Loving Art. I was rather excited about this for several reasons. Firstly, the Landor has a reputation for good musicals and secondly, it would be a good chance to gossip with Scott about what had happened since I had been away – particularly on Doctor Who and I’d Do Anything. That part of the evening went well and Scott bought me up to date but sadly Loving Art was execrable. Utter trash that finally changed my mind about the Landor. I had seen a couple of things there recently and none of it had been good but I felt it might have been a glitch. Nope. Loving Art has won the award this year so far for Turkey on the Fringe.
The following evening – keep up – I went to the newly renovated Courtyard Theatre in Hoxton to see Hannah and Martin. No, these aren’t a couple of installation artists it is a play. Could I get anyone to go with me? Fat chance! On paper this one is a stinker reeking of headlines such as ‘thought provoking’, ‘turmoil’ and ‘thematic’. The extremely un-sexy PR, and there is no other way this play can be promoted, is in fact a real diamond. A jewel of a story with a relatively strong cast and a second act that had me on the edge of my seat – gripping stuff. It’s a shame that the set looked like it had been put together that afternoon. I should have known it was going to be good when I finally realised that nobody was going to be there with me.
The following evening – keep up – I went to the newly renovated Courtyard Theatre in Hoxton to see Hannah and Martin. No, these aren’t a couple of installation artists it is a play. Could I get anyone to go with me? Fat chance! On paper this one is a stinker reeking of headlines such as ‘thought provoking’, ‘turmoil’ and ‘thematic’. The extremely un-sexy PR, and there is no other way this play can be promoted, is in fact a real diamond. A jewel of a story with a relatively strong cast and a second act that had me on the edge of my seat – gripping stuff. It’s a shame that the set looked like it had been put together that afternoon. I should have known it was going to be good when I finally realised that nobody was going to be there with me.
Gone - but not forgotten
Upon returning to the UK the biggest theatre news to hit me was the fact that Gone With The Wind, which opened on 22nd April will close before the last week in June. This is the closest I have ever been to a monumental failure – Gareth was on the crew and Lee was an ASM. I saw the opening night and quite frankly, I cannot understand where the money came from for it to open it was such a corker. That’s two big closures in less than six months (Desperately Seeking Susan being the other) – life on the West End must been feeling pretty grim at the moment. Still, I have Zorro - El Musical to look forward to in July – gulp!
Out Of Action
It may seem like a lame excuse but my laptop has been in the shop for repairs, hence the delay in blogging. Gareth, bless him, managed to spill a drop of Red Bull in the keyboard resulting in keys shorting left, right and centre. Until it is picked up, I have been using his keyboard and have managed to do a little bit of proper work. The rest of the time I just seem to have been cruising Wikipedia. If all this makes me seem a little lazy that is not the case and I shall try to publish some pieces – albeit without the facility of loading pictures – not that my camera has seen the light of day since NYC. Gosh, I am crap at the camera stuff!
Wednesday, 28 May 2008
The Date
Yesterday I went on a date. Readers to my blog may notice this is a relatively unusual occurrence but I think I actually dated the person who probably dates less than I. I think it went rather well, all things considered and hopefully there will be the chance of that fabled ‘second date’ that I have heard so much but rarely encountered. In one afternoon we ate, had coffee, watched a movie, walked to Brooklyn, sailed down the River Thames and had more coffee. It was all rather nice, although the mood I am in I felt I wanted to jump him at several points throughout the day - it's been a while. Naturally I am far too much a gentleman for that. We shall see.
Monday, 26 May 2008
New York Knights
In New York, everybody appears to be a cavalier, boldy attacking boundaries in their field to achieve success. Ralph and Tyron go from strength to strength as make-up artists. Ava is heading over here again in her bid to conquer the fashion world. Nomi is already here, taking the London Music scene by storm. Then there is Brian, who fortunately still knows how to flirt outrageously whilst wearing purple and keeping a lip line sharp; Hans' Interior Design; Florencio the muralist; Andy the model....the list goes on. Such a lovely last evening together in Williamsburg - Brooklyn's answer to Camden.
Today, I am back in London. It is raining, the washing machine is on and me Julie has done her best to not be annoyed that I had flung everything on the floor and slept for 24 hours. The garden has had some changes and my sunflowers need to be re-planted. Tomorrow I have to settle back into the idea of deadlines, 2 plays this week and start planning a few battles on the front myself.
Lets hope for a long hot summer.
Today, I am back in London. It is raining, the washing machine is on and me Julie has done her best to not be annoyed that I had flung everything on the floor and slept for 24 hours. The garden has had some changes and my sunflowers need to be re-planted. Tomorrow I have to settle back into the idea of deadlines, 2 plays this week and start planning a few battles on the front myself.
Lets hope for a long hot summer.
Friday, 23 May 2008
The Telectroscope
It is very difficult to explain, but the Telectroscope is an 'installation' set up both at Tower Bridge in London and Brooklyn Bridge in New York. At its simplest, it is a fibre-optics transmission between two continents allowing each to view the other in real-time - a bit like a large webcam. What makes this special is it's marketing. It's being sold as a Jules Verne-esque style tunnel from one to the other and is dressed as a large, brass, electronic telescope.
As I say, difficult to explain, but great fun. Whilst I messaged all and sundry to come along and wave hello, nobody managed to make it, but there again, it is the sort of thing that needs to be seen to be understood.
I have made plans for a 'wave' with my buddies over here sometime soon.
I'll give it a week before the first trans-Atlantic moon!!!!! Go Howard!!!! LOL
A Moment Away From My Story
Waking up in Brooklyn with a vague hangover and several messages to this site - are they mixed messages?
A Rumble In Chelsea
On this particular morning I got to the pool in good time to discover that it was warm and relatively empty. Sliding into the water I decided to go into the fastest of the three lanes as there was only one guy in there and I knew I could keep up with him - even though for some reason he was swimming in an anti-clockwise direction around the lane. For me, one length went well until I managed to punch the guy in the face from my over-swing. It really hurt my hand so God knows how it hurt him. Naturally I burst into an immediate apology, this kind of thing always happens in pools - but that wasn't good enough. Oh the language!!!! Get the f**k away from me you f**king dumb f**king mother-f**cka!!! Sorry? F**king sorry? You think sorry is f**king good enough?
I honestly thought he was going to hit me. I was so scared I swam an extra 10 lengths because I wanted to make sure he wasn't waiting for me in the locker room. Oddly I had the lane to myself all through the session? Perhaps I now have the reputation as the mean swimmer.
I honestly thought he was going to hit me. I was so scared I swam an extra 10 lengths because I wanted to make sure he wasn't waiting for me in the locker room. Oddly I had the lane to myself all through the session? Perhaps I now have the reputation as the mean swimmer.
Tuesday, 20 May 2008
Freezing temperatures followed by warm spells later.
The pool was absolutely freezing today. So cold, in fact, that even after the initial rush I didn’t warm up. Very scary! Finally I worked out that 1 mile at the Tony Dapolito Recreation Centre (pictured above) pool is actually 74 lengths. It’s a push as it’s so shallow I grated my knee and it’s over subscribed so I really have to slow down sometimes. But the staff are friendly and it's clean. Michael suggested I was very 'street' for finding it, whatever that means - tight, probably as it costs $37.50 to join for half a year. That's almost £5.00!!!
After a little wandering around and a visit to the trade show and the Temptu offices I returned home to realise that Ralph & Tyron are not back yet. If they were still on the shoot, then they must be knackered!!! I logged on, got some information and headed down to the View Bar for Woof! Apparently this is a regular Monday night feature and includes free food (I steered clear) and a PA from a popular Porn Star (we chatted, he stripped!)
I rather liked the atmosphere of this place. The clientele were cute and friendly, the drinks strong and the music – actually the music was really good. I know I can be a little backward when it comes to “happnin beats” but I liked their old school mix of cheese and classics immensely. I finally staggered home at 1.00am and fell into a deep sleep, clutching my picture of Ed :-)
After a little wandering around and a visit to the trade show and the Temptu offices I returned home to realise that Ralph & Tyron are not back yet. If they were still on the shoot, then they must be knackered!!! I logged on, got some information and headed down to the View Bar for Woof! Apparently this is a regular Monday night feature and includes free food (I steered clear) and a PA from a popular Porn Star (we chatted, he stripped!)
I rather liked the atmosphere of this place. The clientele were cute and friendly, the drinks strong and the music – actually the music was really good. I know I can be a little backward when it comes to “happnin beats” but I liked their old school mix of cheese and classics immensely. I finally staggered home at 1.00am and fell into a deep sleep, clutching my picture of Ed :-)
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