What's Occuring?

The period between October and February are filled with looming deadlines at the paper including the Christmas Issues, seasonal shows and the annual make-up and costume feature that precedes the International Make-up Artist Trade Show. Add to this the Off-West End Awards and a personal life and you are close to understanding the long space between a languid weekend in Belfast that already seems light years away and IMATS on February 4.

Please understand that I am not complaining, by any stretch of the imagination. I love the work I do and feel honoured at the opportunities I have been given over the last few years. It is just at this time of the year I usually begin to loose focus and have to gather my thoughts before heading forward. I suppose that this is the real time for a holiday and in fact, I have booked a few days off.

I shall try to make the most of it, although it now contains two feature deadlines, a visit to the Landor to see Lucky Stiff, a visit to Catford to see Romeo & Juliet, the IMATS show and the Off-West End Awards Ceremony.

Hopefully I will be able to get some painting done too.....

My Lips Are Sealed

Last Thursday saw the judging of the Off West End Awards, where myself and several of London's leading theatre critics got together to whittle down the long list to discover the finalists and indeed winners for 2011. Locked in a room with nothing but bottomless coffee and Smarties for sustenance (Cheers, Diana!) we pondered a year in theatre and choose what I consider to be a particularly valid list of names and shows.

The results have actually been embargoed until 26th January, where The Stage Newspaper will break the news. I believe there are quite a few surprises in there and I am now looking forward to the award ceremony at the Theatre Royal Stratford East. In the meantime, congratulations to all those who made the short list and good luck for February 5th.

I'll Sit This One Out, Thank You!

So far, I had managed to avoid Dreamboats and Petticoats, which had done the rounds of the provinces and finally landed in the West End at several venues including the Savoy and the Playhouse. Karaoke style musicals are a bit of a hit-and-miss affair at the best of times and this week I witnessed the birth of another. Save The Last Dance For Me by Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran uses the music of Pomus and Shuman to colour the simple tale of a holiday romance between a schoolgirl and an American GI. Amiable enough, producer/director Bill Kenwright has employed a young cast, many of whom fail to exhibit the emotional maturity vital to handle themes of race and sex. In the casts defense the story takes a very definate second place to the songs, which interrupt the narrative with a monotonous regularity.

Save The Last Dance For Me features some particularly well arranged versions of classic pop songs but an undernourished libretto and so-so acting let the side down.

Glitter And Be Gay

It seems strange to imagine that I wrote this whilst on my way home from Sean's other weekend. The power of the iPad I suppose and the joy of a relatively empty train from Croydon. This week has seen the beginning of my review year with pithy first two plays having a gay theme. Firstly, the private life of playwright Terrence Rattigan was examined in The Art Of Concealment by Giles Cole at the Jermyn Street Theatre and secondly TV chat show hell reared it's ugly head in Sleeping With Straight Men by Ronnie Larsen at the ATS.

Both plays are somewhat flawed, fleshing out the characters and situations in too broad strokes. Each play contained several unexplored plot opportunities and the Rattigan biog had at least one character who was decidedly superfluous to requirements. The questions raises its ugly head of which of the two I preferred. By far and away it was Sleeping With Straight Men.

The company Above The Stag created a really good atmosphere with their play, which could also boast a much more refined design element - certainly with David Shields the design at ATS has improved greatly. The broadness of the drama was matched by some thoroughly OTT performances that enhanced the entertainment value of the piece rather than working against it.

For me the Rattigan play should have known better. Exposition abounded with moments of clunky dialogue and whilst there seemed to be plenty of good ideas bouncing around, none of them were explored deeply enough. There was however a particularly absorbing performance from Charlie Hollway as Rattigan's lover Michael.

Back To The Grindstone

My first week back at work has not been too bad all things considered although I couldn't wait for a bit of "me" time by Thursday. With IMATS at the beginning of February, the OFFIES and changing my role at the office this month is going to be pretty hectic. My first swim of the year on Tuesday morning wasn't too bad at all and I cycled to work and back AND got to the gym twice already. I am aiming to go to the gym at least 3 times a week and to swim a minimum of 10k per week. I have also scheduled for what the gym people call a RE-FOCUS, which is where I should imagine they will explain to me where I am going wrong. I was thinking that if I could keep this momentum up during my busiest period, then hopefully I might be able to top it up later. Who knows?

Next week, I start back with my reviewing with The Art of Concealment at Jermyn Street followed by Sleeping With Straight Men at Above The Stag. I am rather looking forward to both of them as well as seeing old friends for the first time in the New Year.

In the meantime, here is a snap I took on the way through Crystal Palace Park this morning on my way to the train. The park continues to astound me after living here for nearly two years.

Twenty Twelve

OK, so here we are at the beginning of a New Year. Some people can be very cynical about giving themselves goals - achievable or otherwise - at the beginning of the year. I tend to not be one of those people. Because my life both personal and professional, tends to lack formal structure simple goals help me to focus. Last year I had about 12 resolutions of which I feel I completed about 4 or 5. I had forgotten that lifting myself from the pool was one of them - now it's second nature! I gave up on swimming in all the pools on my list - I simply didn't have the time! So here are my resolutions for 2012:-

Drink more water

Make more of an effort with the blog and social networking*

Maximise my exercise regime - gym, swim and cycle.

Make more time for painting.

Assist with a charity.

Sell things on EBay*

Not be cynical about the Olympic Games in London

* hopefully all much easier on my new iPad

So a Happy New Year, one and all and here's to a riveting twenty-twelve!