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Last night I was invited to watch the 30th anniversary tour of Fame The Musical at The Bournemouth Pavilion with BH Live. I was so excited to see it! Fame was my first ever musical experience when I was 10 years old! I went on a school trip to London to see it. I am sure this childhood experience is what gave me my love of the theatre.
The show certainly didn’t disappoint! It was a colourful feast for the eyes, and a musical joy to the ears! The cast were incredible! I have never seen such a talented cast as a whole, they were faultless. Everyone that sang literally gave me goose bumps! The theatre came alive, the energy was high, and I was absorbed in the characters lives.
Just to give you a bit of background… Fame The Musical follows the lives of students at New York’s High School For The Performing Arts as they navigate their way through the highs and lows that life throws at you.
The actors all portrayed their characters very well, and each character was unique. In particular the character of Carmen Diaz was played incredibly well, by Stephanie Rojas. You really felt the pain she was going through. She was an extremely talented actress, her voice was out of this world! The actors were playing people a lot younger than themselves, this can be a challenge in itself, but I felt they did this well, and it wasn't a distraction for me. Perhaps at times the narrative was a little bit behind the times, (it was originally written 30 years ago), but you still get that people face similar things in today's society.
The set was simple yet effective. I think the lighting played a huge part in this. By using the back drop of the students faces, and changing the lighting on it, it made you feel like the set was constantly changing with very little effort (from a set design point of view). I also liked the way props were incorporated into dance routines, a great way of keeping the performance alive.
At times the audience were made to feel like you were there to watch the characters auditions or performances. This was very clever. At one point a teacher came into the auditorium aisle, writing notes on the actors performances. By breaking the forth wall, it made it feel like you were almost in a virtual experience, At the end of the performance the entire auditorium were on their feet dancing to "Fame", the cast were so strong at this point, you felt like you were part of their performance. I left the theatre on such a high! Fame is on at The Bournemouth Pavilion until August 31st, I would definitely recommend it for a fun night out! (This was a gifted experience via Bournemouth Bloggers, however all of the above opinions are my own. The images belong to BH Live and me)
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The Hubby and I enjoyed a thrilling night at The Bournemouth Pavilion, thanks to BH Live and Bournemouth Bloggers! We were lucky enough to watch The Mousetrap! If you haven’t heard of it before, it is a murder mystery play by Agatha Christie. The Mousetrap is one of the longest running plays, opening in London's West End in 1952!
I don’t want to give too much away as we are sworn to secrecy to never reveal the ending, but I will tell you what I thought about the play in general.
The tone was immediately set as the theatre went dark, opening with the murder of a woman, played out in sound, which echoed around the 1929 theatre (the perfect setting for a murder mystery). The curtain lifted and I was astonished by the incredible set of Monkswell Manor, which was recently converted to a guesthouse. The attention to detail was fabulous. From the different entry points, to working lamps that were turned on and off throughout the performance. The set was used like a real life room, it was very believable, and complimented the dialogue.
We were then introduced to the characters including Mollie and Giles Ralston and their four guests staying in their guesthouse. All of the actors played their characters very well, all of which were very different. Watching them I felt like I had been thrown back to a family Christmas, sitting down watching an Agatha Christie on the TV. It was very special to watch it all taking place in front of my own eyes. As well as it being a thriller there was also a lot of humour throughout the play, giving it light and shade. The character of Christopher Wren really stood out, he was utterly hilarious and superbly played.
As the play develops there are many twists and turns, keeping the audience on their toes. The murderer's identity is divulged in Act 3. At the end of the performance, we were asked not to reveal the identity of the killer to anyone outside the theatre, to ensure that the end of the play is not spoilt for anyone.
We both really enjoyed the play, and I would highly recommend it. It is on at The Bournemouth Pavilion until August 10th, so grab your tickets quickly to find out who done it.... (This was a gifted experience via Bournemouth Bloggers, however all of the above opinions are my own. The images belong to BH Live and me)
I was lucky enough to head back to The Bournemouth Pavilion this week to watch the International smash hit show New Jersey Nights, with Bournemouth Bloggers, and BH Live. The show is a celebration of the music of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons, and takes the audience on a nostalgic musical journey.
VOCAL GYMNASTICS, glitz, AND JAZZ HANDS
I will be honest, I didn’t know much about the show beforehand (which is a bit of a surprise as I LOVE music), I therefore didn’t have any expectations. On arrival I noticed the age range was a little older than myself. My Nan said she would have loved it. I get why now as the music genre is mostly from her era. This didn’t matter, as I still recognised some of the songs, and loved seeing everyone dancing and singing along.
I liked that the show was predominately focused on the singing and dancing. Occasionally the singers did speak to the audience in character, providing us with information about the bands which was interesting. During the first half of the show the four singers were in front of a set, and the band were hidden behind. I was desperate for the band to come out, so we could see them playing live. They did towards the interval (much to my delight). I found this much better, as I really felt the music come to life, and the audience did too. The four singers were incredible. They sang solo, but also as a group allowing them all to shine. The best bits (for me) were when they harmonised… it was like listening to silky butter. DANCING, LAUGHTER, AND CHEERS
The costumes throughout the performance were stunning, So many sequins and sparkles. There were quite a few costume changes, which were slick. The costume designer really stuck to each genre really well. I genuinely thought the costumes were fantastic.
New Jersey Nights was great fun, thank you BH Live for the gifted tickets. By the end everyone was on their feet dancing, singing and clapping. If you are looking for a night full of smiles, nostalgia, dancing, and glitz this is the show for you! New Jersey Nights is still on in Bournemouth, running until August 3rd, so grab your tickets quickly! (This was a gifted experience via Bournemouth Bloggers, however all of the above opinions are my own. The images belong to BH Live)
A trip to the theatre you say? Go on then… I have always loved going to the Theatre! Being transported into another world is something else. When the opportunity came up to go and watch the live West End hit show “The Tiger who came to tea” with my little lady I jumped at the chance.
It was my first time taking her to the theatre, I was so excited to introduce her to one of my favourite arts. On arrival at the beautiful Poole Lighthouse I explained to her what a theatre was and showed her around. The buzz in the foyer was something else. So many families all excited to watch the show. We took our seats and the show began… ENGAGING ACTING, MAGICAL SETS, AND fun interaction
We were introduced to the three actors who were fantastic throughout. Straight away you felt their energy, and were transported into their daily lives. Through the fantastic use of props, costumes, bold physical movement (of the actors), audience participation, singing, and narrative all of the children (and adults) were entertained throughout. My lady was absolutely mesmerised. The show lasted 55 minutes which was the perfect length of time.
The narrative and repetition throughout was very clever. It kept the audience on their toes and apart of the magic. Seeing the smiles on the children's faces, and hearing them shout out to characters was priceless. There was nothing stuffy or pretentious about it. The children were free to interact with the show, breaking down the fourth wall. SMILES, LAUGHTER, DANCING AND COLOUR
We came out of the show buzzing, as were many other people. My lady said she loved it. The next morning she even told her nursery that she had seen a Tiger!! If you are looking for something fun to do as a family I would highly recommend the show, it has something for everyone!
This was a gifted experience. All of the opinions are my own. The bottom three images were taken by Robert Day. |
ABOUT ME
Hi! I am Katie... a new mum trying to balance life, work and a beautiful baby girl! I love to take photos, travel, write, make art, and spend time with my family! xx
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