Spring Time Shopping

Ahh spring-time is nearly upon us and as a result I have occasionally/quite often found myself in some actual real-life-outside-my-house shops when I can bare to venture into the freezing February frosts.

Here are a few of my favourite bits that make me feel happy and spring-y. Denim is big for Spring/summer in every form and I love this pinafore/pink bomber jacket combo. When I saw it I thought to myself - 'what that needs is some cute ankle socks, silver platform sandals, sunnies and an elephant ring' Et Voila!

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Dress: Cheap Monday, Jacket: Ganni, Sandals: River Island,  Sunglasses: ASOS,  Ring: Alex Monroe. 

Man and Superman Review

Cross George Bernard Shaw, a killer cast, and the National Theatre’s props and staging budget and what do you get? A pretty epic night out at the Theatre (and I mean epic in both the sense that it’s good and that it’s heading towards four hours long…). Last night I had the privilege of being in the audience for the first preview of Man and Superman at the National Theatre, and to cut to the chase – it was great!

Ralph Fiennes plays the lead -- Jack Tanner, a Bachelor fleeing from his own heart, to please his mind and warped morals. He led us through a complex, witty narrative – a love story of sorts – that grapples with philosophy, and the meaning of life and happiness. The naturalism is broken with a dream sequence set in hell, with Lucifer and Don Juan (Tanner’s great ancestor) meeting to discuss what it is women and men really want.

After the interval, we met Anna and Don Juan in Hell – or John Tanner’s dream. The excitement which the scene began with – after Lucifer’s prop cart was thrown across the stage by a rogue trap door mechanism – was quickly lost to monologues that, while sparking relatively interesting philosophical debate, were actually very long and, I felt, quite boring.

At times I found myself alienated by out-of-date philosophies. It’s hard to connect with Indira Varma’s Anna when she agrees with Don Juan’s outdated proposal that women only use men to have babies, and only want to have babies in general. Perhaps in 1903 this was a more understandable opinion but its 2015 and I was left feeling that authenticity of the text could’ve been sacrificed to better  represent modern values.

Despite being the main attraction, Ralph Fiennes doesn’t steal the show in the way you would expect. It is Tim McMullan who plays both Lucifer and the romantic brigand Mendoza on the mountains who quickens the pace, and pulls us back in when concentration is waning. He rescue’s the dream sequence, with humour and presence, and actually makes it one of the funniest bits in the show.

In both acting, and staging terms this show is a mighty force. When a prop receives its own round of applause you know you've done something right. However, despite hardly being able to fault any individual acts of the play, it was simply just too long. We are a culture of kiss me quick entertainment with waning attention-spans,and asking people to squeeze into uncomfortable seats, and try and concentrate for a full 1hr 45mins each half is just too much. We all left a little weary, and that is not the reaction a piece of theatre like this deserves.

Man and Superman is at The National Theatre from 25/02/2015

My (twenty) Fourth Birthday!

I turned 24. That's right - mid-twenties - as all my young fresh-faced 23-year-old friends like to keep reminding me. I realize in real-life 24 is actually not that old at all, but it just sounds a lot older than 23. I'm supposed to be a married lawyer with 4 kids, a dog and a holiday home by now right?

But these days life doesn't really work that way, and to be honest I'm pretty glad about that. Although, the dog and holiday home sound pretty great.



I started the day, quite sophisticatedly, wandering down Columbia Road. As beautiful as the flower market is - the area is a thriving community of independent shop and restaurant owners selling unique and interesting pieces, great coffee, and delicious food.

I was quite naughty and brought myself lots of treats, but it is a wonderful way to spend a (relatively) sunny Sunday morning, with minimal cost - if you don't get tempted like me!

After lunch, we then found our way over to Spitalfields City Farm. It's got a lovely coffee hut for the adults, but most importantly lots of lovely animals to satisfy your inner child. It is also free, but they do ask for donations, and as it's such a lovely place for both local children and adults to visits please do give what you can. The sun came out just as we arrived and we had a truly joyful experience. The goats were my favourite.

Theatre tickets on a budget!

Over the last few weeks I was lucky enough to score tickets to both Frantic Assembly’s Othello, and Gecko’s Institute.  I have never been more theatre-excited as I have been in the run up to January. For the total £35 ticket price paid for two shows I wanted to share my tricks for finding affordable tickets in the ever over-priced, ever west-end-dominated theatre‘s of London.



I splashed out a whole £20 note on Gecko, and for three tickets this does add up! Being a long-standing fan, I would've liked to get the best seats in the house, but as I have been to that theatre before I knew it was relatively small, and would still get a great view two rows from the back. I was a bit cheeky with these tickets, as I bought them as my mum and sisters Christmas presents – in a gift for you, but really for me kind of way - so I also had a nice excuse! It was more than worth the money as I was, once again, completely amazed by what I saw at the Royal Opera House’s Linbury Studio Theatre from Gecko.

Frantic Assembly’s tickets were cheaper at £15. Believing I would find Frantic’s work as impressive as the rest of the twitter-sphere seems to – I couldn't wait to trek the hour over to the Lyric Hammersmith, and indulge myself. I was disappointed, as I feel may only be inevitable after being exposed to what must be a thousand 140 character rave-reviews from school groups. Not the best £15 ever spent, but I still enjoyed the show, and I was lucky enough to have the cost covered by work this time (perk of an art’s salary).  It’s always a good idea to consider travelling out of Zone 1. Theatres like the Lyric, the Hampstead Theatre, and Greenwich often have great touring shows for a fraction of the price they are in the West End.



If you are under 25, you are in luck! The National Theatre’s Entry Pass, gets you in to top shows for a fiver, but you will be sat at the back row of the Olivier where sometimes those tiny binoculars would be useful! The Young and Old Vic’s both have schemes for under 25’s where tickets start from £10, even after they transfer to the west end! So don’t be put off if you missed a show the first time round!

Over 25’s fear not, as the National also hold its annual Travelex Season (normally end of summer to Autumn time) where tickets start from £12. Often, trips to fringe theatres (Southwark Playhouse is always a good one to try) or festivals (Institute was performed as part of the London International Mime Festival) will get you tickets at a fraction of the price, and you often get to see something new, interesting and refreshing – that’s no guarantee of its quality though!



 

Often restricted view seats are significantly cheaper, and whilst sometimes it’s fine,  be wary. Being stuck behind a pillar, and trying to not to bang heads with the people sat either side as you peer round to catch a glimpse of the top corner of the stage does not make a great environment for taking in a show.

When you consider the £150 top tier seats for shows like the Lion King or Book of Mormon, there are tickets out there that are basically pennies in comparison. In my opinion, watching new shows is one of the most important things to do when you work in the arts industry. It gives me inspiration, knowledge, keeps my ideas relevant, and reminds me why I went into the industry in the first place. So I try not to let the cost put me off.