I'm Blathering Now...

There have been some amazing productions at my local theatre (Theatr Clwyd) recently and tonight's play was no exception. Set in 1942, Terrence Rattigan's play Flare Path tells the story of RAF Bomber Command. I sat down in the theatre looking at a simple stage set of a 1940's hotel lobby, listening to 1940's music and I drifted into a bygone era. The play centers on the crew of a Lancaster Bomber and their wives. RAF pilot Teddy is married to an actress, Patricia, and their happiness is to be tested by the arrival of the famous actor Peter Kyle, who it transpires is Patricia's ex-lover! Doris, a former Lincolnshire barmaid (Countess Skriczevinsky) is married to a Polish Count who is fighting with the British against Germany. It seems an unlikely match, however, as the story unfolds you can see why the two are together and why their relationship is so strong. The final couple is the Millers, Dusty (a tail-gunner) and his wife Maudie who has popped down on t

Morning after the night before! Was sat up until nearly 3 am boozing and gossiping, so why am I up before 8 am and embarking on making cups of tea for the household?! Well the best laid plans of mice and men have been totally thwarted. I was going to go and see a Punk exhibition at the Barbican, then a Russian Art and Literature exhibition, then a quick trip to F&M to restock my tea supplies. My mouth feels like a dried up sock and at 10 am I decided that I would follow my friends to the V&A for lunch instead! Still we got to look at a theatre exhibition before wending our way back to the flat and ready to visit the theatre again. (I can't believe I am doing this, I got a ticket last minute and now feel slightly foolish going to watch the same play two days on the trot). In the flat I started to be convinced that seeing the play again in a couple of weeks would be a good idea...I could hear my voice saying no I couldn't...but...........ohhhh how weak can I be???????

Well what an amazing week this has been! I have been far too giddy to write anything, but it is now time to pull myself together and share my experiences of another fabulous weekend in London courtesy of the Burketeers! Friday 18th March, everyone is tweeting and messaging about being at the Hampstead Theatre having lunch and getting all excited for the evening's performance of Neil LaBute's play, Reasons To Be Happy. I am still mopping the kitchen floor and in the North of Wales! Still I was on the "fast train" to London town; thankfully it lived up to it's name and at 4:30 I was sitting in the kitchen of a flat five minutes away from the theatre having a cup of tea! (How I wish I'd stuck to tea for the remainder of the night!) Upon arrival at the theatre a group of Burketeers got together for hugs, chat, and Prosecco. We then took our seats to watch the play. The play evolves around the lives of four characters whose lives are invariably intertwined. Thi

Just a quick post today to say I watched a fantastic play last night at Theatr Clwyd. It was called Jumpy, and starred Sara Stewart (Sugar Rush, Ashes to Ashes) as 50 year old Hilary. She is stuck in a rut, she is fearful of losing her job, she is having difficulties with her teenage daughter, her marriage is one of habit, and she feels that life is passing her by. Whilst the premise of the play sounds rather dreary, it is actually a hilarious play, peppered with poignant moments that most of the audience would be able to relate to at some point or other in their life. Sometimes you are laughing in sympathy with the characters, other times you are holding your sides crying with the absurdity of it all! The play is mainly set in the London home of Hilary, and the set is a simple one of stepped tiers for the cast to step in and out of shot as their roles require. Scenes changes are carried out by swift moving cast members as they provide costume and prop changes under the cover of

I must confess, to my great shame, I know very little of American history or literature. Is Jailbird a classic novel? I'm not sure, that is for you to decide. Vonnegut, however, is a highly respected and one of the most influential American writers of the 20th century. His most famous novel, Slaughterhouse-Five was inspired after he witnessed the Allied bombers destroy Dresden during WW2. Despite Vonnegut being such an influential writer, I had not heard of him. I read the play Reasons to be Happy, by Neil LaBute because Tom Burke is starring in the stage play and I wanted to know what the story was about. In one of the scenes, Greg, the main character which Tom plays, is reading Jailbird by Vonnegut. I Googled the book and decided that this would make an ideal choice for my March read in the 2016 Classics Challenge! Jailbird is a mixture of black comedy, satire and a potted history of the USA labour movement. Throughout the novel, the book shows the flaws in both political a

Since I've made it my goal to raise funds for Box Clever Theatre Company in 2016, I figured I should take the opportunity to find out what this company actually does! Sunday 6th March 2016 marked the 20th anniversary of the company, and as a Very Clever Friend (oh how I like being called that!) I was invited to share in their celebrations!  The afternoon commenced with a modern interpretation of the classic Romeo and Juliet. It was performed in the round, and the set was simply what looked like an oversized park bench! (Two "seats" at one level, with a higher third tier in the middle.) There were only three actors involved, Corey Stuckey as Romeo, Evie Taylor as Juliet and Maria Simmonds as the narrator. It was an inspired performance interlocking modern speech with inserts of the Bards words, but this mash up of modern and Shakespearean language was seamless, it didn't feel forced or contrived. fast paced, edge of the seat viewing I have watched Romeo