tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33621894321487349642024-02-20T06:03:37.006+00:00the soundtrack of my lifeHome to "The Inspirations Project"Markushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06725268741508370063noreply@blogger.comBlogger92125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362189432148734964.post-63124383289525191652012-07-05T06:22:00.000+00:002012-07-05T06:22:08.056+00:00ONE OF THE SMART ONES
LIZA MINNELLI – LIVE AT THE WINTER GARDEN CD
Back in the late eighties I would often head into “Cheapo Records” on Rupert Street and rummage through the racks to see what could tempt me. On some occasions I would come across something that I didn’t even know existed, such as when I found Liza Minnelli’s “Live At The Winter Garden” album. Recorded in 1974 well before “Cats” Markushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06725268741508370063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362189432148734964.post-35992726529894011862012-06-17T13:27:00.001+00:002012-06-17T13:32:57.460+00:00How Glad I Am that I discovered Aretha's jazz past
It has been sometime since I wrote regularly for my blog, so it’s high time I at least attempt to write the occasional paragraph. I seem to accumulate CDs and DVDs at such a ridiculous rate that I thought I would begin by writing the occasional review of the latest additions to my collection.
For my first selection I am taking a look at a recent compilation by the greatest of soul divas – Markushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06725268741508370063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362189432148734964.post-75370505081804235682010-10-10T15:07:00.002+00:002010-10-10T15:10:09.315+00:00Les Miserables Aux FollesLes Miserables Aux Folles As I write, it’s almost a week since I tried to get to the French revolution during a tube strike. OK, that’s a slight exaggeration, I was of course attending the 25th Anniversary concert of “Les Miserables” at Greenwich’s O2, but yes a tube strike was beginning that night, so my mind was possibly more occupied on how one earth I would get home rather than the joys of Markushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06725268741508370063noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362189432148734964.post-88742332735902748322010-09-30T19:59:00.003+00:002010-09-30T20:01:49.390+00:00It's Liza With A ZAs anyone who knows me intimately can tell you I have rather a big one. Now, now don’t let you dirty mind get you all carried away, what I am referring to is, of course, my comprehensive collection of CD’s and DVD’s. Barely a week goes by without me having to purchase the latest must have item for my listening or viewing pleasure, and the last week was no exception as I was woken with a thud onMarkushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06725268741508370063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362189432148734964.post-41274270140037081982010-04-11T20:11:00.000+00:002010-04-11T20:11:53.102+00:00Once Upon Another TimeIn the last few weeks the show-biz forums have been well and truly buzzing. It seems people were well and truly up in arms! How could Andrew Lloyd Webber have the audacity to produce a sequel to “The Phantom of The Opera?” How dare he write a follow up to the greatest musical ever? How dare he re-use a song he had already put in another show? These questions were only the tip of the iceberg asMarkushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06725268741508370063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362189432148734964.post-10940517527461483452009-10-04T11:19:00.003+00:002009-10-04T11:24:19.679+00:00If You Were WonderingWell, it’s been a while since I introduced you to one of my Really Useful People , so I thought it was high time that we caught up with a couple of my previous subjects and see what they are up to now.Firstly, erstwhile “Rusty”, Adam Ellis has had a successful run in “Pirates Of Penzance” at the Union Theatre and is shortly to make his debut in “Chicago” as Mary Sunshine. So if you want to see Markushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06725268741508370063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362189432148734964.post-68523134609838691972009-09-16T12:48:00.002+00:002009-09-16T12:49:06.575+00:00Baby Look At Me!High kicks and high fidelity, jock straps and leg warmers, big egos, big talents and sho sho sho shorofsky. Leroy Johnson, Doris Schwartz and Bruno Martelli. Friday night’s gonna be alright, Starmaker and if you don’t know by now what I am talking about the immortal words of Lydia Grant will give you a final clue. “You want fame? Well fame costs, and right here’s where you start paying…in sweatMarkushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06725268741508370063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362189432148734964.post-43717957997236719392009-08-30T15:38:00.002+00:002009-08-30T15:51:23.596+00:00I Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out DrySo I left you last time with a family reunion and The Doctor and Martha battling The Master. Well you will be pleased to hear that our intrepid time-travellers outwitted the malicious Time Lord. However, my neighbours were not so lucky. Needless to say they weren’t pitted against an alien megalomaniac….merely the drug squad. Yes, it was somewhat of a surprise to discover that just across the Markushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06725268741508370063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362189432148734964.post-17157085320753799782009-08-23T11:09:00.002+00:002009-08-23T11:10:09.475+00:00Back To BeforeWell, it’s been a long time hasn’t it? I must admit I have been trying to work out why it has taken me quite so much time to write another column. Perhaps it’s the seismic shock of hitting forty? Perhaps the stresses of a new show opening here at the Palladium? Perhaps even the fact that there hasn’t been a series proper of “Doctor Who” this year? Well who knows? I guess I will just have to useMarkushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06725268741508370063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362189432148734964.post-21410232777065435782009-02-26T20:51:00.001+00:002009-02-26T20:53:52.121+00:00Adieu, ADieu to Yieu and Yieu and YieuThis one was rejected from the really useful website - but I guess it IS a tad irreverent...Well, to paraphrase Oscar Hammerstein, our days in the hills have come to an end. Well almost, as 21st February sees “The Sound Of Music” take it’s final bows at the London Palladium after a successful run of over two years. One of the world’s most beloved musicals, it was hardly a surprise that Andrew Markushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06725268741508370063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362189432148734964.post-63457939436791209902009-01-08T18:17:00.001+00:002009-01-08T18:19:23.708+00:00Eartha, Gavalar and numerous alien threats!Well it’s been a little while since I have written an intranet column so I thought it was high time that I thought of something to write for you. After all with all the credit crunchiness of current newspaper articles a little diversion is called for. So, as 2009 begins it gives me a great excuse to look back on 2008.With all the current doom and gloom I think what we most probably need is an “Markushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06725268741508370063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362189432148734964.post-89125975811076266762008-12-04T20:18:00.001+00:002008-12-04T20:22:42.503+00:00Really Useful People - Uwe KroegerSo far my pursuit to find “Really Useful People” has brought you a Welshman, An Australian and an American. This edition sees me heading to Europe (metaphorically) to chat to German born leading man Uwe Kroeger who began his career as the first German speaking “Rusty” in “Starlight Express”. Later roles include the German premier of “Sunset Boulevard” and recording the role of the Phantom for theMarkushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06725268741508370063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362189432148734964.post-58188673187077295442008-11-17T20:08:00.001+00:002008-11-17T20:10:36.541+00:00Off With Her Head!“I’m Henery The Eighth I Am, Henery The Eighth I Am I Am”. Well, actually I am no such thing and don’t pretend to be. Neither, for that matter, did Peter Noone of Herman’s Hermits as he sang the preceding lyric back in the sixties. However, as happens every now and then Henry VIII and indeed all things Tudor seem to be capturing everybody’s imagination once more.Historical fiction both in print Markushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06725268741508370063noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362189432148734964.post-36933427231083484722008-10-21T13:23:00.003+00:002008-10-21T13:24:53.448+00:00Here's One I Made EarlierI have always been a woman who arranges things……no that’s Dolly Levi, what I mean to say is I that I have always been a sucker for nostalgia. Taking that into account 2008 has seen me getting all nostalgic for two television shows that were a huge part of my childhood.Recently I was quite saddened to hear that “Grange Hill” had drawn to an end after thirty years and thirty one series. Of course Markushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06725268741508370063noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362189432148734964.post-63695918008336255202008-09-27T09:30:00.002+00:002008-09-27T09:35:25.245+00:00An interview with Broadway's Liz CallawayOnce again it’s time to meet another of my Really Useful People, this time I head across the Atlantic (if only the trip was for real!) to talk to Broadway leading lady Liz Callaway.Liz is possibly best known for a Tony nominated performance in the musical “Baby”, being part of the original New York cast of “Miss Saigon”, and “Follies In Concert” at the Lincoln Centre.She has also voiced lead Markushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06725268741508370063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362189432148734964.post-87812710874651945142008-08-19T14:31:00.001+00:002008-08-19T14:32:34.243+00:00Tooby Ooby WallaFull frontal nudity. I can’t believe I just said that…….Full frontal nudity. Oops I did it again! Well this column is not usually somewhere you find that sort of thing and no, don’t worry, you are safe to scroll down to the photo – no nudity there. In all honesty just as such a thing is rare here it is also rare on the musical stage – but with some notable exceptions….2008 sees the fortieth Markushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06725268741508370063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362189432148734964.post-65782546726519428432008-08-07T14:39:00.001+00:002008-08-07T14:41:54.097+00:00So You Want To Be A Nun?So what is it with all the Nazi’s? I worked for years in the West End without a Nazi in sight but in the last few years they seem to be everywhere. It’s ironic really. There were less than a handful of musicals which included them amongst their characters, and now not only have most of them been produced, but more have been created.First we had the comedy Nazi’s of “The Producers” and from then Markushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06725268741508370063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362189432148734964.post-61867292304966123912008-06-26T09:45:00.001+00:002008-06-26T09:47:24.427+00:00No Me DigaIt’s always interesting to keep an eye and ear pointed towards Broadway to see just what is going on there, and to ponder what shows may make their way to the other side of “the pond”. Of course there are those amongst us that make regular forays to the big apple and see all of the new shows at first hand. I am not one of those people. Boo Hoo. However it’s well known that I am a CD addict so I Markushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06725268741508370063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362189432148734964.post-11865545809733187682008-06-13T10:23:00.001+00:002008-06-13T10:25:55.498+00:00Well Well - Do tell!Ten or so years ago the country, well most of the western world, was in shock. The dreaded event had happened. Yes, Take That had split up! This was by no means the first time that the world was “shaken” by events in the pop industry however. For that we have to look back around fifty years ago to the seismic shock that was felt at the news that Elvis Presley was going to do his national service!Markushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06725268741508370063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362189432148734964.post-2855988322473484932008-05-28T09:18:00.002+00:002008-05-28T09:21:38.095+00:00Really Useful People - Adam EllisSo what is “Really Useful People” all about? Simply put, it’s a new feature where we get to find out about people connected to Really Useful and/or the musicals of Andrew Lloyd Webber.Our first subject is performer Adam Ellis. Adam graduated from Laine Theatre Arts in 2003 and has been in “Barnum”, “Do I Hear A Waltz” and “The Pirates Of Penzance” over the last few years. Most notably Adam has Markushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06725268741508370063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362189432148734964.post-74286375522654309592008-05-20T15:26:00.002+00:002008-05-20T15:27:45.850+00:00Reviewing The SituationSmall pleasures? Well some things are more of a guilty pleasure. Cream cakes, Marks and Spencer’s crisps, facebook and of course “I’d Do Anything” all definitely fall into that camp. What often amuses me is how much my facebook friends seem to obsess over the television search for “Nancy”. They are joining groups announcing their support of a particular contestant and their status often bemoans Markushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06725268741508370063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362189432148734964.post-2807573015871863882008-05-15T13:07:00.002+00:002008-05-15T13:08:17.925+00:00Why Can't The Past Just Die?A long long time ago in a galaxy far far away……well actually just a short way across the west end…..I set foot in a theatre box office for the first time. Before I say anything else I should probably clarify that I was VERY young. In fact I was just eighteen. It wasn’t the first time I had worked in a theatre either, as I had worked at the Palladium as an attendant for the previous three school Markushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06725268741508370063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362189432148734964.post-63910143883353575392008-04-30T13:45:00.002+00:002008-05-02T10:43:17.739+00:00A Light At The End Of The TunnelNow where was I? Oh yes! I was in Germany with a bar of Suchard’s Milka watching Musical Showstar 2008. Well, the holiday was soon over but I did manage to watch the two further editions of this casting show online. It’s not nearly as comfortable sitting at my PC, and yes I did miss the chocolate, but it was great to be able to log on and see what happened next.As you will remember the point of Markushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06725268741508370063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362189432148734964.post-75306314708816794662008-04-23T14:11:00.002+00:002008-04-23T14:12:56.924+00:00I Am The StarlightOn the first day the lord created Maria. He soon realised that he had a hit on his hands so it wasn’t long before Joseph followed, and others too got on the bandwagon. Two years on and these reality/talent shows are very much part of the entertainment landscape. Last year saw casting shows for “Grease” both here and in America, and now it seems that it’s gone worldwide. So far this year the trendMarkushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06725268741508370063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3362189432148734964.post-32972773680127464832008-04-16T14:06:00.001+00:002008-04-16T14:10:14.168+00:00What Do We Do We Fly?One o-clock and you're at the gate, Two o-clock and the flight's delayed, When you finally leave it's eight, And what do we do? We fly!Well that’s Stephen Sondheim’s take on air travel “What Do We Do We Fly” from his sixties collaboration with Richard Rodgers – “Do I Hear A Waltz?”Forty years on and it seems the pitfalls of flying have changed relatively little. It was with some trepidation that Markushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06725268741508370063noreply@blogger.com0