So, To Sum It All Up - Summer Summary

Hi!!!

Well, hello again! I'm back from my travels (and I had a very nice time) and thought that as it is now September, a summer summary was in order, to fill you in on everything I've been up to. I haven't written a summary in ages but this was really fun to write and I hope you like it.



I've been to the theatre a lot this summer - I went to see Sunny Afternoon at the Harold Pinter (which I enjoyed lots), King Lear at Malvern (which I didn't ever get round to reviewing, but was good), No Villain at the Trafalgar Studios (which I wasn't all that impressed by, to be honest), The Seagull at the National Theatre (which was amazing), and The Plough and The Stars at the National Theatre (which was a very good production). I'm super lucky to have seen such a variety of plays and to see some really memorable productions. I also went on a tour of the National Theatre and for afternoon tea - I got tickets for my birthday - and it was awesome and something I would highly recommend.

 

I celebrated my birthday in July, as I do every year. It was lots of fun. I spent my birthday with my family and had a lovely time catching up with everyone. I also spent some time with my friends as part of a joint-birthday-type-thing with Elf Girl which was great. I was fortunate enough to receive lots of lovely cards and presents, which I'd like to say thank you for once again.

 

I've also been to a whole bunch of places this year. I've been in London a few times, which I always enjoy, I went to Cambridge to see some outdoor Shakespeare performances and see my cousin, I stayed in Watford for some family time and I went to Cyprus for a week with my Mom and Auntie S, which was such a great trip. We went to archaeological parks, the beach, to see a waterfall, to castles and we ate some wonderful meals.

 

Some other things that deserve a mention include - going to the cinema with my friends, getting my guitar, feeling really proud of my blog and content and regular posts, watching movies and getting the right answers on quiz shows.

 

So, to some it all up, I've had a really rather wonderful summer - I've spent time with my favourite people, I've been to great places, I've seen plays, I've read books, and I've enjoyed myself.

Happy September everyone, I hope you're having a good week so far.
What have you been up to this summer? What were your favourite parts? Have you got any comments or suggestions for future posts? Let me know in the comments below!
Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed this post.

Have a spectacular day!

 

GingerSnaps xxx

It's Showtime!!! - Theatre Review - A Tour Of The National Theatre and Afternoon Tea.

Hi!!!

As I've mentioned previously, I spent a lot of time at the National Theatre in the week following my birthday. I saw two shows (which I reviewed here and here), but that wasn't all. One of my birthday presents was a tour of the theatre and afternoon tea at one of their restaurants. Here are my thoughts.



 The tour takes you behind the scenes, with time in each theatre within the National - the Olivier, the Lyttelton and the Dorfman - and also the props and set departments.

 

The tour is conducted in groups which are medium sized - there  are quite a few people and yet not too many, so if you have any questions, you'll be heard. You're given orange vests to wear so that none of you get lost and they are pretty snazzy.

 

You find out about the lay-out of the theatre, the reason they are each designed in such different ways. You also get to find out about the materials used for props and set, see the workspaces and hold some of the props used from previous productions. The tour guide will also talk to you about traditions the actors at the theatre have and the inner workings of the productions (like the Olivier Drum).

 

The National Theatre are keen to say that no two tours are exactly the same in that you may see different sets, props or maybe the making of some. You may find out different facts, depending on the shows that are on. There's always something new at the National and they want people to feel involved in that, which I love.

 

The tour is informative, interesting and fun. It is a unique experience, and definitely worth going, especially if you love the theatre.

The Afternoon Tea was amazing, too.

All of the elements of it are taken from productions by the National Theatre, some examples include a Hummus, Red Pepper and Green Bean Sandwich from One Man Two Guvnors and the greatest pork pie I've ever eaten which is inspired by Sweeny Todd (although thankfully not in a literal sense!). The deserts deserve a special mention, too - macaroons, gooseberry ice cream, honey cake (with honey from the theatre's beehives) and the obligatory scones.

The service at the restaurant was excellent and we were given plenty of time to enjoy the experience, which I appreciated greatly.

It was an absolute treat and I would wholeheartedly recommend it.

There is a package featuring both experiences or you can, I believe, do them separately. I've linked all the information you could possibly want on this here and here.



I hope you found this interesting. I'm super lucky to have had this experience and writing this really made me smile.

Have you been on the tour or had afternoon tea at the National? Would you like to? Do you have any suggestions for future posts? Fancy a chat? Talk to me in the comments.

Thanks for joining me today, I'll speak to you soon.

Have a marvellous day, lovely people!

GingerSnaps xxx


It's Showtime!!! - Theatre Review - The Plough and The Stars.

Hi!!!

Good morning, lovely people. How are you today? I have another theatre review for you, and it is once again a production at the National Theatre. Today we're going to discuss 'The Plough and The Stars', which is in its preview stages.

'The Plough and The Stars' is a play by Sean O'Casey. It was written in the 1920s and is based on the events of Easter Uprising of 1916 - this production at the National Theatre commemorates the 100th Anniversary of the uprising. When the play was first performed in Dublin, the audience broke out into fights and WB Yeats famously said to the audience, "You have disgraced yourselves again".

 

It follows a group of Dubliners living in tenement housing and the problems they faced before and during the unrest. The group are men and women with different religious beliefs and views on Ireland and the rebellion. There is tragedy, sometimes comedy, and many aspects to this plot.
 

 

The play itself is good, but possibly covers a few too many things. A lot happens within that two hour and forty minute space, and sometimes it can feel a bit much. Other than that, I really like the content of the play and the way it focuses on real life as well as the uprising, that there is a human focus to such an event.

 

The set is a good backdrop to the action. It features a pub, houses and a street and they are detailed, despite being simple.

 

There are lots of characters in 'The Plough and The Stars' and therefore lots of actors. I was truly impressed by Judith Roddy (Nora), who gave a very emotional performance, Stephen Kennedy (Fluther), who was hilarious when he needed to be, and Justine Mitchell (Bessie), who performed her dynamic character, who is bold and different and yet also caring, with admirable skill.

The rest of the cast were also very good and I think they successfully breathe life into O'Casey's characters. In such a big cast, I don't feel any of the characters are lost, which speaks in the actors favour.

 

I'd give a solid and enthusiastic four stars to this production of 'The Plough and The Stars'. I was very impressed, particularly with the standard of acting, and I would recommend it to you all (especially if you like historical plays and/or have an interest in Irish History).

 

To find out more about 'The Plough and The Stars' at the National Theatre, click here.

You may also like to check out this video, which will show you the variety of different characters represented in the play.

 

And that concludes my review. I hope you enjoyed it.

Have you seen 'The Plough and The Stars'? Do you have any theatre recommendations for me? Have you got any other comments or suggestions for future posts? Be sure to let me know in the comments section - I'd love to hear from you.

Thank you for reading.

 

Have an awesome day!

 

GingerSnaps xxx



It's Showtime!!! - Theatre Review - The Seagull.

Hi!!!

As some of you may know, I celebrated my birthday on Sunday. I've spent a load of time at the National Theatre since Sunday, as I received tickets to various things there. Today I'll be reviewing a show I saw on Monday night - 'The Seagull' - which is currently in its previews.

 

The 'Young Chekhov' series that has just begun at the National Theatre consists of three plays - Platonov, Ivanov and The Seagull. They have been adapted and translated from Russian by David Hare for the series. I saw The Seagull - they are all stand alone plays and so you don't need to know about the others to enjoy any of them.

'The Seagull' follows Konstantin, an aspiring writer, and the people in his life - his overbearing mother and her successful husband, the girl he loves and so on. It charts the successes, failures and tragedies that they all experience as time goes on. It is both comic and tragic and totally captivating.

 

The play is powerful, detailed and observes human life in an intelligent and yet accessible way. The characters are emotional and highly developed which allows the audience to connect with them and so in turn, the play's action.

The production at the National is, in my opinion, outstanding. Having been to see a few less than amazing productions recently, which I haven't reviewed, I hoped that this would be great. It was - it reminded me why I fell in love with the theatre in the first place.

The set design is completely stunning, innovative and detailed - I am in awe of the talent of everyone involved in its construction and design. The lake on stage, the trees, the house, the little details like reeds, are all so beautifully crafted and look as though they have just been found and put on stage. It creates the perfect backdrop for the action.

The cast work very well together and truly succeed in bringing the characters to life. My stand out performers were Joshua James (Konstantin), Anna Chancellor (Irina Nikolaevna Arkadina), Peter Egan (Sorin), Olivia Vinall (Nina) and Adrian Lukis (Evgeny Dorn) - it was really difficult to choose favourite performers for this, actually, which is definitely a good sign.

I'm very happy to give five stars to 'The Seagull' - it is an excellent production in every way and I would highly recommend going to see it.

You can find more information about the show, the theatre and tickets here.

Thanks for reading this, I hope you enjoyed it.

Have you seen a play from the Young Chekhov series? Do you have any theatre recommendations for me? Do you have any comments or suggestions for future posts? Let me know in the comments below.

I'll speak to you all soon.

Have a show-stopping and spectacular day!

GingerSnaps xxx