What to expect at West End Live

(Saturday 21st June 2014) Having returned home from almost 10 hours of standing in the basking sun at West End Live, I feel that I’ve learnt a lot more about West End musicals today than I had in the last 20 years of going to the theatre. It's often the case that there isn’t enough time nor cash to see all West End shows, but how about a large event where you can explore musicals by seeing – more or less- twenty of the best West End shows performing their most popular numbers, for free? The solution is none other than West End Live.

The man behind West End Live is Councillor Robert Davis aka ‘The Boss’ and Cabinet Member of Westminster City Council. With partnerships from the Society of London Theatre, the Mayor of London and MasterCard, West End Live has managed to become a massive success that has attracted up to 500,000 people from London and abroad. Throughout Saturday, Davis was walking around Trafalgar Square taking selfies with the audience as part of a twitter competition to win £100,000.  

Roberto, Robert Davies and Lisa Vickery

 

In an interview, Davis said:

I wanted to create an event that celebrated the magic of London’s West End – the fantastic retail, nightlife, restaurants, cinemas and of course the West End shows.

This year’s event will be no exception however it celebrates its 10^-year anniversary making it a special occasion. There is an additional Theatre Emporium in Leicester square for those you want more insight into the inner workings of a theatre production as well.

Health Advice & Event Information:

For those who want to attend West End Live tomorrow (Sunday 22^nd June) or West End Live 2015

• This event was advertised as starting at 11am however people began queueing from as early as the 4am but don’t let this discourage you. I arrived at 9am and still managed to get to the front by 2pm as some people decided to leave after their favourite West End show had performed. With this in mind, staff members –actually- let people into the square at 10.30am, so if you want to get to the front (and take nice photos) I would highly advice you to get there early.
• Be sure to bring enough water so that you don’t dehydrate.
• Have some snacks in your bag as you will get hungry.
• Check the weather: West End Live usually takes place in mid-June and is bound to be hot and sunny so dress appropriately.
• Ensure to lotion up with sun cream which has good SPF and keep it with you for all day usage.
• It will be sunny so don’t forget your sunglasses (and possibly a hat.)
• Be mindful of the fact that you won't be able to return to the same spot you were in if you leave the square. Due to the crowd size and demand for West End Live, you may have to accept that you won’t be able to go to the bathroom if you want to see the entire event.
• Be ahead of the game and check www.westendlive.co.uk/ for the schedule

Today’s hosts were from Heart FM radio, which included Lisa Vickery, Jamie Theakston, Lucy Horobin, Jenni Falconer, Roberto and Katy Federman who kept us entertained with selfie photo-taking and West End Live ‘wave’ making. The schedule for Saturday was jammed packed and it was no surprise to hear that some members of the audience had queued up since 4.30am. Now, that is what you call commitment.

 The line up (for Saturday) included:

·      The Commitments

       Once the Musicals

·      Wicked

·      Billy Eliot: The Musical

·      Les Miséables

·      Phantom of the Opera

·      Miss Saigon

·      The Pajama Game

·      Matilda: The Musical

·      Charlie And The Chocolate Factory

·      Dirty Rotten Scoundrels 

·      Jersey Boys

·      Mamma Mia

·      The Bodyguard

·      Forbidden Broadway

·      Thriller Live

·      The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess

·      Let It Be

·      Groove on Down the Road: Zoonation

·      Sylvia Young Theatre

·      Big Dance

·      Kasia Howley

·      The West End Gospel Choir

·      Nathan Amzi and Louise Dearman

·      In the Heights

·      Stomp

And last but not least, the Royal Opera House chorus conducted by

Plácido Domingo

As I have an interest in opera, Plácido Domingo and the Royal Opera House chorus' performance was the main driver for attending West End Live; however there were many West End shows that I had always wanted to see which performed today. 

There were so much talent on the stage with many songs to sing along to and a multitude of numbers to get the crowd dancing.  With such a variety it reminds people why we love the West End. It’s a combination of strong voices, a creative stage, moving music, dance choreographies and a well-thought-out story line, which touches us and - some how - makes us find a way to relate to the show. Enjoy your time at West End Live!

Photos of the performances Unfortunately, not all.

(Click to enlarge)

In the Heights

Plácido Domingo and Royal Opera House Chorus

Kasia Howley

Plácido Domingo and Royal Opera House Chorus

Groove on Down the Road

Louise Dearman & Nathan Amzi

Miss Saigon

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels

Let It Be

The Bodyguard

Roald Dahl's Matilda: The Musical

Mamma Mia!

Jersey Boys

Porgy and Bess

Forbidden Broadway

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Thriller Live

Creativity from world renowed musicans and novelists thrived from less sleep according to newly released New York infographic

By Mary Grace Nguyen

News on the lack of sleep has spattered the media insisting that workers sleep – more - regularly and at set time frames to accommodate the 9-5 slog and inspire creativity for brilliant new age writers and artists. The typical recommendation is a steady 8 hours of sleep per day, but that would mean having to come home early and possibly missing out on episodes of 'Game of Thrones' or 'Made in Chelsea'. 

Yet, a newly released New York infographic by Mason Currey’s Daily Rituals: How Artists Work. has proved the opposite. Based on new research, the sleep times of the famous intelligentsia: world renowned novelists, musicians and academics, has shown that a smidgen of tiredness might play an influential part in conjuring novel ideas, furthering lexical dexterity and galvanising revolutionary movements (in the literary sense.) Whether it’s psychology, literature or music, the results thwart the established idea that we need a good night rest to come up with fresher and innovative ideas.

Gustave Flaubert 1821 - 1880

Just looking at the diagram it has shown that some of the ‘greats’ had interesting sleeping patterns. It seems that whilst writing ‘Madam Bovary’ Gustave Flaubert was up from 3am until 10am getting his patient and frustratingly slow romantic novel in order which explains why the book lulled me to sleep; he was also falling asleep writing it!

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 - 1791)

Most revered composer Mozart got a measly 5 hours sleep from the morning of 1am to 6am and it makes sense considering he lived an over-demanding existence. He performed to European nobility since the age of five and his father Leopold demanded he learn to play instruments - extremely well – on a daily basis. Later on in his adult life, whilst trying to abide to his fathers disciplinary values, he was given deadlines from the Freemasonry and was hard done by his frivolity with money and endless partying. This, coupled with getting in debt and accumulation of – speculated - illnesses including gum disease, bronchitis, small pox (to name a few,) one could say he died of over-exhaustion, stress and not enough sleep?

Sigmund Freud (1856 - 1939)

Sigmund Freud, on the other hand, is a bit surprising considering his sleep slot was between 1am – 7am. Naturally, one would think his books on Psycho-analysis were inspired by his experiments with sex by having lots of it until the early morning yet these times prove otherwise. Perhaps he had early therapeutic sessions with Anna O. on her state of hysteria and spent time having sex earlier in the evening although there has been much mentions of his preference for stimulants as oppose to caffeine.

F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896 - 19400)

F.Scott Fitzgerald got rest from 3.30am to 11am and isn’t it unsurprisingly? Having read the ‘Great Gatsby’ it is a bit too obvious. How could he know about the glitterati of the time if he wasn't there dancing with them? His prose on the dazzling and audacious parties of the roaring 30s could have only bore from his first hand experience. We can assume that the day after was spent getting over the hangover by writing about it. One can imagine him writing about all the night antics in a half-intoxicated state which was possibly the best remedy to keeping him productive and getting his imagination boiling; that, and a dose of narcotics and the residue of gin churning in his stomach. Ouch!  

Immanuel Kant (1724 - 18

Immanuel Kant has his servant, Martin Lampe, force him to wake up at 5am. He would tell Lampe to be persistent in getting him to start the day early even if he resisted. Some research suggests Kant started working on lectures immediately, with two cups of weak tea, while other sources say he had an long stroll to get his thought juices flowing as well as some fresh air. His days and nights were spent in philosophical thought until 10pm which was the time he got some shut-eye.

If the enlightenment philosopher, Kant, had to be shoved out of bed to get him working it only proves that not all intellectuals naturally want to get out of bed early. This isn’t a public cry to engineer people to sleep less but it seems that these intellectuals had varied sleeping patterns mostly pointing out that they slept less than more. One could argue that it only shows their average sleeping patterns and that the infographic is slightly biased considering that it doesn't show enough data about female intelligentsia. We can assume, however, that since they had a job or target aim in mind - to get X book written or symphony Y done - they were abiding by certain time frames which required set sleep slots. As a writer, carrying a notebook has its benefits for when a stimulating idea blossoms - morning, afternoon or night – it is captured instantly. And here comes the cheesy part: We never know where true inspiration stems from, but within thyself. 

 More information can be found here. Please click for here (All opinions are my own: Mary Grace Nguyen)

‘Sensational Butterflies’ - Catch a newly created butterfly tear itself out of its translucent chrysalis shell

‘Sensational Butterflies’ is the Natural History Museum’s exhibition which has bought together hundreds of tropical butterflies and moths from six continents, including Africa, South America and South East Asia, and situated them in one butterfly house for all to see. Luke Brown, manager of the butterfly house, was pleased with the diversity of butterflies that had flown in from all over the globe and hoped that it would give people a chance not only to immerse themselves in butterflies but, also, learn more about the butterfly's way of life. 

Since the butterfly house is home to tropical butterflies from the Blue morpho, from Central and South America, to the Swallowtail, from the Americas, the actual environment is humid - so, it is advised to take off jackets before entering. It is intensely colourful, filled with a variety of delicate flora and green plants, some of which can only be found in the tropics. 

Blue Morpho

The first sign at the entrance has the following rules: ‘If they land on you, don’t panic’ and ‘Please don’t step on them’ which is, perhaps, aimed at children who haven’t laid eyes on butterflies yet; some children may be more afraid of them (than willing to step on them) so be wary of random screaming. However, to adults alike, these creatures are quite picture-perfect, landing on your arm (as one landed on mine) and nonchalantly fluttering away in front of you.  

The exhibition educates and provides information on the four life stages of a butterfly: egg, caterpillar, chrysalis, and fully developed butterfly; the life cycle can range from a few weeks to an entire year of hibernation for some chrysalis. One of the fascinating parts of the butterfly house is the hatchery window that inhabits rows and rows of live pupae, which were hand glued to the hatchery from scratch. Viewers can see a various stages of metamorphosis taking place and may be lucky enough to see a newly created butterfly tear itself out of it’s translucent chrysalis shell.  

There are many interesting facts to pick up as you walk along the paths of the butterfly house. For example, did you know that caterpillars had 4000 muscles in their body? Or, that some caterpillars, such as Glasswing, ate certain poisonous and unappetising plants, including heliptrope leaves, in order to scare off predators?

Those interested in knowing more should keep an eye out for Owl butterflies drinking sugary liquids from oranges, butterflies mating and caterpillar eggs hidden underneath the dense foliage. Another interesting fact is that butterflies have five senses, just like humans, and they drum their feet on leaves to taste whether or not it's a suitable place to lay their eggs. Children have easy-to-read explanations of the butterfly’s life stages and can interact by collecting butterfly stamps as they progress in the path. 

There are other butterfly exhibitions provided such as, ‘A Night in the Jungle’ and the museum has set activities for school visits. Yet the butterfly house can also be a great option first dates.

Butterfly house exhibition is open until 26^th September

Please visit the NHM website for more information:

http://www.nhm.ac.uk/visit-us/whats-on/temporary-exhibitions/sensational-butterflies/index.html

‘La Traviata’ ROH BP Big Screen Live ****

Last night (May 20th) saw the live broadcast of Richard Eyre’s production of ‘La Traviata,’ which celebrates its 20^th year at the Royal Opera House. Viewers from all over the globe could stream it online from their Ipad while several open-air locations throughout the UK broadcasted it live to the public. Since 2000 ‘BP Big Screen Live’ has been providing opera broadcasts due to its success of encouraging first-timers to opera and experiencing it for free. Despite the warning of potential rain, Trafalgar square was a full house.

Violetta was casted by Ailyn Pérez who has built a strong relationship with the Royal Opera House. She was Liù in this year’s production of ‘Turandot’ where she received a grand applause for instilling tenderness and sorrow in her role - tonight was no exception; in fact, her performance was better. Following the shambled première of 'La Traviata' (1953), its composer, Verdi, wrote to his friends that Violetta required a highly talented coloratura soprano who encompassed elegance, charm and beauty whilst embracing her shortcomings as a high-class prostitute dying from consumption. Pérez managed to maintain her vocal strength after missing a couple of notes at the end of ‘Sempre Libera’ ;it was in Act 3 this was forgotten and she managed to gain the audience’s undivided attention and make some cry – Trafalgar square became silent. 

Stephen Costello, who plays Alfredo, is Pérez’s husband off-stage which provides a twist to their on-stage relationship. He imparts a refreshing illustration of Alfredo’s character in comparison to others; Alfredo does not pretend to be an aristocratic alpha male but a naïve man susceptible to intense emotions as he shows us tears and remorse for embarrassing Violetta in front of society. One can imagine that the couple’s cleverly crafted depiction of Violetta and Alfredo is based on their countless practice sessions together at home; resulting in, no other than, a stunning performance.

Germont (Simon Leenlyside) was a passionately aggressive father scrunching up letters and hitting his son (only once) who, unfortunately, did not provide enough conviction or sympathy for suffering Violetta. However, the dance choreographies from the gypsy girls and manly matadors were exciting. This was a combination of flamboyance, flamenco dancing, musical stamping and radiant smiles, which Trafalgar square enjoyed; some even hummed the song in the intervals. 

In addition to the sumptuous costume, the set design by Daniel Dooner follows the success of 20 years through the use of large spaces for the scenes of high society versus the small intimate spaces for the lovers, which gives the production a sense of juxtaposition that Verdi wanted the audience to see. An example of this is when the full-of-life carnival song ‘baccanale’ takes place outside Violetta’s home and large silhouettes overshadow her lonely and critically ill state. Dooner’s stage and Eyre’s direction is a reminder of the private; feeble nature of Violetta, versus the public; realism of 19^th century values that Verdi wanted to undermine for his own artistic purposes.

The next BP Big Screen Live showing takes place on the 15^th July of Puccini’s ‘La Boheme.’ 

Opera Erratica's 'Triptych' at the Print Room - New opera merged with contemporary art. The insights are endless ****

Who would have thought that talented opera voices, in this case Opera Erratica, a repurposed recording of an English audio course and a socially polite orgy, could work together simultaneously and make an audience chuckle. This comes as the comedic and middle part of the three sections that make up ‘Triptych’ named ‘A Party.’ Its composer Thomas Smetryns attempts to prove how socialisation depends on the language we use and does this with panache. The singers, stroke, performance artists, hold cheeky smiles and mischievous twinkles in their eyes that lead to a silly yet playful performance of throwing clothes in the air, whistling, reversing and slowing down the tempo of voices (which amusingly mimic foreign languages) and conclude with a group synchronised sexual climax from a 1950s LP repeating the verb, ‘to come’ in the background.    

‘Triptych’ which is showing at the Print Room, is a fresh contemporary opera that experiments with various mediums including visual art, voice, fashion, performance art, projected images, electronica and video. Gavin Turk, international contemporary artist designed the set as a ‘fake’ art gallery securing physical focal points for the singers which was adaptable for all three parts: a comedy, tragedy and a story about nuns which echo the musical mastery of opera composer, Puccini and his Il trittico. However, besides this distinction, there is no resemblance to the 19^th century classical opera in any shape or form.

The first part, ‘Reunion’ by Christian Mason is a sacred ceremony that is sung mercifully in the name of God in tandem with an interview with a would-be nun talking to her ex-lover of past and present experiences. All singers of Opera Erratica (Kate Symonds-Joy, Lucy Goddard, Oskar McCarthy, Callie Swarbrick and Catherine Carter) show off their true operatic prowess by letting their voices describe the sorrow and holiness of the convert’s sacrifice. The execution of light humming that build up to a vocally strenuous and highly concentrated harmonisation from all voices give an audience a hefty performance which puts church choirs to shame. This, and interesting backdrops of moving dots which float in parallel to the voices as well as Swarbrick’s zoomed in pretty face develops the visual senses and heightens the intensity of the opera. However, Swarbrick needlessly stands naked with her back to the audience, which is an artistic device that was pointlessly added. ‘Reunion’ is a multi-layered piece of voices which although intriguing only warmed to the audience half way through its performance.

The last piece is Chris Mayo’s ‘The Tall Office Building Artistically Considered’, which goes back to 1972 reliving the mysterious life of Richard Nickels and his fascination of Louis Sullivan architecture. Electronic music creeps in and large projections of moving blue prints of these building glide across the set, however a lot of questions are left unanswered. Singers start a sentence and pass the words to each other to create a cleverly constructed musical collage - and creative collaboration - that make up bits and pieces of Nickel’s character. Yet, still it was hard to appreciate all part of Mayo’s piece but the music.

Opera Erratica’s director Patrick Eakin Young has introduced a stylish mish mash of what hasn't been done before. Smetryns’s piece is the favourite, which interestingly enough has the least opera, proving that there is still a lot more Opera Erratica can offer. There is potential when there’s an open-minded audience willing to see new opera merged with art, which deconstructs the norm. The insights are endless.

(Production dates: 17 May - 7 June 2014)
 www.the-print-room.org

Orpheus and Eurydice to celebrate Gluck's 300th anniversary at the Rose Theatre ****

Pamela Schermann, international opera and theatre director has teamed up with the young and diverse theatre company, Time Zone Theatre, to produce Christoph Willibald Gluck’s most popular and reformed opera, Orpheus and Eurydice at the Rose Theatre, which also celebrates Gluck’s 300^th anniversary.

Schermann says, ‘…which other venue could have provided me with an Underworld like that…?’  And the audience couldn’t agree more. The Elizabethan theatre that has been undergoing construction since 1989 has proven theatrical zeal and potential. The cave-like pit, which is covered with water to avoid cracks from developing, is an ideal replica of a River Styx.

Gluck’s 18^th century operatic vision of the Greek mythology was grounded on placing emphasis on the simplicity of both music and drama to accompany an uncomplicated plot and given how small the Rose theatre is, it delivered a close and personal show with singers (and choir ensemble) with captivating music with the use a humble quartet. Violinist (Julian Fish), flutist (Hannah Grayson,) harpist (Anne Denholm) and pianist (as well as conductor), Andrew Charity gave a performance that made eyes lock onto their instruments which is a rarity in traditional auditoriums where orchestras are hidden in the pit.   

Lyric Tenor, Robin Green who was Orpheus, had a chest infection this evening, yet given the circumstances did his best to enthral the audience. One can only imagine how fruitful he would sound on a better day. Gluck warned that for any singer casted as Orpheus, they faced the challenge of counteracting dullness that can easily settle with the opera’s harmonious music; by nature, the songs do not sound mournful. The expressive recitatives used in ‘My sad complaining’ and ‘I have lost my Eurydice’ were beautifully sang by Green, however there was no need for him to sing whilst putting clothes on at the end of Act 1 where his vocals were clearly struggling. 

The talented Latvian Soprano, Darja Scukina as Amore, is our cheerful cupid with fluffy black wings. Schermann implements a community choir to play the eight members of the Furies who at first say ‘No! No!’ to Orpheus' plea yet once sweetened, Green slowly unveils them as they sing, ‘we are subdued… let him into hell’ which in done in a rather ironically pleasing way considering that no one, in real life, would want to go to hell.

The dark excavated area of the Rose is taken fully advantage of by the singers, Green and Mimi Doulton (Eurydice) who although positioned far from the audience, and the quartet close by, gives vocal clarity and sharpness which resonate from both directions. Doulton has a robust voice and when confused of her husband’s actions sings unrelentlessly and provides a heart-wrenching feast. The soprano Olivia Doutney despite having a small choir part proved to have potential as well.

The stage ends with the trio song between the lovers and Amore whilst offering cake to the audience to portray a celebratory union. With clever co-ordination of the Rose theatre’s space, musical simplicity and gifted singers and musicians, Schermann’s direction has proven to execute Gluck’s love story so well that it whisks romantics off their feet.  

This production has ended but please click Here for more information on the Rose Theatre.