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sherwillsle journal de sherwin
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5/24/2008 Chess in Concert @ The Royal Albert HallAttended the latest concert version of the musical Chess last Tuesday night (12th of May) at the Royal Albert Hall with great expectations. And why not? The list of featured actors is just enough to make it a sell-out concert since ticketing opened for booking late last year. Idina Menzel, Josh Groban, Adam Pascal, David Bedella, Marti Pellow, Clarke Peters and Kerry Ellis. They were all introduced Tim Rice.
I've never seen it performed on stage before but I read in the souvenir program that the original synopsis is very different from this version. There were apparently countless versions of this musical which was origanally presented as a conceptual album with lyrics composed by Tim Rice (Evita, The Lion King), music by Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus of Abba fame.
The most familiar perhaps of all the songs is "I Know Him So Well" which made it to number one in the pop charts in the 80's. "One Night In Bangkok" was also a successful single release. I was astounded by the orchestration especially during moments when the focus is on the chess players contemplating and making their moves. The subliminal music almost puts you on a trancelike state. You have to be there to experience it.
The performances were all warmly received by the audience especially on Idina Menzel's songs. Josh Groban as Anatoly was a perfect fit. His voice suited the character so much that during the final song in Act One (Anthem), he certainly brought the house down. Adam Pascal as usual proves that he can hit the high notes with a rockstar package, however his acting was a bit too contrived for me. Kerry Ellis only sang a few songs but her rendition of Someone Else's Story was spot on. Her duet with Idina on the song "I Know Him So Well" is perhaps the most awaited number in this concert. The two Elphabas! The audience just went mad after the song.
I'm sure this will be released on DVD or even a broadcast CD recording. It's going to be a good buy for Chess fans who couldn't make it to London last Monday or Tuesday. 4/29/2008 The Year of Magical ThinkingLucky enough to get tickets for this show when I finally saw it last Saturday (26th of April) with my friend Seb who I took with me(as a birthday present).
Based on the memoire of Joan Didion about her ordeal on bereavement. Her husband passing away after an abrupt heart attack and a year later, her daughter.
Vanessa Redgrave gave a solid performance in this one-act, first person delivery of Didion's experiences before, during and after the two deaths in her life. It's amazing how an actor can endure the characterisation required for this play and I was totally impressed by Redgrave's performance in this sell-out limited National Theatre run.
Redgrave was nominated for the Tony and won the Drama Desk for the same play performed in Broadway.
4/13/2008 Pushing DaisiesI've been eagerly awaiting the new TV series Pushing Daisies on ITV1 and the wait was worth it. All I initially knew was Kristin Chenoweth (Wicked) is one of the cast members alongside Anna Friel and another theatre veteran (similar to Chenoweth) Ellen Green (Little Shop of Horrors).
Synopsis of Pilot:
Introduction to Ned as a little boy who discovers his gift to resurrect any living being with one touch. He finds out in an unfortunate situation that once he touches the same being again, it dies forever. Letting a person live for more than a minute makes another person die.
As a young man now, he became a pie maker, touching the dead fruit ingredients only once with everlasting flavour. He met a private investigator who discovered his power and made a deal by raising dead people to make them name their killers and touching them again before one minute is up. Everything was fine until he came accross Chuck (his puppy love) who was murdered then he decided to keep her alive.
So, the story progresses with Ned and Chuck getting affectionate with each other sans the touching and kissing. Kath and Kim would definitely say "it's noice, it's diff'rent, it's unusual".
The direction of photography is very reminiscent of a Tim burton set except that the colours are bright and vibrant (as opposed to dark and gloomy). Makes you think sometimes that the background is animated. Any fresh material with a touch of noir and comedie is right up my alley. I'd defnitely follow the coming episodes and see where it leads Ned and Chuck in their unusual relationship. Another winner! 3/27/2008 Show and Meal DealWhat to make of tonight... Had one of those Lastminute.com bookings for a show and meal deal tonight. Not bad for £21. 17:45. Arrived at Fire & Stone and told front desk that we're there for the show and meal deal. Verified my name and a waiter led us to our table. We were given a choice of salad starter, pizza for main and a complimentary seabreeze cocktail. It was quite a good deal as I predicted for I've been to the place before. Pizza selections are named after well-known cities and my choice this time was Sydney. Topped with beautiful ham, mozzarella, free- range egg, etc on a nice soft stone-baked pizza bread. Highly recommendable. David had the Canberra which was garnished with hash baked potatoes, roast chicken breast with sour cream and sweet chilli in the middle. I swear I'm gonna have that the next time. The meal was really too good fo the deal and we thought even if we do not end up enjoying the musical, at least Fire & Stone would've made our night.
Lord of the Rings - The Musical. It is not a joke and Monty Python's got nothing to do with it although there were some moments when I thought the dance choreography were meant to be funny. So laughable when the orcs were doing their high-kicks similar to big broadway numbers. Was it just me or were they really doing the Saturday Night Fever moves during the battle scene? I nearly fell off my chair. One of David's observations was that they sped up with the talking and then burst into slow songs as if time wasn't of the essence at all. I don't think fans of the Peter Jackson film version will enjoy this musical. I am a big musicals fan but I was really quite shocked how this show mirrors the very humour that Spamalot or even The Producers epitomise (musical theatre poking fun at itself). The sad thing is, Lord of the Rings does not intentionally do it. Lady Galadriel was almost like the unhappy Diva of Spamalot in the character of the Lady of the Lake. Galavanting her vocal prowess with her exaggerated gestures and expressions. Funny enough, the audience really seemed to enjoy it. If there was one thing I was really impressed about, it was the revolving mechanical stage that easily puts the Les Mis merry-go-platform to shame. The lighting and special effects (look out for Bilbo's disappearing act) were quite wicked. The really annoying elements were the actors. The actors have really weird intonations and sometimes seem like their reciting poem lines. Aragorn's over-indulging speeches were too painful to hear. The singing voices were quite good though. I think the actors were not that bad but they were probably not given good or proper direction on how the characterisations should be performed. Unless of course the director's vision was really that rubbish (excuse the harshness). But still, it was good to finally see this musical. The pizza meal deal with it is good enough for a night out. 3/24/2008 Lyon Weekend: 21-23 Mar 2008There was no way I was spending the long easter weekend in Berkshire while my friends are all out of the country travelling. So I decided to book a trip to Lyon. My troisieme fois.
Getting there early Friday morning was a struggle. It didn't help that it was raining in London and then in Lyon as soon as I arrived. It wasn't very long until I reached the hotel that my good friend Sylvain arranged for me. Hotel Campanile located just by the Perrache Station (a main line station where SNCF and TGV lines terminate).
The charming Vieux Lyon cast its magic spells on me one more time. A rainy day just isn't enough to spoil it for me. I have so many fond memories of Lyon back when I first set foot in this charming city.
It is in Lyon where I first gulped my first Orangina
The writer of my favourite book is a Lyonnais and the city is quite proud of him that they have erected a statue of him and the famous character he wrote and was known for worldwide... Le Petit Prince
A favourite delicacy from Lyon is something I always look forward to tasting over and over. I'm refering to the Coussin de Lyon. Coussin in french literally means cushion in english. The green silk cushion (one of the aldermen's religious yearly vows) was the inspiration for creating this commemorative delicacy. It was in 1960 when some silk manufacturers worked together with famous chocolatier Voisin to create the coussin de Lyon. The specialty is made of rich cocoa with a slight flavour of curacao liqueur covered in marzipan. It looks like a plump cushion.
Obviously, there's so much things to enjoy in Lyon. My short break was just perfect if not for the rain and snow and the delayed flight back to Heathrow. My final night was perfect as my friend Sylvain took me to the Radisson Hotel tower in Part-Dieu where his friend Nadine Baez was performing with her guitarist/pianist Bernard.
Nadine just released a self-titled CD, one of which she kindly signed and gave me. She entertained us with her commanding classy voice that fit ever-so-perfectly with jazzy and bossa nova tunes. Bernard's guitar -playing was equally amazing. What a night! Paris Weekend: 15-17 Mar 2008Started off with my travelling spree in Paris during the weekend of 15-17th March. Stayed at Hotel Royal Aboukir at rue d'Aboukir which intersects strategically to the lively rue de Montorgueil and a little bit further on rue de Louvre. Unfortunately it also intersects on the seedy rue de Saint Denis. Prostitutes do not care what time they come out galavanting about in the stretch of Saint Denis.
Rue de Montorgueil is a nice street to frequent if you are into excellent patisseries, boulangeries, frommageries and restaurants. Being very close to this street was the best thing I could think of in terms of staying at Hotel Royal Aboukir. Here, I discovered Stohrer (depuis 1730) maker of the best tasting eclair I have ever had. There's a reason why Queen Elizabeth is a fan of the shop.
Here's the weblink for the esteemed patisserie: http://www.stohrer.fr
A revisit to la Louvre was another highlight since David (my travel companion) haven't been inside before. Spent a good time appreciating the larger than life paintings of 18th to early 19th century neo-classicist Jacques Louis David
Seeing the Mona Lisa in the bigger salle was quite exciting too. As usual everyone wanted to have their photo taken with it. I never get tired of the Louvre museum and was glad to go back this time around. A first visit to La Defense was also made. It was a good place to view Champs-Elysee while you are surrounded by modern glass buildings of different size and shapes. For some reason, the ambience of La Defense did not appeal a great deal to me. I was so anxious to get back to Paris after a few hours of wandering around. As always, a trip to Paris is not complete to me without visiting Le Marais. An area full of art galleries and trendy bars as well as shops and restaurants. For some reason, I always end up dining at the Sant Antonio Pizza restaurant. The Quatre frommage is to die for as well as the "saumon".
It was another enjoyable trip to Paris especially catching up with my friend Vianney who always introduces us to his many friends operating bars and restaurants. 3/13/2008 Blimey!As you can see, the previous blog entry I've posted on here was from way back May last year. I have been lazy. I was talking to my sister on the phone last week and she kindly reminded me that I haven't had any updates for ages.
"Have you been out to see new shows?" she asked.
"Of course! But yeah I haven't got the drive to talk about them in here".
Lots of distractions I suppose. New role in the company I'm working for, new gadgets to play with, new books to read, lots of friends to catch up with, etc.
It's amazing how change in your job situation alters your mood and the way you plan your life. As recently been moved from one working department to another, my initial thoughts were:
1. Find another company who will sponsor me in this bloody country
2. Move back to Melbourne and say au revoir to London
3. mope and feel so sorry for myself... alright maybe not too much
People are generally resistant to change especially if it's too sudden. Then a few months later you look back and think "hey, I don't feel bad anymore!" In any given change, there's always pros and cons. It really depends on what we choose to look at that affects our will to be enhusiastic about it (to put it in a nice way).
Anyways, moving on... it wasn't just the work-role change that has been keeping me quiet. I've been keeping myself busy with photography and understanding its artform. I've seen a lot of theatre shows as well. To name a few:
1. RSC's The Seagull with a fresh translation by Christopher Hampton at the New London Theatre
2. Attempts On Her Life @ The National Theatre. A study on the creative side of film making
 3. A Matter of Life and Death @ The National Theatre. A stage-adaptation of a film about a man who was stuck in purgatory and had to fight to win his life back
4. Saint Joan @ The National Theatre. A Bernard Shaw play starring Ann Marie Duff about the fallen saint with highlight of the politics in catholicism in western europe. Duff earned an Olivier nomination for the title role.
5. Ricky Gervais Fame Live @ The Hammersmith Apollo. He was disappointing on live stand up act I'm afraid. Had a bit of laughs but it could've been better.
6. Cabaret @ The Lyric. New production directed by Rufus Norris. I personally prefer the Sam Mendes production.
9. Fiddler on the Roof @ The Savoy Theatre. Revival by Trevor Nunn with an amazing cast led by Henry Goodman (Olivier nominated for Best Musical Actor)
10. War Horse @ The National. One of the best plays of 2007. A moving story of a boy's friendship with his horse Joey. It depicts war through the eyes of a horse.
11. Doubt - A Parable @ The Tricycle Thetare. British premier of this Tony Winning play about a priest accused of molesting a minor.
12. Noel Coward's Present Laughter @ The National. Cast led by Alex Jennings. A romantic comedy about a celebrity man's affect on women.
13. The Hour We Knew Nothing of Each Other @ The National. A play without words with 18 actors playing more than 400 characters.
14. Major Barbara @ The National. Another Bernard Shaw play with strong cast led by Simon Russell Beale about a rich father's attempt to lure her morally driven daughter in his arms business.
 15. Kathleen Turner on Platform @ The Olivier Stage. She talked about her stage career, her varied roles and how her career was affected by her illness.
That's about it actually unless I've missed some. But there are more shows to see this year. I'm anticipating Vanessa Redgrave's winning performance in The Year of Magical Thinking, The Lord of the Rings Musical, Concert version of Chess featuring Idina Menzel and Josh Groban @ The Royal Albert Hall and the English National Opera's production of Candide which previously highlighted Kristin Chenoweth who recently pulled out of the production... one word... bitch!
It's meant to be another exciting year... despite the house price crash scare... despite bad weather lately... despite yob culture increasing rapidly... i could go on...
Anyhow, watch this space as I'll try to update more often now. 5/29/2007 Microsoft unleashes plans to release Windows Home ServerRead today from The Age
Sure it's a good idea to enable regular users to manage a home server. I have a bit of concern about the system being kept running on electricity all the time even when the users are away.
This might create a new trend of leaving your personal computer system plugged and utilising energy 24 hours a day. Unless Microsoft comes up with a design that makes it energy efficient, I don't think I'll be jumping in the bandwagon anytime soon. 5/24/2007 Note To Self It's been a while since I last wrote a blog. So many shows I've seen unreviewed. I do feel I need to push myself to write something most of the time. Yeah I guess I get lazy these days.
Anyhow, I just would like to have a reminder of things to come in case I forget to look forward to them.
1. Going on holidays from the 16th of June (Thailand and Philippines). Back to London on the 30th.
2. Various West End Shows:
3. Create Business Plan for "something" in August. 4. Organise the trip to Australia for January and February next year. 3/17/2007 Review: Equus - Gielgud Theatre LondonWent to see the controversial and hot-ticket West End show Equus on the 13th of March.
It lived up to its hype thank goodness. Daniel Radcliffe portraying an extraordinary case of schizophrenia and Richard Griffiths on the role of the psychiatrist attending on Alan Strung's (Radcliffe) psychosis.
The simplicity of the set design allowed better understanding of interlocking blockings which would have been difficult and messy when over-imposed. Napier oddly injected minimalism which is poles apart from his past lavish set designs he had been known for (Sunset Blvd, Miss Saigon, Les Miserables).
The evening belonged (obviously) to Radcliffe who filled the theatre with his young followers. Certainly not the kind of role the young girls were prepared to see him in... or maybe there is something in the role that a lot of people wanted to witness. Yeah... talk about vouyerism... it is quite a sick (and not in a positive way) to see live theatre.
But I'm sure people have seen theatrical quality past the nudity (which played a small part in putting the story together). Richard Griffiths' (who barely left the stage) Martin Dysart is portrayed with spot on weariness and maybe even remorse on his own profession. At the end of the show, I equally felt sorry for him as is with Alan.
The strong cast (with the exception of the actor who played Alan Strung's Mother) did a wonderful job on the Gielgud stage. With the audience's approval, I thought it was a successful night.
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