La Boheme

I have no idea how many times I have seen Puccini's La Boheme on stage and on DVD and I have listened to it countless times as well. This evening we went to a superb and, for me, moving performance at the Napier Municipal Theatre as part of the  City's Art Deco Week.

Thankful Thursday

Well life is full of surprises.  I expected today to be a very ordinary day.  I wanted a new camera bag.  Easy.  Anna had booked lunch at The Rogano (which is reputed to be one of Glasgow's premier restaurants).  This evening Anna had booked seats at The Citizens Theatre (with no apostrophe!) to see A Day in the Death of Joe Egg.

However when I looked at my cellphone this morning I saw a text asking what I was doing today.  I duly supplied the information requested pondering as to why a friend from France would make such an enquiry.  The response was a 'querie as to whether I would like to meet for coffee this afternoon.  Gosh.

So I spent this afternoon in the company of Viv who was in Scotland for a few days - a decision taken on a spur of the moment whim as she was in the UK for a few weeks visiting family.

The acting in the play this evening was serious and light and funny all at the same time.  Quite an accomplishment when dealing with such a subject and dialogue.

So today I am thankful for wonderful surprises and enjoyable nights out.

Subtle It Was Not

Scottish Opera, in conjunction with Northern Ireland Opera, are touring with a production of Orpheus in the Underworld.  The production uses Offenbach's music but the lyrics are by Rory Bremner.  Anna and I went to see it yesterday at The Citizens Theatre in Glasgow.  The singing was excellent as was the acting.  However, subtle it was not!  Stornoway is receiving the production this coming Saturday 17th September.  It will be interesting to see how it is received. 

The Man From Stratford

This evening Anna  and I went to The Theatre Royal in Glasgow to see Simon Callow in Jonathan Bate's play Shakespeare, The Man From Stratford.  The play, which is entirely acted by Simon Callow, is a run through of the seven ages of man with particular reference to William Shakespeare.  Simon Callow is a renowned Shakespearean actor and his ability to change from role to role throughout the evening was transfixing.  His performance was mesmerising.  To say that it was enjoyable would be a gross understatement.

The House of Bernalda Alba

Anna took me to The Citizens Theatre in Glasgow this evening to see The House of Bernalda Alda play to a packed house.  The play was written by Fredrico Garcie Lorca in 1936 in Spain.  The version we saw was a modern version written into the present day Glasgow gangland by Rona Munro.  It was a very powerful performance, wonderfully acted.   It would be great to be able to write a lot about it here but that's not practical.  Suffice to say I would recommend anyone who cares about the role of women and the yoke of tradition to see it.  Mind you this particular version would be unlikely to be appreciated or understood outside Scotland.  Indeed even an person from Edinburgh might have difficulties.

A Visit To The Theatre Royal, in Glasgow

I travelled up from Hazel Grove on Thursday to spend a couple of nights in Glasgow with Anna whom I first met in New Zealand. On Friday I had a taste of the Glasgow social whirl when, having left in the morning for lunch with Anna's daughter at Massimo's in Bearsden, picked up and dropped off grandchildren, we returned to Glasgow for a pre-theatre dinner at Cafehula, and then went to see Alan Ackbourn's Absurd Person Singular at the Theatre Royal. Not having been to the theatre for a while I really enjoyed the experience; all the more so because of the voice of Honeysuckle Weeks who, although not another Fenella Fielding or Liza Goddard, has a voice to which I enjoy listening. It was a shame that in the second Act she spoke not a word.

The all-star cast included Sara Crowe, known for her outstanding performances in Four Weddings and a Funeral and Acorn Antiques the Musical; Matthew Cottle, who starred with Samantha Janus in the hilarious BBC comedy Game On; Honeysuckle Weeks, who starred in the hit ITV drama Foyle’s War; Marc Bannerman, best known for his role as Gianni Di Marco in EastEnders; Deborah Grant, well known for her roles in Bouquet of Barbed Wire and Bergerac and who most recently appeared in the BBC’s hit series Not Going Out and David Griffin from Keeping Up Appearances.