Phantom of the Opera at the Grand Canal Theatre
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Went to the live screening of Phantom of The Opera last night at the cinema. It was a special 25th Anniversary performance of the show and to say it was spectacular is an understatement.
I saw the show a couple of years ago on Broadway and thoroughly enjoyed it. This was despite the constant, loud snoring of a man beside me and seats that were so high up binoculars (if provided) would have been very welcome.
Whilst I’d love to have been in the audience at the Royal Albert, the cinema experience was actually a better way to experience this show. Being able to see the action on stage and getting close ups of the actors faces added immensely to the enjoyment. Only thing missing was the electric atmosphere and buzz of being in a hall with 5,000 people. That, and clapping. Myself, mrslecraic and two other people beside us were the only ones who made an effort at a bit of a clap.
This staging of Phantom has Cameron Mackintosh as producer, and it will start touring in March 2012 and it looks like The Grand Canal Theatre will host it some time after that (guessing May or June). Nothing on GCT website as yet, but keep an eye out as I’m sure tickets will sell out fast.
Áras Ipsum for #aras11
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The Presidential Lorem Ipsum generator, Áras Ipsum, is now live.
Enjoy.
Batman Live at the O2 Dublin – A review
By · CommentsLast night (Thursday) saw myself and the lovely mrslecraic pay our first visit to the O2 in Dublin for the Batman Live tour which rolled into town the previous evening.
My companion wasn’t convinced that this was going to be her idea of a good night out. The hordes of kids making their way into the O2 didn’t help matters. If I’m honest, I was a bit nervous that it was going to be a big, steaming pile of horse manure. How wrong I was.
On entering the auditorium, the eye is immediately drawn towards the stage. How could it not be? It completely dominates the space. Extending outwards from a huge, bat shaped video screen, it is set up to look like Gotham City. Background city sounds create a wonderful atmosphere which really draws the audience into Batman’s world well before any characters appear on stage.
And then it was time for the show. I don’t want to rehash the Batman story here, but suffice to say that Batman fans will be pleased with how the production told the story of the caped crusader. What I will say is that the next hour and a half truly blew me away. It was a rip roaring feast for the ears and eyes. I was totally drawn into the world that was created on stage before me.
It was circus entertainment on steroids. It was hammy acting at its finest. It was every childhood dream of being a superhero. It was CATWOMAN. It was feeling like you could jump off a balcony and land without breaking your legs. It was a living, breathing, turbo charged Batmobile. It was, to use the words of an 8 year old within earshot, “COOOOL”. It WAS cool, and then some. Even my companion was won over and thoroughly enjoyed the show.
If, like me, you’re a big kid at heart you need to see this show. Please bring kids if you have them. They will love it. If you don’t love it, I recommend seeing a doctor. Tomorrow (Saturday) is the last day in Dublin before the show moves to Belfast – so get your skates on.
Many thanks to Yay.ie for the tickets which I won in a competition on their site.
Westlife in cigarette advertising scandal
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Westlife playing a concert in Indonesia (home of the YouTube smoking toddler sensation).
The Irish Cancer Society Facebook page says:
Teen-friendly popular Irish boy band Westlife are playing a tobacco sponsored concert in Indonesia on 5 October. The brand is Clas Mild, designed with young people as the target market. Westlife do some amazing work to support young people and cancer charities, among others. Please ask them to say no to tobacco sponsorship www.facebook.com/Westlife or on Twitter @westlifemusic @kianeganwl @markusfeehily @nickybyrneoffic @ShaneFilan79
Indonesia has little or no control on the sale of cigarettes, never mind advertising. Disappointing that Westlife allowed themselves to be part of a huge problem over there. Let’s see Louis Walsh spin this one.
What a LOVELY Cabin
By · CommentsSaw this on Broadsheet.ie – it’s a “Cabin” for rent at €500 a month. Wonder how much it rented for in the boom times.
Have made an enquiry about it. See below….
