Shows in Melbourne

Of course, whilst I was in Melbourne I saw shows. It’s part of the fun of the place. So, a run down...

Wednesday. Melbourne Theatre Company’s Ying Tong. A play looking at Spike Milligan’s breakdowns whilst he was writing for the Goons. Most of it set in his head. I enjoyed it, but have (shock) NO exposure to the Goons, so a lot of the humour went straight over my head. The guy next to me, of that era, thought it was hilarious.
“Can we stop driving down memory lane now? I’ve run out of petrol.”

Thursday. Malthouse Theatre’s Sleeping Beauty. This is not a lullaby. A rock musical slash gothic brutal nightmarish traverse through the creators imagination. And it was brilliant, with a live band and four great performers. Including Renee Geyer. And the gorgeous Ian Stenlake - yummo. Love a guy who looks good AND sings. Sadly, he also is married with a daughter. Damn.

Friday. No show, but the delightful company of Kara – a work of art in herself. :)

Saturday. The RSC’s King Lear, fresh from Singapore on their international tour. Opening Night in the State Theatre. 2,500 seats packed with Australians eagerly waiting, and not disappointed. Much better than the last time I saw it. Moving. I cried. Standing ovation. Just lost the ability to write sentences.


Sunday. Wiped out by shopping. No show. Bed called.

Monday. Melbourne Theatre Company’s Thom Pain – based on nothing. I didn’t hate it, I didn’t love it. I was very uncomfortable during it. Challenged. A solo performer (the brilliant Neil Pigot) made the audience very uncomfortable. Walkouts galore . . . . . but still thinking about it now, hence it is good in my books.

Tuesday. Flew back. But saw show in Perth that night. Reviewed. Visit www.australianstage.com.au to see – Construction of the Human Heart.

:)

Melbourne

Ah, Melbourne. I had forgotten how much I love it. Like most cities, it has its own unique character. Which I struggle to explain, but I’ll try.

Melbourne is:
The brown and grey smooth slabs of early settlement, regent times.
The screech and clack of the trams going around corners.
Art. Everywhere you look
Laneways and sidewalk cafes
Coffee
Creative. Books. Graffiti. Artists. Performers.
Southbank. 24/7 entertainment. The bursts of fire outside Crown Casino.
The bustle of people ascending from Melbourne central train station into never ceasing streams of human traffic
Newspaper stands on street corners
The sound of international. Every language, every look. Find it in Melbourne.
Shopping. The biggest. The best. The most.
The slow ebb of the brown Yarra River.

Flying

“Good afternoon folk this is your captain speaking. Just to let you know, we have no idea what’s happening”. . . . .

Not the vote of confidence you want to hear from the guy responsible to flying you across the country! But that is what we heard sitting on the tarmac at Perth airport, waiting to fly to Melbourne.

Now before you all expire from fright – I’m still here aren’t I? So nothing happened. Indeed, we weren’t flying. We hadn’t even moved. Doors still open etc etc.

But we were missing paperwork apparently. Somehow it ended up in Sydney. Sydney? Perth? They don’t even sound the same to me. Let alone being thousands of kilometers away.

1 hour, 20mins later the paperwork arrived. I thought this was the age of fast and efficient??? Does fax really take that long nowadays . . . . . . .?

Thankfully, we had tail winds, and got to Melbourne in 2hrs, 45mins – a record for a flight I’ve been on. A spare seat next to me and an internationally linked flight, meaning we had in seat entertainment ensured that it was a good cruisy flight. When we made it off the ground.

The flight back not so fun, as it was a small plane, old, smaller seats, etc. Great movie, shame I couldn’t see a lot of it! And head winds – making the same distance over took 4 hrs 20 coming back. Weather. Sheesh.

BOMSHELLS as BAD GIRLS get CLOSER to THE GOAT

Wow what a title. I'm impressed.

They are however, sadly, not really linked. Apart from that they are the four reviews I have on Australian Stage at the moment. Check them out at:

http://www.australianstage.com.au/reviews/perth/

Look for Bomshells, Closer, The Goat, and Bad Girls.

Book Review - The Overlook

The Overlook

by Michael Connelly

I felt like I’d watched ‘24’ when I finished The Overlook. The story takes place over 12 hours, packed with twists, trauma and missing cesium.

Bosch is back, working Homicide Special. Called to an execution, he becomes involved with an international terrorist hunt. FBI Agent Rachel Walling is a key player, creating tension for Bosch and complicating matters.

I love Connelly’s work, although he (like others) has a pattern. Crazy twist - check, dodgy cop - check, shots fired - checks, lead character brilliant but flawed. Check. That is Bosch – uncompromising, dedicated, yet flawed. Connelly’s skill lies in getting into Bosch’s head, and I love him with his faults.

This is a fast paced book which I didn’t want to put down. And this time, The Overlook ends with a question that will leave you screaming for the next one . . . .



Written for Crime City E-Newsletter June 2007 (AND NOT PUBLISHED BAH!)

Getting to know ME . . . .

I love these things - at times! Normally you'd do this in an email, but I thought I'd post it here so you can all laugh, but not have to respond . . . . . .

If you haven't seen these before, its a set of questions meant to help you know your friends . . . . and these are my answers.


1. What time did you get up this morning? 11am! The joys of not having a job!
2. Diamonds or pearls? Diamonds – pearls just look silly on me (not that I’ve got any diamonds to wear!)
3. Single/married/committed? Single
4. What was the last film you saw? Pirates #3. I love Orlando I love Orlando I love Orlando . . .
5. What is your favorite TV Show? I love ER, House, and Spooks
6. What did you have for breakfast? Toast (when I have it)
7. What is your middle name? Catherine
8. What is your favorite cuisine? Seafood, Thai
9. What foods do you dislike? Chilies! Not a big fan of brussel sprouts and parsnips either
10. Favorite Chips / crisps (depending on what you call them)? BBQ, plain, sour cream and chives Pringles

11. Favorite CD's? Anything cruisy
12. What kind of car do you drive? Currently the family spare – an old 1980’s Alfa sports something
13. Favorite sandwich? Brie and cranberry chutney or smoked salmon and cream cheese (yes, I have expensive tastes)
14. What characteristics do you despise in others? Stupidity, rudeness, inconsideration for others
15. What are your favorite clothes? Anything that makes me feel good – a well cut pair of pants, nice shirt etc
16. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation? New Zealand is next on my list
17. What color are your eyes? Hazel – more green if I’m pissed off
18. Favorite Fashion Brand? Hm, being my size, it’s pretty rare I fit into a fashion brand!
19. Where would you want to retire to? Somewhere close to friends and family, good coffee and the theatre.
20. Favorite time of day? Me time

21. Where were you born? Perth, WA, Australia
22. Favorite sport to watch? Rowing, Fencing (yep, love people with swords!)
25. Coke or Pepsi? Coke all the way. Bah Pepsi yuck!
26. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share with everyone? I bought a new suit the other day – very nice one too. And DAMN expensive!
27. What did you want to be when you were little? A nurse
28. What is your best childhood memory? Talking late at night with Victoria
29. Did you ever skip school? Um, now that its been over 10 years, I can admit YES!!!!!! I used to skip maths and PE lessons to go and work on my drama stuff. . . . . don’t know how I managed to get away with that.
30. Who was your best friend in school? Becci, Kelly, E. They were the three consistencies in my life!

31. Piercing? Ears
32. Ever been to Africa ? No
33. Ever been toilet papering? No.
34. Been in a car accident? Yep. Some idiot drove into the side of my beloved Daihatsu
35. Favorite day of the week? Any day when I can sleep in
36. Favorite restaurant? Wagamama at the moment
37. Favorite flower? Closed roses
38. Favorite flavor of ice cream? Chocolate
39. How many times did you fail your driver's license test? Third time lucky (2)

41. What store would you choose to max out your credit card? I have a credit card that’s not already maxed? Bring on Borders.
42. Bedtime? Normally after midnight.
44. Last person you went out to dinner with? My family
45. What are you listening to right now? Radio
46. What are your favorite colors? Radiant blue, deep yellow almost orange
47. How many tattoos do you have? 0
49. Favorite movies? Dead Poets Society, Pirates of the Caribbean, What a Girl Wants . . . .eclectic taste
50.What is your occupation? Arts Marketing / Management Consultant – that is my official title (and great to use when I’m not working!)

51. Can you drive a manual car? Of course
52.If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Red
53.Last person you spoke to on the phone? Probably my mum
55.Favorite drink? Lemon lime and bitters
56. Pets? Family dog, but nothing for just me
57. What is your favorite season? Spring
58.Hugs or kisses? Both!

Dad's 60th Birthday Party

June 3rd 2007.

We organised a brilliant party for Dad to celebrate him getting older. It was loads of fun, with a few suprises for him tossed in too. A few extra people he wasn't aware of, and a few photos!!!!

Table decorations were by me! As it was at the Yacht club, we went with a boat theme - and these paper mache creations filled with very popular m+ms were funky and fun!

Aunty Barbara made the BRILLIANT cake - those are persimmons on the top for those playing at home. . . . (Sorry, Rove reference).

So a few photos of the day - the photo board, table decorations, the cake, Michaels speech, name tags (very handy - particularly as the day went on for some), the room, and the "how many people does it take to light the candles" shot!

Yes, I am a slacker

No excuses.

You know that stupid brain dead state you get into when you have nothing much to do? Its great when you're on holiday, but not so good when there are things you could be doing . . . .like seeing people, job applications, updating blogs, emailing people, job applications, organising your life, did I mention job applications????

So, I'm sorry this has been VERY BORING of late. I don't feel like I have that much to put on it, but I will try. Then you can at least complain that the new stuff is boring, rather than getting bored of the old stuff, which, upon reflection, some of it is quite good. Sheesh, my ego!

Things I’m missing / noticing upon my return.

Things I'm noticing:
Some things haven’t changed at all in Perth.
I still know my way around the city, even if I’ve forgotten all the street names
People’s Australian accents are getting on my nerves
Perth people are ruder than in Stratford
Perth has lots of sun – I’m back to wearing my sunglasses ALL the time
I still think it’s about to get warmer and summer is coming
Things are expensive – until I convert back into pounds, then I realise it’s not so bad.

Apart from missing the obvious (friends), I miss
Galaxy chocolate. I didn’t like the UK chocolate when I first got there, now I don’t like Australian Cadburys – which used to be my all time favourite
Daylight saving. Okay, so we’re going into winter here, but still.
The history that seeps into every aspect of the UK
The greenness of the landscape. Although Perth has actually had a bit of rain, much brownland is around.
The Duck
Well spoken people
Free internet access at the library
Barclays "Hole in the Wall" sign, which made me smile getting money out, even when I knew I didn't have any. . . . .

The Glam Fam

The Wedding Photos

The wedding - Annie and Cory.

My first week back, and I was attending a family wedding here in Perth. Annie is my cousin for those who didn’t know!

I had a hands-on role in this wedding – always scary! I did a reading, and helped Mum with the flower displays . . . .

There are so many wedding readings out there! I was a bit overwhelmed when I first started looking (yep – I had to choose it! Brave Annie). . . . But narrowed it finally down to four choices. From that, Annie and Cory chose this one:

The Keys to Love
The key to love is understanding ....
The ability to comprehend not only the spoken word,
But those unspoken gestures -
The little things that say so much by themselves

The key to love is forgiveness ...
To accept each others faults and pardon mistakes
Without forgetting -
But remembering what you learn from them

The key to love is sharing ...
Facing your good fortunes as well as the bad, together;
Both conquering problems -
Forever searching for ways to intensify your happiness.

The key to love is giving ...
Without thought of return
But with the hope of just a simple smile
And by giving-in, but never up.

The key to love is respect ...
Realising that you are two separate people, with different ideas
That you don't belong to each other
But that you belong with each other and share a mutual bond.

The key to love is inside us all ...
It takes time and patience to unlock all the ingredients
That will take you to its threshold.
It is a continual learning process that demands a lot of work
But the rewards are more than worth the effort.


Very sweet! And fairly easy to read / understand. Phew, managed not to stuff it up. Brilliant wedding and reception.

And very Australian! (I’m noticing these things at the moment). Our MC for the night (Cousin Steven) kept us updated with the footy scores (that’s Aussie rules footy, not the other one!), the wedding car was a four-wheel drive from the bush, and Annie decided that her Blunstone boots were much more comfortable to wear.

See photos for proof . . . .

The (Belated) End of the Affair . . . .with the UK

Okay, I need to finish off the UK part of this Blog NOW! (2.5 weeks belatedly after I leave the UK – sorry!).

I’ll end with the following. My final words – said to my friends in the Duck that last night . . . . .

When I think back on this year, I am reminded of that song from the musical Rent (one of my favourite musicals). Called “Seasons of Love”, it asks how do you measure a year?

I can measure this past UK year like this:
In rota’s
In running times
In the number of times I’ve washed my white shirts
Latecomer points and standing ovations
In patrons

Of warm summer evenings
Nights at the duck
Pints of coke
Sexy men
700 pounds

But more importantly, I measure this year in friendships.
In laughter
In cups of coffee
In green room chocolate
Late nights amongst great company
Confessions and wed bed and kill

The love. It has been a most wonderful season of love. From you all.

When I came over, I had no idea of the friendships, deep intense and hopefully long lasting friendships I would make. Which of course makes saying goodbye even harder.

“How lucky am I to have known people who are so hard to say goodbye to.”

But goodbye for the time being. Thank god for email! I shall miss our group, and the extended family I have grown to love. Please stay in touch!

“No lapse of time or distance can lessen the friendship of those who are persuaded of each others worth.”

Photos

I've been having fun over the last few nights uploading all my photo disks onto Dad's computer. . . . . all 1,876 or so of them!!!! The computer does not like me anymore - I've considerably slowed it down!

Of course no one but me wants to look at all of those - so I'm trying to organise them into subjects - London, Stratford misc, Italy, RSC . . . . . slow process! So far no one has seen anything except what I post on this blog. . . .

How on earth am I supposed to choose which ones to get printed?!!!!!!

Little Devils - Do I know these people?

Charlecote Park

Bosworth Field Trip

Don't we all look studious - reading the correct (ie not Shakespeare) version of Bosworth field where Richard met his end . . . .

An absolutely freezing day, but fascinating, well laid out etc. And great company and pub lunch afterwards!!!!

I have a new friend . . . . :D

Back in OZ

Hello all - and a welcome to all my UK friends who finally have access to my blog!

Just wanted to let everyone know that I am back in Oz, safe if a little jetlagged.

I have some serious updating of this blog to do - so many new photos and experiences from the last few weeks of the UK - so for the time being, it will seem as if I'm still there!!!

Give me a few days though - i am not making sense at the moment.

Hope everyone else is well.

The DOOR

Tewksbury, May 4 1471

The Yorkists (YK) vs the Lancastrians (LC). . . . . Prince Edward (LC) and other Lancastrians took refuge in Tewksbury Abbey.

They were slaughtered.

The Yorkists came into the Abbey (which at the time was not consecrated/sanctified), killed, and left them there.

Nowadays, the abbey is a bit more peaceful!

However, leading into the Sacristy there is a door in which the inner side is plated . . . with body armour from the slain Lancastrians.

If you look closely, as we had the chance to do, you can see what looks like arrow piercings in the armour . . . .