Big Mack: Michael Ball leads the cast of Chichester’s big summer musical

Posted on July 22, 2015 by Vicky Edwards

THEATRE REVIEW

Mack and Mabel
Chichester Festival Theatre
Until 5 September (and then on tour)

Music and Lyrics by Jerry Herman
Book by Michael Stewart (revised by Francine Pascal)

www.cft.org.uk
Box Office: 01243 781312

Photo credit: Manuel Harlan

From the moment that the blistering overture kicks in you sense that something special is in store. And so it is. In addition to a belting orchestra, there’s a clever set and technical wizardry, glorious frocks and a phenomenally talented cast, led by Michael Ball and Rebecca La Chance in the title roles.

But although billed as a musical comedy, the plot isn’t an endless stream of lighthearted froth by any means. Nor is it a conventional musical theatre romance. The true story of Mack Sennett, the legendary silent movie director famed for his Keystone Cops, and Mabel Normand, a hot dog seller spotted by Sennett and transformed into the darling of the silent screen, in many ways the tale is more reminiscent of Albert Square than Hollywood. Just with more songs.

Told retrospectively, Michael Ball convinces absolutely as the ruthlessly driven Sennett whose sole aim in life is to make ‘em laugh. Broke and alone in his studio before being turned out, he recalls the past; the lies he told, the cast and crew he bullied and the love he treated far too casually. And then there’s the crushing blow that he was wrong about the Talkies which, in spite of his prophecy to the contrary, did actually catch on, diminishing public appetite for his silent pie-in-the-face two-reelers.

Resigned to his rudeness and lack of romance, Mabel continues to love the difficult but charismatic Mack. Reaching a point, however, when the occasional moment of tenderness is no longer enough, and with Mack unwilling – or unable – to make any greater commitment to her, she allows her head to be turned by a rival producer. Having taken drugs before to cope with Mack’s punishing schedule of movie making, she is soon a regular drug taker, slugging down hard liquor in between shoving cocaine up her nose. By the time Mack finally realises that she needs help as much as he needs her it’s all far too late.

Rebecca La Chance is terrific. Vocally enchanting, she pitches Mabel’s initial passion, zest and energy perfectly. As times change, and her fading hope and enthusiasm becomes apparent, it pierces the heart.Fluid, visually stunning and audibly fabulous, all credit to director Jonathan Church and his creative team, whose collective expertise is harnessed to great effect. Choreographer Stephen Mere, at the top of his game, must surely be one of the world’s best. Inventive, stylish and almost poetic in their gracefulness, his routines are simply dazzling.

But ultimately it is Michael Ball’s show. Giving Mack real substance, and following on from his triumphant performance at Chichester a couple of years ago as Sweeney Todd, he cements his status as a supremely talented singer who can really act. Balancing the aggressive bully who is consumed by his work with the man who is also capable of flashes of sweetness, loyalty and at some level self-awareness, Ball manages the emotional and personality gear changes with complete aplomb. It is a remarkable performance and not until the curtain call is there so much of a glimpse of the slightly camp luvvie who willingly sends himself up.

Another Chichester musical with all the hallmarks of success, I Never Promised You a Happy Ending may well be one of the big numbers, but you’re sure as Hell guaranteed joyous entertainment. If you can get a ticket, grab one.

The Energy Bus Book Review

Posted on July 22, 2015 by Aidan

The Energy Bus: 10 Rules to Fuel your Life, Work and Team with Positive Energy By Jon Gordon is a self help book with a difference. Written as a fictional story about a negative businessman who’s life changes when his car breaks down and he is forced to take the bus. The driver, Joy, has 10 rules to a positive mindset. I found the book helpful with fascinating facts about the heart and Abraham Lincoln. Facts, rules and fiction are all woven together into a book that inspires positive energy and gives you the tools to bring that positive energy to your life and work place.

Easy to understand and implement. Recommended for work and home.

The book, which is written in the style of a fable, takes place in a business setting, and includes an Action Plan and 10 simple rules, using the analogy of a bus ride, to build a positive, high performing team. The Energy Bus has proved hugely popular in the US amongst sports teams and their coaches and Gordon, a former College lacrosse player, regularly gets asked to address sports teams teaching them how to maintain a positive mindset throughout gruelling training sessions.

Discover how to stay positive and avoid ‘energy vampires’

According to a global Gallup poll, negativity in the workplace is rife, with only 1 in 8 employees being psychologically committed to their jobs and likely to be making positive contributions to their organisations.

Energy coach Jon Gordon wants to change that. In his bestselling self-help book, The Energy Bus: 10 Rules to fuel your life, work and team with positive energy, the author offers lessons on staying positive and avoiding ‘energy vampires’ who will ‘suck the life out of you and your goals and vision’ if you let them. Gordon offers 10 simple rules to achieving positive results which, when applied, have an impact on health, family, team and personal success.

The author draws on his experience of working with thousands of leaders and teams to provide readers with insights and practical strategies to help them achieve a positive team and culture. Written in the style of a fable, the book tells the story of a man, struggling in his job and marriage, whose car gets a flat tyre, forcing him to take a bus to work. The bus driver’s positive attitude helps him to turn his life around.

“While this fable takes place in a business setting, this book was written for everyone. We are all part of a team, and every member of our team – whether it’s our work team, sports team, family team, or school team, can benefit from the 10 simple, powerful rules shared in this book. After all, positive people and positive teams produce positive results, and the essential ingredient is positive energy.” Jon Gordon

About the author:

Jon Gordon’s best selling books and talks have inspired readers and audiences around the world. His principles have been put to the test by numerous sports coaches and teams, organisations, schools, hospitals and charities. He is the author of The Wall Street Journal best seller The Energy Bus, The No Complaining Rule, Training Camp, The Shark and The Goldfish and Soup: A Recipe to Nourish your Team and Culture. Connect with him at www.JonGordon.com

Published by Wiley.

The Energy Bus: 10 Rules to Fuel Your Life, Work, and Team with Positive Energy is available here.

ISBN: 9781119089148

The Railways of Great Britain – A Historical Atlas by Col. Michael H Cobb PhD, MA, FRCS, MInstRE

Posted on July 20, 2015 by Margaret Graham

This is the dream read for any railway and map lover, and I speak as one who is both. It is the definitive historic guide to all the railways in Britain, both existing and lost. All train lines in operation between 1807 and 1994 are dramatically set in colour against an Ordnance Survey grid, alongside the names of the companies that built them, and the opening and closing dates of the stations they connect.

Colonel Cobb, cartographer, railway historian and WW2 veteran created this magnificent atlas after he expertly pinpointed PG Wodehouse’s fictional Blandings Castle by examining the railway information and train times, mentioned in all of Wodehouse’s stories.

Inspired by the task, this amazing man embarked on an epic study of all of Britain’s railways, past and present. It took 18 years of painstaking plotting and researching, as well as traveling on every train line in the country.

Colonel Cobb was awarded a PhD by Cambridge University for this work at the age of 91, making him the oldest person on record to be award a PhD by a university. The first atlas was published in 2003 and sold out immediately, as did a subsequent reprint. This edition has been carefully edited and improved by Patrick Cobb, Michael Cobb’s eldest son.

With over 646 pages of beautifully reproduced maps, this luxury edition consists of two volumes in a slipcase. It is the perfect companion for collectors of special, limited-edition, art books.

In 1940 Michael Cobb participated in the Battle of France, the Dunkirk evacuation and also trained commandos and saw action at Nijmegen. En route to the Far East in 1944 his troopship was sunk in the Mediterranean Sea. After the war he joined Military Survey, becoming FRICS. He retired in 1965 as a colonel and spent some years as a professional cartographer before becoming fully retired in 1971.

I love it. The maps are just an amazing feast of information, and constantly one is aware of the love of the task, and the sheer consistent endeavour. Fascinating and moving. I love the fact that Patrick, Michael’s son has cared for, and improved his father’s life’s work.

Published on 13^th July by Riley Dunn & Wilson (Huddersfield) Ltd. £295 www.rdw.co.uk

www.railwaysofgreatbritain.com

Month 6 of My Reading Challenge by Frances Colville

Posted on July 20, 2015 by Margaret Graham

Recently I went to a wonderful performance of Louis De Bernieres’ play for voices entitled Sunday Morning At The Centre Of The World. I’ve read and enjoyed Captain Corelli’s Mandolin, Birds Without Wings and various others of De Bernieres’ books but I’d never come across the play before and I went straight out and picked up a second hand copy to read. It’s such a vivid evocation of life in multi-cultural London and it’s a quick read which is useful for someone trying to read as much as possible in a year. I realised it must have been based on Dylan Thomas’ Under Milk Wood, an old favourite of mine, so of course I then had to re-read that as well. Both plays stretch the boundaries of language, putting together combinations of words which are highly original as well as being thought- provoking and hugely enjoyable. And both authors distill the essence of a community they know very well into just a few pages. To give you a taster, this sentence is taken from the first page of Under Milk Wood ‘It is spring, moonless night in the small town, starless and bible-black, the cobblestreets silent and the hunched, courters’-and-rabbits’ wood limping invisible down to the sloeblack, slow, black, crowblack, fishingboat-bobbing sea.’ Magnificent!

There’s a series of books written by Chris Stewart, one-time Genesis drummer, (Driving Over Lemons, The Parrot in the Pepper Tree and The Almond Blossom Appreciation Society) which are laugh-out-loud funny. They tell the story of how Chris and his partner Ana buy a rundown farm in Las Alpujarras, a region of southern Spain, and how their life develops over a period of years. I first read them years ago and have recently been dipping in to them again. Very enjoyable, but also well written and perceptive. I see there is a recent addition to the original trilogy – The Last Days of the Bus Club – which I have now added to my list of books to read.

What’s next? H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald has been in my pile since it won The Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-Fiction and the Costa Book of the Year in 2014. It’s not an easy read but it is one of the most sensitive and incisive portrayals of grief I have ever come across. For me, the training of the hawk Mabel is almost incidental to the proceedings but I can see that it is also a vital part of the book and will no doubt be completely absorbing for anyone who knows about hawks and falconry. The use of language and the descriptive passages throughout the book are quite simply outstanding.

Wild by Cheryl Strayed was an obvious follow up since it too tells of a passage through grief and depression by returning to the wild and searching for healing in the natural rather than the human world. It’s the story of a walk taken by the author along the Pacific Crest Trail. It isn’t as powerful a book as H is for Hawk, and at times I found it to be over-focused on the author and her feelings (so many paragraphs beginning with ‘I’!) rather than giving a wider picture of the trail. But it is very readable and I think actually resonated more with me – partly at least because I can see myself setting out on a long walk or other adventure to assuage grief far more easily than I can see myself trying to train a hawk.

So this month my reading choices have, purely by chance, been pretty much entirely about people and the different ways they live their lives. I’ve been by turn amused, saddened, educated, enlightened, inspired and always entertained. I suspect it would not be at all difficult to continue finding books in this genre for the rest of the year, but I’m not going to do that. Something different is calling.

A Weekend In Rome: Fall For The The Eternal City In 48 Hours

Posted on July 18, 2015 by Holly Thomas

by Holly Thomas. All images copyright Holly Thomas [Twitter, Instagram: @HolstaT]

Rome might not have been built in a day, but with enough pizza bianca under your belt you can sure fall for it in one. Here are a few unmissables you should squeeze in between slices…

The Walk up the Via dei Fori Imperiali

[Make this your route to the Colloseum, and in ten minutes you’ll see enough of Ancient Rome to make your trip worthwhile]

Start early at the Piazza Venezia. Avoid the overpriced ice cream (tends to be better when found down a side street), and start down the Via dei Fori. On your right you’ll pass the Altar of the Fatherland, which looms massively over the square, a fantastic titan-scale monument honouring the city’s fallen soldiers.

Trot a little further and on your left, you’ll see the Foro di Augusto, the ruins of a forum which once served both as a temple to Mars, and space for legal proceedings. It’s classic Ancient Rome, slick efficiency coupled with due deference to conquest. If it’s dry, you can head down the steps below street level and wander through the remains.

[I never cease to be impressed by the gumption of national heritage sites which allow this – tourist footfall must be eroding the SHIT out of everything, surely?]

A little further up on your right, past the Julius Caesar statue, you’ll see the Roman Forum. It’s architectural excavation on a huge scale – like a valley of ruins overlooked on all sides by 2000-year-old temples, government buildings, and palaces. Get a guide to explain all this to you properly (on which more later).

Next on your right is the beautiful Basilica SS Cosma e Damiano. A very lovely building, but by this point you’ll be having trouble tearing your eyes away from the main event…

The Colosseum

It’s staggering, no hyperbole. This was my favourite thing in the city. See the Colloseum, and you’ll understand why the Romans thought so very much of themselves for 500 years. Even beyond the scale and majesty of the building itself, it encapsulates an idea of Rome (my apologies to Ridley Scott), that no number of churches can match. It’s brutal, imperial, clever, showbusiness, business business, it’s everything you want it to be.

Book a tour

Give yourself up to the socks and sandals legions. Ruins are very lovely to look at, but they take on such greater significance when someone explains what exactly you’re seeing, and this is history. A good guide can tell you how the cunning Romans drained their valley-straddling city, where the centre mile is (all roads lead to…), where the citizens had to apply for planning permission, and how one vestal “virgin” evaded being buried alive when she discovered she was pregnant. Go to the top of the hill where the orange trees grow for a stunning panoramic view of the old city, and don’t be shy to ask your guide to pause while you take the pictures it deserves.

Make sure that your tour includes both the under-stage level of the colosseum and the third tier. It’s a little more expensive, but a worthwhile education. Stand on the lights in the tunnels and imagine yourself one of hundreds of slaves preparing hundreds of desperate, dangerous animals for their moment in the spotlight. Then when you’ve climbed to the top, you can better imagine the view of the gladiators – the most expensive beasts in the Colosseum – making their bloody names on the stage.

Go to lunch at Al Cardello, which is tucked away behind the guide office. It’s small and sweet, with the modest seating open onto the kitchen. Diners speak softly to preserve the peace just a stone’s throw away from the busiest tourist area in the city. It helps that the food (the traditional menu you’ll see everywhere – grilled vegetables, pesce, carne, pasta) is prepared with great care, and quite delicious enough to command your full attention.

After eating, you can nip around the corner to see Michelangelo’s Moses at Basilica di San Pietro in Vincoli.

Take a wander towards the Spanish Steps. If you’re parched for green space, continue beyond the steps and into the park behind. Aim yourself at the Temple of Asceplius for photos opps. Be sure to get back to the top of the steps in time for sunset, though…

The Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel

Well, obviously, but might as well if you’re in the neighbourhood, right? It’s €16 for the museum and chapel. Give it a good half day – if you were to attempt to look at everything in the Vatican you’d be camping there a month, but a few hours will give you a good sense of the place, and get you comfortably to saturation point on the fresco-and-sculpture front.

Of course, you’ll also drop into The Basilica of St Paul. If you’d rather do so without buying the full Vatican ticket, you can enter via the Roman square, but get their early (before eight) to avoid the staggering queue. Bear in mind that the Pope likes to swing by without forewarning sometimes, and when he does, the church is closed to the public.

If you have some time to kill…

… and are in the mood for a little educational Schadenfreude, head to the Museo Criminologico. This former prison now houses the most satisfyingly macabre collection you could wish to lose an hour or so gawping at. Observe, the spiked iron collar placed on “chattering” women in the seventeenth century! The skeleton of some poor bastard left to die suspended in a metal cage! The torture seat which had a fire lit underneath! I loved every minute in this place.

Our Little Secret By Jenna Ellis Review by Jan Speedie

Posted on July 17, 2015 by Frostie

Our Little Secret is the debut novel of Jenna Ellis. As a freelance photographer Jenna has worked and lived all over the world. Her saucy, erotic tale about Sophie Henshall is made for holiday reading.

At 20 something, Sophie longs for some excitement in her life. Living in Manchester with her Dad and brother, she works as a nursery assistant at FunPlex. With her boyfriend Scott, she shares a love of dancing and techno music and a healthy sex life in his drab bedsit.

Life changes for Sophie Henshall when she answers an advertisement in The Lady for a live-in nanny to a New York family. This is her chance to change her life forever as she is transported to a new and glamorous world in the Big Apple with the elusive Mr and Mrs Parker. Out of her depth, she is drawn into a world of designer clothes, grand houses, lavish parties, sexual intrigue and secrets.

Sophie is irresistibly drawn to Edward and Marnie Parker who are both flirtatious and attractive and lead her into temptations she is unable to resist. But the Parkers have a darker side and secrets to share with Sophie that she must never tell. Secrets can bring pleasure or pain.

Can Sophie Henshall survive or must she return to her old life in Manchester?

Ellis has written an enjoyable romp, a page turner, and what a setting. It will be interesting to see what Jenna Ellis produces next.

Published in paperback on 16^th July 2015, by PanMacmillan.

5 Film Sets That You Can Go Explore

Posted on July 14, 2015 by Frostie

If you love films and travel, you might want to combine the two on a pilgrimage to the sets of your favourite movies. Here are our top 5 film sets that you can go and explore.

Jurassic Park – Kualoa Ranch, Oahu

Originally set to be filmed in Costa Rica, Steven Spielberg’s 1993 mega blockbuster Jurassic Park was relocated to the craggy, prehistoric landscape of Oahu, Hawaii. Standing in for the mythical Isla Nublar, Kualoa Ranch is arguably one of the stars of the film, as it sets the mood and tone for this ‘science gone too far’ escapade. Visitors to Kualoa today can take guided ATV tours of the vast acreage, also used as a filming location for Lost and Godzilla.

Harry Potter – Warner Brother Studios, Leavesden

A perennial favourite of kids of all ages, the 8 Harry Potter films were all shot in and around London and Oxford. A specialised team of designers, visual effects experts and artists built the elaborate sets—and you can visit them to this day! Take a wand waving class, get up close to prosthetics and costumes actually used during filming, and of course – visit the unbelievable shop at the end. If you want to catch a glimpse of filming locations around the city, head to the Millennium Footbridge, King’s Cross Station (home to the iconic Platform 9 ¾) and Leadenhall Market.

The Grand Budapest Hotel- Görlitzer Warenhaus Department Store, Görlitz, Germany

Fans of Wes Anderson’s quirky alternate universe often cite The Grand Budapest Hotel as their favourite of his films. Nominated for 9 Oscars in 2014, this visually arresting movie was shot primarily in a department store, not a hotel. While the hotel’s façade was a model (a technique that Anderson often employs), the interior shots were all filmed in this handsome art nouveau department store, built in 1913 and located 60 miles from Dresden. Open daily, you can treat yourself to a bit of retail therapy while you walk through the halls of cinematic history.

Ghostbusters, Tribeca Firehouse, New York City

This 1984 classic is beloved by generations of fans who grew up watching the films, television series, cartoons and playing with Slimer action figures – and that is why so many fans flock to the Tribeca Firehouse at 14 North Moore Street in New York City. Now valued at over $16 million due to its newly trendy location, the newest reboot of the film due next year may not be able to afford to hire the space!

Friday the 13^th, NoBeBoSco campground, Blairstown, New Jersey

If you love scary slasher flicks and you want to pay homage to Jason at the fictional Camp Crystal Lake, you will have to get the permission of an organisation so wholesome that it is the antithesis of Friday the 13^th: The Boy Scouts of America! ‘Camp Crystal Lake’ is actually set on the NoBeBoSco campground in New Jersey, and during the off season they will occasionally grant permission to film buffs who want to wander through the original cabins.

These filming locations are iconic, interesting and affordable (or even free) to visit. Do you have any others you would like to see added to this list? Leave your suggestions in the comment section below!

Ross Mabey Poet And Song-writer By Margaret Graham

Posted on July 14, 2015 by Margaret Graham

Ross Mabey is 72 years old and was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease (PD) in November 2005. He was living in London UK for 15 years before returning to Australia in June 2014 accompanied by his wife Linda. Their son Jonathon, 28 years old, returned to Australia in 2012. During his working life Ross was employed in various roles in the Telecommunications industry in Australia and later in the UK. His interests include writing poetry, lyrics for songs and family history. He is also interested in researching to help find a cure for PD.

We published his feature on his work, and life a few days ago, with a promise of his poetry, and song-writing. Here it is. Enjoy.

Poetry, A Song Of Life.

Poetry is a very personal thing,

That can lift your heart and make it sing.

Its rhythms can have a beat, like a song,

That makes you move your feet.

Or, it can be an intellectual panacea,

For those who seek life’s perfections,

Expressed in words of structured verse.

Which soothe the ripples, of this Universe.

Or, it can be a song of life,

That speaks of truth, love, joy, toil and strife.

Whatever, captures your imagination,

It can be the emotion, that adds to the tapestry of life.

Whatever appeals to your Universe,

Is hidden in words, rhymes and verse.

Their potency is felt by those,

Who feel the need to write, in anything but prose.

Song lyric – Montana Mountains.

By Ross Mabey and Jeffrey Ullsperger.

Verse #1

Montana Mountains, your son has come home,

Through majestic forests and valleys I now roam.

I look upon your mighty peak’s, towering above,

Their grandeur is what I can’t help but love.

Chorus

Montana Mountains, reaching for the sky,

Take me to a special place,

To nature’s perfect high.

You’re beauty captures my heart,

I will be yours faithfully.

So Montana Mountains won’t you,

Please speak to me.

Verse #2

By the campfire’s glow, at night all alone,

I am comforted knowing you’re part of my soul.

Surrounded by your beauty, every night and day,

The sun, the moon and stars do light my way.

Chorus

Montana Mountains, reaching for the sky,

Take me to a special place,

To nature’s perfect high.

You’re beauty captures my heart,

I will be yours faithfully.

So Montana Mountains won’t you,

Please speak to me.

Bridge

When I die one day,

And home is Heaven above.

I’ll ask for a room with a view,

Of the mountains that I love.

Instrumental

Chorus

Montana Mountains, reaching for the sky,

Take me to a special place,

To nature’s perfect high.

You’re beauty captures my heart,

I will be yours faithfully.

So Montana Mountains won’t you,

Please speak to me.

Montana Mountains won’t you,

Please speak to me.

Frost Magazine

Books and Lifestyle

Category Archives: Culture

Big Mack: Michael Ball leads the cast of Chichester’s big summer musical

The Energy Bus Book Review

The Railways of Great Britain – A Historical Atlas by Col. Michael H Cobb PhD, MA, FRCS, MInstRE

Month 6 of My Reading Challenge by Frances Colville

A Weekend In Rome: Fall For The The Eternal City In 48 Hours

The Walk up the Via dei Fori Imperiali

The Colosseum

Book a tour

The Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel

If you have some time to kill…

Our Little Secret By Jenna Ellis Review by Jan Speedie

5 Film Sets That You Can Go Explore

Ross Mabey Poet And Song-writer By Margaret Graham