Circa – Peepshow: Might be one to clear the diary for. Certainly it’ll make you feel  very unfit.

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Underbelly Festival, Jubilee Gardens, London SE1 8XX Wednesday 27th June – Sunday 18th August 2018

 

photo by Kurt Petersen

Circa comes to London with Peepshow, an exciting European premiere that turns cabaret on its head, literally.  Join ‘the rockstars of the circus world’ as they embark on a seductive dance through the hall of mirrors that is your imagination.

By makers of the smash-hit shows Humans, Beyond, Wunderkammer and Closer, Peepshow combines some of the finest acrobatic talent on the planet under the direction of circus visionary Yaron Lifschitz to create an exhilarating ride into the beautifully bizarre recesses of your mind.

Playing with the extreme physicality of this troupe of phenomenal acrobats, Circa blur the lines between movement, dance, theatre and circus.  Exploring the concept of looking and being looked at, Peepshow uses circus to explore themes of gender and sexuality on the stage.

Yaron Lifschitz comments, I hope that Peepshow is one of those shows which is able to transform people’s expectations, bringing us new sensibilities with unexpected pleasures, and bridges the world between art and entertainment.  Peepshow is the latest in Circa’s latest postcabaret adventure. These take the form of cabaret and Circa’s medium of circus, add some extra ingredients (in Peepshow’s case a nightclub, a dream and ideas of looking) and shake. They shake so hard things break, stick together and turn wonderfully weird.  The resulting cocktail is a fantasia designed to thrill and delight. 

Peepshow’s music is an original track written by Ori Lichtik (Batsheeva Dance Company) with an interlude of Sweet Dreams (originally by Eurythmics).  Peepshow lets audiences see the world from the other side of the mirror.

Circa Contemporary Circus is one of the world’s leading performance companies.  To date, Circa has toured to 39 countries across six continents and in 2016 alone performed over 450 performances to over 180,000 audience members locally, nationally and internationally.  As a champion of live performance, Circa manages arTour and was the Creative Lead for the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games arts and cultural programme.

 

Circa acknowledges the assistance of the Australian Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body and the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland.

Wednesday 27th June – Sunday 18th August 2018

 

 

 

 

 

I Am Ireland at the Old Red Lion Theatre  – cast announced.

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Old Red Lion Theatre, 418 St John Street, London EC1V 4NJ Tuesday 5th – Saturday 30th June 2018

Richard Fish

I AM OF IRELAND is an exciting new play by one of Ireland’s most perceptive writers, Seamus Finnegan (Act of Union, Soldiers, North).  Directed by Ken McClymont, the play examines the state of a divided nation and Ireland’s increasingly important role in Europe.

Richard Fish (Sherlock Holmes, The Invisible Thing, Tabard Theatre; Peter Hamilton’s Playground, Old Red Lion), Euan Macnaughton (The Crown, Netflix; The Replacement, BBC 1), Sean Stewart (Lone Star, Art’s Theatre; Coward, Different Productions), Angus Castle-Doughty (Loves Labours Lost, Rose Playhouse; The First Great Escape, Channel 5),

Saria Steel (Silent Witness, BBC; Flight Lessons, Jermyn Street Theatre), Shenagh Govan (The Bill, ITV; The Mill on the Floss, BBC)

Shena Govan

and Jerome Ngonadi (The Man in the Mirror, Channel 5; The Divine Chaos of Starry Things, White Bear Theatre) will complete the dynamic ensemble for I AM OF IRELAND at the Old Red Lion Theatre.

For some in Ireland, immigration and the border between the North and South have replaced sectarianism as central issues needing discussion.  As a result, aggressive, passionate personalities may intrude on those who want only calm, peace and generosity.  I AM OF IRELAND strives to remind us that there is still compassion and understanding in Ireland.

Through multiple storylines, the characters explore and examine the loss of religious faith, the disillusionment of Irish Republican ideals, the confusion of the Roman Catholic Church and the self-destruction of Ulster Loyalism.

Since 1998, Seamus Finnegan has worked closely with Scottish theatre director and artist, Ken McClymont. This has included seven productions at the Old Red Lion most notably Dead Faces Laugh, Disapora Jigs and Murder In Bridgport. For this state of the nation play, the Celtic duo reunite once again.

Director Ken McClymont comments, It is a great challenge and privilege to be asked to direct a new Seamus Finnegan play in the venue where we first met and worked together. Through the years Seamus’s works demand that we watch, listen and ask questions of ourselves, I AM OF IRELAND is this; a touching, funny, brutal and special play that provokes and seduces our emotions.

Tuesday 5th – Saturday 30th June 2018

 

Book reviews for the darling buds of May season       by Milly Adams

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As you bask on the beach, or around the pool, or collapse after a day in the garden we have a round up of books that might hit the spot.

The Case of the Fool by Daisy Waugh writing as E.V. HarteTT

Tarot reader Dolly Green, returning from a happy hols in St Lucia with her cracker of a police sergeant boyfriend, finds a Russian girl waiting for a reading. The charmless Marina is young and beautiful, everything to live for, but will she? The cards see other things ahead – death, but for whom?

This is an appetising read, nice, assured, with echoes of Agatha Christie. Don’t drip your ice cream on it.

The Case of the Fool by E.V. Harte

Keeping in the ethereal world:

Unquiet Spirits by Bonnie MacBird, an award-winning Hollywood screenwriter, and Sherlock Holmes fan.

How does she do? Rather well Frost thought as we join Holmes in December 1889 on his return from exposing a ‘ghostly’ house in Dartmoor. You know the one. He is invited to Scotland to pursue all sorts of mayhem, but chooses the South of France instead. Watson is nonplussed.

Mayhem is not to be escaped however and from France they are led to Scotland after all, and a conundrum to be solved. A good read for Holmes fans.

Unquiet Spirits. Pub HarperCollins pb & ebook and audiobook.

The Quarryman’s Wife by Elizabeth Gill

A warm evocative book, the second in the Weardale Sagas, set in the north-east, my old stamping ground. In this second of the series Nell Almond not only loses her daughter, but her husband, and her hopes rest in her grandson who is being cared for by one of the local families, and not very well it seems. See how these hopes are realised, or not – will he, or won’t he take his rightful place as heir to the quarry.

The Quarryman’s Wife by Elizabeth Gill. pub Quercus. Hb.

Blood Feud by Anna Smith

The first of a new series from the author of the Rosie Gilmour series. Blood Feud is in the mould of Martina Cole I felt, as Kerry Casey, strides back into a world she thought she had escaped. But no, on the deaths of her mother and brother she returns, and the girl is mad, and out to get even. Vigorous,  Blood Feud takes no prisoners.

Blood Feud by Anna Smith. Pub Quercus pb and ebook.

The City of Lies by Michael Russell

A fascinating book set in Ireland during the Second World War. The City of Lies is the third in the Stefan Gillespie novels and holds its place in the rankings. The City of Lies is just that, full of lies and mystery, and  double dealing as German, Irish and British concerns conflict. I liked it. It has pace, good scene setting and a great main character.

The City of Lies by Michael Russell. Pub Constable pb and ebook.

 

Milly Adams latest novel is the second in the Waterway Girls series. Love on the Waterways pub Arrow. Pb and ebook

BUSINESS OF BOOKS: FIRST, LAST, EVERYTHING – DEBUT NOVELIST & PERFORMANCE POET CLAIRE BALDRY

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What was the first writing advice you were ever given?

The first piece of writing advice I was given goes right back to my early childhood. Not everyone can recall their primary schooldays in detail, but my memories of that stage in my life are crystal clear. The classroom environment suited me, and I wanted to please my teachers. I was, I think, destined at an early age to work full time in education.

So when my infant teacher told the ‘six year old’ me to think harder about who would be reading my work, and to stop starting every story with ‘Once upon a time’, I took her advice seriously. She had given me my first sense of audience. This was a major step forward in the life of a young writer who was beginning to develop her craft. That advice has lived with me ever since. Even when my job required me to deliver dry and often unemotional reports, I always tried to write in a way which would catch the reader’s attention. After all, if I couldn’t be bothered to interest my audience, then why should I expect anyone else to read my words?

 

What was the most recent writing advice you were given?

I would describe myself as a ‘half full’ person. I like to focus on the positive and build on my  experiences. I loved writing my first novel and was more than happy to receive feedback after publication to further develop my skills as a writer. However, I do sometimes fall in to the trap of focussing too hard on how I need to improve my work. This can very quickly turn into self-doubt and slow down, or even stop, the flow of my writing. The most helpful advice about writing, which I have received recently, was to remember to believe in my ability. Writing, for me, is a massively enjoyable activity, and the very best way to improve is simply to keep writing.

 

What is the piece of advice (writing or otherwise) you would like to pass on?

I’ll be sixty-three next month. I’ve had a professional career in education, run my own business, been married twice and brought up a family. I now use that experience to support my work in the voluntary sector, raise money for good causes and take on new challenges.  Sometimes friends of a similar age suggest I should slow down a bit. Although I have had to learn to say ‘no’ on occasions, my advice to anyone, who is polite enough to listen to me, is, whatever your age, stay active and keep embracing new challenges as much as you can. No one knows what lies ahead or how long their health will last. So set aside fear of failure and make the most of your abilities.  I wanted to write and perform poetry. I gave it a try and discovered I could do it. I wanted to write a novel, and, amazingly, I managed it.  Life is not a dress rehearsal. Jump over the obstacles and create your own opportunities. It is unlikely that anyone will create them for you.

 

Claire has self-published four booklets of lighthearted poetry and is a popular speaker and performer at clubs and other venues in the South East. Her debut novel ‘Different Genes was published by Matador in 2017. Claire’s next poetry booklet ‘Simply Modern Life’ will be published later this year. Claire and her husband, Chris, were awarded the Diabetes UK South East Inspire Award for their fundraising work in 2017.

www.clairebaldry.co.uk

 

Theatre Review: H.R.Haitch:  Reviewed by Paul Vates

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The Union Theatre, Southwark, London

“When the show is good it is very good indeed!”

 

 

 

I always claim that I dislike musicals and, yet, when I go and watch them I am always surprised how much I love them. This show is a case in point. I know creating a new musical is a time-consuming task – and such a risk, both critically and financially. So full credit to the production team for their determination to get this show on. It started life some four years ago when the original lightbulb idea glowed and has obviously grown in confidence ever since; perhaps the story has been overtaken by real-life events, the absurdities of which have not been ignored by the talented creators. Even though H.R.Haitch is set in 2011, the topical jokes and references fly by at breakneck speed.

 

To have such a silly story work – the royal heir’s identity has been kept secret for twenty years, in the meantime he has fallen in love with a ‘commoner’ from Barking – means it has to hang on the skills and likeability of the cast.

Tori Allen-Martin – photography credited to Nick Rutter

 

Here it succeeds. The royal couple (mixed race and different class, no less) are played with supreme confidence by Tori Allen-Martin and Christian James. Tori plays Chelsea – a bubbly, joyous character – and manages to show a superb range of emotions and singing styles throughout.

Christian James – photography credited to Nick Rutter

 

She is matched by Christian’s Prince Albert – an idiot of Wooster proportion. Christian James not only handles the verbal jokes and physical slapstick, he has a voice to match the many styles thrown at him. He’s a young Michael Crawford and I thought his presence stole the show.

Tori Allen-Martin and Christian James – photography credited to Nick Rutter

 

The rest of the ensemble of six also have their own stunning solos. Emily Jane Kerr revels in the nastiness of Princess Victoria. Christopher Lyne’s publican Bryan is so touching and real, compared to his inept Prince Richard. Andrea Miller has the presents Vera (a lady of a certain age who still has an enormous sexual appetite), but sadly her showstopper just mis-fires – whereas her Queen Mary is an unforgettable foul-mouthed creation deserving of a right royal ‘bloody’ solo!

 

Andrea Miller – photography credited to Nick Rutter

Finally, Prince Plockey plays Uncle Vernon in Barking and Prime Minister Nathan at the Palace, rounding off a troupe of incredibly talented performers.

 

H.R.Haitch is billed as a musical comedy – and there it doesn’t lie. It’s a rags-to-riches tale that has its heart on its sleeve and its tongue firmly planted in the cheek. The laughs come freely and the songs are clever, witty and, in turn, surprisingly touching and emotional: some are very hummable! The show somehow lets itself down only on the some loose comedy timing and sticky choreography – but, let’s face it, when the show is good it is very good indeed!

 

Tori Allen-Martin, Prince Plockey, Christian James – photography credited to Nick Rutter

Photography:       Nick Rutter

Venue:                    Union Theatre, 204 Union Street, London SE1 0LX

Running:                Until Saturday 2nd June 2018 at 7.30pm (no Monday performances)

Saturday and Sunday Matinees at 2.30pm

Running Time:    2hr30m (with an interval)

Tickets:                  £22.50 (£20 concessions, £15 U16)

www.uniontheatre.biz – 020 7261 9876

Age:                         13+

 

Producers:            Shrapnel Theatre and Iris Theatre

Director:                Daniel Winder

Book & Lyrics:     Maz Evans

Music:                     Luke Bateman

Choreography:    Lily Howkins

Set Design:            Justin Williams and Jonny Rust

 

The Hape Anywhere Art Studio

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Frost loves the Hape Anywhere Art Studio. This tabletop art studio is double sided. One side is a chalk board and the other end is a magnetic whiteboard. You can also have a piece of paper on it with the Hape magnetic. It looks fab and keeps children entertained for hours. Highly recommended. It comes with 2 pieces chalk, 1 eraser and 1 magnetic wood piece.

Play with colors. Use crayons to learn the names of new shades.

The Hape Anywhere Art Studio worth £32.49 from Amazon. Suitable for 3 Years + 

 

The Cube by Strictly Briks Review

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Frost loves The Cube. It is a brick building set and storage container. You just put the pieces together to make your cube. Once you have your cube you can use it as a container, or, even better, use it for lego or mega blocks and build, build, build. It works with pretty much any brand name building bricks and is perfect for children and adults alike. Such a brilliant idea.THE CUBE by Strictly Briks. This Brick Building Set and Storage Container has 6 Interconnecting Double Sided Large and Small Peg Plates sized 6.5″ x 6.5″ x 6.5″.

Introducing a totally new way to play. “The Cube” by Strictly Briks, allows “kids” young and old to build in all directions without limitations by creating 3 dimensional scenes! The Cube plates are interchangeable, allowing for endless creativity! For big “kids”, add some fun to your desk! Use The Cube for storage and organization of bricks, toys, or other items.

Strictly Briks® classic building bricks play nice with other toys and are 100% guaranteed to be compatible with all major brands. Our classic size products are a guaranteed tight fit with any standard size building bricks, no matter what existing brand of building bricks or construction brick sets your child already owns.

THE CUBE by Strictly Briks is available to buy online from Amazon.co.uk for £15.99

How Car Buying Has Rapidly Changed in The Smartphone Era

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The days of snake oil car salespeople are thankfully over, and buying a car today is an entirely different experience than even a few years ago. Thanks to smartphones and mobile devices, the playing fields have been leveled. The salesperson is no longer the holder of all information, which has helped get rid of the need for hard negotiations. Sure, you’ll still find a salesperson who needs to “talk to the manager,” but if that’s the case you can always counteract with a comparable price pulled up on your phone. Never before has data and information been so available to both customers and the salesperson, which makes the experience faster, easier, and sometimes even enjoyable.

Nowadays, all information is transparent. You may not be able to negotiate for the price much, especially on a new car, but you can still negotiate on upgrades and perks. Since both you and the salesperson have the same information, you’re on a sturdier foundation to start with. Negotiations are largely centered around extended warranties and upgrades that the dealership can provide (such as oil changes and maintenance checks).

New vs. Old

Shopping for new cars has gone digital just like everything else. Maybe you head to online express stores to instantly see a dealership’s inventory or even customize your brand-new vehicle. You can check out videos, look at all of the upgrade options, and compare reviews, prices, and stats all from your phone. Some people choose not to visit a dealership at all and enjoy the convenience of shopping from home. This has been especially beneficial to those in rural areas who previously had to travel long distances just to “kick the tires.”

Shopping for used and hard to find collector cars is also easier now. eBay has become one of the most popular platforms for used-car shopping, allowing you to bid on (or buy now) from around the world. It’s where collectors are finding not just their vintage dream cars but all the necessary parts. However, if you’re going vintage, bear in mind that eBay has restrictions on protection coverage based on year. Older models (over ten years old) aren’t covered under the same kind of protection plans. It’s similar to buying in-person from a private seller. You’ll want to get a third-party to the vehicle for a full inspection before purchasing an unprotected vehicle.

Gaining Leverage

The world of car shopping is also changing from the dealer’s perspective. Now, they have instant access to all of the information thanks to automotive software updated in real-time. They can choose to print comparisons on-site to share with buyers, so you have the full information. Don’t trust the information they provide? Mobile devices have made it easy to quickly check the data yourself. Of course, salespeople are aware of this, which discourages them from skewing numbers.

If you’ve noticed an increase in salespeople saying they just can’t go any lower—and mean it—it’s for good reason. Base level prices are set by both the manufacturers and the dealers. In most cases, a salesperson needs to meet a minimum markup in order to make a sale. It’s still true that the best prices can be found in December when dealerships are trying to make the most of their profits before the year ends. You’ll be able to find the lowest prices during this month, but can peruse inventories from the comfort of home (or wherever you may take your smartphone).

Smartphones have also increased access to third-party reviews. It’s still important to check the official reviews of cars you’re looking at, but don’t forget about the reviews from others like you who have been behind the wheel. Smartphones have given us the ability to take word of mouth to an entirely new level. Whether you’re the type of shopper who’s comfortable ordering a vehicle from your phone or you simply want a little more information before a test-drive, reviews can help you decide which makes and models are best for you.

Going to a dealership prepared has never been easier. When everyone has information at their fingertips, processes can be faster and easier. Dealerships are aware that you might spot a better vehicle for you or a lower price at any moment, especially if you have alerts set up. Take advantage of this shared knowledge and get in the driver’s seat when it comes to purchasing your next ride.