Meet the Sassy Stash The Sexy Way To Go Bag Free & Hide Your Belongings

sassystashgarterHave you ever carried a handbag just to hold your lipstick and money? Want to go hands free and have somewhere to put your belongings? Then check out The Sassy Stash from firebox.com. We reviewed it and…we love it. It is well made and looks sexy. It is discreet and the inside gripes the thigh well to stop it slipping. It is a genius idea and also perfect to secretly stash your belongings away .

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The Sassy Stash is an attractive garter that doubles as secret storage for your essentials.  Designed to be adjustable and worn under clothes, simply pop your essentials into the pockets and secure around your thigh with the Velcro strap. The Sassy Stash is available in black and from firebox.com for just £24.99. Frost Loves.

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sassysexygarterbelt

 

Armada by Ernest Cline Book Review

armadabookreview

Armada arrived on my desk and as a total non-gamer I approached it with diffidence. Halfway through the first page, however, I settled down with the main character, Zack Lightman, as he daydreamed through another boring maths class at high school hoping something would happen to take him away from all this. And who hasn’t felt this?

Ernest Cline writes with a fine sense of empathy, and a deliciously casual sense of humour and it is this that works extremely well: I reminded myself that I was a man of science, even if I did usually get a C in it.

So there was Zack, glancing through the window, and lo and behold, along came a flying saucer – every geek’s dream. It is a flying saucer that happens to be straight out of the video game he plays every night. It is a popular online flight simulator called Armada, in which gamers protect the earth from alien invaders.

Suddenly, the problem is real, or is it?

I discovered there is a dormant area of geekism at my core as I enjoyed Zack’s skills which are fully utilized. Not just his, but millions of gamers across the world who have to raise their game to save the earth from what’s about to befall.

I kept thinking: reluctant students, beware the dream, as I read on, following Zack and his new comrades as they scramble to prepare for the alien onslaught. Plenty of twists, turns, and tension but also the emotional conundrum of his father’s premature death, and his mother who has fun, but won’t commit to any bloke … No, I won’t go on. Read it.

I found it satisfactory on many levels, not the least that it is accessible to young adults, and old ducks like me – a rare accomplishment.  Armada is a journey towards emotional intelligence and understanding, a journey towards some questions answered, others posed – huge questions they are too.  Armada’s a good ‘un.

Armada by Ernest Cline

Published in hardback by Century £16.99

Also available in ebook

Ernest Cline is the author of the bestselling Ready Player One

 

 

 

Interview With a Refugee. Destination: Freedom Author Lily Amis Tells All

lily amis, author, refugee

Author Lily Amis

What inspired you to write the book?

When I went through difficult times as a teenager in my early years in Switzerland, I always knew that I would someday share my story with others. I just felt that what my mom and I were experiencing as war-refugees was beyond normal and that I had to become the voice for other silent suffers like us. I felt it was my duty to share our story.

Also as a teenager drawing and painting was my way of self-therapy. But through long-term unemployment the older I got the more writing became my way of self-therapy.

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You experienced many setbacks. Some were because of war, bureaucracy and  medical reasons. What was the hardest and what did you learn from it?

The hardest setbacks were and still are dealing with bureaucracy. As a kid I was an outsider as a refugee. Than the older I got I felt unwanted as a foreigner. And today as an adult I still feel unwanted and not integrated because of stupid bureaucracy.

That’s why I always say once a refugee, always a refugee. Once a foreigner, always a foreigner. The problem is that I feel homeless and lost. Even though I speak fluent German, Swiss German, English and Farsi where ever I go, I feel invisible, like nobody takes notice of me.

I learned from early years on to fight for my right and this hasn’t stopped until now and yet. I’m still fighting for my right, for my freedom and my acceptance!

refugee

You use Asiacity and EUcity instead of the names of the countries. Why is this?

I used Asiacity for Iran because unfortunately I feel specially these days when you say you’re Iranian you have to deal with injustice and discrimination. People have a negative view on my birth country. They believe what they see and hear by the Media and think my country is evil.

To be honest I was afraid that readers wouldn’t show interest in my story because they don’t like my country. Which is a shame, because my birth city Tehran is actually a great city and Iranian people are the most loving, friendly and helpful people.

I used EUcity for Swiss because I didn’t want to point my fingers out on Swiss and blame them for what the refugee law has done to us. Because the law is similar in most European countries and our suffer could have happen anywhere else to. And we see that now more than ever daily on the news.

What do you think of the current migrant crisis?

There are no words to describe my feelings. I have mixed feelings. I watch the news daily and it breaks my heart to see so many desperate people, young, old, families, children coming to Europe with completely false hopes and expectations. They have NO idea that becoming a refugee basically means giving up on your life, your future, hopes, dreams and goals. You leave your identity, pride and dignity behind for NOTHING in return.

It is also the prove of Karma. Twenty-eight years ago my mom and I left our home because of war. And nobody showed any compassion. Instead we were punished with bureaucracy.

Today Millions of refugees are coming from all kinds of countries and finally EU has to act and the Refugee Law has to change. The governments finally realize that the Refugee law as it was until now can’t function any longer. They have to find a fast and human solution to integrate these people in EU ASAP. That was what I always wanted to achieve with my story: Change the Refugee law which is now happening by a higher power.

Should people use the term refugee rather than migrant?

I don’t understand why people make such a big issue out of these two words. For me a refugee is someone who’s fled from war to stay alive. For me these people are war-refugees who have lost everything they have because of war.

Than we have economic-refugees. For example people from East Europe. They have not much and wish to have a better life and future. Which is absolute legitimate. After all we all are just short visitors on planet earth and should have the same rights for a happy life.

For me Migrants are people who have a life. But for whatever reason they decide to leave their home country and start a new life in another place. They do it legally with Visas by Embassies.

So in other words all the people that we see now coming are Refugees and not Immigrants. Why? Because they have lost their existence and have no place to go back to.

What got you through the tough times?

My mums devoted Love, support, care and believe. She’s an incredibly strong woman. I admire her strength and trust in God. Also my art work was a big help. Drawing and painting was my way of getting through tough times.

I have two examples that I like to share with you. Both were done in 1996, the original size is 50X70 cm. One is expressing that my only hope to ever feel Freedom is death! And the other one is expressing how I felt as a Refugee in Switzerland.

What can be done to help refugees?

I waited for this question for twenty-eight years. The refugee law must be updated ASAP. It can’t go on like this anymore. Toying with peoples destinies must take an end. The whole process of taking or not taking refugees in must be handled faster and fair. And finding a human solution is easier than the EU believes.

Depending on the country the people are coming from and why the decision whether to take them in or not can be done in a short matter of time. It shouldn’t take fifteen years to get a proper residence permit like in our case. It shouldn’t be necessary to get married without Love just to be able to have rights.

And when the EU countries accept these people they should give them a fair chance for a normal life and future. First of all treat them with respect and not like a disease. Understanding, caring, compassion and support MUST be the main priority.

Secondly when they start a life in a new country, they should have all the possibilities that are the fundament for an independent and fearless Life. Such as education and work opportunity.

Because Education means independence and independence means liberty.

Let them become the next Albert Einstein, Freddy Mercury, Bob Marley, Billy Wilder, Marlene Dietrich or Sigmund Freud. Don’t stop them from improving just because of stupid laws and injustice.

But the best HELP of all would be to STOP the War & Weapon business by reach and greedy countries. Than we wouldn’t have any refugees at all. Every human being could stay at home and live a fearless, normal life without suffer and pain.

You returned to your home country. How did that feel?

The title of my book is “Destination: Freedom”. When you read the book you assume that I found my freedom in EUcity (Switzerland) by leaving my hometown Asiacity (Iran). But actually the opposite was the case. When I returned to my hometown Tehran after fifteen years I felt Freedom for the first time in my entire Life. Even though the circumstances were terrible and sad, I was happy and free. I felt welcomed and not like an outsider anymore.

When will the other books be out and what can we expect?

The second book “Definition of Freedom” will be out soon. It is ready for print in English and in German. I think the readers of my first book “Destination: Freedom” will be very surprised to read how my life continued as a former-refugee.

“Definition of Freedom” is a cry for help and the perfect example of how the future of a refugee kid will look like if EU don’t put an end to the refugee system and change the rights of Refugees. Otherwise the future of innocent refugee kids like me are damaged forever and filled with personal and professional setbacks.

Would you believe me if I tell you that it took me twenty-seven years to be finally a naturalized “Swiss”? And that nothing has changed and I’m still desperately looking for Freedom? A place where I feel home, welcome, accepted and integrated? Would you believe me if I tell you that I’m still struggling and fighting for a “normal” life? Well these are just a few topics that I’m sharing with my readers in the second book of the trilogy.

What is next for you?

I’m hoping to find Freedom in a country where I feel welcome.

I’m praying to be able to breathe and live an independent life without fear of existence and the future.

I wish to continue my writing and use my voice for the voiceless. I want to help other sufferers specially Woman who have to deal with issues such as long-term-Unemployment, fear of existence, bullying, emotional and sexual harassment, burn out, depression, social isolation, loneliness etc. which are the topics of “Definition of Freedom” and my third book “Definition of Love” which I’m working on right now.

Interview With a Refugee Destination- Freedom Author Lily Amis Tells All book review

Destination: Freedom is a warts and all book which tells the brutal truth about being a refugee. Lily Amis does not censor herself at all. You learn about her frustration as bureaucracy stops Lily and her mother integrating into their new environment. They escape unimaginable horrors and are held back instead of being helped. If they were helped and given visas they could work and pay tax in the country they arrived in (Switzerland). I hope people in power read this book and some changes are made. This book is timely with the current refugee crisis the world is currently facing. An interesting read from a brutally honest writer.

Destination: Freedom is available here.

 

 

An Interview With The Incomparable Salley Vickers by Margaret Graham

I read Miss Garnet’s Angel a while ago now, and absolutely loved it and thought it would be fascinating to interview Salley Vickers, the author. At last I’ve managed to find a window in her busy life, and here she is to answer questions for Frost Magazine. What’s more you can hear her talking about The Boy Who Could See Death on 29th September at the Windsor Literary Festival.

An interview with the incomparable Salley Vickers   by Margaret Graham 1

You had an interesting but complex childhood, and felt that you had a sense of some unspecified task to fulfill. Did that sense drive you? Does it still?

Yes, I think it does. My parents imbued me with a feeling that one should work for the general good. In my case, that is best done by conveying my attitude to life through my writing.  But also they endowed me with a strong sense of the basic equality of all, and what people seem to like in my novels is finding aspects of their own hidden being there, which gives a sense of being understood.  I feel sure this is part of the power of a good novel – the capacity to make us feel known and perceived in our most private recesses of being.

An interview with the incomparable Salley Vickers   by Margaret Graham 2

Most of us grow up with parents defined in some way by their past. If it is a traumatic past, it can lead us to have an enhanced ‘political’ sensitivity, in order to weave our way through the rocks. We learn what to reveal, and what to hide. 

This is a skill I notice in your books, so would you agree that we authors write out of our past?

Inevitably, we write out of our conscious but, more powerfully perhaps, unconscious experience. The novel I have just completed, (‘Cousins’ published Viking March 2016) explores the way trauma recurs through a family history, even if the past is unknown to those in whom it re emerges. Nothing fascinates me more than how memory, both conscious and unconscious, lives on beyond the limits of any individual life.

You write with grace, but with ‘political’ care, holding back information, and then revealing. It gives an implicit tension. So – perhaps authors are not just influenced by their past, but trying to make some sense of it?  What are your thoughts on this?

I am sure I write to discover what I already ‘know’. What we think we know, what we know we don’t know and what we know but ignore are very common human conditions which I often explore. A previous career as a psychoanalyst has taught me to reflect on these levels of seeming ‘knowledge’.

Or are we just story tellers, or both?

Everything is story, in my view. Even science is a series of superseding stories. We are hard wired to make sense of experience through narrative. In analysis the work is to find a more workable version of the story a person tells themselves about their life. A writer’s job is to follow a story that has its own organic truth and is not a ‘truth’ imposed by the author’s own prejudices or intent.

How did you start your writing career? With short stories, or straight into Miss Garnet’s Angel?

Miss Garnet's Angel

Miss Garnet began life as a short story and just grew. I had no idea of publishing it. Like much of real significance in my life it was a happy accident – as were both my wonderful children.

How do you work? Do you have the germ of an idea, spend time thinking and then planning? I ask this because your novels are multi-layered. They are  psychological, mythical, in some ways fairy tales, but grounded ankle deep in reality. I believe I would need to think, and plan, and know where I was going, and what I wanted to say to achieve this level of complexity, and present it, as you do, in such an accessible way.

I never never plan.  I hear a voice, revisit a much loved place, recover a memory and then let imagination, memory, sudden encounter, whatever accrue around it, rather like the grit of sand that through a nacrotising effect becomes a pearl. The excitement of writing for me is not knowing what is going to happen. I never know the end of a novel, or a story, until very near the end and then it is often a major surprise.

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Do you enjoy writing or do you find that starting a novel is daunting because until you have finished it, you have half a foot, or more, in their world? I ask this because once I start, I find that I need to ‘be’ the characters. Well, not even need to be, I am, the characters. Someone once said, that an author is writing their life story so absorbed do they become in the world of their characters. 

I love it once I’m in it. I tend to spend the first part of a book in a restless state of acute anxiety. Then once I get over a certain sort of hump I really let rip and can write for very long hours. But your unnamed authority is right: it does become one’s own life story and I think much of the excitement comes from living out a life that is both one’s own and yet not one’s own. I write out of myself lives I have never lived but live through writing them.

Of all the books you’ve written, which is your favourite?

Probably the last one I have written – but if you point a gun at my head it would have to be either  ‘The Other Side of You’ or ‘The Cleaner of Chartres’.

pic 4 The other side of you

Have other authors influenced you?

Oh yes. Many. I grew up in a reading household, for which I am ever grateful, and had read all the classics by the time I went to university. Henry James,   George Eliot, Trollope, Conrad have all influenced me. Also Beatrix Potter on whom I learned to read and from whom I learnt about cadence (if you listen to Beatrix Potter the prose is exquisitely cadenced).

pic 5 Beatrix Potter

But of more contemporary authors, Penelope Fitzgerald and William Maxwell are my heroes. Penelope Fitzgerald did me the great honour of endorsing Miss Garnet shortly before she died. I’ve not had a higher or more precious encomium since.

ic 6 Penelope Fitzgerald

What next? 

Cousins and after that it’s a secret, even from myself

What do you do when you are not writing?

The usual introvert’s pleasures: read, walk, talk to friends, listen to music, go to the opera/ ballet.

What brings you joy?

Children (this is boast but I am reliably informed by my grandchildren that I am very good indeed at playing), birds, poetry, dancing, and I must confess also …. shoes…

pic 7 shoes

Salley Vickers is talking at the Windsor Literary Festival on 29th September at 7.00 pm. She will be discussing The Boy Who Could See Death. The boy is question is Eli, who is an ordinary lad with an extraordinary gift, or is it a curse?

For more information:

http://tickets.windsorfestival.com/Sales/Autumn-2015/Tuesday-29th-September/The-Boy-Who-Could-See-Death/The-Boy-Who-Could-See-Death

 

 

Little Angels Re-launches Range With a Mumsnet Stamp of Approval

littleangelsatasdaFrost has been reviewing the Little Angels range at Asda. It comes with the Mumsnet stamp of approval so we had high expectations. Thankfully we were not let down. The Sensitive Cotton Soft Baby Wipes are fragrance free and suitable to use from day one, even on eczema prone skin. The Head to Toe Wash is just as great and gentle. It has a no tears formula and is paediatrician approved. Little Angels Baby Powder soaks up excess moisture and prevents chapping and the Comfort Dry Nappies are super soft and delicate. The nappies give up to 12 hours of dryness. We were impressed with the entire range. The products are just as good as any leading brand but are not as expensive. Mums and dads, head to Asda.com.

Mums looking for the very best for their little angels need look no further than Asda’s Little Angels own brand baby range, which now comes complete with a seal of approval from the very best judges of all: other real-life mums.

 

That’s right: over 100 products in the Little Angels range have been tested and endorsed by users of Mumsnet – the UK’s largest network for parents.

 

The highly-praised range spans everything needed for a baby’s routine, including nappies, wipes, toiletries and snacks and features exciting new products, formulas and packaging.

 

And now, having partnered with Mumsnet, mums can rest assured that every product they buy with the ‘Quality Approved by Mumsnet’ logo has gone through a vigorous testing process from a panel of mums just like them, before hitting the shelves.

 

The hugely popular Little Angels nappy range, the best selling own-label nappy brand in the UK, has seen a major revamp to become the only baby brand to offer mums a complete nappy journey for their baby from newborn to potty training. The super soft and absorbent Newborn, Comfort Dry and Supreme Protection nappies have all received the Mumsnet seal of approval and now, Little Angels have also added Swim Pants (£3) and Potty Training Pants (£4.50)to its already extensive offering.

 

All economy packs are available in the popular 3 for £12 offer and what’s more, the Comfort Dry, Supreme Protection and Newborn ranges feature a unique size guide on the back of the pack to help mums understand when to move up a size, so you can wave goodbye to leaky nappies! And the colour coded size guide makes it easier for mums to pick out the right size on the shelf.

 

A new innovation for the Little Angels Newborn range is DreamSkin® technology (£4.50) – new to the market and available at Asda. The unique DreamSkin® technology is designed to help soothe and protect even the most delicate skin, making it perfect for those little ones prone to eczema.

 

The extensive range of Little Angels wipes now contain thicker yet softer embossed towels, designed to help mum cleanse baby with ease. The premium Extra Care, Extra Protect and Extra Sensitive Wipes (all £1 each or 4 for £3)provide the very best protection against nappy rash by working with the skin naturals defenses, leaving delicate skin silky soft and protected.

 

All of the Little Angels toiletries, from nappy change and bath time right through to bedtime have secured a big thumbs up from Mumsnet users, and new to the range is the Vapour Bath (£1 or 3 for £2.50), featuring a eucalyptus and menthol fragrance to help sooth baby and comfort little noses. As part of the re-design, the popular Baby Powder(£1.35) now features a newly-improved ergonomic bottle design, making it easier to handle whilst still featuring the same great formulation and value for money.

 

When it comes to feeding, the Little Angels nutritious and organic snack food range, from Organic Puffs (67p) to Oaty Bars (£1.99), has also been ‘Quality Approved by Mumsnet’, including a brand new Baby Biscotti (£1.19)product suitable from seven months. Available in three flavours – plain, apple and banana – the biscotti are completely organic, with ‘no nasties’ and added calcium and vitamin B1.

 

Lauren Venters, Category Planner for Baby at Asda comments: “The world of babies can be a daunting place with a variety of brands, hundreds of products to choose from and, quite often, conflicting advice. We know that mums really value the opinions, recommendations and first-hand experiences given to them from other mums and we’re so confident in our Little Angels range that we decided to put it to the test with the harshest critics of all – a panel of Mumsnet mums – and we’re thrilled they passed the test! Having that stamp of approval across the range, should hopefully give mums peace of mind that they’ve made the right choice, leaving more time to enjoy motherhood.”

 

Justine Roberts, Founder & Chief Executive at Mumsnet comments: “Mumsnet users have really put the LittleAngels range through its paces, testing the products in busy, real-life family homes up and down the UK. Our users value each other’s recommendations highly and place a lot of trust in them, so we’re pleased to have the opportunity to extend this special mark of approval to some products in the Little Angels range, and hope that the wisdom of the Mumsnet crowd will benefit other parents”

 

 

Fashion & Style At The Races

We had the pleasure of shooting for Chi Chi London and Beth Hirst couture hats recently. I wanted to share all the highlights with you guys. We dashed off to Chester Races with bundles of garments from Chi Chi clothing and a mountain of stunning hats kindly lent to us from Beth Hirst. Spoilt for choice we set about getting all dolled up for an amazing day out. Dresses chosen, hats adorned and our 2 Boxes photographer (My fantastic hubby) at the ready. Here are a few behind the scenes shots! Grab a coffee and imagine you had come along with us! Fashion & Style At The Races -3 Fashion & Style At The Races -5 Fashion & Style At The Races -6 Fashion & Style At The Races -4 Fashion & Style At The Races -1 Fashion & Style At The Races -25 Fashion & Style At The Races -21 Fashion & Style At The Races -24 Fashion & Style At The Races -20 Fashion & Style At The Races -26 Fashion & Style At The Races -7Ashely looking oh so Audrey Hepburn in her stunning floral hat. Beth’s creations are so adorable. Nip over to her website HERE. Ashely wears an outfit from Coast and her lipstick is actually a replica of Audrey’s favourite shade. Homing the look perfectly! Fashion & Style At The Races -9 Fashion & Style At The Races -8 Fashion & Style At The Races -10 Fashion & Style At The Races -11 Fashion & Style At The Races -17 Fashion & Style At The Races -19 Fashion & Style At The Races -18 Fashion & Style At The Races -12 Fashion & Style At The Races -13 Fashion & Style At The Races -14 Fashion & Style At The Races -15My outfit got so many compliments from passes by. If you haven’t heard of Chi Chi London clothing then you need to head off and take a look. They are all real show stoppers at incredible prices.

Fashion & Style At The Races Outfit Details

I’m wearing Chi Chi London Nessa dress, Stuart Weitzman heels, Beth Hirst Hat, Topshop sunglasses, Chanel bag, Gucci love bangle and Sleek matt red lipstick. A girls got to add a bright red lip every now and then!!

Ashely wears Coast top & skirt, Prada sunglasses, Jimmy Choo shoes, Beth Hirst hat & AH signature lipstick.

Louis Jadot Beaujolais Villages Combe Aux Jacques & Macon Blanc Villages Wine Review

The wine-producing region of Burgundy produces some of the best wines in the world. Why? Well, who doesn’t appreciate a continental climate, and grapes are just the same.

On the whole the region has long cold winters and hot summers with enough rain to jolly along the vines. Luckily for the growers, wine-makers and wine lovers of Burgundy, there is a Burgundy wine to suit every season and weather condition.

On warm summer days there is nothing more pleasant than unwinding with a lightly chilled glass of red Beaujolais or a lovely fresh young Chardonnay from the Mâconnais.

Frost tried two bottles from renowned wine producer Louis Jadot including the brand new 2014 vintage Beaujolais Villages Combe aux Jacques.

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NEW VINTAGE: Louis Jadot Beaujolais Villages Combe aux Jacques 2014
Produced from the Gamay grape, this beautifully scented, fruity red wine is delicious lightly chilled and enjoyed as an aperitif or even better at a picnic in the sunshine, accompanied by a spread of charcuterie and cheeses.

Beaujolais can often be disappointing, I find, but not this wine. It is produced from the Gamay grape and lives up to its scent: fruity with a deep timbre. I liked it slightly chilled. Try it with light meat, poultry and cheese. And a few friends – but get two bottles, so the sharing doesn’t become a burden.

RRP:       £11.00
Stockists: Waitrose (for the 2014 vintage).

(The following stockists are currently on the 2013 vintage but will be moving to the 2014 vintage soon. Tesco.com, Budgens, NISA, Booths , Whole Foods Market Camden, Ellies Cellar, Vintage Wines Ltd, Hoults Wine Merchants, Islington Wine, Bin 21 , Nailsworth Wine & Spirits, Village Wines (Amersham), Dickens House Wine Emporium Ltd, Kingsgate Wines, Refreshers, The Devine Wine Company (Kent) Ltd, Dylans Wine Merchants Ltd, Famous Wine UK Ltd, Ann et Vin Ltd, Corbridge, Wines and Spirits, Grape Sense, Grayshott Wines, Hailsham Cellars, The Leamington Wine Company
Lindley Fine Wine

Louis Jadot Beaujolais Villages Combe aux Jacques 20142

Louis Jadot Macon Blanc Villages 2013

This is an unoaked Chardonnay, one which is smooth and creamy but balanced by fresh, crisp apple characters. This indicates a newly ripened grape.

We loved this, which was slightly surprising, as often we prefer oaked Chardonnay, but it’s all down to personal preference, isn’t it. We took it into the garden after a tough day, and found it perfect with salad, and the odd prawn on the B-B-Q.
RRP:     £12

Stockists: Asda.com , Budgens, Whole Foods Market Camden, Ellies Cellar, Luvians Bottleshop, Bin 21 , The Devine Wine Company (Kent) Ltd, Village Wines (Amersham), Eynsham Cellars Limited, The Strand Wine Company, Ann et Vin Ltd, Islington Wine, Grape Sense, Famous Wine , Grayshott Wines

 

 

Liliom: A Legend in Seven Scenes, The Bread and Roses Theatre, Clapham

unnamed-2The theatre-goers were ushered up the stairs to collect their tickets for the show, or so we thought.

In fact, we were handed tickets to the carousel, where we were greeted with candyfloss, ball games and a photographer to capture the moment.

Once seated, it seemed the fun and games were over as the madam of the carousel takes a disliking to one of the riders, servant girl Julie, believing she’s flirting with her star worker, Liliom.

He can pick and choose any girl he wants, but he’s captured by Julie’s innocence and openness.

The pair start courting and Julie’s friend, Marie, imparts her knowledge on flirting while maintaining a lady’s virtue within the realms of the early 1900s in Budapest, Hungary.

We couldn’t help but giggle when Marie said a real sign of passion between her and her soldier boyfriend, Wolf, is when they swing hands. She can’t contain her happiness as her friend Julie now has a sweetheart of her own; they can both share in the delight of what love is and the effect it can have on a person’s soul.

But Liliom is a bad man. He goes out drinking, gambling and even strikes Julie.

Even when Julie tells him he will be a father, the audience deeply hopes he will change his ways. But for Liliom, the news leads him to score one last big hit to provide for his growing family.

He conjures up a plan with his good-for-nothing friend Fiscur to carry out an attack on the guard to steal his money. But as they wait for the guard to arrive, he manages to gamble away his half of the money in desperation.

The plan is foiled and the guard laughs in their faces as the money has already been banked; Fiscur and Liliom are shown as pathetic, stupid and hopeless.

Knowing he’ll be sent to prison, Liliom stabs himself in the chest.

His grieving wife Julie tends to her dying husband. Her love is pure and eternal, but deep down she knows Liliom is, and always was, a bad man.

Julie, played by Daniela Ologeanu, gives a sterling performance here – we feel she is truly mourning the death of a loved-one – she shook with fear, with dismay, with hate and with passion. But Liliom’s soul must now be judged at a higher level.

The poignant words from earlier echo out to the audience – no matter what you do or what you say, it will be remembered.

And in the presence of the magistrate, Liliom is asked what good he performed on earth and whether there is a final task he must perform before being sent away for eternity.

He’s given one last chance to show his softer, caring side – when his daughter reaches 16 years of age, he will be sent back to earth to perform one single act of kindness.

A task so simple it seems, but he manages to mess this up and even strikes his daughter.

Written by Hungarian playwright Ferenc Molnar, adapted by Mark Jackson and directed by Mark Modzelewski, Liliom was performed well within the confines of The Bread and Roses Theatre. Indeed there was no separate stage area and poor Julie must contend with some pretty quick costume changes in the curtains behind the audience.

But I feel this adds to the play – the audience were immersed from the start and we feel a part of the set and a part of the production.

It tackles domestic abuse, against the backdrop of the great carousel which is synonymous with laughter and fun.

And the plays shows how two opposites can attract to each other – one pure and one selfish. However, inherently, it seems people can’t change, no matter if they’re given stable surroundings, love or even a child.

Liliom, performed by Torchlight Collective in cooperation with East 15 Acting School, explored dark and light, comedy and death and the audience felt they were taking a ride on an emotional rollercoaster.

My only criticism? This production was only on for a week.