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penelopesimpson

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Everything posted by penelopesimpson

  1. penelopesimpson
    Love the idea of flowers for men. I have twice taken flowers for Ed Watson - not big showy affairs for on stage but small bouquets for his dressing room.
  2. penelopesimpson
    If I must have just ONE it has to be Ed Watson Mayerling 2013 with Mara Galeazzi. As The Telegraph described it, there are nights at the ballet you will remember all your life and this was one of them. It became evident early on that something special was unfolding and there was such excitement in the house. At the end, just silence. And then the roaring and the cheering and a half-dead dancer who had given his all, hardly able to stand. My husband was nearing the end after a long illness and I nearly cancelled but he insisted I go and for those precious hours I was transported. I cried all the way home on the train and it was a release. I shall always be grateful to the wonderful, the incomparable Edward Watson.
  3. penelopesimpson
    SugarPlum: There is no magic way to get tickets, particularly last minute. As others have said, though, people do return tickets because their plans change and these go on the website. Just keep looking and something usually comes up - unless its Fidelio in which case, no chance!
  4. penelopesimpson
    Quite right, my apologies
  5. penelopesimpson
    Romeo and Juliet with Hayward, Corrales and Ball. Gave me a totally new perspective on this ballet. Hayward totally convincing, Corrales bursting with raw charisma and untamed excitement, and Ball a revelation oozing entitlement and menace.
  6. penelopesimpson
    This is a bugbear of mine. Coats, hats,scarfs, rucksacks, briefcases, shopping bags have no place in the auditorium and the ushers should take action., As I predicted, Open Up made the situation worse with its constant emphasis on limited cloakroom facilities when the truth was that there was plenty of storage space but problems with queues.
  7. penelopesimpson
    Sorry Fiona, but The Telegraph awards this spot to Polunin at The Paladium. I hope it is alright to put the comment in but I am sure Mods will remove if it is breaking the rules: 'Was there anything more dispiriting than the sight of the Ukrainian bad boy Sergei Polunin stumbling like a drunkard through the insipid and ludicrous choreography of his self-curated Palladium show? Once a star at the Royal Ballet, he was reduced to over-emoting to compensate for his loss of dignity as an artist. Vanity projects by famous dancers often go awry, but this one hit a new low.' I didn't attend as I have long since given up on this previously wonderful dancer but doubtless his fans will tell me they were standing in the aisles cheering in wonder - without any trace of irony that this is a huge part of the problem.
  8. penelopesimpson
    So agree. He had marvellous comic timing. His Fawlty Towers role was masterly,for once stealing the show from Cleese.
  9. penelopesimpson
    Lovely, lovely message Sim. Thank you for thanking us but really its all due to you guys. All best wishes for the Christmas holiday to everybody - even Sergei!
  10. penelopesimpson
    Yeah, I'm torn, as well. I absolutely agree that a guard is necessary. I get the last train after attending ROH and get off at the end of the line when there can be just a handful of people on board and I don't fancy it without a guard. The guard always walks through the tunnel under the station with us which is reassuring. But I have missed three outings in December as the timetable, such as it is, is unreliable and the trains full to bursting.
  11. penelopesimpson
    I hope you don't work for South West, Rob, whose strike forced me to hand back last nights ticket for Coppelia.
  12. penelopesimpson
    Well, Lindsay, we can certainly agree about all being free to express their cultural taste and to call it as they see it. I obviously wasn't clear that what I objected to was your stating your view as fact. What you feel and what I feel are surely both valid but neither are fact. Can't really be more plain than quoting from your own post: 'those engaged in higher level music education know that ALW's work is musically banal with a generous topping of ersatz emotional manipulation. ' Shall we leave it there?
  13. penelopesimpson
    Well, that is indeed a lovely and distinguished list, Lindsay, but your post is somewhat disingenuous as it seems to be answering a statement I never made. Your point was that 'those engaged in higher level music education know that ALW's work is musically banal with a generous topping of ersatz emotional manipulation. ' That's a pretty bald statement on a message board devoted to opinions which are necessarily subjective. I particularly dislike that you seek to employ a higher authority to make your point that those who really understand these things consider ALW rubbish, ergo, those who like his musical theatre must be, well, how would you express it? Shall we go with Daily Mail readers, perhaps? I don't recall anywhere saying that Andrew Lloyd-Webber's work is superior. It is of a type, as is the work created by many of the people on your list. The one is not necessarily better or more worthy than the other. Pertinently, as you must have understood, he is contemporary and therefore somewhat more available. To use the raison d'etre behind Open-Up, surely our goal should be to encourage people to experience a wide variety of artistic endeavours and then make up their own minds as to whether it floats their boat? Pigeon-holing and then shaming them for their taste is hardly likely to enthuse them. For my own part I've never given a damn when people tell me I should/should not like something because they say so. In closing let me use a Ballet analogy. Quite the worst thing I ever saw at ROH was Twyla Tharp's one-act concoction two or three years ago. It was so bad it made me squirm, the more so because it was ring-fenced with pretentious description that had lead me to anticipate the second coming. But here's the point - there were very many people in the audience who engaged with it and loved every minute. It was not the ballet that was wrong, it was me because it wasn't to my taste. Lets celebrate diversity (can't believe I just said that) and allow people to find what moves them rather than fat-shame them.
  14. penelopesimpson
    Oh my goodness, I have watched this series over and over again. Paul McGann was unlucky because it made Sean's name. I am guessing you also love Band of Brothers?
  15. penelopesimpson
    Oh, Fonty, I adored Master and Commander and have never understood why they didn’t extend the franchise. It was so much more than a seafaring thing. The chemistry between the two men was touchingly brilliant and that last scene where they both play together is magical. Did you know that Paul Bethany spent several months at Russell Crowe’s house learning to play? They would sit looking out to sea as they had tuition, lovely image.
  16. penelopesimpson
    Thanks for that DanJ. I intend to see it over Christmas. Could you fathom why it’s getting such a horrid press - in some media it’s almost becoming an act of faith to ridicule it?
  17. penelopesimpson
    Beautiful lady. Always thought she was the top Princess Stephanie
  18. penelopesimpson
    Beryl, I saw Stephen Ward, too, and thought it was brilliant and a bit of a leap forward for ALW. Thought it was really sad and discouraging for him that it never took off. I share your view in not liking Catd, although I never quite understood why. Also thought Aspects was seriously underrated - it was quite complex musically but I suppose it lacked the catchy tunes of Evita and Phantom.
  19. penelopesimpson
    No, Dawnstar, you don’t have hopelessly plebeian tastes. What you are is eclectic and wide-ranging in your artistic and cultural outlook. More importantly, you have the courage to be open about what you enjoy, even in the face of those whose narrow viewpoint leads them to condemn what they personally do not like. And then we get the herd mentality that we see so much of on messageboards where the perceived view is never gainsaid I am a great fan of ALW’s work which has done so much to keep musical theatre alive and well and provided excellent entertainment for millions all over the world. Oddly, this doesn’t make me or others like me (not that I expect anybody on this board to signal agreement) any less able to appreciate classical music, opera or ballet. I can even manage to appreciate The Times and The Guardian as well as the Daily Mail! Raven Girl or Phantom? No contest. ONS
  20. penelopesimpson
    Wow. What a pity the great unwashed don’t appreciate that his work is musically banal, a fact which you state with such certainty it simply must be true. Or maybe they do and they just don’t care, them preferring to enjoy themselves on an evening out watching a dramatic storyline unfold through catchy tunes and enjoyable music, there being no Tippett or Stockhausen on at their local Dog and Duck. You’ll be telling me they read the Daily Mail next.
  21. penelopesimpson
    It does look creepy. Won’t do Francesca any harm, though. One wonders who Tom Hooper saw as the audience. Despite its certification it’s not family feel good stuff and it hasn’t endeared itself to fans of the stage show. The only people enjoying it are the headline writers!
  22. penelopesimpson
    Thanks for that, it’s reassuring.
  23. penelopesimpson
    Then they need to get real and understand the market their graduates will be competing in.
  24. penelopesimpson
    Hear, hear! Hilarious really. What do they say: 'Dear Student, For your forthcoming audition it is forbidden to use any songs or music from this country's most popular and successful producer of musical theatre.' The inference being that ALW compositions, although beloved by millions all over the world, are sub standard and the students should aim for jobs with.....??????
  25. penelopesimpson
    I have a little story about Superstar. I was on my first work experience in an advertising agency in Charles Street off Berkeley Square. All we could hear all day was the chorus of Superstar coming out of the windows opposite us. After weeks of this we made enquiries who all the people traipsing in and out were and what they were doing and were told they were writing and casting a musical! And the rest...as they say...
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