The observant amongst you will have noticed that the name of this blog has changed. It's a very small change, just one word (and the URL is exactly the same), but Theatrical Adventures of an Onion is now Adventures of an Onion. Don't worry, I'm not dropping the theatrical - those of you who know me are well aware that I could never do that! I just want to open the blog up a bit to discuss film, TV and other popular (or not so popular) culture topics as well as theatre. So, welcome to Adventures of an Onion! I hope you continue to enjoy my adventures and I'd love you to share your own with me and my readers too.
Showing posts with label theatre. Show all posts
Showing posts with label theatre. Show all posts
Sunday, 19 March 2017
Sunday, 24 January 2016
Play/Silence
My first reviewing assignment of 2016 for The Reviews Hub: Play/Silence at The Other Room, Cardiff. Have a read here:
http://www.thereviewshub.com/playsilence-the-other-room-cardiff/
I just wish I'd recorded myself and my friend discussing, comparing and contrasting the plays in the pub afterwards (well if you're going to go to a pub theatre it seems only right to enjoy the pub as well as the theatre). I think our chat would have made quite an interesting blog post...but instead it will have to remain in the pub. Maybe next time!
Friday, 8 January 2016
Thank You to the Bad Influences
Sparked by a tweet I was tagged in earlier by one of my theatre friends, I'd just like to say thank you to all the bad influences in my life. The people that have met me in all sorts of random places around the country just to see a show. The people that introduced me to day seating, staying in hostels and sniffing out deals on tickets and meals to make seeing that extra show affordable. The people that have encouraged me to get home from London at 3am and still get into work the next morning. The people that have stood at stage door with me in sunshine and showers and laughed at things that nobody else will ever get. The people that don't see anything wrong with living on chicken nuggets for a few days. The people that have walked the streets with me singing show tunes. The people that think seeing a show is the best way to celebrate anything - birthdays, Christmas, New Year, anything. The people that think that theatre is the only topic of conversation. If you are one of these people, thank you for being a bad influence. I hope I'm a bad influence too.
Thursday, 27 January 2011
An Ideal Husband
Having been to the launch of Get Into London Theatre (which again is a whole other blog), I thought I'd check out what deals they had to offer. If you haven't already come across it, Get Into London Theatre is a scheme that promises "big shows at small prices" to encourage people to, quite literally, Get Into London Theatre - it does what it says on the tin! They are offering some fantastic deals but it was the £25 tickets to An Ideal Husband (full price over £50) at the Vaudeville Theatre that really caught my eye. So on January 12th off I toddled to the matinee performance.
I'm rather partial to a bit of Oscar Wilde although I don't pretend to be particularly clued up on his work, and this is a play I didn't know a huge amount about before I entered the theatre. It has all the complicated plot twists that you would expect from Wilde, along with the clever speaches and sharp humour. What I like most about his plays are the observations of people and society that are as true now as when they were written, and An Ideal Husband is a brilliant example of this.
The whole cast were superb and played their roles to perfection, with Alexander Hanson and Rachael Stirling as the leads and Samantha Bond as the villain of the piece. Worthy of a special mention was Elliot Cowan as Viscount Goring. His comedy timing was excellent and, as the plot became more and more complicated around him, with the tiniest of looks and facial expressions he had the whole audience laughing. His performance was complemented beautifully by Max Digby, who played his servant. Although he didn't have a huge amount to say, his entrances and exits were timed wonderfully for comedic effect.
Sadly, there were quite a few empty seats in the stalls where I was sat, which is a shame as such a fine production deserves to be playing to packed houses. I certainly wouldn't have been able to afford the full price of the seat I was in and I can't help but think that if the prices were a little lower, even if only for the matinee, then some of those empty seats would be filled. That said, this production is well worth the money so if you'd like to see it you'll find more information here:
http://www.vaudeville-theatre.co.uk/current-show.htm
And if you'd like to take advantage of one of Get Into London Theatre's offers then you only have until February 18th so check out their website now:
http://www.getintolondontheatre.co.uk/
I'm rather partial to a bit of Oscar Wilde although I don't pretend to be particularly clued up on his work, and this is a play I didn't know a huge amount about before I entered the theatre. It has all the complicated plot twists that you would expect from Wilde, along with the clever speaches and sharp humour. What I like most about his plays are the observations of people and society that are as true now as when they were written, and An Ideal Husband is a brilliant example of this.
The whole cast were superb and played their roles to perfection, with Alexander Hanson and Rachael Stirling as the leads and Samantha Bond as the villain of the piece. Worthy of a special mention was Elliot Cowan as Viscount Goring. His comedy timing was excellent and, as the plot became more and more complicated around him, with the tiniest of looks and facial expressions he had the whole audience laughing. His performance was complemented beautifully by Max Digby, who played his servant. Although he didn't have a huge amount to say, his entrances and exits were timed wonderfully for comedic effect.
Sadly, there were quite a few empty seats in the stalls where I was sat, which is a shame as such a fine production deserves to be playing to packed houses. I certainly wouldn't have been able to afford the full price of the seat I was in and I can't help but think that if the prices were a little lower, even if only for the matinee, then some of those empty seats would be filled. That said, this production is well worth the money so if you'd like to see it you'll find more information here:
http://www.vaudeville-theatre.co.uk/current-show.htm
And if you'd like to take advantage of one of Get Into London Theatre's offers then you only have until February 18th so check out their website now:
http://www.getintolondontheatre.co.uk/
Wednesday, 19 January 2011
Australian Classic Rock Show
I saw a tweet from St David's Hall, Cardiff that was along the lines of 'retweet to be in with a chance of winning tickets.' Without paying much attention I hit retweet. I mean, who says no to the possibilty of free theatre tickets, whatever the show is?! I promptly forgot all about this competition until I got the message saying I'd won! What had I won? What was the Australian Classic Rock Show? I had no idea but on Friday 14th January I went along anyway. Like I said, who says no to free theatre tickets?!
Firstly, I had no idea what to expect from the venue. I hadn't been to St David's Hall since I was little so, although I remember seeing the Pink Windmill Show, I surprisingly don't really remember studying my surroundings. This time however, I was impressed. Comfortable auditorium with plenty of leg room and friendly, proactive staff. Having been an usher myself, it's always nice to see a front of house team that really ensure people can find their seats and are on the ball when it comes to people taking photographs, using mobile phones, etc.
As I walked into the auditorium, I knew I was in for a good night. There on the stage in front of me was a huge array of instruments, amps and speakers. Being a great believer in keeping music live I was in my element. I counted 11 guitars and basses on stage before the show started and even more appeared during the course of the performance.
The show itself is pretty much what it says on the tin. 10 singers and musicians perform to a phenomenally high standard tracks from classic rock albums of the 70s and 80s. Each one being introduced by a wonderful animation of a tie-dye t-shirt wearing, joint smoking, Jack Daniels guzzling kangaroo going through his vinyl collection. Being a presentation of album tracks, they weren't necessarily songs that I knew (I'm sure I was in the minority there) but when you've got music from the likes of Pink Floyd, Dire Straits and The Eagles being played by top quality musicians, who cares if you know every word or not?! Of course there were some highly enjoyable main stream classics in there too; Stairway to Heaven, Another Brick in the Wall and Hotel California to name but a few.
My only very small complaint about the evening was, although I loved the show and loved the venue, I'm not convinced they went together. I felt like I should have been stood at the front of the stage with a bottle of beer in my hand, not sat in a theatre seat. That said, it was a very enjoyable evening and I am so glad I won the tickets because I certainly wouldn't have gone otherwise and I would have missed out on an amazing night.
You can find out more about the Australian Classic Rock show here: http://www.theclassicrockshow.com/ and what's on at St David's Hall here: http://www.stdavidshallcardiff.co.uk/
Firstly, I had no idea what to expect from the venue. I hadn't been to St David's Hall since I was little so, although I remember seeing the Pink Windmill Show, I surprisingly don't really remember studying my surroundings. This time however, I was impressed. Comfortable auditorium with plenty of leg room and friendly, proactive staff. Having been an usher myself, it's always nice to see a front of house team that really ensure people can find their seats and are on the ball when it comes to people taking photographs, using mobile phones, etc.
As I walked into the auditorium, I knew I was in for a good night. There on the stage in front of me was a huge array of instruments, amps and speakers. Being a great believer in keeping music live I was in my element. I counted 11 guitars and basses on stage before the show started and even more appeared during the course of the performance.
The show itself is pretty much what it says on the tin. 10 singers and musicians perform to a phenomenally high standard tracks from classic rock albums of the 70s and 80s. Each one being introduced by a wonderful animation of a tie-dye t-shirt wearing, joint smoking, Jack Daniels guzzling kangaroo going through his vinyl collection. Being a presentation of album tracks, they weren't necessarily songs that I knew (I'm sure I was in the minority there) but when you've got music from the likes of Pink Floyd, Dire Straits and The Eagles being played by top quality musicians, who cares if you know every word or not?! Of course there were some highly enjoyable main stream classics in there too; Stairway to Heaven, Another Brick in the Wall and Hotel California to name but a few.
My only very small complaint about the evening was, although I loved the show and loved the venue, I'm not convinced they went together. I felt like I should have been stood at the front of the stage with a bottle of beer in my hand, not sat in a theatre seat. That said, it was a very enjoyable evening and I am so glad I won the tickets because I certainly wouldn't have gone otherwise and I would have missed out on an amazing night.
You can find out more about the Australian Classic Rock show here: http://www.theclassicrockshow.com/ and what's on at St David's Hall here: http://www.stdavidshallcardiff.co.uk/
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