FrozenDreamer

There isn’t much to say about this prom really. I didn’t enjoy it at all. Loads of French, and the occasional bit of music. I didn’t have a clue what was happening. It just sounded like a French bloke having a moan in a supermarket!

Wouldn’t recommend seeing this piece if it comes up again… so here are the details:

Pierre BoulezMémoriale (’… explosante-fixe …’ Originel)
StravinskyL’Histoire du Soldat
Members of the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra
Daniel Barenboimconductor

Again, we went to The Royal Albert Hall to see Prom 38, it was a brilliant performance by a Palestine and Israeli Orchastra. Security was very tight, and those celebrities who were in the audience weren’t too pleased with the extra searches being made… this included international star Prunella Scales .

They were incredibly good, and I thoroughly enjoyed it, especially from our front row box seats on the Grand Tier (I’m such a tart!)

Haydn Sinfonia Concertante in B flat major, for oboe, bassoon, violin, cello* 
SchoenbergVariations for Orchestra, Op.31

BrahmsSymphony No.4

*Members of West-Eastern Divan Orchestra

West-Eastern Divan OrchestraDaniel Barenboimconductor

Bryan’s employer own a box at the Royal Albert Hall, and tickets which are made available to staff are obtainable using a ‘raffle’ system. We were lucky enough to get a set of six tickets to see three seperate Proms at The Royal Albert Hall.

The view from the box is spectacular, and the Proms were equally as entertaining (except for Prom 39)

I’m not Classical Music Guru… so you’re best checking out Bryan’s Website for any review of the music that was played… so to cheat… I’ll paste some info directly from the RAH website.

Ravel La Valse
Anders HillborgClarinet Concerto (Peacock Tales) (UK premiere)

BerliozSymphonie fantastique

Martin Fröstclarinet 

Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra 
Gustavo Dudamelconductor

Bryan’s employer own a box at The Royal Albert Hall… and Bryan is lucky enough to be able to bid for tickets to see the shows from the box. We’re right in the middle of the Proms season, so what a fantastic little perk to be able to take advantage of.

This is the view you get from the box (click for bigness)

Bryan and I go to see the Improverts EVERY year we visit the Fringe. They are simply a Fringe MUST! I love improvised comedy, made famous by “Whose Line is it Anyway”, and The Improverts never fail to impress. 

With games such as ‘Should Have Said’, ‘Swap Out’ and ‘The Councilor’ your sides will be splitting by the end of your hour long ordeal with the troup.

Make it a regular, go every year… just one problem (and I won’t mark the show down for this)… avoid the token Yaa’s who usually sit at the back. They were swarming this year and should have been taken out back and hunted!

Good times!

I love The American High School Theatre company… they never fail to amaze you with their professionalism and amazing talents! That said, this year’s show, Les Miserables, was a little bit of a let down for me. This could be for a few reasons (1) last year I watched them perform my favourite show EVER (Chicago) and they blew me away. Hitting that mark would be hard and (2) I have no idea what the story was all about so was so confused that I lost interest half way through.

The problem here is that they’ve condensed a three hour musical into an hour and a half. Not an easy thing to do. The only problem with doing something as ballsy as this is that you risk alienating people who don’t know the plot… like me.

Still, I have to give them their dues… for teeny-boppers… they’re fecking brilliant! West End quality singing and amazing acting skills. I look forward to seeing them again next year… just I’ll do some research first to make sure I know what they’re actually doing on stage.

I was brought up in South Africa, so the wonders of Blue Peter are lost on me. However, I can appreciate kids television and the celebrity that it creates. 

So Bryan booked us in to see Stuart Miles  and it was actually very good. His show “Adventures of Pink Peter” is a drag act taking in three of his characters. The first, a fashion obsessed Primark guru gives advice to the audience on what to wear. The Second, a plastic surgeon who shows us how to make an ugly potato into a beautiful chip and the last one a very well to do lady telling us tories about her life in the past.

For such a small audience, it was actually very entertaining. Especially where I had Stuart Miles climbing over people to get to me so he could stare me in the eyes and flirt with me.

Yes… Stuart Miles flirted with me! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

Good camp fun, if you can handle a REALLY tiny and intimate performance (there were only 15 seats in the room).

If you don’t know who Joan Rivers is… you should! She has a VERY impressive and interresting history, which can be reviewed here .

Her show at the Fringe is fantastic (even though a little pricey… but it’s Joan… so I don’t care). It tells the story of how Joan has had to put up with age discrimination and tells a powerful story of how her home is really on the stage, performing, for the people…. right there and then.

Supported by two very flexible actors, Joan comes into her element while she recants stories from her youth and stories which have moulded her into the amazing person she is today.

Of course… the audience was about 50% homo… but Joan does love her poofy friends, so was more than happy to see us all. So happy in fact that her film crew shoved a camera in my face and interviewed me before we went into the hall.

Fabulous! She’s on tour… go and see her!

By the way… did you know it was Joan Rivers who invented the phrase “Who are you wearing”. This is now used at all award ceremonies around the world from Cannes to The Oscars!

The weather… crap. The setting… in a hotel. The show… A Brief History of Scotland: We Done Loads. How accurate can you get. I’m wet, in the middle of Edinburgh and watching shows about the country I love most.

This show makes up for it’s lack in professionalism by planting joke after joke and poke after poke to create a weaved mix of tasteful comedy and thought provoking education. After all… who couldn’t laugh at the famous apple in the Garden of Eden being replaced by the infamous (and sometimes equally as mythological) Deep Fried Mars Bar.

The ‘Ned’ portrayal… was spot on! Just what you run into the second you get off the train in Falkirk and beyond (sorry dad).

Go check this out if it’s still playing, good fun… but low budget (but that’s what the Fringe is all about).

So, the second stand up comic, and this time with Gillian, and straight after the fab Caesar Twins. 

I love Craig Hill, I think he’s really witty, and can make comedy out of ANYTHING! Bryan isn’t too keen on him, but will go and see him if I promise we can sit at the back. It’s always a good idea to avoid the sharp tongue that resides in Craig’s mouth.

He was brilliant this year, and Bryan enjoyed the show as well from the safety of the 14th row.

Check him out wherever he plays, he’s good fun!

Oh, and he takes pictures of the audience as well….

Iam at the back on the left side… you can see Bryan a lot easier!