12.18.06
Posted in Family & Friends, Life, London, Skating at 8.47 pm by niltiac
I had so much fun on the Santa Skate on Saturday night that I went back for more on Sunday. It was the final Sunday Stroll of the year and given that most of London’s skating community was hungover from the Santa Skate after-party, it was unsurprisingly pretty small. It was a shortish skate (about 8 miles) and lots of fun! We went back to Trafalgar Square for half time – it felt a bit surreal being back there by day without all the Santas – but we had an Irish jigger to keep us entertained. We then went south of the river for a spell. Good fun!
I didn’t go to the Santa Skate after-party, mainly because I was saying farewell to Matt and Leah who are moving back to Australia. My boyfriend and I are going away on holiday tomorrow and Matt and Leah fly out on Christmas Eve so this was the last we’ll see of them for a while. *sob sob* They came over to check out our new flat and then we had dinner up the road in a nice, but pricey, Italian restaurant.
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Posted in London, Skating at 8.02 pm by niltiac
Saturday night was the Santa Skate – probably about the most fun you can have on eight wheels!
Picture 300 Santas skating through the streets of London – Kensington High St, Chelsea, Embankment, Piccadilly Circus, Leicester Square, Covent Garden, Oxford St. People came from as far as Germany and France to join in and we were accompanied by eight reindeer pulling a sleigh pumping out Christmas music. Half time was near the big Christmas tree at Trafalgar Square and some of the more organised Santas had mulled wine and mince pies.
The reaction of the crowds was amazing – we had people clapping and cheering from the streets, waving from the double-decker buses, and honking their horns in time to the music. “It’s simply marvellous,” as one lady said to me when I was waiting at an intersection. Everyone was out for Christmas shopping, which can be stressful but despite adding to the already clogged traffic, I think we managed to spread plenty of Christmas cheer. I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face as I skated past all these happy people and every time I looked forward or back, there was just a sea of red.
There are some cool vids on YouTube (of course) – check it out!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7w9es9ujlvI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBxTmmtE2lk&NR
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmpm9EJo55Y&NR
The skate was organised by London Skate, which runs every Wednesday night in summer. It’s their annual fundraiser.
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12.17.06
Posted in London, Theatre at 1.09 am by niltiac
I won’t be in London for Christmas but that doesn’t stop me enjoying a London Christmas in the lead up to the big day and what could be more Christmassy than a visit to Covent Garden to see the ballet of The Nutcracker?
I met up with Natalie and Jess on Friday night to see the English National Ballet performance of The Nutcracker at the London Coliseum on St Martin’s Lane. There was a certain element of déjà vu for me as I went to see the English National Ballet perform The Nutcracker with my mother back in December 1998, when my mother lived in Cambridge.
It took me a while to stop making comparisons and sit back and enjoy it for what it was and I enjoyed the second act a lot more than the first. I didn’t so much enjoy the party scene at the beginning where I felt a lot of it was done for laughs. Some of it felt they were trying to be too clever; for example, the Snow Flakes come out of a giant fridge, which I thought was a distraction.
The dancing was competent but there were few parts where I was really blown away by its beauty and brilliance. It wasn’t as good as the Kirov Ballet production of Romeo and Juliet, which I saw last year. It was entertaining though and a good night out.
I enjoyed the fantasy scenes the most and the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy was the best part. The male dancer in that scene was particularly good and I would have loved to have seen more of him. I also really enjoyed the music – Tchaichovsky’s score and played brilliantly.
After the ballet we went to Leicester Square and rode on the carousel – it’s been years since I rode on a carousel but it was honestly good fun! We met up with Jess’ husband Andrew and another friend of theirs and went to Tokyo Diner for some food. Good fun!
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12.15.06
Posted in London, Theatre at 6.18 pm by niltiac
Well, I said I wasn’t sure I liked musicals but I LOVED Avenue Q! The boy and I went to see it last night and it was brilliant!
Avenue Q is a musical starring puppets and humans living together on a street in Brooklyn (Avenue A is the end of town, this is Avenue Q). It’s obviously inspired by the Muppets and Sesame Street and the puppets are in that style but Jim Henson and his cohorts are not involved in anyway. It’s definitely not for children – it’s far too sophisticated and rude!
It’s funny and irreverent, with songs like “We’re all a little bit racist” and “The internet is for porn” featuring Trekkie Monster. You get a double-whammy with the puppet characters because you watch both the puppet (which are really effective) and the puppeteer (who reinforce things by acting and singing). It’s one of the best things I’ve seen this year.
So does this mean I like musicals? I’m not sure. I bought a programme and read the interview with the creators where they say that their aim with Avenue Q was to create a musical for people who don’t like musicals. I guess, as with every other art form, that it depends.
It’s originally a Broadway production and it’s on in London at the Noel Coward Theatre in St Martins Lane.
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12.10.06
Posted in London, Theatre at 10.10 pm by niltiac
The West End of London, like Broadway in New York, is famous for its long-running musicals. I’ve been in London for two and a half years now and while I’ve seen a lot of theatre, I’ve seen hardly any musicals. I took Natalie to see Mary Poppins for her birthday in February 2005 and that, I think, is it.
To be honest, I have never been a great fan of musicals. I remember seeing Les Miserables off Broadway on my first trip to New York in 1999 and feeling distinctly underwhelmed. It wasn’t bad; it just didn’t do anything for me. I have a soft spot for some childhood favourites (hence Mary Poppins) but generally I find a lot of musicals have weak story lines and it doesn’t always make up for it with the music. In fact, the songs often seem to have a really samey tune with inane rhymes: I’m singing a song, I’m singing a song, I’m singing a song, it sounds all wr-o-o-ng!
However, I’ve also been thinking that I shouldn’t write off the whole genre. I haven’t actually seen that many musicals and I know a lot of people love them, so perhaps I should give them more of a chance. I don’t want to be a snob.
So with that in mind, I went and saw two musicals in the same week! This was back in October , before my trip to Australia. First I went to see The Producers with my boyfriend, and then three days later joined Matt, Leah, Jules and a couple of Leah’s workmates to see the Boney M musical Daddy Cool. The results were mixed.
Saturday 28 October
Theatre Royal, Drury Lane
The Producers
The Producers is silly and satirical with great characters and absurd situations. I can see why people love it but either I wasn’t in the mood or it’s just not my thing. The audience was in stitches and my boyfriend loved it, meanwhile I found it mildly entertaining.
I have never actually seen the Mel Brooks classic movie, The Producers. From what I’ve heard it’s really, really good and the musical is similar only there are more songs and it’s a bit slower with slightly fewer gags.
Tuesday 31 October
Shaftesbury Theatre
Daddy Cool
A musical based on the songs of Boney M was never going to be the last word in style but I quite enjoyed it. It was totally naff, it was very much a “jukebox musical” (where the songs are shoehorned into the plot), the plot wasn’t up to much – but it was unpretentious and fun. I enjoyed the songs – both the 70s originals and modern versions (Rasputin as a rap song!) – and the dancing and the whole spectacle. It definitely had its moments.
It was very long however and the cast seemed determined to keep us there for three or four more songs even after the plot had wound down. I was definitely restless by the end. The “mushy bits” also went on too long and were very dull. Our tickets were only £13 each – I’m glad I didn’t pay any more than that.
I’m probably being too kind – the theatre was half empty and the mates I saw it with described it as “pretty terrible”. Still, I had to see it in honour of my friend George, who introduced me to Boney M on a long car trip to Hotham in Victoria for a ski trip – yikes, that was four years ago now! Time definitely speeds up as you get older.
The Observer today has a feature on the current crop of musicals in the West End.
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12.04.06
Posted in Environment, Society & Politics at 2.15 pm by niltiac
The Brazilian Government has announced it will protect vast tracts of the Amazon Rainforest (an area of undisturbed rainforest bigger than England). I don’t know all the detail yet but conservationists are pleased so it sounds like the real deal.
UPDATE: Some more detail in this report from The Independent. Apparently it will be enforced by satellite, with road building strictly prohibited. Indigenous people will be able to lead their traditional lifestyles but will not “own” the land to prevent them selling it.
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12.02.06
Posted in Family & Friends at 2.49 am by niltiac
Where on earth is Caitlin in London? Well firstly she is not in London right now, she is in Sydney. But she will be back in London on Monday.
I didn’t mean to leave my blog languishing with nary an update for so long – the last post was 7 November and it’s already December! I admit that is pretty slack. There has been plenty to blog about – it’s just that I haven’t had time. I was working really hard right before I left and I’ve had troubles connecting to the internet here in Australia. Between work and play, I’ve simply had other priorities.
Some highlights of the past month have been:
* Theatre in London – two musicals (The Producers and Daddy Cool) and two plays (A Moon for the Misbegotten and Faust).
* My Arctic travel article was published in Anyway magazine (I will put a version on the blog soon).
* Meeting my baby brother Huw, who will be one year old in February, for the first time and taking him to swimming lessons with all the other babies.
* Taking my four-year-old sister Emma to the zoo and having our photo taken with a koala.
* Going kayaking with my mum on the Macleay River in northern NSW near her house and watching fish jump out of the water.
* Eating delicious Lebanese food at The Prophet in Cleveland St with George, Mike, Ben and Lindsay and chewing the fat about life, the universe and everything.
* Seeing my cousin Rhia for breakfast at Bill’s in Darlinghurst and doing the Bronte to Bondi walk for a swim in the ocean and a gawk at the Sculpture by the Sea.
* Family reunions with extended family – lunch at my Aunt Celeste’s house in Brisbane and BBQ dinner at my Dad’s house in Sydney.
* A picnic at the pool with Jeanne-Vida and her kids and Vivienne.
It’s all good – but it will also be nice to get back to London, see my boyfriend and start getting into Christmas mode.
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