Ghost The Musical, The Mayflower, November 2013

The Mayflower in Southampton has really upped its game in recent years getting big West End shows pretty much as soon as they finish. In the past they have had Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables, Legally Blonde and next year will play host to Dirty Dancing and the phenomenal Wicked.

I prefer The Mayflower, only a 40 minute drive, compared to the long journey to London it is great to show these shows come locally.

As a massive fan of the film Ghost I was thrilled when I heard it was coming to the Mayflower as I was gutted to have missed it in London.

On the website Ghost is described as - a timeless fantasy about the power of love. Walking back to their apartment one night, Sam and Molly are mugged, leaving Sam murdered on a dark street. Sam is trapped as a ghost between this world and the next and unable to leave Molly who he learns is in grave danger. With the help of a phony storefront psychic, Oda Mae Brown, Sam tries to communicate with Molly in the hope of saving and protecting her.

The 1990 film starred Demi Moore as Molly, Patrick Swayze as Sam and Whoopi Goldberg as Oda Mae. It pulls at the heartstrings and every time I watch the film I cry so I was pretty sure the musical would do the same.

With films into musicals I am always a little dubious as to how they will come off Legally Blonde worked amazingly well, and when I found out that Dave Stewart from the Eurythmics I had high hopes.

The only song really I knew would be there was Unchained Melody, the stand out song of the film.

So the musical...beautifully set and just a fantastic production, the transitions from person to ghost with the body still on stage was seamless and I still don't understand how they did it. It was a very clever production and the stage was amazing with the beginning whizzing you through the streets of New York.

The musical captures the magic of the film perfectly and the songs fit perfectly in this new mould.

It is always going to be hard to match the actors who were in the film but each actor played their part well and made it their own, the fact that Molly has blonde curly hair rather than a short brown crop instantly distinguishes the two actresses and you almost forget that someone else every played the role.

The stand out character and actress for me though was Wendy Mae Brown who plays Oda Mae Brown. In quite a heavy story line she adds welcomed light relief and has an amazing voice to carry the songs home.

When we went to watch another actress was playing the role of Molly - Amy Webb, who was excellent, it makes you wonder why she wasn't given the part in the first place.

Finally Sam was played by Stewart Clarke and although no legendary Swayze he really made you connect with Sam and feel his pain at dying way before his time.

This musical is just brilliant and really adds another dimension to an already popular and fantastic film. I really think if you love the film you will be hard pushed to hate this musical.

And before you ask yes I did cry at the end...

To find out more visit - http://www.ghostthemusical.com/

Barnum, Chichester Festival Theatre, Theatre in the Park, July 2013

First I will admit that I had no idea what Barnum was about before I went, I assumed it was about a circus but apart from that I was clueless.

I love musicals and I didn't think I would hate it, there are very few I do, but I didn't know if it would be my thing.
I was pleasantly surprised to find a real old school musical much like 42nd Street or Mary Poppins. From start to finish it was excellent and the fact it was in a big tent made it feel all the more special.

Barnum is part of Chichester Festival Theatre's summer programme and was staged in the Theatre in the Park as work is carried out on the building.
It follows the story of Phineas T Barnum, America's Greatest Showman, through his life and his marriage to his wife Chairy. I also didn't know before that he was a real person and that Barnum and Bailey's Circus - the Greatest Show on Earth was a real thing.

By far my favourite songs were 'Come join the band' and 'Black and white', the set up on stage and the musical performance was just spot on.

The show is full of glitz and tricks, with acrobatics, flame throwers, work on ropes and so much more. The dancers must be really strong the amount of throwing, catching and holding each other the way they do, it is phenomenal.
There is an elephant at one point which the way they have done it is just great. It got a lot of cheers and laughs.
Also at one point in the show Barnum carries out a tight rope walk, and he did it in one go. My friend had been the previous week and said it had taken three attempts and in the end he just went along the bottom. But I am so glad that he did it for us.
The show is a Cameron Mackintosh production so you know that he has a hit on his hands, co-produced with the Chichester Festival Theatre.

Christopher Fitzgerald plays P T Barnum a rising star on Broadway, he has so much charisma and charm that you fall under his spell. Tamsin Carroll plays Chairy is excellent and makes her more than just 'his wife' and doesn't hide in the shadow of the big performer Barnum.

This is just a really good, toe-tapping, old school musical and I really couldn't recommend it enough, and really don't want to give away too much as you really need to see it to believe it.
With previous Festival Theatre productions going on to be West End hits (Singin' in the Rain and Sweeney Todd) I don't doubt for a second that this one will follow it their footsteps.
For more information here is the website - http://www.cft.org.uk/barnum It is due to close at the end of August.
‘Barnum’s the name, P T Barnum, and I want to tell you that tonight, on this stage, you are going to see - bar none - every sight, wonder and miracle that name stands for!’

Secrets Wild Orchid Montego Bay, Montego Bay, Jamaica - July 2013

This time last week I was in Jamaica preparing for my and my boyfriend's friend's wedding.

I was bridesmaid and he was one of the groomsmen. It was the perfect day, the weather was behaving and was just glorious and the day ended with the 16 strong wedding party singing, dancing and drinking on the beach long after the sun went down - amazing!

Coming back home the heat hasn't been much of an issue as in Jamaica it was probably a bit hotter but incredibly humid.

So the holiday, in one word fantastic! This is the first time I have done an all inclusive holiday and traveled to a sunny island out of the EU. Jamaica, what I saw of it, was brilliant, so green. I will admit we didn't leave the resort but the people were just so friendly, always singing and dancing. I really fell in love with the place.

As for the hotel - Secrets Wild Orchid, Montego Bay, it was huge and nothing disappointed. The food was delicious and as we were only there for seven nights we were unable to experience all the nine restaurants. We did try the Caribbean,  Italian and Japanese plus a lobster buffet - in the Japanese they cook on a hot plate and serve up the food direct to your plate, although I'm sure in Japan the cooks don't sing Shaggy and Sean Paul.

The world cafe is a buffet at breakfast and certain days in the week, if you go try out the lobster night, it was great.

In the day coconut water, Jamaican fruit and Jerk chicken stalls do the rounds. I have only tried coconut water once out of a carton but it is so much better direct from the source and the fruit was refreshing after indulging in far too much food. Also I have tried jerk chicken before and it is far spicier in Jamaica.

All inclusive obviously means drinks as well, and the cocktail list were extensive and delicious. A 'We Be Jammin' didn't taste very alcoholic so be warned. Also if you have anything with rum in be careful as the measurements were obviously a bit skewed as they were always really strong. My only regret I didn't have a Bob Marley.

The piano bar is a great place to chill with a cocktail and sing a song or two with the piano man. And Desires nightclub also has a karaoke night a couple of times a week.

The room was so nice and I have never been anywhere where the air con  worked so much we actually moaned a little that the room was too cold.

I loved this place, and can see why so many people were getting married there. It is the perfect place for a holiday, honeymoon or wedding.

I'm now saving up the pennies for my next trip to paradise.

Lichtenstein A Retrospective, Tate Modern Museum, London

For as long as I can remember I have loved Roy Lichtenstein. I wasn't always sure of the name but always loved the comic book style of paintings. I am huge fan of pop art in general along with Andy Warhol.

When I saw on the Culture Show that the Tate Modern was holding a Lichtenstein - A Retrospective exhibition I got online and bought some tickets.

The exhibition had a lot of paintings and sculptures including some of the more well known ones including Whaam! Drowning Girl and  Masterpiece. Looking up close at the comic style paintings - benday dot style - they are just fascinating. The amount of detail and meticulous repetition is just mind boggling.  I really don't think that pictures of the paintings do them justice, they look like screen prints or reproductions and not a piece of art.

I was really surprised to see the art I never knew Lictenstein did, I will admit I was a little naive and just thought he did the comic prints. Some of the most beautiful in the collection were the Chinese landscape portraits such as Landscape with Philosopher -  which was breath-taking and kind of poetic.

Some have said that he merely copied pictures but the skill he displays in those paintings is excellent. He also ventured into sculpture with art deco pieces and his two sided bust which has a blonde on one side a a blue haired girl on the other which looks a little bit like a Katy Perry cover and again I never knew existed.



The exhibition had 12 rooms dedicated to different phases and themes of his work with 125 paintings and sculptures in total.

The Tate's website said: "The artist’s rich and expansive practice is represented by a wide range of materials, including paintings on Rowlux and steel, as well sculptures in ceramic and brass and a selection of previously unseen drawings, collages and works on paper. Room after room pays tribute to his extraordinary oeuvre, celebrating the visual power and intellectual rigour of Roy Lichtenstein’s work."

The exhibition ended on Monday but if you ever get a chance to see it again do so and the Tate already has a couple of Lichtenstein paintings which you can see for free. 

I really enjoyed it and was fascinated by it all.

For more on the Tate visit - http://www.tate.org.uk/