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Nov. 22nd, 2006 12:00 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jaala(Written offline and uploaded later.)
Today, I woke up at a decent time (hurrah!), bought some shirts and miscellaneous supplies, and went to see the Edinburgh Gang Show. The shirts weren't terribly exciting. The Gang Show, on the other hand, was. It was very definitely amateur and the quality of the performances varied, but it was still a unique cultural experience. It made one proud to be a member of Guiding/Scouting to see all the enthusiasm and hard work that obviously went into the production, not to mention all the people in the audience who were wearing uniforms.[1] Upon arrival, I immediately wished I'd thought to wear mine!
Highlights included numbers from Spamalot and The Producers, a number about money with little kids dressed up as different coins (with pound signs headdresses), the dance number accompanying "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" and a mini-panto Cinderella (in tribute to the King's Theatre's 100th Anniversary) with drag roles and everything. And, of course, "Riding Along on the Crest of the Wave" (sung with the entire group in uniform shirts, Gang Show neckerchiefs and kilts) was a highlight because I'm a dork that way. Some of the comedy sketch performances were pretty good too. On the other hand, I could have done without some of the painfully un-PC "cannibal island" number.
On my way back across town by foot, I felt it my duty to give Edinburgh-style chips a try, with salt and sauce. On balance, I don't think I like it. It was a good cap to an unusually Scottish evening though. Nice though they are, I didn't come here to learn about New Zealand, Australian, South African and American culture (the nationalities I encounter most of the time at the hostel and BUNAC). One of the nicest aspects outside of the actual content of the show was that it was done almost entirely in native accents.
Yesterday, I enjoyed my £10 under-26 discount ticket to see the Scottish Opera's fantastic production of Der Rosenkavalier. Whoa. One opera does not deserve to contain that much gorgeous music. Pretty much everything about it was really really good: singing, orchestra, chorus, staging, costumes, lighting, sets, everything. The chorus was especially delightful. My only major gripe is with the "surtitles": they were projected onto screen *beside* the stage, which made it really difficult to both read and follow the action. There was no differentiation between who was saying what either. Oh well... not every opera company can be the COC. *g*
A couple of the bosom-baring costumes made me slightly nervous for the singers too. Sophie was just a tad too ditzy as well. The singer playing Octavian very occasionally--just once or twice--seemed a tiny little bit out of her depth when compared with the level of everyone else. But she was really really good nevertheless, especially considering she was a stand-in for the original singer... and a student (or at least someone "continuing her studies") at that. Besides, she looked like a believable 17-year-old teenage boy.[2]
Tomorrow, I start work at Winter Wonderland. My plan to read all the way through my newly purchased First Aid book before starting has fallen through, but at least I've reassured myself by refreshing my memory somewhat. After work, I'll attend my second Old Saint Paul's choir rehearsal. When I warned the music director that Winter Wonderland might not allow me to attend practice on opening night, he urged me to come to choir for Sunday services nevertheless, which is nice.
[1] And to think that the first time I ever heard of the Gang Show was when it was being viciously (and hilariously) lampooned in a Goodies episodes. Though this Gang Show had probably more girls than boys in the cast, the two boys who got to wear makeup and dress up in women's clothing in Cinderella obviously thoroughly relished the opportunity.
[2] And yes, Octavian does quite a lot of making out with both the Marschellin and Sophie in this production. I loved that the over-65's in the audience didn't bat an eyelid.
Today, I woke up at a decent time (hurrah!), bought some shirts and miscellaneous supplies, and went to see the Edinburgh Gang Show. The shirts weren't terribly exciting. The Gang Show, on the other hand, was. It was very definitely amateur and the quality of the performances varied, but it was still a unique cultural experience. It made one proud to be a member of Guiding/Scouting to see all the enthusiasm and hard work that obviously went into the production, not to mention all the people in the audience who were wearing uniforms.[1] Upon arrival, I immediately wished I'd thought to wear mine!
Highlights included numbers from Spamalot and The Producers, a number about money with little kids dressed up as different coins (with pound signs headdresses), the dance number accompanying "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" and a mini-panto Cinderella (in tribute to the King's Theatre's 100th Anniversary) with drag roles and everything. And, of course, "Riding Along on the Crest of the Wave" (sung with the entire group in uniform shirts, Gang Show neckerchiefs and kilts) was a highlight because I'm a dork that way. Some of the comedy sketch performances were pretty good too. On the other hand, I could have done without some of the painfully un-PC "cannibal island" number.
On my way back across town by foot, I felt it my duty to give Edinburgh-style chips a try, with salt and sauce. On balance, I don't think I like it. It was a good cap to an unusually Scottish evening though. Nice though they are, I didn't come here to learn about New Zealand, Australian, South African and American culture (the nationalities I encounter most of the time at the hostel and BUNAC). One of the nicest aspects outside of the actual content of the show was that it was done almost entirely in native accents.
Yesterday, I enjoyed my £10 under-26 discount ticket to see the Scottish Opera's fantastic production of Der Rosenkavalier. Whoa. One opera does not deserve to contain that much gorgeous music. Pretty much everything about it was really really good: singing, orchestra, chorus, staging, costumes, lighting, sets, everything. The chorus was especially delightful. My only major gripe is with the "surtitles": they were projected onto screen *beside* the stage, which made it really difficult to both read and follow the action. There was no differentiation between who was saying what either. Oh well... not every opera company can be the COC. *g*
A couple of the bosom-baring costumes made me slightly nervous for the singers too. Sophie was just a tad too ditzy as well. The singer playing Octavian very occasionally--just once or twice--seemed a tiny little bit out of her depth when compared with the level of everyone else. But she was really really good nevertheless, especially considering she was a stand-in for the original singer... and a student (or at least someone "continuing her studies") at that. Besides, she looked like a believable 17-year-old teenage boy.[2]
Tomorrow, I start work at Winter Wonderland. My plan to read all the way through my newly purchased First Aid book before starting has fallen through, but at least I've reassured myself by refreshing my memory somewhat. After work, I'll attend my second Old Saint Paul's choir rehearsal. When I warned the music director that Winter Wonderland might not allow me to attend practice on opening night, he urged me to come to choir for Sunday services nevertheless, which is nice.
[1] And to think that the first time I ever heard of the Gang Show was when it was being viciously (and hilariously) lampooned in a Goodies episodes. Though this Gang Show had probably more girls than boys in the cast, the two boys who got to wear makeup and dress up in women's clothing in Cinderella obviously thoroughly relished the opportunity.
[2] And yes, Octavian does quite a lot of making out with both the Marschellin and Sophie in this production. I loved that the over-65's in the audience didn't bat an eyelid.
