Kim Wilde's Christmas Party 2015 at the Coronet

My last gig before Christmas was Kim Wilde's Christmas Party which was moved from Shepherd's Bush to the Coronet at Elephant & Castle at the last minute due to roof problems at the Bush. I'd been looking forward to this for a long time so a mere change in venue wasn't going to put me off, even if it was to the less salubrious Coronet. The huge queue to get in suggested it didn't put off anyone at all, and neither did the significant security checks - the Coronet is obviously used to the need for security and the security staff were very professional about it all.

Just as we got in and made it to the bar at the back of the hall, the lovely Clare Grogan came on stage to give us those classic Altered Images songs from the early 80s. Bounding round the stage and exhorting us all to join in, she was great fun! Then, after a short break, on came Heaven 17 to keep us firmly in the 80s with some memorable songs. They started with 'Fascist Groove Thang' and 'Come Live With Me' and moved on to do what they called 'their version of the Human League's version' of 'You've Lost That Loving Feeling'. After a few more we got the inevitable 'Temptation' and then they spoiled it all by doing a silly version of Bing and Bowie's 'Little Drummer Boy'. Epic fail.

Another break to re-set the stage and then on came Ricky Wilde and the band, getting ready for Kim and then there she was, wreathed in smiles and waving and launching straight into the songs. It was mainly a greatest hits set and that was very acceptable to the crowd! We had 'View From A Bridge', 'Chequered Love', 'Water On Glass' and 'You Came' as well as some songs from the Christmas record and the covers album. She was joined by the Spandau's Steve Norman on sax on 'Love Blonde' and by Clare Grogan in a white party dress for 'Let It Snow'.  There were lovely versions of 'Hey Mr Snowman' and 'Last Christmas' and the discotastic versions of 'If I Can't Have You' and 'You Keep Me Hangin' On' were both fab, with the latter closing the set. Might I say wow?

But it didn't stop there. O no. The next section was pure Christmas songs with 'Winter Wonderland', Kim's own Christmas hit 'Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree' sung with Glen Gregory, 'Merry Xmas Everybody' and 'I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday' with snow dropping into the audience. More clapping and then encore two with 'It's My Life' and then a magnificent version of 'Kids In America' - she's *got* to play that one, after all!

What a fab show and a great Christmas present from Kim. She's still got the voice and still got the moves, covering the stage, never still, giving her all to us ragbag of people who've been buying her records for over 30 years. Brother Ricky looking after the band and niece Scarlet on backing vocals, it's still a family business for the Wildes and long may it continue! Kim pleased a lot of people that night, including me. And I treasure my Christmas present from Kim - a Santa hat on the back of my chair left especially for me (well, I think so, anyway).

Well done Kim, come back soon!

Matthew Bourne's Sleeping Beauty at Sadler's Wells

My final pre-Christmas entertainment was the traditional visit to Sadler's Wells to see the Matthew Bourne and this year it's 'Sleeping Beauty'. I saw this on it's initial run a few years ago at Sadler's Wells and it\s great to see it again. I like having Christmas traditions and this is a nice one to have. I bought tickets as soon as they went on sale over the summer and got them right in the middle of the best row to have a perfect view of the show.

It\s the tale of Princess Aurora who is adopted by the king and queen in 1890, courtesy of the fairy Carabosse. Unfortunately, the king wasn't sufficiently grateful and she visits to curse the baby but is fought off by Count Lilac and the good fairies. It's then 1911 and Aurora's birthday at a grand Edwardian garden party, when Carabosse's son, Caradoc, tricks her into pricking her finger on a black rose and she falls into a deep sleep for 100 years. Her young lover is transformed by the fairies so he can live to re-awaken her 100 years later  and that's what he does, except Caradoc tricks young Leo and seizes Aurora to sacrifice her at a dark party but is again saved by the rave Count Lilac and they all live happily ever after.

 Of course, there's a lot more going on than just these bare bones of the plot. I love the first act with the troupe of good fairies who visit the baby princess and each leave a white feather in her cot and then proceed to dance their gifts. I liked the second fairy and named her gift 'flibberty-jibbet' and lo and behold, that's how Aurora acts before her birthday party, like a right old flibberty-jibbet disobeying her nurse and mother! It was all very gothic and atmospheric so we're well prepared for when Carabosse appears doing her evil stuff with her hounds.

It's a great show and I'd urge you to see it if you can, either at Sadler's Wells or when it goes on tour in the New Year. It's great story, great dancing and some really good young dancers. It's great to see Ashley Shaw and Adam North as Aurora and her love, Leo, the gamesman and they work really well together in a great partnership.  I also liked Tom Clark as both Carabosse and Caradoc, evil fairies both who get their just desserts for being nasty, and Christopher Marney as the brave Count Lilac who challenges mother and sun and saves Aurora. All the dancers are excellent and it's enhanced by the great staging, costumes and atmospheric lighting. Go and see it if you can and be prepared to be transported into a world of wonder.

'A Christmas Carol' at the Noel Coward Theatre

'A Christmas Carol' is a *must* in the run-up to Christmas - read it, watch it or listen to it. For the last could of years I've attended a reading of the great book at Queen Elizabeth Hall but this year sees the production of a new stage version at the Noel Coward Theatre so I booked tickets to see it straight away. It's being sold on the back of Jim Broadbent as Mr Scrooge, with posters all over the place,  so a lot is riding on his shoulders.

The play is 'based on' rather than a full stage adaptation of the book, so there are bits  where I couldn't help but think 'this isn't in the book' or 'it doesn't happen like that'. That was a bit diverting at times and being too purist doesn't really add to the experience. Using puppets to show the Cratchets in their scenes saved in having lots of actors in a tight space but I didn't really like it. But then I learned to let go and go with the play as it unfolded in front of me, rather than with my memories of the book.

I like the stage setting of the front being decorated like a Victorian Christmas card and the main set being a big book that rotated to show different backgrounds to the scenes, which I thought was a lovely idea. It rather cut back on space on the stage that meant it felt a bit cramped at times, but it broadly worked. Having the puppeteers come on with spare legs to mimic the flying sequences was quite fun in a daft way, particularly when they were little baby legs for the Ghost of Christmas Present section.

It's a small cast but I particularly liked Samantha Spiro in her best Barbara Windsor impression for the Ghost of Christ has Present, slapping Scrooge around and chasing him with strobe lights taking us back to a reverse Benny Hill. I also liked Amelia Bullmore as the Ghost of Christmas Past and Scrooge's mother. And, of course, it was great to see Jim Broadbent on stage for the first time. He's been around for a long time but I hadn't seen him before, but he gave a lovely, warm performance that made me smile.

I'm pleased I saw this in the run-up to the big day - it's on for another few weeks so there's still time to see it. 

'Guys and Dolls' at The Savoy Theatre

I saw this new version of 'Guys and Dolls' at Chichester last year where it first played and it has now come into London at the Savoy before going on tour. It's jut as colourful and fast-paced as I remember it. There have been a few cast changes but it still features Sophie Thompson as Miss Adelaide and Jamie Parker as Sky Masterson, with new additions David Haig as Nathan Detroit and Siubhan Harrison as Sarah Brown.

You now the story of gamblers and nightclub singers in New York crossed with the Salvation Army and a trip to Cuba. Nathan's trying to set up a game and Sky is challenged to taking Sergeant Sarah to Cuba for dinner and he does so on the basis that he will provide twelve guaranteed sinners to Sarah's congregation the following night. It all goes right and then oh so wrong as Miss Adelaide and Nathan break up and Sky and Sarah fall in love. O dear, life is never straight-forward is it? Will it all work out in the end? I can't possibly tell you, you'll have to go and see it for yourself.

Sophie is great fun as the ageing Miss Adelaide who's been engaged to Nathan for a mere 14 years and never seems to move towards marriage. She hates his gambling but she loves him and can't help it. She milked every line at least twice for every laugh and she got the laughs too. David Haig was great as Nathan, very natural and slotted in nicely - they played off each other very well and had great timing. Jamie was good as Sky but I was less convinced by Siubhan as Sarah - I couldn't help but wonder what Julie Covington was like in the role back in the early 80s with the much-lauded revival at the National Theatre. I liked Gavin Spokes as Nicely Nicely, one of Nathan's gamblers who gets the show-stopping moment of 'Sit Down You're Rocking The Boat' towards the end and a great scene it is too. The other big show-stopper is Sky's 'Luck, Be A Lady' in the sewers beneath Manhattan when he wins twelve souls for Sarah at a game of dice and won back his marker.

If you get the chance, go and see this show, either at the Savoy or while it's on tour in 2016, it's well worth it.

The Unthanks at Union Chapel

The Unthanks have been around for 10 years now and are going on tour to celebrate that fact. That does, of course, include time spent being called Rachel Unthanks & The Winterset and that's what I first saw them as in 2009 in the Linbury Studio at the Royal Opera House. They always seem to pick the right venues for them. Rachel mentioned a couple of times that Union Chapel was her favourite venue and, with the lighting, the Christmas Tree, and the backlit rose window, it was certainly very atmospheric.

The set opened with Rachel and Becky singing together and gradually welcoming the band on stage, slowly growing until we had the full band of 10 members including strings and brass. Just voices to the small band to the big band, touching on the albums over the last ten years. Rachel and Becky were both in sparkly frocks for the start of the festive season and the gorgeous lighting and Christmas Tree in the corner near the stage made it feel like the start of Christmas, especially when, for the encore, the rose window of the chapel was lit. That was really a very nice effect. I haven't seen them with such a 'big' light show before, so they were clearly putting their all into these 10th anniversary performances.

It was a show of two halves with a break in the middle to get drinks or merch - I chose to get merch in the form of the new rarities album which both lasses signed for me. I also had a little chat with Becky about growing up in the same village - years apart, obviously.

Favourite songs of the evening included 'On A Monday Morning', 'Lucky Gilchrist', 'King Of Rome', 'The Romantic Tees' and 'Shipbuilding'. One of the last songs was their new Christmas song, '2000 Miles', which sounded excellent and is on the new album 'Archive Treasures'. The encore was 'Tar Barrel In Dale', a previous Christmas song, and a lovely version of 'Here's The Tender Coming' followed by lots of clapping.

It was lovely to see the lasses and The Unthanks again and listen to their thoughtful, gentle music again. Come back again soon.

And thanks to Twitter posts for the photos!

'Wonder.land' at the National Theatre

Went to see the new musical on the block, 'Wonder.land' at the National Theatre last Saturday and I really wanted to like it. Not so much because it was (at least in part) by Damon Albarn but because I wanted a new magical Christmas show. In the event my expectations were far too high and that probably affects my view of the production. No, I didn't really like it and I think that's because it tried to cram too much into the plot, too many strands of social concern for it to work.

It's based loosely on the 'Alice In Wonderland' stories but, in this case, wonderland is an online app, hence the annoying 'dot' in the title of the play (it's pronounced wonder-dot-land). It's the tale of a girl who's bullied at school and who finds the new online game that means she can create an avatar rather than be herself. She's called Alice, of course, as is the head teacher, who takes over the school girl's phone and discovers the game. She takes over the avatar and starts to rule the wonderland as a cruel queen. Alice, of course, has to fight back and eventually wins. bringing her parents back together in the process.

It's quite spectacular in its way with a very creative use of the video wall at the back of the stage, odd costumes and very little set but it needs a narrative to take it forward and a bunny with a strange face and ears isn't sufficient for that. I was disappointed. Let's leave it at that.

'Pericles' at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse at The Globe

'Pericles' is one of those Shakespeare plays that I've never quite got round to, either seeing it or reading it, but it's on at the lovely candle-lit Sam Wanamaker Playhouse at Shakespeare's Globe so it's a good opportunity to see it. It's one of those oddities that seems to have the first half written by another playwright and the second half written my Mr Shakespeare - and it shows. The quality of the writing - and the story-telling is vastly different and the second half is obviously better, and, let's face it, more interesting.

It's the picaresque tale of Pericles, the Prince of Tyre and his adventures, most of which seem to involve the sea and storms and shipwrecks. Pericles seems to be a nice enough bloke but he doesn't half get into some scrapes. He seeks the hand of a princess and when he discovers she's in an incestuous relationship with her dad the king he runs back to Tyre. From there he's advised to flee and get shipwrecked only to fall for another princess (it happens) who he wins and marries.  When she's heavily pregnant they decide that's the opportune time to head back to Tyre and she dies in childbirth, is buried at sea and the resultant daughter fostered to another king and queen.

The second half starts 16 years later and the baby has grown up into a virtuous young lady who is kidnapped and sold as a slave to a brothel but Pericles is told that she died. But she uses her wit to retain her virtue and is eventually brought on board yet another ship to try to cheer up an old man with her conversation. And that's when she learns that the old man is her father and Pericles learns that his daughter is alive. It's all rather convoluted and goes on a bit but it's nice to have finally seen it, and seen it at the Sam Wanamaker with candle all over.

I can't pretend it was one of my favourite plays of the year - the acting was solid but the material doesn't send it flying. James Garnon was good as Pericles and Jessica Baglow as fun as his daughter, Marina. I'm pleased to have seen it at last.  And here's the real Pericles...

Top 30 Music over the last 10 years or so

Do you remember the olden days of this blog, when the Plastic Bag was all shiny and new and not a crease in sight? Well, in the olden days I used to put up lists of what music I'd been listening to and all sorts so I thought, to note the end of the 10 calendar year of the Bag, I'd list my all-time most played artists according to Last.FM.

In total, it tells me that I've listened to 3,034 different artists and my Top 30, in descending order, are:

1. Buffy Sainte-Marie
2. Maximo Park
3. The Human League
4. Suzanne Vega
5. Poly Styrene
6. David Bowie
7. Kirsty MacColl
8. SLADE
9. Amanda Palmer
10. Madonna

Are there any surprises there? I'm a bit surprised that Bowie is so high in the list and that Madonna is in the top 10. With Bowie, I rarely 'binge' listen but he's usually in my playlists somewhere and with Madonna, I suspect her position is due to her last album ('Rebel Heart') that I've listened to a lot. The others? Yes, I'd expect to see them in my top 10.

11. Kim Wilde
12. Pet Shop Boys
13. X-Ray Spex
14. Petula Clark
15. The Dresden Dolls
16. Blondie
17. Boy George
18. Siouxsie & The Banshees
19. Beverley Knight
20. Kate Bush


In the teens, I suspect Siouxsie is so high due to the re-releases of all the Banshees albums over the last few years and her gigs as part of Yoko Ono's Meltdown festival a couple of years ago. Kate Bush is there due her gigs at Hammersmith (obv). I don't recall listening to a lot of Pet Shop Boys or The Dresden Dolls this year so their position probably relies on massive listens in previous years.

21. Public Image Ltd
22. Patti Smith
23. T.Rex
24. Marianne Faithfull
25. The B-52's
26. The Kinks
27. Donna Summer
28. Mary J Blige
29. Viv Albertine
30. P!nk

The 20s are all staples in my playlists and the only one I'm surprised at is The Kinks, although this is probably due to binging on Kinks songs when seeing the stage musical. P!nk should be higher up the list since I used to amend the '!' in her name to an 'i' (i.e. proper English) so a lot of plays won't be counted.

That's one of the oddities of lists and Last.FM since it only counts things in a certain way. Just as P!nk would be higher if plays under the two names were added together then so would Siouxsie (add Siouxsie solo to the Banshees and the Creatures) then she'd be in my top 5. Equally, if I added Amanda Palmer to Amanda Palmer & The Grand Theft Orchestra and the Dresden Dolls - and Evelyn Evelyn if you must - then Amanda would be at number two.

Who do you listen to?

'The Nutcracker' by The Royal Ballet at The Royal Opera House

What could be more Christmassy than seeing 'The Nutcracker' at the grand Royal Opera House with enormous Christmas trees and sparkly garlands wrapped around the pillars outside? O yes, the look of the place raises the ante for the show and it delivered to all my expectations. What a wonderful show!

I've seen Matthew Bourne's interpretation of the story a couple of times and loved it, but this was my first viewing of the 'traditional' show and featured the choreography of Peter Wright. And what a marvellous show it was too, perfect for Christmas, especially since it's set at Christmas.

It's Christmas Eve and Clara is given the Nutcracker, a toy that contains the soul of Hans-Peter, the magician and toy-maker's nephew. She creeps downstairs after the party to make sure the toy is all right and is transported to a magical world as the Christmas Tree grows and grows and the toy soldiers battle with the mice and their king. Clara and the Nutcracker prevail to be transported to the Land of Snow with ballerina's as snowflakes filling the stage. After the half-time we go to the court of the Sugar Plum Fairy and her Prince for some grand entertainments before returning to Clara's home before dawn and, astonishingly, Hans-Peter is now free from the Nutcracker and loans Clara his cape to protect her from the snow and cold. Our hero is safe and who knows what might happen in the future…

I loved this production! The magic and beauty of the whole thing, the enormous Christmas Tree growing and growing as Clara shrinks, the wonderful snowflakes and then the Fairy and her Prince. O wow. Once again, it drives home to me that ballet isn't just a load of athletic young people doing their stuff on stage, it's the whole production - the music, the dance, the sets, the costumes, the lighting and the whole atmosphere of the thing that ignites the Art.

I loved our heroes in Francesca Hayward as Clara and Alexander Campbell as the Nutcracker, Gary Avis as the magician with his swirling cloak and the lovely Iana Salenko and Steven McRae as the Sugar Plum Fairy and her Prince (who were also my Romeo and Juliet). Thank you Royal Ballet for introducing me to 'The Nutcracker' and welcoming in Christmas!

'In The Heights' at Kings Cross Theatre

Finally got round to seeing 'In The Heights', the Southwark Playhouse's production of the much lauded Broadway show that's been put on at Kings Cross Theatre. Yes, Kings Cross Theatre was a new one on me too, but I think it's a temporary theatre space behind Kings Cross station until the powers that be finally decide what to do with that area. 'In The Heights' was, I think, just starting it's Broadway run on one of our New York trips but didn't see it so this was a chance to see what all the fuss was about.

'In The Heights' is the 'rap musical' set in the Washington Heights area of Manhattan over a few hot summer days in the early 2000s. It's the Puerto Rican area and everyone knows everyone else and their business, a close-knit community threatened on all sides by rising rents and the challenges of modern living. It's the real world, kids. We have Usnavi who runs the local shop, Daniela who has the local hairdressers and centre of gossip and Kevin who runs the local cab company, it's all very local. And their stories inter-twine and develop. Over a few days they all learn, they all evolve and become different people - or maybe they expose the people they really all were all along?

So, okay, there's nothing new in the story to the show - boy fancies girl he grew up with, girl wants to better herself, girl finds she fancies boy then the lights go out - but I liked it. It's not the show, it's the energy I liked, the full-on commitment of the cast, the beaming smiles of the ensemble during the dance numbers, the whole thing. I even bought a programme.

I liked Sam Mackay as our hero, Usnavi (i.e. US Navy as inscribed on the side of ship) even though his delivery of the rap was a bit white-boy Eminem, and the heavily pregnant Victoria Hamilton-Barritt as Daniela (who I saw and enjoyed in 'A Chorus Line' a few years back). Lily Frazer was great as Nina, the girl who escapes the neighbourhood to go to university bout comes back as a drop-out, and what a great voice and presence she has. I must also mention Jade Ewen, the last Sugababe, who plays Vanessa, the girl who wants to get on for her acting and singing and the incredibly short skirts.

I liked it and it's great fun. Go and see it!