Pasta, Prosecco and Pirouettes | BEDIS

After finishing work yesterday afternoon I made my eyelids sparkly, hair straight and popped on my favourite blue dress. Soon enough my mum and I were on the train to Southampton, my belly rumbling, ready for dinner. We headed to Bella Italia where I had my favourite dish of theirs. I’m not one to stick to the same dish when I go to a restaurant but their Marco Polo is so yum. I ate my duck in sweet plum sauce pasta and sipped on my sparkly prosecco before mum and I headed round the corner to the Mayflower Theatre to go and see Flashdance.

Years ago mum had told me Flashdance was one of her favourite films of all time. She’s not one to rank films and such like I do, so I took this claim seriously. We sat down and watched it and while I did like it, I didn’t love it. Spoiler: I’m going to watch it again soon and I expect I will l-o-v-e it. I would claim I was too young but, by then, I’d watched Grease years and years before and knew that it was a firm favourite (as it is my mum’s). Although I’m not sure why I wasn’t as much of a fan as my mum, I partly put it down to the fact it’s not a “musical.” If I’m honest, I just love a sing-song.

A while ago my mum and I found out Flashdance was coming to a local theatre and since neither of us had ever seen the theatre production─and, trust me, between us we’ve got more than our fair share of theatre production programmes─we booked tickets to go last night. I apologise for what’s to come but—-

What a feeling!

I felt like a child watching Flashdance; excited by every song, wanting it to last forever. Flashdance gave me the best feeling ever. I’ve since claimed to my brother that I will become a professional dancer; inspired by the show. While there weren’t quite as many pirouettes as the title of this blog post suggests, it was full of twists and turns; songs and jokes; moments that felt tense and moments that felt full of joy. Flashdance follows Alex, a welder whose dream is to be a dancer. Some evenings she dances at a local club but really wants to go to Shipley Dance Academy. We ache for her dreams to come true, in the mean time adoring her workmates and best friends; all the while wishing for Hurley to figure out some important plans.

I probably should address an unusual event though. About ten minutes in, the show was stopped. Beforehand mum and I had looked at each other, thinking something was wrong with the sound. Although we aren’t exactly sure what the problem was, the show was stopped abruptly and the two actresses on stage (Joanne Clifton and Hollie Ann Lowe) handled it brilliantly as a voice explained the show was going to be stopped and back up and running as soon as possible. It took maybe fifteen minutes to fix and it definitely didn’t ruin the night. I felt for the whole cast and crew and think it was handled superbly- the two same actresses making a couple of jokes about it when they came back on stage.

I am officially a gigantic Flashdance fan. The cast were fantastic; I fell for the friendships and relationships at a record-breaking speed. I loved the addition of singing that the film does not include; I loved feeling completely in awe of ALL of the cast’s talent. That’s a talented bunch right there and the type of cast that makes going to the theatre so easy to gush about. I kind of love I’ve become an official certified fan by adoring the show first. But I know I’m playing with fire; Flashdance is a classic. I can’t wait to watch it next week! If a theatre by you is showing Flashdance, I highly recommend you go and watch it. It’s the best. 

~ Kat ~

P.S. I am blogging every day in September (BEDIS) and yesterday I shared my top 3 TED Talks!

The Monthly Scrapbook | July

July kicked off (well, served off) with my favourite sporting event: Wimbledon. This meant a daily excuse to buy strawberries and cream while binge watching tennis. Yippee. Aaron started his new job which meant a celebratory meal out (white wine as we watched the sun set over the harbour- dreamy!) and the UK still (*touches wood*) is producing the loveliest weather. After graduating with my friends mid-July, the rest of the month has seen me frantically and excitedly apply for as much publishing work experience as my tired purse can hack.

Aaron’s new job provides him with Sundays off; a luxury he hasn’t had with his previous job. To celebrate his first Sunday off, we headed to West Wittering, as we love to do when the weather warms up. We sunbathed, kicked a ball around, ate yummy food and walked a while. We ticked off a lot of things on anyone’s Summery Day Bucket (but no Spade) List. Sunkissed and sleepy, we finished the evening with a BBQ on the beach with his family, chucking around a frisbee like there was no tomorrow. Tomorrow, however, did come around which meant another Monday feeling like an oh-so-unemployed-graduate which, by extension, meant a day of emails, emails and more emails.

The day after graduating was a day that began with sun. Eager to not waste the lovely weather, Aaron and I headed down to the beach, kites in hand. He had always insisted that we must go kite-flying one day because he considers himself quite the pro. Even though the sun hid away, the wind was our new best friend. Aaron taught me how to fly a kite, something I had never done before. After we tired ourselves out we went to the cinema and watched Spider-man: Homecoming which we both loved.

On Friday I headed to the beach for a little 40 minute catch-up session with Courtney and Sarah, as well as taking photographs of Sarah for the upcoming Feminism Up issue. She has written a brilliant piece about body expectations. LOOK HOW CUTE SHE LOOKS. Sarah noted that it was exactly like one of those cheesy sayings so we made up our own: Sometimes you only need forty minutes with your best friends to leave with a pretty permanent grin.

As I post this blog post I am in Mallorca for a sunny holiday with Aaron’s family; a sure highlight of August. I have three books packed, ready to get my reading game back on. I have my running kit with me for a couple of runs. I have pennies to buy a snorkelling kit after falling in love with the activity in Malta last year. I’m excited! How is your August starting?

~ Kat ~

One Crazy Night: Full Disclosure

On Saturday evening, my mum and I hopped on a train, choo-chooing its way to our favourite pastime (alongside eating an afternoon tea, of course): the theatre. For my 21st I was gifted with an envelope that told me I’d be going to see The Addams Family with my mum in July at the Mayflower in Southampton. After listening to Carrie Hope Fletcher’s cover of Pulled on repeat for a whole summer three years ago, it’s safe to say I spent the last few months of university, waiting, excitedly to click my fingers as the intro plays before the actors step onto stage.

The musical? New to the UK, The Addams Family: The Musical Comedy brings the classic family we know and love to our local theatres, all singing and bunny-hopping. We see Wednesday Addams grown up and in love, while her family don’t want their little girl to grow up at all. And not with a normal boy. Our favourite wealthy and happily doom and gloom family present us with unbelievably catchy songs (I was singing ALL the way home on the train) and brilliant one-liners. The musical includes hilarious poppy songs as well as heartfelt ballads and, of course, many references to their love of black and darkness. In a world where our phones notify us of bad news every time we look at it, this musical is well and truly needed right now.

The cast is star-studded with Carrie Hope Fletcher (Wednesday), Samantha Womack (Morticia), Cameron Blakely (Gomez) and Les Dennis (Uncle Fester) taking some of the lead roles. But the rest of the cast are outstanding too. In terms of the Addams Family themselves, it was as if the actors were made for the role: Womack and Blakely, in particular, mirrored the image you have of the passionate couple in your head. The Beineke family (Wednesday’s boyfriend, Lucas’s family) brought a welcomed new layer to the Addams Family’s story and the ancestors were hilarious; all with incredible voices. My mum and I ate in CXO Bar and Bistro beforehand where I lamely fangirled that some of the cast were eating their dinner too. I must mention that Gavin Eden (who plays Jester Ancestor) stopped to chat to a young aspiring theatre star for about 20 minutes, answering all of his questions- it was lovely to see!

Being a gigantic fan of Carrie Hope Fletcher’s, this review wouldn’t be right without a little bit of a  fangirl. I couldn’t stop grinning throughout her performance of Pulled and as she finished with a high, I had tears in my eyes. Much like I did when I watched her as Eponine in Les Mis a few years ago. Like all of the actors, I laughed at and rooted for Wednesday all the way through the show. Her voice blew me away; it was wonderful to hear her sing songs so different to those in the awesome Les Mis.

I’m a sucker for soundtracks and despite knowing and loving a few songs in the Addams Family musical beforehand (thanks to clicking on related to videos after listening to Carrie’s cover of Pulled 10 x a day), I decided not to listen to every song like I normally do. However, if you’re wondering (you probably weren’t), here are my five favourite songs from the kooky musical:

1. Pulled
2. Crazier than You
3. When You’re an Addams
4. One Normal Night
5. Happy Sad

My mum and I laughed and felt for the characters all the way through. The orchestra, props and overall choreography were spot on. My mum thoroughly enjoyed a show she admits she wouldn’t have gone to see had I not repeatedly mentioned it. I completely recommend you popping to your local theatre if you can and it’s arriving, dressed in black, there.

Ba dah dah dum *click click!*

~ Kat ~

The Importance of Hamilton | The Ramblings of a Fangirl | 21 in Feb

You’d think the fact I haven’t seen the production of Hamilton: An American Musical would mean I couldn’t quite hit the “obsessive fan” level. But thousands of fans and I would disagree. After listening to Burn – THAT ballad that makes a musical just a sprinkle more special – I couldn’t stop clicking on the next song, the next song and the song after that. After all, true love can’t wait.

Written by the BRILLIANT (like seriously brilliant) Lin-Manuel Miranda, Hamilton tells the story of Founding Father, Alexander Hamilton. (If you know the musical, you’ll have sung his name along with me just then.) And his story is inspiring, heartbreaking, frustrating. And really really captivating. The musical is told through the medium of rapping, the cast made up of many black and Hispanic actors so as to represent America. And rightly so. This musical is at the top with my favourites Wicked and Les Mis… And I haven’t even seen it yet.

I try to subliminally make my mum, brother and friends adore Hamilton (and it happily doesn’t go unnoticed), not just because the music is incredible, but because Hamilton is important. I’ll tell you why if you fancy it.

Feminism

The females in this story are empowering in a lot of different ways. As they are in the history books. Eliza was kind with a big heart. In the history books we see women suppressed and stopped from being any more than that. (And being just that is just as acceptable too.) Eliza, however, created her own legacy- no one else did. Quiet and “lovely”, yes. But she wasn’t suppressed. And Angelica? Another female powerhouse: confident and self-assured, she shows the features some like to think are “unattractive” as more than endearing and charming. Incredibly stunning. And her character sings the brilliant lines: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal. And when I meet Thomas Jefferson, I’m ‘a compel him to include women in the sequel.” *Claps furiously.*

Diverse casting

How can the diverse casting not be something influential? Something important. As per usual Lin-Manuel Miranda is paving the way for the future. The musical tells the story of a trying time; an exciting time; a time of change. Why shouldn’t a reflection of America tell this story, when if it was truly translated into the 21st century, these would be the people telling it. It’s also another message Lin-Manuel is singing to us: Start representing the people better, world!

Hard work Vs. taking a break

A common theme of the musical is Alexander’s Hamilton work ethic. One of the most historic self-starters to have entered the world, Hamilton came from nothing, battled the worst and proved himself as he knew he would: “Just like my country, I’m young, scrappy and hungry.” While Hamilton shows us what working hard means, we see the consequences of not taking a break; of overworking. Alexander Hamilton lived an incredible life but we can learn what not to do from him. He’s a tragic hero who is hard to idolise whilst being very hard not to idolise.

I could go on for for ever and a day. It’s a musical that will live on to teach and inspire. Lin-Manuel Miranda engages the modern world – young and old – with history some of us might not want to listen to. We live in testing times and it’s hard to watch America right now. But this musical gives me hope in America and in words, too. Words have so much more power than we are ever taught. I’m just a little bit invested in this musical and it deserves every success coming its way. I hope the world starts listening a little more intently. Every song is monumental; every word is important. I’m not sure if I’d recommend listening to as many songs as I have without seeing the musical (I have no regrets), but if you don’t want spoilers but some incredible musical showstoppers, I recommend you listen to:

• You’ll Be Back
• The Schuyler Sisters
• My Shot

And now starts the saving of pennies for when Hamilton comes to London this year. Eek!

~ Kat ~

P.S. 15/21 ❤

The Midnight After La La Land | 21 in Feb

I went into the cinema a couple of nights ago with a lot of La La Land pre-reading consumed and adored. I’ve been listening to the soundtrack for weeks, watching all of the interviews with a fangirl giggle and had my brother nagging me every day to go and see it so we can have a chit chat (exams were lame and got in the way). The short of it is that I love it, I always will love it and I know it’ll stay as a favourite film for the rest of my life. It’s the midnight following my first (of many) viewings, and I wanted to give you three reasons why I urge you to go and watch it for yourself (since I’ve heard the term “hyped up” being thrown about, which is fine but it shouldn’t put you off!).

ONE. Mia, the main character, is a strong, talented and intelligent female, doing wonders for feminism. She aspires to be successful; to create; to stop her dream from being a daydream. These were core messages I took from the film; messages that should only be taken as encouraging. Mia is focused, hardworking and a self-starter. To me, these were my favourite qualities. And qualities we all need to see on the big screen.

TWO. It’s a classic love story with a modern twist and modern values. It does all of the good things to the audience- gooey stomach, damp eyes and a heart that belongs to Mia and Sebastian for a couple of hours… Or, in my case, for the rest of my life. She inspires him and he inspires her and it creates a magically raw partnership.

THREE. Nothing I have said has been controversial in terms of La La Land afterthoughts, and what I’m about to say anyone could assume from the trailer. This film is a stunning piece of art. The music; the dancing; the costumes; the structure; the cinematography. The music is produced and performed effortlessly and this notion is echoed in the dancing. The costumes are classic and exciting. The film is told by the seasons. Being a lover of all seasons, what they stand for and what they have the potential to stand for was a factor for me feeling so entranced by the storyline. The cinematography made me want to get GOOD with my camera. It was another level. The whole film looked like it was shot through an Instagram filter and it was GLORIOUS.

Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling are part of a modern classic and I wouldn’t want anyone else to fill their tap shoes. They portray the hardships of LA brilliantly and I think their voices modestly and beautifully tell us the story. Their dancing had me from the word “go.” The jazz, for me was echoed in the laid back feeling of the film as well as the exciting prospects Mia and Sebastian had. There are reviews for La La Land left, right and centre but I definitely encourage you to go and check it out for yourself. And certainly don’t miss seeing it on the big screen.

~ Kat ~

P.S. 1/21 ❤