8 short trips to the Emerald City

I'm sure i'm not alone when I say I have a very unhealthy obsession with the musical wicked. I love everything about it, i'd go as far as to say if the west end were a town I would definitely be living in the land of OZ.

I have seen the show 8 times since my first viewing back in may 2009 and have stayed loyal to my original cast (Kerry Ellis, Dianne Pilkington and Oliver Thompsett) and still to this day think they were my favourites in the roles, however my most recent trip to the AV gave them a run for their money.

I was thoroughly impressed with this new cast. Gina Beck was so winning as G(a)lida, she played the part more over the top than previous actresses, but it worked so well and the audience seemed to be eating it up.

 I got to see Nikki Davis Jones as Elphaba and what a pleasure that was. She is absolutely incredible, one of my favourite Elphies now. Her Defying Gravity was so powerful and left me almost speechless during the interval. She had the right balance of sass and vulnerability that is needed for the role.

On a less positive note, I wasn't wild on Matt Willis as Fiyero. He seems like a really lovely person but I don't think he portrays the character well. I think there are a lot of contributing factors as to why this is, his accent being one. I just didn't find him believable.

If you have seen the new cast let me know what you think. If not who are your all time favourite cast members?

The Megabus Sleeper!

************************This post is outdated now, I recently went on the new 'Megabus Gold' which has replaced this service and it is nowhere near as good. The beds are open, so no privacy, there is no seat, the refreshments are few and far between and the staff aren't as nice. would not recommend*****************

As you may or may not know, I have a slight obsession with the big smoke. That being said I plan regular trips from my home town of Glasgow to London, roughly about once a quarter, and feel that I have perfected the art of getting there relatively cheap. Rail is normally my transport method of choice, however when I read an article that Megabus were going to trial a sleeper service I had to check it out. 

First thing I noticed that was a definite plus for me was there were no queues. The sleeper bus caters for up to 24 people and you are guaranteed a  bed so there is no need to be there too early. On my bus single woman were placed nearest the driver, couples in the middle and single men at the back. I think this is a great idea as it can be daunting if you are travelling on your own.

When the bus started to move we were offered refreshments (tea, coffee, irn bru, water etc) and a selection of nibbles ( shortbread, tablet etc ). The employees talked us through all safety features of the bus and you were then basically left to your own devices.

The bunks themselves are small, but not tiny as I had read in other blogs. I had the middle bunk and was able to get in and out with ease. Within the bunk there was a plug socket, a light (which wasn't very bright), a travel kit (comprising of an eye mask, toothbrush, tooth paste and a luggage tag) a blanket and a pillow. My bunk did have a window, which the bottom bunk was missing but to be honest I did not make use of this feature. Wifi was also readily available throughout the journey.

I am not the greatest of sleepers but managed to sleep from around 2am right through comfortably. Around 6am the lights are turned on and you are given a carton of orange juice and a little pastry before getting into Victoria station.

I paid £40 for a return ticket and I would say it was well worth the money. According to the website the fares can range between £1-£40 one way, so if you were flexible on dates I'm sure you could grab yourself a bargain.  I will definitely be using this service again.

2 sides to every story!

You can always count on twitter for some controversy, and the past few days have been no different. I was really sad to hear that one of my favourite musicals - Legally blonde will be saying goodbye to the West End in just 8 short weeks. Now instead of people sharing what they loved about this amazing show, it was pistols at dawn when they began to debate who should be playing the role of 'Brooke Wyndham' until the closure.

The issue started because original Brooke, Aoife Mulholland wanted to return -as planed- from maternity leave and finish the run in the role she made her own. Meaning Tamara Wall would have to retire from the same role she had loved and played for over a year.

Now I can see it from both sides. It must be so devastating for Tamara to have to give up playing a part she loves and watch someone else close the show. However it seems Aoife always intended to return and should have the same rights as every other mother.

To me the dignified thing to do is to support both girls by giving Tamara the send off she deserves whilst welcoming Aoife back with open arms.

The not so Iron Lady

So I just got home from a trip to the cinema to see 'The Iron Lady' and it's safe to say I absolutely loved it. Apart from voting in the election i'm not a particularly political person, but this movie was so much more than politics. 

Meryl Streep's performance is flawless and shows a side to Margaret Thatcher that a lot of people either didn't see, or perhaps forgot. And although I am extremely grateful that I wasn't around in the Thatcher era,  I can completely understand where she wanted to go whilst in power - although some of her actions are questionable. - 

I am fully aware this is a movie and not absolutely accurate, however I found the character likeable and I was filled with empathy throughout the whole film. I'm now off to be a dork and research some more about MT! 

Auld Lang Syne!

So i'm 4 days into the new year and it's already shaping up to be a pretty good one. My new years eve was really low key. We cooked dinner,  made cocktails, went to a bar and brought in the bells scottish style.  Can't wait to see what 2012 has in store for me. Bring it on! 

New year Scrooge!

As the end of the year approaches so does my least favourite holiday - if you can even call it that-. I don't know what it is about new years but I've never warmed to it. The pressure you have to make sure you are doing something out of this world when 12 strikes is ludicrous. Then there's the resolutions no one ever keeps. But this year is different. I have decided to document  some achievable resolutions with the hope of checking them off throughout the year.


1. Re-read all 7 Harry Potter books.



 I am an absolute nerd when it comes to the boy wizard so I don't think this one will be too difficult. 

2. Visit at least 2 different countries


I have a little obsession with a certain English capital so it will be good for me to break out and see what the world has to offer. 

3. Move into my first apartment.


I'm 24, it's about time!!

4. Learn something new.

I have been looking into evening classes for months now. It's time to actually start and complete a course.

So there we go. Lets see how I do.

So Sigma Gamma!

                              

So I just wrapped up the final episode of E4's Sorority Girls and have been pleasantly surprised by how much the show has sustained my interest over the past two months. The concept is fairly simple, 5 current sorority girls from the US have been sent to the UK with one mission.... To launch it's first ever sorority- Sigma Gamma.

At first glance - in my opinion - episode one can come across very cheesy and staged which is completely different from the vibe I get in the episodes that follow. The reality is that both the British and American sisters are smart, witty and well rounded individuals.

From ridiculous challenges, to priceless reactions and hilarious commentary throughout each episode, this show has a light hearted mood with a heart felt message. 

With only 2 of my 5 favourites (Claudia, Alex, Sophie, Charlotte and Alana) making it into the final, I don't know how good I'd be at recruiting new members but I had a lot of fun playing along every week.

If you haven't watched this series I highly recommend you do. It certainly brightened up my Monday evenings and left me a teeny tiny bit jealous that sororities weren't around when I was at uni.