Category: Blogging

London’s Wizard Is Brilliant! Ozviously!

Anyone that knows me will tell you that I love going to the theatre. Over the years I have watched hundreds of shows in London, other European cities and New York. For me, nothing beats watching brilliant actors performing to a live audience, especially when they are joined by a love orchestra. London’s wizard had me excited!

The Palladium

Last week I popped along to the famous London Palladium to watch the latest celebrity version of ‘The Wizard of Oz.’ It was the first musical I had seen this year and I was intrigued because it included a well known comedian, Jason Manford as the lion and a UK TV legend, Gary Wilmot as the Wizard himself.

Stunning Performances

Dorothy was played by Georgina Onuorah who is fairly new to theatre, having recently graduated but having already impressed audiences in ‘Oklahoma.’ Her voice was stunning and her smile was infectious. Her charisma and skill made Dorothy relatable and helped to keep the narrative going smoothly. She was supported by Christina Bianco as Glinda. Christina had previously acted in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Raincoat. Her range was incredible and she came across brilliantly too.

Using a screen to show certain events, with videos and animation, was a great idea. It was a clever way to allow them to change sets whilst moving the story on.

When I went, Diversity’s Ashley Banjo was off so the Tin Man was played by an understudy. He was an excellent dancer and I would never have guessed he wasn’t part of the main cast (unless I had been expecting Ashley – which I was).

The lion was played by Louis Gaunt. He had been successful in the West End version of Mary Poppins as Bert. He was very funny and full of energy.

What an incredibly talented cast!

I especially liked how they altered some of the songs to include a little bit of rapping and some modern dance routines. A little more funky than before.

Final Thoughts

This was a lively production with some funny, modern spins that made it even more relevant. The singing was amazing and the dancing was first rate. I loved the backdrops, the pace, the orchestra and especially Glinda. I have since noticed she has a funny Youtube where she imitates famous singers. Check it out:

Thank you for taking the time to read my post about the current Palladium version of ‘The Wizard of Oz’ in London.

Have you ever been to see musical theatre? Do you have a soft spot for a certain musical? Would you go to see London’s Wizard?

For another of my recent reviews, have a look at The Barbie Movie Is Cleverer Than You Think – and perhaps drop a comment too.

The Barbie Movie Is Cleverer Than You Think!

Going to watch the Barbie movie on Saturday, I wasn’t bothered by the hype or anyone else’s views. I knew I would like it because Margot Robbie always makes good choices and Greta Gerwig is a genius director.

But I still wondered if it might be too childish even for me?

Now I can reflect on the movie which has generated over a billion dollars in just a fortnight. It has nearly made twice the money of The Little Mermaid and has initiated many eye-opening conversations.

Challenging Attitudes

I suppose I half expected Barbie to challenge stereotypes. There was no way this film was ever going to be a straightforward celebration of cheesiness.

Although don’t get me wrong… There was plenty of cheese. More than enough to spread on 1000 pieces of toast.

But YES – Greta did good! She made the film fascinating. She drew parallels between Barbieland and The Real World. In Barbieland women ruled – they had a female president and women doctors, lawyers and law makers. Back in The Real World, men were in charge, as Barbie and Ken discovered when they travelled there (in the most hilarious way – by jet ski, rocket, camper van and roller blades).

Don’t Forget Ken

Poor old Ken is always just a sidekick. Played by Ryan Gosling (famous for LaLaLand), he is superficial (Ken, not Ryan), not very intelligent and depends on the gaze of Barbie to maintain a purpose and satisfaction.

When he follows Barbie to find the real girl who is playing with Barbie in distress, he recognises the toxic masculinity that involves men running companies, pumping iron and acting selfishly. Let’s not pretend it doesn’t happen BUT not all of us men are like that. Anyway, he likes what he sees and takes those traits back to Barbieland and the rest would involve spoilers.

Margot deserves an Oscar for this performance. It is nuanced, comedic and full of emotion.

There… I said it… I think her acting is up there with Cate Blanchett in this movie. She is also the producer of this and used her company – LuckyChap – to create this cheeky but thought-provoking narrative.

And Finally…

I may be biased as I have loved Margot ever since she played Donna Freedman in my favourite soap opera ‘Neighbours’. Even at the height of her fame she was happy to appear in the final episode of Neighbours last July. Thankfully Neighbours is coming back care of Amazon Freevie and Margot will always stay close to this show – her brother was recently in Neighbours as well.

With intriguing cameos and a fantastic cast which includes three members of Sex Education (Netflix), this is a fabulous movie which I would rate five stars.

Another great contribution comes from the cheeky narrator, played by Helen Mirren, by the way.

Barbie started off as cliche but ended up beating the living daylights out of stereotypes. I loved the way Barbie was able to talk to her creator and discuss her purpose which was to inspire young people. Not to be a bimbo!

I would totally recommend swallowing your pride and popping along to the cinema to watch this brilliant masterpiece.

If you want to find out my thoughts about the other big movie out right now, check out my review of Oppenheimer. Please also consider following my blog for similar future content.

Reading Is Not A Punishment

As a teacher and tutor for many years I came across a variety of students who had different attitudes to reading. I also came across parents with very differing approaches to getting their kids to read. One thing I realised early on was how powerful and important being able to enjoy books can be.

Don’t Push It

In my experience, if you force anyone to do anything, they will come to resent it. I was forced to play football at school, during lunchtimes and when I got home (as my neighbours always wanted to play it) and so I started to resent the sport.

Being forced to be a goalkeeper all the time made me dislike anything to do with football.

So being made to read and treating it like a punishment is generally off-putting. Also, having to suffer for not reading is a massive turn-off.

You have to teach reading using a tiptoe method. Step by step you shine a light on the reading experience and make it feel comfortable and fun.

Some Suggestions:

– Read yourself regularly and where your child can see you absorbed in that activity. They will be fascinated by what is holding your attention and hopefully making you smile.

– Share a book with them. Learning to read starts with phonics but the love of reading comes from a shared experience. If you read to your child every evening, with expression and interaction, your audience will start to become interested.

– Don’t force a ‘type’ or genre of books onto them. Find some topics they like. Yes they may appreciate Roald Dahl but they may also crave stories about skiing or travelling or even prefer factual books about insects. Whatever they are drawn to, go with it.

– Use the pictures to get them involved in the narrative.

“Can you spot a picture of someone running away from something? What do you think made them run?”

– Work with poems and rhymes early on so the student then begins to know the patterns and jump in with the endings of each line.

– Most of all, make learning to read fun. This will make a lasting impression on the young reader and may foster a love of books which will stay with them as they grow up.

Final Thoughts

I remember my Mum taking the time each night to read me a story and I was totally absorbed. I became curious about what was so exciting about books and soon became a keen reader.

If you don’t use books as punishments and try not to limit the types of books that a child reads then a love of books should develop naturally. When a child doesn’t want to read something, never force them. Instead, give them some space and ensure you are seen enjoying a book. Later on, try a different book with them or find a fun way to make the reading session more like a game.

For another of my posts about education, check out 5 Challenges Of Teaching.