All the world's a stage, What to see this month : LOCAL LOVES

MORROW'S MONTHLY MUSINGS.....

As you all know, I'm a bit of a theatre junkie and not only do I spend my entire working day doing theatre-y things but most of my evenings too. And because of this I am forever getting messages from pals asking what is good to see at the moment so shall I start doing monthly updates of what I think is brill?

I've got two corkers to get you started - Mojo and Jeeves and Wooster in Perfect Nonsense.

Mojo, written by Jez Butterworth, is completely and utterly brilliant. It's got the killer combo of a cracking script and a stonkingly good cast - Rupert Grint of Harry Potter fame, Ben Wishaw who is the current Q in the Bond movies, Brendan Coyle aka Mr Bates from Downton, Colin Morgan from Merlin and Daniel Mays from Mrs Biggs.

Yep, read that list again - what an amazing cast! I'd been excited about this one for months and it didn't disappoint. Set in 50s Soho, slap bang in the rock n' roll era, the play takes place in a dingy club after hours. But the completely male cast aren't giving you a glimpse of lads in their heyday, instead we see lost boys in the big city battling to survive. Drugs, booze, murder and music. Oh, and truly great hair.

The funny thing about this one is that not a lot actually happens - the main action of the show occurs off stage and right at the start of the play. So instead what we see is the guys waiting for the fall out and it's Jez Butterworth's fantastic way with words that makes this show so exciting, funny, sexy and ultimately haunting. It really does stick with you for days, especially Colin Morgan's last scene. I honestly couldn't stop thinking about it - their performances, the brooding violence and the gymnastic articulation. Really just bloody good theatre.

If you're looking for something with star quality but don't want all-singing, all-dancing jazz hands and hollywood smiles then this is exactly what you need. My favourite review quote comes from the Time Out critic, "If you've ever fantasised about TV's Merlin, Ron Weasley and Q from James Bond going mental with knives, guns and amphetamines then this it the show for you." True dat.

Previews sold out extremely quickly and the rest of the tickets are heading that way fast...so get a wriggle on!

WHAT: Mojo 
WHERE: Harold Pinter Theatre, Panton Street
WHO: This if definitely not one for kids and even comes with a 'explicit language and adult themes' warning on it. Maybe not one for Granny either..
TUBE: Leicester Square or Piccadilly Circus
TICKETS: http://www.atgtickets.com/shows/mojo/harold-pinter-theatre/ A limited number of day seats are available for £10 on the day of each performance - people tend to queue from very early in the morning to grab them though! 
DATES: Now until Saturday 25th January

Jeeves and Wooster in Perfect Nonsense! is absolutely hilarious! Definitely one to watch with the parentals, it is about a very posh young man called Bertie Wooster and his butler Jeeves. Together they tell the audience the story of a ridiculous predicament that Wooster previously found himself in along with the help of another butler, Seppings. Jeeves and Seppings run around the stage creating all the scenes and playing every character under the sun....just as every other dutiful butler would do!

Chaos ensues and you find yourself laughing non-stop for the next two hours and twenty minutes. Stephen Mangan, who plays Wooster, was born with funny bones, he's just fantastic. His comic timing is spot on and, in the nicest way possible, you just can't look at that face without laughing! To you and me he's probably most well known for his turn as Dr Guy Secretan on Green Wing but you can see everything else he's been in here to jog your memory.

Jeeves is played by Matthew Macfadyen who is probably most well known as Mr Darcy in the Keira Knightly version of Pride & Prejudice. Take a look here to see what else you'll know him from. He's just perfect for the role - his straight laced, stiff upper lip-ness just makes you want to giggle even more. Like getting told off by the headmaster when his flies are undone. Or when the tube driver says 'Cockfosters' over the tannoy.

WHAT: Jeeves and Wooster in Perfect Nonsense!
WHERE: Duke of York's Theatre, St Martin's Lane
WHO: The whole family, the oldies will know the original tv show starring Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie, and the youngsters will love the silliness!
TUBE: Leicester Square
TICKETS: http://www.atgtickets.com/shows/jeeves-and-wooster/duke-of-yorks/  Day seats are available to this show too so pop along early for a bargain!
DATES: Now until Saturday 8th March



Let me know what you think of this little 'theatre you should totes see' blog - I'll keep doing them if you like them. But hey guys, what a perk of being a Londoner, these shows are on your doorstep!

Magical meanderings, Harry Potter Studio Tour : A STONE'S THROW AWAY

I am a secret (...um not so secret at all) Harry Potter mega fan and last weekend I finally pottered off to Watford Junction to do the Studio Tour! Pottered...y'get it?!

It was a bloody good day. Like super epic mega brillo awesome good. And to be honest, there were far more adults there than children! Although I did wear an extra special jumper which would have you questioning my age...

Jumper from Joy - www.joythestore.com

The girls and I gathered at Euston, well some of us gathered...Sophie decided to arrive on a broomstick galloping through the station forecourt and leaping for a homemade snitch that she promises she didn't use any 'work time' to make. I had a quick bit of quidditch practice on the platform.

 The Studio is so easy to get to, a fifteen minute train to Watford Junction, then a ten minute bus ride on the HP bus which plays the movie theme tune as you glide through the streets. When you arrive it really doesn't look like much, just a couple of huge warehouses painted a Brownies club yellow with a massive Harry Potter logo slapped on the front, but my oh my is it snazzy inside!

***Now, if you don't want to read any of the secrets stop here - SPOILER ALERT!! ***

I checked the Nimbus 2000 into the cloakroom after Sophie gifted it to me on the train and got myself a little Digital Guide - it's basically an iPhone with recordings, voiceovers, videos and pictures on that make your visit even more geekorific. Numbers are dotted around the tour that correspond to different sections in the guide. At £4.95 it's money very well spent and really does add to the day.

But first stop - The Great Hall! I don't want to brag too much about this but, because as it was my birthday, I got to open the door to The Great Hall!! I had to share a door handle with a six year old, but it was pretty cool all the same. 

As it was Halloween the hall was set up for an All Hallows Eve feast - pumpkins galore and ghoulish treats. Around the room you get your first glimpse of some of the most famous costumes from the films including Harry's first robes, Neville's cracking cardigan from the final movie, Dumbledore's famous get-up and Snape's billowing black gear.

Daniel's first set of Harry robes on the left, and Neville's cardigan second from the right

After this bit you're left to run wild! I couldn't help but stick to the audio guide route though, I didn't want to miss a thing. The pics are all rather self explanatory so I'll leave you to peruse the photographic tour of my fave bits!

The Griffindor boy's dorm - the beds were made when Daniel and Rupert were 11 so they were far too small for them by the end of filming hence why they're always snuggled up in the later movies!

The Griffindor common room - everything was so much smaller than I had imagined. It's hard to think they had any space for the cameras.

Lovely Lauren having a listen to the audio guide on the potions room - the detail in the stone work was incredible.

Hagrid's hut. All the furniture is super sized so that when the actors were on the set they seemed dwarfed. Oh filmatic trickery, you naughty little thing!

 

The tour ends with the most breathtaking surprise - you turn the corner to find yourself in front of the most fantastic model of Howarts! It's so realistic that all the doors are actually on hinges and the plants are real. The model was used to film all of the beautiful sweeping shots of the castle and there's some more lovely facts about this cracking bit of set here.

Then, one last brilliant bit... just before you exit the tour and are thrust into the madness of the gift shop you find yourself surrounded by hundreds and hundreds of wand box, each of which are adorned with the name of every single person involved in the making of the films. Such a lovely touch.

The Harry Potter Studio Tour really is fantastic and I'd recommend it to any fan, big or small. Not big or small as in Hagrid or Dobby, I'm talking more about your level of interest.

So, as I very chuffed Harry Potter fan Londoner I would suggest....

- Get yourself up to Watford. Adult tickets for the tour are £29 and can be bought here.  There are lots of concessions for kids, children under a certain age, family tickets, group ticket etc. so take a look. I've left a lot of bits out of this blog so really do believe me when I say this is just a tiny fraction of the brilliant things you'll see.

- Go before 6th January and it's Christmas themed! A sprinkling of snow and dash of carols. Lovely.