Ghost: The Musical

http://www.ghostthemusical.com/?gclid

Last weekend I took my mum to see Ghost: The Musical (based on 1990 film starring Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze) for a surprise for her 50th Birthday. I think most people would agree that Ghost is just one of those timeless films, in the same league as classics such as Dirty Dancing and Grease. A film that never gets old and can be watched again and again by all generations. So I think anyone that tries to recreate such an iconic film is taking a huge risk but I have to say, we were both thoroughly impressed.

The remake certainly does the film justice and doesn’t loose any of the magic from the original. It’s a brilliant piece of theatre, the staging and effects throughout the entire show is astounding, and every scene and illusion is created perfectly to the smallest detail. Likewise, the show is supported by a top notch cast.

Both vocally and visually, the entire cast were very strong. Sharon D Clarke, who stars as Oda May Brown, stole the show for me with her witty and believable portray of Whoppie Goldberg’s original role, keeping in perfect character throughout while still making it her own.

Cassie Levy (Molly Jenson) has a beautifully effortless voice, conveying great emotion throughout and maintaining brilliant chemistry on stage with Richard Fleeshman (Sam Wheat). Fleeshman’s strong vocals shone, alongside his great stage presence. Also....definitely one for the ladies to look out for!! The boy from Coronation Street has bulked out and looks super hot! ;-)

As for the songs, I'm not sure there is a classic in the making, but they were catchy, easy to listen to and worked well. As you would expect, Unchained Melody played a large role in the show, appearing several times but has been given a modern and playful twist.

I think Ghost works so well as a musical because the production doesn’t derive too far from original script and they have kept the charm and character, along with the moments people love about the film. One criticism I would have is that I felt the final fight scene was a little rushed and could have been made more powerful.

I would certainly recommend Ghost The Musical as one to watch. Fans of the film won’t be disappointed by a shoddy attempt at a show, and those who have never seen it can experience the magic of Ghost live. It’s an old classic refreshed and bought to life, and something to continue to be enjoyed for generations to come.

                 

My beauty must haves....

1. Great Foundation - A good foundation can make even your worst skin day a good day. It's important to find a colour that doesn't leave the Essex boarder line on your face (aka, a big orange line!) and that gives you a fresh faced complexion instead of a caked, fake look. I use Estee Lauders double wear light foundation....it's perfect, it gives good coverage which is not too heavy, but heavy enough to cover blemishes. It also has a photogenic formula which makes so much difference. I used to use the double wear foundation by Estee Lauder but found that I looked like a ghost in photos!


2. Powder - It's a cheap and easy way to get flawlessly perfect skin! A little bit of powder over the top of foundation gives a smooth, matt finish. Natural collection (warm translucent) is fantastic, I swear by it! I tend to prefer the loose one to the compact but it can be harder to get hold of!


3. Bronzing balls - perfect to give a little bit of colour and define those cheek bones!


4. Lashes - Mascara is the one thing I don't tend to leave the house without wearing. I love long, thick lashes and usually apply a lengthening mascara followed by a volumising one (I'm currently using No7 and Rimmel London). Don't apply too much on the bottom lashes otherwise I find you tend to get a bit of a black eye effect (which is never flattering!!). On a night out, a pair of false lashes finish off a look but keep eyes looking seductive and sassy by wearing natural look lashes, nothing too long, too jazzy or OTT, otherwise you will end up looking more like a drag queen!! Eylure are pretty good and have really good glue...which is important otherwise you end up making a complete mess of your make up and have to start all over again (or end up walking around with one lash on and one off by the end of the night!)
 

5. Red Lipstick - I love red lipstick! It's my new favourite thing for a night out! A deep red looks great (nothing too orangey). During the day (or if you're not ready to jump straight into full on red lips), the Hollister red tinted lip gloss is brilliant, another one of my faves, and it tastes great too!




6. Eyeliner - I've got quite small eyes so I try to make them look a little bigger with big lashes and defining eyeliner, but eyeliner can make your eyes look smaller, so don't apply too much on the bottom of your eyes. I tend to use a thinner pencil to begin, drawing the shape I want and flicks at each corner (keep them small!) and then go over the liner on the lids with a thicker liner. I really like Scarlett &Crimson's line your eyes liner at the moment; it has a touch of glitter which adds a touch of sparkle and glamour on a night out! I also have a lot of problems with my eye liner smudging but this one seems to be great!

Les Miserables - anything but miserable!

I finally lost my Les Miserables virginity, but my god was it worth the wait!!! So much so, I've already seen my second show!

The Plot
Les Miserables follows the struggles and redemption of prisoner, Jean ValJean, and his life on the run. ValJean serves 19 years for a petty crime and after breaking his parole when released, he adopts a new identity and is a well respected man in the community. He is constantly overshadowed by his past through Javert, a prison guard who is determined to arrest him once again. In  his new life, ValJean meets Fantine and vows to take care of her and, as she lay on her death bed, he promises to take care of her daughter, Cosette. Cosette is in the care of scoundrels, the Theander's who treat her as a slave before ValJean rescues her and raises her as his own.

10 years pass and Cosette and ValJean move to Paris and it is the time of the rebellion. Here we meet the students, including Marius and daughter of the Theanders, Eponine. Cosette is a grown woman who meets and falls in love with student, Marius, who in turn falls in love with her. Marius enlists the help of Eponine to see Cosette again and unbeknown to them both, Eponine is also in love with Marius.....

We follow the students journey though the fight for revolution, where ValJean saves both the life of Marius and Javert. In turn, Javert's sense of morality is tested when he has the opportunity to arrest ValJean. After the rebellion, Marius morns the death of his fellow students and questions his survival. ValJean considers both his future, and that of Marius and Cosette and decides he must leave to prevent Cosette from future hurt and danger. Marius and Cosette marry, and upon realising that ValJean saved his life, Marius takes Cosette to see her father upon his deathbedone last time.

Was it any good?

So I may be a little bias, but I thought that Craig Mather (Marius) was fantastic (Craig is a friend of mine from school, hence the biasness!). Marius is Craig's debut role in the West End but he was completely at home and from his performance, he could have been there for years! At my first show I was a little disappointed that Alfie Boe (Jean ValJean) was unable to perform but his stand in was superb, especially for someone who is only 22! I had better luck the second time round and Mr Alfie Boe was just phenomenal, his performance was faultless and his voice, out of this world! The show would have been worth the second trip to see him alone if nothing else! I was also lucky enough to catch the 26th Birthday show, which made it that little bit extra special!

During my first show I was lucky enough to catch Matt Lucas as Theander and he completely made the role his own and provided light comic relief perfectly. Again, I could not fault him, he had the entire audience eating from the palm of his hand. Speaking to some of the more 'experienced Les Mis goers', it was the funniest rendition they had ever seen. Definitely a job well done!! The next Theander (Cameron Blakely) had some very big shoes to fill for my second show, but again, such a sterling cast, he didn't disappoint.

In both shows, I have to say all of the cast were top class. Eponine (Alexia Khadime) is no stranger to the West End and rightly so, she has such beautiful voice and I could listen to her singing On My Own time and time again. For me, Cosette (Lisa-Anne Wood) was the only one I thought was a little weak in comparison to such a strong cast. By no stretch of the imagination was she bad, not at all, but I think she stood out as the weaker link because the rest of the cast were top class!

As I said, this year is the first time I've seen it and I definitely wasn't disappointed, it was everything you could want from a musical - emotional, powerful, funny, charming and memorable. It comes highly recommended and I think a third trip may even be on the cards.........

http://www.lesmis.com/home_uk.php