Saturday 21st January 2017, back at the Millenium Centre here in Cardiff Bay for two performances of the Kinks musical, Sunny Afternoon. Having never seen this before, I’m not sure what to expect. I’ll probably fall in love with it, and wish I could have seen it more times, as it ends at the Centre tonight (only here for a week).

I must confess that I am not a massive fan of the Kinks music, there are a few exceptions of course, but then I wasn’t a fan of a lot of the 60’s music, again some songs were brilliant, while others just melted away into the background, never to be listened to again. Although I have an open mind on most shows I see, and have yet to see a show I didn’t like, or completely fall head over heels for it.

So onto this main event. The first thing I have to say is ‘Oh My God’ that was absolutely brilliant, I was not expecting that. I laughed, cried and just had an amazing time watching and listening to this fabulous musical. This has totally changed my view about the music of the Kinks. The way the band members came on stage and sung better than I could have imagined. Sheer genius. So many great moments to cherish throughout. I particularly love the way Ray (Ryan O’Donnell) sings between the main songs,as he tries to influence the audience into seeing his own thoughts, and what a great voice he has To go with it. I also love the way all the Band members and cast play the instruments live on stage, adding a thrill to each song sung. A mention to the band members too, Mark Newnham as Dave Davies, Garmon Rhys as Pete Quaife, Andrew Gallo plays Mick Avery and Lisa Wright as Rasa. All of these were fabulous, and made for a fabulous show. The ensemble were again so brilliant, as they always are.


Plenty of songs throughout to keep everything going, most of them bringing a tear to my eyes (again). So many stand out numbers, including ‘Sunny Afternoon’,a great song in itself.  ‘I go to sleep’, so beautifully sung by Rasa. ‘Days’, sung accapela style to a appreciative audience, who never made a sound throughout. To ‘Lola’, one of my favourite songs, sung by the whole cast at the end. But my favourite piece is definitely the lead up to ‘Waterloo Sunset’, my favourite of all Kinks songs, and probably in my top 20 songs of all time, I cried as this was being sung, and I must say what a performance it was too, just brilliant.

I never realised how much good music they made in their younger days, I loved every song they did on that incredible Millenium Centre stage. So I’m keeping my first few paragraphs in as a reminder to myself that musical tastes can change, especially if heard through a different medium, meaning of course, the theatre. I’ve learnt so much over the past 4 years and now realise just how good these musical shows can be, and how much happiness they bring to my life. This is another Fantastic show I really want to see again, (told you so). 

Saturday 14th January 2017, so glad to be back at the Millenium Centre here in Cardiff Bay, for the final two performances of Mary Poppins, as it ends its Uk tour run tonight. This show has been so amazing, with every performance I’ve seen (all eighteen) just magnificent. It’s been a treat to watch such a happy, feel good musical in these cold, dark months, bringing a touch of sunlight back to everyday life.

For today’s matinee we have Violet Tucker as Jane Banks with Finley Miller as Michael Banks. The evening performance has Verity Biggs as Jane Banks and Lewis Furnee As Michael Banks. 

I’ve covered quite a lot in my recent blogs, so today I just want to talk about what I love about this musical. One of the main reasons this show is so good is the incredible cast assembled for this production. Zizi Strallen (Mary Poppins) has been just outstanding throughout, as she just glides effortlessly around the stage. Her singing voice is phenomenal and just so beautiful to listen to. Matt Lee (Burt) has also been outstanding, with his quirky delivery and great dance routines, a perfect match for Zizi’s Mary.

I have also enjoyed the performances of all the child actors I’ve seen, playing Jane and Michael Banks. They have all been magnificent, playing their parts so well. As I’ve said before, the future of British theatre is in safe hands, as long as we continue to nurture these fabulous young actors.

I have to mention the superb voices of Rebecca Lock (Mrs Banks), Grainne Renihan (Bird Woman) and Penelope Woodman (Miss Andrew). I have thouroughly enjoyed listening to each of them sing so beautifully. I have tears in my eyes when I hear ‘Feed the Birds’, Zizi and Grainne, wow, so good.  Another who has also impressed is Neil Roberts (Mr Banks), although I would have loved to hear him sing a few more times throughout the show, I really think he had such a great voice for the role.

The Enemble and Orchestra were superb, as they always are. The set and lighting designs were tremendous, (this has to be one of the best I’ve seen over the last 4 years), everything just fell into place from start to finish. I’ve also said this next statement a few times in my previous blogs, but I have to say this is one of the best shows I’ve ever seen, in my short time as a regular theatre goer.

So many impressive scenes to mention. ‘Jolly Holiday’, with its bright colours and beautiful dance routine. ‘Spoonful of sugar’, fabulous song and on stage trickery, and the brilliant ‘Supercalifragilistic’ with again so much colour and an unforgettable dance routine. Finishing the act is ‘Playing the game’, yet another imaginative scene, full of colour and great costumes. And that’s just act one. 

Act two brings the arrival and dismissal of the wonderful Miss Andrew into our midst, with the ‘Brimstone and treacle’, routines. Split between this is ‘lets go fly a kite’. Another stunning scene, bringing a tear to my eyes everytime, for being so simple yet beautiful, another one of my favourites. Leading to three of the best scenes in the show. ‘Step in time’ and ‘Anything can happen’with two fabulous songs comes some amazing dance routines and sets to die for. Of course who could forget the finale, which is beautifully set up, and so breathtaking to watch, a fitting end to a fabulous show. Which I think is one of the reasons I love these last three scenes, beautiful to listen to, magnificent to watch, the perfect blend of everything magical about the theatre.

Onto today’s final shows then, and as usual they were just outstanding. Top class entertainment so many times over. I love everything about this show, if I could wish to see a show more than I already have, this would be up there with them. Eighteen times is just not enough. 

Sunday 8th January 2017, back at the Millenium Centre for another performance of the brilliant Mary Poppins, which is entering its last week in Cardiff. I must admit to being sorry that it’s leaving, as it’s been fabulous entertainment for me over the past few weeks. I will definitely miss this show, as I fell in love with it from day one.

For this matinee performance we have Lottie Sicilia as Jane Banks along with Regan Garcia as Michael Banks. A few changes to the adult cast today sees Anthony Lawrence as George Banks with Claire Parrish playing Winifred Banks.

Today I’d like to talk about the costumes for the show. As it’s set in the early part of the 1900’s the clothing depicts that era. The women in long flowing dresses, the men in suits and tails, and the servants dressed to serve. It’s such an iconic look, as in those days, you dressed to go anywhere. The opening scenes start this way, until the arrival of Mary Poppins, with a bright coloured skirt and blouse outfit, and an array of extremely beautiful coloured coats to match. But as the ‘Jolly Holiday’ scene gets into full swing, the costumes change to massively bright pastel colours, which instantly light up the stage. It’s like watching a scene outside on a glorious summers day. 

We go from colour to the black and white of the bank, with the clerks in those colours. A replica of how people dressed for work in this period. As we move through the Bird Woman scene and onto Mrs Corry and her Shop in the park, we continue into another strong costume scene, with more bright colours, and panto style make up dominating the proceedings. Towards the end of act one, comes the ‘Playing the game’ scene, where the toys come to life. Another fabulous section, and a dream for costume designers to really show their talents. And I must say, pretty realistic designs they are too.

Act two begins with the arrival of Miss Andrew in a rather strict looking, no fussing outfit, totally suited to her character. When Mary confronts her, we see an excellent comparison to each costume. Miss Andrew, black and white and not very flattering, to Mary with her stylish blue and white, extremely flattering outfit (which is very noticeable in all her scenes).

‘Step in time’ is just superb, with all the ensemble dressed as chimney sweeps, which consisted of a pair of woolen trousers (very smart looking for the type of work) and a matching coat, with a typical flat cap. Mary wears her beautiful red coat for the whole scene. Burt, as well as the smart trousers, has a brightly coloured waistcoat on as well. Amazing designs to show great fashion sense for the era.

Towards the end of the show we move onwards to ‘Anything can happen’, another beautiful scene lighting wise, with the costumes really coming into focus, to match its surroundings. The ensemble enter in blue sparkly suits and caps (matching the design of the suits worn in other scenes), as the scenes progresses all of the cast enter in their main costumes for the show. Showcasing the costumes in their entirety, and I must say, very impressive, something to savour at the end of each show. 

With so many costumes to look after, the role of the dresser needs a mention too. Most of these are staff who work for the Centre. These wonderful people, who work a lot of the time behind the scenes, and out of public view, really come into their own in these big stage shows. Making sure that people are in the right place, at the right time, in the correct outfit for each scene. In my blogs I try to mention a lot of the backstage staff and other members of the teams that bring us these magnificent shows, as to me, they are the unsung heroes of the theatre world, and help to create the magic we get to see on stage.

Today’s matinee performance was again just brilliant, another joy to watch on an otherwise dull Sunday afternoon. Anthony and Claire were superb as Mr and Mrs Banks, proving yet again how invaluable the ensemble and understudies actually are, to the success of any show. Fabulous just fabulous. 

Saturday 7th January 2017, back at the Millenium Centre in Cardiff Bay, for two more performances of the brilliant Mary Poppins stage musical. Today is probably the best I could hope for. Outside its 10 Celsius, no wind, high cloud with a touch of blue sky creeping though from time to time, really mild for this time of year, and just fantastic for a stroll around the Bay before the show. For me, couldn’t ask for much more than that. Perfect.

For today’s matinee we have Lottie Sicilia playing Jane Banks with Regan Garcia as Michael Banks. The evening performance has Violet Tucker as Jane Banks and Finley Miller as Michael Banks. Again I’m so impressed with how good these child actors actually are, such a relief to know the future of great theatre is in safe hands.

I must say also that I’ve been very impressed with the standard of the whole production, with Disney and Cameron Mackintosh really putting together a first class team of lead actors, the talented children playing Jane and Michael, with an amazing supporting cast. A fabulous orchestra supplying the score day by day. And not forgetting all the backstage staff, who keep the show moving along. All of these talented people need a mention, to remind the watching thousands just how brilliant the whole team are on this musical extravaganza.

I would like to applaud the merchandising team as well, as usual, with Disney, the volume of products is phenomenal. With the help of the Centre staff there’s plenty of choice objects to buy, as a present or just a reminder of the show, although a lot of the produce is functional in everyday use, and well worth a look at, at least.

I would also like to mention the role of the Centre in this production. The auditorium is huge, with a massive stage to go with it, easily encompassing the whole set and contributing pieces that slide in and out, during the performance. The end scene of the show is really breathtaking, as the sheer height from floor to ceiling makes for an unforgettable moment of theatre magic, and also pretty daunting for anyone ascending to that great height. Being the best theatre complex in the universe also helps in achieving great results, (although I may be a little bit biased on that matter). I would also like thank a few of the Centre facilitators for some constructive thoughts on the content for today’s blog.

A word on today’s performances, again each one was just so good, although we had an unexpected ending to the matinee, it didn’t detract from the overall standard of the show. The evening was equally impressive with a nice ending. Such a fabulous show, even after 15 performances, I don’t think I could ever get bored of this musical.



Sunday January 1st 2017, and my first show of the new year. I’m back at the Millenium Centre for my 13th performance of the utterly brilliant Mary Poppins.

For today’s show we have Maia West as Jane Banks with Cameron Lant as Michael Banks.

Continuing today with a look at the set and lighting for act two, which starts in the very impressively designed Banks house as we meet Miss Andrew. As the children run away we move into an empty park scene for ‘lets go fly a kite’. The set is quite bare, but with a few kites flying around the scene, it doesn’t really matter, as centre stage is taken up with the arrival of Mary, with a very effective light show heralding the above. Really is a beautiful scene, and probably one of the best scenes in the show, mainly due to the fantastic singing centred around this part of the set design. 

Back at the house for the removal of Miss Andrew, with yet another bit of on stage trickery, and more effective lighting, to increase the atmosphere in the theatre. Yet another magical scene combined with first class singing. 

Moving on to another of my favourite scenes, with ‘Step in time’. As the children, Mary and Burt ascend onto the rooftops, which start appearing all over the stage, full of the ensemble dressed  as sweeps. The use of the chimneys moving on and off stage create a fabulous image of the cast travelling over the roofs of London. As the scene moves on we see a nice routine from Burt, using all of the set (quite literally), until the scene changes to the Banks household where the sweeps invade with a continuation of their dance routine. 

As the show moves towards the final, we have another fabulous set and lighting design, with ‘Anything can happen’. A really beautiful set for this scene, with the back screen set as hundreds of twinkling stars. A haze of blue light floods the stage, before the ensemble enter with long poles of light to add to the effect. A huge umbrella full of light descends on stage, as a fabulous dance routine ensues with all the cast. An absolutely amazing set for this piece of the action. Well worth watching for the end section alone. 

As the show enters its finale, the stars reappear, with a magnificent light show cascading through the whole auditorium. With an end to match any film you could think of. Just breathtaking to the watch.  I must say a huge amount of credit to the design team, to have put on a truly amazing production. 

Today’s show was once more absolutely brilliant, another massive treat for the Christmas period, before going back to work. Every person in this show is just phenomenal, well worth coming back again and again. 

Saturday 31st December 2016, and another visit to the Millenium Centre in Cardiff Bay, for my twelfth performance of the Outstanding Mary Poppins musical. A special treat on every occasion I’ve visited, just because it’s so good.

For today’s performance we have Lottie Sicilia playing Jane Banks with Regan Garcia as Michael Banks. Grainne Renihan returns as the Bird Woman. 

I’ve recently talked about the songs and choreography for the show. I think I need to mention just how good the set and the lighting is. Being a little bit technically minded, it’s nice to give this a mention, especially for this show as the set is probably the best I’ve seen for a touring production. I will start with act one today and move onto act two on my next visit.

As soon as you walk into the auditorium you get that ‘this looks  good’ feeling, as the stage resembles a nightime rooftop scene. From the opening the stage looks eerie and misty before opening out to reveal the Banks house, which moves into the front of stage, opening up like a dolls house to reveal the inner living quarters. A really imaginative design, that also includes the study area coming from side stage.  This is used at various times throughout the show, as we move between scenes. The house also revolves to reveal the kitchen which has a massive effect on the audience during the ‘Spoonfull of sugar’ scene.  We also have the children’s bedroom, where quite a bit of magic goes on. Again so brilliantly done, as things keep happening to keep the audience enthralled.

The park scenes are so bright and colourful for ‘Jolly Holiday’, with the set transforming from a drab park to an enormous flowery, brightly lit, almost cartoon scene. Use of coloured lighting strategically placed along with the onstage cast appearing in vividly coloured outfits really add a massive edge to the whole scene. At the end of the song the stage changes back so quickly to a drab park.  The use of sliding screenes is particularly prevalent throughout, which help the transition process, to achieve the required effect. Really impressed at the speed and precision of the change, which is a major factor in making this all work.

The Bank scenes are quite impressive as well, the design of the back screen is brilliant,so simple, but extremely effective, reminding the audience of the old fashioned, high ceilinged buildings of Londons architecture. Even the outside scene for ‘Feed the birds’, another simple screen, but so well designed to resemble the steps of St Paul’s, at the turn of the last century.

The scene for ‘Supercalifragilistic’ is again so simple, with a small brightly coloured Shop with folding sides. Yet it works so well with the bright colours of the costumes, effective lighting plus a brilliant musical extravaganza, make this an unforgettable scene.

Some of the show is centred on the roof of the Banks House. Another fabulous creation, with people appearing from the chimney. The back screen is also well designed to look like many rooftops alongside. Beautifully done and works so well. A fabulous first Act, just perfect. 

A quick word About today’s show, absolutely brilliant again, all the cast were just amazing. Mary Poppins has to be one of the best shows I’ve ever seen, a phenomenal success, which I really can’t wait to see again.

Friday 30th December 2016, once more at the Millenium Centre in Cardiff Bay, for two more performances of Mary Poppins. It seems like only yesterday I was in the Centre watching this fabulous musical. Just can’t seem to stop watching it this week. Being off work helps.

Another milestone happens at this evenings show, as it will be my 250th performance of a show in the Millenium Centre. 

For today’s matinee we have Lottie Sicilia playing Jane Banks and Regan Garcia as Michael Banks. Another change sees Sophie Caton taking on the role of the Bird Woman. The evening performance has Maia West as Jane Banks and Cameron Lant as Michael Banks. Sophie Caton continues as the Bird Woman. 

Today I’m continuing my conversation on the choreography for the show, carrying on with act two. It’s not until the ‘lets go fly a kite’ scene that we see some choreographed dance sequences, a few ballet moves, so sweetly done as some of the ensemble create delicate postures as the kites fly on stage.  Very relaxing to watch after the hectic start to the act.

As the musical moves on and Mary (Zizi Strallen) meets Miss Andrew, she seems to glide around the stage, hexing Miss Andrew, forcing her to leave very unceremoniously. The movement of Zizi, as from my last blog, seemed to be more dance related than just walking around the stage, which I think is just fabulous, and so pleasing to view.

One of my favourite scenes, has to be ‘Step in time’, an amazing tap routine with most of the ensemble dressed as chimney sweeps, along with Mary, Bert and the children. Breathtakingly stunning to watch and also a great score to keep it moving along. Bert (Matt Lee) takes centre stage with a neat little dance and tap routine, before taking to the whole stage frame for another tap sequence, how he can tap and sing upside down is beyond me, but it is just brilliant to watch. Mary and the children play their part to perfection, with a few tap routines themselves, thrown in for good measure.

One more amazing choreographed dance before the finale, with ‘Anything can happen’. The stage is filled with magical coloured stars, which look stunningly beautiful. The whole cast descend on stage, with members of the ensemble carrying long poles with star light at the end, making everything seem heavenly. This scene is again perfect and really does take your breath away, with some fabulous rhythmic dance steps intermingled with the wow factor. Another one of my favourite scenes.

The finale to the show is a re run of ‘Supercalifragilistic’, this time performed by the whole cast. Which I have to say is choreographed superbly. Every member of the cast is totally in step with each other throughout, even when the song speeds up at the end. As you watch around the whole stage, it’s mesmerising to see just how precise everyone is, which is a credit to the company and choreographers for this show.

I have been so impressed with the standard of dance throughout the performances I’ve seen. Whoever plays any part on stage is just magnificent. Another brilliant achievement for such a wonderful show.

Today’s matinee performance was once again brilliant, a masterpiece, even with the unforeseen ending, it didn’t detract from the main show. As Mary herself says, ‘Anything Can Happen’.  The evening performance was also perfect, a real joy to watch. Can’t wait to see it again. 

Thursday 29th December 2016, and I’m back at the Millenium Centre in Cardiff Bay, for my 9th performance of this very impressive musical, Mary Poppins. 

For today’s evening show we have Maia West as Jane Banks with Cameron Lant playing Michael Banks. Also a change to the adult cast as the Bird woman is played by Claire Parrish.

Today I wish to talk about the choreography for the show, which is brilliant. Mary Poppins is choreographed by Matthew Bourne along with Stephen Mear, which gives this production an edge, before it even starts. Having packed the show with great dancers in the ensemble, with Zizi Strallen and Matt Lee as your main characters, this makes the job a lot easier. The routines come thick and fast, with contributions from all. I would like to mention the children in the cast, who are absolutely fabulous, and keep up with the adult actors when required to do so (really impressive for their young ages). 

I’ll start with act one today and move onto act two on my next visit. The first scene I’d like to mention is ‘Practically Perfect’. With Zizi and the two children. Such precision in the way she moves around the stage, interacting with Jane and Michael. With gentle spins and steps,the scene just looks so natural. That’s the beauty of it, it’s so simple, but really hits home how effective it can be, to the audience.

We move onto the first major group dance, with ‘Jolly Holiday’, a really bright and breezy scene full of colour and great dance routines. Zizi and Matt take centre stage with the children, and other cast members, blending in as statues in the park. Beautifully danced throughout, so gracefull and effortless, bringing the whole scene to life, So impressive.

With ‘A spoonful of sugar’, we have another simple, yet effective scene, mostly from Zizi, as again she seems to glide around the stage, fixing all in her path, adding that little sparkle to everything.  It’s so subtle and beautifully done, without seeming to do anything at all. For me that’s pure genius, and really does work.

The next major scene is, of course, ‘Supercalifragilistic. And may I say Wow, superb. Again so precise, it’s  so good to watch. This is where the ensemble come into their own, with Zizi, Matt and the very impressive child actors, conjuring up a fast and furiously entertaining sequence, and so incredible to watch, with all the cast literary step for step throughout. One of the best choreographed scenes during the whole show.

The final choreographed scene in act one is ‘Playing the game’, with the ensemble dressed as the children’s toys. Another imaginative section of the show, well put together, with Zizi and the children at the heart of it. So much happening in this part, you need to see it a few times to appreciate the effect it has. You can’t watch everything on stage in one showing. That’s another reason I tend to watch shows many times over.

Another fabulous, feel good show again tonight, could watch it over and over again, as usual.

Wednesday 28th December 2016, back at the Millenium Centre in Cardiff Bay, for two more performances of the brilliant Mary Poppins. This afternoons show is another milestone for me, as it’s my 100th performance of a show, at the Centre, this year.

For today’s matinee we have Verity Biggs playing Jane Banks and Lewis Furnee as Michael Banks. The evening performance has Violet Tucker as Jane Banks with Finley Miller as Michael Banks. Both sets of children were quite amazing today. Just so good in everything they did, another real treat to watch.

Today I’m going to continue talking about the songs in the show, focusing on act two. As act two begins we see the Banks family getting ready for another nanny, with a reprise of ‘Cherry tree lane’, before the entrance of Miss Andrew (Penelope Woodman), with’Brimstone and Treacle’, really well sung by Penelope, who has a tremendous operatic voice, totally suited to the part, a real treat to listen to her sing.

As the children run away from the dreaded Miss Andrew, they bump into Bert in the park, where another iconic song begins. ‘Lets go fly a kite’, is again beautifully sung, by the cast, bringing another small tear to my eyes. At the end of the song we find Mary Poppins returns,holding a floating kite. We are then treated to another beautiful song, ‘Being Mrs Banks’, sung to absolute perfection by Rebecca Lock, another cast member with an amazing voice to her repertoire, again another treat to savour in this excellent production.

Back at the house Mary meets up with Miss Andrew, duetting to a reprise of ‘Brimstone and Treacle’, as usual superbly sung by both, another treat to listen to.  As Miss Andrew leaves, Mary and the Children sing ‘Practically Perfect’, before heading up to the roof to meet Burt, now a chimney sweep. They perform another brilliant song ‘Step in Time’. The music is played magnificently by the orchestra,as the ensemble, Burt, Mary and the children sing this beautiful song. This is another of my favourites, and sung so well, brings tears to my eyes, again. So much goes on during this song, fabulous singing and amazing dance routines throughout, making this such a wonderful scene to watch and listen to.

As the end of the show approaches, the company come together for ‘Anything can happen’, another stunning scene, with so many amazing voices happening all at once, beautiful to hear. As the show ends with Mary flying off into the distance the company come together for the finale, and another fabulous rendition of ‘Supercalifragalisic’, finishes  the show, to wild applause from an extremely contented audience.

Zizi Strallen is just magnificent as Mary, as I’ve been saying since show number one. Also Matt Lee as Burt is just so good, a great voice ,lots of fun and a great dancer to add to his all his other attributes.

One other voice we only hear fleetingly is that of Mr Banks played by Neil Roberts. I thought he had an excellent singing voice and would have liked to hear more throughout the show. What we did hear was another treat, singing his part wonderfully, with ‘precision and order’,’A man has dreams’ and ‘Good for nothing’.

Today’s performances were of the highest quality, as usual, just want to see every show possible before it’s run ends in Cardiff.