Inspirational aspirations of stardom ★

On Thursday, I made a trip down to Nottingham to see Alan Carr’s brand new show ‘Spexy Beast’. It’s his first stand-up in five years but you wouldn’t have known that from the onset. The stage was set out in a simple way for most comedians with Alan’s name in bright neon pink lights. Would you really expect anything less? 

I’m not going to spoil the show incase you’re going to see it but I can tell you now, I’ve never laughed so much in my entire life! I’ve been to see a few comedians and yes, they’re funny… BUT none of them came even close to Alan Carr. Some comics often have a particular style, some even have a niche audience, this doesn’t apply to the Chatty Man himself. Everyone in the arena was laughing, you only had to glance to the row in front, or the block opposite to realise exactly how funny this guy actually is. 

Having been a fan of Alan Carr for a while now, and an avid viewer of Chatty Man I was expecting a lot. It was a nice feeling when the show ended, to know that he went above and beyond my expectations.

If you aren’t lucky enough to go and see Alan on tour you’re in luck! A DVD recording of the ‘Spexy Beast’ tour will be going on sale this November! 

Thank-you Alan for such an awesome night! Best comedian ever. 

 The Sound of Music tour arrived in Nottingham late last month and I finally got to see it! Yesterday was the third time I’ve seen the show and it didn’t disappoint. The set had a lot of similarities to the west-end show, of course on a smaller scale.

 The only thing that I did miss was the turntable. At the beginning of the musical in the London production Maria stood on a platform which made it look like she was laying down on the mountain. As she sung the iconic song “The Sound of Music” the table would slowly turn. However, the set designers for the smaller tour version of the show did a fantastic job. In all honestly the show didn’t loose any of its character. It really was a fantastic.

Having seen “How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?” winner; Connie Fisher playing the lead in London, I was sceptical of how well Verity Rushworth would fill her shoes. Verity, who has had many television and theatre appearances was superb! Not only was she as good as Connie, but she certainly did Julie Andrews proud. 

All of the much loved songs were there: “Do Re Mi”, “The Lonely Goat-herd” and “Edelweiss”. My favourite part had to be “Climb Every Mountain”. It’s the song just before the end of the first Act and Maria has gone back to the convent where she feels like she is ready to take her vows. It’s here the Mother Abbess tells maria that she can marry Captain Von Trapp, and still be happy. At the end of the song, the whole set is taken away to reveal a white screen, the mountain tops and smoke to imitate clouds, it gives you goosebumps!

After coming away from the show, over 24 hours on I’ve still got the songs stuck in my head. It was certainly a night to remember. 

                      “Climb every mountain, until you find your dreams”.