I-B-Back

Soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo ....... I stopped posting here a while back (well ages ago actually) because as with most things life simply got in the way and to be honest, despite a lot happening, I didn't really feel that I had anything particularly interesting to say.

So what's happened since last time ? A hell of a lot actually !

• Moved into a great apartment in the Valley (well that actually happened prior to the last post but I neglected to mention it)
• Had a fantastic family holiday in Vietnam and Cambodia
• Saw Wicked again *yay*
• Spent Chrissie and New Year on the beach in Phuket
• Got a promotion at work
• Came out of 'retirement' ........ and then went back into it
• Reconnected with 2 very old and dear friends I had not seen in about 10 years
• Turned 40
• Had a great holiday in LA and Las Vegas
• Celebrated our 6th anniversary
• Saw Wicked AGAIN - ok ok ok maybe overkill but it was closing night !

....... and ................... I guess the reason for starting this up again, a move south to Melbourne.

Late last year BJ was retrenched from the place he'd been employed at for 16 years. Since then he's moved through being 'retrenched' to 'retired' to unemployed .... altho he's certainly managed to firmly keep his fingers in a number of pies. The new job has been in the pipeline for quite a few months so there has been quite a bit of ifs and maybes since early this year but now everything is finally confirmed and moving extremely quickly.

Yesterday we scored a great little place in Carlton and BJ is going to be moving down in the next fortnight. I'll be following but not until early next year (at this stage) once I have my own life sorted out and have a new job pinned down.

I have to admit that the whole prospect is scary ... to say the least ! I am a Brissie boy through and through and while I love Melbourne and have always said if I had to live somewhere else in Aus it would be Melbourne hands down, now that it's real it is all more than a bit daunting.

So, that's it in a nutshell. The next few months are going to be very interesting and very challenging and I guess that is the reason for starting this up again. It'll give me an outlet for all the trials and tribulations I am sure will come up between now and when I go...... plus the excitement of exploring a new city and a whole new life.

Stay tuned ;-)

p.s ...... the black pic is there to break the blog from what was to what is !

And where the fark have YOU been ?

Been right here but busy busy busy !

It's hard to believe that we've been back in Oz for 6 weeks already.

There has been a hell of a lot happening in the time since we got back ....... settling back into work ...... getting into some heavy motivation to start working on the new show (since I spent a considerable amount of cash buying fabric and bling whilst OS - more on that to follow ) , putting the starting blocks in place for organising the next trip in September and finally, organising the last stage of the house move that started in November.

Now, here we at the end of February already and Christ I am feeling old but the show is taking form, at least on paper - the next trip is all but arranged - and the move is finally over ! At last a little bit of quiet time :-)The time away over Xmas ?

Quite simply, the most incredible experience of my life !

Thank you BJ !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Of course you will be reading this thinking 'back for 6 weeks?' ..... "6 WEEKS ?"

Well that's how long we'd been back when I originally wrote the first part but now it's actually 6 months since Paris !

So what finally managed to drag me out of hibernation ? One word .... WICKED !

Ok.... I love musicals ... especially big musicals ...... but it's been a very long time since I have been as excited by a show as I am about this one. I worked on some incredible shows over the years I was at the Lyric and I miss the adrenalin rush that happens every night when the curtain goes up but this show really makes it hit home how much I miss the whole experience of working in that industry.

I have been a devoted fan of Wicked since we saw it in London in December. That cast was truly superb and I have been a bit aprehensive about the Australian cast - simply because with a show of the calibre of Wicked, this is not the time to make dodgy casting choices but I can assure you that the casting for this production could not have been more spot on.

In the last few months I have been a rampant Youtube surfer, eagerly viewing clips from productions around the world and I while I never really found anything to fully match the cast we saw in London there are some fantastic performances floating around. What we saw on Sunday night though could well eclipse the best of them.

I don't say that with any false sense of patriotism. I would just as quickly dismiss a production that really does not do justice to the true potential of a show.

As a rule, the longer a show runs the more it evolves and the more artists who perform the roles the more the characters develop. Wicked has been running for about 5 or 6 years on Broadway and having seen footage of the original Broadway cast - as good as they were - the characters and script have become far more defined and more multi dimensional.

Of course it's still up to the cast to nail it - and in Melbourne on Sunday night, nail it they did !

Amanda Harrison - Amanda Harrison

Wow ! I'll say it again for effect - WOW !! Nothing more to say really.... spot on ... nailed it from start to finish.

Lucy Durak - Glinda

Lucy Durack is just beautiful. When I worked on Mamma Mia, Lucy was just joining the show as a new Ensemble member at the end of the Brisbane season. Being in the Ensemble is not likely to be something this lady has to worry about again.

Rob Mills - Fiyero

Rob Mills was a bit of a 'ho hum' choice for me but he was spot on ! His acting was a lot better than I expected and he played Fiyero much better than I thought he would. Again there has been a fair bit of criticism about Rob Mills in this role but he was great.

Maggie Kirkpatrick - Madam Morrible

What can I say ? I thought of a few Aussie performers who could play Morrible - specifically Judi Connelli and Geraldine Turner - and I never factored Maggie into the equasion when the casting started but she suits the role perfectly. Morrible doesn't really have a song to speak of but she is woven through the whole storyline. Maggie plays her as intimidating and sinister and it was really cool to see a few flashes of the Freak showing through later in Act 2 !

Rob Guest - The Wizard

It must have been a challenge for Rob to restrain himself in what is a very small role. He has 2 songs only one of which is his 'big number' but he played the part very well.

Penny McNamee - Nessarose

Nessarose is the Wicked Witch's little sister. Again, not a big role but Penny put a lot more emotion into the character than I have heard or seen before.

Anthony Callea - Boq

There have been a lot of comments made about Anthony Calea being included in the cast - most of them not flattering. Sure he was possibly included more for his name than his acting history. The role isn't particularly challenging vocally and it is certainly not a big role although it is fairly integral to the twists in Act 2. Personally, I thought he did a good job. No he isn't the best actor in the world but he will certainly relax into the role as time goes on.

Rodney Dobson - Dr Dillamond

I have worked with Rodney on a couple of shows - Les Mis and Jolson and he a great performer and a lot of fun. He makes a great 'token goat' and it's good to see him cast in a principal role in a show this big.

The costumes and set are spectacular.

The music is powerful.

The lighting is perfect.

The story takes you along with it from start to finish.

Harrison and Durack - Brilliant !

Wicked ? - Breath taking !

See it at all costs.

Amanda Harrison*

Lucy Durack*

Rob Mills*

Maggie Kirkpatrick*

Rob Guest*

Anthony Callea*

In action *

In action *

I think this sign will be making frequent appearances at the front of the Regent Theatre !*

* I did not take these photo's

More on what else has been happening after the weekend !

Rumour and inuendo

Other than the fact that Heath Ledger's death is incredibly sad and a monumental waste of talent, the only thing I can say is for Christ's sake leave the guy alone.

All the speculation in the world is not going to give anyone true answers on what really happened. The only person who would ever be able to shed light on how Heath Ledger died is Heath Ledger - and he's not going to be telling !

My own thoughts ???? I do not believe for for a minute that it was suicide - there is a certain lack of dignity in being found naked !!!!

They have done the autopsy - it apparently gave no real answers - they are now waiting on tests to determine the level and types of drugs in his system ..... no amount of speculation is going to make those results come any faster.

There are many many people around the world who are deeply affected and saddened by what has happened but there are a handful of people who loved this man and whom he loved in return who are trying to come to terms with their grief with the knowledge that they may never know why someone special to them left them so suddenly. Rumours and inuendo do not in any way help this small group of people come to terms with their loss - it only deepens their grief.

RIP Heath !

The one with the whackers !

Some time ago MBB revealed a rather unpleasant weapon ( no, not THAT one ! ) which she has taken it upon herself to strike me with on numerous occasions. This 'weapon' is what I refer to as "The Whacker" and while there are multiple other options for MBB to use this item on in the office, she still only seems to pick on me when it comes time to unleash an unwarranted attack.

Since my unfortunate return to work is looming in less than 24 hours I thought it was a good opportunity to lett MBB know that while we were in Tokyo I found some interesting little items and decided to arm myself with a veritable arsenal in an attempt to ensure my safety once the daily grind resumes.

Allow me to introduce the new generation of "Whackers" which will take pride of place on my desk from tomorrow -

The Team !

The Slapper

This one will no doubt get a pretty good work out in the early part of the year.

The Closed Fist

This one will be saved for very special occasions - mainly for days ending in 'Y'

The Pointer

Less combative than it's counterparts but a handy item when someone's name escapes you or to get someone's attention

The Fuck You, Loser

My personal favourite and I feel the one which will get the most use of all.

Also known as The Bite Me and The Blow It Out Your Arse

Be on alert MBB - your makeshift weaponry has been superceded ..... it's clobberin' time !

Not quite what we've been used to !

It's a weeny bit on the cold side here today !

That is all - go back to what you were doing !

NY in NY

New Year's Eve is a bit of a surreal experience in New York for the uninitiated.

When you expect to see the streets full of traffic the sight of Broadway, 7th Avenue and cross streets from at least 47th to 54th devoid of cars seems very strange indeed.

We managed to catch up with a good friend who happened to be here as well and at a loose end - we are staying on Broadway between 48th and 49th - she is staying in a hotel on 58th. The walk up to her hotel to get her at about 5pm was interesting to say the least but the trip back, trying to get through the closed off streets was a bit of a challenge. The NYPD is out in force and NOBODY gets through the blockades easily once each street is closed off.

As a side note - our friend is staying at a hotel we have looked at a few times ourselves - having now experienced their reception staff first hand we can quite safely scratch it off the list of places to stay in NY. If anyone from The Hudson happens to be reading this, your reception staff (all bar one) are rude, arrogant and unhelpful to the extreme and the two 'boys' on your front desk last night, who I can only describe as "VILE QUEENS" , desperately need some retraining !!!!! ................. and for Christ's sake, buy some damn lights ! Ambiance is one thing but having to stand in your reception for 5 minutes to let your eyes adjust to the dark is a bit of overkill.

Anyway ........ we ate, drank and were merry until about 11:45 when we decided to head to the street .... not knowing if we were even going to be allowed out of the building. We were though and had a great vantage point that hundreds of thousands of people had started lining up at lunch time would have killed for !!!! :-)

A small video welcoming in the NY in NY for your viewing pleasure. The high pitched screeching is step-daughter #1 who may or may not have had one too many 'shandys' !

Hope your NYE was wonderful wherever you were and whatever you were doing !

HAPPY NEW YEAR

In a little over 12 hours we will be on our way to the airport headed for NY and while it will be nice to be nearing home it has hit me a bit harder than I expected to be leaving.

Sure, a holiday is just that - a holiday .... they all have a beginning, middle and end and (mostly) everyone says that they would love to stay there forever but this is one place where I can say that with all honesty.

But back to reality - we had a wonderful 'last night' dinner at Kong Restaurant followed by a cab ride through the Alma Tunnel (which was unexpectedly surreal) to the Trocadero to see the lights on the Eiffel Tower for the last time.

The packing has already been done for the most part and only a bit of tidying up left to be done tomorrow befor ewe head off to CDG at 2:30. The luggage is going to be an issue since we have gained 2 extra bags since we arrived but I guess as long as BJ and I start hauling them down the stairs at about 12 we should be ready in the nick of time.

Anyway, since we don't know whether the accom in NY has a functioning internet connection
(it's meant to but you never can tell) I will wish you all a very Happy (and safe) New Year !!!!!!!!!