The most magical evening’s entertainment of the year took place on Saturday and the Whingers demand that something dreary be moved out of a West End theatre so that the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain and the BFI can take up residency there. Would anyone really miss Marilyn?
Read Helen Smith’s account of Ukulelescope and weep if you missed it.
Is it theatre? Yes, as much as wandering around an old tunnel looking at some nick nacks. More so, in fact – you get to sit down. And in allocated seats.
Ukulelescope will rise again for the Litchfield Festival (we’re not making this up) on 14th and 15th July but we hereby demand that the whole thing then come back to London and plonk itself down in the West End of London for a minimum of six weeks.
Anyway, if you were lucky enough to be there you may wish to revisit a few of the silent films you saw. Of course, they are less engaging than they were on Saturday when they had the wit and musicianship of the UOGB laid over them, but even so…
Ladies On Bicycles (1899)
London Street Scenes (1903)
A Kiss In The Tunnel (1899)
Monday 8 June 2009 at 12:09 pm
I look forward to knowing you when we are old and as we sit in our chairs in the ‘Dignitas Lounge’ of The Charitable Home for Disappointed Theatre-goers, waiting for young people to come and entertain us with excerpts from the latest verbatim theatre productions, I’ll notice you struggling to raise your arms in imitation of the Margaret Morris method and I know you’ll be trying to say, ‘We’ll always have the Ukulelescope’.
Monday 8 June 2009 at 12:20 pm
Following the demise of Spring Awakening, the Novello is dark until An Inspector Calls is revived in late September.
Sir Mackington Cameroon is 103.
Monday 8 June 2009 at 12:40 pm
And I’m not making this up !!
The Ukelele Orchestra can also be seen at Pump Bottom Farm, Birdham Road, Chichester on the 21st June, and at Conkers Waterside Park, Moira, near Ashby de la Zouch on the 4th July. Could be your only chance to visit these venues !
Monday 8 June 2009 at 2:12 pm
I have their superb version of Miss Dy-Na-Mi-Te-Ee. Am now jel-lous.
Tuesday 9 June 2009 at 9:53 am
[…] YouTube by the ever-excellent BFI, and I found it thanks to one of my very favourite blogs, the West End Whingers. This entry was written by George Simmers and posted on June 9, 2009 at 9:52 am and filed under […]
Friday 12 June 2009 at 6:37 pm
Because of the Whingers’ ecstatic review, I put in a booking for Prom 45 featuring the Ukulele Orchestra when at the Dress Rehearsal for The King and I this afternoon. Looking very forward to it!
Friday 12 June 2009 at 7:00 pm
Dodgy name dropping!
Thursday 29 April 2010 at 4:41 pm
GOOD NEWS
Saturday 5th June 2010
UKULELESCOPE: The UOGB’s Silent Film Show
Birmingham Town Hall
Victoria Square, Birmingham, B3 3DQ
Performance time: 8.00pm
Box Office: 0121 780 3333
http://www.thsh.co.uk/view/ukulelescope