Andrew is on sabbatical but Phil is soldiering on to help you decide between the Merlot and the Marlowe and generally putting London's West End theatre to rights
In which Phil acts as advisor to Mel Brooks.
Phil’s having a half-arsed catch up of shows he missed during his confinement. Or you could say a catch up on the seventies since this is his third in a row that steals from classic movies from that decade (Network, The Exorcist). Though this is less of a catch up than a revisiting. Of sorts. Read the rest of this entry »
It’s been a while.
Phil’s been busy having a bit of work done. At home. Not on his face. Yet. Read the rest of this entry »
You know you’re in good hands when the curtain rises and the set gets a round of applause.*
Simon Higlett‘s well-dressed Victorian sitting room drew gasps of admiration from the crowd, possibly because it brought back distant memories although presumably not from the Eastern Europeans or possibly Russians behind the Whingers with sweets wrapped in old Eastern Bloc cellophane which had been designed to be LOUDER when crinkled than the sad cellophane of the decadent West . WE WILL BURY YOU IN OUR CELLOPHANE.
But we digress. Having grappled with the Glaswegian accents in Men Should Weep last week it was comforting for the Whingers to head in a southerly direction and have their ears caressed by Yorkshire tongues. Phil’s mother was born in York (Nunnery Lane, since you asked) and he was oop there only a few weeks ago so it almost felt like home to him, only without old underpants strewn everywhere. Read the rest of this entry »
Due to the high pressure demands of a punishing business schedule (he has to go to the Post Office to purchase a Postal Order) we regret that there is only time to transcribe verbatim from Andrew’s notebook on this occasion.
6 piece band + MD!! “I Move On” “And THe Beat Goes ON” Oldham OLD-HAM! Film clips. funny. How lond did those take? Cost? Belter. “Movies Were Movies” GSOH. 4 Dancers – redundant? Bit cheesy? Nice intro. “How Lucky Can You Get” one of my faves. Interval. People in back stalls couldn’t see ANY of film clips!!! Prob best “Zing Went…” on Ldn stage since Rufus Wainwright? “Nature Boy”! Fave. “Roxanne” ugh. Buy toilet paper. Gets a bit out of breath. MD Daniel Edmonds brilliant. “It’s de-Lovely” MERMAN! “Anything Goes” TAP DANCING! “Milord” Piaf. Standing ovation! Are those real tears? “Broadway Baby” Seems like a nice woman. Hope she gets to do Gypsy! one day. 2hrs. Good show. Take that Wonder Woman. Garrick Arms closed for refurb! theshowgirlwithin.com
Rating
What a queer year it’s already turning out to be. This is only the third theatrical sortie for the Whingers and it’s the third in which gay matters form a significant part of the plot. Homosexuality is going to be to 2010 what on-stage-vomiting was to 2008 and on-stage-limping was to 2009. With nudity running a close second.
It seems there’s no danger of the Whingers’ patented Gay-O-Meter rusting in one of Andrew’s neglected crannies. He’ll be swishing his Mr Muscle with gay abandon and rubbing like there’s no tomorrow to keep it in sparkling condition, which is a little gay in itself. Phil has entreated Andrew to get extra batteries to ensure uninterrupted running. Three out of the four characters in Douglas Carter Beane‘s Broadway comedy The Little Dog Laughed at the Garrick Theatre are gay, pinging the Gay-o-Meter needle to an impressive 75% on the dial. It was twitching as soon as the tickets tumbled through the letter box. Read the rest of this entry »
A West End Whinger 