Pete said to me “I’ve got tickets to Flight of the Conchords, get in there” and so I did. I’d heard of this pair of Kiwi comedians before but hadn’t actually seen any of their work before so the first, well, second after buying the tix and getting James to come along with me, thing to do was to get through at least series one of their TV series.

Considering I bought the tickets ages ago it wasn’t a couple of weekends ago that I’d gotten around to see it. To describe the show its kind of a sitcom but mixed in with music videos. Very smart and uproariously funny I could nevertheless not understand how it would work in a live format. To my amazement Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement were even better live than in the show. I could see why they’d won a Grammy for a comedy album they’d released. One to put on my shopping list I think after tonight’s gig!

I was expecting the Wembley Arena crowd to be mostly Kiwis but I think, from the accents I could gather, they crowd were mostly Brits. I was very surprised by that! Still, the crowd really got into the gig and made for a great atmosphere.

Bret and Jermain were on absolute fire tonight. For the most part they sat on stage with just their acoustic guitars and their voices, though every now and then bringing out a random instrument. What I think really made it for me tonight was the interaction and banter that the two comedians with each other and even with the audience. In a place as big as the Wembley Arena the act could have easily fell flat but so endearing and charming are the pair that you soon forget the distance between you and them!

They were really quick picking on things said in the audience and reacting to each other. And everything they said was just so funny. When they went into their pieces anyone with any sort of funny bone would have been wetting their pants with laughter – you didn’t need to know their work at all. They are actually really good musicians, which I don’t think many people give them credit for, very clear when singing/sing-speaking and fantastic at improvising.

Look out for the sparkly spandex number – it will crack you up!

Oh – they were supported by Arj Barker, who is an American stand-up comedian who appeared now and then in their TV series. He too was very funny with some original thinking (such as his global warming and whale jokes.) It didn’t hurt that he was a bit of eye-candy too … 😉

One person said it best about the show: “Favourite moment: Everything in between the start and the end”

For something a little different Laney invited me along to see Katy Christie at the Caponata/Forge in Camden as her and Jonny knew one of the violinists who peforms with Katy. I was expecting to walk into a club/bar and have Katy and Co up on a stage but instead what we got was quite a little intimate performance in what was effectively a restaurant cum bar. So intimate that Katy was less than two metres in front of me and there were only about 15 of us in the audience at a push!

The night was really good though and Katy has a totally amazing voice. I like the fact she was accompanied by a string quartet and piano. Music was jazz to folk and cabaret and the Waltzing Matilda remix was very touching. She even sang Old McDonald Had a Farm! Her support was awesome.

D and I went along to the Peacock theatre tonight to see what 7 Fingers could do for us. Ha ha. 7 Fingers are the circus troupe behind Psy: psychological disorders as presented via acrobatics and juggling. How you may ask? Very well I answer. Heh heh. The last show I saw by 7 Fingers was Traces which was excellent and I am pleased to say that Psy equally delivers.

The show opens with facts about mental illnesses etc. and epilepsy mixed in with messages about switching your phone off – typical disclaimers twisted the original 7 Fingers way. I like how shows more and more now are thinking about the whole performance right from the start and including it as part of the show.

The cast of Psy comprise of 11 performers each who are to represent a particular mental illness such as addition, agoraphobia, multiple personality disease, OCD, insomnia (there is a brilliant Chinese pole act associated with this one) etc. and though at times the allusions are a little wide of the mark for the most part the perfomers are able to deliver their characters and that’s a feat considering it was all done with circus skills. But clearly being a circus performer is not just about being able to juggle, do a handstand, swing on the trapeze or work a giant wheel but you also have to have personality, act and, in the case of Psy, also be able to dance!

Some of the more impressive acts, in addition to the Chinese pole one, included the massive group juggling act and the swing act finale (basically people jumping all over the place and from all over.) Note however that for all the good though there were also occasions of weirdness such as a bizarre knife-throwing section which I couldn’t fully comprehend. The show also got quite a bit dark in spots which I didn’t think were entirely necessary.

This is a jaw-dropping show and will have your eyes popping out. You’ve never seen circus quite like this.

Who would have thought that a stage production of what must have been one of the biggest and complex financial scandals to hit the world economy could actually turn out to be funny, entertaining and an actual hit.

Everyone must certainly know the name Enron even if they don’t necessarily know the full story behind it the name. The Play tells the story of the energy company Enron and how it reached a ridiculously capitalisation in the market only to suddenly and dramatically drop and find itself in debts totaling billions and billions, nearly bringing down the economy, the finance sector and the audit sector with it.

I don’t know how the play does it but somehow the miracle in the play, aside from making what seems like a fairly dry subject interesting, was its ability to explain extremely complex and technical finance and financial matters crystal clear to the audience. Even those without that kind of background. Though I struggle to try and explain exactly what went wrong with Enron in layman’s terms now, during the play at least I could pin point it exactly. Great use of metaphors.

I was enthralled from the beginning though I must admit a part of it was probably the accountant side of me! And let’s say I’m fairly confident there were a high proportion of accountants in the audience tonight! But there is plenty to entertain for the general audience.

The play is innovative, e.g. the deathstar dance with the light sabers was particularly fun, and it is also witty and smart. The stage is small and they made great use of the space and the set taking great advantage of the lighting technology. The cast are extremely charming and though its hard to feel sorry for the guy who did the bad deed you kind of had to admire the delivery of the actor.

If there was one thing I wasn’t expecting was that Enron was a lot more sexual and profane than expected. Then again huge amounts of money were involved and I guess these kinds of things go in hand.

Enron The Play is definitely worth your time.

Looks like I’m bouncing from one dance show to another to another. Tonight D and I attended the premiere performance of Blaze, The Streetdance Sensation, at the Peacock Theatre. Awesome much!

The show was introduced by the Director of Plays at the Peacock Theatre warning us that it was possible the show might have some teething problems because it was a highly technical show and that they might have had to actually have to stop the show to rectify it. In a good sign for the show there were no stoppages and everything seemed to flow through pretty smoothly.

The show starts off rather slowly. Before curtain up along the front of the stage are numerous and varying forms of sneakers – all is revealed when the cast literally blaze on to stage and into their shoes! After this start, however, the show was soon firing and everyone demonstrated amazing energy. From a purely visual aspect, taking aside the dancing, there was a riot of colour often on stage tempered by an innovative set which, never actually moving itself, thanks to a great light and projection programme changed as required. E.g. at one stage it appeared that water was dripping down the wall when actually it was just a projection. I also especially liked the use of UV lighting in one of the performances which was pretty cool. Set changes were incorporated into the show rather than as a background.

The soundtrack was very original I thought not using the obvious songs, although tracks by artists such as Justin Timberlake and Rihanna did make an appearance. Most original was the piece that centered around using the wii soundtrack (that music you get on the home page – can’t remember what its called – its where you create your wii mes and select games etc.) Fantastic.

The cast consists of 12 core hip hop/street dancers (including two finalists from the first season’s UK So You Think You Can Dance) which was gratifyingly split 6-6 boy girl, a group of three breakers (draw dropping both from how fit they were – hot damn! – and their movements) and another breaker who kind of was a breaker but also kind comic relief and kind of compare when needed. Every person, either in solos, or as a the head dancer in a group dance, or in mini-groups got to showcase their skill. There was even a tap piece which was pretty cool. This kids have awesome talent. I admit I’m just a little bit jealous! One girl was a bit distracting as she reminded me very strongly of a friend of mine!

Although probably too slick and smooth for true gritty urban street dancing I’d definitely recommend it – and it seemed to appeal to a variety of people. There was even this middle-aged (white) woman who you’d never guess would be into this who was on my own and really getting into it. First one to give a standing ovation actually! Go see it before it leaves … though I suspect this is the kind of production that will keep coming back.

Its rather amusing to me the number of shows that I drag my friends to where they don’t even know what they’re going to see – quite often on the night when we meet up the first thing they’ll ask will be: “what’s this about anyway?” I guess I should be pretty pleased that they trust my judgment enough to commit without even finding out what they’re getting into! Happily for the most part no one leaves dissatisfied and, thankfully, that “winning” streak continued tonight.

Tonight it was Laney’s turn to come out with me so we went along to the Riverside Studios in Hammersmith to see Soap – a circus type show with a difference. How you may ask? Well, its all in the name, kind of. All the acts are done in and around bathtubs! It’s a fantastically innovative idea and a great way to differentiate yourself from the numerous circus acts past and present.

On stage there are up to a maximum of eight performers and a minimum of one at any one time – each with their respective talents. Almost central to the show and keeping the theme of the show continuous are the non-circus acts: the opera singer and the clown. The opera singer was interestingly a centerpiece both for her visual impact and her voice. The clown, something you always see in these kinds of shows, kept things light and, well, funny though I did think they overused her a bit.

However the main highlights for me where the circus performers themselves. A bathtub is not a bathtub without water as Laney and I found out tonight. We were front row and I’m afraid were well in the splash zone though to be fair at times the splash zone even reached back to about the 15th row! Though we weren’t exactly drenched with each performance it was enough that we’d get a little damp and just as we dried off get damp again – kind of like intermitten drizzle! Totally fun though! Anyway, I’ve gone astray from the performances a bit! As I’ve intimated there was a lot of water involved in this show – whether it was in the bathtubs as the performers slid in and out it, or falling from above in a heavy shower – whatever the format it added a little something to the show.

So what exactly do you see? Well, aside from a bit of mincing around, and the group pieces there was specifically: Nata Galkina and her amazingly talented feet. It was kind of like juggling and throwing hoops etc. around with her toes but that doesn’t really do justice to her talent. We had Adem Endris with his juggling – against the ground rather than up in the air. Then the no doubt hottest man in the cast Michael Lanphear flexes his strength in a strap from the ceiling act (swinging up, down, around, and in and out of the tub). He also joined up with Nata Galkina and Masha Terentieva in a piece called “Love Scene” which involved two tubs, two girls and one man, and a lot of contortion, movement and balancing. You can kind of see where the story is going but you may be surprised by the ending (which I totally approved of!) Masha’s signature performance was up and down a pole – I was most impressed by her flaming red hair! Fernando Dudka known for his skill in handstandacrobatics also demonstrated his strength in a piece simply called Handstand – best description is kind of like the stuff you see the men gymnasts do on the rings and pommel horse but on the tub an in a much more fluid piece. He was amazing and towards the end of his act, when surely the lactic acids are desperately building up, he does this pose where he simply uses his neck to support his body – no words and describe! And finally a man who could make me cry with the way he moves – Francois Gravel. His signature piece is the dance trapeze and, involving a few of the other cast members, he does things with the trapeze which were simply beautiful. I was impressed with him the whole night in everything that he was involved with.

See it before it finishes its run – you’ll love it as much as we did!

Quite possibly one of the strangest dance performances I’ve seen in a while dance3 tonight is part of a series of performances showcasing up and coming choreographers. Just imagine letting your, well imagination, running crazy without censure and that is pretty much what we got tonight. Sometimes dance is just as baffling as art! and if I’m honest I didn’t always get what was going on tonight at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden.

dance3 featured three performances. First up on the bill was Tom Dale’s Cabin Fever. A single man writhed and wiggled about on stage. Expressing the state of mind he was both elegant and plain odd. For some reason I could think only of a zombie though he didn’t move with the gracelessness you normally associate with the living dead. Perhaps my impression was influenced by the Surviving a Zombie Attack book I’ve been reading lately.

Second up was Passing Strange and Wonderful. Interestingly there was no accompanying music or soundtrack to this performance. It was like watching a conversation between two friends or lovers as represented by the physical as the couple on stage moved and eased they way around and away from each other. The lighting in this was particularly smart which I think was important in the absence of the engagement of other senses like our hearing.

The finale was left up to Claire Cunningham and José Agudo’s 4M2. How to describe this piece – they used the LCD screen, the spoken word both on a soundtrack and from the performers themselves, and a number of pauses, including one for around about 5 minutes where both the audience and the performers simply stared at the screen. Of the three performances this was definitely the most energetic and engaging, despite the long pauses. Like Passing Strange and Wonderful this involved two performers dancing along and with each other.

You’ve probably realised that despite the three paragraphs above I haven’t really described what went on stage. That’s because I found it quite inexplicable – this is the kind of show that needs to be experienced in person. Its a great example of contemporary dance.

You have to admire how the performers left themselves totally vulnerable to the judgment of the audience and for that at least they deserve our respect, even if I didn’t always understand what was going on!

I’ve heard that Blood Brothers is a pretty big production though that wasn’t enough to get me motivated to go and see it. When I heard Mel C was going to star in it, celebrity chaser that I am, that changed my perspective completely and it was suddenly on my to do list.

Almost spur of the moment Laney and I decided to go and check it out. We got an awesome deal because for £25 we got tickets to the show and a two course meal. The meal was unmemorable but the show as pretty good. Even better our upper circle seats were upgraded to some pretty decent seats in the grand circle!

As for the show, it was at time sad/depressing but also funny. It tells the story of twins who are separated at birth, brought up in totally opposite economic environment but whom fate keeps bringing together including falling in love with the same girl. It is very tragic.

The cast were good with Mel C in particularly being excellent. She had a strong voice and acted her party very well. The only negative was that she seemed to be signing the same song over and over (the number what mentions Marilyn Munroe). The man who played one of the twins, Mickey, played his character fantastically from when he was a seven year old until his character’s death in his mid-twenties. They were well supported by the other actors though the character Eddie, Mickey’s twin, was a bit annoying. The dude that played the shadow/compare was plain scary though, again like Mel C, seemed to be singing the same song.

This show has been around for a long time but I reckon the set and the play itself could do with a bit of slight updating. Otherwise it was a good way to spend a couple of hours.

When I heard that Megan Mullally was coming to London I had to get tickets. Now I know in my mind that Megan Mullally is not Karen but I will forever remember her and love in that role. I’ve subsequently seen Megan appear in numerous shows including The New Adventures of Old Christine, Parks and Recreation, and Fame even and I have stilled loved her. To be honest I didn’t even know what I was expecting tonight as I hadn’t looked at any of the promotion material. I was surprised that actually she was here to sing with her band the Supreme Music Program.

I don’t even know how to describe her style – she mainly did covers of jazz, country and western, blues, and rock songs and all seemingly related to death or loss or sadness! How odd! In between pieces however she was amusingly charming and self-depracating. I hardly knew any of the songs but that didn’t stop me enjoying the show.

What was strange was that she constantly referred to a music stand with her sheet music on it. I would have thought she’d have known the stuff off by heart by now having performed with her band for over ten years!

Mamma Mia is one of the remaining big musicals that I’ve yet to get around to seeing so tonight Jenny and I, taking advantage of a Get Into London Theatre offer, went to see it. I’m not the biggest Abba fan though there is no getting away from hearing all their top hits so I’m pretty familiar with most of their songs. Hilariously Jenny is not a fan of Abba as well! Still, I’ve heard that the musical is something pretty special and, to my pleasure, it wasn’t a let down.

I think what I liked most about tonight’s performance was that it was light and fun. Although there was a bit mild heartache involved with the storyline it was still told in quite a good humoured manner and was a big contrast to the last musical I saw in Oliver! We were seated in row O in the stalls which actually turned out to be pretty decent seats even though the grand circle above us was quite noticeable it didn’t really block too much of the stage. None of my view was locked even though I had quite a tall person in front of me.

Performances by the cast were strong and very energetic and they all clearly got along with each other. Jane Gurnett was a total blast. The soundtrack was very cool and somehow the songs were very appropriate for every moment they broke out. Need I mention the costumes, especially towards the end, which were fun. There were loads of kids at tonight’s performance and if their singing was any indication all were very familiar with the Abba pieces. I was amazed. The musical does have some adult themes (of the drug and sexual variety) so I’m just hoping those references went over the kids heads.

A great night’s entertainment and because most people will be familiar with the song a great atmosphere with the crowd involvement.