A Year In Review (My Theatre Highlights of 2014)

A Year in Review: 

My Theatre Highlights of 2014

I had a very interesting and eventful 2014; it didn't come in or go out on the best note, but there was lots of fun stuff in between! So here's a summary of my favourite moments at the theatre in 2014. I've tried to narrow it down to 2-3 per month, but it's hard when you spend as much time in a theatre as I do (also because my theatre visits tend to clump together; I see a pile of things in a short period of time, then nothing for a while)!

January

January 25th: Strangers on a Train

Starting off with a show I never got around to writing a review of. Despite originally going to see it because it had Anna O'Byrne in it, I really enjoyed this show, so much so that I saw it twice before it closed. Darkly entertaining, this Hitchcock-inspired play had a stellar cast and beautiful set and costume design. The script left something to be desired (the conclusion came on very abruptly with no logic or reason behind it), but overall, this was an excellent show, and I hope it returns to the West End soon. 

February

February 6th and 8th: Three shows in three days; double Olivia Brereton and triple Layla-Meg!

Review

Not much needs to be said about this - a two show day of my favourite Christine and Meg? What's not to like? I had so much fun - as I nearly always do at Phantom - and I wish I could do it all over again! 

March

The Dream Cast!

March 28th: The Dream Cast! (Phantom of the Opera)

Review

This show was an absolutely incredible experience. I've never been so engrossed in Phantom as I was that night, and it remains one of my favourite theatre experiences of all time. I'd planned it such that Olivia Brereton and Layla Harrison would be on, but a surprise appearance by Antony Hansen made the dream cast complete! This was also the first time something truly special happened during this show, and though it's happened many times since, the first is always the favourite :) Of course, as I've seen more people, other 'dream casts' have developed. But this will always be the Dream Cast, and it was a breathtaking experience that I will never forget. 

April

April 6th: Lest We Forget at the English National Ballet

Review

I'd been dying to see an English ballet (the major European ballet companies are just worlds ahead of the North American ones) and this was the first ballet that came up that I could make it to. It was strange and more contemporary than I usually like, but I enjoyed it immensely and I wish it would be on again soon! The blend of four different pieces by different choreographers, yet all intertwined by the same theme, was beautiful.

May

May 18th: Playing Our Part

Review

This was a truly unique event; an array of brilliant performers, a huge variety of songs, and the best audience (I ended up sat behind one of my favourite performers and in front of a "twitter friend" I hadn't properly met before - it was great!). I also got this photo with Olivia Brereton that makes me giggle every time. 

June

June 5th: Spent my birthday evening at my favourite place! Another show of Phantom of the Opera, of course ;-)

Review

Despite feeling (and definitely looking) kind of icky, I had an amazing time at Phantom on my birthday. Harriet and Scott were at the best I'd ever seen them, and the show was just incredible. I enjoyed the show the subsequent two days, but the birthday show was of course the most special and most memorable :)

June 20th: Romeo and Juliet at the National Ballet of Canada

Review

I had been dying to see this ballet since I first saw excerpts of Evgenia Obraztsova dancing it in a documentary. It was everything I could've hoped for - I laughed, I cried, and I had the most amazing time. Guillaume Cote and Elena Lobsanova played their characters with sensitivity and depth, and the whole performance was just right. 

July

I didn't actually see anything in July! There was no theatre or ballet on in Toronto in July or August, so by the time I got back to London at the end of August, I was feeling a bit theatre-deprived!

August

August 29th; with Layla Harrison
and Olivia Brereton

August 29-30th: The Cast Change shows at Phantom of the Opera (aka the day I spent stage door crying on various peoples' shoulders)

August 30th Review

Best of Olivia Brereton Summary

Not too much to say about this… it was sad, sure (I cried. A lot. Too much. I had to reapply my eye makeup four times on the Saturday night), but they were also three absolutely incredible shows that I enjoyed. Also saw lots of friends in the audience, met some lovely people, and all-in-all, I had a good time. It was definitely worth all of the tears, anyway ;)

September

September 1st: Debut of the new cast at Phantom of the Opera

Review

Well, it's always interesting to see a brand new cast, especially on their first night. It's interesting to see how people have developed; some as expected, some a total surprise. It might not have been my favourite show ever, but the key word here is interesting.

October

Phantowe'en with Layla Harrison

October 18th: 2-show day at Phantom of the Opera with Layla Harrison as Meg!

Review

It's Layla Harrison as Meg - what's not to like? She's absolutely stunning, and I was pleasantly surprised how charming a Meg/Christine pair she and Emmi were. 

October 31st: Phantowe'en Round 2!

Review

It may not have been as good a show as the original Phantowe'en, but I still had fun and enjoyed dressing myself (and Purple!) up for the show! (Masquerade butterflies all the way!)

November

Complementary Champagne?
Don't mind if I do!

November 1st: Dirty Rotten Scoundrels

Unfortunately I have yet to review this show, despite having seen it twice. I'll have to make at least one more trip there before it closes in March, and I will definitely review it then. Anyway, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels is one of my favourite shows. It's lighthearted, funny, and an all-around enjoyable experience. Doesn't hurt that I got free champagne (ok, so I don't drink alcohol, but I had fun taking selfies with the glass). Anyway, this show is always a good time, and I recommend it to all! 

December

December 15th: The Royal Ballet's Don Quixote at the Royal Opera House

So, I haven't reviewed this one yet, but I will! The outline is hanging out in my drafts folder. I loved Don Quixote. It was a bit acting- and scene/plot development-heavy (I prefer more actual dancing) but the superb technical skills of Marianela Nunez, the interesting choreography by Carlos Acosta, beautiful costumes and set design, and a fabulously entertaining score, this ballet is a must-see. 

December 16th: Urinetown

Review

This satirical comedy is second only to the Book of Mormon. I had the best time at this show; the set was clever, the performances were strong, and while I found faults in the script and the tightness of the plot line, it didn't hinder the overall entertainment value of the show. 

December 17th: Lisa-Anne Wood as Christine in Phantom of the Opera

Review

Two weeks later, I'm still thinking "WOW". Still also feeling very, very lucky that I caught Lisa-Anne by chance as I hadn't expected to see her Christine until the new year. Lisa-Anne was stunning; I haven't been that engrossed in a show since the last Layla-Meg (October!) and hadn't cried at Phantom since Olivia Brereton left. It was a nice final Phantom show of 2014 and the perfect way to end my theatre highlights of 2014!

I had a fabulous year in theatre - I laughed, I cried, I glared at noisy/texting audience members - what more could you ask for?! I'm looking forward to another great year of theatre and ballet in 2015!

Guillaume Cote and
Elena Lobsanova

Performers of the Year

Layla Harrison (Meg) - Phantom of the Opera

Olivia Brereton (Christine) - Phantom of the Opera

Lizzy Connolly (Jolene) - Dirty Rotten Scoundrels

Guillaume Cote (Romeo) - Romeo and Juliet

Shows of the Year

Romeo and Juliet (Ballet)

Phantom of the Opera

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels

Don Quixote (Ballet)

Into The Woods (Movie Review)(contains spoilers)

Into The Woods

Movie Review

James Corden (Baker) and Emily Blunt
(Baker's Wife)

I've been anxiously anticipating this movie for months; I last saw Into The Woods as an 8- or 9-year-old and I honestly don't remember a whole lot of it. But I remember skipping around singing "Into The Woods" for months after the fact, and years later, the chorus of that song is still firmly stuck in my head. So of course, I made sure to see this movie as soon as possible. And overall, I really enjoyed it. It was not without its issues, but all in all, it was an excellent movie that I would love to see again (though of course it made me anxious to see the musical again!). It's absolutely impossible to mention every moment of this complex and character-filled film, so I'll just be touching on the parts that stood out to me.

James Corden (Baker) and Meryl Streep (Witch)

I was very impressed by the cast of this movie. Meryl Streep as the Witch surprised me enormously; she was absolutely wonderful and perfectly cast for the part. Her performance included a haunting voice, appropriately creepy acting, and an element of ironic humour. I loved it. Emily Blunt played a sympathetic, loveable Baker's Wife, though it felt a little one-dimensional at times. James Corden as the Baker also fell slightly flat, but I didn't find the lack of dimensions troubling. It fit with the emphasis in the movie on The Baker's father-issues. If they wanted to go for that angle, I think the Baker needed to be one-dimensional to make it work. His singing voice left something to be desired, but again, not a big deal. It didn't irritate me, anyway. Anna Kendrick was a beautiful Cinderella, with a well thought-out character, believable development, and a lovely voice. I particularly enjoyed her rendition of On the Steps of the Palace and No One Is Alone. Johnny Depp made a brief appearance as the Wolf; nice job, but not a lot to judge him on as he was only on screen for about five minutes. I really enjoyed Lilla Crawford as Red Riding Hood. Quirky, humorous portrayal, fabulous voice, and she looks absolutely right for the part. 

Mackenzie Mauzy (Rapunzel)

My main issue casting-wise was Daniel Huttlestone as Jack. He has a great singing voice (as evidenced in "Giants in the Sky") and his acting was decent. But his accent was absolutely incomprehensible at points (listen to "Your Fault" on the soundtrack - I'm decent with accents but his words are so mangled); some dialogue and any less-than-straightforward singing was mangled and impossible to understand. In this case, I think they should either have worked on toning down his accent (accents in this movie were all over the board; American, varieties of British - it was confusing at points, but only an issue when the accents were incomprehensible) or I'm sure there were other casting options. This was probably the low point of the movie for me.

One of the major highlights of the film for me was "Agony", where Cinderella's Prince (Chris Pine) and Rapunzel's Prince (Billy Magnussen) (brothers, as it turns out) bemoan the 'agony' of being unable to be with their loves. It involved a lot of sneering and mockery, a very competitive atmosphere, and lots of splashing around in water. It was absolutely hilarious; a much-needed comic break in an otherwise heavy and dark part of the story. In the end of it all, I felt more for Rapunzel's Prince and frankly was a bit disgusted by Cinderella's, but I loved this song and the performances both actors gave.

Anna Kendrick (Cinderella)

I also wanted to touch on a few of the changes they made to turn the musical into a film. First of all, I did not appreciate the chunks they cut out of "No One Is Alone". It's such a poignant song; it's best in its entirety. A change I did like is cutting out most of Rapunzel's storyline. I like that her ending was left somewhat obscure; the viewer can imagine that she, at least, got a happy ending (spoiler: according to the musical, she has the most unpleasant end). Leaving it out made the story much less complex and less depressing.


There was a lot of fuss about casting young teen Lilla Crawford as Red Riding Hood; the role usually goes to an older actress, as the musical's interactions between Red and the Wolf are (apparently) loaded with sexual innuendo. They've apparently toned this down for the film, and I think this was done effectively. "Hello Little Girl" still had an element of "Hey kid, I have some candy in my windowless van!" but it didn't feel wildly inappropriate (well, any more than it should have been). It was very much a scene that could be viewed from a few different perspectives. If you were looking for the (for lack of a better term) pedophilia in the scene, yeah, you could see it. If you wanted to take a more innocent /literal (i.e. the wolf is literally talking about food) perspective, you could see that. It wasn't black and white.

I really enjoyed Into The Woods and highly recommend it to everyone; unless you absolutely hate music, it really does have something for everyone. There's a variety of stories, characters, and scenarios and everyone can find something to relate to. 

Matilda the Musical (December 14th, 2014)

Matilda the Musical 

Children's Cast

On Sunday, December 14th, I saw a captioned performance of Matilda the Musical at the Cambridge Theatre in London. I'd first like to address the captions - I was entirely unaware until I walked into the theatre that this would be a captioned performance. As it turned out, beneath the website's calendar where you choose your dates, they have a few notes of when captioned/signed/relaxed performances are. But there is no note next to the date, no warning before you book your tickets, no notice on the ticket itself. You have to actively scroll down (so you need to know to check beforehand), which I think is a very faulty system. Anyway, it was an interesting, if a little irritating, experience. I spotted a few patrons signing in the audience, but I think the majority of the audience was hearing, and was, like me, unaware that this would be a signed performance (the three families around me were all as confused as I was). Fortunately the captions are not too distracting, but are certainly geared towards adults as the text is too small and quick for a child under 12 to read. Something to note when booking tickets.

Understudies

Not much of note in this performance. Of the children's cast, all but Matilda and Bruce were new to me. I've now seen Tasha Chapple for the 3rd time as Matilda. She's a wonderful, talented child, but her performance has lacked development between her early shows and now. Her voice is beautiful, and she really comes alive during the stories. Otherwise, she plays a very stoic, emotionless Matilda, which is harder to sympathise with. Oliver Loades is a mediocre Bruce until you get to Revolting Children, when his big voice and brilliant comedic timing come into play. I wish he would bring this energy and enthusiasm to the rest of his performance. This was possibly the most diverse children's cast I've ever seen; nice to see, but it's not something I look for. Miriam Nyarko's Lavendar was nice enough; not as quirky or energetic as I prefer, but nothing to fault either. She spoke clearly though, which was very good as Lavendar's lines are easy to mangle. The rest of the children's cast was competent. Great dancing, clear speaking and singing voices - not extraordinary, but nothing to complain about. 

I loved the understudy Mr Wormwood that was on (Tommy Sherlock). I've seen him in his ensemble track a few times and he's got a fabulous, powerful voice (unfortunately his understudy did not live up to that; very strained on the big notes of the Doctor. He was obviously not comfortable with what he was doing). Anyway, Sherlock gave a fresh, entertaining performance as Mr W. His "Telly" was very engaging. Demi Goodman was a nice Mrs Phelps. Not one of my favourite characters in general but she did everything well. I was having trouble zoning in on the details of the performances as my focus kept getting pulled to the flashing of the captions. Otherwise, the rest of the principle cast was on and I've reviewed them all before. 

Overall, I did enjoy the show. I don't think I'll be returning until Tasha has left the show, though, so this was probably my last time seeing Matilda until March/April 2015! 

Matilda Review (June 4th Mat)

Matilda (March 16th)

The Phantom of the Opera (December 17th, 2014)

The Phantom of the Opera

I'm feeling incredibly lucky to have been at this show. By complete coincidence, Lisa-Anne Wood - the Christine understudy that everyone has been telling me that I had to see, that I'd love, who was so special - was on. I'm always a bit skeptical when I hear so many good things; I've been known to love what other people hate and vice versa. But not so with this. Lisa-Anne was absolutely fantastic. Definitely my favourite Christine of the current three and among my top three all-time favourites. I had three things that I didn't like. Three. That's very nearly a record for me (Layla Harrison holds that record at one minor complaint). Even my absolute favourite Christine had a "do not like" list the length of my forearm. But Lisa-Anne was very nearly flawless. I'll try to write a detailed review, but honestly I sat through the show with my mouth hanging open and don't remember a lot of the detail. I'll organise this review by actor; I've covered all of the other main cast before, so I'll write a bit about them, the ensemble, and the ballet girls, but my main focus here is the new Christine. 

Geronimo Rauch (Phantom)

Geronimo Rauch with Harriet Jones
(tumblr)

He forgot to cover Lisa-Anne with the cloak after Music of the Night, but other than that I loved his rendition of MOTN this time around. One of the big "night!" lines he drew it out, then finished sort of like "Niiiiiiiiiigh…TAH." Not a good description but it was pretty awesome and I loved it. I thought he was more engaged in this show than I've seen in the past, and I hope he continues this. Fabulous voice as usual. 

Lisa-Anne Wood (u/s Christine)

Wow. Just wow. That was all I could think during the show. Usually I'm pretty coherent and can form more eloquent thoughts about what I like, don't like, anything interesting that happened, etc. Nope. Mouth hung open for most of the first act, and I cried through half of the second. 

Lisa-Anne Wood as Christine Daae
(tumblr)

Starting with the basics, I loved her costumes. It looks like she's got some hand-me-down costumes, which I love because the old-style costumes are so much prettier than the newer ones. Especially the Star Princess dress; still fluorescent, but this one had one of the old-style bodice and sleeve decorations. Also loved her Hannibal costume; the cut was much more sophisticated and flattering than what they've done with Emmi and Alicia's. She looks absolutely perfect for the part as well (brunette Christine! Now we just need blonde Meg and I'll be happy); lovely wig, flattering makeup, and all of her costumes fit well and were a good colour. So I'm happy with all of that!

Performance-wise, I was really, really impressed. I could not believe it was only her third show. A little lyric slip up in Angel of Music, but nothing anyone would have noticed. It's easiest to start with the things I didn't like, since they were so few. Mainly a lacklustre Serafimo in Il Muto (though I question if this might be down to direction more than a personal character choice as Emmi does it exactly the same way); I prefer it done a la Olivia Brereton or Samantha Hill - out there, kind of silly, over exaggerated - it's a nice moment of fun before the scary stuff begins. The other two things are both in Wishing; she had her cloak wrapped around her nicely at the end, then sort of let it go to walk off stage; I think it would've been more effective to keep it wrapped around herself. As well, in the Angel of Music Trio, I would've preferred if she'd brought her arms in on protector and then flung them back out on "come to me" the way that Harriet and Olivia do/did, instead of just leaving them out. Just down to personal preference really. What she did was fine though, I'm just being pedantic. 

My absolute favourite part was Lisa-Anne in the Don Juan Rehearsal. Her face through that whole thing - it was this heartbreaking mixture of terror and sadness. Perfect lead in to Wishing. Also loved her Twisted Every Way; that's where I started crying. She was trying so hard to get Raoul and everyone else's attention and understanding and they just didn't - you could see her slowly losing her mind through the scene. It was very well done. Another favourite moment was Stranger Than You Dreamt It; she did the mask grab very nicely, and the trip, fall, and everything after that was perfectly done. Great reactions, the emotion was very real and convincing. It was fabulous. PONR was a great song for her; she really played the character and got into it. The mask grab here was really well done as well; she ripped it off, then just screamed (and dropped the mask, but that's irrelevant). You could feel the terror in it. It was very visceral. Final Lair was quite something; when the Phantom was threatening Raoul she just screamed "NO!!" and really stood up to the Phantom after that, which is exactly what I like to see. Finally, during Notes II: WOW. So much variety of emotions in there. Just… wow. Sadness to anger to fear - it was all in there, and in the lead up to "stop, I'll go mad!" you could literally see her losing it. Absolutely brilliant. All in all, the acting and reactions to everything were just wonderful. Accurate, meaningful, emotional - I thought Lisa-Anne absolutely nailed the acting. Nice character development and growth, but still kept it consistent, which I loved.

Voice-wise I was a little unsure (usually it's good acting, mediocre voice, or vice versa) but pleasantly surprised that she has a very strong voice. She uses somewhat of a child-like tone, but not in a twee way, if that makes sense. It worked and I liked it. And oh my goodness that cadenza in Think of Me. I haven't heard it done that well in years. She drew it out and played with it much more than any Christines I've seen recently, and it was gorgeous. Actually I really liked her Think of Me all-around; loved the voice, loved the bright, cheerful acting. There was something very joyful about it; it was lovely. 

Not too much else to say (as I said, I struggle to remember details; I was far more engrossed in the show than I have been lately); she was just really, really perfect, and I'm anxious to see her Christine again! 

Liam Tamne (Raoul)

I swear, every time Christine looks to him for comfort he gets this look on his face like "what do I do with this human who is clinging to me?" Decent voice, he's toned down the gasping and choking. 

Everyone else

Much better Meg from Alicia; toned down, less obnoxious. It was much improved from Saturday's show. Still not the biggest fan of this Piangi; it's not dramatic and funny enough for my liking. Lara Martins gave a sassy, funny Carlotta as usual. Great performance from her. Mme Giry understudy whose name escapes me was lovely; I've seen a lot of her and while she doesn't quite have the presence of Jacinta Mulcahy, she does a creepy and engaging Mme Giry. Managers were fine as usual. 

Ensemble

Different swing on in Lisa-Anne's track this time; her Hannibal princess dress is stunning too! Why can't they give the regular a properly fitted dress but the swings have a wonderful one? Strange. I like the way the auction worker (I think Oliver Savile?) reveals the pistol and skulls in the auction scene. I don't know why, but it makes everyone, including myself, chuckle. 

Ballet Girls

Annoyingly I couldn't see much of the ballet today. Conductor's head was blocking most of them in Hannibal (also, does Lisa-Anne dance en pointe? It kind of looked like that but I couldn't be sure. Anyway, she's a competent dancer, which I think is important for Christine), and I couldn't watch Degas because I was watching Angel of Music (for once). Loved Il Muto though, and Masquerade is still one of my favourite scenes because of all of the dancing. Special mention to Layla Harrison, who just oozes elegance and grace when she dances, and I was very annoyed that I couldn't see much of her during Hannibal. 

Final Thoughts
Go see Lisa-Anne Wood's Christine. That is all.

Oh, and Layla Harrison's Meg, while you're at it. I don't know if they'll have dates together, but if they do, that'll be a golden combination.

Updated 'Favourites' list

Urinetown (December 16th, 2014)

URINETOWN

The Musical

Urinetown is a dystopian musical full of dark humour, deceptively cheerful, hopeful songs, and lots of blood. It was probably the strangest piece of theatre I've ever seen. And yet, it was really quite enjoyable. The first act was definitely more interesting and engaging than the second, and there were some moments that felt far too dialogue-heavy (and some of these were entirely irrelevant to the story as well), and the ending was shocking, bloody, and really didn't match with anything else. But overall, I very much enjoyed Urinetown and would highly recommend it. 

It's hard to pinpoint a single highlight of this show. The lyrics and dialogue were clever and humorous, the actors were incredibly skilled; all remained entirely in character despite a few actors swapping between a few characters throughout the show. I especially enjoyed the performances of Matthew Seadon-Young, who played a quirky, dreamy Bobby Strong; Rosanna Hyland, who played heartfelt, annoying-as-all-get-out Hope Cladwell; and the quirky, dark humour of Jonathan Slinger as Officer Lockstock. The set was also incredible; I imagine it would not be a good set up for those sitting towards the front of the stalls, but from the middle of the stalls I had an excellent view. The bottom half of the set was the poor peoples' area, the top was for the rich workers and owner of UGC. The set was also beautifully detailed without being overwhelming; simplistic, yet detailed and effective. I loved it! Same deal with the costuming; simple, yet effective. I hate to think how much time the wardrobe team has to spend washing those clothes though!

As for what I didn't like; the second act dragged on quite a bit. Most of what was covered in the first act was reiterated far too many times in the second. For an adult audience, this was unnecessary. Some of the jokes were also overused and tired by the middle of the second act. The lines between some different characters became a little blurred (as in some of them seemed like exactly the same character, just played by a taller or shorter person) and some could have been more in the background rather than attempting to give them their own personalities and moments (Little Becky Two-Shoes, for example. She was just hanging around in the back the whole show, and then suddenly she became an important figure with a big song and dance number? Didn't make sense). 

All I'll say about the end is that it felt like a bit of an excuse to pour as much blood as possible over as many people as possible. I think it could've ended about five minutes earlier than it did; the way it ended just felt unnecessary and too drawn out. 

Overall, I had a great time at Urinetown. It was a fun night out, and I highly recommend seeing it! 

The Phantom of the Opera (December 13th, 2014)

The Phantom of the Opera

Just a quick little review of this show. Not too much to say so it'll be brief. I was having a costume nerding show, so lots of comments on that. 

Emmi has improved. Her voice seemed a bit tired, but I guess that's to be expected at the end of a 5-show marathon (there are alternates for a reason!). I'm not loving the cut of her Hannibal costume; it's got a very short bodice, but the back of the bodice comes down much farther (the sides hit just below her waist, the back is halfway down her behind). It just looks strange and unflattering. Speaking of which, Emmi looks so tall on stage, but she is teeny tiny in person. Her costumes just aren't cut in a way which flatters her (aside from the gowns; the Aminta dress is gorgeous on her, even if it clashes with her hair). Anyway, overall Emmi is an all-around decent Christine. She has some brief "Wow!" moments, and some brief "WTF?" moments, but all-together it's not necessarily bland, just… decent. Consistent. No character development and still some accent issues (on her Ws and Vs generally). I think her acting was really enhanced by playing opposite Layla Harrison's Meg; she responded more enthusiastically it seemed. Still not warming up to the blocking change in PONR though.

Geronimo also seemed rather lacklustre. Again, it was fine, but nothing extraordinary. In the past I've really loved his Phantom, but now I'm finding it rather tired. Not much else to say there. Same deal with Liam; I've said it all in past reviews.

Alicia's Meg is getting increasingly obnoxious. There's too much bug-eyed-edness (my website, I can make up words if I want), lots of big gasps every time someone said anything to her (as if every second of her life was surprising…), and a lot of pouting and silly faces. Singing voice still isn't there, but the volume is at least good. It's still worlds better than Broadway Megs, but I'm definitely aiming to see more of Layla's Meg (and Georgia's too if I can catch it). Was watching her Don Juan costume like a hawk for the replica I'm working on. The new skirt is fluffing gorgeous. Gold with sheer brown aprons - absolutely stunning.

Speaking of pretty costumes, I loved the swing on today's Hannibal Princess (she was in Lisa Anne Wood's track). Her costume fit so much better than LAW's, and the colours are just stunning. Also adore said swing's (no idea who... either Joanna O'Hare or Emma Barr; I'm inclined to think the former. Whoever it was did a nice mirror bride too) Don Juan costume. It's interesting seeing how they use similar laces but in different patterns to make the  dresses/different layers of the skirts all look so unique. Also love the Triton Girl costume (though not the wig); I used to not like the red tights but now I see why they work. 

I loved watching the ballets today! They were a mind-saver in an otherwise dull show. Hannibal was a bit annoying as from my angle I couldn't see Layla (boo :( ) so I watched who I think is Daisy, who I've seen bits of in the past - she's a gorgeous dancer, by the way. Probably next to Layla in terms of expression. Anyway, watching Daisy was a good idea, because I finally solved *dramatic drumroll please* the mystery of the Vanishing Ballet Girl! So, when there's an uneven number of ballet girls, there's this bit at the front they need an even number for. I've never been able to catch how once dancer just vanishes to even out the numbers for the rest of the song. So I was watching Daisy lead the group of four on the one side, and at one point, the entire group disappears behind the ensemble. When they reappeared, Layla was leading. So my theory is that Daisy (or whichever dancer) just keeps running off stage while camouflaged, and voila, mystery solved, happy me.

But as for the dancing in general, it was a bit of a jumble with a few dancers off, but I enjoyed it a lot anyway. Layla is so expressive in the most elegant way; whether it's Hannibal, Il Muto or Masquerade, she captures the character of the dance but maintains her own elegant style. I love it! As I said, I'm also enjoying Daisy (I really hope I'm getting her name right… it's one of the new girls!). She's a very cheerful dancer to watch; nearly always smiling, but not in a cheesy way. As mentioned previously, I also love Georgia's effortless flexibility (that penche in Degas!) and Danielle's elegance. Speaking of Degas, those tutus need to be deflated. Their puffiness is verging on the ridiculous. It makes beautiful, elegant dancers look like children playing dress up. Also not fond of the way the Hannibal tiaras are sitting lately. I do like Alicia's tiara though; I prefer that style to the almost Byzantine look they're going with now.  

That's pretty much it; relatively dull show, but I really enjoyed watching the dancing and finally getting to relax after exams!