Hey everyone, so i've not posted for a few months as i've been busy and if i'm honest, all my motivation went away, BUT i've had a new found inspiration and i'm back to it and will hopefully post more often again.
To give you a little 'life update', i've been busy working alot the past few months and my mental health has also been quite bad, I found myself going downhill quite quickly, I don't want to go into this too much but about a month ago I went to the doctors and got diagnosed with severe depression, which didn't really come as a surprise to me unfortunately. For a long time, i've not really felt true 'happiness' and had almost forgotten what it felt like to be happy, but on a more positive note, now I have that diagnosis I feel as though I can be on the road to recovery, I know now of different options available to help me and I know of ways or things I can do to help myself too. So onwards and upwards!
Anyway, what I mainly wanted to talk about in this post is a theatre show. Anyone who knows me well enough will know I LOVE musicals and I make no secret of the fact Les Mis is my favourite. But on Saturday 22nd July 2017 , myself and my friend Emily went to see the matinee show of 'Half A Sixpence' in London, and I now think this show is definitely also up there. This was both our first times seeing this but I have been listening to the soundtrack for a while and just absolutely love it so was obviously VERY excited about seeing it live. The show follows the story of Arthur Kipps, a young man who works in a drapers shop and suddenly finds himself inheriting a large fortune which he then loses again after investing his money in someone who turns out to be a fraud. Arthur falls for Helen Walsingham originally who is of a higher class than him before he re-meets childhood friend Ann Pornick who he falls in love with and marries after ending things with Helen.
From the very minute the music begins to play and Arthur and Ann run onto the stage, there's a warm sense of joy and happiness. There's a real special sort of energy surrounding this show from start to finish, starting from the opening song which takes the title of the show and Arthur singing 'I've got this sixpence and I managed to file it in half' all the way through, song by song, to the final pluck of banjos in 'Pick Out A Simple Tune'. One of my personal highlights in the show is the first time 'Pick Out A Simple Tune' is sung at a party Arthur attends with Helen and her family and he gets asked to play his banjo, while the party congregation seem unimpressed at first impressions, they're all soon joining in singing and dancing along having a good time and it truly is such a 'feel good' song. Another of my favourite moments is toward the end of the show with the cast singing 'Flash, Bang, Wallop' - this song is full of love, happiness and a vibrant energy from every single cast member involved and for me, sums up the vibe of the show. Another song I want to mention is 'Believe in Yourself' - self confidence is something I struggle badly with and I think maybe, this song, may just be a new inspiration for me. I've not laughed and smiled so much at anything for a long time and I went home feeling happy for once and I do genuinely believe that is thanks to this incredible cast and show, it's such a shame they only have 6 weeks left - I definitely need to get down there again ASAP! Half A Sixpence truly is a wonderful, feel good show, with incredible, beautiful music and songs, fabulous choreography and is full of smiles, happiness, love and an amazing energy. I'm so glad I got a chance to see this wonderful show and I think i'll always treasure it from now.
I also need to talk about the cast - absolutely INCREDIBLE and you can truly tell they have a genuine love for their job and this show and it really is lovely to see.
Just a few names to mention:
Charlie Stemp playing Arthur Kipps - WHAT A GUY!! In all honesty, Charlie really is someone to watch. He is a phenomenal performer in literally every single possible aspect. He can sing, dance, act ...he's just truly such a phenomenal performer, I can't sing his praises enough - you can 1000% tell why he won the award for 'Best Actor in a Musical' - thoroughly deserved! His voice is unique and a joy to listen to and he dances with just as much passion as he sings with. We also got the pleasure of meeting him at the stage door after the show, despite it raining, he was happy to stop and, as well as being a ridiculously talented performer, he's an all round lovely guy also - winning combination right there!! Definitely a huge and bright future ahead for him.
Rebecca Jayne Davies playing Ann Pornick - Rebecca is one of the understudies for this role but I have to say she was amazing. For my first time seeing the show I don't have anyone else to 'compare' her to which is always nice. She's got a beautiful voice and a wonderful energy surrounding her, also another to watch! Again, we were fortunate to meet her at the stage door and she is another lovely girl with a bright future.
Emma Williams playing Helen Walsingham - Emma is a very talented performer and has a really lovely voice. I feel as though Helen is quite an elegant and sophisticated character and Emma portrays this with finesse and grace.
There are so many other names I could mention here as every single member of that cast we saw were simply incredible - there's no other way I can describe them really. Hugely talented and passionate about a wonderful show and a wonderful enjoyable experience for the audience.
So, to finish, I'd like to say a MASSIVE well done to the cast, orchestra and crew for putting on a brilliant show. Also, thank you to the cast for being so wonderful and for allowing me to escape the reality of my depression and to forget about it for a few hours, thank you for inspiring me, for making me smile and for showing me what happiness feels like again for a while. I will definitely make a trip back before the show closes and if anyone else gets a chance, I highly recommend going whilst you can, you won't regret it. The show is incredible and perfect in every way.
Thank you all for reading and hopefully i'll be back with a new post soon!
Beki x
