London - January 2018

At the start of my month, I treated my mum for her 50th birthday to a London trip to see some amazing musicals and visit some sights we have always wanted to see.

I’ll start with one of my highlights which was ZSL London Zoo. It has always been my dream to see the zoo since I was a young boy and it didn’t disappoint. The range of animals was amazing and They fave some experiences you wouldn’t experience anywhere else such as standing next to a real-life sloth which was magical! Another highlight for me was the lions. OMG. Like I have seen lions before but this zoos facility was fantastic and the lions were so clear and up close and it was just wonderful. They had plenty of places to roam and enclosures were massive. Another Highlight is obviously my favourites. The Giraffes were amazing. So close I could almost touch them and will need to go see them again one day. The Zoo was wonderful.

As you may have seen in my previous blogs, I went to 3 musicals and they were all fantastic.

I will let you read them if you please. 

Now, this may seem sad... but as an avid book collector and reader.

Waterstones Piccadilly was the place of dreams.

SO many floors of pure reading and it was just beautiful!

I picked up Soulmates by Holly Bourne and Truth or Dare by Non-Pratt when I was there and its a must see for those who read. The cafe is also really nice as are staff who are willing to meet your every request.

London was wonderful and I am so glad that my mum enjoyed her 50th Birthday Present.

And I am pleased to say... I will be returning in November because this guy is going to...

HAMILTON!!!

The excitement is already building.

Goodbye My Friend

After 6 long years of fighting various diseases,

Hamish was put to sleep on the 7th of February 2018.

He gave me many happy memories and I will remember him forever.

He acted silly and cute but he was my best friend and I will be lost without him.

I am going to miss you boy.

Love Ross x

Everybody's Talking About Jamie - Musical Review

Everybody’s Talking About Jamie

★★★★★

On the Saturday of my London trip, we decided we wanted to try and get to see another show. We had seen posters all over the city showing a musical called Everybody’s Talking About Jamie and since it was quite new to the west end we had no idea what it was. It intrigued us and we decided to try and get tickets... Success!  

Everybody’s Talking About Jamie is based on the true story of Jamie New. When 15 he decided that his career path would be to go into drag and wow audiences. Of course there was hurdles along the way including your usual high school bullies and there were joys such as his friend Pretty. I do not want to spoil this so I will let you discover more for yourself!

The set was well thought out and looked incredible! There were some pretty amazing transitions between scenes and you could see the live orchestra on the stage. This was something I’d never witnessed but it worked so well with this musical theatre. 

The soundtrack was delightful and full of life and I loved every song! Some highlights for me were Work of Art, He’s my boy and Don’t even know it. It had happiness and heartbreak but I felt like all tracks were relatable in some way or another.

Now I just want to highlight the actor who played Jamie New. was a delight to watch prance and dance and sing all over the stage. He’s someone who will have a very successful career in the business. He has the most incredible voice and played the part so well! 

Everybody’s Talking About Jamie has extended its booking until October 2018 and I completely recommend that you all try to see it! I hope to see it stay on the west end for many years to come! 

Aladdin: Musical Review

Aladdin The Musical

★★★★

On my recent trip to London, I was lucky enough to grab myself some tickets to go see Disney’s Musical Aladdin based off of the classic film which featured most of the favourite characters of children around the world.

The stage was beautifully presented and transitions were works of art! The flying carpet was a jaw dropping moment and was so well produced that it actually made me cry tears of joy!

The music was also fantastic! All your classic songs were adapted for musical theatre with some new songs which were beautiful. Aladdin and Jasmine had fantastic voices, however, Genie completely stole the show! His wit and just his overall talent was incredible! 

It isn’t just for children as adult we’re all in hilarity around the theatre and it was a much loved show by all! My mum loved every second of it and I’m so glad I managed to take her to see it!

Now out of all the Disney Musicals, Aladdin will be a close second in front of the Little Mermaid and behind the almighty Lion King! If you are in London anytime soon, I completely recommend this show!

Mamma Mia - Musical Review

Mamma Mia - Musical Review

Mamma Mia

★★★ 

(3.5 Stars)

When I was in London with my Mum, I had enough left in my budget to be able to take her to see Mamma Mia. We both loved the film and she was dying to become a dancing queen!

The set was nice and wasn’t what I expected but was very clever! It was amazing seeing a Greek island being portrayed on the stage.

The singers and dancer were all amazing and all had pretty fantastic voices. Donna was incredible and sounded fantastic in every song she performed! The men were alright as were the gals of the island. 2 stand outs for me tho had to be Rosie and Tanya. These 2 were hilarious and brought the fun and laughter to the stage.

Now you may be thinking why have I only given this 3.5 Stars? Well, I think because of the success of the film and how good the film is my expectations were very very high! I must admit it was amazing but it just wasn’t what I expected.

I had lots of fun especially dancing away to dancing queen and the classic Mamma Mia. I do recommend this show to all as it is a classic broadway and west end show! 

It Only Happens In The Movies Review *Spoilers*

It Only Happens In The Movies by Holly Bourne

★★★★★

*PLEASE NOTE THERE ARE SPOILERS, I GOT EXCITED AND COULDN'T HOLD IN MY TRUE FEELINGS* 

WOW! What a read with so many twists and ugh it was perfect. I love the style of writing used by Holly Bourne and I cannot wait to continue with her books. Audrey was a fantastic character who gave many aspects to my emotions. I felt she was relatable at times and she was just a great character.
Harry... a rollercoaster throughout I felt sorry for him and began to really like him. I then hated him and now I’m confused what to think! The mother and father storyline was both heartbreaking but also left me furious throughout. He is a bastard and that's the only way to describe him. The Mothers mental breakdown was just devastating. It really shows you what heartbreak can do a person.

Now let's talk about the theme of romance movies. I agree that they give the wrong perception of love to the viewer. I loved reading about Audrey's journey on discovering her true feelings through them. However, I do love an onscreen kiss when it's unexpected. This book portrays these feelings and the truth about their perception to the viewer.

I have to admit when I saw the word Zombie I was shocked and thought " oh no... this is so not for me"... This was one of my favourite parts of the book. I loved the filming sequences and seeing the character of Rosie because you just didn't know what you were going to get with her. 

Let's go back to the character of Harry. From the start, I automatically put him in the F**kboy category in my mind and I thought I was right until he sat Audrey in that screening of the Italian film. I thought he was a true sweetheart and seeing his walls break down was heartbreaking but I was also relieved as it shows that there should be no secrets in a relationship. Then he spoils my thoughts about him. Rosie, I want to personally kill you. I still don't know my feelings towards him.

Audrey's Breakdown towards both her father and Harry made me want to just cuddle her and tell her everything is okay. When she went to her father's house and went for it. I supported her all the way through it. And his response to her question was disgusting and yes. I wanted to kill him too.

Then you have her breakdown towards Harry. Again, this was devastating to read and I just wanted to cry for her because I wanted that perfect relationship that never exists.

This book, wow this book, is amazing. I highly recommend. I loved the theme and showing the side of relationships that we never see in media. Again, Holly Bourne continues to thrive and I will continue to read whatever she produces because you know it will be a fantastic read.