High Society Review

High Society, currently playing at the Old Vic theatre, is an explosion of colour and life. It is based on the 1956 film of the same title, which is based on the story of the 1939 film, The Philadelphia Story. It follows the lives of the rich and wealthy, which live supposedly easy lives which turn out rather much more complex.

The musical begins on the day before Miss Tracy Lord’s wedding to George Kittredge, a man so dull that he is almost funny. Luckily, the witty and charming ex-husband of Miss Lord, C K Dexter Haven (who is brilliantly played by Rupert Graves), appears and almost effortlessly changes the fate of the couple forever.

   

The musical is kicked off with a performance by the incredible pianist (singer and songwriter), Joe Stilgoe. He plays a famous musician in the musical and has two well deserved moments in the spot light. The first is at the very beginning when he asks the audience to shout out titles of songs, which he goes on to improvise on the piano, completely flawlessly like he had been playing them for all of his life. If you have never heard of him, I strongly recommend that you look him up on Youtube because he is crazily talented. The second moment is at the beginning of Act 2, when a party takes place and two pianos appear on the stage. At that moment, the pianist and musical director Theo Jamieson subtly comes down from the orchestra and the two musicians have a playful competition with each other, running around and swapping pianos while a couple dance on top of them (the pianos that is). If that doesn’t sound amusing to you, I don’t know what does.  

Everything about this performance is flawless. The costumes are all very elegant and extravagant, emphasising the fortune and high class of this group of people. Every single actor, whether they played a large or small role, played it fantastically. The quick looks of the eyes, the smirks, the quiet laughs all made it feel like I was inside their heads and part of their group. Moreover, a genuine most pleasant surprise was that all of the actors had fantastic singing voices. During the ensemble songs, the voices all blended perfectly and a harmonic wall of sound surrounded you. For me, Kate Fleetwood, in particular stood out due to her emotional and powerful singing. Her solo song ‘It’s all Right With Me’ was wonderfully belted in parts and put goose bumps on my skin.

It was honestly a perfect show and the very reason for why I go to the theatre. Every bit of it was entertaining and the smile on my face didn’t fade for a single moment. The choreography, by Nathan M Wright was bright, lively and a tribute to the style of the 50s and made me want to stand up and join the party.

Not enough compliments can be written about this musical, so go see it yourself! This is not a show to miss and I really think that it should turn into a classic at the West End. I would be satisfied if, like Les Miserables, it was performed in London for the next 30 years because I want to see it over and over again.

Make sure you do not miss HighSociety, which finishes its run on the 22nd of August!

Healthy and Happy?

My prom took place about a month ago and it was a brilliant opportunity to put on a beautiful dress, get my lovely friend to do my hair and feel pretty gorgeous. On the left is a photo of me before prom and I chose it to show you, the reader, how I look. I did this because during prom and life in general, I hear people tell me that they adore my figure and things along that line. I don't write this to boast in any way! I swear that this is relevant...(Oh and if you're wondering, I follow a specific diet of eating just about everything I want whenever I'm hungry - or not - and exercising when I feel like it).

These compliments often make me blush and smile because they usually come from my lovely friends who are being very nice and help me feel happy about my body. However, I can never get over the feeling of wanting to sit down and give them a half an hour lecture on the fact that their bodies are beautiful too and that your body doesn't have to be a certain size or shape to rock!

You can argue that these goals to be a size 6-8 and the general favouritism for bodies of that size may just be a person's preference, but I think it's childish to ignore the effect media has on our perceptions and opinions on appearance. We are constantly shown fake, edited images everywhere we go from a ridiculously young age and even if we do not feel indoctrinated by this, we have to face the reality that the majority of us are. Making the slimmer body superior to a curvier one ultimately sends a message to people that everyone should aim for a slimmer body. This results in people going against being healthy and happy and a whole lot of trouble begins. Don't do it! Tell yourself things that you would tell a good friend. If you have a healthy, curvy friend who says they have to loose weight because they can't go out in shorts in public and you rebuke them, then say the same thing to yourself. Deep down we all know that these self conscious meanies in ourselves that make us feel like crap are wrong and just stupid. So be your own friend and if you are ever in that situation then have a little talk with yourself. Other options also include calling a friend, family member, or me!

The point that I am trying to make is that while being complimented is nice, I think that it's important to appreciate all body types and fight against the messages being fed to us! All bodies are beautiful! If you have a body, your figure is awesome. That's how I want us to see people! Preference for our own body is one thing; you should aim for a body that you feel comfortable and happy in because you two are in this game together and your mental health often depends on your physical health. But the moment you feel pressured into losing or gaining weight, take a step back and think about yourself! Love yourself and your body! As well as this love all other bodies because they're all really freaking cool - I mean they get us to places, right? And technically, we wouldn't be alive without them... so why focus so much on how they look instead of how awesome they are?! Exactly, no reason at all. From now on, let's appreciate all figures, sizes and shapes and be happy with our own!

Introductions and tasters.

Hello! I'm Joanna and I already have a blog which you can find here: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/little-insignificant-blogger2 . But since I am the most indecisive person ever,  I have decided to move to this lovely website! I have done this to motivate myself to write more and a couple other reasons. On my blog you will find rants, thoughts, maybe some creative writing and whatever else I may come up with. To give you a taster, here is the last post of my previous blog:

Wait... are you telling me it’s okay not to want children?

Firstly, let’s think about why other people may not have kids…

You basically give up your whole life to bring them up! You may have to change your job so that you can provide for them, change your lifestyle and friends. But hey, as long as it makes you happy, right? But does it? You’re constantly worried about them, tidying up after them, worrying whether you’re raising them ‘right’ – it doesn’t sound very fun. Suddenly you’re life is no longer your own and it turns towards one purpose only. But hey, it’s worth it. Seeing them grow up, have adventures, do things you didn’t have the chance to…

Let’s face it, a lot of people look forward to having children so they can pass on their wisdom and make sure their kid’s lives are better than their own. Humans are obsessed with improving things and getting better; for example, why is Flappy Bird so addictive? Because you constantly want to beat your last score. Being a parent is like living life again in a different form and this time you want to do it BETTER (hence super controlling parents, who don’t quite understand that it’s not THEIR lives that they’re living.)

As well as this, most people have children in order to pass on their genes, so they feel like a part of them lives on because people don’t like the idea of being forgotten – of becoming nothing when they die. Their entire existence evaporates with the people that knew them. And so, out of fear, we procreate - not only to carry on the family blood but humanity itself, because how could we let humanity end? Another instinct carved into our souls; keep the race going. 

I don’t want to be a slave to human conventions or to human fear. I don’t need to leave behind a child to carry on living in my name because I believe that if you are a nice person and surround yourself with kind people then there is no need to be afraid of loneliness. There is so much to do in this short life and so many things to see. I want to get it right now, by being happy and being myself!

You don’t have to take everything society says for granted. Question what people say to you, think about if you agree with it and if it is what you really want! Having said this, if it is what you want then go for it and don't let anybody stop you!