Blitz is just one of the shows at The Union Theatre that is part of the Phil Willmott Company’s Essential Classics season 2020: V.E DAY – 75 YEARS ON.
It is based during WWII in London where both the Jewish Blitztein family & the cockney Locke family live. When the children from these opposite families fall in love a wonderfully poignant wartime romance starts to unfold.
This classic style musical from Lionel Bart has an instant feel of being a much bigger show. The songs tell the story and the dance routines portray that old fashioned ‘good old knees up’ atmosphere that gives a sense of inclusiveness with the audience being so close. The set is bustling and busy with lots of individual connections between the characters going on, whilst the main premise of the story starts to develop. The space is cleverly utilised not only to create the claustrophobic feel of being stuck on an underground tube platform but also the winding feel of the narrow lane aspect of the area at that time.
I feel like a real ‘cool’ ‘up to date’ ‘rockin’ sort of mum this week. I can announce I have been to 2 fab concerts in one week- Go Me!!
One was for the fab Robster which you can read here if you missed it. The other was a lot ‘cooler’ as I took my teen to Hyde Park to see Bon Jovi!!! I know I’m still reliving it LOL ( bear in mind I don’t get out much *cough*). This was actually a birthday pressie for him back in April, but of course being 15 he needed a chaperone (that’s my excuse).
Anyway I cannot stand for very long periods of time so was lucky enough to get tickets for the accessible standing area which gave us a BRILLIANT view.
Our view from the ‘accessible standing’ area!
We were literally behind this barrier and this photo was taken with no zoom either. We were actually in part of the very expensive ‘Gold ‘ area which meant a lot more room and view with the thousands of peasants left to bundle inside the park area!!
They were packed in like sardines!!
Sometimes having an affliction can come in very handy.
First up for us was the Kaiser Chiefs who were great and the singer was a really funny guy interacting with the crowd to.
Then it was the turn of the main band- BON JOVI!! Actually I’m not sure who was more excited and I did outscream shout much louder than my son. What are mum’s for after all?
As the evening wore on the light show was amazing too.
We certainly got our money’s worth as they played for around 3 hrs or so, playing all our fav’s……….Raise Your hands, Living on a Prayer, with an amazing rendition of Always in the encore!
We both had a fabulous time, with my son recording lots of his favourite songs on his phone to listen at home. We swayed, danced, sung our little hearts out for a few hours and I was given the seal of approval for being able to get him in an area closer to the stage!! This may be a good thing or not depending on who he has his eye on next LOL………
Alright, I lack in that department, with the closest I’ve been to a big chest being 3 days after my 1st son was born. I pulled back the shower curtain and didn’t recognise the huge knockers that were staring back at me……..so much so that I had to call my OH in just to prove it!!!!
Anyway I digress, last night I went off to the O2 with a few girlie friends, donned our pink cowboy hats and our best ‘yeehaw’ voices and took our seats with the rest of the crowd.
Thats half of us with me tucked in the middle!
We weren’t that lucky with the seats and found ourselves in the upper tier with the ‘Gods’ so to speak, but it wasn’t going to dampen our spirits. Although at one point I had to promise my friend that if the height was too much I was wearing a belt and that I could, if required in an emergency, take off and secure her to her seat!!! I kid you not LOL
I tried desperately to get a picture on my phone and my camera however Dolly herself is soooo small and dainty and very sparkly so it was hard to pick her up in the big shroud of light that the camera seemed to focus on………….damn the technology and the fact I can’t bloody work it properly!!
Evidence that we were up with the ‘Gods’ and that she is sooo tiny too
An early rendition of Jolene started the crowd going mad. However, the first half of her show apart from the ‘Blue grass’ stuff ,which was fab, seemed to be mostly new songs. Which to be fair to her were pretty ‘toe tappy’ in amongst all the chat that she does. Actually she really is a funny woman too. What amazed me the most is the amount of instruments that she can play!!! I really am not kidding, last night included………………….
Violin (fiddle in her speak)
Banjo ( including a great intro of ‘Duelling banjos’)
Guitar ( or Geetaar as she would say!!)
Piano
Penny whistle
Harmonica
Oh and 2 strange looking, sit on your knee plucky types of things!!
So not only can she sing ‘ country’ and other styles with ease she really is talented musically too!!!
After a quick break ( thank god as I had been bursting for a pee at that point) and a quick change for her, Dolly came back on with a vengeance! With covers of Dusty Springfield and Tina Turner the crowd got going and then right at the last knockings came all the old fav’s……
*Here we go again
*Islands in the Stream
*9 to 5
*And an encore of I will Always Love You!!! Fantastic
At that point I think we ( and I’m sure I can speak for the whole audience) could have listened to her sing all the oldies all night!!
So, that’s something I can now strike off my ‘Things to do before I croak it’ list if I had one!!!
I can now say I have seen a true Legend perform in the flesh ( even though she really is tiny….apart from that fab chest!)
As for the car park and getting home? Don’t even ask……………and I was designated driver!!! How do these things happen LOL
