Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - London Cast CD

Marc Shaiman's (Hairspray the Musical and numerous brilliant film scores) new musical Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a bit of a mixed bag. There are moments of brilliance mixed in freely with mediocrity. Personally, I found it to be a very enjoyable listening experience as a whole and I will be listening to it frequently - but I can understand why the critics have been quite harsh.

On first listen none of the new songs are very memorable. During that first listen I was thinking this is good; but after the CD finished I forget every one - with ONE exception: Pure Imagination, which wasn't even written for this show - knowing it from the film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory meant it wasn't a surprise I remembered it.

Apparently (if the internet is to be believed) audiences/critics were saying the second half of the show needed something 'more'. Then some bright spark came up with the idea of putting the most popular song from the film version of the story into this production. Does that work? Almost. Pure Imagination is a brilliant song and it fits nicely into this show; but it also highlights how unmemorable the rest of the songs are on first listen.

Now, having said that, there is a lot to love in this production.

Firstly: the kids are all excellent. There are moments where diction is a problem; but all is forgiven in the face of such incredible talent. Each child is given a moment to shine and they really give their all. Stand-outs are Charlie and Veruca.

There's also a nice blend of music styles in this show (similar to last years brilliant Bring it On - The Musical which I will probably review in the future) - used very effectively to accentuate each child's character. So, you get R&B for Violet, Electronica for Mike etc. It's very effective and makes for a more interesting listening experience.

Now, onto Mr. Wonka himself: Douglas Hodge. Mr. Hodge won an Tony for his performance in last years revival of La Cage Aux Folles on Broadway. I hated him on that recording. He sings through his nose and overacts. But, that is just a personal opinion. So, when I heard he was cast as Wonka for this production I was really disappointed. However, he is actually pretty good here. He still sings through his nose; but it's toned down quite substantially. It helps that he has some very nice ballads to sing (including the wonderful Pure Imagination).

Compared to other recent - and in some ways similarly upbeat - shows that have appeared in the West End and on Broadway (Matilda, Kinky Boots) Charlie and the Chocolate Factory does stand out as being one of the better ones.

If you like your music diverse and upbeat and want something you can sing along to (once you've listened to it a few times so the songs stand out!) then Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is the show for you!

Recommended. 8/10.

Siberian Gold Tigers - Day 47....plus Useful Software

Every page of this design has had a pretty large element of fine details. For fine detail read "confetti". It's never individual stitches; but it's frequently groups of 2 or 3. While that makes for a lovely, detailed, design it's also a pain in the bum! Especially when all that's left on the page is those tiny little bits that make it look like you've stitched for over 4 hours and have nothing to show for it!

So, what else do I have for you today?

Shortly, I'll be reviewing another musical CD.

Also, my first post about books.

But, for the rest of today's stitching entry I'm going to do a bit of a cross-over to my other interests as well.

Cataloguing. Home Inventory. Database Entry. Whatever you want to call it - it's my best friend.

I have one of the worst cases of collector-itis ever. Once I take an interest in something I can't help myself getting more and more and MORE.

There are times when I can curb that instinct (I only have about 10 Disney Traditions ornaments - instead of the 100+ I would like to have!).

But, most of the time, I can't reign myself in and I go a little mad. But, to quote Anthony Perkins in Psycho "We all go a little mad sometimes."

So...

I collect - in a big way:

CDs - All styles of music; but predominantly Soundtracks, Musicals and Pop. There is a smattering of Folk, Country and Rock in there too.

DVDs/Blu-rays - Back in the day it was VHS (remember those?!), then DVD and now Blu-ray.

Books - what can I say. I may own a Kindle; but there's just something about holding a solid paper object in my hand that just does it for me!

On top of that there are collections of various other things: Lego, Board Games, Ornaments, Toys.

And - don't forget Cross Stitch. While cross stitch strictly comes under the title of 'Hobby', there's no denying there is a certain amount of collecting involved. We collect charts, kits, floss, needles etc.

Now, when it comes to having large collections of anything, you get to a point where you just don't know what you've got and need some tools to help you organize. That's where computer software comes in handy.

First up: NUMENTO

Numento (from: Numento.com) is a piece of software that allows you to keep track of any collection you may have. It costs 25 euro but it's worth every penny.

There are some collections built in, like: Media Library, Comic Books, Stamps, Shells (who knew!), Coins, Toys and Games, Product Labels etc.

But, what makes Numento a must-have for any collector is it's customisation features. You can literally create a collection template for anything.

So, I did one for Cross stitch.

Here's what you get when load up the program:

You can see that I have lots of collections already set up. You simply choose the database you want to open from this start-up screen.

Once you have a collection started, this is what it looks like:

On the left: Groupings. You can set these up to your preferences. As you can see I like to know Theme, Characters, Kits, Charts for Cross Stitch. This allows me to instantly know how many charts or kits I have. Or how many designs with a certain character or theme. The program is only limited by your own preferences.

Also, the display are at the top looks brilliant, doesn't it?

When you want to edit, or add, and entry, this is the screen you get:

Once again, all the fields on this page can be changed. You can add or remove everything.

So, there you go.

But, there's more.

You can use Numento for everything if you want, but, as good as it is, I found I wanted more for certain other collections.

So, for DVDs/Blu-rays I use DVDProfiler (from here: DVD Profiler Website)

Quite simply, it's the best software on the market for keeping track of this sort of thing. Also, while it's not free (what in life really is?!) it's a ONE-TIME FEE and you get free updates for life. You will literally never need another program for this.

Here's a screenshot of my collection:

One of the things I love about Profiler is the display options. I have mine set to 'Shelf View' to give that simulated look of items sat on a shelf.

There is every field you could possibly want, in addition to some great extra features, like: Last Watched, Wishlist or Gift from.

Finally, there is Collectorz (from here: Collectorz.com)

This company do a range of 5 programs: Movie, Book, Comic, Game and Music Collector. Each with it's specific features.

Recently, they've added the ability to customise by adding any extra fields you want.

Here's my CD collection:

And, my Books:

If you're like me and want to keep a record of when you listened to a CD or read a book these programs are great. Also, the wishlist function on both is excellent - as is the warning system built in if you try to add something you already own! No more duplicates!

The ONLY drawback with Collectorz is the price. They're not the most expensive on the market, but they aren't really cheap either.

Either of these programs will set you back approx. £30. You also have to pay for future updates if you want them. Although, they've recently introduced a payment plan option, so you can pay £1.50 per month and get all future updates without worrying. So, I pay £3 per month for all updates on these two programs.

So, there you have it.

Welcome to the world of cataloguing.

AKA: Geeksville! LOL!

But, there's no denying how useful these programs can be.

Feel free to contact me if you want any information on these programs and I will try to help.

Non-Stop Blu-ray

Liam Neeson stars as Bill Marks, a troubled Air Marshall, on a routine flight from New York to London. Except, he's soon going to realise there's nothing routine about this journey; because someone is threatening to kill a passenger every 20 minutes unless their demands are met.
Trapped in a plane and faced with an impossible situation is probably everyone's worst nightmare. The events of 9/11 are probably in the minds of everyone who steps onto a plane nowadays and we all pray we'll get where we need to be safely.
Non-Stop really does live up to it's name. Yes, there are moments of quiet drama and character building; but there are also some nail-biting action sequences. But, at it's heart, I feel Non-Stop is actually more of a murder mystery. Agatha Christie would have been proud. Why? Because there are lots of twists to the story, shady characters, a good motive and - even more importantly - a very good chance you won't guess who did it. We're pretty good at getting these things right (long time Christie fans here), but we didn't guess correctly.
The blu-ray is pretty standard. A few interviews and featurettes. The sound is excellent - as I would expect from an action/thriller. The picture is excellent but not incredible - but, then again, it's not really the sort of film that requires a pristine image. There's a certain graininess to it that really fits the style and look of the film.
If you like intelligent, well thought out, well acted films then this is worth a go. Also of note: Michelle Dockery (Lady Mary from Downton Abbey) also stars alongside Liam Neeson and Julianne Moore.
My Rating: 9/10

Siberian Gold Tigers Day 46 and Cross Stitch Bargains....

I also found these tigers for sale on Amazon.co.uk. Here's the link: On the 46ths Day of Stitching My Stitching Fairy Gave to Me....1 Sore Back and a Need to Stop and Have a Pee.

Seriously, I sat so long I forgot to have a break. My back hurt from one position for too long and I was desperate for a wee. No accidents, so all was well. I have reached the stage where incontinence pants are my saviour while stitching!

As I near the end of Page 7 I can feel myself slowing down. I always find the end of a design hardest. For some reason being so close always makes it feel like it's taking forever. Still, logically, I know there's not much more to go.

Ok. Moving on. I need to apologise to Julie Shaw. Julie, if you're reading this I'm sorry, but I won't be able to do an entry about tying off. My camera simply isn't good enough to get the kind of close-up shows I need to sufficiently document what I do.

However, I will try to do something in the future.

As small compensation to all my readers I've decided to use this entry to give you links to a whole bunch of cross stitch bargains I've found on Amazon.co.uk. Some, I've mentioned on Facebook. But, just in case people haven't seen them, here they are:

From JANLYNN  
From DIMENSIONS  

OTHER HAPPY STITCHING

Carrie: The Musical

What can I say? I've been waiting since the 80's to be able to hear a recording of Carrie: The Musical and it's finally here.
And boy, was it worth waiting for; because this is a superb recording of an incredible musical.

CarrieThe Musical is notorious for being the biggest flop in musical theatre history. Clips have appeared on YouTube and bootleg recordings have been widely available on the internet. Personally, I had only ever heard three of the tracks from the show: Carrie, on one of Lynzi Hateley's albums (she was the original Carrie in the broadway/UK flop), When There's No One on a Betty Buckley album and finally (and the best of the three) Unsuspecting Hearts sung by the incredible Alice Ripley and Emily Skinner on their album of the same name. As teasers for the music in this score they were tantalising; but the YouTube clips were worrying to say the least (especially on Out For Blood with it's awful choreography and legwarmers!). Finally a friend let me listen to a very poor quality recording of the Broadway cast and, if I'm honest, I could see why it was poorly received: the score felt messy and confused; unsure if it wanted to be a 'teen' show or a 'horror' show.

Stephen King's book and the brilliant Brian DePalma film are not a simple as they first appear and translating the story into a musical was never going to be easy.

Carrie is a complex character. As is her mother, Margaret. Their relationship is utterly crazy, but incredibly compelling. Throw into this mix an almost clichéd group of teens (modernised greatly for this production) and you have an eclectic mix of genres in one narrative piece.

In the original production the songs sung by Chris, Sue and the other kids really stood out as being dreadfully dated (even in the 80's) and out of place. Thankfully the writers have managed to ditch all of the utterly dreadful songs and replace them with ones that fit the feel of the show.
Personally, I feel this story needs the lightness of the teen scenes as they bring a much-needed humour to an otherwise desperately miserable story; but these scenes also provide a stark contrast to Carrie's life at home with her mother. This is a girl you can sympathise with and root for. You want her to get the guy, go to the prom, have her first kiss...and please...please no...not go batshit-crazy at the prom! Chris Hargenson's final humiliation of Carrie White and the subsequent devastation it causes is the ultimate cautionary tale - and that message of 'be more tolerant' and 'try to understand those who are different' comes across much more clearly in this recording.

Any fan of musical theatre is going to love finally being able to hear this wonderful score and, like me, will probably feel a little sad that the original production was never recorded for posterity. However, if this is the only Carrie we ever have it's a damned good one.

Marin Mazzie (Margaret White) and Molly Ransom (Carrie) are simply amazing, but everyone in the cast holds their own.

In a matter of days this moved into my Top 10 Musicals of All Time list. Every song is great, but as with every musical there are some standout songs: Carrie, Unsuspecting Hearts, And Eve Was Weak, Why Not Me?, Once You See, When There's No One and Evening Prayers.

If you're a fan of musicals, this really is one that you should have in your collection.

Siberian Gold Tigers - Day 45

I'm very pleased to report that my normal routine on a Monday - where I can't seem to get my stitching head on - didn't happen. I was able to sit down and really get going.

It probably helped that I was listening to some great musicals: Heathers The Musical and the new Broadway Cast Recording of Aladdin (both reviewed here on my blog).

Then a couple more Dynasty episodes were watched before I stopped for the day to watch a movie.

Well, that's not much is it? That's the only problem with doing a design with a lot of repetition - you run out of new things to say about it. Oooh, I did lots of orange today or Worked on a stripe today.

Still, at least I'm making progress...only a short way to go.

So, what else am I going to talk about in this entry?

I think it's time to mention Needle Minders.

Yes, I know that most of you already know what they are - but I also know there are plenty of people out there who don't. I only discovered them a few months ago.

So, what is a Needle Minder?

Simply put it's a magnet that you attach to your work or have sat next to you. It's somewhere to put your needle so you don't use it. At first you may think: What a waste of money, I'd never use that!

That's what I thought.

I was eventually tempted when I saw one I really liked:

This one is called 'Cat Snips Scissors' and it's from Kelmscott Designs.

I bought mine from Sew & Sew here

(NOTE: It's only a needle minder, NOT a pair of scissors too).

All you do is put the round magnet on the underside of your fabric and the minder on the top. Then you must put your needle on the top and it stays there. Simple.

Mine has rapidly become a must-have piece of stitching kit. Every time I tie off and need to sort the next piece of floss I put my needle on this little gizmo. No more sticking it in the arms of the chair, the side of my design - or simply dropping it.

Needle minders come in all shapes and sizes and can be found on Amazon, eBay and Facebook. There are some beautiful designs out there, so I'm sure you'll find something you like.

Aladdin - Original Broadway Cast

Buy from Amazon.com

Finally the last of my musical pre-orders has arrived; but has it been worth the wait?

Yes and No.

There is a charm and innocence to Disney musicals (both film and stage) that appeals to my inner child. They produce wholesome popcorn entertainment that doesn't challenge the mind or the ears too much.

I've always been a huge fan of Disney and a new stage version is a no-brainer purchase for me.

BUT....

Not all of their stage adaptations have worked as well as others. Tarzan instantly springs to mind. Some of their films simply don't translate to the stage as well as they should. Even The Little Mermaid (one of their most popular films of all time) failed on stage (although I loved the recording).

Still, when I heard that a stage version of Aladdin was being developed I was very excited (even more so when I read that they're also developing The Hunchback of Notre Dame - my favourite Disney film).

Anyway, the CD arrived yesterday and I've now listened to it three times.

It's good. But, it's not great. At least not to someone who has hundreds of musicals and has recently had the pleasure of hearing some brilliant contemporary shows.

So, what exactly is good or bad about this production?

The Good

The expanded opening song - Arabian Nights - does an excellent job of creating an atmosphere, introducing the characters and setting up the story. Loved it.

The cast. Everyone does a very good job. Adam Jacobs makes for a very charming and cheeky Aladdin especially. Also, Robin Williams is an incredibly hard act to follow but the Broadway Genie does a very good job of giving it his own interpretation.

The new songs - some of the new songs were actually written for the film (most notably Proud of Your Boy) and it's great to have them back. Others were written specifically for this production.

The Bad

The tendency to be too self aware. Having the Genie singing excerpts from Beauty and the Beast and The Little Mermaid while amusing does pull the listener out of the show. As does making a joke about the fact that all the characters sing - a way of letting the audience know they're at a musical. It's all unnecessary and distracting.

Also, the rendition of A Whole New World leaves a LOT to be desired. This is the iconic song from this musical. It's a beautiful ballad and high-point of the film, but, for some reason the producers of this production decided that down-playing this song would be a good idea. Yes, it results in some of the new songs standing out to a greater extent, but it's an injustice to the song in my opinion.

There's nothing really original here. While I really enjoyed the new songs, I'm conscious of the fact that some of the melodies were very, very similar to previous Alan Menken (composer) songs. For example, new song Diamond in the Rough is very similar in its construction and format to Mushnik & Son from an earlier Menken show Little Shop of Horrors. This is not always a bad thing - but harsher critics than me will probably rip the show apart for something like that.

None of the above will bother younger listeners or casual theatre goers - who will probably lap up the atmosphere, catchy tunes, exciting story and incredible visuals. I guess I just wanted more from a Disney show.

If you like Disney I would recommend the Australian Cast Recording (aka The Live version) of Mary Poppins, the Broadway Casts of Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid and The Lion King.