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20/11/07 - Rent
Went to see the Cape Town version of Rent today... a very good show... the cast were great apart from one. Although I have not blogged for a while I am going to catch up on the past three months since I have been here and try to fill you all in on what's been going on!
17/08/07 - Dinner at the Pickards
Emma and Mark decided to cook a dinner for me and some other friends to say goodbye before I leave for Cape Town. They cooked a stunning meal and we had some laughs into the early hours of the morning before I had to pack my things for storage... boo!
11/08/07 - Mary Poppins
Seen as Werner was over from Belgium we decided to meet up with Sven and go to see Mary Poppins. Here is Werner and I standing on the balcony having our pre theatre drinks.
11/08/07 - Tourist Guide
My friend Werner came over from Belgium to visit me and see London so I ended up being a tourist guide for 2 days! We decided to go for a walk which ended up being a 4 hour hike across London seeing all the sights. We started in Kensal Green and walked through the West London Crematorium to Ladbroke Grove, past my studio to Portobello Road, then to Notting Hill, Holland Park, throught to Kensington Gardens, on to Hyde Park, Buckingham Palace to st. James Park, to Parliment and Big Ben, 10 Downing Street, The London Eye then on to Tate Modern, across the river to St. Pauls Cathedral, Covent Garden ending up in Soho square for a drink! A well deserved one! So that's me covering London before I move to Cape Town!
04/08/07 - Amsterdam Pride
Back to Amsterdam for Pride. It was great to sit on Mark's balcony sipping champagne and watching the boats go by. There were so many that it took about 3 hours for them to all go by, amazing! Will be back next year if I can get time off from my new boss!
25/07/07 - Darren Photoshoot
Today I met up with Michael Furlonger to get the photos from the shoot with Darren. They are simply stunning. Michael is a very tallented photographer and I have been fond of his work for a long time now. I am currently designing Darren's website (www.darrengreeff.com) which will be up and running shortly, watch this space.!
21/07/07 - Antwerp, Belgium
After three cancelled flights with BA I finally caught the Eurostar to Brussels Midi, and then on to my final destination! What a lovely place Antwerp is and not to mention that I was in chocolate heaven! Visited all the usual tourist sights, a really peaceful city with a nice vibe.
17/07/07 - Hostel 2
No where near as good as the first one. Kind of sick in parts but then it's meant to be. Some of the ideas were good but it was basically the same story as the first one but with girls instead of guys! If you've seen the first one then I guess you have to see the second one!
13/07/07 - Matthew Bourne's The Car Man
Wow! What an amazing performance. The dancing was simply out of this world!
The music was also great! If you get a chance to see this show, go! He has taken the basic story of Carmen and put it to his own interpretation. Fantastic!
11/07/07 - Lord of the Rings Musical
The set was simply stunning, the stare seemed to move in more positions than I have ever seen any stage do before. The acting was not that great but it was made up for by the costumes and the set. a great show. Worth the money? Not sure!
08/07/07 - Photoshoot with Michael Furlonger
Having designed Michael Furlonger's website a few years ago, we set up a shoot with Darren in Clapham to get some shots for his website and for his applications to the dance companies in London. Michael has been shooting for a long time now, he also designs his own clothes which we had the privilege of using some of during the shoot. Watch this space...
www.michaelfurlonger.com
07/07/07 - Ace Cafe Custom Bike Show
Whilst going round the North Circular I often pop into the would famous Ace Cafe, a place for bikers to come and admire the work of other bikers on their mean machines! Today was custom bike day, showing the work of hundreds of bikers who have spent hundreds of pounds, if not thousands on their two wheeled get-arounds. I am not sure the suspension would be good enough around London on this bike below though, nice paint job all the same!
30/06/07 - London Gay Pride 2007
Thought I would check out the Pride 2007 in London. starting at Oxford Street and ending up somewhere on Embankment, this yearly parade gets bigger and bigger. A good excuse for a big party!
01/07/07 - Images of Dance, Sadlers Wells
Images of Dance was great. Showing all of the grad students from the London Studio Centre do their stuff! Matthew Bourne choreographed the third piece which was amazing. Some very talented young students, especially the girls. The show gave Darren real hope as he could see his direct competition.
29/06/07 - D.A.N.C.E.
Founded in 2004, the D.A.N.C.E. initiative brings together 32 instituitions from 17 different countries to develop an elite group of Europe's finest young dancers. Sadler's Wells Resident Company Random Dance is the leading UK partner for the programme. With artistic direction from European dance heavyweights Frédéric Flamand, William Forsythe, Wayne McGregor and Angelin Preljocaj, the output from the first group of apprentice dancers is much anticipated throughout the dance world. This intense, high-level professional training programme brings together the very best young dancers Europe has to offer, with classical and contemporary dance tuition combined in an interdisciplinary approach encompassing dance, architecture, visual arts and theatre.
I really enjoyed the first piece called 'Mem?ri' a new piece by Wayne McGregor and work by Frederic Flamand. The other two were a bit random with too much stage movement and projected graphics. Forget being epileptic, I was having a fit and almost walked out! Anyway... it was a really good show with some excellent dancers.
Click here to visit the Sadlers Wells website
23/06/07 - Amsterdam - Supper Club
Back to Amsterdam for a little reunion. Dan, Han, Mark and myself all in one place again! horray! We went on the
Supper Club boat cruise which was great. The music was great Tony! and the food was divine! You take your shoes off and lounge around eating and drinking until you leave the boat a little drunk and ready to move on to venue number 2!
Click here to visit the Supper Club website
19/06/07 - Vacancy
Car breaks down in the middle of nowhere, a man helps to fix your car and you end up staying the night in a motel watching TV, well in fact videos of the room you are staying in with people being murdered! Usual old story but still quite entertaining at points. There were some bits that made me jump which is a good thing, but it's no Hostel or Saw rival.
Click here to visit the movie website
13/06/07 - Oceans 13
Erm... now this was an experience! Slough! Ah! So let me get this straight, there was Candy, Darren and I, with about 10 others in Slough cinema, screen 5, capacity of 527. One man walked in, well I say man, a 15 year old boy drunk as a skunk! Of all the available seats in the cinema, he sits in front of Candy! He sits there throught the film laughing to himself! Then the baby starts to cry at the back of the cinema! I shouted 'get the baby out!' Anyway, this kinda threw the film a bit and I did not enjoy it as much as I thought I was going to. Oh well!
10/06/07 - Walk for Life
Today I walked 10k for Crusaid's Walk for Life. The charity raises money for people living with HIV/AIDS around the world. I completed the walk with Tony in a couple of hours and managed to raise £300 for the charity. It's not too late to sponsor me by going to www.walkforlife.co.uk Alan Carr started the walk off in his very camp way!
09/06/07 - George Michael, Wembley Stadium
The very first gig at the new Wembley Stadium and I was there, singing along to George Michael! What a show! This man can really belt out those songs! His voice is amazing! Well done george! The Studium is amazing when you get inside, although the concrete exterior was a bit bland. Also the lack of left luggage or cloakroom was not welcome! Where was I to put my helmet? Ended up leaving it with a security man who I then had to find at the end! Ah... as well as the other 300 people of 120,000!
06/06/07 - Wikipedia
Ever used the world famous Wikipedia? I use it all the time as it's great to find out things and explore the wonderful world of fact. And guess what's more? I am on it! Use the link below to find out more...
Visit the Wikipedia website
05/06/07 - London Olympics 2012
Yesterday the saw the launch of the branding for the 2012 Olympic games, sadly they have done a really bad job! the logo says nothing about London or the Olympics. use the links below to vote against the new logo and to read all about it on the BBC's website.
Sign the petition
Visit the BBC website
04/06/07 - 28 Days Later
Having seen 28 weeks later yesterday, I had to watch the first in the series. Not as good as the second one but then I guess they did not have the same budget.
03/06/07 - 28 Weeks Later
Having not seen 28 days later I did not know what to expect. From the very start it was so intense, the music and sound design was amazing, the visual effects were great. The story... well... anyway, a great film, will most likely watch the first one now. Two great trailers though, Hostel Part II and Vacancy, two more gripping films coming soon! Can't wait!
02/06/07 - Green Park Calling
Spent the afternoon chilling in Green Park with Sven, Russell and Matt, three bottles of wine later and 5 hours of clubbing I was ready for bed!
01/65/07 - BBC
Went to see my friend Karl today for lunch. He works at the BBC and kindly offered to show me around the studios, wow! What an experience. It was great to see everyone walking around busy preparing for the next slot of news. Here are three photos, one of the set and rehursal of the TV Show Any Dream Will Do, one of another studio empty for the next show and one of Karl, looking rather dashing!
26/05/07 - Pirates of the Caribbean
Erm... not sure, great visual effects, but not sure about the hard to follow storyline! Aparantly if you stayed until the end and waited for the credits, they showed you 10 years later! Ah! that will be rushing out of the cinema and missing it!
23/05/07 - Rambert Dance Company
Rambert Dance Company returns to Sadler's Wells with a breathtaking programme of three diverse works, which brilliantly demonstrates why it remains at the forefront of modern dance. Its dancers are the athletes of the theatre, equally capable of thrilling you with their incredible skill or sending a shiver of emotion down your spine. Truly spectacular! What a show! These dancers are just incredible, simply amazing!
19/05/07 - Amsterdam
Off to see Mark & Ruan in Amsterdam for two nights. Went for my first run in a long time with Mark whilst Ruan got on his roller blades. Amsterdam is growing on me, I like the relaxed atmosphere and canals with the boats drifting up and down with people drinking and having bbq's onboard!
13/05/07 - Darren @ The Place
Darren came to London for a few days and we decided to record his dance showreel. We hired studio 7 at The Place in Kings Cross, home to the Richard Alston Dance Company. 2 hours of constant filming and we had run out of time. We got some good footage but will most likely be going back at some point to record more. Here is a short clip of Darren dancing (click play).
06/05/07 - Candida's 50th Birthday Party
Candy's 50th Birthday, well her Birthday is actually tomorrow but I organised a party for her at The Crooked Billet in Stoke Row. It is now one of England's finest and most traditional country inns. It's hidden well off the beaten track, down a narrow winding lane, and nestles between beech and oak with a backing onto meadowland. Built in 1642, It was once the hideout of notorious highwayman, Dick Turpin, who was romantically attached to the landlord's daughter, Bess. It operated as a smallholding, selling locally produced ale from its tiny cellar. The original cellar is still a feature today. Paul Clerehugh took over The Crooked Billet in 1989 and quickly gained a reputation for providing excellent food. Paul, a self-taught chef, has not changed any of the original features that give the pub its unique character and charm. Inglenook fireplaces, low timbered ceilings, flagstone floors and old, scrubbed, pine tables all remain and there is still no bar - beer is drawn directly from casks in the cellar. It was a great party, with Holly Penfield at the front of the entertainment.
29/04/07 - Wet Cape Town
A rather wet and rainy Cape Town. The first week was quite nice but then the second saw the winter really come in. Anyway, I managed to relax and get to spend time with Darren which was cool. It was also great to see Tony, Dan and Han again at the Glen Hotel.
