With the cold weather coming and going and though the onset of spring still looks like a long way away, here at UpStage the Seasons are definitely changing.

 

This week we welcome another bright new face to the UpStage team, Kirsty. Her theatrical connections got her an invite to the Richard Alston Dance Company press night at Sadlers Wells and the after show party! A quick scene (and costume) change and the party girl was adorned in glitter and sporting a tiara to attend a Disney Princess Birthday Party at Alice House in Hampstead.

 

Furthering relations with our continental cousins, Bex was in the little known French quarter of Kilburn engaging in some conversational Francais. Ooh la la, mon dieux mes amies!!

 

Emma found herself in perennially cool Brick Lane with a group of New Yorkers for some fantastic Indian and Bangladeshi food. Good choice for our transatlantic friends, me thinks!

 

The BBC’s plan for heightened tension in watching their new drama ‘Five Days’ over a period of five days has been utterly bulldozed by Caroline who has seen one episode and intends to watch the rest as and when on i-player. It seems she has been spending too much time enjoying the internal guttering and fine wine of the newly refurbished pub, The Banker, just north of London Bridge.

 

In a week of firsts for some of the team, Sharyn decided to be the first to include Ant and Dec in her cultural highlights………exactly! However, she tells us that ‘Oh What a Lovely Pair’ is a good read and there is apparently much you may not know about PJ & Duncan and them getting ready to rumble.

 

A trip to the Transport Museum was ‘just the ticket’ for Bruce and family this week and for Phil, it was the highbrow arena of Lili’s school quiz before descending down the IQ scale for the celluloid joys of The Hangover. Very funny by all accounts.

 

On that note, as they say in Kilburn, I must bid you adieu, but I leave you with one piece of advice for the coming week - make sure you go and see A Single Man, it is terrific, he is terrific, they are terrific.

 

Au Revoir x

Love certainly was in the air for us here at UpStage, whilst enjoying our usual social courtship.  Would you think me slightly crazy if I also wished you a Happy New Year at this point…hopefully not as we welcome in the Chinese New Year of the Tiger. 

 

Out and about, one of our newest additions, Emma, had an enjoyable evening at the ballet watching the bittersweet tale of Romeo & Juliet.  Despite a bottom-numbing performance of three hours, Emma assures us it was worth it! 

 

Bruce and Phil enjoyed a meat feast at the Argentinean restaurant, La Constancia in Bermondsey.  If you enjoy a hearty, quality steak the size of a small child, this is the place for you.  Bruce also gave us a glowing report of Dulwich’s family treat - The Herne Tavern.

 

Fulfilling our usual quota of pub sampling, our Caroline spent an afternoon (which turned into a long evening..) in the pub with heart, Hand in Hand on Wimbledon Common. 

 

Meanwhile, I watched the new Sherlock Holmes film, which makes for an okay watch if you have no grand expectations.  Of course, the quirky performance from the oh-so loveable Robert Downey Jr meant this was always going to have some star quality.  I’m also happy to announce that my love affair with the Twilight series is nearing its end as I draw to a close the final chapters of Breaking Yawn, oh sorry, I mean Breaking Dawn.

 

So love really was all around - and there wasn’t a Wet Wet Wet tribute in sight - as the office celebrated the engagement of our very own Sharyn!  Sharyn gladly uttered that wonderful three-letter word on the night that St Valentine deemed our nation succumb to an unadulterated dose of romance.  Many congratulations, Sharyn.  Our hats are at the ready…

 

I bid you adieu…

So this week compiling of the blog finally falls to me.

As the oldest member of the UpStage staff I want to show that I’m down with the kids and this blogging lark.

 

I saw this quote recently:

 

“Don’t focus on having a great blog. Focus on producing a blog that’s great for your readers.”

 

So with that in mind, lets get to it.

 

Film

This week we have mostly been watching

Youth In Revolt Katie gave this an ok review, and while we are talking about Katie, I have to have announce she is leaving UpStage for pastures new, this blog will miss her and all the things she did very much.

La Vie En Rose, newest member Bex gave this biopic of Edith Piaf grands pouces haut (sic)

Inglourious Basterds, are own Basterd, Pete Blunt loved this recent Tarantino homage to WW2 caper movies.

Orphanage a Spanish film that scared me xxxxless!

 

Restaurants & Hotels

Katie found herself up in North London eating at St.Johns Tavern a recently renovated gastro pub, if you are up that way check it out.

Pete, Phil and Caroline were working on an eventat the new Ritz Carlton near Dublin, yes you read it right near Dublin! And first class it is too.

 

Books

I have just finished Bad Vibes ,Britpop And My Part In Its Downfall by Luke Haines, a hilarious and bitter account of the Britpop years

Pete thought so-so the Tony Parsons book Starting Over

Bex said only ok about A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson.

 

Theatre

Personally I have never been a fan of Cirque du Solieil but Sharyn raved about the new show at the Albert Hall, Varekai, however by the time you read this it will have closed!

Phil was out with his best mates Ben Stiller and Richard Curtis (well they were sitting 2 rows in front of him) watching the latest Jez Butterworth play Jerusalem with a stand out performance by Mark Rylance, check out the review here

Emma has just started as in intern and recently saw the current touring production of Arthur Savile’s Crime an Oscar Wilde classic.

 

TV

Lost is back for the final season and Alex and I are hoping all will be revealed, but we are not sure after the confusing opening episodes…..

I was also confused, but in a nice way, by the recent Horizon documentary about Infinity, watch it here on BBC iplayer mind stretching stuff.

Other

Caroline attended the Total Production Awards, a ceremony with 31 awards including Front Of House Monitor Engineer of the Year award, no me neither!

Sharyn has become a cybermentor for Beat Bullying a great charity that was also a winner at last year Charity Awards produced by, yes you guessed it UpStage.

 

So that’s it’s from me, I hope you like the new easy to read format and the hyperlinks

Until next time

Bruce

Making my blogging debut here at UpStage, I’m pleased to report that despite the usual post-Christmas coma and social hibernation that comes with a lacklustre January, us UpStagers are happily braving the weather and continuing to stay out and about…maybe just donning a few more layers than normal.

 

January blues – p’ah!  We’ve had enough to stimulate us to know that we’ve got off to a fine start in the ‘tens’, ‘tennies’, ‘teens’ or whatever’s deemed the collective term for this here decade.

 

Already a strong runner at the forthcoming Oscars, a number of the UpStage troops have been to see Avatar in all its 3D glory.  Undeniably, a beautiful and compelling, science fiction film, destined to set the filmmaking goalposts for the future of cinema.  Other cinematic delights this month have included the star-studded and entertaining ‘Nine’ and the sad, yet moving, book adaptation, ‘The Road’ - debate still remains in the office as to whether the film has really done the book justice!

 

On his quest to seek out the latest trend in ‘extreme events’, our Bruce enjoyed being involved in the UK’s first full 3D event for the country’s leading satellite TV broadcaster.  Clearly a sign of the times!  Now, if only they’d make those glasses look a little more attractive…

 

On the small screen, we’ve enjoyed the return of the critically acclaimed, Mad Men and the new Fox show, Glee; which, despite its take on the usual clichéd high school dramas, has the potential to take over as our new guilty pleasure.  Making an explosive comeback is the miss-it-and-miss-out, Dexter.  Now in it’s fourth season, our ‘good’ serial killer, the self-proclaimed human oxymoron, continues his battle of morals and social unease.

 

Meanwhile, our girl about town, Katie, enjoyed a Carrie-esque evening sipping cocktails at the new Lost Society’s Citizen Smith bar in Putney.  Phil and Pete enjoyed some classic French cuisine at the Conran’s new restaurant, Boundary, in Shoreditch; and continuing his culinary indulgence, Phil enjoyed a weekend’s retreat at The Grove in Hertfordshire, which, by all accounts, continues to be a top-notch escape from the usual rat race. 

 

Finally, I enjoyed a fine winter’s evening of literary and musical delight under the auspices of the much-loved poet, Mr Robbie Burns.  Set within the traditional comfort of one of London Bridge’s oldest pubs - The George – the night included a piper, some lovely haggis, a gentle poke of the laddies’ foibles and a whisky-induced rendition of a ‘Auld Lang Syne’, which all made for a merry affair.

 

Until next time…

What can I say, 2009 went so quickly!

With the Christmas break over it falls to me to kick off the UpStage Blog for 2010.  And what better way than, in traditional style, to look back over the year that was...

Doubtless many of you are preparing to work off those extra pounds which magically appeared somewhere between the Christmas and New Year's celebrations.  But whilst you plan out your resolutions for 2010, let's revisit some of those things we at UpStage will remember about 2009:

Our visitors from the far East, Corrine and Marcia , who came to spend time in the UpStage office and see what inspiring people is all about.  We miss you both already, may 2010 bring you both happiness.

Hidden gems in London - the fascinating Jasmine Studios in Hammersmith and hugely popular Tsunami restaurant in Clapham, one of the few places to offer their top notch food at a reasonable price.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - one of the few books to come our way which has been met with universal praise amongst UpStagers.

Leukaemia Research's Big 50 anniversary celebrations with which we were so pleased to be involved.

Triumphs of television such as the Flight of the Conchords and the impossibly addictive The Wire.  It's nice to be reminded that there is still room in the world for a television show to shine.

Legendary performances from Roger Federer on the court and the ever loveable Blur who returned to the stage this year.

The launch of Modern Warfare 2, a game so hyped and anticipated that it broke countless sales records on it's release day.

Of course there have been many other occurances, achievements and memories worthy of note from the past year and we will all take our own personal experiences of it with us.  The world goes on, but it would be wrong of us to forget that which the world has lost this year as well.
The King of Pop - Michael Jackson
The Last Tommy - Harry Patch
They shall not be forgotten.

Who knows what 2010 has in store for us?  As always, we at UpStage intend to make the very most of the coming year and we wish you all joy and success.

Happy New Year.