Christmas at The Coliseum, London
September 23, 2007
Christmas 2007 sees English National Ballet break with tradition by opening its Coliseum season with Michael Corder’s glittering new production of The Snow Queen (11 – 16 December). The Company’s traditional showing of family favourite The Nutcracker follows with Christopher Hampson’s flamboyant production returning for its seventh consecutive season (19 December – 6 January). The season finale brings Derek Deane’s proscenium arch production of Swan Lake back to London for the first time since 2001 (8 - 19 January 2008).
Another record-breaking season has prompted English National Ballet to once again return to the Coliseum with three ballets. The 2006/2007 Christmas season broke all previous box office records with performances of The Nutcracker, Alice in Wonderland and Giselle selling 85,818 tickets over a six week season at the London Coliseum.
The Snow Queen is Michael Corder’s third new work for English National Ballet; his other works for the Company are his acclaimed production of Cinderella premiered in 1996, and the recently performed Melody on the Move created in 2003. The Snow Queen is the first new full length ballet produced by English National Ballet in over 10 years.
The music for The Snow Queen is arranged by Julian Philips from Prokofiev’s ballet The Stone Flower and other Prokofiev works. Julian’s original works include Strange Seas, commissioned by the Britten Sinfonia and later performed by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, and Out of Light commissioned by BBC Proms and premiered at the Royal Albert Hall in 2001.
The production is designed by Mark Bailey whose previous collaborations with Corder include Melody on the Move in 2003. Mark’s recent projects include Hamlet for Chicago Shakespeare Theatre and An Ideal Husband for Theatr Clwyd.
Based on Hans Christian Andersen’s classic fairy tale, The Snow Queen is a touching, gothic fairy tale which will be lavishly retold by English National Ballet. The Snow Queen tells the story of young friends, Kay and Gerda. Kay catches slivers of the Snow Queen’s shattered magic mirror in his eye and in his heart, and his character begins to change. As Kay is spirited away to the Snow Queen’s palace, eternal winter descends on the village. Gerda searches the world over to find her friend.
This fantastic journey finally takes her to the Snow Queen’s Palace which is inhabited by her magical court of wolves, white foxes, ice maidens and sprites. Gerda’s love for Kay releases him from the spell, the slivers of mirror fall from his eye and heart and the Snow Queen’s curse of eternal winter is broken.
Andersen’s fairy tales have inspired plays, ballets, films and many works of art. The Snow Queen was first published in 1844 and has since been translated into more than 80 languages.
Continuing the season in traditional style, English National Ballet presents The Nutcracker, choreographed by Christopher Hampson, and designed by Gerald Scarfe. Hampson/Scarfe’s ballet is colourful and vibrant and offers an eccentric retelling of this classic Christmas ballet.
Clara, her Nutcracker doll and the magician, Drosselmeyer, take us on adventures in the Land of Snow and the Kingdom of the Sweets. Clara battles with a Mouse King, flies on an origami bird and falls in love with a handsome Prince. English National Ballet’s Nutcracker is the ideal Christmas treat for all the family, and has proved hugely popular with audiences since its premiere in 2002.
To round off the season, the Company presents Derek Deane’s Swan Lake. Arguably the most popular ballet ever created, Swan Lake tells the story of Prince Siegfried’s powerful love for the Swan Queen, Odette, and their battle against the evil magician, Rothbart.
Derek Deane’s traditional production brings the romance and high drama of the grand Russian ballet tradition alive. Swan Lake is set to Tchaikovsky’s magnificent score, which features some of the most beautiful music in the classical ballet repertoire.
This Swan Lake was originally produced for English National Ballet by Derek Deane in 2000, based on a reworking of his 1997 in the round version. The in the round production has recently enjoyed full houses at the Royal Albert Hall and has delighted audiences of over 400,000 in the ten years since its premiere.
Excerpts from this production were featured in Concert for Diana in Wembley Stadium on 1 July. The proscenium arch production was last seen in London in 2001.
English National Ballet will be performing at the Coliseum with its full Company of 64 dancers and full orchestra. The international line up of dancers includes popular husband and wife partnership Agnes Oaks and Thomas Edur, as well Daria Klimentová and Dmitri Gruzdyev; Elena Glurdjidze and Arionel Vargas; Erina Takahashi and César Morales, and Fernanda Oliveira. For the latest national and international touring information and to book online, visit English National Ballet’s website at www.Ballet.org.uk.
London Coliseum, St Martin’s Lane, London, WC2N 4ES, England. Ticket prices: £10 - £60
The Snow Queen > 11 – 15 December 7.30pm, 12, 15 December 2.30pm, 13 December 2pm (Schools), 16 December 3pm, (Pre performance talks on 13 December 6pm, 16 December 1.30pm)
The Nutcracker > 19 – 22, 26 – 29 December, 2 – 5 January 7.30pm, 19 - 22, 26 – 29 December, 2, 3, 5 January 2.30pm, 23, 30 December, 6 January 3pm, (Pre performance talks on 20, 29 December, 2 January 6pm)
Swan Lake > 8 – 12, 15 – 19 January 7.30pm, 10, 12, 16, 19 January 2.30pm, 13 January 3pm, (Pre performance talk on 17 January 6pm)
For further information, visit www.Ballet.org.uk
Some ideas for the Christmas party costumes
September 23, 2007
Christmas is that time of year to get excited and be ready for trips to the malls, the office parties, and being the host of one at your house. The parties start the day after Thanksgiving and go until the New Year. Here are some ideas on costumes you can wear for all these occasions.
The most famous costumes is Santa Clause of course. To get the jolly suit plan ahead and order online, or you can rent it at a costume store. They will have everything you need to make you look just like the ho, ho, ho, man himself. Just know that with the Santa suit if you start looking before Halloween you will be able to find it. But if you decide to do this at last minute you can always look at the stores where they sell Christmas lights and other holiday products.
Santa always needs a helper to hand out that wonderful candy cane after the children see the big guy. The elf is the second best person in the holiday season. They are helpful and funny, and always lets the kids see Santa. There are green outfits and big shoes help topped with a little green hat. And of course you have to paint a little red on your cheeks to make you look happy as you can be. Green tights help top off the ensemble.
Who gets Santa and the elves to the mall? It is the famous reindeer! They do have these costumes available at the costume store. If you are good at sewing you just need fur brown cloth and a big red nose for the most famous of them all.
Mrs. Claus is the right hand lady that keeps everything running smoothing. You need a red dress that goes down to the ankles, a white lace apron, and a old fashion hat that looks like the pioneers wore to bed at night. You always want to put a little red circle on each cheek to make her look rosy.
Angels are very easy costumes to make. Get a white gown, put a gold wrap around your waist, a beautiful gold halo on the top of your head, and some very nice wings on your back.
Frosty the snowman is always nice to sing with in the snow. He would be easy to find on the internet. Frosty would be good to have at an office party, or at a party you are going to have for children. They would love to have him. Just make sure he has a big black top hat with a flower on it. Add a pipe and you are set.
The Grinch that stole Christmas is always a great costume for office parties, kids parties, or when you have one at your house. If you host one just remember that he is green with fur all over, and he is mean at first. When he is nice you can put a huge heart on his chest to say I am nice and I love Christmas.
Churches always have the kids do events with the nativity. Characters include Joseph, Mary and baby Jesus. You also have the angels who float around, and the wise men that have important parts in these scenes. With the animals you have camels, goats, horses, lambs. When making the nativity costumes they are usually made by hand by the church kids. This let’s them take pride in what they did by themselves.
Christmas costume theme parties are very popular now. You just host a party and have every one dress in there character they love the most and have a wonderful themed party. Dressing up is not just for Halloween and for kids any more. Remember the Christmas season is to have fun and being at a theme party where every one wears a Christmas costume will be festive and will remembered for a long time.
Applications accepted for Christmas festival boat parade
September 20, 2007
The Natchitoches Christmas Festival is accepting applications for the 2007 Christmas Festival Lighted Boat Parade.
The parade, which is the first major event of the 2007 Christmas Festival, will be at 6 p.m. November 30 Cane River Lake in downtown Natchitoches. Barges, boats, canoes, virtually anything that floats safely can enter. There is no entry fee; however, every entry must have lights.
First place will receive $250; second place receives $150 and third place receives $100. Additionally, the Cane River Waterway Commission is offering a $200 safety award to the entry that exhibits the best water safety features. Miss Merry Christmas and the Christmas Belles are the parade’s official judges.
This event has become one of the most popular events of the festival season. This year it has been expanded to make it an even greater spectacle and to offer the opportunity for everyone to become a part of the fun of the festival. To enter the barge parade or for more information, call Lori Tate at (318) 357-8744, (318) 354-8761 or cell (318) 663-8744.
For more information about the festival, call Nick Pollacia Jr., Natchitoches Christmas Festival director, at (318) 352-6894, or Iris Harper at the Natchitoches Parish Tourist Commission at (800) 259-1714. For more information on the Christmas Festival, visit www.christmasfestival.com
‘Christmas in New York’ Returns December 9
September 20, 2007
Leading lady Anna-Jane Casey returns to the West End to headline Christmas in New York, the West End’s unique celebration of contemporary seasonal show tunes and festive favorites, for one night only at the Lyric Theatre on Sunday, December 9.
Starring alongside Anna-Jane Casey will be Julie Atherton who currently plays the lead roles of Kate Monster and Lucy the Slut in Avenue Q, fellow Notes from New York regular Paul Spicer, Wicked’s Oliver Tompsett and Desperately Seeking Susan’s Emma Williams with West End favorites Melanie La Barrie, Matt Cross, Ashleigh Gray, Alex Jessop, Debbie Kurup, Steven Webb and Rachael Wooding. Joined by an on-stage choir of twenty four, this dynamic young cast will raise the roof in seasonal celebration.
“Evoking a magical time of year in a much loved city, Christmas in New York is the perfect seasonal treat for musical theatre fans and anyone with a song in their heart. It is the latest installment in the West End’s critically acclaimed Notes from New York series which produces contemporary musical theatre for a mainstream audience and has enjoyed a number of sell-out shows at prestigious venues,” state press notes. Christmas in New York is directed by David Randall with associate direction by Paul Spicer and sound design by Mark Dunne.
Following its sell-out success last year, Christmas in New York returns for a second outing and is set to become an annual event in the West End calendar. Exuding the warmth, the joy, the love, the longing and the haunting musicality of Christmas, songs by composers such as John Bucchino, Craig Carnelia, David Friedman, Andrew Lippa, Charles Miller, Grant Olding and Maury Yeston are intertwined with classic carols and an exciting new musical treatment of the popular poem “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas.”
Anna-Jane Casey recently played Dot in the Menier Chocolate Factory’s award-winning production of Sunday in the Park with George and starred in Not(es) from New York at the Duchess Theatre. Her previous theatre credits include Mabel in Mack and Mabel at the Watermill Theatre Newbury, Edith Piaf in Piaf and Charity in Sweet Charity at the Sheffield Crucible, Velma Kelly in Chicago at the Adelphi Theatre in the West End.
Notes from New York presents Christmas in New York starring Anna-Jane Casey, Julie Atherton, Paul Spicer, Oliver Tompsett and Emma Williams on Sunday, December 9 at 7:30PM at Lyric Theatre (Shaftesbury Avenue, London W1). Tickets (£32-£12) are available at 0870 890 1107 and www.christmasinnewyork.co.uk
Ginger Twist
January 14, 2007
I always tend to begin the year full of inspired cocktail mixing and then by suggesting you some healthy fruit or vegetable based recipes that offer vitamins, antioxidants and other beneficial factors to help recoup energy spent over the parade of food and drink on tables over the Christmas holiday. Generally you can combine fruit with fruit but also vegetable with fruit if you like the taste. Experiment to see which vegetable or fruit helps you most and select only the best quality, preferably organic. Salute!
Ingredients >
2 large carrots
5cl clear apple juice
1 small apple
2 slices of fresh ginger root
Preparation >
Pour all ingredients into a blender. Blend. Add a scoop of ice (optional), blend till smooth and pour into a highball. Garnish with a wedge of orange and stir it before drinking.
