David Bowie,the legend had died yesterday at the age of 69, still relatively young and gone too soon by 21st Century norms.
David was a man of Past, Present & the Future.
You could say he was also A Man for All Seasons.
His legacy will live on.
He was a London lad like me and only nine years older.
I grew up to David”s music; from his beginings as a pop star to becoming a well respected world renowned culture icon.
He influenced modern music & videos, particularly the New Romantic era of the 1970s/1980s.
To see him on stage with another legend and musical genius Freddie Mercury was sublime.
My favourite songs of his were Space Oddity, Ashes to Ashes (cool video), Spiders From Mars and Jean Genie.( I sing terribly to my wife!)
He easily adopted new personas such as Ziggy Stardust, for which became famous for and much copied.
He was also a decent actor. I enjoyed his movie ‘The Man Who Fell to Earth‘ seeing it twice as well an 80s classic, The Labyrinth. 🙂
He cornered the market in style.
David was flamboyant and cleverly used androgyny in different personas he created with his music which influenced next generations of musicians and singers.
His final song and atmospheric video Lazarus (the title says it all) released on his 69th Birthday showed how David wanted to go out of this world, say Goodbye…His way.
Magnificent. groundbreaking and unique all the way. His own epitaph, his own way.
The world is a little less colourful now that he is gone.
Farewell Major Tom & Thanks for the music and cool videos…and being you.
As a wedding anniversary treat from the hubby, he took me to see Miss Saigon as I have been longing to see it for a very very long time, since its original inception back in 1989, but have not had the opportunity.
Though I really wanted to see it, I was moaning at Peter for booking it. I don’t understand myself sometimes. LOL
Anyway, in the end, I truly enjoyed the show, very much so. It was much, much better than I thought.
The Prince Edward theatre was in the heart of London’s famous West End so-called theatreland. It is not the biggest venue and thus it is more intimate that you see the cast with no problem.
All seats were taken ; a ‘full house’ as they say in theatres.
I was quite surprised as it has been running for over a year already. We did not see any empty seats. Miss Saigon is a hit!
It was very realistic. the opening scenes were surprising, seeing women cavorting in their underwear, simulating sex & erotic dancing made me feel rather a bit of a voyeur, but I got used to it quickly as the show has no ‘lows’ it was just one amazing act after the others. You must go and see Miss Saigon if you can.
It was actually different and better seeing acting and singing live to an audience rather than watching flat celluloid/movies.
I applaud the actresses to be going out night after night in their skimpy costumes, doing all manners of acrobatics, mainly sexual! lol Nice!
The orchestra was conducted well too to keep the singing and music flowing to the story.
But the night or probably night after night, in my opinion, the stage belongs truly to Jon Jon Briones. He makes Miss Saigon the hit it is.
His singing is powerful.& he owns the stage when appearing. Every time he was on it. you only concentrate on him. He has humor, he has pathos, he has salaciousness, he has deviousness and he was able to bring out the motivation of the situation he was portraying.
It is all about the American Dream as most Filipinos and Asians long for. Jon Jon easily connected to this aspiration.
Of course the rest of the cast are also brilliant. I was expecting the cast to be made up mostly of Filipinos but there are plenty of Korean actors.
Newcomer, Eva Noblezada, whilst no Lea Salonga (the original lead Kim), has that vulnerability required for her role. Her singing is sweetly pure with a touch of purring a la Britney Spears, I thought!
Gigi was well played by Natalie Mendoza who gave the role sassiness and very overt sexiness and wantonness.
Chris Peluso’s Chris, I thought, was rather weak. Perhaps his character was not fully realised. What came out was a very dorkish man, who is too dramatic and not really know his mind. It was really hard to sympathise with him.
I thought Sangwoong Jo’s Thuy was more fanciable. Kim should have gone with him and not kill him but probably Kim is really after her own American Dream all along by way of Chris or any G.I.
Overall the stage effects, music, singing, dancing and acting were superb and standing ovations to the cast and crew were given by us the appreciative audience. We saw why it had won many awards and critical acclaim,
Miss Saigon is of course based on the consequences of the Vietnam war. Its theme was partly based on one of my favourite Puccini operas ever – the ‘Madame Butterfly’. I want to see next!.
I supposed it is because the precision and the amazing acrobatic talents of everyone especially the woman who played Odette, the princess, who was turned into a swan, was beyond ordinary human capabilities. She is so nimble and graceful in her tiptoes. So wonderfully pliant and boneless or double jointed. Just totally brilliant. I have never seen anything like it before, well actually in Chinese acrobatic performances and in Olympics gymnastics. So fantastic to have seen it even in youtube videos only. Apparently this particular video has been view 27M times and was first posted in 2008.
Peter absolutely adores Tudor music. I think he’s born on the wrong century. He should have been cavorting with courtesans, hunting and riding and jousting during the Tudor period and then attending music and dance recital at night at the court of Henry VIII.
I know where to look for Peter if he finds a time machine! 😉
He remembers a certain young man, David Munrow, who put his style to bringing back Tudor music. Unfortunately, David suffered from depression and took his life fairly early on before his career could really flourish. However, his 10 years in the music business was enough to bring Tudor music back into the 20th century.
Peter is on the hunt of David Munrow’s Henry VIII and his six wives’ music. I guess Amazon.co.uk is the best place to commence looking. What I do for my husband! 😉
I think Greensleeves, King Henry VIII own composition is beautiful. Very poignant, it reminds me of harvest time when palays are swaying teasingly and enticing maya birds in the field. No rice field and maya birds in England so oops I won’t be able to find Peter in old Blighty whilst I am pining in Marag, Philippines! LOL I did say the tune is poignant. I supposed like great love stories, we will be forever looking for one another but never the twain shall meet as in East and West! LOL My flu has gone to my brain. LOL
I think Miley is sexy and fun but it is time for her to put some clothes on. She’s made her point. We know now that she is the antithesis to her television persona, Hanna Montana.
Yes Miley has grown up into a really attractive and sexy girl. But it is really boring now to see her clothed next to nothing all the time! Being a rebel without a cause has been done to death! (Sorry, James Dean)
She has a lovely voice, she should focus on that, otherwise people will ignore the fact that she is a very versatile and talented girl and think only of a girl who was trying too hard and an irritant; overlooking her talent altogether!
This is now a case of when too much is just too much; please enough is enough! Calm down Miley!
