Most of us all know the story of the Nativity; for many, it's a staple of Christmastime in Britain, along with mince pies, selection boxes, Wizzard and tinsel. We've all known the thrill of being picked to play Mary or Joseph, and the crushing disappointment – or relief! – of being the tree, or one of a whole flock of sheep.
Andrew Scott seems very much the man of the moment, both on screen and on stage. Before he was the Hot Priest in Fleabag, he was the unnervingly charming-yet-sinister Moriarty in Sherlock. You may also have spotted him in Black Mirror, Pride and His Dark Materials. But enough of me listing his filmography; I'm not IMDB.
Since moving to Southampton a decade ago, the city has continually impressed me and seems to have come on leaps and bounds in terms of its cultural offerings. Now, another jewel has been added to our city's treasures.
One of my favourite things to discover is the origin of a word or phrase we use every day.
No, you’re not mistaken; I have actually published a blog post - for the first time in a while! It’s been two months since I did my last Monthly Muses post. I’ll give you the usual excuse; life has been busy. No, I mean it. It's been really, really busy.
This month I had the absolute joy of being invited to run two workshops for the Mayflower Young Writers on how to write theatre reviews.
Nothing says 'poetry is for everyone' more than having a world-class showcase of the word form right on your doorstep. Here in Hampshire we have the wonderful Winchester Poetry Festival, which does just that.
Autumn has well and truly arrived. The rain has been almost relentless over the last week, the skies are perpetually grey, and all of a sudden the pavements are darker and damper and coated in leaves.
Last weekend I had four shows in a row; this means four late nights, four ways of saying a show was good (or bad!), and four more programmes to add to my collection. It was intense, and tiring, but so, so worth it!
It's incredible how one woman on a bar stool can captivate an audience for almost two hours solid with just pure and simple storytelling, no props and minimal sound effects. It's a testament to Waller-Bridge's performance, which has the audience in limbo somewhere between heartbreak and hilarity.
