Wicked was wicked!
Posted by: oanajinga on: November 10, 2011
A few days ago I wrote about Phantom of the Opera and my “musical” going experience, one which was not as thrilling and rewarding as I thought it would be. So yesterday I decided to give the blockbuster shows another chance and went to see Wicked. For those who don’t know anything about the story, here’s a short synopsis:
When Dorothy famously triumphed over the Wicked Witch, we only ever heard one side of the story. Gregory Maguire’s acclaimed 1995 novel, Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, re-imagined the land of Oz, creating a parallel universe to the familiar story written by L. Frank Baum and first published as The Wonderful Wizard of Oz in 1900. WICKED tells the incredible untold story of an unlikely but profound friendship between two girls who first meet as sorcery students at Shiz University: the blonde and very popular Glinda and a misunderstood green girl, Elphaba.
Following an encounter with The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, their friendship reaches a crossroads and their lives take very different paths. Glinda’s unflinching desire for popularity sees her seduced by power while Elphaba’s determination to remain true to herself, and to those around her, will have unexpected and shocking consequences for her future. Their extraordinary adventures in Oz will ultimately see them fulfil their destinies as Glinda The Good and the Wicked Witch of the West.
From the beginning one expects to enter a fairytale land with spells and charms, witches and fairies and the Apollo Theatre in Victoria was perfectly decorated for it (all green, doh!). I like to be impressed from the first moment I enter an auditorium and the big dragon above the stage as well as the emerald glittering stones on the curtains worked just fine. I must mention that after the Phantom experience we went for a 2pm show instead of the eternally sold out evening performances so the venue was decently filled. Also, compared to the city centre theatres, the Apollo is huuuge so there was plenty of space to breathe and enjoy the show. It obviously didn’t offer the “cosy-ness” the old venues do, but the spectacle is so big and bright that the audience might feel claustrophobic in a smaller place. And since I mentioned audiences, this time there were no noisy, annoying tourists and I actually enjoyed the amazement in the voices of all the school kids around. Also, due to the openness of the venue, it was very easy to forget about the people around and be part of the story on stage.
The show was absolutely brilliant! Honestly, I loved being a kid again and just enjoy the fairytale. Also, it had some nice, intelligent jokes and references included. I really didn’t mind the flashiness and the “in your face” factor this time as I was expecting it from what the show presented itself to be. I guess, from my perspective it really depends on the story for a stage musical to work… Phantom was too much of a “drama” and all the stage tricks and shiny costumes covered the sadness and tragedy of the story which are so much better in the film.
Britain in a day!
Posted by: oanajinga on: November 3, 2011
After the amazing Life in a Day, Britain is having it’s own 24h coverage:
It would be so amazing if more countries would join and make their own versions leading to some brilliant tourism spots. What can be more “authentic” than life in a place as lived by its people? No branding agencies, no fancy commercials, just daily habits and adventures.
“Film anything, but make it personal!”
I’ll definitely join in on the 12th of November for Britain…
Phantom of the Opera – experiencing popular culture?
Posted by: oanajinga on: November 3, 2011
I have been struggling to finish this post for 2 weeks now and I had a billion things to cover in it, but WordPress suddenly decided I forgot about it and it magically vanished from my saved posts. As I can’t possibly rewrite everything, I’ll just go to the point:
A few weeks ago I went to see the famous Phantom of the Opera. I chose it because it’s everybody’s “must-see” musical in London and people come from all over the world for it. It was a nice experience though flashy, shiny, sparkling in your face type of message with a stunning setting which constantly transformed the stage. I hated the number of toursits (more than 90%) who had packed noodles during the interval, the ladies who sang all the songs with the performers and ruined it for me, the very expensive ticket and the simplicity of the plot. So, keeping in mind the “institution” (the musical has been playing in the same theatre for 25years, everyday and it is known as Andrew Lloyd Weber’s masterpiece), to audience (noisy, curious and annoying bunch of people) to the show itself, here are some of the questions I was trying to answer in the long post:
1. How do musicals end up representing a city? What makes them landmarks of London?
2. Are musicals really good examples of pop culture?
3. Is it the music factor (quite pop songs) that makes them more accesible? (compared to theatre and opera)
I’m not going to try to answer all of these again but as a Creative Industries student, I thought they would be a good start for some debates…
Any comments would be really appreciated!
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Sleeping Beauty – or Beauties?
Posted by: oanajinga on: October 13, 2011
At the christening of a long-wished-for princess, fairies invited as godmothers offer gifts: beauty, wit, and musical talent. However, as her gift, a wicked fairy who was overlooked, places the princess under an enchantment, saying that, on reaching adulthood, she will prick her finger on the spindle of the Spinning Wheel of Death and die. However, one last fairy has yet to give her gift. She partially reverses the wicked fairy’s curse, proclaiming that the princess will instead fall into a deep sleep for 100 years.
The king forbade spinning on distaff or spindle, or the possession of one, upon pain of death, throughout the kingdom, but all in vain. When the princess was fifteen or sixteen she chanced to come upon an old woman, who was really the wicked fairy in disguise, in a tower of the castle, who was spinning. The princess asked to try the unfamiliar task and the inevitable happened. The wicked fairy’s curse was fulfilled. The good fairy returned and put everyone in the castle to sleep. A forest of briars sprang up around the castle, shielding it from the outside world: no one could try to penetrate it without facing certain death in the thorns.
After a hundred years had passed, a prince who had heard the story of the enchantment braved the wood, which parted at his approach, and entered the castle. He trembled upon seeing the princess’s beauty and fell on his knees before her. He kissed her, then she woke up, then everyone in the castle woke to continue where they had left off, and they all lived happily ever after.
A beautiful fairytale that inspired 2 films which are to be released soon:
The French version:
or the Australian version…
Stories of my summer
Posted by: oanajinga on: October 11, 2011
Summer holidays are usually the time I manage to catch up with my huge fantasy reading list, one that I permanently, passionately though quite hopelessly update during the year on Goodreads. Due to my addiction to stories and storytelling, I spend every available minute in books while travelling or before bed, but nothing compares to the long hours away from reality on a hot (or not) summer day. So… after finishing my degree this year and locking away all media related readings, I went to the closest Waterstones and spent a fortune on pretty volumes (no, I don’t do Kindle!). Obviously things didn’t go as planned and I ended up having a very, very busy summer, but still, here are two titles which I simply couldn’t put down until I reached their very last word.
First of all, if you didn’t hear about The Hunger Games then it’s high time you did as people say they’re the new Harry Potter/Twilight out there. I was first introduced to the title by a fellow actress while playing the role of the sacrificed Athenians in We Are the Minotaur. She’s American, in her 30s and they way she described it was: “it’s the most intense, sick story of kill or be killed in a post-apocalyptic society, just that with teenagers… and it’s better than JK Rowling”. As an ex-reality media student and since we were playing a role similar to the one of the main character of The Hunger Games, this obviously got my attention:
Suzanne Collins, the author, says that the idea for The Hunger Games came to her one day when she was channel-surfing, and the lines between a reality show competition and war coverage “began to blur in this very unsettling way.” She also cites the Greek myth of Theseus, in which the city of Athens was forced to send young men and women to Crete to be devoured by the Minotaur, as inspiration for the nation of Panem; she explains, “Crete was sending a very clear message: ‘Mess with us and we’ll do something worse than kill you. We’ll kill your children.”
Bought it and couldn’t put it down… I’m not saying this is some sort of exquisite novel with complicated language and billions of hidden symbols and metaphors, but it’s definitely a unique story. Very easy to read, fast paced and also emotional overall, once read and digested it can lead to different discussions on today’s society and where we’re heading. If you’re not a keen reader, then maybe you’ll be tempted by the film due to be release in April 2012 and staring A-listers such as Jennifer Lawrence (aka nominated for an Oscar last year – Winter’s Bone) or Woody Harrelson (which I will see in person next Sunday at the London Film Festival!!!!).
Another absolutely brilliant title is The Night Circus:
A strange beast, creakily plotted but boasting a fabulously intricate mise en scène. At its centre is the appropriately named Le Cirque de Rêves, a dreamlike travelling circus in the latter part of a baggily imagined 19th century. It arrives without warning in fields around the world, opening its gates between the hours of dusk and dawn. Once inside this monochromatic world, audiences might watch a tattooed contortionist fold herself into a tiny glass box, feast on chocolate mice and caramel popcorn, or wander through a sequence of tents that includes an ice garden, a desert and a maze constructed from towering clouds. (more in the Guardian)
I picked it from a pile in the bookshop because it had the word “circus” in the title. Personally I am beyond fascinated with anything that goes deep inside this misterious world and The Night Circus surely does not disappoint! The best thing about this story is the amazing images it creates in one’s imagination. If you’re a visualizer, like myself, then you will simply be blown away by this fantastic scenery created by Erin Morgenstern (a name to watch out for as this is just the debut novel!!!). Also, I must admit that the book cover is probably one of the most beautiful I’ve seen in a few years and I simply couldn’t resist the temptation to know more of what’s inside it.
What I don’t get is why people keep comparing it (as well) with Harry Potter… nowadays any book mentioning magic is automatically inspired by Hogwarts? No! It has nothing to do with it. In my opinion JK’s books were focus so much more on the plot and characters and through them was the fantasy world created, while in The Night Circus it is the senses that are inundated with details, allowing the reader to sink deeper and deeper into the imagination.
PR Stunts reloaded
Posted by: oanajinga on: October 1, 2011
- In: PR
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One of the highest levels of creativity in PR is definitely reached when putting together amazing stunts. Long ago their aim was obviously to grab the attention of the media, but with the internet (and Youtube, doh!) more and more are being planned so as to assure they go viral. I already dedicated a few posts to brilliant stunts I found online (here and here), but as I was watching the already famous Carlsberg Bikers cinema stunt I found this video:
Top 10 PR stunts in 2009 by trendhunter.com
Don’t judge, but my favourite was Paris Hilton’s 
Film censorship in the UK
Posted by: oanajinga on: September 30, 2011
- In: Film
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I found the link to this documentary last night on the FB page of my MA and I was really amazed. It’s aim is to:
Lift the lid on the world of cinema censorship, offering unique access to the files of the British Board of Film Classification. Featuring explicit and detailed exchanges between the censor and film-makers, ‘Dear Censor’ casts a wry eye over some of the most infamous cases in the history of the board.
From the now seemingly innocuous Rebel Without a Cause, the first ‘naturist’ films and the infamous works of Ken Russell, and up to Rambo III, this frank and surprisingly warm documentary demonstrates how a body created by the industry to safeguard standards and reflect shifts in public opinion has also worked unexpectedly closely with the film-makers themselves to ensure that their work was able reach an audience. (BBC)
What really got to me was not the correspondence between filmmaker and censor and the battle of the first to keep his film in one piece, to send the desired message, but the extreme shots in all the cut scenes. For exemple skip to minute 27 and watch little pieces of The Devils… I wonder what the reaction of the viewer would’ve been if the film was left intact and allowed in public cinemas (especially in 1971!!!).
Do censors have the right to change the content of art in order to make it more “moral”? Can art be immoral? Or is it just a matter of knowledge and training of the viewer?
Like this:
Next chapter…
Posted by: oanajinga on: September 30, 2011
It’s been a few months since my last post and so many things have changed. First of all, I officially graduated from Birmingham City Uni with a BA in Media and Communication, I got a Certificate in Performance Acting, been through some amazing Summer Schools, had a brilliant holiday across Europe, acted on stage in front of hundreds of people, met some truly inspiring people and last but not least, moved to London to start my MA at King’s College (in Cultural and Creative Industries - I can explain what it stands for in case you’re wondering).
So… it’s back to business as I finally settled down and things are starting to fall into place. I have a huge lists of ideas for posts as well as many drafts with recommendations, a bit of criticism, stories and loads of photos.
Stay tuned
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SPIN 2.0 – It’s PR but with a hashtag
Posted by: oanajinga on: May 12, 2011
- In: PR
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To end the academic year in style (for some of us being the last one as undergrads… sniff), Birmingham City University’s PR students are working hard to organise SPIN 2.0, a half day conference covering current issues in the PR industry.
The date is the 26th of May, the place is City North Campus and the time is 1-5pm!
We’ll have great food and wine, a nice and cozy venue, free parking and goodiebags…. if none of these convinced you to put it down in your planner, maybe the amazing professionals, incredibly smart student-presenters or just the perfect networking opportunities will
More details on the actual themes of the presentations to come! Stay tuned and let me know if you are interested in joining us on the day!
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