WAKE UP SEPTEMBER IS OVER

Summer, Uni, Why I’m Dead and Am I Cursed?

It has been longer than I had hoped since my last post but I’m here now! The length of this post should make up for it. I started writing part of this post back in May lol, so this is about 3 blogs glued together because I’ve been super busy at uni. It’s weird that last time I was writing a blog I was partly in Canada and partly at home. I had the busiest summer I’ve ever had, although it was also my longest it went the quickest but it was the bestest ever. As I looked back on all the fun I had I noticed that I went to one show in London ever month of summer. So here’s the first part of this blog.

Show, show, show me more

A show a month keeps the heteros away

(Disclaimer: Summer actually starts in June and ends in September but I feel like May is more summery than September, but either way both months are in this)

So in May for my 18th birthday present my best friend Callum got me tickets for the musical ‘Kinky Boots’ which was completely amazing and defo one of my favourite if not favourite show I’ve seen live. The main character Lola was played by Arun Blair, who was the understudy, but me and Cal had no idea until after the show when we saw on twitter. It’s crazy that Arun was only an understudy?!? Like h o w? The show is about a drag queen who meets a shoe maker whose business is about to close so they join forces and make kinky boots!!

Then in June I saw In The Heights with my amazing group of friends (shout out MEETH CC love you guys) which was like a hiphop musical set in a Latino neighbourhood in New York. This show also had serval understudies who all did well expect one girl’s American accent was slightly weak but her acting was amaze. I really did love the characters in that show but Camila played by Josie Benson was my complete fav and her singing 'Enough' entirely stole the show for me, just incredible. I am also going to see the closing night of this show in January so will let you know how an almost completely different cast compares.

In case you were unsure the next month is July, in which I saw Mamma Mia which was part of a very belated birthday trip to London for mine and Eva’s birthdays. We chose this musical because we WANTED to singalong and girl did we singalong, I was surprised at how many people didn’t know the words, there’s too many fake fans in this world. My absolute fav song from that musical is ‘The Winner Takes It All’ so maybe my expectations were too high for this song bc no one can do it like Meryl so was lowkey disappointed with that song but it was still great. My favourite song that was PERFORMED was Tanya singing ‘Does Your Mother Know’ the chorography was fabulous and hilarious. (Ironically Sky was played by another understudy who was amazing but just funny I saw another understudy)

Next came The Bodyguard which surprisingly I saw in August with my Nan. She wanted to see Jersey Boys so I managed to persuade her to see this Whitney Huston homage spectacular. That woman really does have some iconic songs, I was living and they were performed brilliantly by the role Rachel Marron played by ANOTHER FUCKING UNDERSTUDY Carole Stennett, she was amazing but I was really hoping to see Bervely Knight who is a god but Carole was insane so I can’t complain. Rachel’s sister, Nicki Marron was played by Rachel John who was probably my fav of the night, her vocals were just insane. The story is so moving and amazing also, another fab night.

Finally, September which after my first day of my course at uni we went to see Doctor Faustus, which was so awesome to see because it was a play and I really don’t see enough plays. Also Anita Rani was sat in front of me for the show which was cool and I was planning on talking to her in the interval but there wasn’t an interval because it was a play not a musical, ironic. (Often musicals have intervals and plays don’t but that’s defo not always the case, lowkey made this ‘fact’ up) It was in the Barbican which is a huge and amazing venue I just loved it in there. The story was slightly confusing but the acting was amazing, the set and costumes. I don’t want to ruin it for anyone who hasn’t seen it but has the seven sins scene was my fav and if you’ve seen it you’ll know why, so good. I tweeted that this about the show, ‘Like crazy WOW, mad, loved it’ which The RSC retweeted;)

Overall I would recommend all of them like if you can see them all because hand on heart loved all five of them, all so brilliant in their own ways. But if I had to only recommend one it would be Kinky Boots which everyone in the world should see, so uplifting, inspiring and just a fab, touching, hilarious story with the best message. But I am also worried I am cursed after the amount of understudies I saw, also the previous major two shows I was in we had understudies. The first was my final show at college which was called Crossing The Line about the Stonewall Riots in 1969 which I performed at the end of May. We did three performances and in the first show the lovely Shannon seriously damaged her ankle and had to go to A&E but came in the next day but physically couldn’t do the next show so Ellie had to step in last minute and learn her part, luckily Shannon returned to her role for the final show but both of them were amazing and professional. Then the next show I was in with my old theatre company, Dorchester Youth Theatre, we did a play called Girls Like That in which the day of the show the ever so gorgeous Georgia fell seriously ill and again physically couldn’t do the show. Am I cursed????????????? If so sorry to the westend for fucking up your leads and sorry Shannon and Georgia!! Maybe I should quit showbiz before it’s too late!

I am currently at university (this is not a drill)

Uni has been overall amazing, I am 100% glad I came and defo made the right decision. Of course I miss my fam and friends so much, like so much. But I have met so many fab people and some really great friends already. I am also really missing TV, like really, didn’t think I would miss it as much as I do. But the course is going well too and all the teachers seem awesome, which is really important. Teachers can really make or break a class, I don’t think people realise how much of an effect the teachers make on your uni experience. Everything has been nonstop though like seriously, on my first week we did a performance and two short films. So on top of being in uni 9 to 5 most days I was also (and lowkey still am) going out every night till like 2/3am. I also felt for a long time I was still in Canadas time zone as I wasn’t getting back in a normal sleep pattern or routine. But now our timetables are forming into a regular pattern and I’m getting used to the fact I’m here it’s really great.

My 5 top tips/facts/things I’ve learnt

1. I’m doing a degree but I still don’t know the alphabet.

2. Juice is a luxury.

3. Shop around. The exact same Hovis loaf of bread that I get is different prices in different supermarkets, prices listed below;

Sainsbury - £1

Waitrose - 85p

Lidl - 75p

4. Everyone says it, but everyone is in the same boat and it’s all a journey, an adventure and yes scary but so fun.

5. Live off pasta.

Finally – NO1SOTP

I was meant to put this in my first blog but with every blog I’m gonna put a NO1BSOTP (No1Blog Song Of The Post, if anyone can think of a better name for this please hit me up) it might be 1 song or 2 maybe even 10, maybe a song to sum up the blog or a new song I currently love. So my song for my previous blog was ‘Good Summer’ by Kate Nash which was featured in the promo video for this blog, it was also one of my summer songs and the first song Kate had released for like 3 years and I just love it. I’ve chosen two songs for this post, the first ‘Wake Me Up When September Ends’ by Green Day for obvious reasons. The second is ‘Perfect Illusion’ by Lady Gaga because it’s amazing and her first pop song for 3 years and if you haven’t heard it you need to.

That’s it I think, hopefully my next blog will be this month and not this long, fml, thanks for reading, till next time, stay fab

Harry xo

Kate Nash - Good Summer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DO8-2kU6Yms

Green Day - Wake Me Up When September Ends https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NU9JoFKlaZ0

Lady Gaga - Perfect Illusion https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xn599R0ZBwg