Raindrops and roses & whiskers on kittens

At last the Saturday arrived when John and I got to see his Christmas present: The Sound of Music at the London Palladium.

Things didn't get off to a good start as when we arrived at Shoebury station, we discovered there were no trains and a bus service was in place to Leigh On Sea, but there was also no service between Barking and Upminster. The next bus wasn't going for another 30 minutes so we decided to drive all the way to Upminster, then get the train from there. It put us behind schedule by about 25 minutes but having reached Oxford Circus underground, the Palladium was literally a couple of hundred yards away. We walked into the first pub we saw (The Argyle Arms) for something to eat. That was the scrummiest fish, chips and mushy peas I've had in a long time! Once that had gone down, I shared John's chocolate fudge cake. Yum-my!

Anyway, on to the show....Unfortunately Connie Fisher, winner of the TV show 'How to solve a problem like Maria', was no more; the lead is now played by Summer Strallen who I have just learnt from the official website, used to be in Hollyoaks. Her opening night was on 5th March. However, she was more than competent, as were all the cast. Margaret Preece who played the Mother Abbess (the lead nun) was absolutely superb - her voice made the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. The set and scenery were very well done indeed and the whole production was very professional - what you would expect from Andrew Lloyd Webber. The only criticism I would make is that the second half was a bit short and perhaps the whole story was condensed a little too much.

A thoroughly good night despite the trains, the pouring rain and back ache. :)