Blog post

WC FEBRUARY 17.

Monday began with a talk at the Brading St Mary’s church hall and it all worked out so well and I am being asked back – which is always a good sign. As ever, met some old friends and made a few new ones.

On Thursday Dick Taylor, who was in the original Rolling Stones line-up and later the Pretty Things, popped into my home to record an interview to talk about his long career in music and the new amazing box set of the Pretty Things, which contains 11 original studio albums, 2 bonus CDs with lots of new tracks, 2 DVDs, a 100 page book, a family tree and details of their court case with EMI. He was in fine form.

Later that night I went to Shanklin Theatre to see the Origins Theatre Company’s follow up to last years’ award-winning production of The Hollow. This was always going to be such a hard act to follow – and so it proved. Appointment With Death was just not in the same class of their previous play and fell short in several different aspects of the production.

I enjoyed one of the funniest nights I have had on the Island for some time when I went to the Red Tie production of Murder Most Funny at the Apollo, Newport, on Friday night. Terrific local humour and just fun from start to finish. Great improvisation, too. A marvellous night out!. It ends on Saturday night.

Island pantomimes do have a long season. I saw my first last November and my final one on Saturday afternoon when I sent to Newchurch to watch Snow White. I didn’t let on it was my birthday! It was a fun afternoon and there were some very enjoyable moments but the age gap between the Prince, played by Ros White, a long serving talented Newchurch performer, and Snow White, Lisa Hopwood, was just too much and a little confusing for today’s youngsters. Couldn’t they find a young male Prince from the area? It would have made it look a lot more realistic. I’m sure they must have tried.