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Looking For a Panto Treat? – Head to Hackney Empire
Hackney Empire pantos are renowned for being one of the best on offer each year. ‘Oh, no they’re not’ – Oh yes they most definitely are!
And while taking my two (nearly three!) year old daughter to her first pantomime, I couldn’t have wished for a better introduction to the theatre.
This year the east London theatre welcomed Joanna Riding to star in Dick Whittington and his Cat. The show was full of laughs, especially with Steve Elias in the role of the panto dame and Tony Whittle as Alderman Fitzgerald – they were the perfect comedy duo – and while my daughter definitely did not warm to the King Rat played by Kat B, he was also hilarious; playing up to the audience’s boos and hisses.
I must admit, even I was scared when a giant gorilla/king kong type character clambered on stage using some sort of puppetry/stilt walkers inside (although I still haven’t quite got my head round how they did that!), but my little one took it fairly well and didn’t bat an eyelid.
Vocally it was Dick Whittington’s love interest Alexia Khadime who stole the show alongside Elias who could more than hold a note or two.
All in all a great show and what better excuse to support your local theatre? Go check it out.
www.hackneyempire.co.uk
Hips don’t lie…
Don’t worry, I’m not about to launch into a rant about the effect pregnancy has on your figure or discuss ‘birthing hips’! Instead this week I had the great opportunity to catch new Cuban dance production Ballet Revolución.
When an invitation dropped into my mailbox, it didn’t take long for me to decide my response – hot, bare-chested dancers flexing their toned limbs to the sounds of Ricky Martin and Shakira? – count me in!
The Sadler’s Wells production running at London’s Peacock Theatre is fairly far removed from any typical night at the ballet, but not completely, as these dancers clearly have the skills to compete with any top ballet company. And instead of pirouettes, tutus and scrapped back buns, it was more a case of pirouettes, hip thrusts, hotpants and dreadlocks to a soundtrack of Ricky Martin’s She Bangs and Shakira’s Hips Don’t Lie, not to mention some more recent hits such as Chris Brown’s Yeah 3x and Beyonce’s If I Were a Boy, performed by a talented live band.
The tempo of the production continued to pick up pace throughout the performance brilliantly showcasing the mix of ballet, contemporary and hip hop. By the end of the night, it was hard not to want to join in and shake a hip or two.
At the Peacock Theatre, London until May 19 – definitely worth booking a ticket!
City Farming in Vauxhall
IT may seem that normal life has been put on hold at the moment.
But when you’re a mum, you still have kids who want to go out to experience new things and explore.
After six months behind closed doors, options may seem limited, but it’s always good to have a look at things which take you outdoors while allowing you and the little ones to stay safe.
We recently enjoyed a trip to Vauxhall City Farm and I was impressed by the measures being taken to ensure social distancing and general post lockdown safety.
The space is small but perfectly formed and the kids absolutely loved the chance to feed the animals. I thought we would be in and out in ten minutes, but I simply could not drag both my three and ten-year-old away.
Entry to the site is free with a voluntary donation and food for the animals is just £1 a bag.
The kids also loved the chance to walk around the farm’s community garden following our own recent endeavours into growing fruit and veg at home.
Staff are constantly communicating to ensure there are only a certain number of visitors inside the farm at any one time, which means that entry numbers are limited and queues can form when busy.
There are also lots of handwashing stations and a one-way system in place to help with social distancing.
New year, new me? Nah, but here’s a review on the new Boots Good Gut range!
I WOULDN’T say I’ve subscribed to the whole ‘new year, new me’ mentality, I’m just working on being even better than usual!
Jokes aside, I’ve been trying out the new Boots Good Gut range which put simply helps to create a ‘healthy gut environment’.
There’s something for everyone in the range – my nine-year-old daughter has happily been taking the Live Bacteria for Kids edition which comes in a chewable strawberry flavoured tablet. And with an added vitamin C boost it’s also good for the immune system (you know these kids pick up everything going at school).
Meanwhile I’m sold on the Live Friendly Bacteria with Skin & Hair Support which comes in a handy size tablet. I’m not great with taking tablets, but I found the size of this one reasonable and not unnecessarily huge like some supplements.
Another plus is that the range is vegan and does not have to be kept in the fridge. So basically, smiles all round #winning.