Wednesday 12 June 2013

One 'Elle of a Time




It’s fun, it’s sharp, it’s pink - Legally Blonde the Musical has finally hit Melbourne! After a sensational run on Broadway in 2007, touring the UK and North America, the beloved and light-hearted production has come down under. Now showing at Melbourne’s own Princess Theatre, this is one show not to be missed.

As fans of the wildly popular 2001 Reese Witherspoon film adaptation know, the story follows Elle Woods, a perky but headstrong sorority girl from Malibu, California. After being dumped by her dreamy Prom King boyfriend Warner for not being ‘serious’ enough, Elle hits the books and manages to follow him to Harvard Law School, finding herself a little fish in a big Ivy League pond. Determined to prove she is more than a stereotypical dumb blonde, Elle enlists the help of her classmate Emmett (David Harris) to stay focused in class and her hair stylist Paulette (Helen Dallimore) for advice with everything else. Throughout the two acts we follow Elle take on a journey of self-discovery as she realises her true potential and earns the respect of her peers and colleagues – all while maintaining her perfectly accessorised style.


The lead is portrayed by Australian musical star Lucy Durack, best known for her role as Glinda the good witch in the iconic ‘Wicked’. This time she’s traded in her magic wand for a tiny Chihuahua named Bruiser, but wears every bit as much pink. Lucy brings an endearing and believable quality to the role, delivering lines with utmost sincerity and making us fall in love with her big heart and refusal to give up on her dreams. The entire cast fit together seamlessly, from Cameron Daddo as the smarmy, ruthless Professor Callahan, to Rob Mills as the Abercrombie model-esque Warner, and even the overly excitable and sassy sorority sisters.

Though only in a few scenes, Mike Snell steals the show as Kyle the sexy UPS guy with buns of steel and a high kick to match any professional Irish dancer. His charm (and signature line “I’ve got a package”) wins over not only the smitten Paulette, but also had the audience screaming with delight. David Harris’s portrayal of the raggedy but loveable Emmett also received great enthusiasm, especially after his transformation in “Take It Like A Man” – the makeover scene any good musical deserves.  Ali Calder (Vivienne Kensington) and Erika Heynatz (Brooke Wyndham) also give outstanding performances as two powerful, independent women, reiterating the overall sense of ‘girl power’.


With eight shows a week, the cast showed no signs of tiring and were full of life in every number. The opening scene is also particularly enthusiastic, opening with the song “Omigod You Guys”, taking place in the Delta Nu Sorority house. The girls all gather eagerly, excited to prep their Prom Queen for her pending engagement.

Perhaps the most impressive element in the show is the intense four-minute number “Whipped Into Shape”, a clip of Brooke’s extreme workout DVD involving singing, dancing and acting – all whilst jumping rope to the fast tempo of this fast tempo song. This high-energy sequence delivers Brooke’s message: “What does not kill us makes us hotter!” and leaves the audience in awe of their incredible fitness and six-packs.



I won’t spoil the ending for any who haven’t seen the film, but it’s definitely a satisfying one with a few final laughs and catchy song-style wrap up of the fates of these characters we've come to love. Instilling the message that it’s possible (and endearing) to be both a “Marilyn” and a “Jackie”, Elle serves as a positive role model for females everywhere and blokes are just as sure to enjoy the show. A true feel-good musical that will leave you singing the songs for days, this show conveys that being true to yourself never goes out of style.
It was, to quote the girls of Delta Nu, “all that and a side of fries”.

Legally Blonde the musical is now showing at the Princess Theatre, contact Ticketmaster on 1300 111 011 or online before it ends! The show runs for 2 hours 25 minutes with a 20 minute interval, the perfect time to pick up an Elle Woods-themed drink; a Pinktini cocktail. Go to a night time session to make the most of the exciting theatre atmosphere and feel like a real star as you get your photo taken on the pink carpet. Guaranteed a terrific night out for friends, family, law students, cheerleaders and everyone in between. Book now and don’t miss out!



*photos are not mine

Saturday 8 June 2013

Winter Wishlist ❄

If it were December I'd be sending this to Santa, but since we're only halfway through the year,
it looks like I'm just going to have to get these presents for myself.

1. A bright yellow coat. I've wanted one for years and always tell myself I'll get one for winter but still haven't found quite the perfect style. I love vibrant colours and yellow is my favourite, I think it would bring me some sunshine on those cold, gloomy days.






2. A Vitamix. These bad boys are pretty much the holy grail of high performance blenders. Early in the summer our blender broke, meaning I missed out on months of potential smoothie and juice creating. Now that my health is quite poor and my throat is especially suffering, a great bix giant mixing machine would be the easiest way to get in a big veggie fix and provide my body with nutrients in a fast and delicious way (plus then I could stop spending $5 a day on my spinach, grape and coconut water concoction). Unfortunately these come in at anywhere up to $995 a pop, but if I'm to get one I think I'll go for the cheaper versions found on Amazon. I know you can't put a price on health, but damn a girl's gotta spend her money wisely. I think I'll start a 'vitamix jar' fund much like my 'jonas jar' of 2008.




3. A camera! Sadly my good old trusty Canon IXUS broke (they tend to do that when you drop them repeatedly) some time last year and I've been relying on my grainy iPhone 4 camera since. It does the job okay, but my selfies really aren't what they could be. As I'm taking off overseas in less than a month (!!!), I'll need to be properly equipped with the tools to capture my adventure. I really loved the simplicity and quality of my old digital camera, so I plan on purchasing another one of those bad boys and maybe a lil something extra. I'd love to get a DSLR and take amazing photos on my travels, the only problem is I really don't know much about how to use them. Maybe someday I'll make the upgrade and get someone to show me the ropes, but for now I'm considering a mini Fuji Instax polaroid camera. I love the wallet-sized photos and the camera itself reminds me of those groovy i-zone cameras from the early 2000s. Did anyone have one of those? That, along with a girl-tech password journal, was at the very top of my childhood wish list. I think I want to get one in white and cover it in little stickers. Or maybe cover the photos in stickers. I take photography very seriously.


                    

                           





4. Books, books, and more books. It's officially Winter, which means hibernation is now socially acceptable. Honestly I like cold weather about as much as Severus Snape likes shampooing his hair (aka none) but I'm trying to make the most of it, which means embracing movie nights in fleece onesies, an endless stream of hot chocolates and curling up by the fireplace with a good book. By 'fireplace' I mean ducted heating vent and by 'curl up' I mean crouch over, because sadly I don't live in a Mary-Kate and Ashley movie. This means entertaining myself in other ways, such as cracking open a good book or two. While it being gross outside is the perfect opportunity to catch up with old friends on their tales of witchcraft and wizardry, so is three weeks of long flights, lying by the pool and enjoying some shade at the beach. I head off overseas in just over a month now, so I really need to get cracking on finding some good reads. Last time I think I read four books in the first week, whereas here I've been reading the same book every night since March. So far, these are what I'm looking at getting for hibernation season/my trip:
  1. The Yellow World by Albert Espinosa
  2. You Shall Know Our Velocity by Dave Eggers
  3. Before I go to Sleep by S. J. Watson
  4. Don't Worry, It Gets Worse by Alida Nugent
  5. The Bedwetter: Stories of Courage, Redemption and Pee by Sarah Silverman
  6. Girl Walks into a Bar: Comedy Calamities, Dating Disasters and a Midlife Miracle by Rachel Dratch
  7. Lies That Chelsea Handler Told Me by Chelsea Handler
  8. Man Up!: Tales of My Delusional Self-Confidence by Ross Matthews
  9. Adulting by Kelly Williams Brown
  10. The List by Siobhan Vivian
  11. This Is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith
  12. The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith
  13. White Girl Problems by Babe Walker
  14. Reshaping It All: Motivation for Physical and Spiritual Fitness by Candace Cameron (aka DJ on Full House... I might just be reading this in the hopes of finding out how to get her hair)
  15. MWF Seeking BFF: My Yearlong Search For a New Best Friend by Rachel Bertsche
  16. The Ultimate Harry Potter and Philosophy: Hogwarts for Muggles by William Irwin
  17. How They Met and Other Stories by David Levithan
  18. Everyday by David Levithan

 
 

5. Big delicious breakfasts all day everyday. This isn't so much a Winter thing, more just an excuse for me to look at food porn on Google images and talk about the love of my life - breakfast. Bircher muesli, granola, porridge, acai bowls - you name it. If it's got grains and some sort of yogurt or berries, I'm all over it. Since we're well and truly into the colder months now I'm transitioning into hearty cooked feasts that will get me out of my toasty bed and keep me full all day (or at least until brunch time). As of this time I will be on holidays after a long, hardworking semester of uni (I went two days a week and don't think I did any readings but still) cannot wait for my freedom. I have absolutely no problem spending days on end, eating my body weight in piping hot, delicious bowls of oatmeal, topped with goji berries, chia seeds and a nut butter of choice.

Now I will leave you with some mouth-watering bowls of goodness.

~`* explicit content *`~

((food porn))









                          



 If that didn't make you want to go and devour a great big bowl of bircher or perhaps some steel cut oats with millions of toppings, then you're a liar and we can't be friends.
Just kidding.
That means more for me.



Sunday 2 June 2013

Music Monday ♫

The days get shorter and the nights get cold.
I like the Autumn but this place is getting old.
I pack up my belongings and I head for the coast.
It might not be a lot but I feel like I'm making the most.

Lately, I've been feeling the powers of wanderlust stronger than ever. 
The weather has turned cold, the sun is hiding away and most of my friends have either jet off overseas or are currently planning to. It's Winter when I tend to get most nostalgic for the ghosts of travels past, spending hours pouring over old iPhoto holiday snaps and counting down until my next adventure.
Right now the count currently stands at 33 days, so I'm starting to get pretty excited. My new passport is on its way at this very moment and though I know the photo will be just as horrendous, I can't wait. My heart is aching to be back in the Northern hempishere, on the sunny shores with the heat warming my skin.

To get me through the long weeks ahead, I've comprised a little playlist that allows my mind to wander with the lyrics and take me to another land, far from swotvac and looming exams. These are some of the songs frequenting my speakers at the moment:


James Taylor's 'Mexico' is another favourite of mine. I love listening to music about places I've actually been, because I end up with a beautiful mix of their lyrics and my own memories, swirled around in my head. Contrastingly, songs about places I'm yet to visit allow my imagination to run wild with possibility and excitement for future trips and experiences. 

If you could travel anywhere, where would you go?