Sky Arts on Freeview

You really notice how shouty Les Mis is when it's done in concert form. Norm Lewis really made you want Javert to come out on top for once. Alfie even more dead behind the eyes than ever in this format.

The South Bank Awards will be broadcast at 8pm on Sunday 20 December. I don't want to give the game away, but a certain world-famous theatre is one of the winners. 😉 It's so good at what it does, it was actually competing against itself!

NTLive Twelfth Night on Dec 21st too!

NT - Twelfth Night 21/12 9pm
Jesus Christ Superstar Concert - 23/12 9pm
Phantom of the Opera @ RAH 24/12 9pm
Les Mis 25th Anniversary Concert 26/12 6.05pm
Miss Saigon 25th Anniversary Concert 26/12 9pm
CATS - Musical - 27/12 9pm
NT - Jane Eyre 28/112 9pm
The Wiz -Live! - 29/12 9pm
Billy Elliot - 30/12 9pm

Also, 30/12 - Fiddler: A Miracle of Miracles - Documentary exploring the legacy of Fiddler on the Roof 7pm

Freeview Channel 11 peggs

You may mock, but as I'm sure you're aware, BurlyBeaR, Betamax IS the superior technology. Just like vinyl, its time will come again. You won't be laughing then, will you? 😂

Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake is being shown on Boxing Day and Romeo & Juliet on New Year’s Day.

Just caught up on Miss Saigon - WOW! Loved the extra gala performances at the end (I did see it in the cinema, but it seems a long time ago now.) I was wrong in thinking it might not be as emotional on TV. I'm not in any rush to delete it just yet.

Does anyone else watching on Freeview have problems with the signal? Mine keeps struggling at times. I had to fast forward parts of Les Mis (when it was first shown). Phantom (first showing) and Saigon were mostly ok. I haven't yet watched JCS, but noticed the signal was going in it, so luckily found a repeat viewing, so hopefully between the two recordings I should be able to see most of it without too much trouble.

So, because of the hours I work(ed) and having the family,I don't see as many shows as I did when I was single, SKY ARTS coming to Freeview has been fabulous!

My husband and I watched MIS & Phantom a few weeks ago and thoroughly enjoyed them.

Over the past week or so we watched JCS, WOW! Loved everything about it, knocked the UK Arena tour into the bin!

FUNNY GIRL a couple of hours I won't get back! I loved Sheridan, what's not to love, but the lighting and filming were distracting to say the least!

We watched SAIGON this afternoon, this I did see on stage at the Edward and took my son, loved it then and loved it today! The extra finale was exquisite!

We're looking forward to BILLY ELLIOT in a couple of days, another one I missed live.

It's one of our "go to" channels now. We watched Portrait Artist of the Year, caught a Musical Theatre documentary series tucked away weekend mornings (stupid early) and various other bits and pieces.

All I can say is thank goodness being furloughed/redundant/unemployed didn't lead me back into watching Soap Operas! They were my downfall whenever I was between shows years ago!

*Runs back to my hidey hole, I'll join in again at some point!*

I thought it was a strange place to put the credits, and wondered if anyone wouldn't realise it hadn't actually finished! And the credits included the cast in the gala... who hadn't even been on yet! I liked the camerawork, I thought it was great how the flashback to the fall of Saigon appeared to be almost black and white.

Glad it's not just me having signal problems, hopefully they will be able to fix them at some point.

For anyone interested Sonia Friedman's production of Uncle Vanya starring Toby Jones is in BBC 4 tonight at 10pm

Given that I can't actually go anywhere- Tier 4 restrictions- I sat down for a night in of television.

First, The Repair Shop. Who doesn't love The Repair Shop.

Then I flicked over and caught the last half of the Fiddler documentary, then Billy Elliott live!

Well, what a disaster that decision was.

As previously stated, I had already seen this last year and tuned in just as Tevye's third daughter Chava decided to marry Fyedka and the repercussions of that decision.

Now, being of Mediterranean heritage, a lot of the themes of fiddler on the Roof resonate with me. Have seen the show on stage twice- once here in London and and once in Melbourne with Topol.

Also (not many of you will know this) but in a former life back in Austria I was in a semi-professional production that was seen by over 5000 people. I was the younger Papa- there's me kneeling in the bottom left hand corner of the photo holding a beer stein. One of the few times in my life that I've ever grown a beard.



Despite previously watching this documentary, watching the repercussions of Chava's decision being explained I couldn't help think of the Amish, who shun those who choose to leave.

Well that was enough to set this normally calm viewer off and (for some unexplained reason) there must have dust in mu eyes, because I could not sop the tears that kept on coming!

Than Billy Elliott. Billy Elliott was one go the first big West End shows I saw when I arrived in London.

I remember there was a production of Sunday in the Park with George at The Meinier Chocolate Factory will Ana Jane Casey before it transferred to the West End.

This was a must see. Not only is it a Sondhiem, but it's my favourite Sondheim and my favourite musical and- to the best of my knowledge- had up until that time never payed in Australia.

But when I saw Billy Elliott, it was so good that I (almost) cried!

I had seen the film and loved it however to see this adapted to stage and the fact that this little boy carried the whole show was remarkable and outstanding.

And although I have the DVD- watching it again last night, all this emotions came flooding back to me!

The choreography is outstanding and the juxtaposition in the storyline between the plight of the miners and this little boy's dream to dance was simply too much! Again, tears.

I particularly like Grandma's song where you see the men who have passed through her life; the plight of the father and the sheer bewilderment of the dad as this talented and spirited little boy is dancing around him.

I should really make it clear that whist I am an emotional person, crying at a stage show- especially a filmed version- is extremely out of character for me! Don't really know what came over me last night. Even as I type this I am welling- I'm blaming the virus!