Singin' in the Rain

I was first introduced to the film, 'Singin' in the Rain' by my best friend about ten years ago. She lent me her DVD, I watched it and then proceeded to dance down the road with ecstatic joy, much to my sister's horror! I had seen musicals before - I was raised on Disney classics, so was used to people bursting into song over a trip to the park or a new dress. But this 1952 film, I'm sure, could make even the grumpiest person smile. The wonderful songs and dances are so uplifting and the whole film is so colourful.

To say I am a fan of Gene Kelly would be an understatement. I adore him and all of his films. His and Donald O'Connor's dance numbers in the film are phenomenal. Watching this film all those years ago has made me a woman possessed! It opened my eyes to a whole era of films, music and fashion that I have now made it a mission to fill my life with. The 50s in particular, when Singin in the Rain was made, is my favourite era for fashion, films and music.

I was lucky enough to be taken to see the wonderful MGM film adapted for the stage in the Palace Theatre in London. We sat in the third row, so had a spectacular view of the stage and got very wet during the famous sequence in the rain!

It was a beautiful production. It varied from the film in certain places, which, as a fan of the film, I was unsure about to begin with. However, it worked well on stage and meant that there were still surprises for people who knew the film by heart, like myself.

The colour pallet was unexpected: I imagined it would be like the film but the set and the costumes were dark greys and subtle colours, like a back and white film or a stormy sky. The only colours that punctuated the monochrome setting were bright rainbow colours of the jazz age in the Broadway Melody number near the end.

The character, Cathy was dressed mainly in wonderful floaty pastel blues and pinks for the majority of the show, like the clouds when the sun sets. Her dresses were often embellished with gems so she shimmered when she danced. It was a wonderful touch that made her character really stand out.

The show was breathtaking from start to finish.

Image from: http://londondance.com/articles/reviews/singin-in-the-rain-at-the-palace-theatre-1/

 

Today I went to an old friend’s house as she was hosting an open studios event for the Artwave festival. She has many lovely barns and out buildings, which were filled with artists and their work today. I was so pleased to see my friend again that I forgot to take pictures or make a note of the artists names, so I can’t go into detail about all of the work I saw. (I am sure I won’t forget to do this once I get more used to blogging!)

One artist whose name I did get was Lydia Crook. She works primarily with paper and the work she had on display today was reminiscent of Robert Ryan’s work – very delicate paper cut outs with intricate writing. I bought two of her greetings cards with prints of her work on. My favourite was the matchbox image so I’ll be putting that in a frame! It is lovely and simple and cheerful. 

 Hello world! I am finally starting a blog! As someone who normally prefers using a typewriter to a computer, I have been putting off joining the modern world of technology, but here I am!

Here's a bit about me: I am currently studying animation at London College of Communication and aspire to be a stop motion animator. I'd love to work on children's animations and feature films. I am especially fond of old children’s programs such as Huxley Pig and Old Bear and all of the Wallace and Gromit films, along with Tim Burton and Ray Harryhausen.

A few words to sum me up: cats, vintage, dresses and cakes! In this blog I will talk more about things that enthuse me. I will try not to get too carried away boring you with details of my cats, but the odd cute picture may slip through.

I will probably focus mainly on animation, but so many things other than animation inspire me. I am a collector – I collect all sorts of things, from vintage dresses to old envelopes. Anything with character and a story behind it gets me excited! So I’ll tell you all about it here.

Enjoy!