Jonathon Wardman

Stephen Ward The Musical

It may have recently closed on London’s West End, but I’ve just caught up with Andrew Lloyd Webber’s newest musical, Stephen Ward The Musical. At least the music. Having been to see the closing throws of Tim Rice’s version of From Here to Eternity recently, and having been quite impressed, I was hoping for much more from the Stephen Ward soundtrack.

I’ve listened through the musical a few times now on my daily cycle and just can’t get past how it sounds very much much like Lloyd Webber’s 1979 musical Tell Me on a Sunday. While this in itself is not necessarily a bad thing it does make what should be a fresh new piece feel tired and, at least as a stand-alone soundtrack, remarkably dated. While I appreciate that the subject of the show — the Profumo affair — happened at the start of the 1960s, and that the writers may well have been trying to reflect that in the sound of the musical numbers, at a time when musicals such as The Book of Mormon are commanding upwards of £150 for premium West End seats and selling out months in advance, Lloyd Webber’s score sounds as if it is aimed at audiences from another time. [read more]

Aldershot Live Music Day

Last weekend saw Aldershot Live Music Day — an event held across three stages in the town centre showcasing a range of live artists and bands. As I didn’t have anything else on this weekend I decided to take my camera out and have a look.

I have added a full straight colour edit of my photos to my gallery, but thought I’d also produce some more ‘rocky’ style black and white images. [read more]

ISTA High School Festival, Calderdale, 2010

So that’s it, it’s all over. It’s been hard work, but great fun. I’ve met a great bunch of people, and never seen such a dedicated group of young people working towards a common goal before. If anyone feels the need to do down young people I’d invite them to spend the week at one of the ISTA festivals and then re-evaluate their opinion.

I did discover one thing though – I’m no good at networking. This causes something of a problem in my industry.

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Tooo long again, but here is another update!

Ooops, its been a bit too long…I’ve had quite a lot on, and I just sort of have forgotten (I have not done any diaries actually – even the one for the project that I am doing has been left…while I have been working on the thing :-\ lol.
Anyway, hmm, well its the holidays this week (half term), but I haven’t really stopped.  Tomorrow is about the only day that I haven’t got anything really to do, so I’m going to use it to rest and I think change my bed and some college work.  Probably just sleep. [read more]

and to catch up…

Ahhh then, what has happend since last time…lets see…

Last Wednesday I had a dentist appointment (which I know I mentioned), and I went, and it was alright – my mum rang ahead and they said there was just one form to sign and that was it.  That wasn’t quite true.  There was a form that I had to fill in about my education, and one about my teeth and dental history (and health in general – allergies, etc.).  So I did that, but I didn’t know when I last went to the dentist (which was one of the questions), so I left it – pretended that I hadn’t seen it, and thought that it wouldn’t matter anyway…so as I sat there in the dentists chair (looking up at an areal photo he has of the town on the ceiling), and I saw him reach for the form, have a glance though it and then he asked me when I last saw a dentist.  It was typical – the one thing that I didn’t know so missed off he thought was the most important thing on the form, lol.  I had to admit that I didn’t know, so he must have known I missed it off on purpose (oh well…). [read more]