Saturday 28 September 2013

THE LIGHT PRINCESS AND JENNA ZOE

Last night I tasted the most delicious cake made from Polenta, lemon cake at The National Theatre.

I was going to The Light Princess by the talented and award winning Tori Amos, with lyrics and writing by the experienced Samuel Adamson, the music by Tori and Martin Lowe with arrangements by John Phillip Shanale. Directed by Marriane Elliott.  It was in its early days. There are so many people involved with this production that to point a finger in any direction, would not be correct.  So much work has gone into this production, and you can see it. Effort does not equal success, genius does.  Based on a Victorian Fairy Tale.  I was so thrilled to get tickets, and  I entered the theatre like the little girls who had dressed up with fairy wings. I rejected seeing Diana in favour of this, and suffered a public row with my friend who said that I should have gone and supported the Tunnel Princess instead.
I was  disappointed, except with the scenery and mastery and direction of the puppets by Toby Olie, which made up for everything.
Musicals are so tricky, they need many songs and musical panache, most of which you throw away and start again, until you find the hits that keep the whole thing moving.
I dislike the political correctness of the play, and the little girl, in front of me was wriggling and bored.This did not help.  Of course she won't be able to say so, without a slap from her mother.  The problem is we all love a good tune and Peter Pan is a better story.
I have since received hate mail saying that I did not understand the story, and that I am ill equipped to write a critique about it. The point is,  that it is all a matter of opinion.  I think I do have a right to say whether I like something? Blogs contain peoples opinions. In any case as you sip out of your bone china and kick my ego with your nasty leather boots, remember I still do not want to be strung up as The Light Princess and Daisy the cow. Chew the bones over with someone else. I had a huge row about going too, my friend wanted to see the other Princess, Diana. I wanted to see a Lighter Princess and not a Tunnel one.

I loved the car, and the strong men holding her floating Royal Highness up. The story is about the misery of a little girls life with a father that does not love her, she does not cry, she floats.
It is  hugely expensive to put these things on, and the work involved  showed through the cracks of an ordinary script.  Am I being tough may be?  I wanted to be proved wrong, and I will go back later again to see if I like it any better the second time.
There seems to be 'chummy' politics going on, and not enough imagination. There is so much talent readily available in England. There should be at least one memorable song?.
Another new piece of theatre  is opening round the corner, with Sir Tim Rice's lyrics.  "From here to eternity" is another new musical worth seeing.



JEMMA ZOE AT THE BOOK SIGNING

So back to dieting that is fun. Forget gluten and sugar.  Hunger can disappear over night with just a imaginative cooking.  It can be satisfying and elegant. It can't look as if it comes from a clinic.  It does not need to look like "Solyent Green" served from the back of the lorry. Of course this is a depressing film, made about the end of the world, in which Charlton Heston was brilliant.  It is worth watching . But I do not want my food to look like it has come out of an euthanasia clinic. Jenna Zoe of Foods to Love has created a beautiful book called "Super Healthy Snacks and Treats".  Her book signing was held in the elegant Marie Antoinette Room of The Ritz Hotel. With the photography of Clare Winfield, it makes cooking an amusing adventure.
The reality is that unless we start doing something about the planet soon, we could be eating the green sludge. The good life, Felicity Kendall  and green food is just to make Violet the pig, look a viable food source.
However, green cornflakes distributed from lorries is on its way,  eg Solyent Green.
Diet food is totally inedible.The diet noodles nowadays taste like plastic bands.
My favourite Dr Fine. He does a sensible diet which I have lived on for about twenty years.  He kept me thin.

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