Tag Archives: Derren Brown

Sunny for Old Rope

October 28, 2016 Neil

Hi there, how are you doing? I hope you have had a really good couple of week’s. Mine have been busy with lots of fun things going on. A few Friday’s ago I went to the Harold Pinter Theatre in London to see Sunny Afternoon.

It is a musical telling the story of the band The Kinks featuring all of their big hit songs including of course the title of the play. It was a really great show. The cast were excellent. All extremely talented actors, singers and even musician’s. As all of the songs were performed completely live on the stage.I must admit that although I was familiar with the band and their music. I was not completely aware of their story. I knew a few bits and pieces about their history. And I was aware that the relationship between the two brothers in the group was at best awkward.

Basically the group started as a party function band. Just as backing for another singer. But he was being outshone by the lead and rhythm guitarists. So he became their manager and Dave and Ray Davies were sent forward to front the group. At that point becoming The Kinks.

Ray Davies was the main songwriter and singer. While Dave Davies was the brilliant lead guitarist. Who ended up playing all those iconic rifts to their huge tunes. Dave was younger and wilder. Ray was older but more introverted.Which led to some moments on stage when they were literally fighting each other to be centre stage. Which is brilliantly portrayed during this performance.

It was a fantastic show, with plenty of real life emotion and pathos to it. A very compelling story with just a constant string of amazing songs coming up one after another. The finale was great and featured a brilliant version of one of the band’s biggest hit’s. The whole cast looked like they were really enjoying themselves. It is always the sign of a good show. When you leave in a great mood with a couple of the songs stuck in your head in my opinion.

I was back in the Criterion Theatre a few days later to watch a show that I had been meaning to see for a while now. The other year I went and saw the hilarious “The Play That Goes Wrong”. Which was written and performed by the brilliant Mischief Theatre Company.Well they have another play on in London at the minute called “The Comedy About A Bank Robbery”. Which is what I went to see.

It was exactly the same cast that I saw perform in their first play. So they had all moved across to take the leading roles in this latest production. And once again they were all fantastic. They are all so talented. The title does sum up the play very nicely. It does exactly what it says on the tin. It is just a good old fashioned fun production. Including great word play, innuendo, farce and slapstick. All within a brilliantly woven and clever plot. Which will make you laugh out loud. Plus there are actually a couple of unexpected twists in the tale to.

It is simply another quality and entertaining show from this very clever and close knit theatre company. They have found a style and niche that seems to work for them. And they are tremendous at executing it. The timing of some of the set pieces just has to be seen to be believed. I would recommend seeing either of their two shows. If you want a good old belly laugh from your night out at the theatre.

They have a third play as well. Which they perform around the festive period called “Peter Pan Goes Wrong” which is on between now and January. It is something I plan to see. A version of it has already been filmed and it will be on the BBC over the Christmas period. I would suggest you keep a look out for it and watch it if you get the chance. If it is half as good as their other two plays I have already seen, it will be excellent. Such a friendly group as well. I did get to speak to one of the cast very briefly after and they love what they do and really enjoy doing it.

I have spent the last two Monday evening’s laughing my head off at a brilliant comedy night in London. That I had been meaning to experience for the last year. So I was delighted to finally get the chance to check it out. It is held every Monday night at The Phoenix Pub. Which is just off Regent Street, right in the heart of the West End.It is run by the very funny Tiff Stevenson and the night is called Old Rope Comedy. She hosts it every week and it is a new material night for both upcoming and very established comedians to try out new jokes.

There is actually a rope hanging from the centre of the stage. And if a comedian does a joke that they have done before. They are meant to hold it. As a symbol for money for old rope. Hence where the night gets its name from. This is to encourage them to try out new stuff only. And so the audience will know when they do existing material. It is a very well run, established and respected night. So therefore does attract some well known performers each week.

On my first visit I saw Sarah Kendall and Tony Law perform. Both of whom have their own show’s on Radio 4. I actually gigged with Tony Law myself when I made my stand up comedy debut at the Roving Comedy Night of the Tringe Festival. He was the headline act for my show and was excellent on stage and giving advice between gigs.He has once again re-invented himself with a completely new look and image and was hilarious during his set. It was Sarah Kendall who headlined. And did a run through of her soon to be recorded latest radio show. Which was based on her last Edinbrugh Fringe Festival Show.

All the comedians on the night were brilliant including an eighty odd year old female comic, who was quality. The atmosphere in the place was perfect for comedy. A nice, polite expectant audience. Who were just there to have a good time and a few laughs on a Monday Night. On my second visit the comedians performing included the excellent Aisling Bea, Brian Gittins and someone to certainly keep an eye out for called Lou Sanders. Who is also very funny. Do go along if you ever get the chance. It is a great fun night out.

I am still happy with the way things are going for Tottenham Hostpur currently. Although we have been drawing a few too many games recently. We do still remain unbeaten in the Premier League. We are in fifth place one point off the top spot. Things have been a lot worse than that this stage of the season in the past.

We are still in with a chance of qualifying for the next stage of the Champions League to. Although we are suffering a bit from a lack of goals currently. So it will be good to have Harry Kane back in the team soon, I hope.

Another team I like to keep an eye on is Wycombe Wanderers. I used to go and watch them play regularly as a child. And for a season or two I was the owner of a season ticket there. I kind of grew up watching the Martin O’Neil era unfold. Mind you the first Wycombe game I saw at their old ground Loakes Park. Was them playing Tottenham Hotspur in a testimonial for their then goal keeper Gary Lester. Which is why I really went along for the first time to see them.

I actually played for the Wycombe Wanderers Lions under sixteen’s for just over half a season. And I did have a trial for their youth team but I did not get in. Instead I played for the Aylesbury United Youth Team. With my first game for them actually being a goalless draw against the Wycombe Youth team at Beaconsfield FC’s pitch. So I do have some kind of an affinity with the club, I guess. So last Saturday I went to Adams Park with my Dad to see the Blues face Barnet. A game that I saw many times as a kid. When both teams were still in the Vauxhall Conference, as it was back then.

It had been a few years since I had been to see them in action. So I have to admit I was not that familiar with a lot of the players. They have currently got a goalkeeper on loan from Chelsea. He is their fourth choice keeper behind Courtois, Begovic and Eduardo. He looked like a very good player.

You could tell he was a class above this level. He is a long way from the Premier League team’s starting eleven. But he has a contract with them. Which is rumoured to be worth about thirteen thousand pounds a week. Nice work if you can get it.

The game itself was pretty terrible to be honest. Both teams struggled to play much football. Wycombe had an own goal ruled out after the referee had blown for a foul while a cross was flying in to Barnet’s penalty area. And two defensive lapses led to the away team’s two nil victory.

Plus points from the afternoon included spending quality time with my dad. The sausage and bacon roll that we had from the burger van outside. And seeing the beast that is Adebayo Akinfenwa in action. My dad and mum are season ticket holders and have to endure this experience every week. Joking aside, all the best to Wycombe Wanderers for the rest of the season, They are a nice family friendly football club.

It has been another dramatic two weeks in Strictly Come Dancing. Naga Munchetty and Lesley Joseph have both left the competition. They both went a bit early I think, as they still had a bit more to give for me. That also meant we lost their partners Pasha and Anton. Which is a shame as Anton does bring a lot of fun and cheekiness to proceedings. Laura Whitmore could not dance the other week as she had injured her ankle. Brendan Cole missed last week’s show with a lung infection. Leaving his partner Anastasia to dance with Tameka’s former partner Gorka.

Rumours about Brendan’s health got totally out of hand. When the Sunday Star actually ran a story claiming that he had died. Which came as quite a shock to the dancer. When he read it while resting at home. I am still loving the show though. It is just great all round entertainment. Tess Daily and Claudia Winkleman are doing a great job on the two main shows. And Zoe Ball is brilliant on the nightly spin off show “It Takes Two”. Such great fun. I would love one of those professional dancers to teach me to dance.

Neil Quigley TV Radio & Live — Neil Quigley TV, Radio & Live

The latest Derren Brown live show “Miracle”. Which I saw in The Palace Theatre in London on its opening night was shown on Channel 4 recently. As I have said before I am a massive fan of his work. I thoroughly enjoyed watching it again. I could see him do that show over a thousand times and still not have a clue how he does it.

He is like a real life Jedi. It is all just so clever and mesmerising. His performances are also so well structured with a set start, middle and end. With the final act and trick always just pulling the whole show together and completing the story of the night.

Have fun and we will catch up again in a couple of weeks. Cheers Neil.

The Sky Bars The Limit

November 14, 2015 Neil

Hi there, how are you doing? I hope you have had a really good couple of weeks. Mine have been busy with lots going on. I mentioned previously that a member of the Wembley Stadium management team was leaving. Well on his last day there, they arranged a few drinks in the evening at the Sky Bar at the Wembley Hilton. The hotel is used by a lot of the teams, who play at Wembley. And also by artists who are performing at the Arena next door. It was though the first time that I had been in there.

It is a very cool bar. Which would have wonderful views right across London. If it wasn’t for the great big stadium in front of it. You do get a brilliant view of the stadium. And from that vantage point you can see what a spectacular building it is. It did provide a lovely backdrop for the occasion.

They also had potentially the most addictive bar snacks ever in there. They were like miniature chilli flavoured rice cakes. It was impossible to just have one and walk away. You could not stop helping yourself to at least three or four every time you walked past them. Trust me they seemed to disappear very quickly. Personally I thought they complimented the drinks very nicely but then you would expect that kind of class from a hotel of that calibre.

I was once again working behind the scenes at the final NFL American Football Game of the year at Wembley Stadium between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Detroit Lions. It was a fun weekend working with both the teams, VIP guests and the officials from America. Also at the game were the Spurs forward Harry Kane and the singer and actress Alexandra Burke. So I was in very good company. It was great to see the Military Wives performing the National Anthem. They did a brilliant job and looked to be having a good time.

The pre-game show saw Madness perform three of their biggest hits. I was lucky enough to be one of the few people inside the ground when they were sound checking. So it did feel like Suggs and the gang were giving me a bit of a private concert. They were sounding fantastic and as you would expect went down an absolute storm before the start of the game. It was great seeing over eighty thousand folks all doing their best Madness style dancing in the stands.

It was another successful NFL International Series at the home of English Football. There will be at least two matches played at Wembley Stadium next year to. If you ever get the chance go along and give it a try the atmosphere is always electric. The Americans really do know how to put on a great show.

I hope you enjoyed a safe and fun Fireworks Night. For the first time in as long as I can remember I did not actually go to a display this year. As much as I do like them. It was nice to take a break. Owing to working in Radio for over a decade. I have been to and hosted a lot of these big events over the years. I have also sometimes organised the entertainment element of them. So I have booked acts to perform, hired staging plus Sound and Lighting. I have even stage managed a few of them.

Making sure everything goes to time. This normally included having the Fireworks set to music. So as you can imagine the timing on something like that is very critical, to say the least. I have loved every minute of doing them. I had great fun being involved and standing up on the stage, seeing the people really enjoying themselves. But it was certainly a nice and refreshing change to have a slightly less stressful Bonfire Night. This year I just kicked back and relaxed with a nice cup of tea. While watching others’ displays from my window.

I do like live comedy. And I do like to see as many different comedians as I can perform in person. Last week I managed to tick another person off my must see list. When I went and saw Sean Lock do a Work in Progress gig at the Leicester Square Theatre in central London. The last time I was there was about twelve months ago. When I was taking part in a Stand Up Comedy competition myself. It is fair to say that there were slightly more people there to see Sean.

I have seen quite a lot of these warm up kind of shows from many different comics and most bring on bits of paper and books to remind them of their new material. He had a big white board flip chart on stage with him. Mind you it seemed to work a treat as the new stuff he was doing seemed to flow expertly and effortlessly. And most importantly it was very funny.

All of the top comedians do tend to have their own brand and style. So nobody else could do the jokes and material that he does. As it would not really work without his personality and seemingly slightly grumpy outlook on life. They talk about finding your own voice in comedy. That is something all the top performers have. It is not just about telling the jokes. It is about making it sound conversational and natural. It was a top night out. If you have tickets for his tour, you are in for a treat.

Something else that I would recommend seeing is the latest Derren Brown Show called Miracle. It is on at the Palace Theatre in London until the 16th January next year. I was lucky enough to go along and see its opening night in the Capital. It has been on tour around the country earlier this year but will now be based in the West End for a couple of months.

I am massive fan of what he does and I have seen him live before at The Waterside Theatre in Aylesbury. This latest show has got all the magical ingredients that you would expect from one of his appearances. All of it just leaves you thinking. How on earth did he do that?

There is plenty of audience interaction with lots of different people involved in the elements of the evening. There is also a lot of humour and jokes in the show. Which all just adds to the entertainment. I like the way he makes no secret of the fact that he will be able to slightly manipulate people to do what he wants. Yet there is nothing at all you can do about it. It does touch on one of his earlier Channel 4 televisions shows (which I also love), for a bit.

It is a positive and feel good production. Which will leave you feeling upbeat and with a big smile on your face. The stuff he does on that stage is amazing. You can clearly see the dedication and hours that have gone into honing his almost super humans skills. Not to mention the way that he and the production team have put it all together, in to such a great piece of theatre. With his breath taking mind skills. He is the nearest thing that I have ever seen to a real life “Jedi”.

Later tonight I am going to the last ever Laughing Badger Comedy Night. It is a comedy club that was set up by Hertfordshire impresario Lee Bryant around three years ago in Hemel Hempstead. I was honoured to be one of the acts who performed at the very first one. It was my fourth gig after the Roving Comedy Night at the Tringe Festival. Night one was headlined by the former Hollyoaks and Casualty actor turned comedian James Redmond. Who is a top bloke and really funny. It also featured the brilliant Flange Krammer. He is well worth seeing by the way, if you get the chance to.

I did about four or five of the Laughing Badger Nights and really enjoyed them. It is a shame that they are ending. But I am assured by the main man that they are going to go out with a bang. It will be a memorable end to what has been a fun venture. I am really looking forward to it.

It will be lovely to catch up with some friends and have a good old giggle. No one knows the list of comedians who are performing yet. But I have a funny feeling that Lee has some good things up his sleeve and lined up for us all. Congratulations to him for running them for the past few years and I wish him all the best with his future projects and plans.

This weekend is packed full of comedy for me. Tomorrow I am going to the BBC Radio Theatre in London to see two separate stand up comedy shows recorded for a new BBC Three show called Live at the BBC. They are keeping the acts a surprise at the moment. So at this point I do not know who I will actually be seeing. I am also not sure when it will be shown on television either. But I am really looking forward to spending Sunday afternoon in a lovely venue. Enjoying some top quality comedy. I will let you know who the comedians were next time we speak. But I am confident it will be a great line up.

Many years ago when I was working in Yeovil I met a great gentlemen called Neil Sands. Who came on to my radio show to talk about his Country and Western show that was playing at the Octagon Theatre in the town. He is a very interesting man who has done a lot of cool stuff. He was a professional wrestler for a while for starters.

And if anybody of a certain age remembers going to Bagley’s Warehouse near Kings Cross on a Sunday to enjoy the crazy party that was “The Church”. He was actually one of the main people and promoters behind that. Next Friday I am looking forward to catching up with him in Chesham. Where he is performing in his latest show called “Christmas Memories” at the Elgiva Theatre at 2pm.

And finally my favourite television programme of the year also starts tomorrow night. I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here returns with Ant & Dec at the helm expertly steering the ship. I have met two of the camp mates on this year’s show. But you will have to wait until my next update to find out which two that is. In fact I have met one of them on more than one occasion.

And if I am honest they are such a top person I already want them to win the whole thing. Even before the competition has started. This series I fear will pretty much take over my life for the next few weeks. Well certainly my evenings at least.

Have fun and we will catch up again in a couple of weeks. Cheers Neil.

Neil Quigley Presenter