There’s No Place Like London.

There’s no place like London. If you follow me on Instagram (@katelovesliterature), then you already know that I spent a few amazing days in London.

I’ve been sharing snaps on my Instagram grid & I will be sharing snaps for a while because I fit so much into a few days. I saw so many things & I took loads of pictures that I am excited to share.

From St. Paul’s to Big Ben, from the London Eye to Tower Bridge, from Fleet Street to Shakespeare’s Globe, I had a blast. It was an amazing trip. The weather was lovely, and it was so great to see so much life everywhere. Some of the buildings are absolutely stunning. I ate, I drank, I explored, and I went to the theatre.

There is so much to do & see in London. It is such a bustling city, I’m already thinking about when I can go again because there are things that I still want to do.

I think the highlight of my trip was going to see Matilda The Musical in the beautiful Cambridge Theatre. Stay tuned because I will be publishing a #theatretrip discussion all about this brilliant show.

I’m sharing some snaps below as I did take many, many pictures.

*The pictures below are pictures that I took myself, on my own phone, and they may not be shared without my permission.*

This is the house at the end of the narrowest alley in Fleet Street, Hen & Chicken Court. This is supposedly the house of the Demon Barber of Fleet Street, the real life Sweeney Todd.

Big Ben looking glorious in the sunshine.

These are just a few of the pictures that I took. It was an amazing trip. Memories were made, and I loved every second.

If you’ve been, I’d love to hear where your favourite spot in London is & I can add it to my list for next time.

Kate xo.

Blade Runner Live.

Hello everyone. I have been one lucky lady lately as I have been doing so much and I’ve been getting the opportunity to enjoy the arts more and more.

If you follow me on Instagram (@katelovesliterature), then you know that I am just back from London. I had an amazing trip. I did so much. I did lots of sightseeing and I ate lovely food and drank fabulous drinks and I went to see Matilda the musical and I had the best time exploring Fleet Street. I have already shared a few pictures on Instagram, but I will be sharing more so keep an eye out for that, and I will be writing a much more in depth discussion about my trip as it was filled with things that made my literature loving heart very happy.

There will be a #theatretrip post coming up soon about the brilliant Matilda the musical.

For now, I am back in Dublin and I am very busy. I do have some exciting news that I am just waiting on permission to share so stay tuned.

I was at the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre on Sunday evening to see Blade Runner Live.

It was an amazing evening. I absolutely love hearing an orchestra play live, I don’t think there is anything quite like it. I also think it is brilliant to see the musicians on stage as this doesn’t always happen in musicals, the musicians are very often in the orchestra pit so while we hear the beautiful music, we don’t always get to see the talented people who are playing.

Blade Runner is a brilliant movie. We saw the director’s cut version starring Harrison Ford.

The movie is based on Philip K. Dick’s 1968 novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

I studied this text in my first year of my BA which feels like such a long time ago now, even though it really isn’t, but I was not expecting to like this text as much as I did and I really loved the movie.

If you are not aware of the plot, the central idea is that there are humans and replicants and Rick Deckard is tasked with hunting and killing the “non-human” replicants. The replicants are designed to look like humans, however they are deemed to not feel the way that humans feel, however as one watches the movie, this idea can be debated.

I think the key theme of this movie revolves around the idea of questioning what makes one human? What makes me the person that I am? Am I made up of experiences and memories?

I also think that the story highlights the importance of having empathy in society.

I don’t wish to give away any spoilers, but there are moments in this movie where the supposedly unfeeling replicants show more empathy than the human characters. There is one specific scene that I think of when I say this, if you’ve seen the movie then you likely know which scene I am alluding to, and if you have not seen the movie then I suggest watching it, and it should become clear which moment I am talking about.

The movie has a beautiful score and it was amazing to hear it played live by the orchestra.

I have a few more exciting theatre trips coming up and I will be writing about all of them.

Have you seen Blade Runner?

Kate xo.

Chicago

Hello everyone. I am very happy to be sharing another #theatretrip discussion. Last night I went to see Chicago at Bord Gáis Energy Theatre and it was brilliant.

It was my first time seeing this show and I could not wait to get there. Chicago has been on my “must see” list for the longest time.

It is no secret that Chicago is an iconic show, so I knew going in that it would be fabulous but actually seeing it onstage was something else. The show is sexy, precise, and full of incredible dancing.

The sets are so simple. The costumes are striking despite being understated. Everyone is dressed in black. There are very few props, the odd hat, the occasional cane, a chair here and there, but everything is used very specifically. It works. The focus is on the actors. The music, the dancing, and the acting are what takes centre stage.

I think that the ensemble was fantastic. It goes without saying that Chicago is known for Fosse’s iconic and specific choreography. Each move is absolutely precise. Each hand movement, each tilt of the hat, every single thing is done very precisely and very smoothly. It makes for a wonderfully sultry and engaging performance and I have huge respect for each member of the cast because the talent showcased on that stage was amazing to see.

The show itself is iconic for a reason. The satirical story about the American justice system, corruption, and the role of media alongside the social commentary about how audiences will always love a scandal and a spectacle is just as relevant today as it was when the show first opened in 1975.

Velma Kelly is an iconic character and the energy in the theatre was electric when All That Jazz started playing and Velma rose up from beneath the stage. Each character got their moment.

Roxie Hart and Billy Flynn are a dynamic pair and I think their performance of They Both Reached For The Gun was my favourite part of the show although it is so hard to pick when each song is so memorable.

It was amazing to finally see The Cell Block Tango live onstage and the harmonies in My Own Best Friend were beautiful.

I have to take a moment to talk about the musicians. It is brilliant to see shows that highlight their musicians by having them be visible onstage. This is not always possible, but the setting of Chicago allows the musicians to be seen onstage and they were incredible.

I especially loved that they performed an encore at the end of the show. I don’t know if they do this every time or if they did so because last night was opening night, but it was so much fun and I was very glad I got to be there. The musicians and the conductor looked like they were having the best time, as did the entire cast, which only added to the wonderful energy in the theatre. The atmosphere was perfect and it made for a fantastic evening.

It is so great to be able to attend shows again. I am very lucky that I live close by so that I can go and see the shows that come to Dublin. I would go to see Chicago again in a heartbeat and I would highly recommend it to anyone who is considering going to see it. You won’t regret it.

This has been my latest #theatretrip and I am very excited as over the next few months I have some more shows lined up that I cannot wait to see.

Have you seen Chicago? What did you think?

Kate xo.