Paul Robinson

Just watched the Inside No. 9 stage show with special guest Mark Addy. It was belly-laugh funny, very clever (as you would expect) and included plenty of twists. Add into the mix the madcap characters, moments of sincere emotion, body horror and jump scares and you get a piece of phenomenal theatre.

On ‘Theatrical Thursday’ I explored two crimes; one serious and the other downright silly. I saw a hard-hitting (pun intended) Theatre in Education piece about the effects of a one-punch kill and then saw an infamous musical comedy that showcases sequin-clad singing Nazis and a very gay Hitler…

What did todays visit to Ripon’s law and order heritage attractions achieve…lots of photo opportunities in which to gurn, both in and out of costume 🤭

I’m rather happy to report I’ve been nominated for a local acting award by NETG for my role as Franz in Rock Of Ages 😊 What a nice surprise to wake up to this morning.

On ‘Stagey Saturday’ I saw two musicals that require whistles: one about racing trains performed entirely on roller skates (toot toot) and the other a high-octane adaptation of a film about raunchy dancing (Phhuuwweet-Phheew 😉)

On Wednesdays ‘stagey double bill’ I saw two nostalgic musicals, both serendipitously set in the 1980s, about bringing people together and creating change through music…just one is set in Dublin and is fictional (adapted from a film) and the other was global and very real.

Bye bye Drama studio 👋 You we’re ill-equipped but you were home. The fact you are room 42 is very hoopy. The meaning of life was indeed explored in this empty and dark room…is that ironic 🤷‍♂️

End of an era 😢 I’ve said goodbye to my first teaching post after 4 years. To be fair this picture perfectly sums up my journey: mad hair, quirky tie, silly expression, 3 whole school musical badges proudly emblazoned on my chest all while wearing ‘professional dress’ whatever the weather 🤦‍♂️

And so after months of rehearsals the curtain has come down on ‘Rock Of Ages’🤘 I’ve done 4 fabulous performances as a camp German, rocking out to 80s hair metal bangers in the blistering heat, prancing around in a leotard 🫣. I’ve loved being on stage this past year…even if I am typecasting myself 🤷‍♂️

On this date, 4 years ago, I finished my PGCE…bonkers. It feels like I’ve been teaching much much longer 🤯 How quick time passes…or is it how full-on the profession can be 🤷‍♂️

If my career follows the same pattern I’ll change job in another 4 years time…we shall see what life has in store for me.

Last nights trip to the theatre was to see ‘…Earnest?’ 👜 a play-within-a-play where the actors cannot be on stage to perform the ‘Importance of Being Earnest’ and the desperate director has to resort to choosing audience members to fill in…with obviously hilarious consequences.

On ‘Stagey Saturday’ I saw two shows inspired by unlikely sources: a joke-a-minute ridiculously fun musical based on corn (yep literally) and an intense naturalistic play with live rock music, heavily influenced by the tumultuous creation of Fleetwood Mac’s legendary ‘Rumours’ album.

My lil’ old flat is looking like box city 📦 in readiness for my relocation back to the homeland ‘up north’ in 2 months time 👍 Seen as it’s half term I thought I would get started. What a joyous activity packing is…

On ‘Stagey Saturday’ I travelled back to the 1920’s with a glitzy but mediocre adaptation of an American literary masterpiece and then I jumped forward to the 1960’s with a side-splittingly hilarious spoof of the spy genre expertly performed by the comic geniuses: Mischief Theatre.

I’ve been hanging on to these Doctor Who VHS box sets in some vain hope they are worth something…but as I’m moving soon I don’t see the point in keeping them, particularly in an age where VHS players are almost non-existent. What do I do with them? Sell or bin?

On ‘Stagey Saturday’ the theme was defeating ancient monsters that once roamed Broadway: one faithfully adapted as a fun rock musical and the other as a hilariously sexy 90 minute satirical play with 5 multi-roling actors…both shows were definitely made to be viewed by very different audiences 😉

Split personality for #worldbookday by day and silent full-mask theatre by night. Just what being a drama teacher is all about…and no I didn’t go to the theatre in my Jekyll/Hyde costume and makeup.

What a start to the year, though I-am-tired 😮‍💨. Not only have I taken over as Head of Drama but I’ve performed in Panto (as Dandini in Cinderella) outside of school whilst also directing (and all the other jobs in between) ‘SpongeBob the Musical’ with my KS3 students.

I survived 😊👍…and now sleep 🛌

New year, new job…same role, different location. In September i’m moving back to Lincolnshire (near Boston) to teach Drama.

Before then I’ve got plenty of firsts to complete: 1st musical to direct, 1st show i’m performing in in a decade, 1st cohort to get through their GCSEs

Almost forgot my joy at seeing the Nestene spheres & the amusing handling of the UNIT dating issue on the console. It really was peppered with moments to delight classic Who fans as well as the new Who fans. The last 20 mins were so utterly brilliant 🤩 So what is next to be colourised?

Also the additional monster clips were simply glorious 😍 Colourisation was better than the Daleks although it still suffered from overly loud (but less annoying) new incidental music. Overall twas a good job 👍

Well ‘The War Games’ in colour was lovely & an impressive feat to cut it down & it still make sense. The new animations were useful (why did we keep coming back to alien HQ so much?). The use of the Simm/Delgado themes was naughty as was the regeneration sound. The Doctor cameos were hilarious 🤦‍♂️

Isn’t it strange what stimulus will transport us straight back to our childhood…and how I can seemingly take any opportunity and insert some smut 🤷‍♂️

Well, what a last day of term it has been. Started off dressed as an Elf then took part in ‘the Masked Singer’. I sung Queen’s ‘I Want To Break Free’ so naturally I dressed up as a skeleton in a wig wearing heels and brandishing a hoover just like Freddie in the music video 🤷‍♂️ Obviously…

On ‘Stagey Saturday’ I waited all day to see an absurdist play where literally nothing happens…but it’s funny, and saw a VERY gay jukebox musical that is a satire of the film Titanic as misremembered by Celine Dion, featuring songs from her back catalogue, and stuffed full of pop culture references.

Just got round to listening to the new Hadestown cast recording and bathe in the gorgeous regional accents of the performers…but why is it so short? Half the musical is missing. Yes they have focused on the main Orpheus/Eurydice plot but ignored the Hades/Persephone story. Why? 🤷‍♂️

Also I’m slightly obsessing over the filmic Ozian universe having watched ‘Return to Oz, and ‘Oz The Great and Powerful’. Now to branch out to ‘The Wiz’ but not sure about the quite frankly poor Muppet’s version 🤷‍♂️

Holding aloft the novel of ‘The Wonderful Wizard of Oz’ by E.L.Baum

Since watching (and blubbing at) the truly fantabulous ‘Wicked’ film at the weekend I’ve reread the Wizard of Oz. It’s interesting how the Wicked Witch is barely in the novel and how much the 1939 film reimagines our understanding of the world of Oz. Do I now need to buy the Gregory Maguire novel?

1) Dalek’s Master Plan - once the time destructor has stopped Steven rescues a glowing stranger…
2) Evil of the Daleks - the angry Emperor shoots the Doctor before blowing up
3) The Mind of Evil - the Keller Machine scares the Doctor to death. How does the Master react?
6) The Ultimate Foe

Betty Blue Eyes with the original West End cast. I adore the OCR but alas missed the show 😭