Romeo and Juliet, The Garrick Theatre

Image from Pinterest

So when this goes live I don't know what I will be doing but I should (fingers crossed) have had a blissful anniversary weekend with the love of my life 😍

Anyway, I saw Romeo and Juliet on probably one of the hottest days of the year in the midst of July.

I took a half day at work and met my friend, Yasmin, at Charing Cross.

The show started at half two so I'd grabbed a wrap from WH Smiths and she grabbed a quick McDonalds (is it just us or when it's boiling do you just not want to eat??)

We were so excited because Richard Madden (aka Robb Stark from Game of Thrones!!!) was playing Romeo.

Not the whole reason we booked the tickets at alllllll 😉

Well, unfortunately, we arrived at the theatre and there on the wall was a notice to say that Richard Madden was indisposed due to a running injury.

A RUNNING INJURY.

God damn it.

Anyway, we settled ourselves into our seats (the tickets I'd booked were slightly cheaper with a notice that there would be a pillar blocking the view), the room was considerably cooler than the outside thank the Gods.

The pillar didn't seem to be in too much of my way, it was just obscuring whatever happened to be slightly to the right of the stage. Not a problem at all, right?

Ha, ha, ha.

It just so happened that Romeo's characters always stood in that exact spot so that I could rarely see him.

Well at least it wasn't concealing Richard Madden from view ey? Just his understudy (unfortunately I can't remember his name and we didn't pick up a programme - he was very good though).

Lily James made a stunning Juliet, the costumes and her performance equally beautiful.

The sets were also brilliant.

Directed by Kenneth Branagh (Gilderoy Lockhart for all you Harry Potter fans), the play itself was set in what seemed to be the 50s, with the Capulet's and Montague's dressed more like gangsters than in Shakespearian dress.

The masked ball and the final scene were probably my favourite.

Lily James rewarded us with a slice of her singing voice which was quite lovely actually and the whole forbidden love theme had me rooting for them even though I knew what was coming!

It was a little hard to follow the strong Shakespeare dialogue at times, but there were quite a few humourous bits as well as the odd song which we weren't expecting.

Derek Jacobi was also brilliant and worth a mention.

I definitely felt more educated once we left. 

It's different from a full-on musical, a lot to take in, but an interesting experience and maybe one I will try again whether or not the male lead is someone from Game of Thrones!

The Mortal Instruments: Book Two, City of Ashes

By Cassandra Clare.

I've literally got a whole load of reviews still stored up with all the books and films I've watched recently so I might just start posting them every Wednesday until I've caught up and post other stuff on Sundays!

Anyways, onto the review:

[Haunted by her past, Clary is dragged deeper into

New York City's terrifying underworld of demons

and Shadowhunters - but can she control her

feelings for a boy who can never be hers?]

Oooooh, I enjoyed this one much more than I did the first one. Maybe it was because I didn't know the plot to this one and it was all brand new and exciting.

I loved the constant battle Jace and Clary both clearly had within themselves, about their current situation, and with each other. It was difficult to read at times, being that it's kind of gross that I wanted what they did, but also that none of us should have wanted it at all under said "circumstances". 

(I'm not convinced these circumstances are the truth though... I hope)

Okay, enough riddles. I really can't say that much without spoiling anything.

However, there was a lot of action, especially with Simon's character. His whole role changed abruptly and I must admit, I didn't see it coming, at all. 

I loved Alec and Magnus' attempt at sneaking around, it was kind of really cute. 

Plus, the whole final-ish scene on the boat was pretty epic. I think - if they had of made it into a film - that that scene would have been phenomenal. They definitely kept hinting at us - and the characters - not really knowing all of the facts which was intriguing.

I also think Cassandra Clare's way of writing is really easy and simple to follow, with a whole abundance of description and decent dialogue thrown in that keeps you well and truly hooked!

Can't wait to read the next one!

✌

The Mortal Instruments: Book One, City of Bones

By Cassandra Clare.

I'm a bit off this week, what with the bank holiday and having Friday off too!

And I know I've been writing a lot of reviews lately but that's because I've been an unprepared nancy of late and need to get my butt in gear and prepare you some more interesting posts!

Definitely some on the way, I promise.

For now though, I've been wanting to read The Mortal Instruments series for a while now, especially after seeing the film a few years ago.

[Clary Fray is seeing things: vampires in Brooklyn and

werewolves in Manhattan. Irresistibly drawn to the

Shadowhunters, a secret group of warriors dedicated

to ridding the earth of demons, Clary encounters

the dark side of New York City - and the

dangers of forbidden love.]

So, even just reading the blurb again, I can see that this may look a little like one of those predictable and cheesy books. Don't get me wrong, some of it really is, but it's actually a lot better than I expected as well and so easy to read!

Clary, the protagonist, was a little young for me to really engage with - especially everything she managed to get herself in to. However, I did thoroughly enjoy the plot.

I enjoyed the different fantasy elements and the dialogue was excellent, although there was some rambling in places that wasn't really needed. The characters were well developed and I grew to know all of their motivations through their actions and the way others spoke of them, even if they were the antagonists.

Jace and Magnus Bane were my favourites with their sarcasm, wit and charm. Luke was a character that also grew on me the more I read. Clary, on the other hand, was whiney and irritating, especially as she kept forgetting all about Simon. No one forgets about their best friend, no matter how interesting their new life has become.

And the ending! Even though I knew about it thanks to the film, it still grossed me out (no spoilers here). What a twist though, if I hadn't known the plot already!

I'm definitely intrigued to see how the rest of the books unfold.

✌