Review of the Week – 6 to 12 February 2012
That Was The Week That Was
Rather sadly, this week signalled the end of Little Shop of Horrors, the school musical with which I’ve been involved since rehearsals began in October. I played Orin, the sadist dentist, and despite having few lines and only a couple of songs, I’ve been delighted with the number of ‘well done’ messages I’ve had since the curtain went down on Monday night (the first of four performances in our new Drama Studio). In fact, it’s felt rather fraudulent: many members of the cast have received far less praise, yet have actually worked harder towards the show.
The main news of the week was that Fabio Capello resigned as England manager, and that the American singer Whitney Houston died in a hotel room in Los Angeles. Like after the death of Michael Jackson, news of this latter event spread quite quickly, and within hours of the announcement being made, Twitter was abuzz with ‘RIP’-related tweets (as Phil Bray summarised).
Photo of the Week
Taken just minutes after the last audience member left the Little Shop auditorium on Thursday, this week’s Photo of the Week shows bits of set strewn across the stage, props lying around, and a team of black-clad stagehands ready to start the strike. The lighting’s harsh, it’s not really obvious what’s going on, but I think that that further reemphasises the sorrow of the show coming to an end.
Quote of the Week
"Four years [ago], [Fabio Capello’s] arrival felt very different. He was supposed to be the no-nonsense Italian, who would sort out the country’s underperforming stars. Instead, Capello leaves having become the latest big name to fail in football’s impossible job."
— David Bond, report on Fabio Capello’s surprising resignation, 8 February 2012
This Week’s Number One
This week’s official Number One is Somebody That I Used To Know by Belgian-Australian singer Gotye, featuring Kimbra.
‘And Finally’ Story of the Week
From i:
"Jewels worth £6m that were reported stolen five years ago by the wife of a former American ambassador in the Hague have been retrieved after a hotel maid who found them eventually discovered it wasn’t costume jewellery.
The maid had found the bag containing the diamond-encrusted earrings, rings, and necklaces in the hotel lobby and handed them over to lost property. But when they weren’t claimed for six months they were returned to her.
The maid only realised they were the real thing when she had them valued.
She then went to the police and the jewels were returned to their rightful owner, who had already claimed on her insurance."
More details about this story are available online from The Telegraph and Professional Jeweller.
