Day 23 & 24

I did not have very high expectations for Bend It Like Beckham coming into the show, yet it somehow still managed to fall short.

Let's start with the good. The set, costumes, and lights were all very intriguing and fun. I loved the rotating panels, the tricks they did with the soccer ball, and the Indian singing. I'm also a huge fan of Lauren Samuels, who played Jules, and I thought she was easily the best actor and singer in the show. Jess, played by Natalie Dew, was also a strong actor, although the part was not very vocally demanding and I thought her voice was weak at times. I also thought they had a very strong supporting cast in the girl's soccer team. They brought great energy and were fun to watch, but none of them actually talked, which I thought was a huge waste of talent. Generally, the music didn't do it for me. However, "Glorious" was beautiful and had some awesome harmonies.

Now the bad. The script and plot were weak and irrelevant. The movie the show was based on was made in 2002, so it's taken 13 years to take it to the stage, and it's lost its relevance. David Beckham, while still in the media every now and then, was far more popular in 2002, and not many people care about him now. Not to mention, hardly anyone knows who Mia Hamm, Jules' soccer idol, is anymore. Hardly any of the music was memorable, and I think they could've easily cut two or three songs. Also, a good chunk of the show was full of bad acting. At times, it kind of felt like I was watching a high school production with some awesome technical elements. In particular, Mrs. Bhamra, played by Natasha Jayetileke, was one of the most annoying characters I have ever seen on stage, ever. All in all, the play was poorly executed, and nothing really blew me away. Not to say that I hated my life during every moment of the show, but all in all, it was pretty bad.

However, today we saw two beautiful shows, Elephant Man starring Bradley Cooper and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime. Both were touching, funny, and all around lovely. It was certainly a refresher after last night.