A couple of weeks ago we were invited to a private screening of Snoopy and Charlie Brown – the peanuts movie. Growing up I was never much in to cartoon characters but there were two exceptions – Miss Piggy and Snoopy. With snoopy & charlie brown I particularly remember reading the comic strips in the newspapers and really enjoying them. But as the years went on I forgot about Snoopy and Charlie Brown because you didn’t see much of them. That was until I received an invite to see the film and really wanted to go almost for old times sake.
Last Friday night we were invited to Charlie & the Chocolate Factory, the musical. Ever since reading the book as a child, I have been fascinated with Mr Willy Wonka and his incredible factory. Years later, I was excited to re-live this fantastic tale with Anya and Richard. As of this year, Anya has really gotten in to Roald Dahl books with her favourites being Charlie & the Chocolate Factory and George’s Marvellous Medicine. We’ve read both at least twice already so Anya & I were really looking forward to the musical while Richard was less so as he can be a little cynical about musical theatre.
From the start, my companion sat gripped, eyes darting from one performer to another in anticipation of their next line or song, welling up as Charlie became the grateful recipient of the last golden ticket. It came as a big surprise to me that those eyes belonged to Richard, who had clearly checked in his cynicism along with his coat! But he wasn’t the only one – all three of us sat glued to our seats watching the incredible spectacle of Charlie & the Chocolate Factory unfold before us.
Visually, Charlie & the Chocolate Factory, the musical is an absolute treat for the eyes. The sets and special effects are clever and quite stunning. Imagine seeing Violet Beauregarde balloon in to a blueberry right in front of your eyes. Or the highly strung Mike Teavee transform in to a shrunken version of himself. But it wasn’t just the amazing special effects that got me. It was also the performers, each of whom were outstanding.
Mr Willy Wonka had the right amount of eccentricity without being frightening for kids. Although personally for me, he could have been a bit more sinister. Also worth a mention is the relationship between Grandpa Joe and Charlie which was very special and true to the book. The musical brought tears to my eyes a few times but mostly I throughly enjoyed watching a dazzling show that I think any family with kids older than about 5 years will enjoy.
For the entire performance of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Anya sat forward in her seat, wide-eyed, never once taking her eyes off the stage. As much as Richard and I found it hard to tear our eyes off the stage, we also delighted in seeing Anya’s little face changing expressions and reacting to this imaginative piece of theatre.
*We were given tickets in exchange for a review. The review is in my own words and says what I genuinely thought about the show.
The Summer holidays are in full swing and we’ve been getting out and enjoying London. We rarely go away over the Summer because London is such a great place to be at this time of year and there so many Summer activities for kids in London. This Summers mission is to enjoy as much of our beautiful city as we can and when I find something super fun to do, I thought I would share it here. Earlier this week, along with some friends, we headed to the Southbank which is always a fun day out. There is always a fab atmosphere, food, street performers and so much more. Our plan was to just wander around and soak up the sights and smells but we ended up discovering the Appearing Rooms Fountain. And once we discovered this, there was no moving the kids away.
The Appearing Rooms Fountain is no ordinary play fountain. It’s designed so that jets of water shoot high in to the air creating ‘rooms’ that appear and disappear as quickly as they appeared. It’s possible to stand in the midst of fountain and not get wet – the trick is finding the ‘room’ where there is no water shooting up or to move super quick when it does come. But the pattern of the fountain changes each time so you might get unlucky and get drenched. The kids headed in to the fountain and the joy on their faces was quite unbelievable. We thought they would play for a few minutes but they ended up playing in the fountain for hours. They absolutely loved it. There were kids of all ages there – from 2 to about 12 – and they were all squealing with delight and joy.
Right next to the Appearing Rooms Fountain is lots of outdoor seating so we sat there, ate and chatted while we kept an eye on the kids who just couldn’t believe their luck at stumbling across this magical play fountain. It may seem a bit over the top to go on about a fountain but the excitement was so evident on every child’s face so I think this fountain is a must visit for any kid. And the best part is that it’s free. Kids can easily spend 2-3 hours in there – just remember to bring a spare set of clothes or a swimsuit for them to wear while in the fountain. Because they will get drenched!
Have you discovered any London places that are fun and worth a visit? Do share so we can all check them out.
Anya wears quirky bear tee by ebabee and floral shorts by Zara (past season) {all photos by ebabee}
A few weeks ago I attended a bloggers networking event at the National Portrait Gallery. I got to meet some inspiring bloggers and I also found out that the National Portrait Gallery has loads of free Summer events, workshops and activities for kids. Most of these events are held on Thursdays, Fridays and the weekend. So last Friday we decided to check one out. We attended a clay modelling workshop where kids get to pick a portrait from the gallery, draw it and then create a clay sculpture of it.
Even though the workshop was aimed at the kids, I totally got in to the clay modelling part and really enjoyed it too. And I wasn’t the only mum there that was almost taking over their child’s clay! Anya wasn’t crazy about the drawing bit but the clay modelling was a huge hit with her. The clay is cool and soft to the touch so it was lovely to feel and it was really fun to be able to mold and shape it and see a head and shoulders emerging. I’ll admit our end result looked a bit frightening but we had so much fun making it.
All the free kids activities on offer at the National Portrait Gallery are arty and creative which is why we were drawn to them in the first place. The clay modelling workshop is only one of many – others include colour workshops, using loom bands to create portraits, drawing sessions and more. Each year, as I discover more and more of the wonderful free events for kids in London, I feel so lucky that we can take advantage of these. Have you discovered any? Please do share in the comments so that others can try them too.
{all photos by ebabee}
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Ebabee Likes is a style guide for babies, kids, teens and their mamas. It’s all about inspiration, ideas and indulging yourself and your brood. It’s written by me ~ Nomita ~ a style loving girl from Mumbai who now live’s in London. Read More...
