If the shoe fits. Ballet Cymru.

Cinderella at the LPAC.


Normally an evening out watching Cinderella would entail shouting “he’s behind you” and “oh no your not” but it was the ballet this time, a genre well received in Lincoln and it was another virtually full auditorium at the LPAC on Sunday to see Wales’ finest prancers.

This was a relatively minimalist production, fairly traditional but with a stripped down musical accompaniment and quite a small troupe so no big finale which you usually get with a ballet but charming all the same and very well received by the audience of mainly mums with young daughters, mums with older daughters, culture vultures like us and a good smattering of ladies of a certain age with very well defined calves, worth it just for those calves.

There was a bit of a twist to the usual Brothers Grimm tale in that there was an ugly sister and a brother, he provided some good comedy in the scene where the ugly sisters try on the glass slipper, except it was a ballet pump and there was only one sister and I have to say if she was ugly there must be some damn good looking girls in Wales.

It’s a sign of a good night that it seems to be over before it’s begun, that’s certainly how it seemed at the LPAC as the production rattled through. There were ice creams at the interval and only £2, Theatre Royal please note. Of ice cream there were none at the last ballet at the Royal, we had to hoof it round to Tesco Express and when there are they’re certainly not that cheap.

So all in all a very good nights’ entertainment. We saw an old school friend of my wife’s at the show and she said she couldn’t get her husband to go, well that’s his loss. Good looking ugly sisters, ice cream at £2 (Dennett’s as well) and those shapely calves. What’s not to like?

Spent three hours at Sincil Bank and loved every minute – it was Madness!

As regular readers will know I spent a very soggy few days last summer at Glastonbury. Once you’ve done that it’s easy to get sniffy about smaller gigs. So it was to Sincil Bank the other Friday evening to see the opener of Madness’ Grandslam Tour. Our wives commented on how big the stage was to which of course my Glasto friend and I said, you ain’t seen nothing. I do have to say, in terms of entertainment and energy there was nothing at Worthy Farm to top what we saw and heard on Friday.

Lincoln must count itself as fortunate indeed to secure such a prestigious gig and the profit that went with it. Previous attempts by the football club to promote performances have proved to be money losers but City were on to a winner this time with a venue hire fee and a cut of ticket sales.

I don’t know whether the university has had an effect or we’re all feeling better off but such enterprises seem to be met with much more enthusiasm in Lincoln these days and so it was that something approaching 10000 were in place on the pitch or in the stands to see the 80’s sensations Madness.

I’m not going to list the numbers but all of the hits and some new stuff was heard. Not however my own favourite which I keep trying to introduce to Lincoln City FC whenever they ask for suggestions as to what the team should run on to, “In the City”, which I think would produce just the right blend of up tempo and humour. Come to think of it that describes Madness to a tee and they ripped through their programme to the delight of the audience displaying a professionalism and musical excellence that have kept them in the public’s mind for over thirty years.

This tour, taking in some of the lesser lights of the nation’s sporting venues will give people who do not normally have easy access to an evening of top line entertainment especially when you consider the main support was Scouting for Girls, a top line act in themselves, and hopefully those of us who don’t get such a prestigious gig on our doorstep will snap up the opportunity. Lincoln did and I hope the rest of the tour is a huge success.

Hopefully also Lincoln City might be encouraged to put themselves forward for similar opportunities in the future. Not to do so would be, well Madness.