Have seen her on the SCD IKEA thread, now in full swing with the new season and hysterical as ever. Well done to all who post there!

I have never wandered there TT. Is it a pleasant place to visit?

Thank you nelliek for your new venue attendance lists. You really do such great work. I'm so pleased that you were granted an audience with His Excellence, on Wimbledon KD Saturday. A fitting reward, in my opinion.

I'm really, really looking forward to seeing Jay in Big, when it opens in the West End.
But now I find that I'm having a bit of a wiblet: such as 'What happens if it doesn't make it to the West End?'; 'What happens if Jay doesn't move with it, to the West End?'; 'Should I try and get to Plymouth/Dublin, just to be on the safe side?', and other similar silliness. Think I'll have to dig out the 'slaps'. They're a bit dusty, now - don't think they've been used since the SCD Finals last year. I'm liberally dosing myself with all the songs from BIG: with some success: I'm relieved to say (someone on here kindly provided us with the YT link).

In all the excitement, I'd forgotten that I don't actually like musicals very much. I'm the only person I know who didn't like 'Evita', for example. Found it rather bleak.
I think it goes back to all those dire Elvis films - oh, how he hated doing them. You know, 'Follow That Dream', 'GI Blues' etc. They were basically just vehicles for the songs; and of course another opportunity to get Elvis to take his shirt off, and grope girls. There was no apology made for the flimsiest of plots: sometimes virtually no plot, at all. He wanted to be offered more serious roles, to show what he could do: like that was ever gonna happen. Anyway, his manager Colonel Tom Parker (rumoured to be Mister 50%), enjoyed a 'flutter', and was said to send 'the boy' out to work, to settle his gambling debts. Such a shame. A sad life, I think: but what a voice.

Anyway, I've seen Big, the film, numerous times, and loved it. Bought the video: and wore it out. So I'm confident that I will love Big - The Musical. Even more so, as Jay's in it. And now I've decided that I like musicals, after all.......well, this one, at least.

Thank you for your kinds words about the list keeping, Rafferty. I consider it my (very small) contribution to the forum - I'm no good at writing poetry, non-techie, can't knit, etc.

I confess to not having seen the film of Big though I have a rough idea of the story. Listened to one of the songs on YouTube and originally thought 'um, no, not for me' but then for some reason went back and listened to a few more and thought 'um, not bad'. Then I heard 'Cross the line', so I've booked to see the show purely for that song. If it's cut from the performance I'm going to be a bit gutted to say the least.

Haven't seen 'Evita' (either on stage or film) - doesn't appeal to me and however good other people might think something is I refuse to spend the kids' inheritance on stuff that doesn't appeal to me. I will take you to task over GI Blues though. Nowt wrong that film - it was of its era, same as The Young Ones and Summer Holiday. I didn't see the later Elvis films though I get the impression that they had, as you say, the flimsiest of plots.
I do think it's a shame if you let your viewpoint of musicals be coloured by those old Elvis films and Evita. Are you sure that you don't like some of the older ones such as Oklahoma, South Pacific, West Side Story, or from the more modern ones Les Miserables, Jesus Christ Superstar (not seen it on stage but the film is superb IMO), Miss Saigon? (Haven't included the really modern ones such as Rent, Wicked, Book of Mormon, because I don't know anything about them.)

I can top you on Evita, years and years ago, probably in another galaxy, when I was about 17 my Mum took me and my sister to see it in either Bournemouth or Southampton (it's soooo long ago I can't remember which) and I fell asleep...properly asleep...mouth open, dribbling the works
In my defence I did have a heavy cold and was medicated up to the eyeballs, but I have never been allowed to forget snoring through Don't Cry for me Agentina

Hi Nelliek and Jayfan

Been missing for a few days - so not caught up on probably several pages since - just updating and thanks again Nelliek for all your work on the various dates.

Yes Jayfan you are correct -Matinee Saturday 7th Jan - DD, Jnb, Speedy and Jayfan - have our tickets put away safely
I'm not going on November 19th (am just going to one show in Edinburgh on 18th evening- I believe Danceagogo is though but I will let her confirm which show.
Just been watching ITT - really hope Zoe has Aliona and Jay (if he has the time) on as guests.
Just thinking this evening that little did we know this time last year about that JIVE and the impact it would have. I am hoping that no one gets a 10 tomorrow night from the fudges as I want Jaliona to hold that deserved record. I love how Jalionas Jive is the subject of the competition for the Strictly Final too - another excuse to look at it again. Its been tweeted about a lot this week and it was great to see Otis tweet being very praiseworthy about it. I always felt she and Jay got on well and loved their friendly twitter exchange a few months ago.
Lovely pic of Aliona with Go during the week as well - she certainly has been very supportive of him and Laura this year Am sure all those tweets and tweet pics have been posted already.

I only discovered it from a link on here & it's hilarious & very very clever - especially if you've had experience of IKEA instructions & catalogue

Like Rafferty, musicals don't often float my boat, although the last one I saw was Miss Saigon and it was great. BIG is a super film, though, and the opportunity to see Jay as Josh just has to be seized with open arms

Hope Jay gets some time off over the weekend and gets a chance to tweet ... or maybe an Instagram ... practising BIG songs in the shower would do just fine ....

Yes, a tweet as to how it's all going would be so appreciated. I've been wondering how his throat is holding up.

Can't believe what I have just seen. ITT did " the best Movie Week dances" with Ian Waite and Jay's jive wasn't included!!! are they joking? The best dance routine ever on Movie Week not mentioned, totally ridiculous😡
Will go on ITT Facebook and have a rant

Thanks for the correction (and confirmation of jayfan's thoughts), Polly.
Can I just check that you're not going to the evening performance on the 7th - just the other four?

about your comment about not going to Edinburgh on November 19th though because I haven't got you down for that. Just the 18th as you said.

Can't believe that Dfer!!

Thanks for confirming/clarifying Polly

On the topic of musicals, I generally don't mind them and sometimes love them - Les Miserables, Blood Brothers, Miss Saigon, Godspell, Matilda were/are my faves. All of these have moved me.

I've just had a look at the Strictly Facebook page, and the jive has added half a million views since yesterday morning!

It was on 3.9 million before they reposted, and now it's on 4.4 million!

BIB. Thank you, nelliek. for drawing my attention to this, and making me think, more deeply, about it. I mentioned in a long-ago post about us all wearing different coloured "lenses", through which we view the world. Our world view is solely dependent on which "lenses" we happen to be wearing at the time. I went on to say that someone wearing sunglasses (dark "lenses"), would hold an entirely different view to someone wearing "bright and sunny lenses". I said that I find it amusing to discover, that I may have been wearing "sunglasses" about something: and so it has proved. Thank you once again. It's a prejudice: pure and simple. And I can't have that.

Re: GI Blues. Elvis had just left the military when that film was made, so there was a bit of a story to that one. Follow That Dream, and others (none of which names I can remember), were mindlessly churned out, one after another, with ever-diminishing plotlines. Poor soul, that he was.

My reaction too, but then BigSis pointed out that since it's the answer to the quiz it might be deemed a bit iffy

She is so kind

Agree - after GI Blues, crap, before then, interesting films with music

To be kind to Mr Waite (if I must), he didn't have a section on explosives and that dance blew everyone else out of the water.

Thinking about the various posts from Polly and others about what was to befall this time last year.

On my journey home, I was just reflecting on how much I was missing the excitement and anticipation of last year. Rushing home to watch ITT, searching the thread for the latest news (well I still do that but fewer pages to trawl), anxious knots in my stomach about the forthcoming show.

Wish we could back and do it again...

BIB -That's the one! I was trying to think of it when I was typing names in my earlier post. Saw Godspell on the stage (with Jeremy Irons and Marti Webb IIRC) but then saw the film of Jesus Christ Superstar because I didn't want to compare them as stage performances.

I feel very nostalgic about it too.

I spent so much time practically superglued to my iPad, and as time went on I kept on getting notifications from BT that I was nearing the limit of my broadband allowance!

It was worth it, though.

I noticed that there were 'categories' - Bond girls, action, and villain - the latter one was mainly Craig dissing the more dubious offerings. Into which category I think KK's Star Wars dance should have gone, instead of being in 'action'.

Way back, 'Movie week' was unheard of but never forget Mark Ramprakash and Karen Hardy's AT to Goldeneye. That was another explosive (as in 'totally jaw-dropping, did I really see that') dance.

I kept exceeding mine. First time ever....

I actually did a couple of times too, and like you that had never happened before, but then they had an offer on and doubled my allowance for free, which was lucky.

Rafferty
Forgot to follow up your point about worrying if Jay and Big would get to the West End.
I worried too which is why I am going to Dublin. Could not get to Plymouth.
I feel more confident that the show will get to the West End for at least a little while in light of various statements by Jay and others. But it is a competitive business and it will depend on ticket sales how long the show lasts.

While we're all in nostalgic anniversarial mood...

The more you love a memory
The stronger it grows
The higher the image rises
The bigger shadow it throws

Nostalgia paints a picture
Beautiful to see
A remembrance in the mind
With a lifetime guarantee

Next to Monkseal, it's the best Strictly accessory. Total scream and zero nastiness.