#23 - Dirty Dancing

As a teenager I was always a big fan of the Dirty dancing film and wouldn’t be able to count the number of times I watched it.  In fact it remains a good go to film for those moments when I want to watch an old favourite.

So when my friend told me they had a spare ticket for the theatre production and did I want it, it was a bit of an “Is the Pope Catholic?” question!  I jumped at the chance!  We went out for a meal first and then fought our way through the early evening London crowds to the Piccadilly theatre.  It isn’t often I splash out on a programme but decided to this time, especially since my joining the group was at very short notice so I hadn’t had much time for internet research into the production.  I was expecting some stage interpretations – after all what works on film can’t necessarily work in the same way on stage.  But it was a surprise reading through the programme to discover that the production had actually added a number of their own songs as well.  Thankfully most of the well-loved songs and the classic lines were left in.

As a production I found it a little disappointing.  Of course it was a favourite film and so watching another version of it in a different format can always be dangerous.  Equally trying to fit actors into those iconic roles of Jonny and Baby was never going to be an easy task.  I didn’t get the same lift that I get from the film and didn’t feel the same connection to the characters.  Jill Winternitz did a great job as Baby, but Paul-Michael Jones just didn’t look enough the part of Jonny.  He was a great actor but he just didn’t have that Swayze factor.

Slightly disappointing as a production but a fun night out all the same.

#22 - Re-visit the treehouses of Longbarn

Longbarn camp is a special place for me.  The long field with its pylon, the woods with the stream running through it, and the field where the bell tents are… even the chemical toilets!  For me more than just a kids camp which I used to volunteer at for a few summers, but also the place of many friendships and a place of so much fun and good memories.  It was an amazing opportunity to be a big kid again and be part of children being children, exploring the woods, building dams and going on stream walks (always useful with no shower on site!), playing some amazing wide games including the awesome Astroblitz, Survival, hot chocolate around the camp fire, sleeping out in the treehouse, and so much more!  It is also a place of peace (even amongst the craziness of that many children), but a peace which only comes from God, an opportunity to leave behind the world outside and just enjoy being for a week.   

 

But it has been a number of years now since I have been able to do a week at the camp.

The original idea we had was for a group of us to sleep over in the treehouse at Longbarn camp.  But due to insurance, security and other boring grown up reasons that could not be.  So instead we had a sleepover at Hannah’s where we consumed considerable amounts of popcorn and Haribo.  

The next day on our way home Andrea and I popped in to a childless, empty, peaceful Longbarn and enjoyed a bit of a reminisce.  We admired some of the renovations which have taken place since we were last there (those we could see anyway since some of them are locked away inside the huts), sat and chatted by the stream, did a bit of hair braiding, tried out the newly installed shower (!!!), wandered in the woods and climbed the treehouse.  We also visited Ali’s memorial tree and remembered our good friend.  

 

It was cold and a little muddy, empty of people and noise but still most definitely Longbarn.  It felt good to be back even just for an hour.