He’s a very naughty boy! For the un-enlightened amongst you, we’ve just been to see Eric Idle (a messiah if there ever was one…) perform the operatic version of Monty Python’s Life of Brian at the Sydney Opera House. Having seen the musical Spamalot in London, I was expecting a similar show – actors singing amusing songs and so on, but this was much more high-brow, well as high-brow as Monty Python can get… When we arrived there was a small stage, with empty chairs arranged facing the centre. The musicians filed in, followed by the conductor and the thought crossed that we were in Handel’s Messah instead of Idle’s. With a flick of the wrist, the conductor put us at ease with the orchestra starting off with the Monty Python theme tune, and from then on comforting silliness ensued. There were dancing sheep, scottish bagpipe players, and the choir wore hard hats and imitated welsh miners, oh and the orchestra knew how to play too! The show was in the larger concert hall shell of the opera house, although a lot smaller inside than I’d imagined. Half time drinks at the huge brown glass end of the building, with what must be the best interval views over the harbour and bridge – Southampton’s Mayflower theatre can’t really compete!
Other weekend activites included lengths at the North Syndey Olympic pool, in full view of the harbour bridge. The pool definitely seemed to come from an era before the recent Olympics. The outdoor pool was filled with salt water, and after a few lengths of injesting a weeks supply of salt, we retreated to the indoor pool. Post swim snacks of salty pretzels were ill-advised – salt overload!
That sounds awesome!