I am having a bit of a mid year review at the moment and I have been looking back at the things I wanted to achieve this year. In 2013 I went to see two shows at the theatre. In 2014 I wanted to see three. Last week, I went to see my fourth. Betty Blue Eyes.
If you've not heard of it, Betty Blue Eyes is a delightful Alan Bennett tale about post war Britain, black market trading, social hierarchy and the most beautiful blue-eyed pig you will ever see.
Like everything else I've seen this year, I didn't know what to expect. What I wasn't expecting was to fall so completely in love with Betty. I don't think it will spoil it too much to say that they didn't have a live pig snuffling about the stage, but that Betty was a simply beautiful puppet. If you know the idea of War Horse, imagine that on a much smaller, more adorable pig-sized scale. If you don't know War Horse, here is a link because even though I haven't seem it, I think it looks amazing.
But back to the show in hand. If I knew it was a musical, I had forgotten when I went in, but all the songs were fantastic. So good indeed that my theatre companion has downloaded the soundtrack. It is times like this that I am jealous of his monthly music subscription service.
There were multiple bad guys, from corrupt butchers, to the local town councillors who were entirely obsessed with their 'Private Function' and who they are inviting (and are not), to the bratty little girl who thought that because her mother can get black market steak she is better than everyone else. The best baddie though was the Meat Inspector. He seemed very concerned with closing down corrupt butchers and not very concerned with where people would get their meat from once they were all closed. After all, that's not his department.
And what kind of man is our hero? A swashbuckling soldier? A vigilante? A chiropodist?
10 points it everyone who said C.
He is kind. He is gentle. He is generous. He just wants to open his own surgery and help people. He doesn't want to disappoint his wife. He is fundanmentally a good man.
It is fundamentally a good play. If you want to feel uplifted, if you want to laugh, if you like a good swing dance section (something I certainly hadn't bargained for!) then I urge you to seek this show out.
I have now exceeded my goal for theatre shows this year but don't think that is going to stop me seeing more! It is only mid year after all. I have a couple of things I've spotted that I'd like to see but if anyone has any recommendations for things to look out for I would love to hear about them.
Pip pip Charlotte xx
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