ON THE RADAR: Little Miss Sunshine

One of my favorite films of all time, Little Miss Sunshine, did not scream "MAKE ME A MUSICAL!" to me when I saw it.  Especially considering the central symbol/metaphor/plot device: the yellow Volkswagen bus and the road trip the family takes.  But hey, if Priscilla can get on the stage why not the little wagon that could?  And like Priscilla, Sunshine is essentially a small film about simple ideas; in this case family bonding, finding that spark again, overcoming failure, being who/what you are without regard to the accepted norms.  It is also about quirky, regular people who, by circumstance end up doing big things.  And if THAT isn't ripe material for a musical, I don't know what is.

Add to it a divinely perfect pairing of a creative team - William Finn (music and lyrics) who is the reigning king of quirky, character-driven, hummable show tunes (learning the words to his sings is a big game to me) and James Lapine (book and direction) who knows a thing or ten about finding the humanity in people, quirks and jerks and all.

Currently in the midst of a world-premiere engagement at the La Jolla Playhouse, Little Miss Sunshine: The Musical also boasts a top notch cast, which can only help its chances of moving on to bigger and better things.  When your world premiere cast boasts the talents of Tony-winner Dick Latessa and Tony nominees Hunter Foster, Jennifer Laura Thompson and Malcolm Gets, you are sending a clear message that you think this piece has legs.  I hope it does.  Broadway could use a dose of small but spectacular, of every day people triumphing.  The world could use a run down the road just to get the car started, you know?

Below are a costume sketch (by designer Jennifer Caprio), and a photo of the promotional yellow bus (but of course!), all from Playbill.com, and a brief film clip of the show in rehearsal, plus interviews with the cast and the creative team, from the La Jolla Playhouse website. (Apparently, the video clip is not available anymore beyond the host site.)

This is one show I really hope to see in the future.

Comments?  Leave one here, email me at jkstheatrescene@yahoo.com or Tweet me!
Jeff
2.174

HERE'S THE NEXT QUESTION IN THE WIN TICKETS TO BROADWAY'S HOW TO SUCCEED CONTEST!  IT'S NOT TOO LATE TO JOIN IN THE FUN!  CLICK HERE TO GET STARTED!

TRIVIA QUESTION #4:
Who is the only director to have helmed the original Broadway productions of TWO Pulitzer Prize-winning musicals?

A. Michael Greif
B. Michael Mayer
C. Michael Kidd
D. James Lapine
E. Joshua Logan

Look for question #5 at the bottom of tomorrow's blog! And remember: you need BOTH the letter AND the answer for your entry!

(Rose Hemingway as Rosemary in How to Succeed...)

What Would Barbra Do?

What Would Barbra Do is a type of memoir by Emma Brockes which details her relationship with musical theatre, and the people she knows' relationship with the musical. Reading this book was like meeting a new friend; Brockes' writing style is wonderful and it felt like I was reading about myself.

Starting with her Mum 'singing her across the street' when she would go to babysit in her early teens, taking in watching film musicals like Yentl (which I've never seen), Mary Poppins, The Wizard of Oz, and, inevitably, The Sound of Music, Brockes' book details her life through these musicals. Her ability to describe the plots of the shows, and being fully aware of the silliness that is rife throughout them, is wonderfully funny and in addition, her ability to drop little aspects of trivia about early Rodgers & Hammerstein musicals and the power of Barbra Streisand is very interesting. Brockes ability to portray the trivia-loving Broadway fans, the bitchy theatre chat-rooms (such as this one and this one) and the hatred of musicals from people who have very rarely seen any is again humorous.

In reading this memoir I almost felt like I was finding a great friend in Brockes; her confession to an old-time rock star that she listens to 'mostly showtunes' and her worry about Ethel Merman blaring out from her iPod if it goes quiet on the train are things that I worry about, especially considering in between the more 'normal' music on my iPod I currently have Company, Merrily We Roll Along, Parade, Rent, Sondheim on Sondheim and Sunday in the Park with George on there, and I'm always terrified that suddenly the overture will blare out of my headphones and people around me will look at me like I have five heads.

I would admit that this book probably isn't great for someone who does think that musical theatre is a genre that is not worthy of attention, anyone who has a passing interest in musical theatre should find this book interesting; I came out of it knowing an awful lot more about early musical theatre than I had before (Brockes isn't keen on any of the more modern [post 1971] musicals), including about things like the acquamusical (literally a musical that takes place in a swimming pool). Emma Brockes is a fine writer, and I rattled through this in two days. Pick it up if you can.

Too Big To Fail

The 2008 economic crisis on Wall Street which has since triggered international financial has been the centre of numerous newspaper and magazine articles, as people attempt to understand exactly what went wrong. I learnt about the majority of what happened through reading articles in Vanity Fair, which really intrigued me and when I watched a Culture Show special on the Johnson Book Prize, Andrew Ross Sorkin's Too Big to Fail really intrigued me.

Ross Sorkin's book starts a little while after the government/JP Morgan deal in rescuing Bear Sterns. It soon moves on to examine perhaps the greatest victim of the financial crisis; Lehman Brothers. Following the failure of this company, Ross Sorkin then moves on to examine the Treasury and New York Fed attempts to solidify AIG, Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs.

The book goes behind the business scenes into the offices of Richard Fuld (head of Lehman brothers), Hank Paulson (Treasury Secretary) and into the New York Federal Reserve, ruled over by Timothy Geithner. Ross Sorkin manages to paint full pictures of all the figures mentioned by delving into their back history's in order to give the reader a greater knowledge of the people as people. I found myself feeling almost (and I mean *almost*) sorry for Fuld, who had re-established Lehman Brothers and had seen it rise to mega-status again, and for John Mack, of Morgan Stanley, whose bank was ripped apart by rumours (and a lack of direct cash). He succeeds in making the reader feel literally in the room when the testosterone-and-no-sleep-fuelled decisions were made. Ross Sorkin also explains financial terms in a way that is not patronising, but enables someone like me who is not necessarily au fait with economic terms to understand what is going on.

The most interesting aspect of Too Big to Fail was the explorations of the strange decision making made by the Treasury and New York Fed; which saved Bear Sterns, let Lehman fail, then engineered mergers between banks (which came about in cryptic phone calls with people saying 'So-and-so will call you in a moment'), saved AIG, and then gave $10-25billion to every investment bank remaining on Wall Street, a figure that has since increased dramatically.

I'd recommend this book if you are interested in learning more about the banking crisis, without complicated language. Andrew Ross Sorkin's book reads like a potential film script, and is remarkably fast-paced, especially in the final phases of the book. For a book about a complicated subject, it is highly enjoyable.

TheatreScene: February 14 - 20

BE SURE TO ENTER THE CONTEST TO WIN TICKETS TO BROADWAY'S HOW TO SUCCEED!  CLICK HERE FOR THE RULES AND HOW TO ENTER!  THE NEXT CONTEST QUESTION WILL BE AT THE BOTTOM OF MONDAY'S BLOG!

LIKE WHAT YOU SEE?  BECOME A FOLLOWER!

DON'T FORGET THIS MONTH'S NEW POLL (TO YOUR RIGHT)!  VOTE TODAY!

WHAT YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED THIS WEEK:
(** indicates a blog with a contest question at the bottom of it)

CD REVIEW: La Cage aux Folles (2010 Cast)
Ms. Broadway February 2011: The Fabulous ZaZa!
**CONTEST: Win Tickets to How to Succeed on Broadway!
**CASTING: Wonderland
**The Doctor is In: Spider-Man is Far from the First
Broadway Crossword by Blog #5: Original vs Revival, Clue Set #4

BROADWAY BIRTHDAYS THIS WEEK

• February 14: Florence Henderson, Actor (The Girl Who Came to Supper, Oklahoma!)
• February 15: Jane Seymour, Actor (Amadeus)
• February 16: John Tartaglia, Actor/Writer (Avenue Q, Shrek/Imaginocean)
• February 17: Billie Joe Armstrong, Actor/Composer (Green Day's American Idiot)
• February 18: John Travolta, Actor, (Grease - original production, replacement, Over Here!)

• February 19: Hugh Panaro, Actor (Side Show, The Phantom of the Opera)
• February 20: Sandy Duncan, Actor (Chicago, Peter Pan, My One and Only)

TOPS AND BOTTOMS (February 7 - 13)

• Top Gross: Wicked ($1.4M)
• Top Attendance: The Merchant of Venice (101.1%)
• Bottom Gross: Colin Quinn: long Story Short ($161K)
• Bottom Attendance: Colin Quinn: Long Story Short (58.1%)
• $1M Club: The Merchant of Venice, The Lion King, Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, Wicked
• SRO Club: The Merchant of Venice

THIS WEEK IN BROADWAY HISTORY

• The Oldest Opening of the Week: 1848: A Glance at New York in 1848, billed as "sketches," the show ran only 50 performances at the Olympic Theatre.  A further search revealed that people were apparently not interested enough to have an 1849 version.
• The Longest Time Since a Broadway Opening: February 15, 1990.  It was 21 years ago that a new show opened on this date, when Miss Margarida's Way opened at the Helen Hayes Theatre, starring Estelle Parsons.  It lasted 11 performances.
• The Most Provocative Title:  Queer People.  Today, not so much of an oddity, but in 1934 it might have raised a few eyebrows.  Of course, back then, "queer" more commonly meant something else!  Either way, it wasn't a huge hit (12 performances at the National Theatre), but it has a huge cast: 37!
• The Funniest Title of the Week:  OK, I'm not sure why this tickles me so, but the show was The Old Lady Says "No!".  It ran a mere 8 performances at the Mansfield Theatre.

Major Openings This Week:

• February 14, 1972:  The original production of Grease opened.  Once the longest-running show in Broadway history, the show went through 4 theatres during its 3,388 performances.  On Tony night that year, it went in with 9 nominations, and left without a single win.  The movie version changed EVERYTHING.
• February 14, 1995: 1995's Best Play, Love! Valour! Compassion!, opened at the Walter Kerr Theatre, where it ran for 248 performances.

• February 18, 1982:  Cher made her Broadway debut in Come Back to the 5 and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean.  The show boasted a cast that included Kathy Bates, Sandy Dennis, and Karen Black, but only managed a 52 performance run at the Martin Beck Theatre.  Cher has not been back.

• February 19, 1992:  Crazy for You was the show that Broadway went crazy for that season.  The "New Gershwin Musical" they called it, and it ran for 1,622 performances at the Shubert Theatre.  Although it wasn't her first Broadway show, this is the one that put Susan Stroman on the map.  Every time I see a washboard and a length of rope, I start humming "Slap That Bass."

THIS WEEK'S BROADWAY NEWS

Before we start the week, my apologies to all concerned that I failed to mention that three Broadway shows began previews last week.  It really wasn't meant as a slight, I just forgot to type up that little bit of notes.  Anyway, Good People began preview performances on February 8; RAIN: A Tribute to the Beatles on Broadway resumed performances on February 8; That Championship Season began previews on February 9.

February 14:

• The results of the New York Department of Labor's investigation into injuries sustained by cast members of Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark were reported by The New York Times.  The show was issued two "safety violations" for incidents that occurred late last year, including the fall of Christopher Tierney.  Not surprisingly, the Times article makes it sound as if these "safety violations" were issued since all of the new guidelines and protocols have been put into place.  That is not the case.  The smear campaign continues...

• It was a banner day for Broadway Box Offices:  Sister Act, Anything Goes and Wonderland all opened their BO's for business today.  Lucky Broadway fans were treated to some cool swag for waiting in line.  Anyone want to part with an Anything Goes sailor hat and button?  Email me!
• Sierra Boggess is quite busy bee these days!  Not only is she an Olivier nominated actress for her turn in Love Never Dies, but she is going to co-star with Tyne Daly in Master Class this summer, AND head the Broadway company of the new musical Rebecca next season.  You go, Ariel!

February 15:

• Happy News First:  Harvey Fierstein and Jeffrey Tambor took over the roles of Albin/ZaZa and Georges over at La Cage aux Folles.  This marks the first time Mr. Fierstein has appeared in the show which he co-wrote 28 years ago.
• The hopefully Broadway-bound musical Little Miss Sunshine, with an all-star Broadway cast (Hunter Foster, Jennifer Laura Thompson, Dick Latessa and Malcolm Gets) began its world-premiere engagement in L.A. today.  I'll be blogging about this show later this week coming up.
• Bad News Last:  Two women are suing the producers of Broadway's Billy Elliot because they were injured during a production number at the end of Act One.  They are asking for $4M.  One of the ladies sustained a permanent scar on her face, and the other suffered a concussion.  The production has since modified the staging.  I sincerely hope they both win and both recover successfully.  Now my big question:  why didn't The New York Times report this (The New York Post did)?  Could it be that because it is a "critic's pick" by Ben Brantley that it went by the way-side?  If this had been at Spider-Man, they would have been all over it.  Where are the cries to close Billy Elliot?  Why is it OK for them to simply modify some staging without a full investigation?  Spider-Man certainly doesn't deserve special treatment.  But it does deserve fair treatment.

February 16:

• The long-discussed revival of Bob Fosse's Dancin' looks to be back on track.  It was announced today that the Roundabout Theatre Company will produce the revival and the National Tour.  The show will play Studio 54 and will be directed by Graciella Daniele.
• Click HERE to read my blog about the biggest news of the day.

February 17:

• The media blitz surrounding The Book of Mormon went into full swing this week:  Two huge articles in The New York Times (Ben Brantley chose this show as his most looking forward to this spring show, of course), and several video interviews with the creators and cast on all of the major theatre sites.  The actors are VERY passionate about this project, risky as it is and could be.  I really hope their first previews go well.  I'd hate for it to get the Women on the Verge treatment.  Oh, wait.  Brantley pre-picked this one.  Cast members will have to revolt (or worse) in order for it to get any negative press over at the Times.  The video interviews are very interesting.  Matt and Trey are on my "I must meet these people" list.
• Is Broadway still in the cards for Bring It On: The Musical?  Interesting how a major National Tour has been announced as its Atlanta run finishes up, but no mention of the Great White Way.  Hmmm... maybe they are going to work it all out on the road and then bring it in.  And by announcing a tour WITHOUT Broadway, they might be able to avoid any less than advantageous scrutiny whilst they work out the kinks.  Someone is learning...
• Maybe its because I loved Lombardi, but I am pretty excited about the announcement of Eric Simonson's new play, Magic/Bird, all about Magic Johnson and Larry Bird's domination of basketball for years.  I know my dad will be thrilled - he loves basketball even more than football.  Sign me up!
• Good news for fans of John Gallagher, Jr. (including myself)!  His next project is all lined up - he is joining the cast of Jerusalem at the Music Box Theatre.  Good to see those American Idiot kids all moving on!

February 18:

• Two other big shows are getting their names out there this week:  the media blitz began with some staged scenes from both Catch Me If You Can and Anything Goes for the press, and now on video at both BroadwayWorld.com and Playbill.com.  TheatreMania's Peter Filicia gushed about Catch Me in his column.  Catch Me  looks like a ton of fun, and the big numbers look spectacular (I love Jerry Mitchell's choreography period) and Aaron Tveit looks and sounds charming and charismatic.  I hope this is the vehicle that makes him a huge star.  I saw the "Anything Goes" number and predict that it will open the 2011 Tonys (if not open, it will certainly be in the telecast).  That said, Colin Donnell and Joel Grey leaped off the computer monitor so great is their charisma and charm.  Not so much with Sutton Foster, who sounds great if Reno Sweeney were an ingenue like Millie Dilmount.  Not long in the sassy, brassy dame department, she is one hell of a dancer, though!  To be fair, she is MUCH better in the snippets of her other songs that they taped, especially "Friendship" with Joel Grey, which is sassy and charming and goose-pimply sweet. 

February 19:

• Riverdance - On Ice! may even be too gay for me...

February 20:

• The Merchant of Venice closes up shop today at the Broadhurst Theatre.  The Al Pacino-Lily Rabe revival played 26 previews and 74 performances.  It was a huge success, critically, popularly and financially.  A nice change of pace for Broadway news lately.

Comments?  Leave one here, email me at jkstheatrescene@yahoo.com or Tweet me!
Jeff
2.173

Broadway Crossword by Blog #5: Original vs Revival, Clue Set #4

With Broadway all poised and ready for the snow to melt and the spring stage season to heat up, here's a puzzle that celebrates what are sure to be two of the season's biggest openings, the revivals of Anything Goes and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.

I decided that with this crossword, I'd mix things up a little bit and not give the clues out in order. The first set revealed the 9 plays and musicals and their revivals that the rest of the clues are about. That clue set also includes instructions for setting up your grid, tells you which lines contain no new clues, and other details about the way shows were picked. CLUE SET #1 is the best place to start this puzzle.  CLUE SET #2 and CLUE SET #3 each contain 7 pairs of clues about 9 plays and musicals and their revivals that are part of the whole puzzle.

Today, I give you the final 7 pairs of clues, all of which are about pairs of actors who played the same role.  Next week, come back for the ANSWERS!  Good luck!

Here are this week's clue pairs. Remember: Each pair has to do with the same actor/character.

18 Down: Row 11, Block 38.  11 Letters: 1984's ZaZa; he also drove Norma Desmond around L.A.
25 Across:  Row 16, Block 27.  12 Letters: 2010's Tony and Olivier Award-winning ZaZa

26 Across:  Row 17, Block 15.  12 Letters:  He'll be this year's Billy Crocker
27 Across:  Row20, Block 10.  14 Letters:  He was 1987's male lead in Anything Goes

10 Down:  Row 5, Block 31.  13 Letters:  In 1995, she was happy to keep his dinner warm
48 Across:  Row 34, Block 10.  13 Letters:  This year, she'll have her eye on J. Pierrepont Finch

3 Down:  Row 1, Block 26.  15 Letters:  She was the first to sing "Liaisons"
33 Across:  Row 24, Block 12.  14 Letters:  She is also known as Mame or Nellie Lovett

32 Down:  Row23, Block 15.  13 Letters:  He just left the role of Georges
50 Across:  Row 35, Block 1.  10 Letters:  He sang "Song on the Sand" with 18 Down

7 Down:  Row 3, Block 36.  11 Letters:  1987's Reno Sweeney, she was On the Verge this season
40 Across:  Row 29, Block 17.  12 Letters: She's been Millie, Jo, Fiona and now Reno

34 Down: Row 24, Block 27.  11 Letters:  Hair's original Berger
45 Across:  Row 34, Block 26.  11 Letters:  2009's Berger; this year, he's riding Priscilla to Broadway

Here are the clues, "Crossword Style":

Across:

25  2010's Tony and Olivier Award-winning ZaZa
26  He'll be this year's Billy Crocker
27  He was 1987's male lead in Anything Goes
33  She is also known as Mame or Nellie Lovett
40  She's been Millie, Jo, Fiona and now Reno
45  2009's Berger; this year, he's riding Priscilla to Broadway
48  This year, she'll have her eye on J. Pierrepont Finch
50  He sang "Song on the Sand" with 18 Down

Down:

3  She was the first to sing "Liaisons"
7  1987's Reno Sweeney, she was On the Verge this season
10  In 1995, she was happy to keep his dinner warm
18  1984's ZaZa; he also drove Norma Desmond around L.A. 
32  He just left the role of Georges
34  Hair's original Berger


Find an error?  Have an idea for another puzzle or game?  Leave it here or email me at jkstheatrescene@yahoo.com.
Jeff
2.172

LOOKING FOR THE NEXT TRIVIA QUESTION IN THE HOW TO SUCCEED CONTEST?
Check back on Monday, at the bottom of the blog!
Have no idea what I'm talking about?  CLICK HERE!

The Doctor is In: Spider-Man is Far From the First...

News this week that the producers of Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark are in talks with Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa to work on the book prompted the most obvious question, even from ardent supporters like myself: "Why did you wait so long?"  I am sure that there are many reasons why (and I've even heard that he and others have been hacking away at it long before now).  And I am equally sure we will NEVER know the full story.  Be that as it may, even as the show has VASTLY improved over the months since previews started, it still has a ways to go, and admittedly the biggest problem is the book.

If it turns out that Mr. Aguirre-Sacasa does/has/will be credited or not with working on the book, then the show is in good hands.  He has experience as a playwright, a show doctor and as a writer of actual Spider-Man comics!  In fact, his most recent show doctor credit was the re-vamping of the now possibly Broadway-bound It's a Bird!  It's a Plane!  It's Superman! (though now Superman will REALLY have to fly his ass off to impress anyone...).  I am keeping my fingers-crossed and hope he gets rid of those damnable shoes, re-works or gets rid of the Geek Squad (love as I do Gideon Glick, he doesn't really help the show at this point), and really makes us care about Peter, Mary Jane and, yes, even the Green Goblin.  I hate to admit that I like what is happening with Arachne, so I hope he tweaks well and carefully!

Of course, the tabloid New York Times, once a beacon of style and class, would now have you believe that this a first for any musical.  This is not even close to the first time a show in trouble called in a "doctor" so to speak.  Hell, Shakespeare even got help... the difference is that most of the time the public is not made aware of it.  And only occasionally do the "doctors" get or take credit.  Often, it is years after a show closes that the truth comes out. 

Some well known cases:

• Arthur Laurents, directing I Can Get It For You Wholesale!, re-worked the book to suit his needs.  The show was still a flop.

• Jerome Robbins came in to fix a troubled A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, going uncredited for staging and choreography.  So famous was this "uncredited" work, that "Comedy Tonight" made into his Tony-winning revue musical, Jerome Robbins' Broadway, and Stephen Sondheim tells the story of how Robbins got "Comedy Tonight" out of the young writer, as he admits himself in  Sondheim on Sondheim.  Forum is a musical theatre classic.
• Bob Fosse, directing/choreographing Pippin very famously banned both Roger O. Hirson and Stephen Schwartz from rehearsals while he doctored the show.  It was a HUGE hit.
• Tommy Tune, like Fosse and Robbins, did his doctoring to suit his staging needs TWICE: Grand Hotel: The Musical (a big hit) and My One and Only (another hit).

• Neil Simon was brought in to tighten and fix the ending of A Chorus Line.  We all know what a HUGE hit that show turned out to be!  Contrary to popular belief, Simon's nickname, "Doc," had nothing to do with the shows he doctored, even though there were a few. 
• Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse re-wrote the book to Anything Goes, making it one of the biggest hits of the 30's.  Their work was in turn doctored for the 1987 and 2011 revivals by Timothy Crouse (no relation to Howard) and John Weidman.  All four are joined by the two who wrote the original: P.G. Wodehouse and Guy Bolton.

• Abe Burrows doctored so many shows (along with writing such classics as Guys and Dolls and How to Succeed...) that there was a famous saying around the Rialto when the stink of trouble reached a producer's nostrils: "Get me Abe Burrows!"  Mr. Burrows, ever the gentleman, never really discussed which shows he doctored or which he co-wrote, admitting freely to only one: Make A Wish, a moderate success.
• Douglas Carter Beane is a modern-day doctor, though he does wholesale re-writes of vintage shows, like The Bandwagon, which now goes by Dancing in the Dark.
• Brian Yorkey for a while was being credited for "helping" Thomas Meehan with the book for Catch Me If You Can.

So you see, Spider-Man is not alone.  Not even close.  Here's hoping that Spidey goes the way of Anything Goes, Forum..., Pippin and A Chorus Line.

Comments?  Leave one here, email me at jkstheatrescene@yahoo.com or Tweet me!
Jeff
2.171

WIN TICKET'S TO BROADWAY'S HOW TO SUCCEED!  CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE RULES!

TRIVIA QUESTION #3:
All of the following Pulitzer Prize-winning musicals take place in New York City, EXCEPT:

A.  RENT
B.  How to Succeed...
C.  next to normal
D.  A Chorus Line
E.  Fiorello!

Look for question #4 at the bottom of Monday's blog!  And remember: you need BOTH the letter AND the answer for your entry!

(John Larroquette as J.B. Bigley in How to Succeed...)

Fill in the Blank Friday

Another Friday (actually on a Friday), thanks to Lauren.

1. I am...bad at answering really open questions! I'm Amy, I'm 17 (18 in about...10 days?) and I'm currently waiting for my brother to finish in the bathroom, so I can wash my hair.

2. The bravest thing I've ever done was...I'm not very brave, to be honest. I would guess maybe taking a step back when an old friendship began to turn slightly toxic. It was the scariest thing I'd done, but I'm (kind of) happy that I made this step.

3. I feel prettiest when...I'm wearing one of my summery dresses; they make me feel instantly happier, and I think I feel happier in how I look when I'm in a good mood, if that makes sense?

4. Something that keeps me awake at night is...looming school deadlines. I'm not very good with having a lot of work going on at the same time, which isn't great at the moment where I've got one piece of English coursework, two pieces of History coursework and two RS essays to write over the coming half term.

5. My favourite meal in the entire world is...Gosh, I love food so it's hard for me to do this! I love enchiladas, cobbler (a stew thing that has like a dumpling crust), stir-frys and Ask's seafood ravioli, which is delicious. But; I think the thing that makes a meal are the people you're eating with, and for that reason I'd say that Pizza Hut food goes quite high on my list as I've had a lot of great meals there with my friends. Oh and Nandos....I said I liked food.

6. The way to my heart is...being genuine, funny and understanding

7. I would like to...be happy. Find something that fills me with happiness to do, and do it.