From School Plays To Stage Magic: Lessons From Nativity The Musical

A single line, one defiant kid, and a school hall full of nerves—somehow it all becomes magic. We ring out season three with a warm, funny, and surprisingly tender celebration of Nativity The Musical, using it to ask a bigger question: what happens when children are given the space to shine and adults get brave enough to follow their lead? From Mr Poppy’s joyful chaos to that final burst of Sparkle And Shine, we unpack how heart, humour, and community beat perfection every time.

Along the way, we unwrap a stocking of theatre news and festive viewing. We get giddy about an Alan Cumming-led My Fair Lady with Maria Friedman at the helm, debate Cabaret’s new arrivals at the Kit Kat Club, and toast Paddington The Musical booking deep into 2027. We also tip you to the National Lottery’s Big Night of Musicals and a packed slate of Christmas musical films, including Kiss Me, Kate, Matilda, and more. It’s a mini guide for anyone craving live theatre, cast recordings, or a comforting classic on the sofa.

Back in the school hall, we talk arts education, stage fright, and the thrill of seeing a child spot their family in the crowd. There are honest stories—being cast as Herod and stealing the show with one line, the strange nerves of public readings, and the way a community forms when people turn up and cheer. If you love musical theatre, care about kids finding their voice, or just need a wholesome laugh with your mince pie, this one’s for you.

If this brought you joy, tap follow, share it with a theatre-loving friend, and leave a quick review. Your words help more listeners find our little corner of musical magic.

End of MLL

Transcript

Festive Banter And Christmas Trees

SPEAKER_04 0:51

Hello and welcome to Musical Lyrical Lingo. We're your hosts, Tim.

SPEAKER_01 0:55

And LJ. Today and every week we will be discussing musicals, but specifically what they taught us.

SPEAKER_05 1:00

Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way.

SPEAKER_01 1:05

Oh what fun, it is too bad.

SPEAKER_04 1:08

Anyone?

SPEAKER_01 1:09

I can remember the rest of the words.

SPEAKER_04 1:11

You can't remember the words to jingle bells.

SPEAKER_01 1:13

I think I was like, you know the way there's like that slang one. I think I had that in my head and I was really.

SPEAKER_04 1:18

Oh, I'm glad you didn't say the slang one then. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:21

Careful that I wasn't gonna say something worse.

SPEAKER_04 1:24

Oh, here, those lights in the corner on the Christmas tree went a wee bit crazy there for a minute, didn't they?

SPEAKER_01 1:29

Yeah. Do you need them off?

SPEAKER_04 1:31

Hope I don't get a migraine. No, it's okay. As long as they don't go flashy like crazy like that again.

SPEAKER_01 1:36

They should be okay.

SPEAKER_04 1:36

They'll be alright. I mean, I have been in the room for the last hour and a half and they haven't annoyed me, but for some reason that they took a bit of a fit there.

SPEAKER_01 1:43

Because it heard your singing and then it needed to be.

SPEAKER_04 1:45

Are they musically? Maybe they are and you just never realise.

SPEAKER_01 1:51

Maybe.

SPEAKER_04 1:53

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:54

Could be. It's much better this year, have you not noticed?

SPEAKER_04 1:56

Remember last year you Well, I didn't want to make comment because I was so rude last year. Although I haven't been into your front room to see your really lovely one. I'll have to do that before I leave today. Um no, I know I was really uh It was terrible. It was awful. It was awful. It was really bad.

SPEAKER_01 2:12

So the poor child.

SPEAKER_04 2:14

I mean it's still black in colour.

SPEAKER_01 2:16

Well, yes, that one's not gonna this is the black and white room, so it's not gonna change.

SPEAKER_04 2:20

I see what you're doing, but the lights are yellow.

SPEAKER_01 2:23

Well, they're kind of white.

SPEAKER_04 2:25

Yellow.

SPEAKER_01 2:26

Okay. Um well the youngest was like, I need to make it better this year.

SPEAKER_04 2:33

To be fair, he did a really good job. So well done. Well done, AK.

SPEAKER_01 2:38

So there were certain certain ornaments were allowed on this tree, and then other ones we've kind of just packed in, you know, because the kids are 12 and 14. So as much as I love like all their ones of their hand prints and their faces whenever they were younger.

SPEAKER_04 2:51

Have you sacked them off now?

SPEAKER_01 2:53

I mean, they're I haven't thrown them out. I just put them actually into a sack, like a Christmas sack, and they're underneath the never to be seen again.

SPEAKER_04 3:01

Oh wow, that's quite a decision.

SPEAKER_01 3:04

Yeah, I mean they were desperate. Okay, so that one has that, and then the third tree has like nice balls on it, and then the big tree has like nice ball bubbles.

SPEAKER_04 3:16

It has nice balls on it, bubbles, they're called bubbles, they're not balls.

SPEAKER_01 3:24

And there's Christmas trees and then we've got how many other Christmas trees have we got? We've got seven in total, but at least three decorated, yeah.

SPEAKER_05 3:32

So what are the other?

SPEAKER_01 3:33

Or like, well, there's uh like one of those paper ones, and then there's like the metal ones.

SPEAKER_04 3:38

Okay. Very good. Yeah. Tell you what, you must be exhausted after putting all of them up.

SPEAKER_01 3:44

Well, probably not as exhausted as you are with your twig. Is it up yet?

SPEAKER_04 3:47

It's up. It's I went which I didn't like the I don't like my twig of a Christmas tree. So I went to try and buy a new twig Christmas tree, because obviously it still needs to be a twigged tree with just we lights on because I can't be bothered getting a proper, you like you know, normal regular green tree Christmas tree where you then have to put the lights on as well as the decorations. That's that's not how I'm too much still too much of a grinch for all that. So I did look for a crisp a twiggy, uh, didn't find a twiggy that suited me. Okay. So I went, well, I'm just gonna have to put the same disastrous twig, which is about 12 years old, it does need to be binned. But I thought my my solution would be, because I couldn't get a new tree, was to just change up the colour scheme of the baubles this year. So we have ditched the purple bubbles. Okay. I mean I have still haven't ditched them because I might go back to them next year. However, I did spend quite a bit of money on new decorations, so I'm kind of going gold, uh not gold, is it gold? Well, red with like gold. Oh nice. It yeah, do you know what it does do? It um complements my red theatre chairs. Perfect. So I thought fair. Yeah, it's okay.

SPEAKER_01 5:08

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 5:09

I mean, I try not to look at it very much, so then it's fine.

SPEAKER_01 5:14

Maybe one day we'll get you with a proper tree. One day.

SPEAKER_04 5:17

Not a chance. Okay. Like it's it's really ridiculous that no. I was gonna say it's really ridiculous that the tree in my classroom is better than my tree at home, but it's not because the tree in my classroom, which is a proper tree, is truly horrific. Oh, is it worse? It's so tacky, it's disgusting. But hey ho, it's it's it's for the kids, exactly. And I love tinsel.

SPEAKER_01 5:41

Yeah, tinsel. I made sure there was no tinsel anywhere.

SPEAKER_04 5:44

Tensil on the tree.

SPEAKER_01 5:45

No tinsel, tensile, yeah, tensile was removed. Even whenever there was suggestion of tinsel could go under the garland, I was like, hmm, just we're still we'll circle back to that. Circle back to that.

SPEAKER_04 5:57

That's a good choice. No tinsel on the garland. My goodness, tensile on the tree is bad enough. In case uh any of our listeners are wondering, this is our Christmas episode.

SPEAKER_01 6:08

What? Oh my goodness.

SPEAKER_04 6:10

I mean, it's it's just around the corner now, isn't it?

SPEAKER_01 6:12

Not really is.

SPEAKER_04 6:13

Have you done all your shopping?

SPEAKER_01 6:14

Ugh, I'm gonna say yes, but you know, it then gets like that last week and you always feel like you haven't got haven't got everything.

SPEAKER_04 6:21

Yeah, do you know the situation I've found myself in, particularly today? I've had two letdowns in one day, it's not been a good day. Um, you know the things that you have planned, which are like experiences or like not like well, so I suppose gift as well, gifts. Then you go to get them and the you know, really stupid things have happened, like shops have closed down or oh no, we're not doing those events anymore. And I'm like, no, none of you understand. This was on the list of Christmas presents this year for me. So I don't care if you're not doing your your your evenings anymore. You'll do one more, yeah just so that I can book in. Yeah, but yeah, so I've had I've had two letdowns in the one day.

SPEAKER_01 7:06

So that is that's very for sure.

Season Three Wrap And Theatre News

SPEAKER_04 7:09

So I called my therapist called Lauren, yeah, um, and here I am ready and willing to talk musical theatre to make me feel better. Do you know what I mean? Because that's what we do, isn't it?

SPEAKER_01 7:20

Always meeting.

SPEAKER_04 7:21

When we've been let down.

SPEAKER_01 7:24

I love it. I love it.

SPEAKER_04 7:25

It's because I saw one magpie this morning in the back garden. I was like, uh-oh, today is gonna bring something I'm not gonna be happy about.

SPEAKER_01 7:33

But then you also project that out in the world. But if you just sold it and said hello, Mr. Magpie. I did. Oh well then that's okay.

SPEAKER_04 7:39

I went, hello Mr.

SPEAKER_01 7:40

Magpie, how's your wife and kids? And did you solid it?

SPEAKER_04 7:43

Yes, always. You're talking to me here.

SPEAKER_01 7:44

No, I know, but I mean, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 7:47

Anyway, I feel like we've gone back like three seasons because we had that session. We had about four weeks of Magpie chat in the first season, didn't we?

SPEAKER_01 7:57

But no, we're very much in Nullahogged ditch. Do we know what that means?

SPEAKER_04 8:01

It's something Merry Christmas in Irish.

SPEAKER_01 8:03

Well done!

SPEAKER_04 8:04

You're obsessed. Lauren's taking Irish lessons and has become obsessed. But good for you.

SPEAKER_01 8:09

I know.

SPEAKER_04 8:10

Um I'm obsessed with some of the theatre news.

SPEAKER_01 8:12

Go for it.

SPEAKER_04 8:13

So I am, and also I thought it would be a perfect because this is our last episode of this season. Oh my goodness, the end of season three. Season three. What has happened? Madness. Yeah, I thought it would be quite nice to include our theatre news today, probably what some of the things we're most looking forward to next year. And also, we love a bit of musical theatre at Christmas time.

SPEAKER_01 8:37

Love it.

SPEAKER_04 8:37

So I've got a few wee bits and pieces uh for our listeners to look out for this Christmas season on the I'll tell you.

SPEAKER_01 8:46

No, we're getting treated.

SPEAKER_04 8:48

Getting treated. Although I've just lost the the the page, but sure it's all fine. That I had all the intro. Oh no, found it, got it. Good, right. Well, first of all, yeah, something the first thing I'm looking forward to next year is Mary Mary.

SPEAKER_01 9:02

Mary?

SPEAKER_04 9:02

Yeah, do you know Mary?

SPEAKER_01 9:03

Yeah, dude.

SPEAKER_04 9:04

Joseph Joseph. Right, okay. Um, the musical. Okay, yeah. It's coming to the theatre near you. Oh, have you already seen it this season? Oh, right, okay. Um no, my fair lady.

SPEAKER_01 9:16

My fair lady is getting a revival. No way.

SPEAKER_04 9:19

Yeah, no, I mean My Fair Lady is my fair lady. I do like it, you know. I kind of I was a bit harsh on it back in the day when I was a bit younger, and then I think I grew up and I learned to really appreciate it for how good and the potential it has. But the what's exciting about this revival, which will be in the Pedlockry Festival Theatre next year, is it's gonna be starring Alan Cummings. So he's leading the company and it's directed by the amazing Maria Friedman. Yeah, so that is recipes for being really something quite special.

SPEAKER_01 9:56

Yes, that's what I mean. It could be very different to maybe other fair ladies we've seen in the past.

SPEAKER_04 10:00

Yeah, and I I I'm ready for that, I think. Um then a bit more cabaret news. Like it's been quite the year for cabaret. Um so the Kit Kat Club has announced their two new arrivals for the new year.

SPEAKER_03 10:13

I'm delighted.

SPEAKER_04 10:14

You are del I knew you'd be happy about this. I not so sure. Not not sure. But we'll see how we go. So Matt Willis of Busted Fame has been announced as the next MC.

SPEAKER_01 10:27

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 10:27

Uh and Katie Hall, who is currently playing Fontaine at the Suntime Theatre, is going to be going in. Yeah, she is, Fab, is going to be going in as Sally Bowles and they're starting on the 26th of January. Yeah. So you're excited by Mr. Willis, aren't you? Because you're a busted fan.

SPEAKER_01 10:42

I am a busted fan. But Matt's not a stranger to musical theatre.

SPEAKER_04 10:46

I know, but he's also played roles like Butch and Footless. Do you know what I mean? Yeah. It's a butch, butch, the boyfriend.

SPEAKER_01 10:55

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 10:56

But I mean, it's not it's not the same caliber of MC and Cabaret.

SPEAKER_01 11:01

No, but he's he's also mesmerizing on stage.

SPEAKER_04 11:05

Okay. Have you seen him on stage? What do you see him do?

SPEAKER_01 11:08

Oh, as a like in busted, like do you know, and he has he's one of those that has like age, like a fine line. He is, I just think he'll be great.

SPEAKER_04 11:18

Okay, I hope so, because you know, I don't want them to be. As the time goes by, obviously, like it's hard to keep up that kind of, especially when they are clearly now very much casting for name. Yeah. You know, somebody who is well known. But yeah, we'll we'll see how it goes. Probably the biggest thing to come out in in the world of musical theatre this year was Paddington the musical. So The Bear Will Not Be Beaten. Um, it opened to overwhelmingly positive reviews late last month, uh, and they have uh just announced that they're extending their booking, now booking up till February 2027.

SPEAKER_01 12:03

Perfect. That's all I needed to hear. Because do you remember I was concerned that it was gonna be a really limited run? Yeah, and then you were like, no, it's not, it'll not, but I'm delighted because I was concerned. Did you no?

SPEAKER_04 12:15

I kind of thought even if it's not great, it's gonna be around for a while until everybody like everybody's still gonna go and see it because it's Paddington there, isn't it? But the fact but the fact that it's good, and also I think across the board it was all five-star reviews, wasn't it? Yeah, um, yeah. I think that's one of the things I'm most looking forward to next year, also, is the full cast recording of Paddington.

SPEAKER_01 12:42

Because we've only got two songs, isn't that right? Yeah.

Revivals, Castings, And Paddington Buzz

SPEAKER_04 12:44

Or three. Did they did he and did he release a third recently? Maybe. He might have. But they're all great, like they all are brilliant. So I'm looking forward to that. So, and I also think I saw on social media someone posted, I think they themselves posted basically along the lines of just so you know, nearly every performance in 2026 is nearly booked out. So if you want your tickets, get them now. That's crazy to me. Now I don't know if it was just a publicity ploy by them, but I also wouldn't put it past them if that is fact. Do you know what I mean? Like I know that's the only thing. You we might not see it anytime soon. Yeah, because all the tickets are gone. But yeah, so it's booked until February 2027, and I don't think it's gonna stop there. I think I'll continue to get extended.

SPEAKER_01 13:35

That is good.

SPEAKER_04 13:36

Um, then the National Lottery, Big Night of Musicals, is going to return.

SPEAKER_01 13:42

Yeah, we're getting another like earlier than normal, isn't it?

SPEAKER_04 13:45

So it's going to be the concert's going to be held on the 26th of January and will later be aired on TV and radio, but I wouldn't think they'll they'll wait around between the concert up actually happening and then transferring on to TV.

SPEAKER_01 13:59

It was a couple of months though, the last time wasn't it? Was it? I can't remember. But I felt like it was only like June, but then maybe maybe it wasn't. I just feel like that was that came around really quickly. I was like, oh gosh, we're getting getting another one.

SPEAKER_04 14:11

Yeah, no, this is the thing. And at the moment, shows like Miss Saigon, Jesus Christ Superstar, the producers wicked, and I'm every woman, the Shaka Cam musical, are signed up to showcase their their musical. And I would say there'll be more.

SPEAKER_01 14:25

Will be good because we've got Sam.

SPEAKER_04 14:28

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 14:29

Right. Have I said the right name there?

SPEAKER_04 14:32

Sam Sam Ryder.

SPEAKER_01 14:34

It is Sam Ryder.

SPEAKER_04 14:34

Sam Ryder. Yeah. Is it Sam Ryder? Yeah, Sam Ryder. Yeah. As Jesus going into the Palladium. When's that? Is that happening in the summer of next year?

SPEAKER_01 14:43

Yes, I'm assuming then they'll maybe just do a bit like they did with Hercules. Hercules wasn't open yet, but they had like that.

SPEAKER_04 14:51

And that was a bit of a spanner of 2025, wasn't it, really?

SPEAKER_01 14:54

Just put us in there, just move on.

SPEAKER_04 14:56

Interestingly, though, with regards to the BBC's big night of musicals, they are going to be showing the best bits of this year's one on TV, and that'll be broadcast on the 27th of December.

SPEAKER_05 15:08

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 15:09

Um, other Christmas viewing include the Barbicans production of Kiss Me Kate.

SPEAKER_01 15:14

I'm excited.

SPEAKER_04 15:15

So am I, because I would have loved to have seen that. And obviously. Your father did see it, and my dad did see it and brought the programme home just to rub my face in it. Give me a beautiful Kiss Me Kate notebook, which will be kept for next season of The Pod's Notes. So it's going to be on BBC Two on Wednesday, the 31st of December at 3 35. That'll be option. So that's fun. Other Christmas viewing uh includes like literally every musical movie Under the Sun, Funny Girls, uh, West Side Story. Um they're both on the 31st of December on BBC.

SPEAKER_01 15:56

Anything goes is being shown again.

SPEAKER_04 15:59

Matilda the musical will be on a Christmas Day at 1 pm. The film ver listen, there's no point talking about sounding music, is it? It's on every year. The other one I thought was quite interesting. You've got Rocky Horror Picture show of High Society, meet me in St. Louis all on Christmas Eve, I think. You've also got in BBC Two, Calamity Gene, and White Christmas. Yeah. BBC 4, I thought this might be interesting, will also air Martin Gattis's stage adaptation of the Christmas Carol. Oh. And that'll be at 9 45 pm on the 21st of December.

SPEAKER_01 16:39

So because the Christmas Carol with Leslie Grantham, isn't that here it is? Fraser. He is that's currently on like one of those like free channels, you know. I think it's like together. I watched it last night.

SPEAKER_04 16:50

Oh, did you?

SPEAKER_01 16:52

Yeah, it's always because it's not good.

SPEAKER_04 16:59

Oh just just just he is little to know he was dirty den and at EastEnders.

SPEAKER_01 17:06

Oh gosh, okay. Why is that in my head? Anyway, um yeah, it's got like Gene cr I can never say her last name, big Robby Star Krasatsky Krisatsky.

SPEAKER_04 17:17

Yeah. To finish off our theatre news for 2025, this is my last piece. I've saved the best till last. Also, contractually, Mary Poppins didn't happen this year for me. Oh what chokar. Listen, you know, if the money's not right, if the money's not right, you know, you've got to know your work, Lauren.

SPEAKER_05 17:39

Paddington didn't happen.

SPEAKER_04 17:40

And Paddington, obviously, um we know yeah, yeah, it's okay. That was a timing issue. Like I just was I was on working on other projects, damn you lemm me. Um but I now know my next performing uh opportunities. Yeah, so really excitingly, like I am so excited by this news. Billy Elliott is returning to the stage, so time for something electric to make its return. Um, and they are doing a nationwide search for young performers to play Billy, Michael, and Debbie. Now, in my opinion, I could play any of those. So that's really exciting. Now, that's all the news we have so far. We haven't but there is I uh there is information out there as to email you send to the casting director. Obviously, I've done that, but we don't know when it's gonna be or where it's gonna be. Sorry, what? Who's nearly 40? I don't know who you're talking about. Certainly not me, with cheeky big slaver.

SPEAKER_01 18:57

So certainly, you know, might might actually bring bring something different to that musical, but anyway.

SPEAKER_04 19:05

I just know I can sing and dance the whole life out of that role. So what the hell's wrong with expressing?

SPEAKER_00 19:11

Maybe you'll get Michael instead then.

SPEAKER_04 19:17

No.

SPEAKER_00 19:19

No. Okay.

SPEAKER_04 19:23

Anyway, so there we go. That's our musical theatre news for this year.

SPEAKER_01 19:27

Very good, very good.

SPEAKER_04 19:29

Let's move on to what we're talking about today. Obviously, we have to go with the Christmas theme, don't we? Ho ho ho.

SPEAKER_01 19:34

Yeah, and we were kind of struggling a little bit because in the grand scheme of things, there aren't lots of Christmas things.

SPEAKER_04 19:41

Well, full disclosure, we never thought we'd get through three seasons of this podcast, did we? So we never thought of the potentially running out of like Christmas musicals. Yeah. Now there's still some out there, we're still a few more to go, but like it's get the slim pickings. Yeah. You know, I think we made the mistake the first couple of years doing two Christmas musicals. Yeah, we were like, Oh, but you see, like we just didn't know we'd be a hit three years down the line. Do you know what I mean? Because we do we clearly are sparkle, we we sparkle and shine. Do you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_01 20:14

Well, I guess shine. Sparkle and shine. Love it, love it. So we are doing Nativity.

SPEAKER_04 20:22

The musical.

SPEAKER_01 20:23

Yes, which musical's based on the widely popular 2009 British film, which was a hit. Oh, yeah. Um, starring Martin Freeman, Mark Wootton, Jason Watkins as the wonderful Gordon Shakespeare. I just think he's great anyway. And it was written and directed by Debbie Is It?

SPEAKER_04 20:41

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 20:41

And the film such a success. I think there's been like three or four sequels.

SPEAKER_04 20:45

Although none as good as the original.

SPEAKER_01 20:47

No, like the second one I think is kind of bouquet, but If I've seen it, I've maybe only seen it like once or twice, but definitely I've seen Nativity more, though I was a wee bit late coming to watch Nativity. I don't think I fully watched it whenever it first came out, but I have obviously seen it plenty of times since Oh, it's every year for me now.

SPEAKER_04 21:05

Oh, really? Is it one of your your yearly ones? Um like you, I am quite selective in my choice of Christmas films, so it would be this holiday. This year I'm going to be watching the Muppets Christmas Carol.

SPEAKER_01 21:21

Good. I think you'll enjoy it.

SPEAKER_04 21:22

Yeah, I think I will too. And what's the other one? I oh, obviously the Home Alones. Two before one.

SPEAKER_01 21:28

Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_04 21:29

Because two's my favourite, and then I'll I'll watch one. And I also enjoy Elf every so often, but I didn't watch Elf last year, so watch. I don't think I can do Elf every year.

SPEAKER_01 21:40

Yeah, no, I agree with you. And I think it's kind of nice to leave it and then come back to ELF because then it makes the jokes funny because you kind of forget about them.

SPEAKER_04 21:47

How many of you now watch because you just watch everything?

SPEAKER_01 21:50

Yeah, I do watch everything. So I've done a couple of the really terrible ones. I've done a couple of the new ones on Netflix. We're in the hospital there because obviously appointments take forever. We've got through the full episode of Home Alone. So for first Home Alone, so that one's kind of been ticked off. But usually I don't I don't watch my Santa Claus movies, you know, with the Tim starring Tim Allen until like this time. So I think I actually might watch the first one tonight with a wee hot chocolate.

Big Night Of Musicals And Holiday Viewing

SPEAKER_04 22:16

Oh ho ho. Just in case anyone who out there hasn't watched Nativity the film, please do watch it. It's really great. I love it. St. Bernadette's where teacher Mr. Maddens and his assistant Mr. Poppy mount a musical version of the Nativity. Yeah, with the students promising it will be adapted into a Hollywood movie.

SPEAKER_03 22:41

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 22:42

The musical features songs from the film, including Sparkle and Shine, Nazareth, One Night, One Moment, and she's the brightest ever seen. Bright star.

SPEAKER_01 22:53

Love it. I love it. Love it. Yes, it's all based on this big lie where there's school rivalry, which actually got me thinking like people don't really understand the school rivalry in Bangor. Do you know, like in primary schools, like Is there a rivalry in school?

SPEAKER_03 23:07

Is there?

SPEAKER_01 23:08

Do you know what I mean? Like you always feel like your school was the better school. You went to Balhelm and I went to Bangor Central, and there's a wee bit of rivalry between those schools, especially in the choir department.

SPEAKER_04 23:19

Oh wow, like do you remember? The school choir sing back in the day was fierce.

SPEAKER_01 23:25

Yeah, and that's um one of my favorite memories of your mum as well.

SPEAKER_04 23:28

It's like oh no, what did she do?

SPEAKER_01 23:31

The one year that you guys didn't win and we won. And then I had singing lessons that day, and your mum was like, they were awful.

SPEAKER_00 23:40

And I was like, Well, I thought we were great.

SPEAKER_01 23:44

And it was like a streak, so it was like a seven-year streak or something when we broke it. And I think it might have been the only year we did win.

SPEAKER_04 23:51

I was gonna say, you just hold on to that, Lauren. Just hold on to it as tight as you can.

SPEAKER_01 23:56

Um, but yeah, I love that it's like a real sort of theme, is that like St. Bernadette's is that right? Yeah, St. Bernadette's are kind of like rivals with the snobby um Oakmore school. Private school. No, the private school, and that's because the teachers have rivalry, yes. Which is so funny. Like even like now we went to like the local like secondary school, and there's a couple of other grammar schools in our town, and we still even to this day are like, oh, you went to that school, like we went to this school, like it's just so strange that you have that.

SPEAKER_04 24:30

Like I do think that's a very Northern Ireland thing, too, though.

SPEAKER_01 24:34

Do you? Yeah, I do.

SPEAKER_04 24:35

Like, like the yeah, I just think we I think in general we need to get over ourselves a bit more.

SPEAKER_01 24:41

Well, yeah, we kind of need to do that.

SPEAKER_04 24:42

And this week we island. Do you know what I mean? Like we are, we just need to wise up with schools of school, like get over yourself.

SPEAKER_01 24:50

But for this this plot, it really works. It works. It works so funny. And I think because the teachers have that rivalry and then that's passed down, and the kids it just brings the humor to the whole thing, doesn't it?

SPEAKER_02 25:03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 25:04

Didn't realise that actually it was the same sort of creative team from the films that then made the musical.

SPEAKER_04 25:10

Yeah, so as you say, it was written and directed by Debbie Isit and co-composed, I think, by Nick uh Ager. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 25:18

Yeah, so but she had a real unique directing style, and that's I think where the heart comes from nativity. A lot of it is improvise, a lot of it is those kids, and you know you work with kids day in, day out. Like they they don't hold back, they they tell it how it is. The performances are so real and authentic that that's why that's the heart of the piece, isn't it?

SPEAKER_04 25:41

Really, and then you kind of you worry that transitioning from the movie where it was very improvised, and what would the kids give them? Because I also think they just cast like local kids. Do you know what I mean? They didn't go on this big search for you just you would worry that that won't then transfer into them the musical. But to be fair, when you listen to the soundtrack, you still get that, you know, they have certainly the kids they've got for the musical and in the cast recording are try their very best to be to you know to do it as the kids did in the film, which you've got to take their hat off. They uh to them the musical made as world premiere in Birmingham Repertory Theatre October and November 2017, before then Turing.

SPEAKER_01 26:32

And then we did go to the Apollo Theatre. Yeah, yeah, yeah. What I didn't realise was that Simon Limpkin Lipkin, he originated uh on stage Mr. Poppy, and I didn't realise that he did it for so long. Like he is class and apparently his Fagan out of this world. And yeah, he's I think he's extremely talented, and he's just married Georgia Castle. That's right, who we've seen in Mean Girls. But yeah, I didn't realise that. Um I'm like Mr. Puppy, gosh, that's such a s comparing it to Fagan, yeah. Such a contrast, isn't it?

SPEAKER_04 27:09

Yeah, absolutely. But he obviously after this uh after 2017, it came back, it came back basically every Christmas season for the next couple of years, didn't it? And I think all but the last the last revival, he came back and did his puppy. In the original, Daniel Boyce played Mr. Madden, and X Factor Judge Louise Walsh appeared as the Hollywood producer. But I think that's during that London's event.

SPEAKER_01 27:36

Yeah, that's the nice thing about the show is that the the critic is almost swapped out because there has been like Danny Darr's played it a couple of times, Danny Darrell's daughters played it a couple of times, Rylan.

SPEAKER_04 27:47

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 27:48

Um so that's kind of nice to kind of keep the show a little bit that's it.

SPEAKER_04 27:52

So yeah, it did tour October 2018, and then the third UEK tour was October 2019.

SPEAKER_01 28:00

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 28:01

Yeah. Shall we talk about what we learned? I mean, like to be honest, it's I mean, we all know the Christmas story, folks. We all know what a nativity is. So I mean, it didn't broaden my my knowledge that much, but some things they did were quite clever. Do you know what I mean? Um in Here Comes Santa Claus going for the big time. I do have an issue.

SPEAKER_01 28:27

Okay. What is it?

SPEAKER_04 28:28

And I was highly offended. Oh the first time I saw the movie, and they did keep the same line in the musical. And I just want to say it's not true.

SPEAKER_01 28:38

Okay.

SPEAKER_04 28:39

Uh, but they quote, you know what they say, those who can't t uh teach act, and those who can't those who can't act teach, and those who can't teach teach primary.

SPEAKER_01 28:51

Yeah. A wee bit.

SPEAKER_04 28:53

I mean that's like that's like uh a dagger to my my gut. It's not true. It's not true.

SPEAKER_01 29:01

Okay, okay, I believe you, I believe you.

Choosing The Christmas Musical

SPEAKER_03 29:04

Because if that's true, that's my life. And it's not true. Okay, I can act, I'm really good. Yeah, yeah. Come and see me and Billy Elliott next year. You'll see.

SPEAKER_01 29:15

It wasn't your fault that you didn't get Paddington or Bart or you're not gonna get Billy or Yeah, it's timing.

SPEAKER_04 29:24

I can remember the first time I watched the the film, like like roaring, no roaring out loud, and then thinking about it for a minute and then going, hi Rouge.

SPEAKER_01 29:38

How dare they?

SPEAKER_04 29:39

How dare they?

SPEAKER_01 29:40

Yeah, love it. Well, I went right back and was like, okay, nativity.

SPEAKER_04 29:47

Oh, here we go. What is so I think we could be here for nine hours here, folks. So the history of nativity. The nativity.

SPEAKER_01 29:55

If we're gonna say it in Irish, it means breath, which means birth. So I was like, okay, interesting. Nativity just means the occasion of a person's birth. So you could say the place of my nativity was Dundonald. Interesting. We've just got so used to the word nativity being an about the birth of baby Jesus. Yeah. In Latin it was called natavus, which means arisen by birth, and then in late Latin it was navitas. Then I don't know if I'm saying this right. In old French it was native, and then in English it was native, where we get native. Yeah. And then in Middle English, they combined the old French and the English to get nativity.

SPEAKER_04 30:41

That's do you know what, Lauren? That's amaz that is amazing. And to be fair, fair does to you. Um bringing out the different languages and pronunciations in our last episode this year. That's really that was a really brave Wasn't it? That was a really brave step.

Nativity The Musical: Film To Stage

SPEAKER_01 30:56

But I think that's why I'm gonna refer to things now. Like the place of my nativity was Dun Donald.

SPEAKER_04 31:02

That's hilarious.

SPEAKER_01 31:03

Rather than I was born in Dun Donald.

SPEAKER_04 31:05

Yeah, fair enough.

SPEAKER_01 31:06

So yeah, like that was pr that was pretty cool. And I suppose there's no other like lyrical lessons apart from life lessons.

SPEAKER_04 31:15

That's it. Like you've looked into like the word nativity. What I what resonated with me was, you know, especially in this their the song Our School Nativity, is just the role that that plays within a school.

SPEAKER_02 31:32

Oh, it's so sweet.

SPEAKER_04 31:33

You know, at Christmas time, and when you look at the age of the kids that normally would do nativities, they sing, they want, they want a part in our school nativity, they want to be the best, and there's no iron irony there. Like the earnestness is loud and proud, children additioning with passion, yeah. With you know, the passion of like Broadway veterans. Do you know what I mean? And yes, sometimes absurdly, you know, like some performances are really quite interesting, yeah. You know, and like they sing about uh in our school nativity, it's where they're like doing like the kids are doing their different editions, right? And we Alfie, he's uh they sing about he goes red until he bleeds, because that's the one that like you know holds his breath. And like, um but like Alfie wants to play Joseph, his edition is earnest, full of physical comedy and exaggerated sincerity. His verse then slips into that like chime charming childish exaggeration, and that line plays like a comic punch, but underneath it is the longing of a kid trying so hard to shine in a world that might not notice otherwise, and that that's what it is all about. Yeah, like in school. Here I get my teacher hat on, but like you know, those performances like nativities or school plays, like it does something to kids, like it brings out another side to children that you might not necessarily see in the classroom, and that's why arts funding is so bloody important because it gives those children the opportunity to shine in other ways that they might not necessarily do in the classroom. Yeah, which then in a way then plays a part in like helping them in the classroom. Do you know what I mean? Like the the line they sing, he was shot down in his Nike's uh trainers. I love as well, like Ollie's rap, so Ollie raps. It takes a surprisingly raw turn because his verse taps into like real-life emotional fractures. He sings about his mum's new baby and his dad's doubt. Ollie channels it into like a biblical parody, yeah, you know, so it's a wild, poignant mashup of like the biblical story and 21st century family drama, yeah, like filtering through the eyes of a child, yeah, he just wants to be seen. Like it's got so much heart this we film. I think that's why I blubbered my whole way through it the first time I saw it. Like, I was a ridiculous mess.

SPEAKER_01 34:12

It is, yeah, there is. There's so there's so much in it, like let your inner child out, and that's really about like Mr. Madden is so uptight, and Mr. Poppy helps him with that, and then your find family, like the family that you choose for yourself, is everything, and like you know, that's Mr. Poppy and the children, and then the people who show up and who cheer you on and make you laugh are your community or your people, and they help you put on a great show, or they help you just like put on that show of life, whatever it is.

SPEAKER_04 34:44

That's it, that's a celebration of inclusion and hope and childhood dreams, isn't it?

SPEAKER_01 34:49

And and being authentic, yeah, like that trumps perfection, and like you and me are very hard, like we are. Whenever we go and see something, we're like, oh my gosh, but whenever it's usually whenever it's something to do with kids, we're like they they were great, like they were really good because that does sometimes their enthusiasm just outweighs all the imperfections, and I think Mr.

SPEAKER_04 35:12

Puppy's a really important character in all of this because it is his enthusiasm, he's enthusiastic, and he's sometimes the chaotic cheerleader for the kids, but he represents that belief in underdogs and champions their potential against Mr. Maddens' scepticism at times. Do you know what I mean? And Mr. Maddens needs Mr. Poppy just as much as the kids need him. Do you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_01 35:37

Like, yeah, and like if you bring that you're genuine and you are a bit chaotic, but if you bring that and you're authentic with it and you're just showing that that's who you are, then that energy is going to be magnetic and people are going to feed off it, and then that's sort of what teaches Mr. Matton to relax a little bit because anxiety then isn't as sort of that's no longer becomes the most important thing. Those important things is the kids enjoying themselves and putting on a really good performance.

SPEAKER_04 36:03

And like you see it time and time again in schools or places of learning, like those adults with that, you know, yeah, chaotic charisma. Yeah, yeah, always get so much more out of their kids, and like you see the kids who have teachers like that, and you just see the difference. Yeah, like everybody get you almost need a bit of that chaotic energy sometimes.

SPEAKER_01 36:29

I think because that's how most kids respond as well. Yeah, life is all they're calling things are coming at them so fast, yeah, and they're learning something new every day. Yeah, and we've as adults we forget that because we do learn every day, but we let the the horrors of life sort of get in the way. So whenever we just let okay, we're gonna learn and we're gonna do it in a different style, and everything's gonna be okay and it's all gonna be exciting, then actually you do learn more and you enjoy the day, don't you?

SPEAKER_04 36:56

Thousand percent. I love Nazareth just because of the way Nazareth in nativity parachutes modern cheekiness into the Bible, uh biblical postcode instead of dusty dunk donkeys and solemn hymns. This number paints Mary and Joseph's hometown, home sorry, hometown as like the ultimate teen hangout. Yeah, they're they're a really cool innocence. Demi Debbie is it script flips like scriptures into playground banter while Nikki Aegers Layers like the guitars and hand clapping drums like kind of nod to the early 60s like Mersey beat. Do you know what I mean? I love how the verses read like tourism jingle, yeah. You know, part travel brochure about you know part schoolyard gossip. Do you know what I mean? It's it's r it's clever.

SPEAKER_01 37:51

It is, it is.

SPEAKER_04 37:52

I would love to do nativity in school, but I also just think it's a bit bizarre to do nativity in April. Well because obviously I can't like could you imagine World War III if I was to decide to do nativity as a school production and we'll do it in December. Like no, because there's fairly foundation stage would come for me, like yeah, fairly.

What We Learned From Nativity

SPEAKER_01 38:16

But it would be really nice, it would be nice, it would be it would be cute. Yeah, that I'm just trying to think, you know, just constantly the the thing is all about being your own hype person as well, yeah. Um and then just just looking at like spectacle and actually being, okay, well, we were we were putting it on for somebody else, but actually we're just gonna put it on for ourselves and do a really good job at it. Sometimes you think you need the approval uh of somebody big, like a big Hollywood movie star, but actually to the people that are gonna show up for you.

SPEAKER_04 38:51

Your mummy and daddy coming to see you, don't care what they're coming to see, no, what else is going on. They're just gonna be watching you. That's you know, the cutest thing also when it comes to nativities is seeing like the videos on so much social media of the wee kids like before the nativity starts, like looking out, looking and them getting really worried because they can't see mum and dad, and then suddenly they spot them and their whole demeanour and their face like facial expressions just change. It's so cute.

SPEAKER_01 39:19

It's so so cute.

SPEAKER_04 39:21

Very cute.

SPEAKER_01 39:21

What was I gonna say about oh Herod the Rock Opera scene? Yes, I love that because it's I think it's also we throw back to Jesus Christ Superstar, where it is a rock opera, so I love all that.

SPEAKER_04 39:34

That was Gordon Shakespeare's version of Nativity. He did Herod the Rock Opera, very funny.

SPEAKER_01 39:39

Yeah, so it's like comedy contrast, and then also shows that if you put something on, especially with kids, and there's no heart behind it, it's gonna fall flat. Yeah, because the kids need to like enjoy what they're doing, need to be loving what they're doing, or else it is gonna be looked like kids were forced on the stage. Yeah, that's very true. That is true, and yeah, fake it till you make it. Let's let's just follow that in life.

SPEAKER_04 40:05

Can I just say I've noticed a trend this year, Lauren? You've started typing up your notes.

SPEAKER_01 40:10

Well, not typing them up, but yes, I've tried to print them out because I'm usually doing them whenever I'm loading the dishwasher or doing something at the same time.

SPEAKER_04 40:19

So then instead of me writing them all out, how you can do you dictate it to something and then it prints it off?

SPEAKER_01 40:25

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 40:26

Oh, you're so high tech, aren't you? Like here I sit in four hours scribbling and it's like.

SPEAKER_01 40:31

But I mean, I have a bit of both. Do you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_04 40:33

I know it's very I mean it's impressive. And you know, book says make it happen, which I love as well. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 40:40

Yeah, I very good.

SPEAKER_04 40:41

I mean, as I said, not a huge amount of learning, but really quite endearing.

SPEAKER_01 40:46

And it is a cute musical. It's a cute film.

SPEAKER_04 40:49

Lovely.

SPEAKER_01 40:50

It's It's one that should really be on your playlist.

SPEAKER_04 40:55

Yeah, this listen, the songs are brilliant.

SPEAKER_01 40:58

Yeah, and sparkle and shine will get stuck in your head for days.

SPEAKER_04 41:01

Is that your standing ovation? Yeah, my standing ovation is kind of the nativity section. Okay. Which like they make you wait the whole way through, and then you just get this 10 to 15 minutes of sheer joy as they like then perform their nativity, and you've got like great, great songs in there, Nazareth, one look. Yeah, good news, good news, and sparkling shine. Sh she is the brightest star I've ever seen, and then the real like heart-wrenching one night, one moment.

SPEAKER_01 41:36

And do you working in a primary school? Do you hear those songs a lot? Do they sort of input those songs? Or no, not a lot. So obviously, kids aren't in in primary school anymore, but that we would have heard those songs a lot, sort of like so. I kind of feel like sparkle in shine. I'm kind of glad I didn't hear it this year.

SPEAKER_04 41:56

Oh no, no, in our nativities, they haven't taken any. No, in the I mean they've got lots of different like songs going on, but not any of the ones from Nativity the Musical, no.

SPEAKER_01 42:07

That's because they're waiting for you to do Nativity.

SPEAKER_04 42:09

Yeah, honestly, I would love it. Like I would love it.

SPEAKER_01 42:12

It would be great.

SPEAKER_04 42:13

Talking about Nativity, do you remember your first nativity?

SPEAKER_01 42:18

Um yeah, I I think so.

SPEAKER_04 42:21

What were you?

SPEAKER_01 42:22

I think I was a shepherd.

SPEAKER_04 42:24

Oh, little Lord and the Shepherds.

SPEAKER_01 42:27

Yeah. Because I remember having like a tea toil over my head, which is the classic.

unknown 42:32

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 42:32

Not a wee angel? I thought you'd have been a wee angel.

SPEAKER_01 42:34

Oh, I think I was a shepherd.

SPEAKER_04 42:35

Can you recall what like can you recall be wanting to be a part in the nativity? Like, was there a part you wanted to be?

SPEAKER_01 42:43

No, no, I probably at that point, because you are quite young. What's your like P3, aren't you? Um P3 normally. P1, P1 to P3. Yeah, I probably didn't have that urge to like really put myself forward.

SPEAKER_04 42:57

But like Lauren.

SPEAKER_01 42:58

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 42:58

I remember you your early days of stage. You go like kicking girls out of the way to get to the front.

SPEAKER_03 43:04

That's that's a lie. It's not a lie here, but I'm telling you.

SPEAKER_04 43:09

And the dirty looks, you're stepping in front of me. What are you doing?

SPEAKER_01 43:13

That was really when I was a bit older and wanted to like learn.

SPEAKER_04 43:16

So you did there wasn't a role you wanted to play. Like you weren't ready to like try Mary up in the playground because you got play. Oh wow.

SPEAKER_01 43:24

No, I think I was just happy.

SPEAKER_04 43:25

Amazes me. I was I was livid.

SPEAKER_01 43:28

Were you? I remember being livid.

SPEAKER_04 43:31

Nope. Worse.

SPEAKER_01 43:32

What were you?

SPEAKER_04 43:34

I mean, some would say I made a really good job of a bad situation.

SPEAKER_01 43:38

Okay.

SPEAKER_04 43:39

I was cast as King Herod.

SPEAKER_01 43:41

Oh, in right. Didn't like it, no.

SPEAKER_04 43:44

Imagine, but like, let's think about the story of the Nativity. The last person you will you would want to play is King Herod. Yeah. He's not very nice in the Nativity story, is he? Like, let's be honest.

SPEAKER_01 43:55

That's disappointing.

SPEAKER_04 43:56

Yeah, which made me laugh then when it came to Nativity and Gordon Shakespeare's version of Nativity was Herod the Rock Musical. Because I went, yes, I'll do that. That's what I should have had. So I had one line. And when I say I made the most of my line, like it was the standout moment of the whole nativity. And I'm not just like that's not me saying that. Like everybody said that because I was absolutely scandalous.

SPEAKER_05 44:25

Oh. Well, because you know what it's like. You know, they all they all have their real lines and they go, and then Joseph came to the inn and the innkeeper.

SPEAKER_06 44:37

Can I have a room in your inn? And then the baby it's do you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_04 44:43

I came out from a line. What brings you to my country? Love it. At which point I think it was my mum, I can't remember, it was either my mum or my granny, like visibly disappeared in the seat because she she sli she was slipping down. Oh no. Absolutely mortified, and like all the other mummies and daddies were looking at each other and started tee heeing and giggling. Because who's this sweet fella?

SPEAKER_01 45:09

Like who's given a West End performance?

SPEAKER_04 45:11

Me hide a grasshopper giving it a West End performance. I didn't even get a song.

SPEAKER_01 45:16

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 45:17

But like when I say people won't forget King Herod, they won't forget him.

SPEAKER_01 45:22

No, definitely, definitely not.

SPEAKER_03 45:24

What brings you to my country?

SPEAKER_01 45:28

I have to say that I remember like anytime there was Nativity, sort of because they then changed skills when I was about P4. Anytime there was something, I was always brought on to do like a reading.

SPEAKER_04 45:38

Yeah, but you but that this and this has followed through your whole life.

SPEAKER_01 45:42

Like you do speech and language, my like you know, and a couple of times in church, I'm always asked to like do a specific reading for like a recording or whatever. So I think that's where I'm kind of like, oh no, I always get like a special elocution and it's so beautiful.

SPEAKER_04 45:56

Like you are a beautiful reader.

SPEAKER_01 45:57

Oh, thank you.

SPEAKER_04 45:58

I can see why people ask you to do reading and stuff.

SPEAKER_01 46:00

Yeah, and I did a really nice reading at my granny's, um one of my grannies, but it was it was really nice. I was kind of like, Oh, I wanted to do this. I'm like, Oh, that was really good. I was like, Oh thanks.

SPEAKER_04 46:10

And how how do you find that easy, like public speaking, like that easy to do?

SPEAKER_01 46:17

I think if I'm interested, I find it easy as long as I know if I've got a like a reading to do, and then but if I had to think on my feet, yeah, I'm not the best, even though I teach, yeah, yeah, and like I constantly am adapting my lessons because of the type of learner that I'm teaching. But I think if I had to like stand up and present something, I probably would just get that little bit of fear to be like, oh, I'm not good enough to be doing that. But if I've got if I'm reading something for so I remember being really nervous for m one of my best friends who was getting married at Christmas last year, because I just wanted to do it really well for him.

SPEAKER_02 46:50

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 46:51

And I was like, oh, so that was the last time I kind of felt nervous actually just reading scripture.

SPEAKER_03 46:56

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 46:57

But then I wasn't once I was reading it, I was fine.

SPEAKER_03 46:59

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 47:00

But yeah, no, I'm much better, a much easier, or I find it much easier if it's a scripture or a poem or something like that. I know that I'll be able to perform it.

SPEAKER_04 47:08

It's really interesting. The reason I ask is because that's my idea of hair. Like I if it's like a poem or something. So if you ask me to do a reading or like read a poem out, or even sing like a solo somewhere, like I'm a ho. Whereas I'll go on stage and I'll do whatever you want. Do you know what I mean? It's isn't it it's just interesting the different scenarios and they they can give you different anxieties, or like you asking me to do a reading is my idea of hell. Yeah, and I would panic over it and I would over-rehearse it, and even on the day I'd still be going, it's so weird. Yeah, that's it. And people always would have said, 'cause I would have done a lot like when I was younger, in you know, like church or come Chris. This time of the year, I was always given a song to sing or something. Honestly, every year I was like, I wish they would just stop asking me because I just get so nervous about it. But yet I could go on the stage and do like a whole number, and I'd be absolutely I'd be okay.

SPEAKER_01 48:19

Yeah, I know, I know it's so weird. It's different because um my other gr granny's funeral there um a couple of weeks ago. Caitlin like read out something that she had written about granny, but I felt like I couldn't do that. Well, if you had to give me a piece of scripture, I probably could have read that. So yeah, it's strange what people feel comfortable doing. And yeah, it's it's interesting. But as long as everything comes with heart, that's it.

SPEAKER_04 48:43

Anna always comes with heart, to be fair.

SPEAKER_01 48:45

And that's one thing that I love about every time I think of nativity, I always think of CJ because she sang the most beautiful song at her nativity. She was an angel. Oh, of course she was. So cute. And then unfortunately, Ethan never got to do a nativity because he was COVID year. Oh, that's so sick. Um so because they always did it in P3 in P2. Oh, right. Okay, right. So he was involved in like the choir and set for P1 and P2, but whenever it came to P3, do you remember it was that hot, it was like 2021, where then we closed the skills early. Yes. So then nativity didn't happen. So he always missed out. What a don't I'm sure he would have been a lovely whatever it was.

SPEAKER_04 49:23

And he would have actually he could have you could see him like playing any anyway. He could be he could have been Joseph or a wee innkeeper or are we wise man?

SPEAKER_01 49:31

But here do you know I have to and I have to tell on the pod because I mean it is musical theatre, he's currently rehearsing for Charlie in the Shopping Factory and Timothy, like you'd be so proud of him if you were walking around the school now because he is wearing that hoodie with pride, and he's like, This is part of my school uniform, and I'm part of the production team. Good. I get to go out of class because I'm Jerry, and I'm like, I'm so proud of him. Would you imagine if we were had like school plays and hoodies, maybe walking around being a good one?

SPEAKER_04 50:01

My times have changed.

SPEAKER_01 50:02

Times have changed. Good for him. Well, that's us.

SPEAKER_04 50:05

That is, we wrap up another year, another season like crazy. Crazy, crazy.

SPEAKER_01 50:11

And we've had a really productive season, it's been so different as well. Because we did interviews with different people, and we we tried different episodes, and yeah, season four, what will it bring?

SPEAKER_04 50:25

I know. Talking about wrapped up though, so I am on a listening platform. Um, and every year they do a a wrap a wrapped up like of what you've been listening to the most this year. Are you on SEDs?

SPEAKER_01 50:39

Yes, I am.

SPEAKER_04 50:40

So you're on the same one as me, are you? So I thought it would be quite interesting just to see how much of a musical theatre fan we might we both are. Who is maybe the biggest fan of DOM musicals? So, do you have your top genres? Yeah, let me just find it so let's do our top genres first for a giggle.

SPEAKER_01 51:02

Yes.

SPEAKER_04 51:02

Okay, so what was your number one genre?

SPEAKER_01 51:06

Musicals.

SPEAKER_04 51:07

Same number one musicals, number two was dance pop for me. Oh then synth pop number three, orchestral number four. I'm so weird, and then number five, it makes me laugh, children's music.

SPEAKER_01 51:25

That is, yeah, what about you? In context, that's hilarious. So I was musicals number one, alternative rock for number two, dance pop for number three, oldies, four, and comedy for five.

SPEAKER_04 51:39

Oh, comedy, like comedy songs.

SPEAKER_01 51:42

I don't know.

SPEAKER_04 51:43

That's really bizarre. Okay, fair. What was uh let's do our top album next.

SPEAKER_01 51:50

Okay, where do I find that? Because I'm going to do that.

SPEAKER_04 51:53

So your top albums.

SPEAKER_01 51:57

Oh, oh, hold on, I've got top songs. I need to find my top albums. Yep.

SPEAKER_04 52:01

Right. So this will really test who is the biggest musical theatre fan. So my top album of 2025 was I'm so proud of this, Death Becomes Her.

SPEAKER_01 52:15

Was it? Yeah. Do you know mine was it? What? What? I know that's really bizarre.

SPEAKER_04 52:22

I wouldn't have thought that would have been your top. So mine were number one, Death Becomes Her. Number two, 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bay. Number three, Devil Wears Prada. Number four, Boop Boop, the musical.

SPEAKER_02 52:42

Oh.

SPEAKER_04 52:43

And number five, going for a clean sweep, Sunset Boulevard.

SPEAKER_01 52:49

Well, you have one.

SPEAKER_04 52:50

I am a musical theatre like like goat. Not goat, but like greatest of all time fan.

SPEAKER_01 52:58

Well, I only had three.

SPEAKER_04 53:01

Sham. It's all a sham.

SPEAKER_01 53:03

I only had three top albums. Number one was Moulin Rouge.

SPEAKER_04 53:07

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 53:07

Number two was Book of Mormon.

SPEAKER_04 53:09

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 53:09

And number three was Jag a Little Pill from Alanis Moore set. I listened to that. That is ridiculous.

SPEAKER_04 53:14

But at least your top three were like musicals. Okay. That's alright. Your top three still came in as musicals, like that's alright. Um, who was your top artist then?

SPEAKER_01 53:25

My top artist, I need to get to him, but I do know it off by heart, was Aaron Tovette.

SPEAKER_04 53:32

Okay. I'm slightly disappointed in mine. And it was the same last year. And I'm like, is there going to be a year where he doesn't top my uh top artists? It was Andrew Lloyd Weber.

SPEAKER_01 53:44

Oh, and he was my second. But like, come on. So I had Aaron To Bett, Andrew Lloyd Weber, Alanis Morissette, Danny Bernstein, um, and then Andrew Reynolds.

SPEAKER_04 53:55

Okay. Mostly showbizy, yeah, or mostly like musical theatre. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Mine were a mix.

SPEAKER_01 54:01

Okay.

SPEAKER_04 54:02

So mine was number one, Andrew Lloyd Weber. Uh-huh. Number two, delighted Marisha Wallace.

SPEAKER_01 54:08

Okay, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 54:08

Number three, Cody Fry. If you haven't listened to him, listen to him. Really brilliant. Number four was Megan Hilte. Lovely. And then number five was Jim Bob from Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine. Well, I mean, he is Jim Bob of in his own right, but he originally came from Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine. But there you go. Listen. That's life.

SPEAKER_01 54:30

I love it. I love it. And what about your age?

SPEAKER_04 54:33

Oh, my age, I was delighted.

SPEAKER_01 54:35

Oh, were ya?

SPEAKER_04 54:36

Yeah. 35. I came in under my age.

SPEAKER_01 54:43

Do you want to know what my age was? 75. 71? 75.

SPEAKER_00 54:50

75. It said I listened to an awful lot of old music. I was like, musicals?

SPEAKER_03 54:58

Maybe the older version? Older ones?

SPEAKER_01 55:01

I well, I don't know. Like 75.

SPEAKER_04 55:06

That's absolutely hilarious.

SPEAKER_01 55:08

Isn't it?

SPEAKER_04 55:08

Oh, you're such a granny.

SPEAKER_01 55:12

And like I do listen to an awful lot of Fleetwood Mac and things like that, so I can kind of get it, but still 75, I thought was taking the mick.

SPEAKER_04 55:20

35, baby.

SPEAKER_01 55:21

Well, there we go. You can have that one.

Personal Nativity Memories

SPEAKER_04 55:23

Well, that was fun. I enjoyed that. Rambling up last year, what were your standouts? What were your highlights of the year of the year on music?

SPEAKER_01 55:32

Oh, I'm gonna be on Mishie. I just love doing the podcast so much, and I love getting to spend that time with you. Same, same. No, so I do I do love that. But I I do like that we we went a little bit different and we had interviews from loads of people this year.

SPEAKER_04 55:51

Yeah, I think yeah, no, our interviews were great. We had our great friend Molly Logan on, we had our friends of the pod, Ali and Jen on again, which is just always brilliant. We had Kerry Rogers on talking about LeMiz, because that was something really special for me this year. And we also had History Mysteries with Dr. John Brushke.

SPEAKER_01 56:17

Yeah. Um and actually loads of loads of comments where people like really loved that that that kind of like delved into a different side of musical theatre.

SPEAKER_04 56:25

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 56:26

Yeah, I just thought that was great.

SPEAKER_04 56:28

I also liked how we went rogue with some of our choices of musicals that we chose. We didn't kind of now partly for self-preservation of we need to leave some big hitters if we're gonna do another season, but also just things that you know naturally intrigued us a bit. And I I I'll I'll not forget our Kiss of a Spider Woman episode, because I think that was a musical both of us knew very little about, and actually both of us walked away really intrigued by it. Same with you know, visiting some of the oldies that we hadn't thought of for a long time, like Whistle Down the Wind, and that brought back loads of memories for us, and you know, Dream Girls and Chess. I really like that. Um, our hundredth episode on Shrek, you know, the fact we've made it to a hundred episodes isn't so. I did like our top tens as well. This year are love songs and our act one finale, so I think we definitely do some more of them next year because they're quite good fun, aren't they?

SPEAKER_01 57:33

And that's it, it kind of changes it up a wee bit, and then it's interesting to hear other people's opinions too.

SPEAKER_04 57:38

And I mean you did change it up, didn't you, with the episode without me, with Aaron stepping in. Yeah. So obviously, next season I have to return the favour, and I'll have to do an episode with Aaron without you.

SPEAKER_01 57:52

Yeah, okay, sure.

SPEAKER_04 57:54

Yeah, I mean, it it's still annoying me that those are our highest um listening ratings this year, but it's okay. I'll get over it eventually.

SPEAKER_01 58:03

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 58:04

Is there anything on the list for season four from you?

SPEAKER_01 58:08

Oh, that we have to do.

SPEAKER_04 58:10

Yeah, like is there a musical you're like, we will do that next year?

SPEAKER_01 58:17

Yes, I think I'm looking forward. Can I say it?

SPEAKER_04 58:20

Yeah, I think so. Why not?

SPEAKER_01 58:21

I think I'm looking forward to doing come from away. Okay, yeah, because it is a big one.

SPEAKER_04 58:26

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 58:27

It's a one we haven't really even like discussed, or like sort of maybe in passing. But yeah, I'm looking forward to doing that and delving deeper into that. I think because obviously it's another one that's based on a true story, and I do love love that. I think I'm also looking forward to to discovering a new musical. Yeah, like we didn't really do our you go and listen to some this this season. Yeah, and I miss it.

SPEAKER_04 58:53

So would I, I missed that this year too.

SPEAKER_01 58:54

I know we like we did you know, where we listened to like Devil Word Prada, and it was kind of a similar-esque feel, but no, I loved the fact that we explored giving you five new music or five unknown musicals in the music.

SPEAKER_04 59:09

And you going away and picking one, and yeah, like that too.

SPEAKER_01 59:12

Um, because you were really listening to the album and then listening to them again, and then kind of going, No, I think this is the one I connect to the most. Yeah, and that's I suppose we should mention now that like our lovely millennials are killing musicals, is getting its premiere. So in June. Well done. Amazing, but yeah, I I I'm looking forward to discovering more, and whether that's through hopefully it will be through our episode, or maybe there's going to be a brand new musical which is discovered out there.

SPEAKER_04 59:41

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 59:42

So yeah, what about you?

SPEAKER_04 59:44

I'm looking forward to a musical I'd like us to do next season is ragtime. Oh yeah and I we've mentioned it through, I think it was like top tens and act one finale and stuff like that. So yeah, I'm looking forward to doing it.

SPEAKER_01 59:58

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:00:00

It's been really exciting. So thank you to all of you for sticking with us. And Beatrian on Yoruba wrapped.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:08

We had a couple of people that we were number one on there.

SPEAKER_04 1:00:10

So that means so much because I still kind of think it was just us chatting and we record it, and I don't really know how many people listen to us, but the fact that people are still listening to us on a regular basis is really lovely. Three years in.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:25

Yeah, that's great.

SPEAKER_04 1:00:26

Because we're just like two nobodies, like to be honest with you. I mean, I know I've got delusions of grandeur. Next year will be my breakthrough year.

SPEAKER_00 1:00:34

I really hope that there is. There's some part out there, somebody has writing, and they're like, I just need two.

SPEAKER_04 1:00:41

So that guy needs his own show, a one-man show.

SPEAKER_00 1:00:44

Like I think you're like your little podcaster was like, Don't leave me.

SPEAKER_04 1:00:48

No, never leave me. Leave me, how can I leave you? Name that so I I couldn't. It's from Follies.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:58

Well, that's us.

SPEAKER_04 1:01:00

All we have left to say is have a lovely Christmas.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:03

Have a lovely Christmas. And we'll be back at some point in January.

SPEAKER_04 1:01:06

And I know uh for some people Christmas maybe isn't the most happiest of times. So just do what you can. Take time and get through it and know that there will always be happier times ahead.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:20

Yeah, you can always hear us in your ears.

SPEAKER_04 1:01:22

Yeah, exactly. Go back and listen to us. I mean might throw you into the pits of despair, but sure, give it a go. And for everybody else, enjoy your turkey and your do let us know what your favourite episode was of this season.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:35

Let us know.

SPEAKER_04 1:01:37

And let us know what do you think, Billy Elliott, Michael, Debbie, which which part would be best suited to the brother. He doesn't have a huge amount, does he? He's on and off. Like you're so rude. You'd play the grandmother with your wrapped at 86 years old.

SPEAKER_00 1:01:56

Anyway, as long as we don't play that below mother that comes back.

SPEAKER_04 1:02:00

It's like a family Christmas dinner now. We're falling out with each other. Anyway, until next year.

SPEAKER_01 1:02:06

Until next year.

SPEAKER_04 1:02:07

Have a lovely Christmas and a happy new year from us on the pod. See you in 2026.

SPEAKER_03 1:02:14

Bye.