Musicals List

Much like My Gig List, this is the list of professional musicals I've seen starting from only a few years back because prior to those I hadn't kept track. List does not include school musicals.

Musical	Date
The Lion King	Sep 2015
Matilda the Musical	May 2016
The Sound of Music	Jul 2016
We Will Rock You	late-2016
The Book of Mormon	Feb 2017
Aladdin	Jul 2017
Jesus Christ Superstar	Aug 2017
The Book of Mormon	?
The Wizard of Oz	Jun 2018
School of Rock: The Musical	Jan 2019
Barnum	May 2019

Harry Potter & the Cursed Child 2019

Hamilton - May 2022

Joseph & the Amazing Technicolour Dream Coat - Nov 2022

Chess the Musical - Sept 2025

The Book of Mormon - Feb 2026

September 2018 Reading Progress

September 2018 Books
Very glad I picked up this trilogy. I haven't read any Abercrombie before, but I'd heard about this series from a few places, and now I'm already 2/3rds through the original trilogy (Plus a few chapters of book 3)! Very enjoyable so far -dark, filled with interesting & intense characters. Perhaps less good on the story side and the worldbuilding is slow and fairly generic. But the character's descriptions and thoughts have definitely been enough to keep me reading.

• The Blade Itself (The First Law Trilogy #1) - Joe Abercrombie
  
  
  
• Before They Are Hanged (The First Law Trilogy #2) - Joe Abercrombie
  

Currently Reading:

The Bonehunters (Malazan Book of the Fallen #6) - Steven Erikson [Reread]
Last Argument of Kings (The First Law Trilogy #3) - Joe Abercrombie

August 2018 Reading Progress

August 2018 Books
I got delayed with my post again, but on the plus side, I've finally finished Midnight Tides after about a month or so? I found it difficult to get through the first time round as well, so that came as no surprise.
I also began the Shattered Reals - Sequel series to Chima's Seven Realms series, and so far it's all in very good shape. Different enough from the original series to be interesting, while still clearly located in the same world, but following a new generation of characters.

• Midnight Tides (Malazan Book of the Fallen #5) - Steven Erikson [Reread]
  
• Flamecaster (Shattered Realms #1) - Cinda Williams Chima
  

Currently Reading:

???

July 2018 Reading Progress

July 2018 Books
Incredibly slow going on Midnight Tides, I'm afraid to say. I'm almost at the home run stage to finish it though! Then I'll be onto a few other books first before heading to The Bonehunters (Malazan #6). Exciting Stuff.

• Newt's Emerald - Garth Nix
  
• Rowan and the Zebak (Rowan of Rin #4) - Emily Rodda
  

Currently Reading:
Midnight Tides (Malazan Book of the Fallen #5) - Steven Erikson [Reread]

June 2018 Reading Progress

June 2018 Books

• Deadhouse Landing (Path To Ascendancy #2) - Ian C. Esslemont
  
• Wonder Woman: Warbringer (DC Icons #1) - Leigh Bardugo
  
• Rowan and the Keeper of the Crystal (Rowan of Rin #3) - Emily Rodda
  

Currently Reading:
Midnight Tides (Malazan Book of the Fallen #5) - Steven Erikson [Reread]
Newt's Emerald - Garth Nix

May 2018 Reading Progress

May 2018 Books
The end of one trilogy, the start of another? Except only the first book in the Unearthed series is actually out so far and while it was fun, there wasn't quite as much substance to it as I would have liked. Ah well, back to the wonderful world of Malazan then!

• StarMan (The Axis Trilogy #3) - Sara Douglass
  
• Unearthed (Unearthed #1) - Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner
  

Currently Reading:
Deadhouse Landing (Path To Ascendancy #2) - Ian C. Esslemont

April 2018 Reading Progress

April 2018 Books
Obsidio: a brilliant sequel and finale to what is now one of my favourite trilogies and for sure my favourite YA Sci Fi series (Though I'll admit I haven't read very many at all). Can't wait to see what Kaufman & Kristoff get up to next.
Norse Mythology: a bit disappointing, a bit too much biblical style writing and not quite enough fleshing out the stories which is what I thought it would be like.

• Obsidio (The Illuminae Files #3) - Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff
  
• Norse Mythology - Neil Gaiman
  

Currently Reading:
StarMan (The Axis Trilogy #3) - Sara Douglass

March 2018 Reading Progress

March 2018 Books
A great selection this month! Continuing and rereading a whole range of series. Enjoying the Axis books so far, will be reading the 3rd book hopefully in April, but first I must finish the 3rd, brand new, Illuminae files book -such excitement. Of course that meant I had to reread 1 & 2, which I'm very glad I could fit into this month. Then once again caught up to date with the Throne of Glass series. Not my favourite book within the series, but still well worth a read, and hopefully the next one will be out later this year -and perhaps be the final book?

• BattleAxe (The Axis Trilogy #1) - Sara Douglass
  
• Illuminae (The Illuminae Files #1) - Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff [Reread]
  
• Enchanter (The Axis Trilogy #2) - Sara Douglass
  
• Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas
  
• Gemina (The Illuminae Files #2) - Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff [Reread]
  

Currently Reading:
Obsidio (The Illuminae Files #3) - Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

February 2018 Reading Progress

February 2018 Books
My first time reading a China Mieville book. I did enjoy, but it was a bit too drawn out for me, and though the description was very well done, there was also a bit too much of it. So I'm a bit love/hate with that one.
Dancer's Lament is the first in Esslemont's new prequel series, set before Erikson's Mazalan: Book of the Fallen series, as well as before Esslemont's own Malazan Empire books. I think his writing style has changed a bit and I found myself enjoying this one quite a bit more than the Malazan Empire books.

• Perdido Street Station (Bas-Lag #1) - China Mieville
  
  
  
• Dancer's Lament (Path to Ascendancy #1) - Ian C. Esslemont
  

Currently Reading:
BattleAxe (The Axis Trilogy #1) - Sara Douglass

January 2018 Reading Progress

January 2018 Books
Happy New Year everyone! I have not much to say here aside from praising Erikson and the Malazan series as a gift to all fans of epic fantasy once more. Also, I should probably read some shorter books in between these long-ass ones...

• House of Chains (Malazan Book of the Fallen #4) - Steven Erikson [Reread]
  

Currently Reading:
Perdido Street Station - China Mieville

Favourite albums of 2017

Yes, it's another list! How surprising.

Here's a bunch of my favourite albums from 2017, and favourite tracks off them too.

10. Ensiferum - Two Paths

• Favourite Tracks: For Those About to Fight for Metal

9. Kobra and the Lotus - Prevail I

• Favourite Tracks: Light Me Up, You Don't Know

8. Projected - Ignite My Insanity

• Favourite Tracks: Reload

7. Threshold - Legends of the Shires

• Favourite Tracks: The Man Who Saw Through TIme

6. Adagio - Life

• Favourite Tracks: Subrahmanya

5. Orden Ogan - Gunmen

• Favourite Tracks: Down Here, Forlorn and Forsaken

4. Almanac - Kingslayer

• Favourite Tracks: Children of the Sacred Path

3. Anthriel - Transcendence

• Favourite Tracks: Under Burning Skies, Rhapsody of Fire

2. Dragonforce - Reaching Into Infinity

• Favourite Tracks: The Edge of the World, Ashes of the Dawn

1. Ayreon - The Source

• Favourite Tracks: Everybody Dies, Run! Apocalypse! Run! 

Runner Up mentions (in no particular order):

Alestorm - No Grave Bu the Sea
Eluveitie - Evocation II: Pantheon
Wintersun - The Forest Seasons
Voyager - The Ghost Mile
Elvenking - Secrets of the Magick Grimoire

December 2017 Reading Progress

December 2017 Books
So much for increasing my reading speed this month, I barely even had time off anyway. Children of time had some very interesting concepts and science-fiction-y stuff going for it, but storyline-wise was quite slow. Also do NOT read if you're arachnophobic. Rowan of Rin was mostly just good nostalgia and great a a children's (middle grade) book, the sequel was even slightly better with some more exciting pacing and danger.

• Rowan of Rin (Rowan of Rin #1) - Emily Rodda
  
• Children of Time - Adrian Tchaikovsky
  
• Rowan and the Travellers (Rowan of Rin #2) - Emily Rodda
  
  
  

Currently Reading:
House of Chains (Malazan Book of the Fallen #4) - Steven Erikson [Reread]

November 2017 Reading Progress

November 2017 Books
Memories of Ice took me a loooonnggg time, but I was also quite distracted with a whole bunch of other things going on this month, so I expect December may be a little more productive for reading. On the other hand, it does genuinely take a while to get through any Malazan book, especially if you're trying to take everything in properly and occasionally have to flip back and forth a bit to keep up. Worth it though!

• Memories of Ice (Malazan Book of the Fallen #3) - Steven Erikson [Reread]
  

Currently Reading:
Children of Time - Adrian Tchaikovsky

October 2017 Reading Progress

October 2017 Books
A great month for getting through a number of shorter books, and getting a little further on my Malazan re-read!
Technically I have read the Seventh Tower series before as well, but given that was probably back in my early teens, I can hardly remember a thing about them so it's almost like reading for the first time?

• Deadhouse Gates (Malazan Book of the Fallen #2) - Steven Erikson [Reread]
  
• The Seventh Tower Volumes 1-3 - Garth Nix
• The Fall (The Seventh Tower #1)
  
• Castle (The Seventh Tower #2)
  
• Aenir (The Seventh Tower #3)
  
  
  
• The Ice Dragon - George R R Martin & Luis Royo (illustrator)
  
• Spiderlight - Adrian Tchaikovsky
  

Currently Reading:
Memories of Ice (Malazan Book of the Fallen #3) - Steven Erikson [Reread]

September 2017 Reading Progress

September 2017 Books
This was a great month for me! Discovered a new great sci-fi series in Homecoming, which I will be continuing hopefully soon. FINALLY finished the Wheel of Time in all its epic finale -I still can't believe it's over! Also finished off the Lumatere Chronicles, which I wouldn't put high on my all time favourites list, but was still an interesting read. And continuing on with my Malazan reread -I'm getting towards the end of book 2.

• Gardens of the Moon (Malazan Book of the Fallen #1) - Steven Erikson [Reread]
  
• The Memory of Earth (Homecoming #1) - Orson Scott Card
  
• A Memory of Light (The Wheel of Time #14) - Robert Jordan & Brandon Sanderson
  
• Quintana of Charyn (Lumatere Chronicles #3) - Melina Marchetta
  

Currently Reading:
Deadhouse Gates (Malazan Book of the Fallen #2) - Steven Erikson [Reread]

August 2017 Reading Progress

August 2017 Books
Apparently I haven't had much time this month, but on the other hand I am just over half way through both of my in progress books, so I've read more than it appears...

• Froi of the Exiles (Lumatere Chronicles #2) - Melina Marchetta
  

Currently Reading:
A Memory of Light (The Wheel of Time #14) - Robert Jordan & Brandon Sanderson
Gardens of the Moon (Malazan Book of the Fallen #1) - Steven Erikson

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Rewatch & Review Part 4

02.07 Lie To Me

Rating: 3.5/5

Quote:

Buffy: “You’re going to die, and the only hope you have of surviving this is to get out of this pit fright now, and my god, could you have a dorkier outfit?!”

Review:

This one is a bit meh, but there’s some deeper motivations at the end that make the whole episode mean a whole lot more, so it gets a bit of a bonus for that. Also for Drusilla.

02.08 The Dark Age

Rating: 3.5/5

Quote:

Xander: “Ooh, gang, did you hear that? A bonus day of class, plus Cordelia! Mix in a little rectal surgery & it’s my best day ever!”

Review:

A great concept for a demon, a great look at some of Giles’ past. The Giles/Calendar thing is kind of sweet too. But on the whole not a perfect episode and perhaps could have explored this particular creature a little more before the happy ending.

02.09 What's My Line? (Part 1)

Rating: 3.5/5

Quote:

Principal Snyder: “Where is she?”

Willow: “Who?”

Snyder: “You know who.”

Willow: “You mean Buffy? I just saw her-”

Snyder: “And don’t give me that ‘I just saw her a minute ago, she’s around here somewhere’ story.”

Willow: “But… I did just see her a minute ago and… she is around here somewhere!”

Review:

I shall review this 2-parter as a whole, see next eps review!

02.10 What's My Line? (Part 2)

Rating: 4/5

Quote:

Kendra: “She died?”

Buffy: “Just a little!”

Cordelia: “You’ve probably been planning this for months!”

Xander: “Right, I hired a Latvian bug man to kill Buffy so that I could kiss you.”

Review:

The first half of this double episode has a few great moments but a much slower pace. Though a lovely Bangel scene and some cliffhangery moments.

Second episode is basically ahh the strangeness of Kendra! I never did like her much as a character, but I liked what it did for Buffy. Also, Oz! Oz-and-Willow! My gosh the ramping up thing is huge for them.

And then those ridiculously awkward Xander-Cordelia moments which I still don’t really understand.

02.11 Ted

Rating: 2.5/5

Quote:

Cordelia: “Feel like home… If it’s the fifties, and you’re a psycho.”

Review:

Such a very strange episode. An unfortunately high creep factor of the (mostly) regular kind as opposed to the usual supernatural kind that Buffy usually encounters. A bit uncomfortable and eugh.

02.12 Bad Eggs

Rating: 2/5

Quote:

Joyce: “Don’t you ever think about anything besides boys & clothes?”

Buffy: “Saving the world from vampires?”

Joyce: “I swear, sometimes I don’t know what goes on in your head.”

Review:

MORE EUGH, and this time it gets worse than eugh, or even gyeurgh. Okay I rate eps lower when I get grossed out, but also there wasn’t exactly much storyline except gyeurgh & then kill them all.

02.13 Surprise (Part 1)

Rating: 4/5

Quote:

Oz: “I’m gonna ask you to go out with me tomorrow night. And I’m kinda nervous about it, actually. It’s interesting.”
Willow: “Oh… well, if it helps at all, I’m gonna say yes.”
Oz: “Yeah, it helps. It creates a comfort zone. ...Do you wanna go out with me tomorrow night?”
Willow: “Oh! I can’t!”
Oz: “Well, see, I like that you’re unpredictable.”

Review:
It’s almost like either a lot of things happen in this episode or not very much does, but it’s all just the start leading up to the next few fantastic episodes to come. Oz & Willow! A bit of background behind Jenny Calendar. Some nice big bad lead up (on a few levels). And of course Bangel!

02.14 Innocence (Part 2)

Rating: 4.5/5

Quote:

Willow: “I knew it! I knew it! ...Well, not knew in the sense of having the slightest idea, but I knew there was something I didn’t know!”Review:
Part 2, even better than part 1. The reveal, the shock & horror, the endless epic bad guys, much creep factor, the freaking rocket launcher and just so much fun (dark, dramatic fun that is).

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Rewatch & Review Part 3

Season 2!

02.01 When She Was Bad

Rating: 4/5

Quote:

Giles: “I must consult my books.”

Xander: “Oh, 8 minutes and 33 seconds, pay up! ...I called 10 minutes before you’d consult your books about something.”

Xander: “Well we could grind our enemies into talcum powder with a sledge hammer, but… gosh we did that last night.”

Review:

The return of the Slayer to quiet Sunnydale after a nice long Summer break and complete traumatic stress on the part of Buffy means for some intense vampire bashing. Fun times.

02.02 Some Assembly Required

Rating: 3/5

Quote:

Xander: “So, this ‘chair woman’, we are talking about Miss Calendar, right?”

Giles: “What makes you say that?”

Xander: “Simple deduction. Miss Calendar is reasonably doll-some. Especially for someone in your age bracket. She already knows that you’re a school librarian, so you don’t have to worry about how to break that embarrassing news to her.”

Buffy: “And she’s the only woman we’ve actually ever seen speak to you. Add it up, it all spells ‘duh’.”

Xander: “Now, is it time to have a talk about the facts of life?”

Review:

Bit of an ew factor to this one (though nothing at all compared to, say, Game of Thrones season 7 so far). A fairly average episode in terms of storyline and not really any overarching/long term stuff going on, but it does have a fair amount of Whedonisms!

02.03 School Hard

Rating: 4/5

Quote:

Spike: “How’s the annoying one?” [referring to the Anointed one]
Drusilla: “He doesn’t want to play.”

Review:

First half of this episode is a bit slow but then, yep, that’s right, it’s the first episode featuring Spike and Drusilla! Definitely fan favourites and some of the best characters on the show in the long run. Plus Spike’s introduction is badass!

02.04 Inca Mummy Girl

Rating: 3.5/5

Quote:

Ampata: “...I like you too.”
Xander: “Really?”
Ampata: “Really.”
Xander: “That’s great. Really?”
Ampata: “Really!”
Xander: “That’s great! ...you’re not a praying mantis are you?”
*Awkward pause*
Xander: “Sorry. Someone else.”

Where do I know that face from?

Seth Green appears as Oz for the first time in this episode! A very small role here, but soon to become an ongoing character. You might know him from Austin Powers as Scott, Dr. Evil’s son, or from action movie The Italian Job, or you may recognize his voice because of Robot Chicken and, of course, Chris Griffin (and various other roles) in Family Guy!

Review:

A relatively simple, yet fun episode. Poor Xander’s dating life though, that’s all I can say without too much spoilerific detail. For a change, I’m fairly sure there was actually not a single vampire in this episode. It does happen!

02.05 Reptile Boy

Rating: 2.5/5

Quote:

Buffy: “Right! Who needs a social life when you’ve got your very own Hellmouth?”
Giles: “Yes! You have a duty, a purpose. You have a commitment in life. Now how many people your age can say that?”

Review:

Much like Season 1 Episode 8 I, Robot, You Jane, this episode also tries to teach us the dangers, in this case, of drinking alcohol, going to parties and joining frats. Oh also of worshiping ancient creatures and relying on them for wealth and power.

02.06 Halloween

Rating: 5/5

Quote:

Cordelia: “So what’s his story anyway, I mean, I never see him around.”
Willow: “Not during the day, anyway.”
Cordelia: “Oh, please. Don’t tell me he still lives at home, like he has to wait for his dad to get back before he can take the car?”
Buffy: “Cordelia, I think his parents have been dead for a couple hundred years…”
Cordelia: “Oh, good… I mean, what?”
Buffy: “Angel’s a vampire… I thought you knew.”
Cordelia (sarcastic): “Oh, he’s a vampire? Of course. But the cuddly kind, like a care bear with fangs?”

Review:

I love this one! Halloween specials are great, and this is definitely among the best. Characters turning into whatever costumes they happen to be wearing? Hilarity follows! And Willow & Xander get to have some more badass moments too.