Anything Went

Caroline O'Connor

I think the Sydney Opera House should stick to Opera rather than to Cole Porter for after a bloody lovely meal of barramundi at the Oyster Bar we sat through a rather slapstick and unfortunate first half of " Anything Goes" .
Now people may forget that in his prime The Professor was a first class tap dancer so it wasn't long before he picked up that the Opera house choreography was somewhat under par even though the musical's leading lady Caroline O'Connor looked as though she was carrying the company on her more than capable shoulders!
We left at half time with a dramatic swish, which was a shame, but the disappointment was made up by a wonderful show of acrobatics by the huge flying fox fruit bats that swooped around the towering trees of the nearby botanical gardens! 
Even the Prof's Roger Moore Eyebrow was elevated at the spectacle!  

We have a brunch organised with some family, who have lived out here for a year or so then some shopping and cocktails at the bloody Shangri-la hotel cocktail lounge no less with our friends Nia and George.........no wonder I think I have put on, what is commonly referred to, as the " Sydney Stone" since being here!
The view from Shagri la!

Oh tomorrow night, ( our last one in the city) we have tickets to a Schumann concerto at the Opera House which will be a fitting end to a wonderful, wonderful experience
Hey ho

36 comments:

  1. So even the Opera House can have flops!! Too bad but the bats seemed to have made up for that!
    Boy, the time is flying by for you two....have a great day and rest of vacation, John!

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    1. And jimbo, the bats are soooo noisey chattering away in the trees... Funny that wild bats are roosting a few metres from the city centre

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    2. And most of us Aussies think they are horrible, smelly pests!

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  2. I watched thousands of flying foxes fly over me in the hills in the border ranges of S.E.Qld, it was spectacular. Shame about the performance but happy that the flying foxes made up for it.. where are you off to next ?

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    1. It's now 9.21 am and I am typing this on the manly ferry into the city.. We are going shopping then brunch......l..later today its the cocktail bar with dear nia and george

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  3. You are doing it tough aren't you?

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  4. Anonymous10:21 pm

    It is disappointing to learn Ms O'Connor is associated with a less than good show. We don't see the 'Sydney stone' when we visit as we walk a lot more than usual and up and down hills, of which we don't have too many at home.

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    1. Andrew, she was a doll.. And more talented than the entire cast put together.....you could just see that the first few seconds she was on stage.....i have never heard of her before

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    2. Anonymous12:57 pm

      I do adore Caroline and so sad that she was in a performance you walked out of. Actors and performers have to earn where they can.

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  5. the prof was a tap dancer? who knew!

    and were the fruit bats all named eric (an old monty python skit joke)?

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  6. What a view! Would love to see fruit bats in flight en masse.

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  7. I am so impressed with all of the CULTURE you guys have taken in.
    Aw. I just sort of love you and the Prof. Is that okay? I promise not to show up your doorstep. I'm way too agoraphobic for one thing.

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    1. We are culture vultures extraordinaire xx

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  8. To watch the bats would have been spectacular.. you lucky things. So pleased you are having a great time... love hearing about all your adventures...enjoy the rest of your hols.

    Jo in Auckland, NZ

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  9. I'm so glad you're both having a great time; you deserved a great honeymoon!

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  10. The fruit bats are a spectacle to see until they land in trees outside your bedroom and fight and squawk all night. Hopefully the concerto tonight will be a better experience at the Opera house. Enjoy your final days here in Sydney.

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  11. Oolala...the Shangri La. How wonderful. It's great that the bats are back in the botanical gardens. The students would think they were wonderful when we would go on excursions to Sydney. Ms O Connor I usually brilliant ...it's a shame the rest of the cast aren't as good. Enjoy the concert tonight. Where are you off to next and how's Winnie coping without you?

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  12. That's a million dollar view from the Shangri-La ... enjoy!

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  13. That view is BREATHTAKING! You and the Professor can tap dance when you're back home -- that will take care of the Sydney Stone!

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  14. Maybe you should have walked out mid-performance...it makes more of a statement.

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  15. I am so glad you both are having a fantastic time together.

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  16. So glad we're lookin' after ya. :)

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  17. So glad you saw the bats !!!!!

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  18. Why is Wayne Rooney moonlighting as a dancer? and now that I have read these reports John I REALLY REALLY WANT TO GO TO AUSTRALIA......what a great time you're both having....and that view!! enjoy.xx

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    1. I think Mr Rooney must have been brought in especially for 'I Get a Kick Out of You'. (Sorry!)

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  19. I think I would have enjoyed the bats more than the show. What a lovely view in the last picture.

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  20. Such a contrast to your 'normal' life John. I am getting a bit homesick for the usual or unusual tales in Trelawnyd but am glad that you are having a lovely time. x

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  21. Anonymous8:42 am

    John, Is the photo of the view from the 'Shangri -La' or as you've described it, the 'Shagri-La'? And, maybe more pertinent, was that a Freudian slip? X

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  22. What a fabulous view & amazing number of bats. We are going to see Pricilla, Queen of the desert next week !

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  23. A Sydney stone - do they have Scotch eggs out there? :-)

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  24. I'm so pleased you are enjoying your visit to our wonderful country. Helsie is right, those bats are not well loved in Aus. But they don't congregate in my neck of the woods, so I find them fascinating too, when I see them elsewhere.

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  25. It is good to go batty when you are far from home.

    Vacations go by too quickly.

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  26. Tomorrow night will be slightly more upmarket than that slapstick!

    Those fruit bats are absolutely amazing - nearly worth flying all that wat just to see them.

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  27. Glad you made a statement by swishing out of the performance. Enjoy the concert tonight. xx

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