Latest news with #Louise
Chicago Tribune
3 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Review: Bri Sudia shines in ‘Always… Patsy Cline' at Drury Lane Theatre
Cowboy hats and Nashville-style dresses proliferated Thursday night in Oakbrook Terrace. Not the first time I've noticed that fans of country music are more common in Chicago's western suburbs than many people think. All had assembled at the Drury Lane Theatre for 'Always … Patsy Cline,' a remarkably resilient revue by Ted Swindley that now has enjoyed a longer life than did the actual Patsy Cline herself. (Cline died in a Tennessee plane crash in 1963 when she was just 30 years old.) Based on the real-life friendship between Cline and one of her fans, Louise Seger, the revue has a long and auspicious history in Chicago. It was a massive, late-1990s hit for Northlight Theatre with folk singer Megon McDonough appearing in the title role, before the late Hollis Resnik took over when the show moved into a commercial run at the Apollo Theatre. I've reviewed this two-person (plus live band) show several other times, too, most recently about five years ago when it was staged in an intimate setting by Firebrand Theatre. Over the years, I've found that its simplicity is its biggest asset. 'Always… Patsy Cline' avoids the usual jukebox tropes of record label suits and managers who don't understand and focuses instead on delivering Cline's greatest hits within the context of a simple female friendship. Louise tells the singer's story from a fan's perspective and Patsy delivers 27(!) of the hits, mostly in honkytonk-style settings. And at less than two hours with an intermission, the show doesn't outstay its welcome. All that said, and despite my familiarity with this material, I really had an uncommonly great time on Thursday night, mostly because of the presence of Bri Sudia in the role of Louise. Sudia, recently back from appearing on Broadway for a year in the Neil Diamond musical 'A Beautiful Noise,' is far and away the best Louise I've seen. She's funny, empathetic and just so very warm; it's easy to condescend to Louise, as to all superfans, but Sudia simply refuses to do anything like that. She honors her character's obsession — at one point, she leans so far and lovingly toward Aja Alcazar's Patsy that Sudia's body occupies a diagonal plane — but also never takes her character too seriously. As a result, she feels both like Cline's great protector and also one of us. I don't exaggerate when I say this is a truly fabulous performance, a piece of acting that wrestles with this little show and makes it seem so much more than it has felt in the past. Clearly, Sudia has learned that even jukebox revues need to have stakes and they have to be able to drive the action forward, too. On the night I was there, the audience simply adored her goofiness. Alcazar is the ideal foil for that: elegant, honest, and rich of voice but also self-protected and slightly unknowable, as is the case with all stars. I suspect the skilled director, Scott Weinstein, had a lot to do with that. He knew who the real star of the piece was, even though her partner is essential to the enterprise. Colette Pollard's set is like an A-frame, a lovely evocation of small-town Tennessee, even if the band (under the lively direction of Ellie Kahn) looks a bit scrunched. And Lee Fiskness knows where to shine the kinds of lights Cline never knew. I suspect lots of my readers already know and have seen this show and, if choosing whether or not to lay down the credit card and go and bathe once again in the pleasures of 'True Love,' 'Crazy' and 'Walkin' After Midnight,' perhaps with a sweetie on hand, will merely want to know that their affection for the piece will be protected (guaranteed) and that they'll have some fresh fun (yup). Aside from admiring the straightforward artistry here and enjoying the pleasure of others, I kept thinking about Taylor Swift's famously close relationships with her fans, turning up at their bridal showers and whatnot; maybe Patsy and Louise were far ahead of their time. Review: 'Always Patsy Cline' (3.5 stars) When: Through Aug. 3 Where: 100 Drury Lane, Oakbrook Terrace Running time: 1 hour, 50 minutes Tickets: $75-$150 at 630-530-0111 and
Daily Mirror
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Louise Roe's tailored midi dress nails Royal Ascot's dress code and has 20% off
Fashion expert Louise Roe secured her place on Royal Ascot's best dressed list with a tailored red midi dress from Karen Millen – and you can still shop her exact look with 20% off This year's Royal Ascot outfits have been some of the best yet, and one celeb to firmly cement her place on the best dressed list is Louise Roe. The fashion journalist and broadcaster showed off her outfit on Instagram, opting for the form-fitting Pleated Tailored Midi Blazer Dress from high street favourite Karen Millen. The flattering tailored dress is usually priced at £229, but currently shoppers can save 20% on Louise's exact dress, with the price slashed to £183.20. Everything from its bold red hue to the sharp tailoring and breezy midi skirt made it a hit for the event, looking effortlessly cool whilst still nailing Royal Ascot 's smart occasionwear dress code. Described on the Karen Millen site as 'where power dressing meets feminine charm', the Pleated Tailored Midi Blazer Dress has a structured bodice with a short sleeved blazer-inspired design. It nips in at the waist and flares out gently over the hips to create an hourglass silhouette, with structured shoulders to balance your figure. The short sleeves help keep it cool enough to wear even in the high temperatures, with a classic double breasted button fastening and notched lapels that make it formal and smart. The fitted bodice then flows into a pleated midi skirt which has plenty of movement for a breezy, effortless look. Although Louise's Karen Millen Tailored Midi Dress is still available to buy, it's currently selling out quickly with only sizes six, 10 and 14 left in stock. We did however spot another very similar design at Karen Millen, with the Petite Tailored Crepe Asymmetric Pleated Midi Dress slashed by a huge 70% from £289 to £87. Elsewhere this Friends Like These Red Long Sleeve Belted Wrap Tailored Dress from Next (£49) has a similar spirit to Louise's Karen Millen dress, albeit with a more simple design. For something more breezy and on the casual side, Finery London's Penny Red Midi Dress is also £49 and is made from a breezy, flowing cotton material. However if you want to get your hands on Louise's Pleated Tailored Midi Blazer Dress and it still has your size available, now is the perfect time to snap it up. Join our Shopping & Deals WhatsApp for the best bargains and fashion news WHATSAPP: Get the best deals and exclusive discount codes straight to your phone via our WhatsApp group. Users must download or already have WhatsApp on their phones to join in. All you have to do to join is click on this link, select 'Join Chat' and you're in! We may also send you stories from other titles across the Reach group. We will also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. Some of these articles will contain affiliate links where we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from them. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose Exit group. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
The Age
2 days ago
- Health
- The Age
‘I thought my life would change': Overcoming the invisible disease to get back into sport
Sienna wears an ostomy bag, which is sometimes visible and can attract attention from other kids. Loading 'I bought a skipping rope last year. I think I've used it about five times and then I just couldn't ... some kids like to watch, and I think that's the most embarrassing thing of all,' she says. ' I'm not embarrassed with my bag … but kids are judgmental when they see someone different.' She is not aware of any classmates with IBD, and is the youngest member in all the local support groups she belongs to. Sienna talks openly about her experiences living with ulcerative colitis on her Instagram, @thatgirlwithibd, where she has connected with other young people like herself around the world. In sharing her life openly, she hopes to inspire others to embrace their differences. 'Don't let people take away your joy just because you're different. If you're weird, be weird,' she says. Seeing what you can do Associate Professor Greg Moore, a gastroenterologist and head of IBD at Melbourne's Monash Medical Centre, says certain symptoms, like fatigue, can make it difficult for people to participate in sport. But with the right treatment, he says, 'there's no reason you can't exercise with Crohn's or colitis'. 'We're very much about, engaging with life to the full, being fearless, and getting out there and seeing what you can do.' Treatment for IBD depends on factors such as severity, but can include surgery, medication and hospital-based infusions. But while IBD can make it difficult for patients to participate in athletic activity, exercise itself can be an effective therapy for managing its symptoms and improving patients' quality of life. 'Exercise is very important. It's an anti-inflammatory in itself, so can help with fatigue [for example],' says Moore. 'It's not as bad as I thought' For 12-year-old Steph Cassar, an ulcerative colitis diagnosis two years ago has not stopped her love for sport. 'I didn't know what to think at first. I was really, really sad. I thought my life would change, and it has, but it's not as bad as I thought it would be,' the Melbourne student says of the diagnosis. While she occasionally has to sit out from matches or training (before treatment, playing sport triggered bleeding), Cassar maintains a busy sport schedule playing indoor cricket, AFL and indoor soccer. Her favourite subject at school is PE. Loading 'I was nervous to start sport again,' she says, but 'I love to hang out with my friends and teammates'. Cassar's mother, Louise, sees sport as an equaliser for her daughter. 'When Steph gets out there and plays footy, she's just like all the other kids. She doesn't feel like she's different,' she says. For Louise, dealing with judgement from other parents, rather than managing her daughter's disease itself, can be toughest. 'I remember one of the parents saying to me, 'Steph hadn't been at training.' I explained she wasn't feeling good, and they said, 'Oh, she looks fine to me'.' 'That really upset me,' says Louise. Gabriella Lay, 25, was diagnosed with Crohn's while doing her HSC. 'My symptoms started because I used to dance so much and whenever I would dance, I would have abdominal pain. It was really tough,' she says. Loading The stress of year 12 exacerbated these symptoms, and she struggled to eat. Now in remission (Lay underwent surgery in 2018), she has the occasional flare-up but is mostly fine. In recent years, she's returned to dance classes and also enjoys Pilates and yoga. 'The pain is how I got diagnosed through dancing, so going back to it was quite nerve-racking because I just wasn't sure how my body would react,' she says. 'It felt really emotional because I loved it so much growing up, it was my whole personality and I thought maybe I would do something with dancing, and then once my Crohn's hit, it made me reconsider the path I wanted to take with my career.' Today, Lay works as a marketing and communications coordinator at Sydney Dance Company, a job which allows her to indulge her passion, albeit not in the way she imagined as a young girl. While Lay says awareness about Crohn's is still low, conversations around it are growing. 'It's not a very glamorous disease, so it's not something you want to talk about with people. There's definitely a stigma around it, but I think part of talking about it is what de-stigmatises it.'
Daily Record
2 days ago
- General
- Daily Record
Funding support for Ayrshire girl guide group after 'devastating' blaze
An Ayrshire Guide unit is being supported by a Scottish Government-funded programme after their meeting venue suffered a fire. Hurlford Church, where 1st Hulford Guides met weekly, caught fire on Friday, April 4. Four Scottish Fire and Rescue units were sent to tackle the fire affecting the roof of the venue. Scottish Fire and Rescue confirmed that there were no reported casualties. It was considered a "safe space" for the girls to meet, learn new skills and be themselves. The unit now meet at a different church, however it's much more expensive. Since the fire, the unit has been receiving support from Generation CashBack, a Scottish Government-funded scheme which aims to offer opportunities for disadvantaged young people. CashBack is delivered in partnership with Girlguiding Scotland, Boys' Brigade Scotland, Scouts Scotland and Youth Scotland. Unit leader Louise Crichton said: "Our venue has recently caught fire and we're unable to use it. We've been unable to go in and get our resources and we've not been able to meet in our meeting place. "The hall no longer has a roof, electricity or water, and we won't have the option of returning until at least next year. "Hurlford and Kilmarnock have a pretty severe antisocial behaviour problem. There have been situations with buses and the police are involved regularly, including maintaining a presence in Hurlford in the evening. "We can't meet outdoors due to antisocial behaviour, and during outdoor guiding we had to call the police to the park. Last year we went down to the local river and got rocks thrown at us. "The girls have grown up in the area so have grown to expect it. "[Guiding] is a safe place where they can be themselves and not have to deal with the antisocial kids. We have a few girls from different secondary schools so they're meeting friends outside of their immediate area. "They're also making friends of different ages which is making it easier for them to move up to high school." The unit has also made strides to become more girl-led, with Guides able to deliver their own meetings and choose the activities they do. Louise added: "This is an outcome from the last time we did Generation CashBack. "In the evaluation there was a question about 'would you like to improve your leadership skills' and almost all the girls ticked yes." Girlguiding Scotland's CashBack development officer Anna commented: "The CashBack project at Girlguiding Scotland aims to give girls safe spaces where they can do new things and have fun with friends. "The loss of their safe space will have been really scary for some of the girls in the unit, and we're pleased to be helping the unit to replace their lost belongings and keep a sense of consistency for the girls. It's amazing how quickly the volunteers have found a new meeting place and kept guiding going!" If you or someone you know is interested in volunteering with Girlguiding Scotland, visit here.
Daily Mirror
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Louise Thompson's highlighter makes you look like you've ‘had 8 hours sleep'
Louise Thompson has shared her secret to concealing dark under-eye circles, with her 'amazing' go-to concealer helping her looking refreshed and awake in seconds Dark circles are something we all get from time to time, whether it's genetics or just a bad night's sleep, so finding a way to cover them is usually something everyone needs to do once in a while. If you're tired of your under-eyes looking cakey with regular concealer, Louise Thompson has shared the perfect product to cover up dark circles and make you look more awake in seconds. Posting on Instagram, the former Made in Chelsea star raved about Rodial's Lowlighter (£38), writing: 'This product is AMAZING under the eyes if you look tired.' She then added: 'The best product if you want to look like you've had 8+ hours sleep.' The colour correcting concealer helps to visibly blur and brighten the area, melting into your skin and making it easy to blend out for subtle-looking coverage. The radiant finish helps brighten up dark circles, and its hydrating ingredients mean you don't end up creasing or looking dry and cakey. Apart from covering up dark circles and blemishes, the Rodial Lowlighter also helps improve the look of your skin underneath. It contains hyaluronic acid and vitamin E which plump and smooth fine lines and provide additional hydration, whilst caffeine helps reduce the appearance of puffiness. Originally coming in the shade banana – which became a cult favourite product for makeup fans everywhere – it now also comes in two additional shades, peach and latte. Banana has soft yellow undertones, whilst peach has (surprise surprise) peach undertones, and latte caters to warm caramel undertones. If you want a greater shade range, REFY's Concealer comes in 24 different colours. Whilst it's not specifically designed for the under-eye area, it has a serum-based formula that hydrates, brightens and blurs. For those who prefer a lighter coverage, Erborian's CC Eye Clair is £27 and helps to restore your eye area's radiance whilst caring for your skin. It helps fade the appearance of dark circles and puffiness, and evens out skin tone for a natural-looking finish. Meanwhile Zoeva's Baby Fresh Eyes Under Eye Brightening Corrector is £24 and instantly neutralises dark circles, rather than just covering them up. The results last for hours, and it works to brighten, hydrate and de-puff your skin whilst you wear it so your skin looks even better after use. However LookFantastic shoppers seems to be a big fan of Louise's go-to Rodial Lowlighter, writing: 'Great coverage, doesn't sink into lines around eyes. Lasts all day!' Another agreed: 'Amazing product. Brightens and lightens under eye area. Also use on age spots and fading acne scars.' Some found it less useful, saying: 'I like the way it glides under eye and leaves a glow and hides dark circles. A little runny for me so use it with another product.' Others said: 'Offers good coverage, but can be heavy in parts.' However others loved it, writing: 'I'm 37 and suffer with dark circles under my eyes. This is my first time trying this product and I'm so happy with it. It has brightened my eyes beautifully.'
