In 1984 I saw 21 live performances & 30 films at the cinema, this year I’m recreating them all. Six months in, how am I doing?
Read my initial blog on this project >> Encore 1984: A Yearlong Journey Through Films, Theatre, and More!
Check out my #OTD1984EllenSaw thread on X.
Live Performances - 10 of the 21 fell in the first 6 months...
January
2nd 1984 saw Dick Whittington at the Richmond Theatre
2nd 2024 saw Dick Whittington at the Richmond Theatre
27th 1984 saw Singin’ in the Rain at the London Palladium
27th 2024 saw Singin’ in the Rain at the Exeter Northcott Theatre
February
22nd 1984 saw See How They Run at the Shaftesbury Theatre
22nd 2024 saw See How They Run, the 1984 TV movie of the stage production, at the BFI Stephen Street viewing rooms
March
10th 1984 saw Mr Cinders at the Fortune Theatre
10th 2024 saw Mr Cinders, the 1934 film, via DVD
10th 1984 saw School for Scandal at the Duke of Yorks
10th 2024 listened to School for Scandal, the Original Cast Album from the 1963 NY production starring John Gielgud, Ralph Richardson via YouTube
10th 2024 saw the 10mins that remain of the 5 reeler silent film of The School for Scandal (1923, Bertram Phillips) via YouTube
April
14th 1984 saw Run For Your Wife at the Criterion Theatre
14th 2024 saw Run For Your Wife (2012, Ray Cooney/John Luton) film, via DVD
28th 1984 saw Hi-De-Hi at the Victoria Palace
28th 2024 saw Hi-De-Hi, a recording of the Bacup Royal Court Theatre Group's 2017 amateur production of the stage show via YouTube
May
7th 1984 saw Gerry Cottles Circus at Highbury Fields
7th 2024 saw some documentaries about Gerry Cottles Circus/circus over the years…
Timeshift: When the Circus Comes to Town (2011, Rebecca Whyte)
14th 1984 saw Pygmalion at Shaftesbury Theatre starring Peter O’Toole
14th 2024 saw Pygmalion (1938, Anthony Asquith) via DVD
June
2nd 1984 saw Blondel at Aldwych Theatre
2nd 2024 saw the outside of the Aldwych Theatre (sadly no Sunday Matinee) before going round the corner to the Lyceum to see another Tim Rice related show, The Lion King
23rd June 1984 saw Singin’ in the Rain at the London Palladium
23rd June 2024 saw Singin’ in the Rain at the Kilworth House Theatre
No live performances seen in July and August 1984, so the next one will be 1 September, and I already have my ticket booked. Same day, same show, different theatre.
Films watched from January – June, to the day I saw them in 1984
Winnie the Pooh and a Day for Eeyore/The Sword in the Stone
Carmen
To Be or Not To Be
Greystoke, the Legend of Tarzan
Footloose
The Lady and the Tramp
Educating Rita*
Terms of Endearment
Educating Rita*
The Dresser
Against All Odds
Yentl*
La Traviata
Mr Mum
Yentl*
Breakdance
*It was interesting to note that these two films, which I saw twice in 1984, both feature a central female character prioritising education/self-development over romance/family.
You can follow film related activity via letterboxd, my #OTD1984EllenSaw list which combines both the films I saw in 1984 revisited for this project, and the films watched in lieu of live performances.
One of the questions I’m being asked is ‘Why 1984?’ Well, there a few reasons:
a) There was a manageable number of things to re-visit: 51 seemed a good number. Not too many that it would become impossible or too expensive, but not too few that it wasn’t a challenge
b) It was the year I turned 13 to 14, so – and this is particularly notable in the 30 films I saw – there was a mix of young fare and more adult-themed material. For instance I saw my first 15 certificate films in 1984, but also took my brother (who is 6 years younger than me) to things he’d enjoy ie Greystoke, Ghostbusters, Star Wars trilogy.
c) I came up with the idea last year, and it seemed a neat ‘40 years ago’.
d) When I saw that Richmond Theatre were doing Dick Whittington again, and that Starlight Express was coming back for a 40th anniversary re-vamp I took that to be ‘it was meant to be!’
e) And finally, there’s the whole ‘1984’ thing! I have a cheeky bonus watch planned around this Orwell classic.
Looking ahead to later in the year, if you are aware of any live productions of the following shows, do let me know!
October: HMS Pinafore and 42nd Street
November: Evita, West Side Story and The Boyfriend
December: On Your Toes and Pump Boys & Dinettes
Keep up with my adventures on X #OTD1984EllenSaw.