I don’t know if I’m late to the party but I just recently finished watching the Netflix series “The Queen’s Gambit”
I was tempted to start watching by myself but decided to include hubby in my tv watching decision. I must say that we both loved it and consumed the episodes at great speed.
Netflix poster for The Queen’s Gambit
So what is The Queen’s Gambit About?
The show is based on Walter Trevis’s 1983 novel called, The Queen’s Gambit.
It is about a girl called, Beth Harmon who gets orphaned after a car accident kills her mum. The show starts in the 1950s and progresses through the 1960s.
After Beth is orphaned she is taken to an orphanage for girls. She is then introduced to chess from the building custodian, Mr Shaibel. While at the orphanage she is exposed to taking daily tranquillizers as this is a way the home keeps the children under control. Due to taking these pills daily, Beth grew to rely on them.
Mr Shaibel teaching a young Beth Harmon to play chess
Beth sneaks downstairs to have secret chess lessons from Mr Shaibel and it is slowly revealed that she is a chess prodigy. Mr Shaibel introduces Beth to a contact at the local high school that has a chess group so that Beth can learn more and be exposed with other fellow chess players.
Beth enters chess tournaments and gets better and better. It is interesting to watch how Beth grows up as a young woman and becomes her own person rather than relying on a mother figure or another adult.
Also, I was taken with the 1960’s fashion and furnishings. Just loved this part of the show too.
I loved this show, it was fun, griping and a good drama.
Many of my friends have raved about this series and I thought I will get to it one day. If you have heard good things about this show I would urge you to give it a go.
We have loved having Netflix and it has been godsent with lockdowns and not being able to travel or go anywhere in 2020 and also in 2021.
Send some more suggestions for more shows that I can binge watch.
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Kids can build a Piper Computer Kit – Great STEM Project
The actual date we attended was in March and I was happy that the kids were still excited, even though I gave it to them in December of the previous year.
To make the whole event more fun we made a weekend of it in the city. I booked a hotel right next to the Capitol Theatre in Sydney, it was so close that we just had to walk next door to fall into our beds after the show.
The day of the show the kids and I trained it in and managed to check in earlier than expected. This allowed us to leave our bags in the room and to then explore Sydney for the day.
Our show was at 7.30pm at night so I had a whole day to fill with the twins. So what did we get up to?
We looked at shops in the QVB
We walked around Paddies Markets
Had Yum Cha in Chinatown
We all got manicures
Went to Myer and David Jones to check out what is there
Looked at the toys at Myer
Walked back to the hotel to rest and then change for the show
What did we think of the show?
The girls were super excited and so was I. We all had never been to the Capitol Theatre before, I must say that the detail of the theatre is amazing. So much detail, statues and more! A very old world theatre experience.
We were super early for the show and decided to get drinks and pre-dinner snacks. Once we dined on our treats and ate some food it was finally ready to enter the theatre. I had organised seats that were so close to the stage…the kids were amazed at how close we were.
We sat down and looked at the fabulous theatre while waiting for the show to start.
We were only 3 rows away from the stage…. how fantastic!
The backdrop of the set was the Willy Wonka Factory, and left of the stage was the Bucket house and the right of the stage was the candy shop that Charlie Bucket frequented drooling over chocolate bars that he couldn’t afford.
The way they moved between the Bucket house and the candy shop was very clever. Once Charlie was in the candy shop, the shop owner was enticing him to buy…but Charlie couldn’t. Also, Charlie had no idea that the Candy Man was indeed Willy Wonka himself.
Willy Wonka was very boom tish and so were some of the other characters, some lines were hilariously funny.
Two very excited kids waiting to see the show! I must say I was excited too!
Once they moved to Willy Wonka’s factory the background changed digitally to create the vibrantly colourful world of the Wonka Factory. Seeing Roald Dahl’s story come to life on stage was so magical.
The cast did an awesome job and they had such personality and presence.
Violet and Mr Beauregard had such great interaction between each other, every time they smiled and winked I couldn’t help but laugh. Also when Violet Beauregard became a huge purple grape and then finally popped it was so well done.
Augustus and Mrs Gloop were amazing as well, so funny and naughty. You actually forgot that these people were actors and not the actual characters from the film.
Jake Fehily – Augustus Gloop- Octavia-Barron-Martin-Mrs-Gloop-and cast in CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY
The glass elevator was magical too…yes more magic. It looked like it was actually moving. The background was stunning and created such a great effect.
The Glass Elevator: Ryan Yeates as Charlie and Paul Slade Smith as Willy Wonka in CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY, photo from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory website.
The whole show looked stunning and was so enjoyable for kids and adults.
We loved the show and if you want to go, please do, you will LOVE IT!
There are so many fun activities that will help kids learn and know more about Charlie and The Chocolate Factory. There is English activities, Visual Arts, Dance, Drama, Media Arts, and Music. Not only can teachers freely download the packs to help with their class but parents can do so too. I downloaded mine to help my kids before we saw the show.
You can also re-read the book again or get it as an audio book to help inspire the work or refamiliarise yourself with the story again. Below is a quote from the Education Pack Writers, Elia Erez and David Perry about the worksheets and activities.
“Charlie and the Chocolate Factory offers an excellent opportunity to explore the Australian Curriculum, with specific references to English, and The Arts (Dance, Drama, Media Arts, Music
and Visual Arts) as well as all seven of the General Capabilities (Literacy, Numeracy, Intercultural Understanding, Information & Communication Technology, Critical & Creative Thinking, Personal & Social Capability AND Ethical Understanding). These relationships to the production are examined in the document CONNECTIONS TO THE AUSTRALIAN CURRICULUM. We trust that the activities and resources in this Education Pack will provide teachers with the ability to fully appreciate the educational opportunities of this
spectacular musical production. Using Charlie and the Chocolate Factory as a focus, this Education Pack contains engaging activities that can be used by teachers, or even keen fans of Roald Dahl who want to gain a richer understanding of the production.” Eli Erez and David Perry Education Pack Writers, for Charlie and The Chocolate Factory the Musical.
I booked the family room which had 1 queen sized bed and a single bed. Just perfect for 2 kids and 1 adult.
The hotel was not flash but was just what we needed. Beds and close by to the theatre.
Our family room at the Capitol Square Hotel
See how close we were to the Capitol Theatre
Have you seen Charlie and The Chocolate Factory? If so what were your thoughts?
I’m aiming to have more theatre experiences this year rather than buying things.
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