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The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland is featuring an advertisement for Avenue Q ( link ) from the 1st to 26th August 2013.  I reviewed this Musical for my AS level Drama examination, it was very funny and the staging and puppetry were very clever.  I loved it so much that I got my own Muppet/puppet.  Avenue Q has some adult humour so I wouldn’t take young children.  It’s on at the Assembly Hall (Main Hall), Mound Place, Edinburgh, EH1 2LU.  If you’re at the Fringe and need cheering up this is definitely a lunch time must 🙂


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Following on from my previous post “Putting on the show” and some of the interesting comments that I received I wondered whether I could record some songs using my puppet for use in primary schools as an introduction to some of the best loved arias.  If you have any suggestions for songs that could engage and excite children then I would love to hear from you 🙂

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Mind you there is only room for one Diva in this family 🙂

I would like to pass on my best wishes to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge ( Wills & Kate ) and I thought this clip posted on Youtube by WaltDisneyStudiosUK was perfect 🙂

70 thoughts on “Me and mini me”

    1. It is right at the top of my list Kimberly, I just have to find someone to invite me to perform 🙂 At the moment all my money goes on paying for College 🙁

      But when I finish College I hope to travel and perform in as many places as possible. I would love for you to be able to come and see me perform and have a good chat 🙂

      Best wishes
      Charlotte

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    1. Hi Nicole, I love your blog 🙂 My brother is the creative writer in the family and has had one of his short plays performed at the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester.

      As for mini-me there is no way she is getting a new dress.

      Thanks for the support and drop by again soon, best wishes
      Charlotte

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  8. I used to watch “The Muppets” growing up. Creative humor. I can’t help with Children’s songs though. First thing that comes to mind is, “Who lives in a pineapple under the sea?..”

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  10. Recording music for children is a great idea, but as with all business ventures, you need to do your market research. You don’t want to make a financial loss on the project.

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    1. Hi Rhys, I have been asked to visit a Primary school to sing with my puppet by one of my friends who read the blog post, so I will see how it goes down 🙂

      Best wishes
      Charlotte

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  11. Oooh, I’ll need to try to get tickets- thanks for the heads-up, I didn’t know it was coming back to Scotland!

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    1. If you do get chance to see it in Edinburgh I am sure that you will enjoy the performance 🙂 I have been asked to sing at the fringe this year in St Mary’s Cathedral on the 5th August at 13:20 pm ( Link ). It is a free concert if you want to drop in for a listen 🙂

      Best wishes
      Charlotte

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  14. My goodness, I look and there is a muppet. Years ago I had the privilege of working with the muppets and Jim Henson on the “Muppet Movie”. Among other things, the bicycle Kermit rode was one of my creations. I have remained a big fan and was delighted to see you have your own “Diva” to spoil. I guess I will have do dig out a couple photos and post them.
    Fun post! thanks

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    1. Hi John, that is so cool 🙂 Mini-me wants me to ask if Miss Piggy has any ‘hand me down’ sparkly dresses, that is if she ever keeps in touch LOL

      If you have any photos you must post them that would be amazing.

      Thanks for calling back
      Best wishes
      Charlotte

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      1. Ah Miss Piggy didn’t change dresses a much as they would change to a ready dressed Miss Piggy. There must have been a dozen or more Miss Piggys already dressed for the next “shot”. They did have many changes of costume though and a wardrobe most women would die for. But many costumes had funny holes in them for the puppet masters to manipulate them. Probably not comfy either as they were sewn, stapled, glued and whatever worked on camera. Poor Miss Piggy must itch all the time.
        Are you teaching your Mini me to sing?

      2. Hi John, that was a really interesting comment how did Kermit ever cope 🙂 Most men can only just manage to cope with one woman.

        As far as the staples and glue are concerned mini-me says “no pain no gain”, but I think I will stick to buttons and zips 🙂

        Oh yes I will be teaching mini-me to sing , but just like Glinda the good says in “Wicked” I will make you popular, just not as popular as me 🙂

        Warmest wishes
        Charlotte

      3. Fun reply you did! The many Miss piggy were all cut from the same foam cloth, so I suppose in some metaphysical sense they were all one. in ten parts. Split personalities and such, but poor Kermit probably never knew which Miss Piggy was on stage. If you teach mini me to sing solo- teach her to sing so low you can’t hear her, then you will be safe!
        Thank for your responses, and wishing your singing to go well too, thanks for the reply.

  15. If you have a YouTube channel, that would be a great place to start posting some children’s songs, just to gauge interest (I would think?). I have always loved songs from The Magic Flute – they seem kind of kid-friendly. Or possibly folk songs.

    I second @kimberly townsend palmer – please come do a concert in America! If you come to Charlotte, you can stay with me! 😉

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    1. Hi Julianna, thanks for the suggestion. I will have to plan some songs and how to perform them to children and try them out. I am hoping to test the water after the Summer holiday as I have been asked to visit a primary school and perform to a class of young children with mini-me 🙂

      I would love to perform in the USA and if I get the chance I will let you know. Thanks so much for the invitation that is so kind of you.

      By the way one of my favourite stories is the Count of Monte Cristo so we have something in common.

      I hope you can drop by again soon.
      Charlotte

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    1. Hi Koko, as part of our course we do creative collaborations with other students from different disciplines, I don’t have a film student in my group but I will try to see what we could organise. It would be lovely to develop this as a group 🙂

      All the best
      Charlotte

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  18. I LOVE Avenue Q! One of my friends got to play Trekkie Monster in a local production of it. (He rocked it.)

    While you should definitely try to cater to kids’ taste (Maybe with something silly like “I Speak Six Languages” from the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.) I think it’s also good to just flat out introduce them to good music. Use something exciting and catchy like Habanera from Carmen or something like that. (You could always have you or the puppet do something silly to keep them interested while you’re giving them excellent taste in music.)

    Good luck in this endeavor! 🙂

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    1. Hi there and thanks for visiting. The Habanera is an excellent choice and could be used to get the children to engage with the performance.

      Best wishes and come back and visit again soon.
      Charlotte

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  19. Muppets and adult humor – what’s not to like? I grew up with The Muppet Show and their enduring popularity warms my heart!

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    1. Thanks for your comment Cary, I loved to watch the Muppets and Sesame Street hence the mini-me 🙂 I was very jealous that I could not dress up in a big yellow feather coat and pretend to big bird 🙂 However I did get to dress up as an Orangutan in a production of “Jungle Book”.

      Best wishes
      Charlotte

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      1. Oh, I loved “The Jungle Book”. I could not tell you how many times I read that as a kid. Many, many. Got any pics of the production? 🙂

    1. Hi There I loved the use of vivid colour in the pictures on your blog. When I saw the show in New York with my friends from school we thought it was hilarious 🙂 My favorite moment was when one of t he actors took my friends bag from the aisle in the “money song” which startled her and made us laugh.

      Best wishes and I hope that you can call again soon 🙂
      Charlotte

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    1. Hi Jenny, thanks for dropping round and reading through some of my posts. I don’t know if I am a little late but congratulations on your engagement.

      Best wishes and call back when you can
      Charlotte

      Reply

  24. Mini-Muppets should be made compulsory by law! Loving yours. Good luck with the singing – the sopranoverse is nothing if not competitive. Don’t lose faith in your instrument. As for arias that might engage children I instantly thought of the Queen of the Night from The Magic Flute – her aria has such an impact and would be so accessible to little ones. What do you think?

    Thanks for the follow!

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    1. Hi Dara, I am with you on that point they can really make you smile if you need a lift 🙂 Your choice of aria is excellent and one that I shall have to try out. My main objective is to try and introduce some classical songs to children before they become brain washed so they can at least decide for themselves if they want to explore more.

      I love the layout of your blog by the way 🙂 One last point do you have ‘dibs’ on the “sopranoverse” as I am very tempted to borrow it from you.

      Best wishes and I hope you can find the time to visit again soon.
      Charlotte

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      1. Hi Charlotte,

        I’m glad you approved of my choice and thanks also for liking my blog theme.

        As for ‘sopranoverse’ I haven’t seen it anywhere else but I’d be very surprised if it’s my coinage so by all means, use freely!

        Best,
        Dara

    1. Hi Andrea, thanks for visiting and I am glad you liked mini-me 🙂 It is a great show and i think it will go down well with the audiences at the Edinburgh Fringe.

      Best wishes
      Charlotte

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      1. I am glad that you liked my pictures 😀 keep visiting Camera Lore and keep updating your blog with wonderful posts 🙂

    1. Hi Priya, liked your blog about working for free, I did a post here about it and got a really interesting discussion going. By the way, mermaids are real 🙂 I love derpfish doodle.

      Best Wishes
      Charlotte

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  29. Some suggestions based on what our kids liked when younger:

    The Cat Song by Rossini
    Papageno and Papagena from Magic Flute – or the song where Papageno has a lock on his mouth (mm mm mm mm) – this is what got our daughter into opera at age 6.
    (can your puppet sing the other half?)
    Something from Amahl and the Night Visitors, Menotti – Mother Mother Mother Come with Me perhaps
    Not Hansel and Gretel – the kids found it dumb and sappy
    The Frog Song from Cunning Little Vixen, Janacek
    Carmen – as she leaves the factory at the beginning.

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    1. These sound like fabulous suggestions thank you, I haven’t heard The Frog Song but I’ll look it up, I’m very grateful for your suggestions.
      Best wishes
      Charlotte

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  30. For your list of arias that might interest children, and that a soprano could sing, hmmm, apart from Habernera, Una voce poco fa would catch their attention. How about Soave sia vento? What happens to your voice if you try to sing a tune outside your vocal range? For example, could you sing Largo al factotum, or would the music distort in some way? Can male arias be adjusted for female ranges?

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    1. The fabulous Maria Callas singing both Una voce poco fa and Habernera is sublime, when I have more technical experience I will definitely tackle the former, I’ve sung the soprano role in Soave Sia vento I really enjoyed singing it great suggestion.
      Male arias can be adjusted, I’ve heard Nessun Dorma sung by female crossover artists it can be done.

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  31. I’ve never been envious of a muppet before … oops, I lie, I’ve always envied Kermit’s closeness with Miss Piggy (I’m no threat … too old to live that dangerously).

    Just sampled some of the comments—if you do go on you-tube it may be an idea to nobble the ‘comments’ facility, as it seems that all the creeps and cretins very quickly lower the tone of almost anything posted there. You don’t need that …

    Good luck~!

    Reply

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