DVD Nite (Monty Python and the Holy Grail) - Mon 5 Feb - Bring A Friend

For our February DVD Night, we will be watching Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

BRING A FRIEND!
Do bring some snacks for sharing, and bring a friend along to join in
the fun!

Do let us know if you're coming. Email us at selangor.phil+socials@gmail.com.

WHEN:
Monday, February 5, 2007, 8.00pm

WHERE:
Li Villas Condominium, Section 16, PJ - we've booked the TV room at
the condo's clubhouse.




SYNOPSIS (taken from imdb.com):
The movie starts out with Arthur, King of the Britons, looking for knights to sit with him at Camelot. He finds many knights including Sir Galahad the pure, Sir Lancelot the brave, the quiet Sir Bedevere, and Sir Robin the Not-Quite-So-Brave-as-Sir Lancelot. They do not travel on horses, but pretend they do and have their servants bang coconuts to make the sound of horse's hooves. Through satire of certain events in history (witch trials, the black plague) they find Camelot, but after literally a quick song and dance they decide that they do not want to go there. While walking away, God (who seems to be grumpy) come to them from a cloud and tells them to find the Holy Grail. They agree and begin their search. While they search for the Grail, scenes of the knight's tales appear and why they have the name they have. Throughout their search they meet interesting people and knights along the way. Most of the characters die; some through a killer rabbit (which they defeat with the holy hand grenade), others from not answering a question right from the bridge of Death, or die some other ridiculous way. In the end, King Arthur and Sir Bedevere are left and find the Castle Arrrghhh where the Holy Grail is. They are met by some French soldiers who taunted them earlier in the film, so they were not able to get into the castle.

The Phil's Annual Lou Sang Dinner 2007

It's that time of the year once again.
Time to raise our chopsticks high and make a lot of noise as we eat, talk and be merry! So come one and come all, bring yourself, bring your family, bring your friends, bring that stranger sitting right next to you and come join us in our makan fest.

Date: 2 February 2007
Time: 8pm - they chase us out?
Venue: Maju Palace at Maju Junction
Per head: RM50 (members), RM65 (non-members)

Please RSVP by 29/Jan 2007 (Monday)! If we have enough people, we can have one of the function rooms all to ourselves!

RSVP by calling Callista (012.259.5770) or emailing (callista+thephil [at] gmail.com).

Hope to see everyone there!

Happily Ever After (The Inaugural DVD Nite!)

Dusk fell on the fifteenth day of January, and the rain continued to drizzle amidst the rush-hour bustle of office-workers longing for a restful evening after yet another manic Monday. It took a short while to coax the TV room's air-conditioner from its slumber, but the evening was soon enlivened by giants and magic beans, charming princes and blonde maidens in towers. And, of course, cookies, Cheezels, chips, and orange juice!

See what you missed? ;-)

And during Intermission David enthusiastically showed us his autographed Sondheim programmes...

Needless to say, there was much food and merry-making...

About DVD Nites

- We plan to have them on the first Monday of each month (8.00pm). Check your email, and this blog!

- If you have a plasma TV, a home theatre system, cushy sofas and a well-stocked pantry, we would love to hear from you :)

- Bring all the cushions, bean bags and snacks you want!

- Bring a friend! DVD Nites are a great way to introduce your friends to The Phil.

- Remember, suggestions for shows are always welcome. We'll take movies, operas, musicals, ballets, your neighbour's cats' nightly quartet, anything! (Ok, maybe not the felines.)

About "Into the Woods"

What's it about?
From http://www.sondheim.com/shows/into_the_woods/:

"Into the Woods" blends various familiar fairy tales with an original story of a childless Baker and his Wife, who catalyze the action of the story by attempting to reverse a curse on their family in order to have a child.

In the first act, the characters set out to achieve their goal of living "Happily Ever After" through familiar routes - Cinderella goes to the Ball and captures the heart of Prince Charming, Jack climbs the Beanstalk and finds a land of Giants and Gold, Little Red Riding Hood survives her clash with the wolf at Grandma's house, and Rapunzel manages to escape her tower with the aid of a handsome prince who climbs her long hair. The Baker and his Wife move through their stories while pursuing their own goal - the witch who keeps Rapunzel (revealed to be the Baker's sister) has put the curse on his house, and agrees to lift it if the Baker and his Wife can find the ingredients to help her reverse a spell which her mother has laid on her, keeping her old and ugly. Those ingredients are: A Slipper As Pure As Gold, which the Baker's wife gets from Cinderella, A Cow As White As Milk, which the Baker buys from Jack in exchange for the fateful magic beans, A Cape As Red As Blood, which the Baker gets from Little Red Riding Hood in exchange for freeing her and Granny from the Wolf, and Hair As Yellow As Corn, which they get from Rapunzel. The ingredients are gathered, and the spell works, stripping the Witch of her power, but restoring her beauty. At the end of Act I, all characters seem poised to live "Happily Ever After".

Act Two, however, deals with the consequences that traditional fairy tales conveniently ignore. What does one do with a dead Giant in the back yard? Does marrying a Prince really lead to a happy and fulfilling life? Is carving up the wolf the solution? Is the Giant always wrong? In Act Two, all the characters must deal with what happens AFTER "Happily Ever After". As they face a genuine threat to their community, they realize that all actions have consequences, and their lives are inescapably interdependent, but also that that interdependence is their greatest strength.

Other "Into the Woods" Links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Into_the_Woods

And who is Stephen Sondheim?
http://www.sondheim.com/features/sondheim101.html

2007 Beckons!

The 2006-07 Committee decided that meetings at someone's abode were oft too laden with temptations (Read: kitchen, fridge, food) and so decided to lock themselves up in The Ascott on the weekend of January 5th-6th with nothing but pens, paper, and, er, food.

The photo below is of us on the evening of Saturday Jan 5th, all tired out braving the Saturday KL traffic and hordes of parents and students attending the nearby education fair.

See what's in the middle of the table? :-D (By the way, those were great cookies, Pat; and Cris - awesome muffins!)

2007-08 will be bustling with activity! We'll be reviving the Theatre Education Programme, or 'TEP', an initiative to provide education in the performance arts in line with the Society's vision. The TEP was successfully run in 2005 with a Workshop for Choral Groups facilitated by British choral conductor Peter Broadbent, and in with drama workshops by Michael Xavier Voon and Colin Kirton in 2004.

Also, we'll be starting to organise monthly DVD Nites (tentatively set at the first Monday of every month) - these will be informal get-togethers where members will meet up over snacks and a DVD or two of musical productions.

And then, of course, there's this blog! :) Members of the Committee will regularly post updates on Society happenings, and Phil members (and, well, everyone else on cyberspace) are welcome to post their comments (just click on the "comments" link at the bottom of each blog post). The official website of The Phil will also be revamped for the upcoming 50th anniversary celebrations, with new features and interactivity added in. Comments from members are always welcome - you know where to find us:

* Post a comment on this blog!

* Email us! (selangor.phil@gmail.com)

* Post a message on the members' pssnews egroup!

* If you prefer to speak to someone in person, there's always our phone numbers/email addresses if you have them!

More on what's in store for 2007-08 will be posted soon... keep your browsers bookmarked on this blog.

The photo below is of us on the morning of Sunday Jan 6th, all refreshed and ready to take on more of Pat's home-made cookies, only to find that Nigel had polished off most of it over late-night TV shows while the rest of us were asleep. Ah well.