And a Happy New Year to anyone reading this!

On an impulse I went with She Who Must Be Obeyed to see Nine at Kilmarnock.  The weather was better than when we went to see Avatar, but not by much, and the carpark closely resembled an ice rink in places.  Still, we made it in safely, along with the half dozen other people doing the same thing.

Nine is a slightly pretentious musical with a very good cast.  It centres round a film director/writer (it appears he doubles up) as he struggles and fails to first write a script for a much-promoted movie, and second save his marriage.  Having charted his affairs and a small amount of his childhood which appears to have been rooted in religion, it goes on to show through the medium of musical set pieces and some drama how he becomes utterly self-obsessed and ruins everyone he knows.  Eventually he comes clean (ie that he has failed to write the latest script) and is banished into obscurity for a couple of years - whereupon Nine finishes with him returning to make his next movie, probably triumphantly recounting his own life.

It had its moments.  The music is not memorable (although some of the dancing is).  The plot is simple enough that there aren't gaping holes, although it does leave the characters rather stereotyped.  I don't recommend it unless you are a fan of musicals.