June 2011 Archives

By now I’m sure the management of Love Never Dies have had the courtesy to inform the company that the show will be leaving London’s Adelphi theatre as of August 27 this year. It seems that the news first broke in Baz Bamigboye’s Daily Mail column and then spread rapidly via Twitter, with the Phantom himself initially unable to confirm or deny the story. This isn’t the first time that a show’s notice has seemingly bypassed those involved at ground level and been published to Joe Public before the cast are given so much as a “That’s all folks!” from producers — and I’m sure it won’t be the last.

Contractually, Equity allows a much shorter notice for closure, so there’s some small joy that those at the Adelphi will enjoy a further 9 or so weeks of Andrew’s mishandled sequel. But shouldn’t we really be trying to avoid these awkward communication slips? This industry is knowingly small — to upset an entire cast is something I really think could and should have been avoided, especially as they have been rehearsing like madmen right from opening night.

Up the road, those lovely folk at Priscilla have been given their unofficial six-month notice, having been informed by the producers “of the likelihood that the show would end its three-year run in the West End at the end of 2011”. Along with Chicago at the Cambridge theatre, that’s three RUG houses bidding farewell to big shows within months of each other.

Never have I been as terrified/bemused at a casting as I was last Thursday auditioning for an Italian tour of Guys and Dolls. I arrived in Basildon feeling quietly buoyant. Having played Miss Adelaide in days gone by, I knew it was well within my vocal comfort zone and would allow me to draw on a lot of characterisation, potentially wowing the casting directors with my comedic stylings.

My buoyancy was slightly deflated as I arrived at the audition space to a room heaving with women up for the same three parts. I knew I was sinking when I realised I must have missed the memo about New Yorkers, red lipstick, coiffed hair and… leotards. Actual leotards. Those shiny, stretchy ones. You’ve seen them on the music videos and such? Yes.

Ladies and Gentleman, I had unwittingly found myself at: the cattle call.

Well, it would be foolish not to start by congratulating the NYC War Horse team on their rather fantastic 6 Tony Award wins - hoorah! I can only imagine the celebratory antics that went on afterwards and hugely well deserved. Of course the other big winner was The Book of Mormon, which must be perhaps the most hyped Broadway show since Wicked. Everyone seems to have downloaded the soundtrack already and a West End outing must surely be on the cards for next year.

It’s been great to see a show that would never have been possible without arts funding receive such acclaim stateside - and with it the number of British journalists, culture vultures and theatre folk who have been drawn in to comment on such success. As our not so famous friends Scooch once said, they’re truly flying the flag.

Back in Blighty, there’s been another slew of latecomers and to be quite frank, I will never sympathise with them. The only theatre show I’ve ever been late for was Anything Goes upon its transfer to Drury Lane and I can honestly say I felt terrible having to sneak past just 2 people to take our seats near the end of a row.

In a week where Londoners have been dodging rain in flip flops one minute then stripping off three layers to enjoy the sun the next, my theatrical visits have been equally haphazard. I had a week off from performing duties and took myself back to leafy Somerset for the majority to enjoy glorious sunshine, fresh air and a small excitable puppy.

Whilst in London I managed to cross two of my ‘must sees’ off the list finding time to see the RSC’s Silence at Hampstead Theatre, a wonderful space that has yet to be shown off to it’s best and then a delightful evening at Betty Blue Eyes.

Created by Filter in collaboration with David Farr and the company, Silence is a devised piece which I’m sure hits all the right notes for Filter fans but having failed to renew my Filter Fan Club membership it left me confused and irritated.

Attention has been poured onto Filter’s trademark technical brilliance and there are some wonderfully original moments - the restaurant/café scene in particular, the neighbour listening through the wall and the opening, which promised so much but didn’t quite deliver.

I shall start this blog with something of a confession, readers (in truth, this is a desperate bid to assure myself that I am not alone in my covert obsession).

I’m starting to get a bit concerned with the amount of time I spend glued to screens and ‘checking’.

Checking how my online career is going for me. Checking what jobs are available on Spotlight. Doing the same on CCP. Checking which companies have viewed me. How many have my application ‘under Consideration’.

I check my website hits. I check my emails. I check my facebook. I start again. I tell myself this is being conscientious and pro-active. It may be a bit weird.

What am I hoping to achieve with this obsession? An actor must accept that to a great extent we are not in control of our immediate future, so am I fooling myself into believing I’m ‘one step ahead’ of the game?

Does Judi Dench sit there obsessing over who googled her?