Don’t be cruel to a heart that’s true…” – Elvis Presley

 

Elvis Presley is perhaps one of the best-known musicians in recent history. His records have sold many millions of copies worldwide. According to American Demographics eighty-four percent of Americans say that their lives have been touched by Elvis in some way. Well. That’s good to know. I have to say that I have never really been a fan of ‘The King’ and this show does nothing to change that state of affairs.

 

Walking into the theatre at the New World Stage, “Elvis People” seems a little out of place before we even start. The NWS building is modern and rubberised, purpose-built from the shell of an old movie theatre – perhaps which showed some of Elvis’s movies years ago. Elvis is a relic of a bygone era, and the set highlights this with a various Elvis-style ‘suits’ hanging on the wings along with some cutesy dresses, and what maybe records covering the entire back wall. The juxtaposition of kitsch and modern does not do well here, and I found myself a little unsettled – especially as the rest of the set is glaring white. Things improved a little as the opening music kicked in, and some interesting video projections ensued on the record wall. However, the transitions dragged on and I found myself thinking, just get on with it already.

 

Henry Wishcamper’s production of Doug Grissom’s new play comes only two years after “All Shook Up”, another Elvis-based musical which did little more than vibrate the audience a little, and unfortunately also fails to really excite. The blame should not be levelled entirely at Wishcamper however, who does a serviceable job with the materials available. In the same vein, the ensemble of actors in this production have fine heritage and there are some interesting performances, but I feel that Grissom’s overly sentimental script and the tedious design does them no favours. There are some nice moments though, and I certainly found myself engaged by Ed Sala in the ‘Elvis in Vietnam’ sequence. Likewise, there are not many laughs in this show, but mention should be made of the ‘Robbery’ sequence which, though a little clunky, brightens a murky second act.

 

“Elvis People” will close on Saturday, June 23, 2007 after a very limited run at the New World Stages (barring a massive upturn in ticket sales) and I cannot help but think this is a good thing. Separately, the elements of the show promise much, but the vehicle they inhabit when united fails to live up to the hype. I certainly left not so much ‘all shook up’ but feeling more like I was checking into the ‘Heartbreak Hotel’.

 

“It’s rare when an artist’s talent can touch an entire generation of people. It’s even rarer when that same influence affects several generations.” - Dick Clark

 

Cast: Jordan Gelber, Jenny Maguire, David McCann, Nick Newell, Nell Page, Ed Sala

 

Director: Henry Wishcamper

 

For more information on the show, please visit: www.elvispeople.com orwww.newworldstages.com

Being an actor – in opera

By Gráinne Gillis

It actually came about by chance that I auditioned for the Royal Opera House.  One Friday afternoon, I got a call from the assistant chorus manager, Ruth Mulholland, asking me if I would be interested in attending an audition for an obscure (to me) opera called Die tote Stadt.  Funnily enough, just that week I had decided to take a year out from acting and focus on singing, which was always my first love – so my initial reaction was “Why not?”

Having read Music at University College Cork, and subsequently done a Diploma in Opera Performance at Birkbeck College, I was somewhat acquainted with the medium.  When I first came to London, I spent my last £20 one month to go and see one of the most amazing theatrical productions of my life, which was Der Rosenkavalier, starring the “dream team” of Renée Fleming, Susan Graham and Christine Schaefer – it was worth a month of beans on toast afterwards!  And I also occasionally had coaching sessions with one of the repetiteurs there as well, so it was not a complete novelty to go through that hallowed stage door.  Nonetheless, the day of the audition, the longer I was there, the more I knew I wanted the job.

You see, the Royal Opera House isn’t just an opera house.  In the days of Garrick, it was one of two great theatres in London, the other being Drury Lane.  Actors like Garrick and Charles Macklin would perform in both the rival houses, sometimes even on the same night; and in fact, the original house was funded by John Gay’s The Beggar’s Opera, commissioned by John Rich, which was a satire on opera seria. (Coincidentally a production of The Beggar’s Opera was playing recently at the ROH, with a further production retitled The Convicts’ Opera being performed in March at the newly opened Rose Theatre in Kingston).  The glorious history of British theatre was one of the reasons that, as an Irish actress, I wanted to train and work in the UK, and so I hoped that I might have the opportunity to appear on the great stage, which I had so often read about in the biographies of great actors and singers.

The audition itself was quite simple for this particular production – it basically consisted of walking across the room like nuns in a procession.  This became relevant to us later, as odd a request as it seemed at the time. We were told by Chris, one of the assistant directors, that it was not so much about acting skills per se, but the ability to work as an ensemble, and also to fit the costumes, as this production had been previously performed in Salzburg and Vienna.  The audition process in total took twenty minutes, and culminated, X-Factor style, with those who had been chosen being lined up and told on the spot.  Suffice to say, I was one of the lucky few, and totally delighted with the whole process – not the agonizing wait that one is accustomed to enduring as an actor, but a decision made on the spot.

A month later, on the 29^th December, the company of actors, in total 20 male and 8 female, met in Opera Rehearsal Room 2 (ORR2) to rehearse.  Not knowing what to expect, I decided just to observe as much as I could on that first morning.  The boys were up first, to rehearse what in the opera is known as “Vision 2”.  Die tote Stadt (or The Dead City), to explain, tells the story of Paul, who cannot come to terms with the death of his wife Marie.  He is visited by an actress called Marietta, who is similar to his wife, and through various visions, he comes to believe that it is his wife. To give away the ending would be unfair – it is showing till February 17^th.  It is also the first fully-staged production of this opera in the UK – another good reason for coming to see it. Korngold (the composer) is best known for having revolutionized film music, and there are cinematic flourishes a-plenty in this opera, in addition to heavy influences from the Richards, Wagner and Strauss.  It is a sublime piece, both musically and visually, and hopefully not the last time it will be seen in the UK. 

 Going back to Vision 2: this consists primarily of the character Marietta transforming herself and being held aloft by the company of actors.  One of the actresses, Holly Walters, stood in for Nadja Michael, who was yet to arrive for rehearsals.  Not knowing that some of the actors had already worked several times at the ROH, I was completely blown away at how quickly they picked up what had to be done, and how already, within an half hour, this scene was taking shape, under the watchful eye of Adrien Mastrosimone (choreographer) and Karin Voykowitsch  (the assistant director to Willy Decker, the great German opera director).  What was clear was that, although the ensemble playing was important, so too was the fine detail – which was confirmed for me later when I had the opportunity to watch this scene from the auditorium.  It seems to me just from this one experience, that being a director of opera must be a little like being a great artist who paints moving pictures on a huge moving canvas.  There is very little theatre anymore that does that, even musical theatre; and the sumptuousness of opera lies in the daring of these grand concepts.

That first morning, we also rehearsed a scene, which for us as a company is one of only two scenes when we are on stage together.  It has caused great hilarity, as the male actors are transformed from handsome young rakes in top hats and tails into – nuns.  And not any old nuns, but nuns in white habits (so likely novices).  For some reason, there is a proliferation of Irish accents backstage just before going on (I can’t think why), and then we push a huge white cross which is on its side, with the wonderful British mezzo-soprano Kathleen Wilkinson, singing while lying on her side on the cross, while we look reverentially (or as reverential as a bawdy company of actors can ever hope to be!) on.  

That first day also, I was asked to stand in for one of the singers in another scene.  Eager to acquiesce, I agreed to do it – little did I know that I was to be held aloft, on another, smaller wooden cross, on the set which was on a rake – and I have a dread of heights! It is no exaggeration to say that even going up a ladder can cause my knees to buckle!!  It was at that point in time that I realized the superhuman creatures that great soloists are – not only do they have to sing, and act, but they also have to have stamina to cope with the demands that opera productions require to make a great spectacle for the audience.  Later on, in rehearsals, when I watched Nadja Michael cope with what is a huge “sing” and all the stage business that she performs incredibly, I felt totally humbled – there is a huge difference in being an actor in a show and remembering lines and moves, and being an opera singer, who has all that, and more, to deal with.  In the end, I took a deep breath, and quite enjoyed the experience of being on the cross – which, even for a lapsed Catholic, was quite a strange sensation….

They are like great athletes, these singers; and yet, despite their huge talent(s), it seems like they are generally very sweet and humble and just willing to do what it takes to get on with the job in hand.  In fact, I would say that is an attitude that generally pervades the Royal Opera House, and one feels like a small yet important cog in the wheel of a greater enterprise.  In fact, when occasionally something or someone didn’t work in rehearsals, it did stick out quite conspicuously – as opposed to straight theatre, where to keep it interesting, one is always trying to develop ideas and try new things.  That is not to say that I think that opera is a static art form – but there have to be certain things set in place to highlight the spectacle and sheer grandeur of it.  And despite our fleeting walk across the stage, the nuns have garnered rather a lot of mentions in the reviews of the production that I have seen – which shows there are no small parts in opera….

As a place to work, the Royal Opera House is second to none.  It is a  sprawling labyrinth of a building, filled with people who are hugely enthusiastic about what they do, enormously friendly, and surprisingly egalitarian.  You are likely to sit next to someone like Carlos Acosta (Principal with The Royal Ballet) or Ingo Metzmacher (Conductor of Die tote Stadt) in the canteen, and not bat an eyelid (well, I maybe fluttered my eyelashes a little….) It also seems the ROH is very loyal to those it employs on a freelance basis – some of the actors have been there 20-30 years, as have the extra chorus.  What is striking as well is that the actors and singers tend to be skilled in more than one area: among our company of actors alone, there are several dancers, acrobats, models, singers, musical theatre performers, some writers – and that is just a very generalized overview of the talents that I am aware of.  Speaking to some of the permanent staff, their starting point in working there seems to have been a passion for either music or dance or both, and in fact, the house seems to actively encourage the development of talent, with signs in their practice rooms inviting their staff to use them unless they have been booked in advance. 

As an actor, it is an ideal job – the contracts are relatively short, unless one accepts several operas in advance, which is always an individual choice; and the conditions, both artistically and financially are fantastically rewarding.  It has been an immense honour and privilege to be part of a world-class company; and I can honestly say (with no disrespect to any previous work in the straight theatre) that it has been the most fun I have had professionally in a long while.  As an actor, this has been an experience to relish and recommend; and though it has been my first experience of working in this way, I am hopeful that it will not be my last.

COMPANY                           Ye Olde Rose and Crown, Walthamstow.

 

Company at Walthamstow’s Ye Olde Rose and Crown theatre pub is a must for all musical theatre lovers. It will delight Sondheim fans and may even convert those new to his work into avid disciples.

Modernised to the age of computer dating by All Star Productions, Company shows that finding the right companion is just as difficult now as it has ever been. The story follows the journey of Bobby, a single man just turned thirty five and under pressure by his friends to find a long- term partner. Various viewpoints on the subject are presented in a series of short scenes that generally show the less than ideal aspects of commitment.

Aaron Clingham’s musical direction is spot-on. In the intimate venue it was close-up and personal, and it was thrilling to hear stunning harmonies so near that they actually vibrated through your body. The cast are at their most effective when singing as an ensemble, and it was a joy to hear perfect renditions of songs likeSide By Side, Company and other classics that make this Sondheim musical so remarkable. Nevertheless sometimes the band were very loud, and occasionally the lyrics and vocals of solos were drowned out by the backing.

Sebastian Rex’s mostly tight direction showed an imaginative use of the oblong performance area, and there were some nifty moves for the livelier numbers. However Rex is clearly not a fan of the power of stillness or the economy of movement. At every opportunity he has the cast physicalising. His favourite move had the actors flailing their arms about their head and body in what looked like a bizarre fusion of voguing and the YMCA dance. And the intimacy of Barcelona was completely destroyed when a dancer suddenly appeared from under the bed doing a contemporary piece like a crazed fairy on Viagra.  I am sure it was meant to represent something deep and meaningful but it was often very distracting and contributed little to the numbers.

Company not only has exceptional songs but a great book by George Furth which allows the cast to showcase their acting skills. All performances are good but it is the women who really carry this production. Claudia Morcroft is brilliant as dizzy trolley-dolly April, Alix Dunmore gives a dazzling performance as Amy the manically reluctant bride and Julie Ross is utterly compelling as Joanne. Of the men Joe Scheffer is outstanding as Harry.

As a person who rarely goes beyond zone two the schlep to Walthamstow seemed tantamount to going to the outer Hebrides, and whoever planned the eight o’clock  start leading to a very late closing time clearly has no idea how difficult it is to get decent public transport from this venue at night. In fact I only got half-way home before the promised trains decided not to appear. During this emergency I was forced to stay over unexpectedly at friend’s house and spent the evening raving about the show, while singing badly the entire repertoire to him. Get a ticket while you can.

 

OLIVER VALENTINE                                  Box Office: 0208 509 3880

“Never Forget” - the hit musical with the songs of Take That

“Never Forget” is the type of musical where to get the most enjoyment out of it, you have to be a Take That fan and you have to believe that the five guys on stage are actually the real members of Take That.  Sadly I am neither a fan and I believe I was watching five actors.  That said it’s a well performed piece. 

As with all pop shows, the story is pretty thin – a guy sets up a tribute band, the lead singer is more talented that the rest of the band, an r & r lady comes and wants to sign him to her record label (bizarrely before their first gig and within a two week rehearsal period!), the band manager isn’t honest and pockets the money offered to the lead guy... But then this show isn’t about the story, it’s about the music.  For non-Take That-ers like me, some of the settings for the songs and some of the costumes are, frankly, bizarre.  Suddenly in one number rain starts coming out of the sky (read, of course, fly floor) for no reason at all, other than, I am reliably informed, because that’s how the Take That video was, even though the song doesn’t mention rain once.  I was bemused.  In another song, they are wearing the most ridiculous costumes in all shades of red – again, I am reliably informed, because that’s what Take That did in the video of the song.  Thank goodness, or else I’d have thought the designer had had some kind of breakdown!  All of which poses the question, if you are taking something out of context and giving it its own story, should you then try to re-create the music video of the song?  And if so, should the only people who come to see the show therefore, be die-hard fans of the band in question?  And should you even attempt to take it out of context?  Which is possibly one of the reasons why Mamma Mia and We Will Rock you are so successful as they are out of context and don’t try to recreate what the original bands did, therefore not cutting out an entire slice of revenue creating audience.

What I found most amazing was the amount of screaming the, majority female, audience did.  Its musical theatre not Take That!  Its five actors – hitherto out of work – doing a job!  I really was in the minority by not really wanting to stand up and dance to the, obligatory, mega-mix at the end.  Maybe it’s me.  Maybe I’m an old stick-in-the-mud.  But surely a mega-mix should be a momentum thing, and make everyone want to get up and dance, such is the furore the evening of magic has created?  Surely it should be something that has to be built up to and is spontaneous, not something that is expected of the audience at the end of the show?  Of course we had to stand up as we couldn’t see anything, but sometimes I wonder if the first couple of rows full of excitable fans didn’t stand up, whether anyone else would actually bother.

As I said, there was nothing wrong with the performances.  In fact, some were brilliant.

  I wonder what the exceptional talent of Aimee Atkinson is doing touring the country, when really, she should be in the West End leading a cast?  She showed exactly why she won the “Voice of Musical Theatre” competition.  I wish Piers Morgan would come and see her, and then he might stop banging on about the middle-aged woman trying to sing “I Dreamed A Dream” and propel the amazing Miss Atkinson to star-dom.

Tom Bradley is surely a star in the making.  His portrayal of Adrian was brilliant.  Keenly observed and very funny. 

Teddy Kempner as Ron Freeman, the band manager, gave, as expected, a solid performance.  There were no bad performances so to single anyone out is possibly unfair to the rest of the cast.

Would I recommend you go and see “Never Forget”?  To be honest, only if you’re part of a hen party or are into Take That.  If you’re not and you’re sober, you might wish you’d spent your money on something more suitable to your taste.  I always question when we are told in the title of the piece that it’s a hit – surely if it was that good, we’d know it was a hit without being told...

“Never Forget” – plays Milton Keynes Theatre until Saturday 6^th June. www.miltonkeynestheatre.com. Box Office: 0844 871 7652.  There are tour dates booked until December – full details including videos, photos and audience reviews can be found at www.neverforgetthemusical.com. 

Reviewed by Catherine Brian at Milton Keynes Theatre on Tuesday 2nd June 2009.

This celebration of Michael Jackson’s music and unique dance style has become something of a tribute in light of his untimely death last week.  Topical issues aside, the quality of this performance is good enough to turn your socks white and blow one glove off your hand!

 

Thriller Live delivers the MJ magic in spades with a loosely chronological review of his music from the Jackson 5’s “I Want You Back” through to his 1995 release “Earth Song”.  The presentation style was unusual for a stage show, delivering a documentary of Michael Jackson’s musical history and record breaking achievements rather than a more traditional biopic.  This lent itself to a focus on the music and dance rather than the star’s controversial live story.  With such a rich back catalogue of music to choose from over a 30 year period, the delivery did not disappoint the audience.  The deceptively simple fixed set proved to be incredibly dynamic as a huge movie screen featuring dazzling effects, movie clips and photos became transparent on several occasions to reveal the live onstage band.

 

The unique Jackson 5 sound was authentically reproduced from the off, but the glove (quite literally) came off in the second act as tens of millions of pounds of the worlds most expensive music promotion videos were reproduced live on stage!  The choreography, styling and effects of “Smooth Criminal” were just mind blowing with particular emphasis on the astonishing talents of Michael Anthony Duke.  A short, dedication was made to the ‘King of Pop’ before a very moving performance of “Man in the Mirror” by fellow lead vocalist Ian Pitter – the song likely to top the UK charts next week (it reached number 11 back in 1988).  Other MJ high notes were hit by TV’s Popstars finalist Hayley Evetts and talented fellow vocalists Peter Murphy and Dwayne Wint.  The signature fedora hat should also be tipped forward in recognition of the amazing talents of 11 year old Tyler McLean who played young Michael.

 

This production was so slick it had my “click track” senses tingling (particularly in reference to the backing vocals), however I was won over by astonishing solo vocals and high energy dance routines that followed the unique MJ style flawlessly through three decades of hits.  This show will have you moonwalking in the aisles.  Shamone!

 

Listings Info:

Thriller-Live

King’s Theatre, Glasgow

29 June to 4 July

Mon –Fri eves 7.30pm

Sat 4pm & 8pm

Tickets: £12 - £27.50

Box Office: 0844 871 7648(Bkg)

www.ambassadortickets.com/glasgow (bkg)

While proper critics have been somewhat disappointed by the play, complaining about intellectual under-nourishment and predictability, The Priory for me was just the thing to see in December and you should all go as well.
(And critics should avoid the word 'chum' - it crept into all the reviews somehow and sat there as a graying linguistic entity).



I loved the production design to begin with: from the John Lewis laps, to the reindeer trophy covered in fairy lights and those big gothic windows staring out to the godforsaken rural nowhere baring ghost. Splendid. 

The costumes were hilarious, spot on and plenty. The picture above doesn't do it justice really, it was more like the Nutcracker meets his Fatal Attraction in a drag-bar. I could linger over the semiotics of a muffin top inflicted by skinny jeans, or how a sky-blue pair of socks might be the perfect finishing touch to a character, but the snob inside me puts a stop to that.  

Onto the play than: I haven't laught so much in theatre in ages. It is just really funny and well acted. The piece was naturally not written for eternety , it is theatre-lite with a few lower notes, its fresh and entertaining and it will be so last year next year.
This carpe diem comedy unites an eclectic mix stereotypical characters: Brigit Jones gone bad and her queer sidekick, who falls short of heterosexual preconceptions, party with Mr Failure and Mrs Power Lesbian cum Mummy Biggest accompanied by dream-pair du joure.

The best reason to go and see The Priory is to attend a New-Year Party and be done with it. Buy the ticket, watch the play, breathe a sigh of relief and tick the midnight-misery with champaign and smudged make-up off your list. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lphmbIPlq9g

 

 

What a superb production this is! It makes murder, corruption, adultery and cheating look positively attractive!

Since its New York revival in 1996 Chicago has become the longest-running musical to play in the West End: a sure sign of its popularity. As a result there have been a number of touring productions, both good and not so good.
I suggest this particular cast makes this production one of the best of recent times. It must consist of some of the best looking actors currently on stage in the UK. Sure, the girls in this show have always been fabulous, long-legged, strong, sassy and sexy, but the boys this time – good heavens – they are clearly in the gym when not on stage – all abs, pecs and biceps, not to mention the lower halves! They certainly earned plenty of wolf-whistles of appreciation from the audience throughout the evening. Every member of the Company give their all throughout the evening and are completely convincing in their characterisations.

The choreography is sharp and tight (the original re-created by Gary Chryst) and the musical interpretation by Garth Hall exhilarating and performed impeccably and with great verve by the 10 piece orchestra, who are centre stage throughout and incidentally got the longest and loudest round of applause.

 

The billing has Marti Pellow as the main attraction. He has carved out a theatre career of late and his voice and stage presence are well suited to the part of Billy Flynn.



Whilst he is excellent, and taking nothing away from him, the outstanding performances are really from Emma Barton (ex-Eastender Honey) as Roxie Hart and Twinnie-Lee Moore as Velma Kelly.

Barton is a revelation but shouldn’t be. Looking at her experience she has plenty of theatre under her belt and was completely at home singing – what a gorgeous rich, full voice - and dancing. She is utterly hilarious as the conniving, flirtatious Roxie. Perfect!

Moore is one to watch. She does not have a great deal of experience being only 22 but you would never know this from her extraordinary performance. She is captivating, self assured and doubtlessly talented. I couldn’t take my eyes off her when she was on stage and her opening number ‘All That Jazz’ introduces her in fitting style. She is stylish and sophisticated, has superb comic timing and the stage presence of a real star. Someone to keep an eye on I have no doubt.

Matron (Wendy-Lee Purdy) it is fair to say suffers from comparison to Queen Latifah’s performance in the 2002 Rob Marshall film. It’s unfortunate but inevitable.

Amos (Adam Stafford), Roxie’s rather straight and trusting husband, was a clear favourite with the audience, particularly after Stafford’s superbly sensitive and touching performance of ‘Mister Cellophane’.

This is a sexy, strong, superb production of Chicago and very well worth booking tickets for. If you have always fancied it and never got round to it this production is the one to see.

 

Chicago plays MK Theatre Monday 25 –Saturday 30 January. MK box office 0844 871 7652 (Booking Fee)

Then on tour

February 1 – 6, Charter Theatre, Preston

February 8 – 13, Theatre Royal, Newcastle

February 16 – 27, The Mayflower, Southampton

Louise Winter on behalf or Catherine Brian 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Theatre Tickets

Theatre patrons have tremendous ticket buying options at their hands.  They can choose to buy from the theatre box office, ticket booths or through ticket agents either in person, thru phone or through the online option.  Purchasing tickets can also be done on the day of the performance or even months in advance.  A theatre box office however, will only sell tickets scheduled for that particular theatre.

Box offices in theatres are usually open from ten (10) in the morning up to about thirty (30) minutes after the start of the show.  No booking fee is required for tickets that are bought personally as compared to phone and online purchases which are usually accompanied by an administration fee or booking fee.  It can happen that calls to theatre box offices get redirected to ticket agencies specifically during busy periods although fees remain the same.

Not all shows sell tickets through ticket booths but theatre patrons are guaranteed a wide range of choices especially for discount tickets on performance days.  Ticket buyers however, may not be able to pick their preferred seats.  Ticket agents may come in the form of international organizations or small independent companies.  Legitimate agents are usually part of an organization in the field of ticket retailing which espouses best practice in the business.  It is standard practice for ticket agents to charge a booking fee and sometimes a transaction fee.  Comparing prices is advisable to see if the fee being charged by an agent is reasonable.  Fees and charges are intended to cover the operational costs of selling and distributing theatre tickets.

Tickets can be had by people who come to see theatre shows together.  This is what is referred to as group sales.  The number that constitutes a group may vary in each show although the minimum number would generally be between ten (10) to twenty (20) people.  Rush or lottery tickets are discounted seats which producers are eager to sell.  They can also be a block of tickets that have been specifically set aside for such purpose.  Theatre box offices would have these tickets available two (2) hours before curtain time on performance day.

Most shows provide a particular space for patrons.  It would usually be at the back of the theatre where these people can stand to watch the show.  These are covered by Standing Room Only or SRO tickets which are only sold when the performance is completely sold out.  Special discounted tickets for students and seniors are also available.

Broadway shows may have an open-ended or limited run. Since a limited run is only for a predetermined number of weeks, ticket holders who buy in advance should be aware of the length of time which the show is scheduled to be around.  Tickets for the best seats are the most expensive.  These are the seats found at the orchestra where occupants would be at eye level with the stage.  Seats on the balcony or the rear mezzanine seats, on the other hand, are usually the lowest-priced.  It would be wise to look at posted seating charts before making a ticket purchase.

Theatre tickets are generally non-refundable and non-exchangeable except for specific circumstances such as the inability of a main star to perform.

It’s taken something close to seven years to get A Last Belch for the Great Auk onto the stage, so understandably, I’m looking forward to 6.45pm next Wednesday and curtain up at the Old Fire Station.

David Halliwell, who wrote the play, was a friend of mine. We met in Charlbury in 1996. We were introduced in a convoluted way by local jazz musician (and now childrens author) Alan Fraser, and Harry Potter director David Yates. Long story short, David Yates had directed me at drama school and when I moved to Charlbury, (where he was living) he happened to be doing a ceilidh and needed an authentic Scot to do some readings. There aren’t too many authentic Scots in a village like Charlbury, so I got the gig. That’s when I met Alan Fraser, who asked me to do some stand up at his cabaret nights, The Outhouse, and also said that David Halliwell was looking for a Scot (another lucky break) to appear in his production The House. I got the House gig too (I was the only one in Charlbury with a kilt), and subsequently played the same role (Private Billy Meechan) in a London production (retitled In That Summer of Sweet 16) directed by Jane Clark of I’m a Camera at the Old Red Lion in 1997.

I also formed a company with David, The Wychwood Depiction Engine, which produced several plays for the Charlbury Arts Festival (including Merriel The Ghost Girl, which had prompted Sam Peckinpah to write to David when he saw the original production). David had pioneered multi-viewpoint drama in the 60s and 70s. He said, “if you are telling the story of man bites dog, you see it from the point of view of the man, from the point of view of the dog, and from the point of view of the bite.” He also founded the first lunchtime theatre company in Britain and possibly the world, Quipu. He won the Evening Standard Most Promising Playwright of the year in 1966 for Little Malcolm and His Struggle Against The Eunuchs.

David’s tales were always full of humour, controversial and always, always full of ‘names.’ When I first met him, I thought he was probably full of , well, you know, but it turned out that he did indeed share fish and chips with the Beatles during a recording session at Abbey Road (one of the VERY few outsiders who ever got to attend a recording session with the Fab Four). This occurred after George Harrison (who went on to produce a film version of Little Malcolm as the first film in Handmade Films cannon) attended Little Malcolm on stage and persuaded the others that David might be the director for their next film - in the end, this turned into the animated Yellow Submarine.

David introduced me to many of the people he’d met throughout his career; many people who were probably frustrated, as I was, by his refusal to compromise, his refusal to ‘play the game.’ This was also one of the reasons I admired him and one of the reasons why, however difficult it was to be his friend, I was always glad I was. As Mike Leigh (probably David’s oldest - not in an ageist way Mike - friend) said in his obituary in the Guardian, “Nothing he wrote had the weight or depth of which he was undoubtedly capable, and nobody who knew him or his wit, intelligence, or indeed his writing would disagree that he could and should have been up there with Beckett and Pinter, his two major influences. He in turn was a great influence on me, and it fills me with immeasurable sadness to know that I will never again spend a scintillating drunken night with this perceptive, invariably confrontational, and always funny genius.”

David’s sister Liz and her husband Cliff are coming to see the play at the Fire Station. They haven’t seen ‘Belch’ performed before. I only hope we (myself, Alexa Brown as Dymphne Pugh-Gooch and director Sarah Dodd) give them a memorable and entertaining evening out and live up to the writing.

I wanted to ‘Belch’ ever since I found a copy at David’s house probably around 2001 or 2002. I am an occasional birdwatcher - I discovered that I birdwatch more (once or twice to the point of twitching) when I am unhappy with another aspect of my life. I’m pleased to report that i am not currently an ‘active’ birdwatcher.

We were always going to put on A Last Belch for the Great Auk and at one time interviewed an actress who was in neighbours (Nicola Charles) for the part of the model (she was ‘busy’ recording a single at the time. I can’t remember the name of the single (he said bitingly).

For one reason or another, we never got around to doing it before David died in 2006. I’d seen him in the street a few days before he died, and had made plans to have a pint with him when I got back from filming in Glasgow. While I was away, David died.

I was at the point of splitting up with my wife at the end of 2006, so everything else went on the back burner, but the urge to ‘Auk’ never went away. Last year, I showed it to a director friend of mine, Sarah Dodd from the Oxford Playhouse and MakeSpace theatre company, and she loved it. She also happened to know an actress/model who would be perfect as Dymphne. And so finally, I got the chance to play Reg Armitage. We did a rehearsed reading last November, and got really good audience feedback. I really think it’s a great play, and we are hoping to tour it if we can get funding. Hopefully, the two nights at the Old Fire Station as part of Oxfringe won’t be the end of the story….

Next up, I’m hoping to do a Scottish tour of a play written by a friend of mine, Simon Farquhar. It’s a revival of his Rainbow Kiss, which is set in Aberdeen and premiered at the Royal Court in 2007. It’s set in Aberdeen, and you don’t get many plays set in the Granite City. I’m also hoping to do Simon’s new play, which was only completed a week ago. It’s brilliant, very real, very dirty, and there are a couple of parts I’d love to play. Then there’s a film on the last days of Robert Louis Stevenson which I’ve been tracking for two years while it raised funds. Everything is almost in place, and I’m hoping they’re going to be casting soon. I read a part in that while they were developing the script and it’s fantastic - it’s got everything, rape, murder - and the fact that I possibly don’t exist! And of course, the fact that the writer is playing loose with Scottish history guarantees a certain level of notoriety and scrutiny from Scotland. Of course, all of that depends on the casting directors…

I’m also doing my spoken word evening at the Jam Factory, 27 Park End Street, Oxford OX1 1HU, tel 01865 244613, on Monday April 6 at 8pm. It’s basically… a swanky swashbuckling scoundrel showing off with others of that ilk. Some call it poetry. They’re mishapen. Some say prose. So we prose - and primp and preen. And some cameras go off. And on. And off. It’s words, all about the words, man. And woman. It’s for us all. Anything might happen. This is not guaranteed but likely. And it’s still a raggedy gathering of rags makeing melly. Come and make some of your own You never know who’s going to turn up, or what might happen (although I’m pretty sure you’ll hear me doing a couple of John Lennon’s brilliant poems from In His Own Write and Spaniard in the Works).

David Halliwell’s A Last Belch for the Great Auk at the Old Fire Station on April 1 and 2 at 6.45pm. It’s directed by Sarah Dodd and the two-hander cast features Alexa Brown as Dymphne Pugh-Gooch and Steve Hay as Reginald Armitage. Tickets cost £8, and can be booked at The Old Fire Station, 40 George Street, Oxford OX1 2AQ; Tel 0844 844 0662 or see the website

For my profile and showreel, see http://www.uk.castingcallpro.com/updateall.php and http://www.stevehay.co.uk

Background on David Halliwell: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/david-halliwell-472814.html

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0356668/

http://www.filmreference.com/film/28/David-Halliwell.html

http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/2006/mar/22/guardianobituaries.artsobituaries

http://www.thestage.co.uk/features/feature.php/12264/david-halliwell