Speranza
With gratitude to D. Rumelle for all his great mementos.
Following a lot of planning and long discussion
with Paul Dunford-the administrator of the Hinge and Bracket site David Rumelle recorded the
"autobiography" of dame Hilda Bracket ("one Little Maid" as an
audiobook).
Published in 1980, this excellent work was sadly never recorded by its
author-due to her untimely death in 2002.
Having been a life-long fan of this
artist and had the privilege of working with them at Eastbourne in 1998 Rumelle can’t
begin to say what an honour and a pleasure it is to get the go-ahead on
this project.
Rumelle had hoped to have had the project completed in the for the
anniversary of Patrick Fyffe's death in May-but he was on tour,with two
shows, since pantomime- firstly-"A Bedfull of Foreigners" and latterly-
"Wildboyz"(with Alex Reid)-and only finished in mid June.
The Demos of the
recording took just over two weeks to get done-and have proved invaluable in
showing us how we can fit it onto cd and the myriad of sub –characters, within
the book.
All the fans of H&B will all understand that it is a
“tribute” first and foremost-not an attempt to be a “sound-alike”.
However-this
is such a unique project and it can’t be often that a novel is read-“in
character” in this way.
The only similar project we have come across is when
Maureen Lipman created her wonderful show-“re-Joyce” a few years ago-based on
the life and work of dear Joyce Grenfell.
As she herself said-“let’s pretend” !
What Rumelle hopes to do-over the next month is share with you the process of
recording the autobiography, the technicalities of what is essentially a radio
performance and his observations and memories of this wonderful duo, having
worked with them on two very happy occasions.
Rumelle mentioned to a few friends yesterday that it felt a bit
daunting to have the cd cover designed already-before he's done the final
recording –but that’s only because he was anxious to get it right and being a
perfectionist is never easy.
Rumelle decided to spend the next week getting my
copy of the book and all the music bits and pieces sorted before he starts the
main recording at the beginning of August.
The first set of demos were all
done at various times over the last month-and it tends to show.
For instance-
Chapter 5- “For King and Country” sounds as though he had bus to catch-and
Chapter 4-“Escapes and Escapades” is understandably slower-because of all the
various” continental characters” that crop up-each of which need
characterisation.
That leads Rumelle on neatly to Patrick’s use of characters and
his ability to portray characters within the character of Hilda.
One only has to
listen to the Radio monologues- “Between Me and You”-to appreciate his unique
characterisations.
In his show-“By Kind Permission” and indeed some of the
later H&B stage shows-he incorporated the likes of Mrs Stoner and
“Madame”-performing character monologues.
This was quite extraordinary-to
portray one character who in turn is portraying another.
It’s also daunting from
my point of view as an actor-to be able to differentiate all the characters
within “One Little Maid”!
Fortunately- we’ve so much of Patrick’s work
available to draw upon-and a lot of the characters are given “voices” on the
various records, radio shows and concert recordings.
Looking at the book
again last night and the first set of demos --the only substantial cut Rumelle
made, for recording purposes, is the lengthy description of Bracket towers in
Chapter 1-(“A Pram with a view”).
Some of this relates to illustrations in the
book, which would be impossible to recreate vocally-and a lot of the rest,
although very evocative on the page, holds up the story.
Interestingly-Joyce
Grenfell used to employ such detail in her books-and this is by no means a
criticism-merely a producer’s point of view when it comes to adapting work for
radio/theatre etc.
Rujmelle kept the main points about the Bracket Towers
description-but it’s far more important to preserve the descriptions of the
incidents and the characters (EG Pepper the Gardener, Cork the Butler
etc.
You’ll be pleased to know that that is the only cut Rumelle made-the rest
of the book is recorded complete.
When looking at the layout of the cd’s –the
first two chapters explore Hilda’s childhood, school days ,finishing school-and
everything up until she leaves to start her training in Italy.
This makes the
first cd fairly self contained.
Similarly-chapters 3 and 4 are all about Italy
and fit neatly onto cd two.
Chapters 5&6 explore Hilda’s war work and The
Rosa Charles opera company-and again seem to lend themselves to being on one
cd.
Chapter 7 is all about life at Stackton Tressel-and rounds the whole
story of nicely.
This does however mean that the fourth cd only has one chapter
and facilitates the use of bonus tracks.
At this stage-it’s Rumelle's intention to
compile an abridged version of the sound desk recording of “Cinderella” from
Eastbourne ,when he played opposite Hilda as wicked sister for four
performances.(About 15-20 minutes)then maybe an abridged version of a couple of
the “Between Me and you” monologues-and then most importantly-a couple of songs.
Rumelle has piano tracks for “Only a Glass ofChampagne” and “If only he’d looked my
way”-but if anyone has any other ideas they’d like him to consider...
It’s
also worth noting that the book has a preface and an acknowledgment chapter-that
may be worth including at the end of chapter 7.
Rumelle feels -that the opening of
the whole recording needs to begin with Hilda’s casting her mind back ,when
she’s listening to a tanoy announcement-“Overture and Beginners” -as it does at
the start of chapter one.
Rumelle won’t tell you at this stage-which “character”
will be doing the background tanoy announcement-but I’m sure you’ll recognise
them instantly!
Off to the gym
with the ipod-to listen to-guess what ? (If only the gym instructors knew I was
working out to “Dear Ladies” and “ Sailor who are you dreaming of
tonight”!!)
Rumelle had an excellent meeting on Saturday with his dear friend
Jerome Lloyd to clarify the Italian/French/German pronunciations that feature
prominently in Chapters 3&4
(The Bonavoce Years and Escapes and
Escapades).
Having trained in Italy himself-Jerome was Rumelle's first port of call for
some expert language tuition!
Wedon’t know how fluent Fyffe was in
languages –but in Hilda’s own words-Rumelle's knowledge of Italian “is little more than
Asti - Spumante!”
When Rumelle was working on a double act with Jerome ten years
ago-they sang
"Voi Che Sapete" (“Marriage of Figaro) and the Barcarola from “Tales
of Hoffman”.
Rumelle had to translate them phonetically –and employ all sorts of
memory games to remember the words.
They had a long chat about the various
words –“Vicenza”,” Palazzo Chiericati”,”Mascagni”-to name a few.
The basis rule
with Italian is that the vowel takes preference in the pronunciation.
He also
put Rumelle right on the correct pronunciation of Herr Lumbacker”(Hilda’s first
singing teacher).
On the demo-Rumelle pronounced it as “Barker” –it is actually
pronounced”Becker”.
Just goes to show how complicated this can all be
!
However-he's pleased to say –he's ironed out most of the pronunciation
pitfalls.
They also
had a long chat about the music and sound effects.
He made a point of
keeping sound effects to a bare minimum-so they aren’t distracting. After
all-we’re not doing a radio play.
He's going to introduce each chapter with a
short snatch of one of Hilda’s songs-and it was on Rumelle's mind to record them myself
in “character”.
However-after along thought-he felt it would be better to use the
original recordings-which will bridge the gap between reality and my reading “in
character”. (I don’t like using the word impersonation!)
In chapter 5(For
King and Country) Hilda talks about singing
“Oh Peaceful England”
from “Merrie
England”.
On the demo Rumelle sang this unaccompanied.
Looking at it now-I feel
it’s far batter as a spoken quote.
One mustn’t get self indulgent with this
project-and the golden rule-simplicity is best.
Rumelle will save any singing for the
bonus tracks at the end –if there is space and time.
Avid fans of
the book will spot the many double entendres that crop up-by the same token-one
must just play the text in pure innocence and not go for the obvious!
You’ll all
recognise Arkley Barnett-who seemed the perfect choice to make the tanoy
announcement that opens the book.
Rumelle often used that voice myself onstage-and
once when he was stage managing “April in Paris”-I used it as the Captain’s
announcement during a scene change !
Arkley will be popping up later in the book
to do a reading-but you’ll have to wait for that ! (I’ll just say-Chapter
6!!)
Rumelle's introduction to Hinge and Bracket in
the early 70’s went hand in hand with his discovery and life long love of Gilbert
and Sullivan.
Rumelle was lucky enough to have a music teacher who taught us music
hall and G&S-and one of the first things was “Poor wandering one”! I was
fascinated by the plots and characters and getting to know H&B enhanced his
knowledge of G&S.
Within a few years –I knew all thirteen operas by
heart-and still adore them.
-------
In the same way-being in an amateur operatic
society and being lucky enough to catch the tale end of the likes of “New
Moon”,” Desert Song”, “Bittersweet”
and all the operettas that Hilda talks
about- increased Rumelle's love of those shows-and made him appreciate the DETAIL that
went into H&B’s work.
If you listen to the monologue- “Showboat won’t be
the same” by Basil Migden (on the “Between me and you” collection) it sums up
beautifully the life of an amateur operatic society-of which Patrick was a part
for some time.
To Rumelle's mind-this was the best of those monologues because it comes
from first hand experience.
Coming from the West Midlands himself-it all sounds
strangely familiar!
More random
jottings to come !
The Ivor
Novello concert on the BBC proms(9th August Radio 3 and 11th August BBC)
It’s
about time Novello’s music had a revival-in the same way the Noel Coward music
reached a new audience, following the 20th century blues concert a few years
ago.
So-today’s ramble is all about Novello.
Yes-indeed- it was Hinge and
Bracket who introduced Rumelle to the beautiful music of Novello. He thinks the first
thing he heard was “Fly Home Little Heart” on “Saga of the Snow”(Enchanting
world)-a really beautiful song.
Years later-I caught a production(amateur) of
“King’s Rhapsody”-and was bowled over by what a beautiful story and haunting
music it contains.
Yes-his work is unashamedly romantic-and the plots
fanciful-but that’s what the public needed at the time-pure romance and
escapism, following the war years.
Rumelle saw “King’s Rhapsody” in about three
productions, during the mid-80’s and a production of “The Dancing Years”-which
is probably his best known(I won’t say his best musical-and they are superb in
their own way). He defies anyone to watch “Dancing Years” or “King’s Rhapsody” and
not be in tears by the end.
There are films of "Glamorous Night"," King's
Rhapsody" and "Dancing Years"-all too freely adapted.
For an accurate version of
"Dancing Years"-try and get hold of the "Dancing Years" video with Anthony
Valentine and Celia Gregory.
Interestingly-Hinge & Bracket performed a
lot of songs from "Perchance to Dream"-probably because Patrick did a production
of “Perchance to dream” ,early on in his career-when he was working for the
aforementioned producer Alexander Bridge.
When they were doing
“Cinderella”(1998) Fyffe told me he played Mazelli(who also doubles with the
vicar in Act 2) Apparently Alexander Bridges' mother ((Eileen Farrow) was
playing both Ernestine and Mrs Bridport.
Now-to briefly describe Miss Farrow(now
sadly deceased)-there was definitely an element of Dame Hilda about her-and I’m
sure having worked with her-more than a little of her personality went into
shaping Patrick’s characterisation !
She must have been in her fifties even
then-and Patrick told me she came onstage in Act 2-as the older Mrs Bridport and
Alexander Bridge yelled from the back of the auditorium-“Mother-you’re supposed
to look old”!
She replied-very innocently -“But I don’t know how to
!”
Years later in i993- Rumelle got a phone call from his agent to quickly get myself
down to London to start rehearsing for Alexander Bridge’s final production of
“Perchance to Dream”.
Sadly-it was a shadow of it’s former self!
It was supposed
to be a major uk tour but turned into one week in Yeovil !
Half the music was
cut(and it still ran at three hours!) the set was a stock panelled drawing
room(in fact-I’m pretty sure-it’s the one that crops up on the H&B Buxton
concert)-that we subsequently used for “Time and the Conways”, “Murder at the
Vicarage” and even “On Golden Pond”(!) and the lovely music and orchestra was
reduced to being played on a keyboard, with instrument effects-sounding not
unlike a Bontempi!
The technical rehearsal on the Sunday night finished at
mid-night and the dress rehearsal the next day finished at 7.10-with barely
enough time to re-set everything and go up at 7.30 It was mad! Rehearsing
“Highwayman love” at around 11.30PM will be forever etched on my brain.
It
was jinxed as well-Jean Bayliss(the original Maria in the London “ Sound of
Music”) was due to be in it-but she went ill. even before rehearsals began and
Eileen Farrow as Mrs Bridport,went ill after the opening night.
It was indeed
to be Mr Bridge's last musical-as he died in March 199 but not before he'd
produced one of his last pantomimes-"Snow White" at Bognor-starring Dr Evadne
Hinge as Wicked Queen! AND-after each performance of "Perchance to dream"
,Bridge announced that 1994 would see a new production of "Murder at the
Vicarage" starring Dr Hinge!(My ears certainly pricked up at that!)
Back to
Ivor Novello and "One Little Maid"-there is a slight error in Chapter 2; Hilda
describes how, at her coming out ball-"the orchestra struck up again beginning
with a song of Ivor Novello's from song from "Arc de Triomphe".
Considering
the events of chapter two take place before the outbreak of war and "Arc de
Triomphe" wasn't performed until November 1943-the two events don't add up-which
is unusual-given Patrick's eye for detail. For the purpose of the reading I've
altered the line to "a song of Ivory Novella's". (I know I'm being picky-but
....)
So yes H&B certainly kept the name of Ivory Novella in our
minds-and taught us so much about him.
Anyone who hasn't discovered the
beauty of Novello's music-it's worth checking out the website of the Ivory
Novello Bureau.(http://www.ivornovello.com/events.htm)
It lists any new
productions, supplies Novello Cd's and some of the videos I've mentioned and
gives information of any forthcoming productions.
The patron is Marilyn Hill
Smith-who sang a moving rendition of "My Hero" at Patrick's memorial in
2002.
Rumelle mentioned the various extracts of music I shall be including in the
recording-and I've eventually tracked down "Mimi's Farewell"from "La Boheme"
that features at the end of Chapter 5.
Rumelle is trying to find a snatch of a piano
version-if anyone can assist-please let me know as soon as
possible.
I'm still working on the music and
the technical effects-before I start recording on 1st August.
Loads more to tell
you-about "Murder at the Vicarage" and "Cinderella"-but that's for another
day.
Thanks for sharing my Novello stories today.
Hi all-and especially
Anne-from the H&B google group
Yes indeed-it was Peter Bridge-but he had
to use the name Alexander as there was already a famous west end producer -Peter
Bridge.
He gave me my first ever job in a creaky old Emlyn Williams play-"A
Murder has been Arranged"-and subsequently music hall,"A Christmas Carol"and my
first panto at Grays,Essex. What a character he was.
Sadly he died in
1994.
He'd even offered me his very last tour-"Write me a murder"-but I was
already committed to a production of "Bent",
The company was then taken over
by Bruce James,with whom I've worked on and off since then.
And the Palace
theatre,Westcliff-I reckon I;ve played that theatre more times in my career than
any other-it has such a lot of atmosphere.I'm surprised we haven't met or you
having seen me in something I've been in .
I was last there in March this
year.
Thanks for sharing your memories-I'll see if | can find a picture of
the great impresario! !
I made a start on
recording Chapter 1. This was a tricky one to do-as the demo recording was
recorded via mini disc and also had a major cut-regarding the details of Bracket
Towers. I’ve endeavoured to put some of this back-with the result that I’ve
added eight minutes to the recording.
As a result it means we are going to be
hard pushed to fit the first two chapters onto the first cd.
There are only
small snippets of music to be added at the beginning and ends of chapters-but
with there only being 80 minutes available on a cd - one cannot fill it up
completely-or finalising the cd becomes problematic-and I don’t want to give
Paul a headache when it comes to copying the cd’s en masse.
It’s certainly
made the decision for me –that we cannot include the preface-a shame really –as
there are some good lines there.
Never the less-something had to go-and if we
encounter further problems –I’ll have to edit that first chapter again.
For
those of you with a technical mind-I’m recording the project on a condenser
microphone, via quad capture and using Audacity software. This means I can edit
the wave pattern afterwards. If I make a mistake during recording (which-with
all the difficult pronunciations) it’s easy to edit -I merely pause, leave a gap
for editing and start the phrase again,
When I come to edit the recording-I
can merely take out the sound wave that has the error-a little bit like cutting
and pasting on a computer.
This has its advantages-in being able to do the
editing myself and to be able to get the timing right on the edit. Having done a
lot of voice overs-the tendency is to take out all the” breath sounds”. In this
case-breath and the use of pause and timing is vital to the timing of the
reading-and I mustn’t be too free with taking out pauses-only when they become
too long.
The disadvantage of recording this way is that if you make a
mistake and go back and do it at a later stage-it’s difficult to match up the
intonation of the previous sentence.
For this reason-I’m recording each
chapter in “one take” and then going back to edit out the mistakes.
Believe
me-we’re only human-and even the most experienced radio and voice over actors
make mistakes. Thank heavens for computers and not having to splice and edit
tape.
But-at least by doing the editing myself-I know Hilda’s timing and can
hear it in my mind as I do the final edits.
After I’ve edited each
chapter-the whole track goes through an amplifying programme, a programme to
remove clicks and pops, a compressor and a normalise-so that the whole track
sounds at the same vocal level-and each chapter will sound the same too-with no
sudden changes of volume.
I was quite happy with the reading of the first
chapter-but as it’s been a week since I did the demos-I may have to go back and
do it again a little later on-once I’ve got back into the swing of things. I
remember on the demos that I was far happier with Hilda’s voice in the later
chapters. I think the same thing may happen here-after a few trail runs.
I’m
going to record the introduction and the epilogue last of all-and maybe even
Chapter 4, as this is the most difficult chapter to record. But-we shall
see.
At the moment-my main concern is fitting the first two chapters on that
first cd. It would be a great shame to split them up and ruin the
continuity.
In a way-I’m glad I started the recording today—no time like the
present-and the difficult chapters of the book-start from Chapter two onwards.
So-while my partner is in hospital on Wednesday and overnight-it’ll give me
something to concentrate on and take my mind off his operation.
We’ve had
some marvellous chats via the Google site about Ivor Novello and a fellow
producer with whom Patrick and I worked. Before the end of this recording
process-I’ll try and fill you all in on the fun we had doing “Murder at the
Vicarage”(1994) and “Cinderella”(1998)-of which some of the sound desk recording
should appear at the end of cd as a bonus track.
Just as a thought-if
anyone knows of any companies who record talking books –or recording for the
blind or similar-please let me know. I know I’m going to be at a bit of a loss
after this project-as it’s such an important one for us all. I’d like to keep in
the swing of home recording –and I’m open to any projects anyone can suggest.
Just drop me a line via my website.
Well-it’s 1.0clcok in the morning-and
bed-time beckons.
More news tomorrow as I tackle chapter 2!
Thanks for
reading.
Love
David
X
Thursday 2nd August
My Dearest
Dears.
Sorry-not to have given you all an update-just been a bit stressful
with my partner going into hospital overnight(he's out now-and just needs
rest-so a good opportunity for me to shut myself away in the studio
!)
Recorded Chapter 2 on Monday afternoon and Chapter 3 last
night.
Funnily enough-both Chapters felt easier to do-having done them once
before-but there is so much light and shade to get in-particularly with the
"Bona Voce Years"(Chapter 3)-because of the different emotions involved.
The
wonderful thing about Hilda's character-and H&B generally was that they
could have you rolling in the aisles one moment-but then the sincere and tender
moments were made all the more real.
One only has to listen to the later
recording of "If only he'd looked my way" and "Golden days"-to hear the
sincerity and genuine belief in the character Patrick was playing. George
himself said how beautifully Patrick played fairy Godmother in
"Cinderella".
I saw them both perform in "Sleeping Beauty" at bath theatre
royal in 1995-and the first act ended with Evelyn Laye's "The Night is Young". I
can only say-it was pure magic-and played with great sincerity. In the same
way-when Hilda appeared on the tribute to "Evelyn Laye" at the Palladium in
1992(Of which I acquired a "private handbag recording" many years later from my
dear friend in Holland)- Patrick's rendition of "The Night is Young" brought the
house down and a tear to the eye.
So-relating that to our project-I am trying
to ensure the dry humour is maintained -but the pathos is also
highlighted-without ever being self indulgent. The two moments that come to mind
are when Hilda has to bid farewell to her singing teacher in Italy-and the
paragraph that ends chapter five and her work in the war.
All I can say is
that those words bring a lump to the throat every time.
I haven't started
editing chapters 2&3 yet-I'm getting as much recorded as I can this week-and
hope to have it finished by the weekend-so if necessary I can do another
complete read-the following week-and maybe use the best of both
versions.
It's one of those works-like being in a play, I suppose-where you
see something different each time-and you worry that you're doing your best. The
golden rule is that acting and performance are never the same,two performances
running.
You can set a performance in technique-which will always see you
through-but for a performance to be genuine and believable-it should be flexible
and go with gut feeling. If you believe in what you're performing/reading or
singing each night-then you've done your job well. It's only when it becomes
self indulgent that one needs to be careful.
I learnt a valuable lesson from
John Newman(producer and Director of Newpalm productions)-think of the actors
"third eye"(no pun intended please !)-and always have an ear to how the audience
is reacting.
Anyway-that's enough theory for today-back to the microphone to
record "Escapes and Escapades"-the most difficult chapter in the book-because of
the many continental characters.
I'll let you know how it goes later. I'll
give myself a two hour recording slot-then I feel the gym may be calling for an
unwind.
More random jottings later.
All my love
David
x
Friday
3rd August 2012
"My Dearest Dears"
We were talking yesterday about "If
only he'd looked my way" from "Gays the Word".Yes-the show is very different
from the other Novello shows-because of the collaborator-Alan Melville. I think
I'm right in saying that Cecily Courtneidge & Jack Hulbert collaborated with
Alan Melville-before Ivor came on board(I'll check my radio documentary on La
Courtneidge for the full details!)-or he agreed to write the ,music for
them,after they'd worked on the book (IE-it wasn't his conception from start to
finish)
I've seen various copies of the score for "Gays the Word" -but never
seen the libretto sadly-quite difficult to get hold of.
A few years ago I was
invited to take part in a revue of Alan Melville work("Called "Mellvillany") in
Brighton-and directed by Elizabeth Seal. Sadly i couldn't join the cast due to a
prior contract-but they included a lot of material from "Gay's the
Word"-particularly-Vitality"-and "If Only he'd looked my way".
They have
recently released the most complete recording of the show that there is(I think
it's a compilation of whatever they were able to find)-and it's available from
Dress Circle in London(but get in there quick as the shop closes on 15th August
after 33 years!)
There are some charming romantic numbers from the
show-mostly sung by Lizbeth Webb(who originally starred in "Bless The
Bride")
Relating all this back to the recording of "One Little Maid"-this is
an appropriate moment to point out a possible flaw in "the history" !
Hilda
remarks on the Abbey Road recording and a few radio interviews that "Bless the
Bride "was a great favourite of her fathers and that Hilda's father and mother
sang "This is my Lovely Day" at home in "the later years". She also says he gave
her the vocal selection from the show-(describing the cover as grey and pink )to
sing.
According to "One Little Maid"(Chapter 6)Hilda's father died at the end
of 1947.
Well-"Bless The Bride" opened in July 1947.It may have been possible
that the vocal selection was available ,soon after the show opened-but even if
that was the case-father and mother can't have been singing it at home for very
long-as father was killed by a freak accident at Christmas that year
!
-Enough- I'm taking it all far too seriously !
Check out the score of
Bless the Bride"-it is a beautiful show-and I was lucky enough to see a London
revival in 1987 with Una Stubbs,Ruth Maddoc,Simon Williams and Jeremy Sinden(to
name a few !)It's very similar to "Bittersweet" by Noel Coward-but has a happy
ending-and is much lighter in style.
More jottings later-after i've done some
work in the studio-the clock is ticking !
Sunday 12th August
2012
“My Dearest Dears”;
I’m sorry I haven’t written much this week about
the creative process of the recording-due to a variety of reasons-but the good
news is-the the recording itself is complete ! I’ve even included the
preface/acknowledgements. Upon-re-reading both of these sections-I thought I
could combine them into one .I’ve had to alter a few words and omit a couple of
others-but the majority of it is there-and it makes an excellent rounding off of
the whole project.
You’ll also be pleased to know that apart from the cuts I
made to the first chapter (regarding the long description of Bracket
Towers)-everything else is recorded complete. I’ve put back a few paragraphs
from Chapter one that I felt were important-particularly the recurring theme of
the maze at Bracket towers.
It was touch and go whether the introduction and
chapters 1&2 would fit on one cd-but they do-only just!
I’ve also had
great fun-adding the pieces of music that introduce/close each chapter and each
disc-very carefully chosen and that I hope you will all find appropriate. (Fans
of Novello and Coward will not be disappointed!)I’ve used “Mimi’s farewell” as a
recurring theme on a couple of occasions-which I’m sure you will agree makes for
a very moving ending to Chapter 5 and during Chapter 4-when Hilda has to say
goodbye to her beloved singing teacher.
I’ve tried not to overload the
project with music or sound-effects-it’s best kept simple.
One of the
trickiest was the Introduction-the demo of which is on the website!
I wanted
to use an effect of applause-leading into the tanoy announcement and then lead
into Hilda’s opening line. Getting the sound balance on these three tracks was
quite tricky-as they all seemed to be trying to out-do each other-and no matter
how much I reduced the volume on the first two tracks-they still seemed to
overshadow Hilda’s voice. I’m happy to say-after re-doing the whole thing one
morning-I got it right!
A few things have come to light whilst
recording;
Julietta Cottodoerata –the guest opera singer in Rosa Charles was
always described on the records as being Italian-the book states she is Spanish.
To maintain the majority of allusions to her –I have altered this to
Italian.
Also-I’m sure you must have assumed as I did-that the Ladies were
touring with the Rosa Charles Company during the war years-“when a lot of the
men were up at the front”! The book makes it clear that Hilda joined Rosa
Charles after the war ended!
In The preface-Hilda does ask us to allow for
the off lapse of memory-so it’s better we accept that there are indescrepancies
along the way and not be too analytical about it all . .(Interesting
though-given Patrick’s attention to detail)
A little note about some of the
illustrations in the book; on page 131-there is a picture of Gil as Sir Despard
Murgatroyd in “Ruddigore”. I’m sure that owners of the book will guess that it
is a picture of Patrick-but from which show?
When we were doing “Cinderella”
he told me that the photo was from a production of “Tom Jones” he was in. I
never found out if it was professional production or one from the Edward German
musical version that he may have done in his local operatic society.
Now that
the main bulk of the recording is complete-I have a week to finish the editing
which can be very long and arduous. Thanks to modern recording methods (I
thoroughly recommend Audacity as a good all round recording package)-editing is
relatively straightforward. One merely cuts and pastes as one would with a word
processor. However-one must be careful not to cut out too much breath, so the
phrase sounds unnatural or jumps too quickly to the next phrase.
So-it’s a
case of constantly listening again and again to the edits to make sure they
work. Thank heavens for an ipod -to be able to listen to the recordings on the
move.
(Again-I’ve been proof-listening every time I go to the gym for a
work-out!)
The final cd has various “extras” on it. Now that the
preface/acknowledgements are included they take up a further five minutes-so
coupled with the abridged sound desk recordings of “Cinderella”-there shouldn’t
be too much more to add.(I want you all to get your money’s worth!)
I do have
a recording I made at Patrick’s memorial of “Hilda’s greatest hits”-played by
George Logan. I’ll get the mini disc out see what the quality is like-and as
long as you all feel that it is appropriate to use that on this tribute-I will
try and clean it up a bit on the mixer and use that. Please let me know what you
all feel on this point.
So-still- a fair bit to do in the next week-but I’m
confident it’ll be ready to send to Paul next weekend. (Finger’s
crossed!)
Before I end this “jotting”-I did promise to share my experiences
on “Murder at the Vicarage” and “Cinderella”. I’ll add these to a new post-as
they are self contained. (Enjoy)
-More news on the recording later in the
week.
Love
David
X
Wednesday 15th August 2012
“My Dearest
Dears”
A sad day for all theatre, show and music lovers-the last day of dress
circle.
I’ve been using that shop since it first opened in Covent Garden and
then subsequently in Monmouth Street. Let us hope that the online store they
continue to run will be able to meet our needs-but it’ll never replace the magic
of entering that lovely shop-and seeing what rarities were behind those
doors.
You could also have your own work promoted there-indeed-I was going to
give them details of the new cd and Paul’s website to keep on their database-for
all H&B fans. In fact I still might !
A slight snag in the editing of
the audio book! (Do not panic- after an evening in front of the computer-I’ve
solved it(sort of!)-maybe splicing recording tape wasn't so bad after all in the
old days!
(Mind you-that had it's penalties-in the old days-studios would
literally cut tape from the master copies to make compilations or new copies-and
in some cases-forget to splice the "cut" back into the master.If there are any
G&S fans who have the 50's recording of "Princess Ida" from Decca-they'll
know that the re-issue missed out King Gama's 3rd act patter song -"Nothing
whatever to grumble at"- TERRIBLE!)
When I did the demos for Paul-to see how
many cd’s the project could be reasonably packaged as-the timings for chapters
5&6 seemed adequate to allow them to go on once cd. However-as I’m sure I
mentioned-I took chapter 6 at a bit of a lick-and it needed slowing down in it’s
reading. Added to which-the small snippets of music that end each chapter-meant
that yesterday I discovered that chapters 5&6(as they stood)would not fit on
the third cd ! This was most annoying-as we don’t want to add any more cd’s to
the set-and Paul has bought all the cases for the cd’s
I also didn’t want to
cut any more text. (Apart from the “Bracket Towers” descriptions I’ve already
mentioned.
So-what I have now done(and I’m sure you’ll bare with me) is to
take three minutes from the end of chapter 6(which concerns the discovery of
Stackton Tressel and the purchase of the old Manse)and added them to the
start of chapter seven on the fourth cd-where there is ample space.
So-apart
from a couple of paragraphs in chapter 6 –we’ve pretty much got there!
Hope
this is all ok with everyone-but I wanted to make sure we’ve included as much
possible in this tribute-and it’s made me realise how difficult the producing of
recorded books can be.
-I’ve just got to finish the editing of chapter 7 and
the “Cinderella” bits and pieces today-so I’m confident I can get the masters to
Paul at the weekend.
If we have any unexpected problems-please bare with us-
I ‘d rather take a little longer and ensure we’ve done our job properly-I’m sure
it’s what Patrick would have wanted-as a tribute to his work.
Back to the
studio for a radio commercial-and then onwards and upwards.
“My Dearest
Dears”
-Watching the Novello-proms concert on Saturday night brought back a
lot of memories doing “Perchance to Dream” for the aforementioned Alexander
(Peter) Bridge.
You may remember from last night -the beautiful song-“Pray
for me”. Peter put it into “Perchance to Dream” for the Windsor Choir-to cover
the scene change from Victorian to present day. Even though-we had a frantic
scene change going on to transform” Huntersmoon” into the 1940’s –I always had
that beautiful song in my head.
At the end of the show every night-Peter
would announce the following year’s programme-including “a brand new production
of “Murder at the Vicarage” starring Doctor Evadne Hinge as Miss Marple !
I
made up my mind-there and then to try and be a part of that production-come what
may!
Unfortunately-Peter Bridge died in March 1994, whilst working in
Chesterfield-a great blow to us all. For all his faults-he gave a lot of
opportunities to actors, young and old and kept touring theatre going in the
most unlikely circumstances.
Peter’s company was reformed by his business
partner-Bruce James-with whom I’ve worked on and off ever since.
Cut to a
Friday night in October 1994.I received a phone call from Bruce asking me to get
down to Yeovil as soon as I could to take over the running of” The Sound of
Music”, which had had an “eventful” opening night-and needed someone to call the
show from the corner.
I didn’t need asking twice-as I knew that “Murder at
the Vicarage” was being rehearsed the following week!
I took over running
“The Sound of Music” with little difficulty-knowing the show very well. Peter
Bridge’s mother (Eileen Farrow) was playing Mother Abbess-and her rendition of
“Climb every Mountain” had one or two hints of Hilda in it!
I broached the
subject of working on “Murder at the Vicarage” and Bruce allowed me to attend
rehearsals, until the show opened in Yeovil the following week.
In those days
–everything was rehearsed within a week-even musicals-and it was touch and go
come opening night-but a terrific team and a lot of adrenalin always got us
through!
When Rumelle first met Logan he immediately struck me as being very
down to earth, always approachable and with a great sense of fun.
Having heard
“the voice” for years-it was sometimes odd to look up from my script during
rehearsals and see George rehearsing in jeans and a sweatshirt!
I’m sure
everyone involved in that production would agree-that it wasn’t the “perfect
production”-the set was rather incongruous (in fact I am convinced it is the
same one on the Buxton G&S concert-re structured!)-and the costumes owed
more to the local charity shops than Agatha Christie would have
preferred!
However-it was a lovely happy company-many of whom I still work
with and keep in touch with (particularly Damian Williams, Maggie Stables and
Andrew Ryan.)
We opened in Yeovil-and when I asked Bruce if he wanted me to
tour for the other three venues he happily agreed.
In Worthing in
particular-we had a riot of a night when Maggie invited us back to her basement
flat for a get together and a sing song. Luckily she had a piano in her flat and
George didn’t take much persuading to accompany everyone’s party pieces. (I
think I did “Only a glass of champagne “that night-but resisted any
“impersonations”!)
It was in Worthing as well that the laundry facilities
were rather basic-and everyone’s shirts and separates were still damp for the
matinee-because of a defective dryer! The rest of the cast did had a moan about
this (and quite rightly so)-but George merely reached into his bag-and produced
“spare “of everything.
(That’s professionalism for you!)
Along the way we
had question and answer sessions from the audiences, after a few of the
performances-and George always remained in character-and answered as Evadne-the
actress.
His performance was unique in the fact-that Miss Marple has to be
almost under played to make it work (as I’m sure you’ll agree after watching the
likes of Julia McKenzie, Joan Hickson et al) George played the role
beautifully-particularly the final scene with the murderer and the accomplice (I
won’t spoil the plot if you haven’t seen it) - very serious and very well paced.
Listening to the scene every night was always fascinating.
A couple of
mis-haps did occur in the first week. The gun that features prominently in the
play-and is subsequently fired at the end-broke! The firing arm literally flew
off-and the poor actor who was firing it-could do nothing! The stage manager ,in
desperation , ,threw a stage weight on the floor to create some sort “BANG”-but
the damage had been done-and I’m afraid a few giggles were heard from the
audience.
The play ends with Miss Marple making a call to the police.On this
particular night-George walked to the phone, dialled the number and after a long
pause said-“There’s been an ------- ACCIDENT at the vicarage”! The curtain came
down to much applause and an angry producer!
The other incident occurred in
Chesterfield when Maggie Stables put her sherry glass down rather too
forcefully-causing it to shatter! The ensuing improvisation between Miss Maple
and Mrs Price Ridley-brought an impromptu round of applause from the audience!
(Audiences love being in on the joke and always love minor mis-haps!)
In
Peterborough-the Saturday evening and matinee performances were so close
together that the friends of the theatre laid tea on for us-and as he was
watching the evening performance, we were joined by –Patrick! We didn’t get much
of a chance to chat-as we had such a quick turn-around for the evening show.
However-we met again afterwards, just before he drove George back to
London.
All in all-a short but very enjoyable tour-over far too soon. The
reviews were generally good. We all parted amicably-and vowed to keep in
touch.
I saw George and Patrick in “Sleeping Beauty” at Bath the following
year (1995/96) and popped backstage to see George between shows and afterwards
as well.
I saw them both at Cannock in 1995 in what was essentially the
“Stirred not shaken” concert. Then in 1998-whilst on tour –our producer told me
she’d been offered company manager at Eastbourne on “Cinderella”-but was unable
to give the commitment. My mind started thinking………..
-Now that the Cd's of "One Little Maid " have been completed
and are selling like hot cakes-it seems appropriate to end this blog with an
account of "Cinderella" at Eastbourne in 1998-the last time I worked with the
famous duo;
I'd seen H&B in Littlehampton around 1997 but the first time
I saw them at Eastbourne was on a very sad day. My partner Michael's mother had
died that day and was a terrible shock to us all. We had tickets booked for the
Devonshire park theatre at Eastbourne and a lift over-so I suggested it might be
far better to go over, rather than sit at home.
That was when I discovered
the ladies were due to play the "Wicked Sisters" in "Cinderella" for the
Christmas season(1998/99)Also in the cast was Wendy Craig and a young lad called
James McCourt-who has subsequently forged a presenting career for
himself-including the national lottery for quite a time.
I was due to play
the Devonshire Park theatre, later that month-with a production of "Paddington
Bear"! (Don't laugh-it was a year's work!) One of our producers told me that she
had been approached to be company manager for the pinto season but she was so
busy that she didn't think she could make it.
I've done pinto every year
since 1992(16 years as Dame-the rest as villain or comic)-but that year I had no
panto.I asked our producer if she could swing the job for me-but I was
contracted for three days on "Paddington" which overlapped rehearsals for
"Cinderella" .Our producer said she would see what she could do to persuade the
production company-and sure enough I had a phone call offering me the job and
working round the conflicting dates.
Of course-I was disappointed not to be
performing that year-but work is work-and this was quite a long run-going to the
10th January-a lot longer than we have today! It also meant I could commute
fromBrighton.
Rehearsals started two weeks before opening night(quite a
luxury-given the limited time we seem to have these days)-and the company were
very friendly and a good team-known in those days as TRENDS.
Our
Director/Choreographer was the legendary Duggie Squires (he of the Young
Generation Dancers fame!)He was fairly insistent on what he wanted from the
show-but then you have to be like that with panto. (No time to hang
around!)
My only criticism about the show really was that the script was
rather slow.
(Panto needs to be played at a terrific pace-!
For a
start-H&B didn't appear as the sisters -until at least half an hour into the
show! They opened the show with them both as rival fairy godmother's-vying for
the role-until Wendy Craig appeared as Nanny(from the TV series) and sent them
off, before asking the audience what characters she thought they'd be suitable
for.
This meant she was able to call them the "Wicked sisters"-instead of
"the ugly" ones-which was far more suitable for them.
The costumes and sets
for the show were magnificent. Trends, the producers-also produced the show at
Brighton theatre Royal in those days-and were also costumiers themselves-so
everything looked in pristine condition.
The "ladies" costumes were
particularly stunning. (I've given all the photos to Paul over the years-and
there is video footage on one of the "Specials" that I gave him)I think there
were eleven costumes in total for them each (not bad as pantos go!)
I did
feel that the "Sisters" should have been on a lot earlier. In any panto-as Roy
Hudd always says-"get the comics on first" and keep the love duets to a minimum!
(Or “you have more kids in the lav than in the audience”
The audience had to
sit through various renditions of "No Matter What" and a lot of setting up of
the plot before they actually appeared-which made it a very long show. (Almost
three hours-which is really too long for a panto)
George and Patrick had
written a lot of material which was very funny-and of course things are added
over the course of the run, along with the inevitable ad-libs.
Act one
included a very funny sun bathing sketch-leading into "Regular Royal queen"!
(The first and last time I've ever seen G&S in panto) and ended with a
ballet with the two sisters as classic ballet girls-to the tune of "Swan
Lake".
Act 2 included a magic act (!) in the middle of the ballroom scene; if
anyone remembers the Buxton opera house concert, where Hilda does her conjuring
act with bottles-that was pretty much it-with the addition of a magic
cabinet.
Patrick brought most of the small magic props with him-but the
cabinet had to be sourced in Eastbourne. Fortunately -there was (and still is)
an excellent magic shop in Eastbourne (“Coopers”) and we also had the services
of a local magician to advise us and build the cabinet. I remember they called
themselves-"Marvel and Mother"-so I had to make a sign for "the act" and
decorate the cabinet to match the sign!
Patrick also required out-size props
like a "flit gun" a bottle of smelling salts, fairy wands of two sizes for the
opening scene ,traffic warden gear, large ball fans-the list was
endless!
Rehearsals were held next to the Devonshire park theatre-which made
life a lot simpler and we were able to liaise with the resident stage crew and
technicians.
The theatre itself is a beautiful Matcham building-similar to
Brighton and Richmond, with a lovely atmosphere-and very helpful staff. I always
enjoy going back there-and always cast my mind back to that first time.
The
only drawback of the theatre is that the back wall, on which are all the
dressing room windows -backs onto another wall-and the whole area is
enclosed-making it very hot and stuffy-and the fact that you can hear what is
going on in every dressing room-if they have their windows open !
I did
Summer rep there for many years-and it was a constant joy being able to talk to
the entire company by just opening your window! However-it also meant that any
epidemics of flu and the inevitable coughs and colds that haunt all pantos-are
more likely to be spread!
The two dressing rooms on stage level-were of
course given to Patrick and George-and Patrick asked for various accoutrements
to be installed-particularly a couch-and more importantly-some hooks to hang all
his jewellery on! I'm afraid I defaced the dressing room in a number of places
by driving six inch nails into the space above the mirror! (Eager to please!!) I
think it was only earlier this year they were covered over-after fifteen
years!(I went back there in 2009 with “Strictly Murder” and bagged a dressing
room in the basement-only to find the same couch was behind the door.
The
technical and dress rehearsals contained their fair share of traumas-as they
always do-the usual problems with radio mics, costume changes and logistics that
plague and production.
However-we opened with a preview performance on the
Monday. Before we got to this preview, however,-a few drastic cuts had been
made-particularly George and Patrick's material-and sadly-the magic act was cut!
After all the work on the props we'd made for it-it never even made the first
preview-but was cut after the dress rehearsal.
I arrived at the theatre on
the morning of the preview to be told that a baby grand piano was needed
instead! When this proved impossible-to source -and to store offstage-they
settled for a “small cottage upright! “
A quick phone home to my partner for
a pink shawl to match Hilda's party costume-dressed the aforementioned
instrument to both their liking.
For that one preview only-Hilda sang-"It All
depends on you"-complete with a tap dance-as a sort of party piece at the ball.
Sadly-that too was cut for the opening night!
We opened to good houses and
good reviews. And the management of the theatre seemed very happy.
Bizarrely-
all of the principals had understudies-in the form of the four professional
dancers in the company. That is probably the only time I've done a panto with
understudies in reserve. However-the only two without "cover" were....
Yes-
you've guessed it!
As company manager I was in charge of rehearsing the
understudies at various times-so I took the wise move of having the show
recorded from the sound desk-so they all had something to work from-and to get
the timing right.(Also-as a personal memento -but that's another story)It was to
be a life saver in the end !
The running of the show was fairly
straightforward-usually two shows a day-and the usual company manager duties
such as keeping the show in order-and keeping an eye on the running time to make
sure we didn't over-run.(Even with the cuts-it was still a long
show)
Patrick liked to make sure everything was in it's place(just as I do
myself when playing dame)-so we made a special effort to make everything easy
for them both-holding doors and curtains open for quick changes and ensuring
props were personally handed to them both.
If you look on Paul's
website-you'll see the magnificent ball gowns in black and white that they gave
them. Patrick's crinoline was so large-the change had to be done in the scenery
dock in the wings! (It was originally made for a film!)
All was going well
with the show until the day before Christmas Eve. George asked to see me and
asked what proviso had been made for covering him and Patrick, in the event of
illness. I had to admit that no contingency plan was in place-which was odd
considering that the rest of the cast were covered by the male and female
dancers-even Wendy Craig.
George told me he's started to feel pretty
rough-with the flu bug that was going round the company.
Really-just to put
his mind at rest I said I would look over the script myself and I was sure that
given a day off on Christmas day, he would soon be fine-and manage to struggle
on.
(I must admit-I started to pay close attention to the script and blocking
from the wings -every performance after that, listening to the recording on the
train home)
On Christmas Eve-when the cast should have been looking forward
to a day off-poor old George told me he felt even worse!
I re-iterated our
contingency and at the end of the two shows that day-I made sure George had my
home phone number (-I was without a mobile in those days) and made sure I had
careful note of his and Patrick’s.
George and Patrick were staying in
Eastbourne-rather than venturing home-as quite a few of the company were
attempting to do.
Christmas day 1998 was a fairly quiet affair at home in
Brighton-just the two of us.
We decided we would go out for a local drink
around 7pm-when the fateful phone call came-and thank heavens I was in to
receive it.
George told me he'd been feeling even worse-and with the best
will in the world-there was no way he'd be fit enough to perform the next
day.
Knowing myself-how any performer hates to miss a performance-unless at
"death's door"-I knew that a decision had to be made.
I told George I would
cover for him and to just concentrate on getting himself well-and looking after
himself.
After we put the phone down-I took a deep breath and rang
Patrick-who wasn't at all surprised what I had to tell him. I knew it was
serious when he told me that after all those years together-George was very
rarely ill.
He calmly agreed that it was the only way out of our dilemma and
set about deciding what we would cut or adjust to get us through the
show.
Understandably-the opening scene with the two of them in fairy land was
cut-and the show would then start with Wendy and the children.
"A regular
Royal queen" was put in for them both-after the sunbathing scene in Act 1.As
that was one of their set pieces-it was decided to cut that too (even though -I
can do the number in my sleep)-the rest would be more-or less as written-but
Patrick asked if he could make an announcement before the show-explaining Dr
Hinge's indisposition-and why "A man" was taking over the role. Patrick also
advised against any impersonation (He must have had inkling.....)
Patrick's
final words that night were-"don't worry-I'll get you through it"-which I
thought was a very generous and kind thing to say. Even though I was excited
about "going on", I was also very nervous at not having any rehearsal.
For
the next few hours-I just ran through the show in my office at home, with the
tape-getting the moves right and checking I knew the script.
Fortunately-I
was getting a lift over to Eastbourne the following day, with one of the
chaperones-and I made sure-I did as much preparation beforehand(make up –wise)
as I could- I knew we would be very pushed for time-and I still had to learn a
ballet ,the traffic wardens routine -and try all the costumes on
!
Mercifully-the costumes fitted ok-we had good dressers-and even though
George is a lot taller than myself-I had invested in taller heels for cabaret
-which balanced things out-JUST!
As soon as the dancers arrived I collared
them for a rehearsal of the ballet and the "Wardens"-which was relatively
simple.
Then it was a case of just rushing round the whole cast and checking
bits and pieces with them-but it was impossible to have a full rehearsal with
such limited time We still had to get my stage management jobs covered by the
stage crew..
By the time the half hour call was given, we'd covered as much
as was humanly possible .I retired to George’s dressing room-quickly made
up-and tried to keep calm.
It's bad enough having to go on for
somebody-because you invariable get a groan or tut of disappointment from the
audience-but in this case-with no rehearsal of the majority of the show-anything
was possible!
I knew we'd get through it somehow-and that was about
it!
Wendy Craig popped her head round the door on the quarter call and
said-"don't worry-I've said a little prayer for you "-a very kind and generous
lady!
As the sister’s first entrance was now about half an hour into the
show-It was a long time to wait! I heard Patrick's announcement over the
tanoy-(there didn't seem to be too many groans from the audience!) -and it was
perfect for the situation.
(For those who've ordered "One Little Maid"-I've
started the Cinderella section with that message-for old time's sake!)
And
so-it was time to make that first entrance! (Yes- I said a prayer before going
on!)
(For those of you who have the new CD set-this will now clarify a
lot!)
-As soon as I stepped on the stage-I felt “safe”. Adrenalin is the
body’s natural drug –and my advice is-use those nerves in a positive way-never
fight them-but use that energy-it’s there to help!
Considering Patrick and I
had never rehearsed together whatsoever (and looking back in hindsight-I should
have done at least a line run with him) –it was pretty much “as per”! Yes-my
positioning was a bit out on that first performance when the rest of the company
came on in that opening scene-but they adapted,
Shunted me around-and made me
feel ok.
The duet-“anything you can do” went pretty ok-I missed one line-but
Patrick’s razor sharp brain picked up the cue in an instant.
In a trice the
first scene was over-and onto the first costume change.
(Anyone who’s ever
done quick changes as an actor, or has done dressing in the theatre themselves
will know what I mean when I say that a good dresser is essential. They take the
stress out of your job-but you must trust them totally, never panic and let them
do it their way- they are your saviours!!)
Onto the sunbathing scene-without
mishap-then the scene before the ball when the sisters make cinders tear up her
invitation.(My dear friend –Nigel Ellacott- one half of the greatest sister
actor in the country-always said to focus on Cinders during that scene-and stay
motionless-so the focus is on her –That is HER moment! I tried to follow that
advice implicitly!
So-onto the ballet at the end of Act 1.Mercifully we had
too excellent dancers- Stephen McGlynn (“Mama Mia”) and Simon Breen (the longest
serving cast member of “Chicago”) Simon was from the West Midlands-and Patrick
took great pleasure in imitating his accent!
-A few dodgy dance steps from
yours truly-but we got there-and thus ended Act 1 !
I retired to the dressing
room for a much needed cup of coffee.
(I am one of those actors who cannot
stay still when I’m working-and like to be in costume for the next entrance
ASAP. Nowadays-as I supply my own costumes-I call the shots!) I was anxious to
get into the next costume and draw my breath but the dressers (quite
rightly!)Followed their usual routine and brought the costume to me ten minutes
before the entrance (as the dressing rooms were far too small to accommodate all
the costumes.
The opening to Act 2 was set outside the palace-and ends with a
cod dance from the principals-to hood-wink Dandini into letting them in. It
culminated in a “chain” –one of those dance routines that is far easier to do,
rather than explain. After years of doing them-it just happens. I seem to
remember on that first performance-that it “didn’t quite”-but I was shunted
offstage right rapidly-for yet another quick change
-More dancing in the ball
room scene with Hilda and the prince-and the classic lines;
EVADNE:
Tell me
Princey Kins-do you reverse?
PRINCE: Reverse? No!
HILDA: Oh what a
pity-you’re unscrewing her wooden leg!
-Then onto a very quick succession of
changes; for the “morning after” the ball-the sisters were sat at the kitchen
table in housecoats suffering from hangovers, complete with ice packs and
smelling salts. Various letters arrive at the front door (usually delivered
offstage by myself)-telling them their investments have crashed-hence them both
having to get into their finery for the slipper fitting.
-For the “slipper
fitting” –and being the height of “Absolutely Fabulous” –the sisters turn up as
Patsy and Edina-complete with Bollinger Bottle and Harvey Nichols Bag(Can you
believe Harvey Nichols wouldn’t even supply us with one of their bags for free
advertising-unless we bought something !)
Then-another quick change into
Traffic Wardens costumes!
Patrick had re-written a lovely comedy number from
“Rio Rita! And called it “Meter Maids! The idea was that the sisters were now
being paid to be horrible to the public-by becoming traffic wardens.
-My
co-ordination with the rest of the chorus got a little bit out of sync at this
point-whatever way they seemed to move-I went the other. It was only
afterwards-I realised I’d taken advice from the dancer who was following Hilda’s
steps, rather than the Doctor’s and each side was supposed to be in opposition!
(Ah well-I smiled broadly-and put on a brave face-and let comedy take its
course!
Then all of a sudden-that first performance was over-into the red and
silver walk down frocks and a parade down the stairs at the back with Hilda-to
be met not just with applause from the audience-but, to my surprise-the entire
company-which was a very generous gesture on their part-and one I haven’t seen
too often in the theatre over all these years.
That first show had gone by in
a dream (almost)-proving the old adage-technique will always see you
through.
We had quite a gap between the shows that day (Being Boxing Day)-so
the DSM took me for a much needed pint (just the one!) next door.
-The errors
from the matinee were rectified for the evening –which went more or less without
a hitch.
I got home that night-exhausted-but on cloud nine!
The following
morning I rang George to see how he was and he asked if I could cover two more
performances, which I was delighted to do.
The production secretary from
Trends came down to watch the first show-proving very useful later-and I later
had a knock on the door after the matinee –and there was a gentleman-Mark
Burgess-Ex Brookside (from Brighton)-with whom I’d done my first ever job. He’d
been in the audience with his family and when he heard Hilda’s announcement-he
was first of all disappointed-and then delighted when he heard I’d be playing
the role.
The matinee sadly had to have some cuts made-because the shows were
virtually back to back-so the sunbathing and the traffic wardens scenes were
cut-just so the cast and crew had a reasonable break.
But-onto my final
performance in Dr Hinge’s shoes (well-mine actually-but you get the point!);
This is the performance which is captured on the last cd of “One Little Maid”.
In those days we were using cassette’s to record from the sound desk-which was a
pity-because it misses out part of “Anything you can do” when the tapes turned
over.
The theatre were wonderful and arranged the house-seats for my
partner-and the producer who’s swung the job for me in the first place-so an
added buzz for that final show.
If you listen carefully to the
recording-there are some classic moments-particularly as I was getting more
confident as each show went on (I hope I didn’t become too confident!)-and there
are several ad libs between us both-unscripted-particularly in the opening
scene.
The most memorable ad libs came in the scene set the morning after the
ball. As stage manager-I was normally in charge of the knocking at the door and
ensuring that the correct letters were placed in the correct order on the tray
that Cinderella brings on. (I had made sure each letter was printed with the
correct words from the script for that scene)But-let it be a lesson to anyone
who uses a crib onstage-always know the words in your head-because that crib can
go missing –and then you’ve had it!! (I’ve seen it happen so many times!!)
On
this occasion-the stage hand was first of all late with the door knock-so I did
the classic –“Did I hear a knock”-and then ensued an ad lib between us both
about how I must be clairvoyant ! Then-when the letters arrived-Cinders gave one
to me –and the other to Patrick. It was clear from his expression they had sent
on a wrong letter from another scene! Bless him-Patrick-knowing I would probably
know what should have been on it-and with a twinkle in his eye said-“YOU read it
dear”! Naughty-I know-but he wouldn’t have done that unless he had confidence in
me and knew I’d get us out of the malady.
Rumelle's partner came backstage-and was
thrilled to meet Patrick afar all the years.
We asked him to come for a drink
with us-but always the professional-he felt he should rest his voice and take it
easy.
The run ended very happily two weeks later in mid January.
I was next
to see them both –in their own show-twelve months later in Chesham-just before I
tackled my first “Mother Goose”. I was billed as “the Roller skating Dame”. At
the end of their show –they gave our panto a plug-and Hilda said-“It should have
been starring the roller skating dame-unfortunately-the skates were loose-and
she’s run into the wall!!”
I think we saw them a further three times-at
Chesham and twice atWorthing-once working for Duggie Chapman-with whom I worked
last Christmas-and then finally on their own. This show had been postponed from
earlier in the year, due to Patrick’s severe back pain. He made reference to it
during the show-and looking back-there was something about the “incident “he
recounted-that had an awful ring of truth about it.
Years later-when I
arrived in Barnstaple theatre royal on a cold week in January 2002 with a new
show-“The Real Monty”. We were the next show in after the panto-which was Hinge
and Bracket in “Sleeping Beauty” (I think) I was chatting to the stage crew
about how it went –and they told me the news that Patrick had had to pull out of
the show on health grounds-and his role had been filled by the wonderful Sarah
Whitlock-with whom I toured many years later in “One for the Pot”. That was to
be Patrick’s last pantomime.
Working with Patrick as Hilda was like working
with an actress-graceful and dignified at all times-never flustered and in
complete control-I felt very honoured and to this day remains a treasured
memory;It took me back to a time at school when we had to write an essay on a
famous person or persons we’d like to meet. At the time I was ridiculed for not
writing about the latest football star or pop star-but guess who had the last
laugh.
(NB TRENDS later became Rumelle's agent for several years and were
detrimental in getting me into "Round the Horne-revisited" and the WEST
END-funny how things turn out !
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