Another lovely night in the City of London... a packed Bridewell Hall had as good acoustic as ever, and a wonderful atmosphere of revellers!
We reprised Wendell the Worm as from our Captain Beaky efforts last week at the RAH... and everyone laughed lots. Was it our dancing?
Lots of Christmas fun for one and all - including Steve dressed up as Elvis (although as a friend pointed out, an Elvis who has been on a serious diet!)...
Christmas and Cricket CDs were popular - how alliterative people's tastes are...
Now just a jaunt to the European mainland before Christmas - Belgium and then Switzerland; before Germany, Estonia, Russia and Belgium again in late December / January - what fun!
Showing posts with label Captain Beaky. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Captain Beaky. Show all posts
Wednesday, 14 December 2011
Monday, 12 December 2011
Wonderful Captain Beaky for UNICEF
Fantastic evening at the RAH... Captain Beaky and his wonderful band were all there... Lots of dancers from National Youth Ballet (playing a large array of animals - not a dry eye at times), and a Kirov & ENB master, Dmitri Gruzdyev, as well as Jeremy Lloyd & Jim Parker (writer and composer), Joanna Lumley, Roger Moore & Deborah Moore, Alan Titchmarsh, Hugh Bonneville, Rosie Ashe & the original Captain Beaky himself, Keith Michell, appearing both on large screen and in a box in the audience to rapturous applause. Also old friends from Chess in Concert, Tabitha Webb, Tiffany Graves, Caroline Sheen, & Jon Robyns - who used his Avenue Q experience to bring Hissing Sid to life!
Our contributions were accompanying Rosie in Desmond the Duck, being accompanied by David Firman & the excellent band in Doreen the Duckling, and getting away from ducks, we sang an a cappella Wendell the Worm. We provided comments from 'offstage' in a poem read by Joanna Lumley - back to the Ds... Dilys the Dachshund, and we all sang together in There's a Light...
Splendid to see the octogenarians strut their stuff, Roger Moore in his DJ (only with green tights on his legs - he told us it was all the rage); and Jeremy Lloyd clearly moved and loving his words being displayed again to a packed house.
Mike gave Alan T. a DVD copy of Christmas Pebble Mill show that had involved both AT and Cantabile in the 1980s... the green-fingered one was delighted and said he had nothing from that time he could watch!
A glorious evening - all in aid of UNICEF... & put together by Director, Hugh Wooldridge with his usual aplomb - let's hope it can happen again sometime...
I'll ask Joanna the next time I see her at my local bus station (I've seen her before!)
Our contributions were accompanying Rosie in Desmond the Duck, being accompanied by David Firman & the excellent band in Doreen the Duckling, and getting away from ducks, we sang an a cappella Wendell the Worm. We provided comments from 'offstage' in a poem read by Joanna Lumley - back to the Ds... Dilys the Dachshund, and we all sang together in There's a Light...
Splendid to see the octogenarians strut their stuff, Roger Moore in his DJ (only with green tights on his legs - he told us it was all the rage); and Jeremy Lloyd clearly moved and loving his words being displayed again to a packed house.
Mike gave Alan T. a DVD copy of Christmas Pebble Mill show that had involved both AT and Cantabile in the 1980s... the green-fingered one was delighted and said he had nothing from that time he could watch!
A glorious evening - all in aid of UNICEF... & put together by Director, Hugh Wooldridge with his usual aplomb - let's hope it can happen again sometime...
I'll ask Joanna the next time I see her at my local bus station (I've seen her before!)
Saturday, 10 December 2011
sing-along-a Roger Moore
For Captain Beaky: just rehearsing in a dressing room at English National Ballet [just around the corner from RAH], a song with some echoes from the chorus...
We sang away, and then heard the dulcet tones of Roger Moore pitching in with the echoes from the attached Men's room... what an honour to form a quintet with a former Bond (even if he was in a separate room)!
Great rehearsals all morning... all looking and sounding good.
Excellent to meet the writers too - Jeremy Lloyd and Jim Parker - fantastic...
We sang away, and then heard the dulcet tones of Roger Moore pitching in with the echoes from the attached Men's room... what an honour to form a quintet with a former Bond (even if he was in a separate room)!
Great rehearsals all morning... all looking and sounding good.
Excellent to meet the writers too - Jeremy Lloyd and Jim Parker - fantastic...
Friday, 9 December 2011
Opwijk, BE
Despite my having forgotten my computer's power cable *, a fine two-day sojourn in Belgium was enjoyed by all...
Opwijk was a splendid Christmas evening, and we were treated excellently... Could this be because it is the home town of our Belgian agent, Thomas? Who knows...
... we did Sleigh Ride, asking the audience to provide the bells with either coins or their keys... one guy asked to borrow Richard's! Richard said it was the first time he had indeed handed over his keys to a gentleman! Oddly enough when he asked for them back, the man's wife had them.
Funny Old World.
Gertie was there once more (and heard some different songs from yesterday, thank goodness) - and we put the world to rights in the bar afterwards...
Captain Beaky weekend awaits...
* Although this is of no interest at all, let me tell you that I was able to borrow Richard's power cable when he was not using it.
Opwijk was a splendid Christmas evening, and we were treated excellently... Could this be because it is the home town of our Belgian agent, Thomas? Who knows...
... we did Sleigh Ride, asking the audience to provide the bells with either coins or their keys... one guy asked to borrow Richard's! Richard said it was the first time he had indeed handed over his keys to a gentleman! Oddly enough when he asked for them back, the man's wife had them.
Funny Old World.
Gertie was there once more (and heard some different songs from yesterday, thank goodness) - and we put the world to rights in the bar afterwards...
Captain Beaky weekend awaits...
* Although this is of no interest at all, let me tell you that I was able to borrow Richard's power cable when he was not using it.
Thursday, 8 December 2011
Herk-de-Stad, BE
Two Belgian dates before our Beaky weekend...
Just a slightly Christmas concert to start in Herk-de-Stad - near enough to Holland for our dear friend Gertie to visit - how splendid!
Once again, our new CD, Songs of Cricket outsold the others - it's a miracle; we are spreading the cricket word abroad!
As is so often the case in Belgium, the theatre here had an excellent restaurant attached - all good!
The people at the Theatre saw us at Lemmens, and convinced everybody else that we should come to Herk - these are great people! - fantastic that they did... we had a splendid time...
...on to Opwijk today...
Just a slightly Christmas concert to start in Herk-de-Stad - near enough to Holland for our dear friend Gertie to visit - how splendid!
Once again, our new CD, Songs of Cricket outsold the others - it's a miracle; we are spreading the cricket word abroad!
As is so often the case in Belgium, the theatre here had an excellent restaurant attached - all good!
The people at the Theatre saw us at Lemmens, and convinced everybody else that we should come to Herk - these are great people! - fantastic that they did... we had a splendid time...
...on to Opwijk today...
Monday, 5 December 2011
Limburg
Sitting in Frankfurt aeroport, having performed in Thing last night. Disappointingly, we find that in fact the venue was called Thing and not the place... we were truly in Limburg itself [we had thought it was a suberb of same]... but it was indeed a fine thing nevertheless.
More Christmassy atmosphere... not least in the fact that there was a Chocolate shop opposite our hotel, full of treats [don't tell my wife & son]... it rained a bit, but still surprisingly temperate for wandering around the Christmas markets...
Bliss.
Various winter ailments held off long enough for the audience to hear us...
Martin looked after us well for these two German days... & our old friend Marco did the sound last night.
Now looking forward to the first of our Bridewell Tuesdays.... tomorrow... then it's off to Belgium for two days before Captain Beaky at the RAH; rehearsal then show on Sunday at 6pm... We are singing songs on our own, but also accompanying Miss Rosie Ashe... marvellous.
In case you did not know, Hissing Sid is innocent...
More Christmassy atmosphere... not least in the fact that there was a Chocolate shop opposite our hotel, full of treats [don't tell my wife & son]... it rained a bit, but still surprisingly temperate for wandering around the Christmas markets...
Bliss.
Various winter ailments held off long enough for the audience to hear us...
Martin looked after us well for these two German days... & our old friend Marco did the sound last night.
Now looking forward to the first of our Bridewell Tuesdays.... tomorrow... then it's off to Belgium for two days before Captain Beaky at the RAH; rehearsal then show on Sunday at 6pm... We are singing songs on our own, but also accompanying Miss Rosie Ashe... marvellous.
In case you did not know, Hissing Sid is innocent...
Sunday, 4 December 2011
Burbach Christmas
Christmas starts... looking forward to all; but especially our Bridewell Tuesdays... (6th & 13th)...
Had another Captain Beaky rehearsal on Friday... & everyone was happy...
All looking good for Sunday 11th; where we will share the stage with lots of huge names:-
O More Roger
Marsh Titch Alan
Grave Van Redessa
...and Joanna Lumley amongst others.
We then landed in Germany, and had a lovely Christmas evening in Burbach...
... a great crowd in the excellent 1950s theatre [which used to be a Nobel dynamite factory!], provided a splendid atmosphere; our first Christmas concert hopefully sets the tone for the next few weeks...
We are playing Thing tonight.... what larks!
Had another Captain Beaky rehearsal on Friday... & everyone was happy...
All looking good for Sunday 11th; where we will share the stage with lots of huge names:-
O More Roger
Marsh Titch Alan
Grave Van Redessa
...and Joanna Lumley amongst others.
We then landed in Germany, and had a lovely Christmas evening in Burbach...
... a great crowd in the excellent 1950s theatre [which used to be a Nobel dynamite factory!], provided a splendid atmosphere; our first Christmas concert hopefully sets the tone for the next few weeks...
We are playing Thing tonight.... what larks!
Thursday, 17 November 2011
Voicemania in Vienna
A rare treat - out here a day early so we were able to catch a bit of tonight's Voicemania gig... and we saw the UK group - The Boxettes... very fine; and with the World female beatbox champion, Bellatrix herself, in their midst. The group started at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London in 2007... great to hear them.
Earlyness also allows us to see more of this fair city than we usually do...
Exploration tomorrow, after a good night's sleep.
Might also rehearse for our parts of Captain Beaky at RAH in December, and our Bridewell shows...
Later, we share our gig with Cuban group, Vocal Tempo - groovy!
Night night
Earlyness also allows us to see more of this fair city than we usually do...
Exploration tomorrow, after a good night's sleep.
Might also rehearse for our parts of Captain Beaky at RAH in December, and our Bridewell shows...
Later, we share our gig with Cuban group, Vocal Tempo - groovy!
Night night
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