That Face

Just need to apply tattoo and halo.

Blast From The Past

It came as a surprise to see this picture appear on Facebook today. It was a publicity shot taken for a production of West Side Story, which was being performed by the Gloucester Operatic & Dramatic Society Youth Group in - the latter end of the last Century - eeek, that sounds so old.

There are some very young faces here including Kyle Davies, Andrew Doyle and they guy who posted the picture Clive Montellier, who doesn't seem to have aged at all. Rowena Davies was the director and I was her assistant. Thankfully neither of us are featured here.

Focusing on The Cock

Whilst away from the UK I could not help but watch with interest the events unfolding at the Cock Tavern. I had already been privy to the controversy over the paying of actors and had pretty much assumed that the furore would have died down after I had got home.

It turns out that in fact, the team at the Cock Tavern were performing without an entertainment licence and the small theatre has now closed business indefinitely. Needless to say Adam Spreadbury Maher is still the AD of the King's Head Theatre and will no doubt continue his work there.

As to the National Minimum Wage debate, I say be careful what you wish for, it may come true.

That's all.

Godspell

This is the second time I have seen this musical this year as it celebrates its 40th year. I have made no bones about the fact that I have issues with the show itself and I had high hopes for this production at The Union, which was put together by the same team that created Company & Assassins at the Union previously. Sadly, despite great production values and some genuinely thoughtful and often rousing performances, this musical has again failed to engage me.

Director Michael Strassen has created a piece that ventures to translate the shows message in much broader terms. Strassen's lucid programme notes detail the need for a sense of community in our lives and focus on the death of an innocent within this structure. This is an interesting and appealing approach but as Strassen himself points out, much has changed since this piece was written.

Schools now no longer exact Christian studies as part of the curriculum and so the language of the libretto has become somewhat obsolete. Swathes of the text appear as excerpts from The Bible, making the language vaguely archaic and the further one attempts to make the scenarios accessible - modern colloquialisms and the odd expletive - the less engaging or believable they become. Godspell is very much a reaction to the era in which it was written and unless there is a major re-working of the book, it is unlikely to ever sustain a valid revival.

Notable performances stood out in this particular production such as Sophie Issacs and Jeremy Batt but praise is due particularly for its vocal arrangements by Iain Vince-Gatt.

Baby Jesus Freak & Stage Kiss

Literally no sooner had my plane landed this week than I was heading straight to the Fringe Theatre, or more accurately The Space in Mudchute. Those of you unfamiliar with the venue might find it very much worth a look, although it is situated at a rather inconvenient postcode on the Isle of Dogs. The quickest way to get there is by bus from Canary Wharf.

Baby Jesus Freak by Ian Winterton covers an interesting premise set in motion by the death of an evangelist and the reaction of her two adult sons. The younger son had long since joined his mothers cause whilst the elder appears to have spent a lifetime battling demons of a different sort. Winterton's play raises many questions but thankfully he has woven a human story that plays particularly well on stage.

The performances are good too with particularly astute work from Adam Lowe and Claire Dean who have the oft difficult task of making Christian fundamentalism appear rational in a modern world.

Stage Kiss is a slightly less successful, albeit extremely short play from Andrew Jones. Despite the very few major successes, audiences will rarely be interested in backstage stories. Actors are singularly peculiar creatures anyway and showing their existence off the stage rarely excites and audience.

This said, the tale tells of Amy's return to the stage before committing to marriage with her bullish fiance, Henry. The central dilemma is the emotion behind a stage kiss as opposed to a real one and quite frankly, it's not a particularly engaging argument either way. At only forty minutes however the play still manages to run out of steam.

Danny Wainwright is excellent as the pragmatic Henry and it is always a joy to see Lisa Baird on stage but this is a blunt piece of writing that needs to go back to the drawing board.

Both plays have been cleanly and clearly directed by Matthew Gould. If you get an opportunity, visit The Space. It is a great venue that appears to be desperately seeking an audience.

Real Paul

Not having access to TV in the UK has led to my missing a couple of vital TV series. Ralph and Tyron are serious about their reality TV and naturally as international make-up professionals they go gaga over Ru Paul's Drag Race. I have now seen a few episodes from series three and I have to say it is outrageously addictive. Why in God's name the British drag sorority have not created their version I have no idea. Anyway, online there is a Dragulator where you can get a drag make-over and this is what Ralph did with mine. I am, naturally, Real Paul - givin' it real, girlfriend, stateside!

IMATS Report

Lipstick Testing - Done

Chill-axing

It is now my second 'day off' in NYC and today I woke up at 11.50am. Needless to say there have been some very fun evenings out here that have been nore about relaxing than about activity. Yesterday, as a thank you to Ralph and Tyron for putting me up, I bought them a set of martini glasses. They certainly seemed happy with them and naturally we tried them out straight away.

About to head off for brunch now on Fifth. Need a coffee so much!!!

BTW...

Rufus Hound, Sally Philips and Michael Urie at the opening night of Celebrity Autobigraphy. Did I mention Rufus Hound…..phroawr! God, I have some weird photo-opps in my back catalogue!

Brooklyn Bound

It’s a bit mad when you think about it but Ralph and I have known each other for 10 years. Yesterday I – quite literally – followed him across the Atlantic to spend some time with him and his partner, Tyron. Ralph is now doing really well as a make-up artist, which is immensely satisfying for me as I have seen him grow professionally. His new agent will ensure that he travels to London regularly and finally all his hard work is paying off.

The journey was eventful only by it’s total lack of event arriving ahead of schedule by nearly 50 minutes. I nearly asked the pilot to go around the block again until Boardwalk Empire had finished. Anyway, the route through customs was very swift and a cab too me swiftly to Dean Street and then Ralph whisked me even more swiftly to a sushi bar. Here I met AA Nominated Actress Taraji P Henson, a friend of Tyron’s and an absolute blast. She was hysterical and the evening ended with my first viewing of Ru Paul’s Drag Race (WTF? Why isn’t the UK doing this?) until I was finally beaten by the lag. I made my apologies although I had been awake 24 hours.

Evidently it takes a lot to fool my body clock and freakishly I was up at 6.00am New York Time. I was in my favorite local diner by 7.00am. Carb Heaven.

Feeling Blue

Sitting in the Blue Elephant bar always gives me a strong sense of theatre on the London Fringe that I don't often get in other venues. On one hand they are very unlucky to appear so distant from public transport links. On the other hand they are right in the middle of the Camberwell /walworth community - for the 14 years I lived in bubbling suburb of Streatham nothing like this existed and indeed still doesn't.

They are also not governed by the caprices of a brewery so the people hanging about there are actually there to see or appear in theatre rather than a bunch of post-work trendies, popping in for a quick one.

The staff are always friendly and Jasmine Cullingford, the theatres AD is always welcoming. Tonight I am seeing a production of Macbeth by Ricky Dukes at the Lazarus Theatre Company. We have previous, admittedly but this place always fills me with hope. I really wish it well.

More Nominations

OK so no prizes for guessing I didn't pop home to visit my Mother this weekend but I did get sent a few nominations to take into consideration for the Offies. A Cavalier For Milady has already been nominated, and my review of that production should be live online tomorrow. I have also been sent notice to attend Iolanthe at Wiltons and The Complete Works of Shakespeare (Abridged) at the Old Red Lion. I shall attempt both upon my return from NYC and until then, I have Betty Blue Eyes tomorrow with Sean and Macbeth at The Blue Elephant on Tuesday. After that I need to pack. Eek!

Oh wow!

It can now! Fab. Blogs on a train.

Teaser!

This Tool Is Very Clever...

...I just wish I could post images too!

Resolutionary

Whilst I am on the subject of New Year Resolutions, I just thought I would go over mine for this year and see how I am getting on.

1. Loose weight - yawn! - maintining would be more apt.
2. Concentrate on Stomach and Butt exercises - nope.
3. Swim in all the pools belonging to GLL Swim London - nothing new there.
4. Aim to lift myself from the pool without using the steps - oooo, I do that all the time now. It's easier when I have been swimming on my back for some reason.
5. Help with a charity - nope.
6. Do the lottery on a weekly basis - kerching!
7. Drink more water - hurrah! At last.
8. Find more time to paint - still looking.
9. Become a better blogger/social networker - ummmmmm...... 3 months.
10. Find time for creative writing - no chance.

Still a way to go but I remain determined.

Lottery

As it is Friday night it is time to do the lottery again. I made it one of my new years resolutions this year and I have to say that since I began playing, I have probably won enough to take part. The other morning I decided to log in online, something I tried about 3 years ago and to my surprise I had won £8! That would have been two packets of fags 3 years ago! Needless to say, I re-invested. See you next week in Rio!

OMG IMATS NYC

Next week I am off to the inaugural International Make-up Artist Trade Show in New York. In a bizarre twist of irony worthy of a chorus from Alanis Morisette, my dear friend Ralph will be in London for some of this time. There are several things I want to try to do whilst I am in NYC. Central Park is three of them. Walking across Brooklyn Bridge is another. Breakfasts are pretty much the rest.

Whilst I am at IMATS I am moderating a discussion with Broadway Make-up Artists Angela L. Johnson, Jimmy Cortes, Christina Grant, Tiffany Hicks and Vinnie Schicchi on the Sunday at 11.45am.

I have also heard a rumour that elusive British make-up artist, Tyra will be visiting New York at this time. Hopefully I will be able to track her down and speak to her about her Fall season.

Bed And Sofa

The much loved and much lauded Finborough Theatre appeared to have taken a sidestep here with a baffling musical based on an early Russian silent movie. There is little to add to my review for The Stage. Did I miss some irony that might have made it all make sense? At least the Wine Cafe is in perfect working order downstairs and afforded me a chance to play catch-up on here.

On a side note, Penelope Keith's appearance did remind me of an old Offie nomination that got dumped within the formative months of the awards. There was a nomination originally scheduled for Best Off-The-Wall Moment. I was aching to include the time I saw Debbie McGee toking on a 6 foot doobie in Frank's Closet but unfortunately that was in 2009. Keith's inclusion here would be a serious contender.

Notes on The Offies

I guess the most important change to the last year’s agenda were the Off West End Awards, or as they were rather catchily dubbed – The Offies. On the whole, they were a huge success for all concerned and I was immensely proud to have been an important part of the process. Judging for the 2011 Offie’s was already underway on the day of the event, and this year my visits to theatre has increased to an even greater extent if you can imagine that possible. From today, I shall try to offer some sort of more detailed dialogue for the nominees to follow.

So far, I have visited a few of the new venues (for me, anyway) including The Rose Bankside, which proved to be an uncomfortable, baffling experience that sinks site specific productions to new depths. The production of Edward II wasn’t bad at all, it simply wasn’t served well by the venue. I also visited the New Red Lion, a venue with a great deal of promise but scant transport connections, where I saw the delightful Kissing Sid James. The Print Room in Notting Hill offered the fantastic Snake In The Grass, exquisitely designed and offering a version of Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte set in Hampshire. Accolade launched another show-stopping season at the Finborough, where I am currently typing this up-date, before reviewing Bed & Sofa. Other highlights included Amphibians at The Bridewell, which focused on the emotional trauma for young people entering the Olympics; Irish Blood, English Heart at The Union about a dysfunctional family trying to cope with their father’s death and bizarrely The Diary of Anne Frank at the Broadway in Catford.

Clare Burt and Nathan Osgood were the saving graces of Vernon Little God, the success of which I can only put down to the fact that the audience doesn’t venture too far from The Cut for it’s entertainment. At the Tristan Bates I left after the end of Bane, not wishing to see much of the same in Bane 2. Godspell at Ye Olde Rose & Crown did very little for me despite it’s nominations and the welcoming Walthamstow venue still has a long way to go to get it’s Front of House in order. Before I fly next week I will have seen Ricky Duke’s new production of Macbeth at the Blue Elephant in Camberwell. I shall endeavour to keep up with my blogging and review each of the shows I see in turn.

NOTES TO OFFIE NOMINEES If you have been nominated for an Offie, lobby for judges to attend but don’t be disappointed if we can’t attend. We all have ridiculous work schedules but your encouragement and enthusiasm will be noted.

If you have been nominated for Best New Play or Most Promising New Playwright then please back this up by sending us a copy of your play.

If you have been nominated for Best Costume/Make-up/Set Design, back your nomination up with a presentation of images from the production and or design notes.

Perhaps.....

.....just a re-design?