December

I was involved with Kennington Bioscope again, this time for their Cecil B. DeMille silent film day on 16th November, accompanying the lengthy Male and Female (based on J. M. Barrie’s The Admirable Crichton) of 1919, and his comedy Why Change Your Wife? of 1920. On Wednesday 27th I played for the 1910 Danish melodrama The Abyss, starring Asta Nielsen, who performed a very erotic gaucho dance to music which required some homework prep from me. The film follows a woman’s descent into sin and ruin, spurning the decent man and being ruined by the cad…

The East 15 MA International course asked me to help in rehearsals on their children’s Christmas show, Cinderella, directed by Tony Graham, with whom I’ve worked a great deal, and it was a very enjoyable experience. This was followed by a week’s intensive MD-ing on the Cert HE course at Italia Conti (Acting), assembling a Christmas entertainment, as we did last year. This was especially successful, and was a good experience for the 40 students involved.

Sunday next (15th December) I’ll be accompanying (for my second year) the performers who provide the Christmas cabaret in the little barn theatre known as ‘Wildwood’, outside Bromley: Lisa Bowerman, Libby Counsell, David Simeon and Martin Wimbush. The show consists of readings and songs, the second half devoted to Christmas and winter-themed material.

Ongoing is the work with Stuart Olesker(a friend from Bristol University days) and John Stanton on a musical telling of the true story of self-styled messianic prophet Henry Prince – he of the Agapemone, or Abode of Love: holy sex, you might call it. The three of us have already completed a first draft of a show about medieval animals on trial (Rats), which we hope to try out in the Drama Dept of Portsmouth University.

Also ongoing is preparation of musical material for next year’s Trial and Error performances in court no. 1 of the Old Bailey in the second week of March, a charity entertainment using verbatim trials (some moving, some humorous) and related songs, presented by QCs, judges, court officials and chums, as well as those retired from practice.

The I’m Sorry I Haven’t a Clue stage tour (not recorded) takes up most of January 2020 (dates and venues on the website), being edited highlights of the radio show. The teams will vary this time as Graeme Garden and Barry Cryer are doing few if any dates, so producer Jon Naismith will invite those who have been involved as guests in recent years to take part.