Coughs, Splutters and a Room Full of Nutters.

"Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success." {Henry Ford}

TUESDAY was another line learning day for me.  Due to a change in our schedule, I didn't actually do anything physically until the babes arrived.  I did however, gets lots of work done and... Get to have my costume fitting.  

Whether you're an avid theatrical or a '9 to 5' type of person who despises anything that's not judged by Simon Cowell or doesn't contain overly tanned dewdrops from Essex... You cannot - I challenge you - look at the costumes designed by Jamie Attle without your jaw dropping!  They are amazing!  Made to measure, by hand and with the utmost pride and passion.  And it's visible on stage.   The costumes for Aladdin last year were so vibrant and eye catching, I couldn't help walk onto stage without a sense of pride... God help anyone who marked marked my worker!  

[NB: A worker is the technical name given to the performers 'main costume' seen throughout most of the show.]

And audiences will be pleased to hear this year is no different.  I have a brilliant blue worker, my bell boy costume (seen in the press photos) along with a cute blue waistcoat and flowing white shirt!!  It's very traditional.  I loved it!!  Then for my 'Walkdown' I have another jazzy number.... But I don't won't to reveal too much about that, save the surprise!  Jamie's also got a couple of joke costumes for me to wear at certain points in the show... So hopefully they will get a titter! 

I was very kindly released from rehearsals early Tuesday! so that I could get up to the London Palladium in time to see Dame Edna Everage!!  If you're a fan.... Do go and see it!!

Right... I have all the glamour of a tepid bath waiting for me, so for now, toodles!

JB - BB

Rested, Tested and a 'Problem' Manifested!

The truth needs so little rehearsal. {Barbara Kingsglove}

I always used to think the weekend was too short when I was a student.  Move into the pub industry and in actual fact you realise it's too long!!  In Pantoland however the word "weekend" usually means three show days, red bull soaked actors and a stream of angry dads missing 'Match of the Day'!  Unless of course.... It's rehearsal week!

I had a lovely weekend back in London, although still not enough with Sandy!!  I chilled me boots, played house husband a little and of course went over my dances!!  I was so overjoyed at finally cracking one particular routine, I felt it necessary to record it and tweet Gerry & Jill with the good news.  

This week started off a tad slower for me, as poor old Buttons, doesn't get an invite to the ball; probably the accent!  This of course has given me plenty of time to go over dance routines and cram a few lines!  Following a nice little lie in on Monday, I went in to run the transformation scenes for the end of Act I, which I think we managed to get nailed down.  Bonnie is great about not being "precious" about her lines and so suggested a few cuts, which really picked up the energy and excitement of the scene. I stroked so many pretend horses that afternoon... I'm expecting an invite from the 'War Horse' cast!

The latter part of the afternoon found us doing a second full run of Act I, which after thinking on Gerry's advice from Friday, about playing the 'truth', actually went really well.  Gerry told me afterwards there were a few "really lovely moments" emerging, so that was a fantastic confidence boost!  I slipped a couple of extra reactions and ad libs in...so Alice had better be on her guard.  

I don't think the audience will doubt our 'friendship' on stage.  It feels as though the bond is coming across and Vicky even commented that she wants Cinders to "get with Buttons now," so let's hope that transfers in the theatre.  

I managed to leave a little earlier Monday night... But it seems I missed all the action.  After dancing away until 7pm with the Babes, our ensemble were given the news they weren't needed until 12 the next day, and so, we're granted a well deserved lie in.  So ecstatic was one of them, Ryan (also my understudy) that he jumped up, cheered and..... Fell over on a twisted ankle.  I came in Tuesday to find the poor chap with his foot up and swollen like a marrow!! The prognosis.... Recovery in between 2 days and 6 weeks!  We're obviously praying for the former! 

And on that bombshell.... Night night.

JB - BB

Company Manager Basics....

Our company's manager Davin thought it best to clear up the obvious for all actors today!  Alice is too polite to tell people "she is not a stool!"

Be careful what you admit to "enjoying!"

Moral of the story.... Never tell Gerry or even mention in a blog, that you've enjoyed the dancing so far....! 

"Lights, Camera, CHRISTMAS!"

“...Everyone wants to be excited by something magical and wondrous - to be reminded of how they once saw the world ...” {John Geddes}

Let's flick back 8 Christmases.  A young Brummie drama student, a bit wet behind the ears, away from home for his first Christmas build-up and his first taste of the Guildford Panto experience. One of the "names" that year was a lady you may of heard of.... A Ms Bonnie Langford, starring as the Prince in.... Cinderella.  There I was walking up the high street, all wrapped up for the winter, handing out stickers for the Panto, with one of my now agents James. 

The Christmas light switch on is a great night in Guildford.  Mulled wine and chestnut venders up and down the cobbles, with lots of Xmas market stalls, excited children and parents spending too much money!!  The format is the same every year, so everyone knows what to expect and what to look forward too.  I've only missed one light switch on since then, and this year I got to tick off a massive item from my bucket list.... Switching on the lights.  

It was PG, as always compering the event, with Bonnie (pressing the actual button) Kit and myself, all on the balcony, trying to get the crowd going.  We left rehearsals a little earlier, to get up to the Guildhall on time where we were to get into costume.  Unfortunately, Kit had "lost his breast" - the costume prop to give him his feminine physique.  There was a single balloon, which had been left not he table in our makeshift dressing room, "well there's your left one Kit," I pointed out... joking!

"oh yes... Now I need another one!"

I had suggested it as a joke, but Kit had already found a member of the council staff who was now stuck with the job of sourcing him a right boob.  The lovely Laura! who in charge of PR at the YA, had a look of horror suddenly shoot across her face.  

"No being naughty and popping them Kit!" She pleaded.

"Well I had thought about going out and saying 'hello poppit' and them popping them.", which of course he didn't.

The young lady came scurrying back with the deflated balloon, to which Kit remarked "oh marvellous, can someone inflate me!?"  Safe to say that they were two of the biggest "fake boobs" I've ever seen!  Thankfully the costume hew answering is quite flowy and could therefore accommodate Kit's.... Ample. 

Being out not he balcony was brilliant... Just as I'd imagined.  Waving down at the crowd of around eight thousand people, seeing everyone getting in the mood for Christmas and sharing a few Panto remarks with PG.  We did the countdown for the lights, sang a couple of Christmas songs and then did a tad more waving before the fireworks.  Sandy had managed to get right under the balcony, so I spotted her quite quickly and pointed her out to Kit.  She got a couple of great snaps and videos of the proceedings.  I also managed to get one or two from up on the balcony.  See if you can spot yourself. 

I also had the pleasure of appearing on the Allison Ferns show on BBC Surrey and Sussex, with my old friend Jeff Thomson.  I was interviewed on their theatre slot and spoke for a good few minutes all about the Panto and our wonderful cast.  I'd taken plenty of notes and had set phrases for everyone, so that I didn't repeat myself too much and fall back on my usual "it's brilliant!".  The links here, so do take a listen at around 2 hours 20 mins before they remove it. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01klhbv

So ambition achieved and a little bit of publicity gained for me and the show.  All in all a good day, and one to be remembered.

For now.... Bye bye

JB -BB

Singing, Dancing and a whole lot'a Romancing.

"Never let a fool kiss you or a kiss fool you." {Joey Adams}

I think I've lost half a stone in the last two days!!  The final two days of week one saw lots of dancing and singing and the slow development of "Buttons" the fool. 

I have a wonderful upbeat number in act one, with Cinders and the ensemble.  Considering I'm not a natural dancer, I was quite nervous about what Gerry and Jill May have in stall for me.... But I actually LOVED it!  I've never had so much fun learning a dance, and it's good for the ol' physique as well... Until I gobbled a box of mince pies to celebrate afterwards of course. 

The numbers got a bit of a rock'n'roll feel to it, so hopefully the audience will be jigging away in the aisles.  The other number we looked at was our "cutie" number from the kitchen.  It's a brilliant choice of song and Gerry has put together a lovely little sequence, with Buttons and Cinders creating their own ball.  Hopefully, it'll be the scene which really wins the audiences sympathy for Buttons and the way the scene plays out afterwards, will heighten it further.  Poor old Buttons is nothing but a tryer!! But will his determination pay off and win him Cinders?!? 

So all in all it had been a good couple of days.  Topped off by appearing on BBC radio Surrey and switching the Guildford lights on on Thursday... (See next post).  Friday afternoon brought a full run of the first Act, as much off book as possible.  Following everything we'd done, I was quite looking forward to showing it off... But of course there was an inevitable spanner heading for the works!  We got to the kitchen scene, and the time to sing.... But I was so out of puff, I just couldn't get the words out.  It was such a shame because I'd felt everything else had gone ok for a first run.   This is what rehearsals are for of course.

I was talking to Gerry before I left on Friday about feeling the need to try and be funny - which very often winds up being the complete opposite.  He reminded me, "well in that case, go back to the story.  Tell the story of it."  So I've got something to think about over the weekend and some tricky little dance moves to try and conquer!!

Just before I sign off, I wanted to mention Robert Maskell who's playing Baron Hardup.  This is Robert's first Panto... Not that you'd ever guess!! He's like an old hand - a complete natural... And I think from talking to him, over a coffee and biscuit, that he's enjoying it.  His characterisation is already hilarious, even without the boost of an audience.  I know  that the Guildford audience are going to adore his bumbling Baron and if Rob has caught the Panto bug, maybe he'll be saying goodbye to his Christmases from this year forward. 

Bye for now,

JB - BB

"Just a Spoon Full of Courage, Helps Rehearsals Go Down....."

Believe in yourself! Have faith in your abilities! Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers you cannot be successful or happy.  {Norman Vincent Peale}

WED 20th: After yesterday's little shake of confidence, and writing about it in last nights blog, I stumbled upon a friends article on Twitter about five things actors have to realise if they want to be successful.  There was one point that was very relevant to me... "If you don't have confidence in yourself, how can the (casting) director have faith in you?" Good question and I suppose the same goes for your fellow cast members.  It also mentioned just saying "bugger it!" Have a go with gusto, try it out - that is of course what a rehearsal is for. 

So today, I bloody went gung-ho!  No singing quietly with embarrassment, just jump in and see how it goes!  And y'know... It was fine.  And liberating!! (How stage schooly does that sound?!") To be able to just concentrate on your actions and movement is much more fun and leads to a lot more comedy than shying away from the lyric.  So thankfully - that phase of rehearsal is over! Everyone has heard me sing and we are free to crack on with having some fun with it.

Of course this whole situation is helped by having such a smashing MD!  Anthony England is a gentleman and a scholar.  He is a joy to talk too out of rehearsals, always helpful and eager to help and is so musically funny.  Only three days in and already he's adding little bits of incidental music, which always raise a smile from me and a nod of approvement.  Oh to be so musically minded...   

We learnt two new numbers I'm involved with today and got to sing through my section of the opener umpteen times, as Jill rehearsed the babes! which was fantastic for me.  "Sorry Jamie, we'll get to you in a minute!"  'You carry on Jill' I thought.... Gives me a bit of extra practice.  

We blocked most of the kitchen scene this afternoon, which is another big scene, and everyone seemed to like mine and Cinders kitchen scene, even though we only quickly stabbed through it.  For Panto passionatas, who'll be coming to see you us, you may notice the abscence of one or two standard gags [mentioned in a previous post] but our scene is so cute, pacey and more importantly... A bit different.  I'm a stickler for tradition - but I think (hope) that the Guildford audiences will be melted by this bit!  We'll see...!

Gerry and Jill have yet again come up with some fantastic choreography for the show.  What I've seen so far is brilliant, with credit also to the ensemble for picking it up so quickly!  I wondered how they were going to incorporate my section of the opener, but I've had such fun blocking it tonight, myself and the ensemble were in stitches.  We've got another call tomorrow to continue with the blocking... I can't wait.  

Anyway, I've treated myself to a healthy chicken ceased salad and an as equally unhealthy pint of shandy in spoons tonight... Gets me out of my room and more importantly... Free wi-fi.  Thanks spoons!

So for now, ta-ra!!  I'm off to cram lines, lyrics and "I'm a celeb!" 

JB-BB x

NB: in order to avoid repetition, please scan back to last years blog "The Pongo Diaries" for more about Gerry, Jill and the Arnaud itself - although I'm sure they'll be cropping up more as we go on! 

Rehearsals Begin, with doughnuts a plenty!

"It is one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid with them." {Ralph Waldo Emerson}

* First of all apologies for the delay in this post; I'm not hooked up to the internet at my new digs yet, so I'm currently snuggled up in a corner of the rehearsal rooms trying to work with whatever Internet I can pick up. *

So officially... Welcome to the 2013/14 PANTO SEASON!! We're off, and we've slipped into the rehearsal process like a pair of old slippers! 

It all kicked off for me at the weekend, doing some last minute shopping and prepping at home before I left for Guildford.  Poor ol' Jarvo has been left all alone at home in London.... However will "she cope" without me I hear you cry?!?! Believe me she'll be loving the extra space!

Sunday night and off to the ford!  I settled into my digs, had another few flicks through the script and enjoyed the evening in with... Ant & Dec!! So happy I'm a celeb is back!

MONDAY:

Yes ladies and Jellyspoon's, calm yourselves please... DOUGHNUT DAY is here!! It's the day that boosts krispee kremes fortunes.  The traditional meet, greet and read through for all the cast, creatives and theatre staff.  As ever, us had joy to see everyone from the Arnaud, all beaming and chuffed that Panto has snuck up on us again!   The read through went down well, as did the doughnuts and four gallon of coffee!

And then we got cracking.  Little bit of singing, blocked some of Act 1 Scene 1 and after being introduced to this years juveniles, we got going with some choreography.  Not wanting to give anything away the opening number this year sees the return of an old favourite... But with a twist!!  You're in for a treat!

TUESDAY:

No slacking for us today!! Straight back into it with lots more singing and dancing! Cor.... I've got my work cut out.  Little bit of a realisation for me today!!  This is of course the first time I've taken on lead comic (other than understudying) and it's a huge task.  Going through the scenes today I felt quite "unfunny!"  It can be quite difficult trying to put your spin on something and bring a bit of humour when you're holding a script and constantly referring back to it.  This always happens for me - I have a couple of days when I feel as if I'm simply not doing it right... Usually things settle down of course, people become more comfortable with each other and the freedom of being off book allows you to "find your funny."  Hopefully this year will be exception.  Let's hope so anyway - the parts kinda depending on it.  

I think I felt more uncomfortable today because of the singi we had to do.  It was the first time I was put in front of our very talented ensemble and asked to sing.  They of course are all extremely talented singers and dancers (the producers have excelled themselves yet again this year) and then there's me. Now don't get me wrong I can hold a tune but in comparison I felt a bit under pressure.  So I went home today with an eennie weenie cloud over my head - only caused by my own lack of confidence!   Which of course... Is silly!! 

Until the Moro, night....!

JB-BB x

 

The ambassador for Doughnut Day and King of the sugary ring! 

Cinderella - The nations favourite Panto (Part.III)

And so Ladies and Jellyspoons, with just one week until rehearsals kick off in Guildford, we come to the final instalment of this thread, looking at Cinderella and the pantomime itself.....
NB: Obviously everything here, is a general view of the pantomime and is not set in stone.  Every production company and theatre have their own ways of presenting the story and every actor has their own way of portraying it!

Our Fairy will usually start us off with a welcome and a heads up as to what a "wonderful girl" our Cinders is.  She will usually have a motif or sub theme of her own, for a little added business.  The ensemble will usually kick things off, as the front cloth lifts to reveal the village or "outside" Hardup Hall.  A common village name is Stoneybroke, referencing the lack of money, although many variations exist.

We are usually introduced to our Heroine, Buttons (the Comic best Pal) and the Baron, before the grand arrival of the uglies.  The families situation also varies from production to production but usually the Uglies have either come on ahead of their mother (the Baron's usually engaged) or she has died/left the Baron, who is now lumbered with them.  Again Cinders can start either having never met them, so excited about their arrival or already be being treated badly.  It's often more preferable to have the former so that Cinders is a little brighter for the opening number.

A common sub-plot set up by Buttons in his intro is his love for Cinders and his inability to tell her.   This runs throughout the show, highlighting his devotion to Cinders and often brings comedy through innuendo, jealousy (the Prince) and misjudgement of the situation.  Obviously, we all know that Cinderella will end up with the Prince, but we do love a trier!

Throw in a ballet in the woods - keep all the juevenilles parents happy, as their little dears hop around the stage as rabbits, squirrels and birds etc and cue the Prince and Dandini.  Here the master/servant switch is established, as Princey yearns for a "simple life" leading to some Shakespearesque comedy with cofused identities.  The woods are also where Cinders and Princey meet for the first time and where our Fairy disguises as a beggar woman, prompting an act of kindness from the heroine.

Now I am a massive fan of the slosh scene, but they are, unfortunately appearing less and less in the more mainstream pantomimes.  If one is to be present in Cinderella there are a couple of standards often used.  One sees Buttons and the Baron, cooking food for the Ball and can involve eggs, flour and custard covering the stage.  Another favourite is in the beauty parlour of Hardup Hall, seeing the uglies getting ready for the Ball.  Here, huge powder puffs, creams and sprays, become the ammo of sisters eager to outdo the other.  The thrid commonly used slosh scene comes from Buttons and the Baron decorating a tattered and tired room or corridor in Hardup hall.  this is a physical comedy classic and has been used by all the greats.  Rolls of wallpaper, buckets of gloopy wallpaper paste and a ladder lead to chaos, hilarity and two very messy actors!

Before the Ball of course, Cinders ticket needs to be lost or destroyed and good old Buttons attempting to cheer her up.  My favourite scene is the dummy ball, where Buttons dresses Cinders up in a table cloth gown, a colander for a tiara and a string of carrots often "9 Carrot".  It's all in vain however and Buttons will slip away to bed.  Enter the fairy and her shopping list of pumpkin, mice and lizards.  A bit of extra magic, supplies us with the transformation scene as Cinders appears in her ball gown before the moment everyone will be anticipating - the arrival of the carriage and horses (usually small ponies).  The big companies have used Pegasus the flying horse or flying motorbikes of late - but for me, traditional is best!

We all know about the being "home before 12", running away and losing the slipper, which leads us nicely into the Prince and Dandini touring the land trying to find the owner of the glass slipper.  Of course the scheming Uglies both apparently "fit" the shoe, but of course we know its a trick.  Expect to see a dummy leg, a long stocking and a reference to "Crystal Palace!"  Somewhere they've hidden Cinders away and it'll take all the might of our audience to reveal her location. 

Out she pops, the slipper fits and all live happily ever after.  The family get money, the Uglies are turned good and Buttons gives his blessing.  Just time for the Songsheet before finishing with the wedding (Bows).

JB
      

Stop!! Wait a minute Mr postman!!

Cinderella - The nations favourite Panto (Part.II)

So in my last post we took a brief look at Cinders, Buttons and the Ugly Sisters, our Heroine, the comic and the villains.  We now move on to the rest of the gang starting with our fairy and often narrator.

Most pantomimes have one or two characters that help the story along.  With all the madcap humour, songs and dances, sometimes we can get a little lost when it comes to plot.  Usually the villain has a lot to do with this, often explaining what has happened, how this has effected his/her plans and what they will now do to regain control.  This is often mirrored or aided by your good fairy, spirit or genie, or as they are called in Pantoland. - the immortals.  

For the traditionalists amongst you, the immortals are usually of another world or higher power and are often heard speaking in rhyming couplets.  Goodies always enter stage right and the baddies stage left as a general rule, but this isn't set in stone.   The baddies will usually have a sidekick or minions, where's as the goodies tend to act alone and have control over nature.

Again, the fairy godmother in Cinderella is probably the most recognisable of this stock character.  But instead of just turning up for the transformation scene the FG is usually present throughout, often helping the plot along and causing a little mischief where possible.  She is the bringer of hope and change for Cinders and most of the "magic" for the audience.

So we've had the comedy, we've got the princess (to be), our baddies and our Goodie!  So what about some eye candy for the mums?!  Oh ok then...  cue, upstage centre, striding on with cloak and chiseled jaw... our Prince (Charming).  The more Disneyesque and capable of making the ladies swoon the better - hence why I don't play the Prince!  The Prince is usually seen at the start of the panto confiding to Dandini, his man servant how is father is forcing him to marry, and how the Grand Ball will be held to find a suitor.  (We'll talk more about the role of these two in Part three when we discuss the panto itself.)  he is the symbol of a better life for our Cinders and offers her the way out we all crave for her - even Button's ends up being happy for them!   

And then, last but by no means least - Baron Hardup.  Cinders Pop and the fall guy for the families financial woes.  Obviously Cinders Dad has passed away in the Disney version, hence her bad treatment.  In panto because the role of Dame is taken by the sisters, our parent figure is usually a poor father, who is lumbered with the uglies when "Mommy leaves".  There are versions where the baron is replaced by the evil stepmother - but it can be a bit of a Dame overload.  The baron is also a good dueling partner for both the uglies and Buttons.

Throw in an ensemble and a team of 30 juves to play  our villages and all the other roles and our cast is assembled!  Avengers, eat your heart out.

In the final part of this biog we look at what is to be expected in the Cinderella Panto!
JB   

The Cast and Creatives at The Arnaud this Season!

Cinderella - The nations favourite Panto (Part.I)

A Villain must be a thing of power, handled with delicacy and grace. {Agnes Repplier}

There are a stock of familiar and ever popular stories that you see each year doing the rounds across the UK's theatres.  Whether it be Jack and his Beanstalk, Snow White and her seven dwarves or Dick and his Whittington - they are stories that we all know and love.  None more so than Cinderella, followed closely by Aladdin.  This year Cinders yet again tops the list with 22 professional productions nationwide.  

But what is it about Cinders, that prompts such excitement and expectation from audiences?  It can't just be the hope of seeing ponies at the end of act one, or the misguided belief, that like the Disney cartoon, we'll have talking mice.  To me, it's the Panto that most captures the magic of the transformation scene; all pantos have a rags to riches theme present at their root, but in Cinderella, it goes much deeper, is more evident and specifically in Cinderella's characterisation, doesn't make lights the situation.

In Aladdin, Dick and Jack for example, the title characters use their financial limitations as a source of banter, slapstick and of course motivation.  For Cinders, the situation she finds herself in isn't exactly pleasant.  A virtual slave to her bullying sisters with, as it would appear, no way out.  The fact that Cinders can remain so 'nice' endears us to her even more.

At least she has her best friend Buttons.  Present in pantomimes for centuries, under different guises, the closest we get in the Disney version is the personification of the mice, Jaq and Gus.  Here too is another reason why we love Cinderella... The unrequited love of a fool.  Again in other pantos there is seldom a love interest for the comic.  Here, Buttons is truly, madly, deeply... Head over heels in love with his best friend.  And as we already know, things don't necessarily go his way.  The presence of an amusing underdog, is irresistible to us! As are the sharp, acidic barbs of two men in garish make-up and outrageous frocks.

The Ugly Sisters!  Surely the most popular of the villains and one of the first images that come to mind when thinking about pantomime.  They are synonymous with the Dame, the custard pie and a cheeky thigh slap.

The uglies, although possibly the cruelest, are again loved by so many because of the tradition they carry with them.  Many double acts have specialised in this evil comic turn.  In recent times there is no better example of this than Peter Robbins and Nigel Ellacott.  They were my favourites, until the sad passing of Peter back in 2009.  Their wit, flamboyant costumes and evident chemistry were a priceless asset to any production they graced.  Nigel remains prevalent within the industry; a go to guy for all things Panto, with a great wealth of knowledge and subsequent respect in and out of Panto circles.  I've not had the opportunity yet, but he's one of the people I'd like to sit and share a couple of bottles of wine with, over a few stories.  

Coincidentally, Nigel is also the figure head of "It's-behind-you.com" a fantastic resource for anyone interested in pantomime, both current and historically.  Do take a look at the site.. Once you've finished here. 

Back to the Uglies (before they make a scene) and why we love to hate them.  Everyone loves to see the changing costumes of the dame and with the sisters you get double the excitement.  How will the costumes compliment or contrast the other, what themes will be present and who will out do their sister?!  Yes, ok, they're nasty to our Cinders, Buttons and the audience... But we love a baddie.  How many times have you chuckled along to one of Simon Cowell's barbs aimed at a misguided hopeful or sat waiting for everyone to stop being so nice and let Craig Revel Harwood have his say?

To appreciate good, you need evil... And although the Uglies can never take it too far,  we need their acid tongues, sarcastic humour and spiteful comments, to set the balance.  Love them or hate them, they are here to stay!

I'm a firm believer blog posts shouldn't be too long, so for now, I'll say farewell, but do come back and read Part II soon, where we'll take a look at the good fairy, our royalty and our "Hardup" Baron.

Jx