Writing Lab

Another brilliant night at Writing Lab - an MMD Workshop run by Christine Denniston, which I always feel very lucky to be a part of.

We met in a fantastic space just by Bond Street Station - called the The Music Studios.  They are studios for musicians to go and practise and rehearse and every room has a grand piano in it.   There is a link to their website HERE

James Lovelock brought in a scene from his musical Sunshine Guy, which has recently had a production at Birmingham University and a transfer to the Landor Theatre, but he is still refining the show and we read a scene and he sang one of the absolutely beautiful songs.

Karl Miller and Chris Ash presented only the music for a musical they are working on.  They wanted to find out what we got from the music - and wonderfully our feedback was very much what they had hoped.

I brought in a scene from Capture which I had added a character to and moved another, only the day before.   The feedback was really helpful, the dynamics of the scene had changed a lot from this switch and I felt that it had improved so will be keeping it this way for the moment.

Karl, Chris, Christine and Tim Connor and I all went off to a Lebanese cafe afterwards to talk about life, musical theatre and everything - which is always a very important part of the evening!

London Wall

Maia Alexander at Pat Milligan and Alex Robertson as Mr Brewer

A triumph for Two's Company!

I went to the press night of London Wall last night, a transfer from the Finborough to the spanking new  St James Theatre, in Victoria.  Oh and this production really deserved the move to a bigger theatre, both for more people to see this rediscovered play by John van Druten and also to see this flawless production full of wonderful performances.  It is only on until 1st June so do go and see it. 

London Wall is directed with perfection by Tricia Thorns.  The cast includes: Maia Alexander as Pat Milligan; Mia Austen as Miss Bufton; Emily Bowker as Miss Hooper; Marty Cruickshank as Miss Willesden; Alix Dunmore as Miss Janus; Timothy O’Hara as Hec Hammond; Alex Robertson as Mr. Brewer; Craig Vye as Birkinshaw and David Whitworth as Mr. Walker.

You will be amazed to see how very contemporary a 1930's play can be and the tone of the production brings the story even closer to us.

"LONDON WALL first appeared in the West End in 1931 and offered contemporary audiences a rare look at the life of women office workers in the City. An 80 year old play arrives on stage at a time when the continuing inability of men to see women as professional equals and colleagues is exceedingly topical."

I had a particular interest in going to see this play - John van Druten was a contemporary of Dodie Smith's.  While Dodie and her husband Alec Beasley were living in Hollywood, and she was writing I Capture the Castle, John and his great friend Christopher Isherwood were constant visitors to Dodie's home.  I think it was also Dodie's idea that John should adapt Christopher's book, Goodbye to Berlin into a stage play - which was later called I am a Camera and then adapted by Joe Masteroff, John Kander and Fred Ebb into the musical Cabaret!!

You can book tickets on the St James Theatre website HERE

Our new St James Theatre is a really fantastic space and I look forward to seeing more shows there in the future!  It seats about 312 and has a thrust stage, with a steeply raked auditorium making this a really wonderful space for intimate theatre.  There is also a studio theatre seating 100 and a fab bar!

A wonderful four star review of London Wall in the Telegraph by Charles Spencer 

Writing Fellowship!

The view from my kitchen window of St Helen's Church.

I am living in a little cottage near Stratford-Upon-Avon at the moment, having amazingly received a Fellowship for three months.   I am writing all about it on my new blog called FROM THE ROOM.  The motto of the Hosking House Writing Residency is "a woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write".    I feel very blessed to have that, out here in the snowy Stratford countryside.  It is an idyllic spot and the only real distraction from work is the beauty of the place.

The link to the new blog is here

Vivo D'Arte

Vivo D'Arte Schools Edition of Les Miserables  - James Penniston and George Watkins

Vivo D'Arte, a wonderful youth theatre company in Hertfordshire are planning to put POSSESSED on.  Dan Cowtan is going to be directing the show and the cast will be drawn from the Vivo D'Arte Company.  It will be fascinating to see what a youth theatre company will be able to do with the show.

I went to see their Schools Version of Les Miserables and was incredibly impressed.  Above is a photograph of two of the performers from the show - James Penniston, who is playing Thenardier, has just received a place at the Royal Northern College of Music studying voice as a Bass/Baritone and George, Jean Valjean has also received a place at Guildhall studying voice as a tenor.  Dan Cowtan directed this production of Les Mis but has also been the young singers vocal coach.

POSSESSED off to NAMT

Anna Francolini and Joseph Millson in rehearsal for  POSSESSED

Our Pre-Raphaelite musical POSSESSED has been chosen by MMD to be put forward as one of their three nominations for the NAMT Festival of New Musicals in New York.  We just have to hope that the Americans will like it enough to get it through to the finals. Steve and I are really excited about this!

MMD Auction

Follow this link to the auction!!

MMD 20th Anniversary Musical Gala and Auction!!

Everything is hotting up for the MMD 20th Anniversary Gala this Sunday 14th October at the Novello Theatre.

The Online Auction of Amazing Musical Theatre Memorabilia is going live on the MMD Website tomorrow.  Just follow this LINK and get your chance to own a bit of theatre history or tickets to a major musical show.



Some of the lots include:  A Phantom of the Opera platinum album, Don Black's signed lyrics for "Diamonds are Forever", Hippodrome tickets,  items from the new Les Mis Movie signed by Russell Crowe and Hugh Jackman (wow!),  a Jesus Christ Super Star gold album and many many more - just follow the link above.

At the Gala on Sunday there will be a live auction of two additional surprise lots, hosted by actor Christopher Biggins.

There are still a few tickets left for the Gala, so to get your chance to be part of this extravaganza of musical theatre follow this LINK!!

A Chorus of Disapproval

Steve Edis in rehearsals for A Chorus of Disapproval

Steve is not only the Musical Director for Trevor Nunn's new production of Alan Ayckbourn's A CHORUS OF DISAPPROVAL, but is also playing Mr Ames.   After having seen him on stage in a double act with Josie Lawrence I am not at all surprised to see him take the stage again in this wonderful comedy!!

Rob Brydon is making his West End debut as Dafydd Ap Llewellyn.  The rest of the cast includes Nigel Harman, Teresa Banham, Daisy Beaumont, Georgia Brown, Rob Compton, Matthew Cottle, Jessica Ellerby, Barrie Rutter, Paul Thornley and Susan Tracy.

The Pendon Amateur Light Operatic Society’s production ofThe Beggar’s Opera is going off the rails, that is until a handsome but shy young widower Guy (Harman) joins the group. An instant hit with the company’s ferociously zealous director Dafydd (Brydon) and the show’s leading ladies, including Dafydd’s wife Hannah (Jensen), Guy soon gets more than he bargained for as he discovers that all the best action happens off-stage. Classic songs fill the air as the drama on stage is mirrored by the romantic rivalry and small town squabbles causing a stir in the wings of this ambitious local show.   Not seen in London since the National Theatre’s hit production over 25 years ago A Chorus of Disapproval promises to be an hilarious battle of wits and sexes!!  Oh how I love Ayckbourn!

A Chorus of Disapproval is opening on 17th September for a limited season, 
until 5th January at the Harold Pinter Theatre, Panton Street, SW1 4DN 
There will be 100 tickets for only £10 for each performance!!

A link to the website for tickets can be found here

Mercury Musical Developments Gala

I'm looking forward to going to the MMD 20th Anniversary Gala.  There is going to be quite a line up of stars and wonderful songs.  This will all go towards the fanstastically good cause of MMD's festival of new musical theatre!!

11 o'clock numbers

I have been thinking about 11 o'clock numbers and brought up the subject as a focus for discussion at the Musical Writing Lab I go to.

What is an 11 o'clock number you may ask?

I have read a lot about what it means and here are some replies:

"The term is derived from the fact that during the golden age of broadway, shows had later starting times which meant that the 11 o'clock number would occur late in Act II, which would typically coincide with 11pm."

"A big song near the end of the show that stands out and energises the proceedings before the finale."

"A song in a musical that is placed near the end of the second act, before the plot's loose ends are tied up."

"It isn't a reprise."

"A song in which the main character has some kind of revelation or undergoes a major emotional moment that brings the musical to a climax."

Last April Birdland in New York had a cabaret evening that was called "11 o'clock numbers at 11 o'clock!" which seems a strange idea for a cabaret night because every number would supposedly be a show stopper.

here are some examples of 11 o'clock numbers:

Memory - Cats

Confrontation - Jekll & Hyde

No Good Deed, March of the Witch Hunters and For Good - Wicked

Marry the Man today - Guys and Dolls

Fifty Percent - Ballroom

Omigod You Guys - Legally Blonde

Reviewing the Situation - Oliver

How Could I Ever Know - The Secret garden

Not While I'm Around - Sweeney Todd

Step In Time - Mary Poppins

Anything You Can Do - Annie Get your Gun

What I Did For Love - Chorus Line

Rose's Turn - Gypsy

Two Lost Souls - Damn Yankees

Send in the Clowns

Being Alive - Company

Gimme Gimme - Thoroughly Modern Millie

From this I deduce that it is often a solo from the protagonist, but not always because many are duets and some are ensemble plus the protagonist.

I think the use for this song, structurally, must be to heighten the audience's excitement before the denouement.  Although some of the things I have read have said that this should be a song we come away singing at the end of the show - many of the above songs are not the best songs in the show or the ones we come away with, although some are.  There are rules but they can be broken.  But it looks as if there is a good reason for this type of number.  But did the composers sit down and say "let's write an 11 o'clock number" or did it just happen by chance?  Or was the idea of an 11 o'clock number so ingrained that they wrote it without thinking?

I have written the lyrics for a song, near the end of Capture, which could, I think, be an 11 o'clock number.  But when I wrote the lyrics I didn't realise that was what it might be.  In fact I wasn't quite sure what an 11 o'clock number was at that point.  So perhaps it does just happen!