#Andrew Secombe

[paralleljulieverse]

From the Archives: Simple Simon Greets His Fair Lady

Beloved British comedian Norman Wisdom visits Julie Andrews backstage in her dressing room during her celebrated run in My Fair Lady at the Mark Hellinger Theatre in April 1956, barely a month after the show had opened to great acclaim.

The visit was particularly poignant, as the two stars had shared the stage just three years earlier in the 1953 Christmas pantomime Aladdin at the Coventry Hippodrome. Julie delighted audiences in the principal girl role of Princess Bettina, while Norman brought his signature humour to the comic part of Simple Simon.

Wisdom was in the United States to discuss plans for a proposed motion picture, An Englishman in Las Vegas, which ultimately never came to fruition. Accompanied by Harry Secombe (sadly not pictured) and Secombe’s wife, Wisdom made time to reconnect with his former co-star. "She gave us the best cup of tea on the whole of Broadway," he said (Irving 1956, p. 6). Sources

'America signs up Wisdom.' (1956). The Birmingham Mail. 5 April: p. 1.

Irving, G. (1956). 'Gordon Irving's showtime: Norman's wisdom.' Daily Record. 25 April: p. 6.

© 2024 Brett Farmer All Rights Reserved

[sondheims-hat]

Some Sweeneys.

Len Cariou (1979), George Hearn (1980), Dennis Quilley (1980), Ross Petty (1982), Timothy Nolen (1984), Leon Greene (1985), Lyndon Terracini (1987), Bob Gunton (1989),  Alun Armstrong (1993), Constantino Romero (1995), Steven Page (1998), Kelsey Grammer (1999), Peter-Coleman Wright (2001), Brian Stokes Mitchell (2002), Bryn Terfel (2002), Mark Delevan (2004), Paul Hegarty (2004), Michael Cerveris (2005), Jason Donovan (2006), David Hess (2007), Johnny Depp (2007), Jeff McCarthy (2009), Rod Gilfry (2011), Gregg Edelmann (2011), Michael Ball (2011), Andrew Lloyd Baughman (2014), Jeremy Secomb (2015), Brian Mulligan (2015), Benedict Campbell (2016), Norm Lewis (2017), Hugh Panaro (2018), Jett Pangan (2019), Josh Groban (2023). 

[believerindaydreams]

some books what I have accumulated this last year.

not, of course, counting Dylan's collected poems because I already owned that

the love letters of Dylan Thomas

Caitlin, by herself

Letters to Vernon Watkins

Swansea and the Tawe Valley street atlas

Norman Lewis Thomas, The Story of Swansea's Markets

Richmal Compton, Just- William

Delyth Badder and Mark Norman, The Folklore of Wales: Ghosts

Leslie Thomas, This Time Next Week

Alan Bilton, The Known and Unknown Sea

Wynne Lloyd, An Account of the Trade of the Port of Swansea, etc.

Andrew Dulley, The Mystery of William Crach

Christopher Isherwood, Prater Violet

Decalog 2, Mark Stammers and Stephen James Walker

Jessa Maxwell, The Golden Spoon

William Golding, the Scorpion God

Robin Hood According to Spike Milligan

Spike Milligan, Where Have All the Bullets Gone?

Spike Milligan, Goon Show Scripts

Spike Milligan, More Goon Show Scripts

The Essential Spike Milligan

Norma Farnes, The Goons

William Rushton, W. G. Grace's Last Case

Red Dwarf, Log 1996

Red Dward, Primordial Soup

Leslie Charteris, The Saint In The Sun

Harry Secombe, Twice Brightly

Harry Secombe, An Entertaining Life

Jacqueline Heriteau, Potpourris and Other Fragrant Delights

all four dreadful yellow-backed Bessie Bunter books

Rainer Maria Rilke, Duino Elegies

Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch, Selected Short Stories

Rawhide: The Annual

Ray Galton and Alan Simpson, The Day Off

Theodore Sturgeon, More Than Human

Derek Jarman, A Dungeness Notebook

Craig Thomas, Firefox

Persona 5, Comic

[friend-through-teenage-nights]

I’ve started copying the images for programmes I’ve listened to off iPlayer into my diary (every left hand page is blank, every right hand page is lined and I’ve always wanted to have an illustrated diary but not enough happens which can be illustrated). 

Dad Made Me Laugh: Jenny Secombe talking about her father, Harry Secombe, his career and what he was like as a parent. Apparently the only time he ever argued with his wife was when she had packed a blazer he wanted to wear at the bottom of a suitcase. 

Andrew O’Neill: Pharmacist Baffler: Stand-up comedy about O’Neill’s experiences as a heterosexual transvestite. 

Vent: A fantastic mid-2000s dark comedy about a man, Ben, played by Neil Pearson, in a coma. The series follows his recovery as he recounts his life before the coma, through monologues, fantasy sequences in which he is accompanied by a grown-up version of his young daughter, clips from a studio sitcom Ben is apparently writing whilst in the coma, and the impact his coma has on his mother, wife and daughter, whose dialogue seems to directly impact what happens in the sitcom. 

From Our Own Correspondent: Foreign affairs programme with five or six BBC foreign correspondents delivering a monologue about some aspect of the country they’re stationed in, ranging from huge political events to interesting facts about the cultural traditions. 

The Moth Radio Hour: US programme- ordinary people deliver short autobiographical monologues without notes to an audience. Each episode centres around a theme but the tones of the stories vary hugely. 

BBC Inside Science: That nice man Dr Adam Rutherford presents a series of news stories from the scientific world. 

I’m not a native German speaker but I’m teaching myself through writing my diary in German. If I’ve made any errors please tell me. 

[mariocki]

Down Among The Z Men (1952)

"Have you anything that would renovate an old bag?"

"She's too far gone for that - your mother?"

"No, no, I mean a Gladstone bag."

"Gladstone's? She's old enough to have been Disraeli's!"

[marleneoftheopera]

1400 Followers Audio Gifts!

To thank you all for following me, being so wonderful, and just surviving a pandemic, here are some gifts from me!

I know I originally said I was going to do 10, but I got a good amount of requests and wanted to add in a few extra favorite audios of mine too. So you get 20! Sorry if I did not post your request; there were many!

If any need to be taken down, do let me know!

Here is the link to all of the audios, cast info is below!

https://www.mediafire.com/folder/a3xda9hu7mu3u/Gifts

The Phantom of the Opera

Michael Crawford, Rebecca Caine, Steve Barton October 10, 1987; London Listed as being Michael Crawford and Steve Barton's last before heading to New York to start rehearsals for Broadway. Beautiful soundboard audio. This is the complete version; there has previously been an incomplete one traded out. 

Eiji Akutagawa, Kyoko Suzuki, Kanji Ishimaru September 22, 1991; Osaka Always here for Japanese love.

Hans Peter Janssens, Susanne Duwe, Michael Shawn Lewis, An Lauwreins, William Lynn Dixon, Marc Meersman, Arnst van Looy, Stephanie Tscheppe June 2, 2000; Antwerp, Belgium Final show in Belgium. Very nice cast all around.

Hugh Panaro, Adrienne McEwan, John Cudia, Patricia Phillips, Jeff Keller, George Lee Andrews, Marilyn Caskey, Larry Wayne Morbitt, Heather McFadden June 16, 2003; Broadway Hugh in his second Broadway run. Adrienne has become a favorite of mine and I think she never gets the credit she deserves, especially having been in the show for so long.

Hugh Panaro, Susan Owen (u/s), Kyle Barisich February 20, 2012; Broadway A lovely audio. Susan has such a sweet, light quality to her voice.

Hugh Panaro, Samantha Hill, Kyle Barisich, Michele McConnell, Greg Mills (u/s), Tim Jerome, Nathan Patrick Morgan (u/s), Carly Blake Sebouhian (u/s) April 6, 2013; Broadway More Hugh. You can never have enough Hugh.

Peter Joback, Emmi Christensson, Anton Zetterholm, Karolina Andresson, Glenn Kjellberg, Rolf Lydhal, Sindre Postholm, Sanna Martin, Tehilla Blad, David Ingham, Samuel Jarrick, Martin Kagemark, John Martin Bengtsson February 1, 2017; Stockholm I loved this production so much.

Ben Forster, Celinde Schoenmaker, Nadim Naaman, Charlotte Vaughan (u/s, last Carlotta show), Sion Lloyd, Mark Oxtoby, Paul Ettore Tabone, Joanna Strand (u/s, last Madame Giry show), Daisy Hulbert August 31, 2017; London A few days before cast change. One of my favorite audios as of late.

Fred Johanson, Hanna Liina Vosa, John Martin Bengtsson, Hanna Leena Haapamaki, Dardan Bakraqi, David Lundqvist, Anders Wangdhal, Lana Zuzic, Gisela Sjostedt, Lars Hijertner, Marco Stella, Tobja Halsell, Peter Loguin January 26, 2018; Gotheborg From the non-replica production. With John as Raoul this time!

Scott Davies, Kelly Mathieson, Jeremy Taylor, Lara Martins, Sean Lloyd, Mark Oxtoby, Jacinta Mulcahy May 31, 2018; London This is labeled as having Ben Lewis, but if you listen it’s really Scott.

Tomas Ambt Kofod, Sibylle Glosted, Christian Lund, Martin Loft (u/s), Monsieur André, Anna Vaupel (u/s), Rasmus Jupin, Elisabeth Halling, Imogen-Lily Ash, Jesper Paasch, Kim Hammelsvang, Paul Frederiksen, Paul Frederiksen (u/s), Mia Karlsson (u/s) February 13, 2019; Copenhagen Compared to other audios, you can tell that Sibylle has really settled in the role and improved wonderfully. She sounds absolutely divine. An absolutely gorgeous cast.

Jonathan Roxmouth, Meghan Picerno, Matt Leisy September 3, 2019; Tel Aviv One of Meghan's last shows on the World Tour before she joined the Broadway company. Jonathan and Meghan sound particularly stunning on here, they keep getting better which is insane because they are already so good.

Tim Howar, Amy Manford (alt), Jeremy Taylor, Ross Dawes, Alan Vicary, Kimberly Blake, Paul Ettore Tabone, Jacinta Mulcahy, Georgia Ware September 7, 2019; London Amy Manford's last show, the last matinee for the 2018/19 cast. Just to be clear, this audio is different from the other that is NFT. Pretty nice quality too!

Love Never Dies

Ramin Karimloo, Sierra Boggess, Joseph Millson, Liz Robertson, Summer Strallen, Niahm Perry, Adam Pearce, Jami Reid-Quarrell June 2, 2010; London A gift for all my Rierra/LND London fans out there.

Tomas Ambt Kofod, Louise Fribo, Christian Berg, Oscar Diez January 18, 2013; Copenhagen, Denmark This is an overlooked and gorgeous production. Also, after 'Love Never Dies' someone in the audience shouts "wow" and I think that captures it perfectly.

Evita

Emma Kingston (Eva), Ramin Karimloo (Che), Robert Finlayson (Peron), Anton Luiting (Magaldi), Isabella Jane (Mistress) July 4, 2018; Tokyo Emma as Eva and Ramin as Che. Some great casting there.

Anastasia

Annakathrin Naderer (u/s Anya), Thomas Hohler (Dimitry), Thorsten Tinney (Vlad), Mark Roy Luykx (u/s Gleb), Theresa Holter (Young Anastasia), Patricia Nessy (Lily Malevsky-Malevitch), Masha Karrell (Dowager Empress Maria), Katja Hentschel (u/s Tsarina Alexandra), Kirill Zolygin (Tsar Nicholas II/Count Ipolitov), Helena Thordal Christenson (Olga Romanov), Alexandra Yoana-Alexandrovna (u/s Tatiana Romanov/Dunya), Laura Robinson (u/s Maria Romanov/Marfa), Mariana Hidemi (Anastasia, age 17/Paulina) August 10, 2019; Stuttgart I have yet to listen to this one yet, but I always love spreading love for foreign productions of shows.

Les Miserables

Kyle Jean-Baptiste (u/s Valjean), Earl Carpenter (Javert), Erika Henningsen (Fantine), Chris McCarrell (Marius), Samantha Hill (Cosette), Brennyn Lark (Eponine), Max Quinlan (u/s Enjolras), Gavin Lee (Monsieur Thenardier), and Rachel Izen (Madame Thenardier) August 13, 2015; Broadway A really great cast and Kyle deserves to be heard. He was brilliant and it is such a shame he passed so early on in his life.

John Owen-Jones (Jean Valjean), Michael Ball (Javert), Carrie Hope Fletcher (Fantine), Matt Lucas (Thenardier), Katy Secombe (Thenardier), Bradley Jaden (Enjolras), Craig Mather (Marius u/s), Shan Ako (Eponine), Lily Kerhoas (Cosette) Earl Carpenter (Bishop/Bamatabois) October 16, 2019; Staged Concert, Gielguld Theatre Gorgeous.

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

Sheridan Smith (Narrator), Jason Donovan (Pharaoh), Jac Yarrow (Joseph), Femi Akinfolarin (Brother), Casey  Al-Shaqsy (Wife), J.R. Ballantyne (Brother), Thalia Burt (Wife), Richard Carson (Reuben), Michael Cortez (Guard), Vanessa Fisher (Wife), Matt Krzan (Guard), Kelsie-Rae Marshall (Wife), Emily Ann Potter (Wife), Georgina Parkinson (Wife), Michael Pickering (Simeon), Harriet Samuel-Gray (Wife), Carl Spencer (Brother), Joshua Steel (Brother), Jack Wilcox (Brother), Blythe Jandoo (s/w Wife), Hannah Taylor (s/w Wife) July 17, 2019; London Jason coming back to the show as Pharaoh this time!

[oohlordhealthisbike]

Open for bootleg trading~

Hello all! I am posting my bootleg list here for now as a temporary list until I get my website up and running- I am open to trading! I’m mainly looking for any Cats production- preferably English or Dutch but any musical would be nice to have and expand my collection. 

Addams Family - Broadway - March 12, 2010

FORMAT: .VOB w/o smalls

CAST:Nathan Lane (Gomez Addams), Bebe Neuwirth (Morticia Addams), Terrence Mann (Mal Beineke), Carolee Carmello (Alice Beineke), Kevin Chamberlin (Uncle Fester), Jackie Hoffman (Grandma), Zachary James (Lurch), Wesley Taylor (Lucas Beineke), Krysta Rodriguez (Wednesday Addams), Adam Riegler (Pugsley Addams)

NOTES: Video quality isn't the best, and audio is sometimes on the softer side. Still a very entertaining show.

Anastasia - Broadway - September 6, 2017

FORMAT: (VOBs w/ smalls)

CAST: Christy Altomare (Anastasia), Derek Klena (Dmitry), John Bolton (Vlad), Ramin Karimloo (Gleb), Caroline O'Connor (Lily), Mary Beth Peil (Maria Feodorovna), Zach Adkins, Sissy Bell, Lauren Blackman, Kyle Brown, Janet Dickinson, Constantine Germanacos, Wes Hart, Ken Krugman, Shina Ann Morris, James A. Pierce III, Molly Rushing, Nicole Scimerca, Johnny Stellard, Allison Walsh (Ensemble)

Aladdin - Broadway, 2014-Nov-05 (SunsetBlvd79‘s master)

Format: VOB + smalls (7.58 GB)

CAST: Adam Jacobs (Aladdin), Courtney Reed (Jasmine), Merwin Foard (s/b Jafar), Michael James Scott (s/b Genie)

NOTES: Beautiful HD capture of latest Disney Broadway offering. Great to see the changes from the Toronto tryout. Michael and Merwin do terrific jobs as Genie and Jafar.

Beauty and the Beast New Zealand April 2006 - Proshot

Format: .VOB w/ smalls

Cast: Jade Steele, Russell Dixon, Glen Drake, Rob Ormsby, Gladys Hope

NOTES: Only the first act & first part of act two! 

Beauty and the Beast (Disney) - Broadway - July 27, 2007 (Unknown's video master)

CAST: Anneliese van der Pol (Belle), Steve Blanchard (Beast/Prince), Jamie Ross (Maurice), Chris Hoch (Gaston), David DeVries (Lumière), Jeanne Lehman (Mrs. Potts), Glenn Rainey (Cogsworth), Ann Mandrella (Babette), Trevor Braun (Chip), Aldrin Gonzalez (Le Fou)

NOTES: Two days before the show closed on Broadway. Good amount of closeups and good quality filmed from the mid-mezzanine; there is a railing issue for a while in Act 1 but the taper improves. 'Me', 'Gaston' and 'Be Our Guest' are all predominantly missing and recording stopped for some time after 'Gaston', which created a little jump in the timeline to where Maurice gets thrown out of the tavern. Still a nice video with great closeups of the last Broadway cast.

Beauty and the Beast - Music Theatre of Wichita (2016)

FORMAT: .VOB w/ Smalls

CAST: Catherine Charlebois, Thaddeus Pearson, Johnny Stellard, Steve Hitchcock, James Beaman, Katie Banks-Todd, Karen L. Robu, Lexis Danca, James Heinrichs, Timothy W. Robu, Tanner Pflueger, John Boldenow

Notes: Pro-Shot. Filmed using one camera on a tripod with excellent clear picture and sound.

Cats - Hamburg - August 21, 1999 (Unknown's video master)

FORMAT: MP4 (2.9 GB) CAST: Julia Howson (Grizabella), Stefano Bontempi (Alonzo), Sean McGrath (Admetus/Macavity), Daymon Montaigne Jones (Bill Bailey/Tumblebrutus), Donna Hagan (Bombalurina), Lachlan Youngberg (Bustopher Jones/Gus/Growltiger), Marie Dumas (Cassandra), Valentino McKinney (Coricopat), Juliann Kuchocki (Demeter), Marni Raab (Jellylorum), Nadja Solovieva (Jennyanydots), Clinten Pearce (Mr. Mistoffelees), Deon Ridley (Mungojerrie), Matthew Pike (Munkustrap), Werner Kraus (Old Deuteronomy), Adrianne Richards (Rumpleteazer), Siegmar Tonk (Rum Tum Tugger), Japheth Myers (Skimbleshanks), Angela Roczkov (Tantomile), Rebecca Sutherland (Victoria), Damian Kacperski (Pouncival), Tracey Packham (Sillabub) NOTES: very good quality for the time! Great audio as well. 

Cats - Broadway Revival - August 13, 2016 (Unknown's video master)

FORMAT: .VOB w/o Smalls

STAGE: Broadway

CAST: Leona Lewis (Grizabella), Giuseppe Bausilio (Carbucketty), Kim Faure (Demeter), Lili Froehlich (Electra), Sara Jean Ford (Jellylorum), Eloise Kropp (Jennyanydots), Ricky Ubeda (Mr. Mistoffelees), Andy Huntington Jones (Munkustrap), Quentin Earl Darrington (Old Deuteronomy), Shonica Gooden (Rumpleteazer), Tyler Hanes (Rum Tum Tugger), Jeremy Davis (Skimbleshanks)

NOTES: Some people walking across the image for a few seconds during Jennyanydots and Rum Tum Tugger's number. Sometimes a head is visible but not obstructing the action. Almost no white-outs with very good video quality. Audio is very crisp as well. Filmed from a higher seat, but zooms are excellently done and fluent. Overal an amazing bootleg!

Cats - Sixth National Tour - March 15, 2019 (thehouseonsunset's video master)

CAST: Keri René Fuller (Grizabella), Phillip Deceus (Alonzo), Tyler John Logan (Admetus/Macavity), Devin Neilson (Bill Bailey/Tumblebrutus), Lexie Plath (Bombalurina), Timothy Gulan (Bustopher Jones/Gus/Growltiger), Mariah Reives (Cassandra), PJ DiGaetano (Coricopat), Liz Schmitz (Demeter), Maria Failla (u/s Jellylorum), Emily Jeanne Phillips (Jennyanydots), Tion Gaston (Mr. Mistoffelees), Tony D'Alelio (Mungojerrie), Dan Hoy (Munkustrap), Brandon Micheal Nase (Old Deuteronomy), Rose Iannaccone (Rumpleteazer), McGee Maddox (Rum Tum Tugger), Ethan Saviet (Skimbleshanks), Halli Tolland (Tantomile), Laura K Kaufman (u/s Victoria), Anthony Zas (Pouncival), Ahren Victory (Sillabub)

NOTES: Audio is soft in some parts and has a shaky camera. Good video though, nice zooms and high quality. 

Cats 1998 Film - (Pro-shot).

FORMAT: MP4 CAST: Elaine Paige (Grizabella), John Mills (Gus the Theatre Cat), Ken Page (Old Deuteronomy), Rosemarie Ford (Bombalurina), Michael Gruber (Munkustrap), John Partridge (Rum Tum Tugger), Aeva May (Demeter), Geoffrey Garratt (Skimbleshanks), James Barron (Bustopher Jones), Jo Gibb (Rumpleteazer), Drew Varley (Mungojerrie), Susie McKenna (Jennyanydots), Jacob Brent (Mistoffelees), Susan Jane Tanner (Jellylorum), Phyllida Crowley Smith (Victoria). NOTES: pro-shot version of the musical. Multiple cameras and HD video and audio. 

Cinderella - Broadway - March 2, 2013

FORMAT: VOB + smalls

CAST: Laura Osnes (Ella), Santino Fontana (Prince Topher), Victoria Clark (Fairy Godmother), Harriet Harris (Evil Stepmother), Ann Harada (Charlotte)

NOTES: Very good view of the stage, sometimes zooms are a bit slow but it's not bothersome. Very enjoyable experience.

Evita - Costa Mesa - December 14, 2013

FORMAT: (VOBs w/ Smalls)

CAST: Caroline Bowman (Eva), John Riddle (u/s Che), Sean MacLaughlin (Peron), Krystina Alabado (Mistress), Christopher Johnstone (Magaldi)

Kinky Boots - Broadway - May 26, 2017 (Opening Night) (Audio)

CAST: Brendon Urie (Charlie Price)

FORMAT: M4A

NOTES: Brendon is amazing in the role, the audio is not really HD, but it’s still really fun to listen to, especially for P!ATD fans like me haha. 

Legally Blonde - Broadway - 2007-Oct-25

Format: VOB no smalls (4.11 GB)

CAST: Becky Gulsvig (u/s Elle Woods), Andy Karl (u/s Emmett Forrest), Richard H Blake (Warner Huntington III), Orfeh (Paulette), Kate Shindle (Vivienne Kensington), Nikki Snelson (Brooke Wyndham/Shandi), Michael Rupert (Professor Callahan), Haven Burton (Margot), Tracy Jai Edwards (Serena), Asmeret Ghebremichael (Pilar), Matthew Risch (u/s Kyle/Grandmaster Chad/Dewey), Natalie Joy Johnson (Veronica/Enid), Kate Wetherhead (Kate/Chutney), Rod Harrelson (u/s Carlos)

NOTES: Great capture of the two understudies in the role. Shot from the orchestra with amazing shots. Starts in the middle of 'Omigod You Guys'.

Les Misérables - West End - November, 2018 (NYCG8R's master)

FORMAT: VOB (with smalls) (SD)

CAST: Dean Chisnall (Jean Valjean), Bradley Jaden (Javert), Carley Stenson (Fantine), Amara Okereke (Cosette), Toby Miles (Marius), Elena Skye (Éponine), Samuel Edwards (Enjolras), James Hume (u/s Thénardier), Vivien Parry (Madame Thénardier), Logan Clark (Gavroche), Andrew York (u/s The Bishop), Adam Filipe (u/s Grantaire), Barnaby Hughes (Combeferre), Joe Vetch (Feuilly), Oliver Brenin (s/w Courfeyrac), Ben Tyler (Jean Prouvaire), James Nicholson (Joly), Andrew York (Lesgles), Adam Bayjou (Brujon), Ciaran Bowling (s/w Babet), Sam Harrison (Claquesous), Ciaran Joyce (Montparnasse), Adam Bayjou (Factory Foreman), Anna McGarahan (Factory Girl), Anna McGarahan (Crone), Sam Harrison (Bamatabois), Ben Tyler (Pimp), Barnaby Hughes (Fauchelevent), Adam Bayjou (Champmathieu), Ciaran Bowling (s/w Major Domo)

Les Misérables - The All-Star Staged Concert - December 2, 2019 (Closing Night) (Pro-Shot's master)

FORMAT: MKV (HD)*

CAST: Alfie Boe (Jean Valjean), Michael Ball (Javert), Carrie Hope Fletcher (Fantine), Lily Kerhoas (Cosette), Rob Houchen (Marius), Shan Ako (Éponine), Bradley Jaden (Enjolras), Matt Lucas (Thénardier), Katy Secombe (Madame Thénardier), Earl Carpenter (The Bishop), Raymond Walsh (Grantaire), Craig Mather (Combeferre), Vinny Coyle (Feuilly), Niall Sheehy (Courfeyrac), James Nicholson (Jean Prouvaire), Ciaran Joyce (Joly), Andrew York (Lesgles), Leo Roberts (Brujon), Stephen Matthews (Babet), Oliver Jackson (Claquesous), Adam Bayjou (Montparnasse), Gavin James (Factory Foreman), Celia Graham (Factory Girl), Tamsin Dowsett (Crone), Earl Carpenter (Bamatabois), Oliver Jackson (Pimp)

NOTES: The digitally released proshot, edited differently to the live cinema stream.

Les Miserables - Broadway - Feb. 17, 2007

FORMAT: VOB + smalls

CAST: Alexander Gemignani (Jean Valjean), Norm Lewis (Javert), Daphne Rubin-Vega (Fantine), Gary Beach (Thenardier), Jenny Galloway (Mme Thenardier), Celia Kennan-Bolger (Eponine), Ali Ewoldt (Cosette), Adam Jacobs (Marius), Drew Sarich (u/s Enjolras)

Little Shop of Horrors - Encores! Off-Center-New York City Center, 2015-July-1 (Opening Night) (NYCG8R's video master)

Format: VOB + smalls (4.21 GB)

CAST: Jake Gyllenhaal (Seymour), Ellen Greene (Audrey), Joe Grifasi (Mushnik), Taran Killam (Orin), Eddie Cooper (Audrey II), Marva Hicks (Crystal), Ramona Keller (Ronnette), Tracy Nicole Chapman (Chiffon)

NOTES: Opening Night filmed from the very back of City Center, so there is some spotlight washout that's never too bad and a head that's shot well around.

Phantom Of the Opera - US Tour - August 12, 2015 (Unknown master)

FORMAT: VOBs w/ Smalls)

Chris Mann, Katie Travis, Storm Lineberger, Jacquelynne Fontaine, Edward Staudenmayer, David Benoit, Anne Kanengeiser, Frank Viveros, Morgan Cowling, Mark Emerson, Eric Ruiz, Edward Juvier, Dan Debenport, David Foley Jr., Allan Snyder, Christy Morton

Spider-Man - Turn off the Dark - Broadway - October 14, 2012

FORMAT: (VOBs)

CAST: Matthew James Thomas (alt. Peter Parker/Spiderman), Kristen Martin (u/s Mary Jane), Robert Cuccioli (Green Goblin), Katrina Lenk (Arachne).

NOTES: Post-Changes

The Book of Mormon - UK & Ireland Tour - 2019 (Rumpel's master-RARE)

FORMAT: .VOB (no smalls) (HD)

CAST: Kevin Douglas Clay (Elder Price), Connor Peirson (Elder Cunningham), Nicole-Lily Baisden (Nabulungi), Will Hawksworth (Elder McKinley), Ewen Cummins (Mafala Hatimbi), Thomas Vernal (General), David Brewis (Cunningham’s Dad), Tre Copeland-Williams (Doctor), Johnathan Tweedie (Prices Dad/Joseph Smith/Mission President), Cleopatra Isaac (Mrs Brown), Jemal Felix (Guard), Lukin Simmonds (Guard), Alex James-Hatton, David Brewis, Evan James, Fergal McGoff, George Crawford, Isaac Hesketh, Jed Berry

NOTES: One of the best videos of this show out there. Recorded from the right wing, doesn't miss any action. High quality video and excellent sound. Kevin is a very good Elder Price.

The Book of Mormon - Chicago - December 23, 2012 (SunsetBlvd79's master)

FORMAT:  VOB (with smalls) (HD)CAST: Nic Rouleau (Elder Price), Ben Platt (Elder Cunningham), Syesha Mercado (Nabulungi), Pierce Cassedy (Elder McKinley), James Vincent Meredith (Mafala Hatimbi), Christopher Shyer (Mission President), David Aron Damane (General)

The Book of Mormon - Broadway - March 1, 2011 (Preview) (NYCG8R's master)

FORMAT:  VOB (no smalls) (SD)

CAST: Andrew Rannells (Elder Price), Josh Gad (Elder Cunningham), Nikki M James (Nabulungi), Rory O’Malley (Elder McKinley), Michael Potts (Mafala Hatimbi), Lewis Cleale (Mission President)

Wicked - Broadway, 2013-May-12 (Lanelle's master)

Format:  M2TS (HD) - (24.02 GB)

CAST: Willemijn Verkaik (Elphaba), Katie Rose Clarke (Glinda), Kyle Dean Massey (Fiyero), Adam Grupper (The Wizard), Randy Danson (Madame Morrible), Catherine Charlebois (Nessarose), F Michael Haynie (Boq), John Schiappa (Doctor Dillamond)

NOTES: Filmed from the right orchestra, at a slight angle, but excellent quality. The taper originally released this as a blu-ray, 2-disc DVDs and 1-disc DVD, so make sure to get the version that best suits your needs.

Wicked - May 12, 2013 (Lanelle's master RIP WITH SUBS)

FORMAT: .MKV w/o Smalls, With English & Chinese Subtitles

CAST: Willemijn Verkaik (Elphaba), Katie Rose Clarke (Glinda), Kyle Dean Massey (Fiyero), Adam Grupper (The Wizard), Randy Danson (Madame Morrible), Catherine Charlebois (Nessarose), F Michael Haynie (Boq), John Schiappa (Doctor Dillamond)

NOTES: Warning- Moderate quality. Some quality of the original master has been lost through conversion from blue-ray to MKV. Has English and Chinese subtitles. Audio is great and video sometimes has some white-outs. 

Wicked - Broadway - January 2nd, 2015 (unknown master)

FORMAT: VOB w/o Smalls

CAST: Caroline Bowman (Elphaba), Kara Lindsay (Glinda), Matt Shingledecker (Fiyero), Tom McGowan (The Wizard), Kathy Fitzgerald (Madame Morrible), Robin de Jesus (Boq), Arielle Jacobs (Nessarose), Timothy Britten Parker (Dr. Dillamond)

NOTES: The camera moves a bit but follows the actors well. Some parts are a bit washed out but the audio is good. 

Wicked - Broadway, May 28, 2006 (Unkown master)

FORMAT: VOB w/o SmallsCAST: Eden Espinosa (Elphaba), Megan Hilty (Glinda) Derrick Williams (Fiyero), David Garrison (The Wizard), Carol Kane (Madame Morrible), Jenna Leigh Green (Nessarose)

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If you’re interested, please don’t hesitate to contact me! Like I said I would love any cats bootleg- especially the older ones in English and Dutch from like the 80′s till the 00′s. I am also looking for more diversity in my list- and I’m also looking for the classics- Dear Evan Hansen, Falsetto’s, some more Phantom Of the Opera, Mean Girls, Legally Blond, etc... 

[grant-hair]

Les Mis cast members wishing the show a happy birthday (Part 2 / ?)

HAPPY 33RD BIRTHDAY LES MIS

Birthday messages from former & current cast members (Part 1/?)

[esteliel]

Full casting has been announced for the all-star concert production of Les Misérables, which opens in the West End next month.

Joining the previously announced Michael Ball, Alfie Boe, John Owen-Jones, Carrie Hope Fletcher, Katy Secombe, Matt Lucas, Bradley Jaden and Rob Houchen will be Shan Ako and Lily Kerhoas.

Ako will take on the role of Eponine while Kerhoas plays Cosette in the show.

They will be joined by Rosanna Bates, Adam Bayjou, Ciarán Bowling, Simon Bowman, Oliver Brenin, Earl Carpenter, Vinny Coyle, Samantha Dorsey, Tamsin Dowsett, Nicola Espallardo, Celia Graham, Barnaby Hughes, Holly-Anne Hull, Oliver Jackson, Christopher Jacobsen, Gavin James, Will Jennings, Ciaran Joyce, Katie Kerr, Sarah Lark, Joanna Loxton, Craig Mather, Stephen Matthews, James Nicholson, Rosa O'Reilly, Claire Parrish, Sophie Reeves, Grainne Renihan, Leo Roberts, Raymond Walsh, Gemma Wardle and Andrew York.

The production, which will run in the Gielgud while the Les Misérables' customary home at the Queen's Theatre is renovated, will run from 10 August 2019 for 16 weeks until 30 November.

Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg's musical, adapted from the novel by Victor Hugo, will return to the Queen's Theatre, which will be renamed as the Sondheim Theatre in December 2019, where the newer 2009 staging of the production will be performed.

[oppaiokudasai]

The TSL's Horror Grindhouse: I Don't Want To Be Born (dir by Peter Sasdy)

The TSL’s Horror Grindhouse: I Don’t Want To Be Born (dir by Peter Sasdy)

“I don’t want to be born!” “That’s too bad, kid!  YOU’RE COMING OUT!” Now, admittedly, that dialogue is never heard in the 1975 British horror film, I Don’t Want To Be Born.  However, if I had heard that particularly exchange in this film, I would not have been surprised.  That’s just the type of movie that I Don’t Want To Be Born is.  It’s a thoroughly ludicrous, totally ridiculous movie and…

[paralleljulieverse]

It’s been a while between posts here at the Parallel Julieverse, but we have finally managed to clear a bit of time from work, life, and other such annoyances to get back to what really matters: all things Julie!  And in this post we highlight an interesting tidbit of trivia from late-1950 when Julie was appearing in Red Riding Hood at the Theatre Royal Nottingham, the subject of a recent 70th anniversary tribute post.

Although she had only just turned 15 when she was cast as the eponymous lead in Red Riding Hood, Julie Andrews was already an established juvenile star of considerable note. Her debut star-making turn as a 12-year-old child prodigy in Starlight Roof in 1947/48 garnered widespread media attention and it catapulted the young singer into a whirlwind period of touring performances, radio programmes, West End pantomimes, and even early television appearances. Julie’s subsequent casting as the resident singer in the hit BBC radio series, Educating Archie, augmented her fame further, bringing her voice into the sitting rooms of Britain on a weekly basis and making her a household name. 

With this growing renown came equally expanded opportunities for cross-promotional marketing such as celebrity endorsements and advertising. A particular variant of celebrity promotion popular in the era was the staged 'star visit’ or what today might be termed ‘celebrity event marketing’ (Segrave 2005). Here the star would be invited to appear at a particular event or special occasion as a way of boosting public and media interest, while serving in return as a form of value-adding PR for the star and his/her professional ventures. 

Julie was involved in several such ‘star visits’ during the three month run of Red Riding Hood. During rehearsals in mid-December 1950, she was invited as a VIP guest and honorary judge at the Annual Dance for Booth and Son, a major British apparel manufacturing company (‘Ilkeston’, 1). Around the same time, she paid a special visit to the Nazareth House for Children in Nottingham (‘Night’, 2), as well as the Borough Green Air Training Corps Cadets Open Night where “[p]art of the evening’s entertainment had to be cancelled in order to allow the enthusiastic younger generation to get her autograph” (‘Julie stopped’,  3). 

One of the more fascinating such events -- and the one that we profile here -- was a courtesy visit to famed music impresario, Lawrence Wright. Today, Wright is little remembered, save by a handful of theatre history enthusiasts, but he was a major figure in the British entertainment industry of the early twentieth century (Wright 1988). Popularly dubbed the ‘Daddy of Tin Pan Alley’ and the ‘Monarch of Melody’, Wright started as a music composer in his hometown of Leicester where, under the pseudonym of Horatio Nicholls, he penned a string of popular songs such as “Down by the Stream", “Blue Eyes”, “Toy Drum Major”, and “Among My Souvenirs” (‘Alley’s Daddy’, 3). 

Wright’s greatest success, however, came as a sheet music publisher and entertainment entrepreneur. In 1910, he chanced upon a catchy tune written by a local Leicester street singer called “Don’t Go Down the Mine, Daddy”. He promptly purchased the rights to the song and published it as part of his embryonic music company. A week after the song went on sale, there was a tragic mining disaster in Whitehaven in which 147 men and boys lost their lives. Recognising a potential marketing angle, Wright had a snipe printed across the top of the sheet music declaring that “Half the profits from the first ten thousand sold will go to the relief fund for the Whitehaven pit disaster” (Wright, 4). The song became a national sensation, selling over a million copies, and making Wright a small fortune. With the proceeds, he moved to London and set up shop as the ‘Lawrence Wright Music Company’ in Denmark Street, establishing what would become the city’s ‘Tin Pan Alley’.

Under the slogan, ‘You Can’t Go Wrong with the Wright Song’, Wright became the single biggest music publisher in the UK with an eventual catalogue of over 5000 songs which he leased to major theatre producers and singing artists of the day. In an era when many homes had a piano and singalongs in the parlour were a popular social pastime, Wright also sold his sheet music direct to the public through a nationwide chain of ‘Lawrence Wright Music Shops’. Ever the canny entrepreneur, Wright diversified his business holdings with a host of affiliate ventures. In 1926, he founded The Melody Maker, the first British periodical devoted to popular music, which remained in continuous publication right into the early-2000s. He launched a popular series of self-paced musical tutorials which taught a generation of young Britons how to play everything from the piano to the banjo. Wright also moved into theatre producing, mounting an annual summer revue, On With the Show at the North Pier Pavilion in Blackpool, which ran for 32 years and served as a showcase for many of the nation’s biggest variety acts (Wright 1988). 

One of Wright’s more legendary professional pursuits was in the area of entertainment publicity. An inveterate showman, he would do anything to advertise his latest song or business venture, often falling foul of the authorities with some of his more colourful efforts. To promote his 1927 song, “Me and Jane in a Plane”, he chartered a bi-plane to fly at low altitude around the Blackpool Tower, while Jack Hylton and his Band played the song on board and dropped advertising leaflets to the startled crowds below. He offered £1000 to anyone who could disprove the title of another Wright song, “I’ve Never Seen a Straight Banana”, with the result that Denmark Street was awash with truckloads of fruit sent in by eager contestants. And what better way to launch a tune called “Sahara” than to dress a bevy of beautiful blondes as Arabian princesses and ride them on camels around Piccadilly Circus (Wright, 11; ‘King’, 7).

Less extravagant, but no less important to his business success, was Wright’s promotional use of stars. Across his fifty year career, Wright forged key professional relationships with many leading musical artists of the day. He even married a star: variety singer and comedienne, Betsy Warren, in 1933, though their union ended in divorce after only a few years. More enduring were his collaborations with the scores of stars who sang his songs and appeared in his shows. In 1960 to mark his 50th year in show business, Melody Maker published a special golden anniversary tribute to Wright that was brimming with congratulatory greetings from a cavalcade of stars old and new: everyone from George Formby, Jack Payne, and Billy Cotton to Harry Secombe, Connie Francis, and Frankie Vaughan (Wright, 18).

It was in this context that 15-year-old Julie Andrews found herself paying a promotional ‘star visit’ to Lawrence Wright in late 1950. The precise circumstances surrounding the visit are unknown. The young singer had an existing professional relationship of sorts with Wright, having included several of his songs in her concert repertoire such as “The Dream of Olwen” and “I Heard a Robin Singing”. Indeed, an article in the trade press from this time makes mention of Julie in relation to a newly published Wright number, “The Song of the Tritsch Tratsch” which she had started to perform in some of her concerts and, she was quoted as saying, it “always gets a grand reception” (‘Song Notes’, 4). Another likely influence behind the visit was Tom Arnold, the producer of Red Riding Hood. Arnold was a close business associate of Wright’s and one suspects he may have been instrumental in engineering the visit as a way of promoting his panto. Either way, at some point in November/December 1950, Julie dutifully trotted off to Wright’s office where, with photographers conveniently on hand, the young “panto starlet” was received by the impresario and what press reports termed a chorus of “his stars”.

It is this “chorus of stars” that makes the visit especially interesting from a theatre history perspective. While the names of the five female stars assembled to greet Julie may not ring many bells today, they were all celebrated theatrical luminaries of their day:

Carole Lynne (1918-2008): A glamorous actress and singer of the 1940s, Lynne starred in a string of big West End musicals including Black Velvet (1939), Old Chelsea (1943) opposite Richard Tauber, and a revival of Jill Darling (1945). She also appeared in a number of wartime comedy films such as Ghost Train (1941) and Asking For Trouble (1942) with Max Miller. In 1946, Lynne married famed theatre impresario, Lord Bernard Delfont -- the brother of Sir Lew Grade who would play a major role in Julie’s career -- and, after retiring from the stage in the early 50s, she became  a prominent society hostess and patron to many theatre charities (’Carole Lynne’, 62).

Dorothy Ward (1890-1987): A noted beauty of the Edwardian stage, Ward rose to prominence in West End operettas such as The Dairymaids (1906) and Tom Jones (1907). She achieved her greatest fame, however, as a dashing pantomime Principal Boy, appearing in over 40 pantos across her 50 year career. In many of these shows, she played opposite her husband, Shaun Glenville, a noted panto Dame, and few Christmases passed without the pair “on the same stage, he in skirts and she in tights” ( ‘Obituary: Miss Dorothy Ward’, 14).

Marie Burke (1894-1988): A singer of remarkable versatility, Burke originally trained for an operatic career but found her niche in the lighter fields of operetta and musical theatre. She made a high profile debut as Isolde in Charles Cochran’s controversial 1919 production of Afgar, after which she spent several years touring in the United States and Australia. Burke had her greatest stage success playing the part of Julie in the premiere London production of Show Boat (1928). Thereafter, she headlined several major operettas including the London premiere of Waltzes from Vienna (1931-32) and its Broadway transfer as The Great Waltz (1934), and Don Juan de Mañara (1937) at Covent Garden. Burke had an equally successful screen career, appearing in over 70 films and TV programmes from the teens till the 1970s (‘Obituary: Marie Burke’, 12).

Patricia Burke (1917-2003) : The daughter of Marie, Patricia Burke was born in the proverbial trunk while her mother and father, tenor Tom Burke, were on a concert tour in Milan. Inevitably, she took to the boards herself as a teen, singing and dancing her way to fame in a string of West End musical successes of the 1930s -- with more than a few Julie connections. She made her professional debut in the 1933 premiere of Cole Porter’s Nymph Errant starring Gertrude Lawrence and later appeared alongside Beatrice Lillie in Happy Returns (1938). One of her greatest West End successes was as the female lead in The Lisbon Story (1943), a show which introduced the popular standard, “Pedro, the Fisherman” which Julie would later record. Following the war, Burke made an unexpected move into 'legit’ theatre, playing the female lead opposite Trevor Howard in a well received 1946 Old Vic production of The Taming of the Shrew, followed with a number of other equally high profile performances in classics such as As You Like It (1948), Jonson’s The Alchemist (1948) and Shaw’s Saint Joan (1948). Burke never forgot her popular roots, though, and she continued to alternate dramatic roles with musicals and pantos, as well as appearances in film and TV programmes (‘Patricia Burke’, p. 44). 

Marjorie Browne (1910-1990): Another popular performer of the mid-century, Browne started her career in the mid-twenties as one of producer Charles Cochran’s ‘Young Lady’ beauties, scoring a major success in his revue One Damn Thing After Another (1927). Browne went on to perform widely in hit West End shows such as On Your Toes (1937) and Chu Chin Chow (1940), as well as touring productions of Rose Marie (1942-3), Hit the Deck (1944) and Good Night Vienna (1946). She also appeared in a number of British film musicals of the 30s and 40s including Lassie from Lancashire (1938), Laugh It Off (1940) co-starring Tommy Trinder, and I Didn’t Do It (1945) with George Formby. 

It was, thus, quite the illustrious welcoming committee on hand to receive our young Julie. And, as much as the visit was a factitious PR event staged for the cameras by the ever-wily Lawrence Wright, there is still something deeply moving about its symbolic enactment of a generational passing of the theatrical torch. As representatives of the outgoing old guard, the five grand stars stand at the rear, poised with the confidence of a lifetime’s experience, charging their glasses in warm salute to the rising star of the next generation. That the women are bedecked with the emblematic accoutrements of mid-century celebrity -- furs, coiffure, champagne -- while, in the foreground, an adolescent Julie -- perched rather awkwardly on the corner of the desk, lanky legs akimbo -- is garbed in a homey juvenile ensemble of woollen coat, tartan skirt, ankle socks and Mary Janes -- cradling that perennial icon of cosy British domesticity, a cup of tea -- only adds to the symbolic poignancy.

By 1950, the tide was also starting to ebb for Lawrence Wright. Musical tastes were changing and audiences were fast moving on from the fireplace singalongs and end-of-pier entertainments with which he had built his career. A few short years later, he would stage his final summer revue in Blackpool in 1956, going into semi-retirement before passing in 1964 at age 76. His voluminous catalogue of songs, however, would endure. Prized as a valuable commercial property, the Lawrence Wright catalogue has been owned, at various times, by the Beatles and Michael Jackson, before being bought up by the Universal Music group (Horn, 595). 

As a final Julie connection, years after her 1950 ‘star visit’ to the great man himself, Julie would once again sing a Lawrence Wright song when, as Gertrude Lawrence in the 1968 musical biopic, STAR!, she performed the classic WW1 music hall number, “Burlington Bertie from Bow”. Wright had purchased the rights to "Burlington Bertie” when it was first written in 1914 and it would remain a valuable possession of his corporate trunk. Even though “Burlington Bertie” was not in fact a song ever performed by Gertrude Lawrence, it perfectly captured the flavour of Edwardian music hall and provided an ideal showcase for Julie’s combined vocal and comic talents. The song was also something of a personal favourite for Julie. She had recorded the song previously for her 1962 album of music hall standards, and had even shared the stage in the late-40s with the original “Burlington Bertie” herself, the legendary Ella Shields (Andrews, 116). Julie’s performance of “Burlington Bertie” in STAR! would prove a highlight of that otherwise troubled film and she would continue to perform the number in concert well into the 1980s, proving indeed that “you can’t go wrong with a Wright song”!

Sources:

‘Alley’s Daddy Dead’, 1964. The Stage and Television Today, 21 March: 3.

Andrews, Julie. 2019. Home Work: A memoir of my Hollywood years. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson.

D.G. 1964. ‘The King is Dead. Long Live the King!’, The Illustrated Chronicle. 22 May: 7.

Heyes, Joy 1991. ‘Obituary: Marjorie Browne.’ The Stage and Television Today, 21 February: 30.

Horn, David 2004.  ‘Lawrence Wright Music Company’ in J. Shepherd et al, eds. Continuum Encyclopedia of Popular Music of the World : Media, industry, society. London: Continuum, pp. 594-95.

 ‘Ilkeston Firm’s Event’, 1950. The Nottingham Evening Post. 16 December: 1.

‘Julie stopped the show at cadet’s open night.’ 1950. The Chronicle and Advertiser. 15 December: 3.

“Night of their Lives: Children at panto. dress rehearsal’, 1950. The Nottingham Evening Post. 23 December: 2.

’Carole Lynne: Glamorous actress and musical theatre star who as Lady delfont became one of London’s leading theatrical hostesses’ 2008. The Times, 22 January: p. 62.

‘Obituary: Marie Burke’ 1988. The Times, 23 March: p.12

‘Obituary: Miss Dorothy Ward’ 1987. The Times, 22 January: p. 14.

‘Patricia Burke: Thirties musical star who proved her range with Shakespearean roles, but retained a love of pantomime.’ 2003, The Times, 27 November: p. 44. 

Segrave, Kerry, 2005. Endorsements in Advertising: A social history. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland.

‘Song Notes’ 1950. The Stage. 16 November, p. 4.

Wright, Lawrette, 1988. Lawrence Wright: Souvenirs for a century. Chards: Matthews Wright Press.

Copyright © Brett Farmer 2021

[jail-pat]

Final cast announced for concert

As rehearsals begin for Les Misérables -The Staged Concert, Cameron Mackintosh introduces Shan Akoand Lily Kerhoas who complete the principal casting as Éponine and Cosette respectively.  They join the previously announced Michael Ball as Javert, Alfie Boe as Jean Valjean, Carrie Hope Fletcher as Fantine, Matt Lucas as Thénardier, Rob Houchen as Marius, Bradley Jaden as Enjolras, Katy Secombe as Madame Thénardier and, for three performances a week, John Owen-Jones as Jean Valjean.

This spectacular staging of the legendary concert, with a company of over 65, will run from 10 August – 30 November 2019 at the intimate Gielgud Theatre, next door to the home of Les Misérables at the recently re-named Sondheim Theatre, previously the Queen’s.

The company also includes Rosanna Bates, Adam Bayjou, Ciaran Bowling, Simon Bowman, Oliver Brenin, Earl Carpenter, Vinny Coyle, Samantha Dorsey, Tamsin Dowsett, Nicola Espallardo, Celia Graham, Barnaby Hughes, Holly-Anne Hull, Oliver Jackson, Christopher Jacobsen, Gavin James, Will Jennings, Ciaran Joyce, Katie Kerr, Sarah Lark, Joanna Loxton, Craig Mather, Stephen Matthews, James Nicholson, Rosa O’Reilly, Claire Parrish, Sophie Reeves, Grainne Renihan, Leo Roberts, Raymond Walsh, Gemma Wardle and Andrew York.

Les Misérables‘’ much celebrated score includes the songs I Dreamed a Dream, On My Own, Stars, Bring Him Home, Do You Hear the People Sing?, One Day More, Empty Chairs at Empty Tables, Master Of The House and many more.

Les Misérables is written by Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg and is based on the novel by Victor Hugo. It has music by Claude-Michel Schönberg, lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer and original French text by Alain Boublil and Jean-Marc Natel with additional material by James Fenton and adaptation by Trevor Nunnand John Caird.

Produced on stage by Cameron Mackintosh, Les Misérables is the world’s longest running musical now in its 35th year in London.  Produced on screen also by Mackintosh (along with Working Title and Universal), Les Misérables is now the most successful movie of an original stage musical.  The new production of Les Misérables, with a separate company, is currently on a sold-out international tour which has recently been extended to Autumn 2020.

[thewidowstanton]

Archive feature 2012: ‘Mr Follow Spot’, Linford Hudson

Following this year’s Olivier Awards when Linford Husdon’s lengthy career received special recognition, we thought we’d mark the occasion by posting this feature. I was lucky enough to be shown behind the scenes at the London Palladium by him and to stand on the famous stage while he shone his light on me. He’d deiblerately left me in the eyrie, that is the follow-spot room to see if I could find my way back down. Luckily, I bumped into someone who knew the way!

By Liz Arratoon

It can only be The Mousetrap that’s had a longer West End run than Linford Hudson, who next October will have worked at the London Palladium for 50 years. Slim and dapper, the softly spoken British Jamaican is the historic venue’s elder statesman, and describes it as “my theatre, my home”. Its Hall of Fame, lined with photos and ephemera of past and present stars, reads like his personal CV. He knows every crevice of the building, even pointing out a tiny nick he made in a wall when he first arrived to record his height.

Linford came to the UK on September 9, 1963. It might have been traumatic to leave his island home and hit the capital in the Swinging Sixties, but he loved it. He’d watch TV’s Sunday Night at the London Palladium with his mother and walk past the Drury Lane and Aldwych theatres after school, taking in the scene. “I loved the hype of it all, the little lights flashing and dancers dancing, and kept going back. It was glamorous.” Just a month later, he saw an advert in the Evening Standard for a job at the Palladium and knew it was his way into a world that already entranced him. “It was for a pageboy. I came along and they employed me and I’m here still.”

He’d show people to the boxes and take messages or mail to management and artists. At 18, they said he’d grown too tall, but something better lay ahead. He explains: “When I was a pageboy I’d go up to the bio box [follow-spot room] in my break to look around and watch the shows because theatre was my first love. Mr Peter King, who was in charge of the limes, didn’t mind and said he’d teach me. I never looked back.”

But things were very different then. One of the hardest things to learn was the lethal carbon arcs; the red-hot carbon rods he had to put together to create a flame, which shone through a reflector and two lenses on to the stage. “They’d last 28 or 30 minutes. You’d have to turn them off and change them over with pliers in about six seconds without burning the theatre down, because we had a wooden floor then.” Linford laughs off the scars on his wrists, saying: “I could do it blindfold.” They also gave off noxious fumes and he had an allowance for milk, which supposedly neutralised the effects.

Another thing he had to learn was the feeling, the finesse of the lights, making the movement of the iris – the pin spot – smooth. “You have to fade it. Once you can feel a song, after a while you get used to it. I conquered it because Mr King was a very good teacher.” For example when someone such as Shirley Bassey lifted her arms, hit a high note and took a bow, he’d have to be ready to capture it down to her fingertips.

The equipment obviously advanced with time, and Linford reels off its technical details. Every spotlight – and there are about 20 types; German, Japanese, American Super Troupers, English and French – has its own sights, which he doesn’t use because “it can make you late on a cue. When you have artists going off and others coming on, there isn’t time to fade off and pick up again.” The huge lights give off incredible heat, which in summer is almost unbearable, but despite such hardships, and spurred on to succeed by a racist insult from another staff member, he mastered the job easily.

He has since lit show after show and everyone who was or is anyone. When asked to name his favourite or greatest star – maybe Josephine Baker who “still had an amazing physique and voice in her 70s”, Ella Fitzgerald or Judy Garland, whom he lit but never met – he’s slightly nonplussed. “That’s the biggest question because I’ve worked with them all. You find nice people, you find miserable people. Roy Castle was a brilliant guy, Frankie Vaughan (pictured above) was brilliant, Harry Secombe… the old boys were brilliant people. I can name names right down the line… Ethel Merman, Bette Davis, so many wonderful artists, man. Better Midler was fun to work with, Debbie Reynolds when she came with Carrie Fisher was brilliant, but my favourite lady, who I call my English rose, was Julie Andrews. Charming!”

The list is endless, and though the father of six and grandfather of ten stopped collecting autographs for a while because his kids kept taking them, he held on to Frank Sinatra’s. He remembers heady times when he was earning £12 a week and Sinatra sent his bodyguard with a massive £1,000 tip to share with the crew. “I worked with Frank here, at the Albert Hall and Festival Hall but you couldn’t get close to him. With Sammy [Davis Jr] it was different.” They’d go to London’s Playboy Club together and Sammy, always known as a big spender, would throw parties for everyone in the Palladium bar and take them and their families to events such as a new James Bond film.

Though known as Mr Follow Spot, he’s been much more than that. “I’ve been a plumber, carpenter, electrician and follow-spot operator here. I love rigging. I’d climb along very long trusses without a harness in the old days. It kept me fit,” he says, grinning. Down the years, Linford has also worked in TV and film, lighting Live at the Apollo and movies such as My Life with Marilyn. He’s worked with all the Royal Family; the Queen Mother, the Queen, Princess Margaret, Prince Charles and Diana, Princess of Wales on Symphony for the Spire at Salisbury Cathedral, and spent three days preparing and lighting her funeral at Westminster Abbey, which he says was “an honour”.

He’s lit 41 Royal Variety Performances – more than anyone else ever – and counting. “That show is the show,” he says, “All the people in the theatre business want to work on it. I missed a couple but all those boys at the Coliseum are my pupils. I taught at the National Theatre and the BBC. Everywhere I go, someone wants me to teach them, and I’ve been doing it for 25 or 30 years so I can pass it on.” His legacy to the business is indeed huge.

Now 66, the Palladium has told him to take a break, meaning his minimum 12-hour days are down to a more reasonable eight. “They invented a job for me, so I still come in and take pride in the building I love. It’s magnificent. It’s given me a very good living and taken care of my family. I’ve no regrets. Once I perfected my work everyone gave me jobs… the 02, Wembley Arena. When there’s a big show, they call for me. I’m semi-retired but when they call I still go and do it.”

It’s doubtful anyone in the business can imagine the Palladium without Linford, but he says should that time come, the theatre will be in safe hands. Its lighting team of Danny Turner, George Antoniu and Chris Barstow is headed by chief electrician Dave Draude, whom Linford describes as “a brilliant guy, brilliant knowledge, brilliant brain. He’s very good at his job. His boys are brilliant too, and will take care of this place for me. All my friends have moved and my teachers have passed away but I’m glad I can walk out of the building and know everything will be all right.”

This feature first appeared in The Stage in 2012

[zippocreed501]

Peter Brough and Archie Andrews - a ventriloquist act on the radio.

Educating Archie was a huge success for the BBC in the fifties and provided a showcase for future stars such as Tony Hancock, Dick Emery, Benny Hill, Hattie Jacques, Bruce Forsyth, Harry Secombe, Max Bygraves, Beryl Reid and a young Julie Andrews.

[ekatsky]

Night Time Diary 2021 Synthetic polymer paint on plastic paper 700 x 90 cm 

ARTIST STATEMENT sometimes I write while dreaming the night rushes through along my ceiling a thought comes pouring as a flood, no stopping turning inside me like an animal that writes like I would do sometimes

Exhibited as part of BLUE TOO at Wayout, Kandos 

27 February - 11 April 2021

MAPBM artists explore notions of blue through painting, drawing, video, photography, sculpture, installations and performance. Artists: Susan Andrews, M Bozzec, Sarah Breen Lovett, Cinzia Cremona, Tom Isaacs, Beata Geyer, Lynn Godfree, Anne Graham, Yvette Hamilton, Kenneth Lambert, Tom Loveday, Fleur MacDonald, Ro Murray and Mandy Burgess, Naomi Oliver, Katya Petetskaya, Janet Reinhardt, Alan Schacher, Ebony Secombe, Regine Wagner, Rebecca Waterstone, Miriam Williamson and Brad Allen-Waters Curated by Beata Geyer

[capitanogiorgio]

ultimate q&a for theatre kids : tous les nombres pairs :)

2. favorite character in your favorite musical? 

WELL, to be fair I’d have to choose just one (1) favourite musical to answer that. Let’s choose Notre Dame de Paris and that’d be Gringoire.

4. favorite character in your favorite play? 

Cyrano obviously

6. what’s a role you’d like to play that you’d never be able to? 

Hmm... Given my built I usually end up with roles of soldiers/fighters, someone who fights basically and I’d like a more layered role than just the “muscles” “fight before think” roles.

8. do you like hamilton? 

Yes I do

10. how do you feel about hyped up shows like hamilton, les mis, and rent? 

I love the three quoted above and I’m fed up with people saying people who are utter fans of “hyped up” musicals are “fake fans”. You don’t have to know or love an obscure show that most of fans don’t even have access with because classismTM to be a real fans and this mindset needs to stop asap. Of course I’d like shows like Hadestown or The Secret Garden or Chess or LOTR (yes) to be more loved, to be more known. But at the end of the day we’re all musicals fans here whether you prefer the most recent, modern, rock/pop musicals or you prefer Golden Age musicals.

12. what award should there be that isn’t? 

Actual french awards for musicals and not just “best musical” at the Molières. There is the Trophées de la Comédie Musicale but people barely know about it and we need something like this in France to promote musicals.

14. have you ever been paid to act onstage or on camera? 

I got a chocolate box once to fill in a additional role an hour before opening but otherwise no. Only amateur

16. favorite stage actress? 

Uuuuuuuuuuuugh I don’t know... I can’t choose

18. favorite show currently or recently running? 

Does Chess counts since there was a production of it at the Kennedy Center in Feb ????? Nah kidding. Well I LOVED Great Comet. I know it exists since 2013 but it’s Broadway production was very recent so that’s why I put it here. And like Josh Groban def need to be on Broadway more often. For very recent musicals I haven’t seen them but I really like the songs I heard from Eugenius and The Grinning Man. I would have loved seeing them ! Y’all should give them a listen !!! Also for french musicals, I really liked Oliver Twist le Musical, give them a listen

20. who should host the tony’s next year? 

It was announced Josh Groban and Sara Bareilles would be the next host. I love Josh and I’m really curious how he’s gonna handle it. I don’t know much about Sara Bareilles though. So for next year ? Idk. Hugh Jackman ? Julie Andrews for the pure fabulousness of it ?

22. what’s your opinion on movies turned into musicals? 

Depends on how it’s done ? I’m excluding the Disneys here because they were already musical movie. Sooo... For example, the Billy Elliott musical is just utterly brilliant, I love it. Or same for Tanz Der Vampire but it can sometimes prove hard to turn a movie in a good musical.

24. do you have an opinion on american psycho? 

I was asked this question the last time I reblogged it I think and my answer is still the same : none. I haven’t read it, I haven’t seen it.

26. what role would you like to see your favorite actor play? 

AHAHAH !  Again I’d have to chooose only one (1) favourite actor. Tbqh, when will Jeremy Secomb be principal Phantom ? Thanks for coming to my TED Talk.

28. dramatic plays or comedies? 

Both ?

30. neil patrick harris or james corden? 

Josh Groban

32. create a show mash-up and explain the plot (ex: legally todd = sweeney todd + legally blonde) 

The Sound of Chess : Widow Freddie Trumper meets Anatoly Sergievski, the new governess of his kids. Though strict with the education of his kids (doing exactly what his father did with him) Freddie is soon won over by Anatoly through his connection to the kids thanks to Chess and learning russian. They love each other, they’re gay, the end, thank you.

34. how do you feel about musicals using other artists’ music? 

Why not ? It can be an easy introduction to musicals for peolpe who are not really musical fans ? Like for example my dad just loves Mamma Mia! and it’s one of the only movies we both like, having different tastes and he tries to understand a bit more of my passion to musicals thanks to it.

36. favorite show you’ve been in? 

Dunsinane, by David Greig. I played like ten different roles since there were a lot and we were like 13, so it was stressing but I loved it, it was nice to have different characters to play, having fun with costume changes and finding tricks to change my appearance. And also because our director was very talented and also very demanding and I learned a very great deal with her.

38. television or stage acting? 

They’re completely different. But I prefer the thrill of the one-chance-every-night-is-different that stage acting gives.

40. if you could see one show on broadway or west end, what would it be? 

Great Comet (I’d need a time machine for that). Otherwise Hamilton, so that I can finally see it live.

42. are musical sequels okay? 

Well, Love Never Dies pretty much made it clear why they shouldn’t

44. have you ever had a crush on a character from a show? 

LMAO happens all the time x) !

46. did you like grease live? 

I did. It was quite nice. Nothing to die for but a funny and enjoyable “production”.

48. what show do you desperately want your school/community to do? 

Well for that, we’d need French schools to actually give a fuck about dramatic arts and just arts in general. Otherwise, since I’m an assistant in England, I’d like to see Be More Chill ? That could be fun.

50. would you rather design the set, direct the show, or help with effects? 

I’m rubbish at drawing and stuff so designing is out of the question. Either direct or help with effects.

THANKS FOR THE QUESTIONS