Half A Sixpence - Kicking Things Off!

A pile of coats lies gently steaming in the corner of the rehearsal room as I enter, thoroughly drenched by the glorious British Summer time, for the first day of rehearsals for Half A Sixpence. We’re rehearsing at a brilliant place in the London Bridge area called the Jerwood Space. Large light rooms, great acoustics and Dame Judi Dench as the voice of the lift. I kid you not. It’s theatrical heaven. There are witticisms on the walls, a lovely little café and even an art gallery – it’s well worth a visit should you get chance - and for the next five or so weeks it’s going to be the launchpad for our brand new version of Half A Sixpence written by the incredible team of Julian Fellowes, George Stiles and Anthony Drewe.

Familiar faces accost me almost immediately. Some I know from working at Chichester before on Love Story, some I’m currently working with on Mrs Henderson Presents (as I’m doubling up until June 18^th!) and some are friends from my time working as a temp in the offices of Cameron Mackintosh Ltd. But that’s a whole other story…

We grab our coffees and croissants, throw our coats on the pile of drying outerwear, and head upstairs to the enormous main rehearsal space we’ll be using, where the air is buzzing excitedly. Almost 100 people from all areas of the production pile into the room, which has already been laid out with a large ring of chairs ready for the script read. We form a circle two people deep because of the numbers, and slowly go round announcing who we are and what our relationship is to the show. By the fortieth person I’ve already forgotten where we started and am thinking about campaigning for name badges. Even the headshot sheet I have of the cast isn’t a massive amount of help, as we rarely look exactly like our photos!

Rehearsal clothing? 'Corset' is!

Speeches from outgoing Artistic Director of Chichester Festival Theatre, Jonathan Church, and co-producer Sir Cameron Mackintosh follow, and Cameron explains to us quite why Half A Sixpence is not only important to him but everyone in the room. The original show was a catalyst in his meeting Stiles and Drewe, who are providing new music and lyrics to sit alongside the well-known tunes in this revised production and as we sit down to read and sing through the show, with Julian Fellowes’ brilliant new text, it feels like a deliciously new and exciting rendering of an old favourite.

The cast are reading aloud these scenes and songs for the first time, as much of the material has been revised since our auditions. We’re sight-reading from scores that are still slightly damp from the printer and it’s terrifying and exhilarating. You’re trying to do your best with text that’s unfamiliar and yet it’s so easy to get caught up in the story and watch, rather than read, that one of two times we miss cues for being enthralled by our fellow performers. At the ‘interval’, as it were, Julian gives us a couple of pronunciation notes and we hastily scribble these down, grabbing a quick refill before act two commences.

I have a feeling I’ll be 87% caffeine for most of the next few days as I try and get to grips with my new character, like most of the cast. Rehearsing any show is hard work but creating a brand new show, particularly based on something incredibly well-loved by the public, has a whole other set of challenges and it will require immense determination, dedication and creativity from everyone involved. By lunchtime we start to get a sense of the task ahead of us and burst into the fresh air to clear our heads and replenish our energy for the afternoon session, which will commence with the model box showing.

I LOVE a model box. Truly. They’re the grown up, theatrical equivalent of dolls houses in many ways. Miniature versions of the set and characters in exquisite detail, which are used to demonstrate to the company how a show is going to look without having to spend a fortune on a full scale untested version. Designer Paul Brown’s beautiful set is awash with resplendent colour and historical touches which conjure up a real sense of early 1900’s Folkestone, where the show is set. Indeed Rachel Kavanaugh, our director, and Paul took trips to Folkestone for inspiration whilst they were developing ideas for the production.

Tiny reams of fabric from Salford's Bazaar.

Along with the sets, Paul is also designing the costumes and displays some of his stunning artwork to give us a sense of the piece, each design beautifully rendered in watercolour and ink on parchment. It will be amazing to see these designs come to life over the next few weeks. For now we are restricted to basic rehearsal corsets and skirts to at least give a sense of how it will feel to walk, sing and especially dance, in such restrictive clothing compared to our modern day garb.

The afternoon is rounded off by a singing session with Graham Hurman, our Musical Director. Although many of the cast were involved in group audition calls, this is the first time Graham gets to hear all of our voices together. The score is frequently sung in 4 and 6 part harmony so the most important thing is to designate those parts appropriately. It’s a gentle process of balancing out the sounds and Graham takes his time until we are all placed into a group which makes the most of our vocal qualities, whilst also ensuring covers don’t have to learn several different singing tracks. It’s difficult enough having to play a different role but having to swap vocal parts can be extremely tricky even at the best of times!

At the end of the first day, we roll out into London overwhelmed and shattered and that’s before Choreographer Andrew Wright has starting putting us through our paces physically! There’s a lot to do but with the right amount of graft we’ll get it done in a Flash (Bang, Wallop)!

A Jerwood Space bit of wit and wisdom!

Half A Sixpence.... Pre-Rehearsals

'Twas The Night Before Sixpence...

'Twas the night before Sixpence and all through the house

Not a sound could be heard, bar the click of a mouse 

The actress is sat with computer and tea,

Perusing a train timetable up on the screen.

Her script and her score, freshly printed and bound

Lie open and waiting 'side her on the ground,

As with dozens of markers, in every shade,

She carefully inks in the scribbles she's made,

And highlights her lines, before heading to bed.

Tomorrow she'll put voice to words only read!

There'll be full cast and comp'ny, creatives and crew

Designers, wigs, wardrobe, a producer or two

And we'll meet and we'll greet, drink a coffee and hence

Sit down for the first read of Half a Sixpence.

A model box showing will follow the pages,

(That's the set but displayed on the tiniest of stages)

Then after lunch, dancing, singing and more,

Making notes in the script, learning notes from the score.

And before too long we'll all head Chichester way

To present them a classic told in a new play.

Anticipation is brooding, adventures are dawning,

Set the alarm for an exciting morning!

Rehearsal bag set, stuffed with dance shoes and kit, 

Packed lunch and snacks for an energy hit.  

But just as she's ready, butterflies in her tummy,

First day nerves still seem to make her feel funny.

Go to bed, try to sleep, close your eyes, dream and thence,

You will wake all refreshed to start Half a Sixpence!

Huff Blog 19 - AGYG

It's a Sunday afternoon and I am full of Sunday roast and curled on the sofa in a friend's London flat as I write what will be my final blog (for now) for the Huffington Post. It hasn't quite sunk in yet that the show is over - come 7:30pm on Tuesday I'll probably be feeling thoroughly lost and more than a little bereft! This week Annie Get Your Gun played its final week of the (slightly curtailed) UK Tour at the fabulous not-quite-West-End-but-still-London New Wimbledon Theatre. It has been a week of wonderful highs and heartbreaking sadness as we bid farewell to the Wild West and what has been an incredible five months as a company.

As ever this week has been somewhat hectic. Although there are no further tour venues to visit  there's still been press and events to do, including a fabulous sing-a-long event hosted in the theatre on the final day, which I took great pleasure in popping along to. Hearing fifteen total strangers singing the Berlin songs that have become so very familiar to me, was both thrilling and a little sobering. It's always interesting to hear how someone else interprets a piece of material, especially one as famous as 'There's No Business Like Showbusiness' but maybe it ultimately proved a little cathartic too. That commencement of handing Annie back over to other people now she is no longer mine, I suppose

It has still been a week of fun and frolics though with many a friend and family member in, and several industry folk too. The tour hoodies arrived and were worn with pride backstage and on Friday evening our end of tour party took place at the lovely Hot Pink Healthy Grill, across the road from the theatre. Whilst scoffing grilled halloumi and chicken skewers (and supping on many a delicious milkshake), we seated ourselves for the first (and possibly only) Annual Annie Awards! Annies - trophies made of tiny cowboys and logo decorated plinths - were handed out based on our voting forms from the past few weeks. Sexiest Cowboy or Cowgirl was won by the gorgeous Jonny Godbold, Tour Quote went to Jason Donovan and his perpetual 'Ma, Ma, MAAA' and I personally picked up the Large Lungs award for my long note in 'Anything You Can Do' which topped out at 43 seconds it seems!

Awards over, we watched a fabulous montage of videos and photos put together by Swing extraordinaire Ste Clough, which I'm sure will be sent out to everyone over the next few weeks. It was a bittersweet end to what has been an amazing job, to see so many wonderful memories all together side by side. I have made some astonishing friends on this production and forged what will hopefully be life long friendships. Although working on this production has been incredible, it is the people that have made it truly special and this team have certainly been one of the best I've ever had the opportunity of working with.

Saturday's final shows seemed to speed by unbearably fast and all too soon we were taking those final bows. I'm not ashamed to admit that I was a sobbing, snivelling heap at that moment, and I certainly wasn't the only one. As we linked arms for that final kickline you could hear the tears in our voices singing 'Showbusiness' one last time. 'There's no people like show people' we chorused, 'they smile when they are low...' Collectively we pulled our arms tightly together, collectively we dug deep and collectively we felt that smile firmly fix itself to our faces and grinned for all we were worth, tears rolling freely down our cheeks. In the wings afterwards we sobbed openly, hugging each other close, thankful for the experience.

So with a wry smile I must go 'home and hang up my gun as I ain't the champeen no more', to paraphrase Ms Oakley. I have had the most superlative and remarkable time playing this sharpshooting woman. She's taught me so much, not least about myself, reasserted my confidence and brought out a side of my voice I never knew I had. I've loved each and every minute of this show - from conquering my fear of heights, to learning how to clay pigeon shoot and even fighting through a show with food poisoning. I'm so very grateful that there is absolutely no business like show business.... so until next time, let's go on with the show. 

Huff Blog 18 - AGYG

There is a tangible sense of finality in the air around the company of Annie Get Your Gun. This week we have been visiting the beautiful green and gold auditorium of the Theatre Royal in Glasgow, our penultimate venue. Additionally this is also the final venue that most people will have to be 'on the road' for as next week we are in the warm embrace of London's New Wimbledon Theatre and those that can, most certainly will be commuting from home. 

Glasgow has also been one of the most distant venues that we've visited on this whistle-stop tour of the UK. With the impending Scottish referendum, it's possible that the next time any of us play this theatre it will be on entirely different grounds. The political spark throughout Glasgow during our visit has made for an interesting and thought-provoking week featuring many a lively debate and lustily thrust leaflet, but the audiences have been just as responsive as ever, if not more so. I put this down to the Scots loving a feisty lass - and Annie Oakley certainly is that!

However, as we head into our final week and our final eight shows, the past five months are beginning to take their toll. It's a truth stranger than fiction that teachers, for example, only ever get sick during holiday time. No matter how well they look after themselves through the term, fighting off every bug known to man with aplomb, they will, without fail, be stuck with a summer cold throughout the entire sunshine season, which will only clear up a few days before term restarts. It's a similar thing with theatre-folk, the week after we finish a job of any kind, we all get sick!

I put this down predominantly to the fact that you spend so long ensuring you're fit and well enough to do your job, that the minute your body gets wind of a potential break, it seizes it wholeheartedly. Following my vocal rest in Brighton, this week saw attacks of gastroenteritis, colds and severe migraine resulting in swing and understudy bible central. It wasn't until Friday evening that we had a complete show again, and much kudos must be given to everyone who made sure that the production went ahead faultlessly despite these factors. Now that we're into single digits, nobody wants to miss any more performances.

With that end in sight, and a fortuitous surprise visit from my parents, I took the opportunity to lug my ever-expanding tour suitcases home to Yorkshire before I hit London again with something more manageable for the week. It's astonishing how much you can accumulate in such a short space of time, and also how much you find you've merely dragged from place to place and not used! As I sit here writing this on iPad Mark 2 (following a literally smashing incident the other week), I am surrounded by the chaotic jumble of no less than three suitcases. My kit box on the truck now contains only my make-up bag, steamer and cards... plus some Annie Get Your Gun bunting we stole from Aylesbury (ssshhh)! Hopefully this way I can finish the production and return to the North without dragging another five tonnes behind me. I mean, even I can't buy that many pairs of shoes in a week.

Unpacking has however proved therapeutic to some degree; rediscovering things I'd forgotten that I'd picked up on our travels and learning how little you really do need to get by. The past five months have made me some wonderful memories and some even more wonderful friends, but we're not over yet - there are eight more Wild West wonders to hit the bullseye with. Packed houses beckon, filled with friends, family and familiar industry folk and then there's the end of tour party to be rocked, tour swag hoodies to be claimed and even an awards night on the not too distant horizon. It's sure to be a week of fun and frolics, and maybe a few tears but as they say - it's not over until the not-as-chubby-as-she-was-when-she-started-this-tour lady sings, right? 

Huff Blog 17 - AGYG

Venue 13 on the Annie Get Your Gun tour and unlucky for some, you might say. This week we've been in beautiful Brighton, a cultural and theatrical mecca on the South coast and frequent keeper of my heart. I've lost count of the number of times I've considered moving here and, after some unscheduled extra time in the city, I'm understandably contemplating it once again.

We've been in the historic Theatre Royal this week, one of the more deliciously old-school theatres on our tour. The theatre itself was built in 1806 and has such an incredible history of performers that it's hard not to feel slightly overwhelmed when you consider you're treading the probably-been-replaced-by-now-but-still-essentially-the-same boards as Charles Wyndham, Marlene Dietrich, Mrs Patrick Campbell and Laurence Olivier, amongst so many others. Of course, the wonderful Annie Get Your Gun cast has now been added to that illustrious list and thus it was fitting that we made our own little addition to history by celebrating our 100th performance there on the Wednesday matinee. Or rather, some of us did.

On Tuesday evening, press night for Brighton, venue 13 did indeed prove unlucky for me and the toll of the show began to show in my voice. The role of Annie Oakley is a tough sing for anyone. The range is vast - from the low notes of 'Showbusiness' to the top Bb of 'Anything You Can Do', the styles are wide ranging - belting 'You Cain't Get A Man With a Gun' to lyrical 'I Got Lost In His Arms' and even the dialogue is pretty heavy going. I'm rather protective, possibly over-protective, of my voice because of how much my roles mean to me. I believe it's a privilege to be able to do this for a living and so I'll do anything to ensure vocal strength. This means I wear a scarf all the time, frequently don't talk unless onstage and haven't had an alcoholic drink since March. (Apart from the last night of Manchester before the first holiday, but the less said about that the better!)

As such, it was heartbreaking to me to hear some vocal cracks during the belt notes of 'You Cain't Get A Man With A Gun' on Tuesday night. The rest of the show felt absolutely fine but it seemed sensible that, if I wanted to make it through to the end of the run without causing damage, I should take a couple of shows off to rest - my first since 2009! I can't honestly tell you how difficult I found that, even knowing how astonishing Natalie Day was going to be as Annie Oakley, and how safe the role would be in her more than capable hands. With only a few weeks to go I simply didn't want to miss any performances.

Going off a show is never easy, especially on a tour as you have nothing around you. It's not like being able to take a couple of days off with your family, on tour the company are your family. And with vocal rest I wasn't even able to phone my literal family for some long-distance TLC. Let me tell you, those two days were not only hard but lonely. So I bought shoes. Obviously. Shoes make everything better and they're very pretty. 

After two days off, with Natalie bringing the house down as Miss O, I returned to the show to complete my own personal 100th performance on the Friday night. The Brighton audiences have been brilliant the entire week and it was so wonderful to be back in the warm embrace of the company, a sort of coming home if you will. After a few more standing ovations and a quick pack up of my relatively unassembled dressing room space, the flight cases and trucks were reloaded and now it's off to Glasgow for our penultimate week. There are only two tour venues remaining. Only 16 more shows to 'do anything better'. Only 272 more minutes of crazy interval change left. I better make sure each and every one counts. 

Huff Blog 16 - AGYG

With only a few weeks left on the Annie Get Your Gun tour, there's a heady sense of excitement in the air, not least because we're finally properly hitting the beach! This week we've been in the beautiful town of Bournemouth, something of a delicious gem as far as I'm concerned and home to many wonderful surprises during our time here.

There's something thoroughly invigorating about the seaside. Maybe it's the sea air, the proximity to nothingness over the ocean or simply the fact that there's a general sense of holiday which pervades over everyone, whether they're actually on holiday or not. We've been fortunate with the weather too, glorious sunshine and dry days which have made for a nicely sun-pinked company. There has still been the need to wrap up though as the winds of Bournemouth can be pretty wick, particularly late at night. This is England after all!

As the only week of the tour where we've not had three matinees, nor understudy rehearsals, there's been plenty of time for social activities. Coupled with the fact that most of the company have been staying in the same hotel - a somewhat Fawlty Towers affair apparently - you'd be forgiven in thinking that we'd be sick of each other by now! Not so, with the midweek matinee done and dusted we hit the beach for a late night barbecue party that evening and followed it up with a sports day afternoon on the Thursday!

Splitting into teams of four, denoted by that kit box staple of any decent stage management member - coloured electrical tape, we raced around a long stretch of sandy beach recreating the sports days of our childhoods. There were valiant efforts made all round at the sandy sprint, the wheelbarrow, three-legged and egg & spoon race (with the spoon in the mouth - a first for me!) amongst others. Our taller members also proved incredibly adept at the standing long jump, although Ste's forward handspring attempt proved most hilarious of all, if not particularly successful.

Races completed and points totted up, the Red team of Iffy, Lisa, Jordan and Ste were declared the winners and presented with their trophies. As is only appropriate ice cream followed and then games of rounders and football, before a dip in the warm-for-England-but-still-blooming-freezing sea. That evening's show was sponsored by far too much fun and a healthy dollop of aftersun to boot!

Fun and games aside there's also been some exploring time. My personal find of the week was a little cafe a short distance out of the town centre called Frieda's Tearooms. I've been staying a mile or so away from the theatre and on one of my many walks in I decided to search for Bournemouth's Best Breakfast and this is where Tinternet lead me. They weren't kidding. A gorgeous boutique place in itself, the eponymous Frieda served up the most wonderful full English for me, followed by a decadently indulgent hot chocolate with all the trimmings - including Maltesers! Certainly a must for any visitor - I'm only sorry I didn't have room for cake too!

I'd also recommend a visit to the gardens that run alongside the theatre. The beautiful River Bourne trundles through them and on most afternoons there appeared to be a band of some sort playing on the bandstand there. It was all rather like stepping back in time. Listening to the strains of Cole Porter and Gershwin from my blanket on the green, it was just nice to take the time to stop for a while. Completely and utterly stop. Turn off the technology, ignore the world and take a deep breath of calmness. It was a little unnerving however when the brass band began playing what felt like a potted musical history of my career, beginning with Chitty Chitty Bang Bang!

Saturday sadly saw the final shows for our lovely Alternate Frank, Jonathan Wilkes. He's been an amazing part of the show and it feels weird that he's now hung up his holster. It also highlights that there are only three weeks left on this tour and the reality of unemployment, and leaving behind this incredible company, is approaching with painfully dizzying speed. Better make the most of it - bring on Brighton and Beach Week 2! 

Huff Blog 15 - AGYG

Press is one of the things that goes hand in hand with promoting a show, but it's always nice to shake it up from the usual tv, radio and newspaper interviews by taking a step out into the unusual. And step out we did, all the way to Wimbledon Piazza for a Wild West themed fun day in anticipation of our appearance at the Wimbledon New Theatre in September. There have been several of these fun days around the country as we've toured, but this is the first one the company have been able to attend due to the proximity of our venue for the week. Aside from giving the people of Wimbledon a taster of the show by performing 'There's No Business Like Showbusiness', there was also a lasso rope ring toss, shooting gallery and even a bucking bronco, which we gamely gave a turn - under the watchful eye of company manager Kristi of course. No broken bones here please!

Fun and games aside we headed off en masse to Woking, this week's venue, to tech in the show as we usually do on a Tuesday and then settle into our dressing rooms. Being so close to London, many of the company are commuting so the socialising has been notched down. However, there's one thing guaranteed to make everyone hang around for the last train.... ice cream! It turns out that Woking is home to Creams, the most epic of American style ice cream parlours and, as an added bonus, it's open until late! With sundaes, waffles, crepes and about a gazillion flavours to try there really was something for everyone to indulge in.

It's probably a very good thing that we didn't discover the parlour until Thursday though, as otherwise our corsets might not be fitting quite so well once we get to Bournemouth. On the Friday night a repeat visit occurred, in the necessary interest of testing the crepes this time, and showing our physio Gina our discovery. On the following Saturday night I may have even been back in the booths again for a third time. In my defence, I had a friend in to see the show and it seemed only right to share the magic of Woking.

Woking's magic was only furthered by the arrival of a new tour mascot in the form of a 15 inch high sexy ceramic cowgirl figurine! She was unearthed by Will's parents as part of an auction lot they purchased and for some inexplicable reason they didn't want to keep her. Fanny Crackawhip, as she has been affectionately named, has now joined the stage right props table where she will live for the remainder of the tour until, unless she turns out to be a priceless antique, we decide to use her for target practice!

Mascots seem to be part and parcel of touring, with many of the company carrying something that reminds them of home. I'm personally touring two of my own in mascots in my kit box. Firstly I have Treacle, a knitted cat teddy bear who was a birthday present from a friend in Japan. Treacle surveys my dressing table antics and was recently joined by a teeny tiny lego figurine of Annie Oakley. This latter gift came from my beautiful baby niece Faye, I'm assuming as an apology for her stealing the Annie Oakley balloon our illusionist Darren made me!

But it seems I'm not the only one adopting additional mascots on the road, despite the fact we have limited space. For press night in Manchester I got everyone miniature cacti. Whilst some of the team have been touring them, our DSM Léonie has been slowly adding to her real cacti with a myriad of other Wild West themed items. It began when she ducked out of the rain in Oxford into a phone accessory shop, chancing upon a small cactus headphone socket protecter (who knew such a thing even existed?!) which it seemed rude not to then buy. Since that moment the Western-themed gifts have been coming thick and fast, particularly in the form of stationery - what girl doesn't need a cactus-shaped eraser or two? It does however mean she will only ever be able to do cowboy-based musicals from now on, I think.

Next week we finally return to the seaside by playing Bournemouth Pavilion Theatre and as there are only seven shows to do, and no cover rehearsals either, we're already planning the beach parties. The outdoor games from Malvern have been dusted off and there are fireworks and barbecue nights afoot. Anyone would think we're on holiday - although with an easier schedule for the week it feels almost as if we are! With that in mind it seems only appropriate that we take a paddle in the sea as well. Wait... did someone mention ice cream?