Many the schemes of mice and men... gang agley!

And many's the slip twixt cup and lip and all that - yo git me?

Gentle friends and blog readers - if any of you are so minded I'm doing a few performances next week and some more support would be very welcome: I'm understudying the role of the Commendatore in Don Giovanni in our understudies performance next Friday 24th August at 2:30pm - NB time - at the John Mackintosh Theatre at London Oratory School, Seagrove Road with Co-Opera Co.http://co-opera-co.org. This 2:30pm performance will be just with a piano and without chorus and also in a cut version.

There are two full version performances with orchestra and chorus on Weds 22nd August and Friday 24th August at the same venue at 7:30pm - I am singing chorus in these 2 only (unless there's a mysterious accident etc on the day...)

PLEASE! If you are able, do come along - the musical standard is very high and it's all sounding excellent - we need to sell lots of tickets still so bring your friends if you can; as you can see below with David Menezes as Don Ottavio - it's 'wicked'!!!

The Don is fairly dastardly also, seen here with Lepperello and Don Elvira in a rare moment when he's keeping his hands to himself...

The theme is Damien Hurst inspired, hence formaldehyde tanks (dangerous...) and plinths etc. Aah me; the Art world...

We Gatesdene players enjoyed a wonderful audience and superb weather over the Saturday of our performance of Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men. Thanks to Fathers Dominic and Michael for allowing us to use the space and extra special thanks and congrats to Hugh-Guy Lorriman who was both Director and George for this one-off showing.

  

Star of the show must be Peter Jones' dental work which was much on display as Slim the jerkline skinner and Prince of the Ranch... seen above 5th from left with a hand combing his black locks, or is it cupping his ear listening for a party invitation???

Fair Lizzie Ashfield our narrator is seen above in reflective mood, pondering the universe in a grain of sand and looking somewhat Guinevere-ish... Pia Padfield and Emily Towner seem happy with their £5 ticket price (BARGAIN!)

L-R, Tom, Pia, Em, Harper, Joanne and Beatrix pictured on the lawn of St Mary's Monastery, Clapham Common, where we were privileged to be allowed the run of the 160 year-old buildings.

Margaret Labongo and Elaine Murphy shown rehearsing a particularly difficult fight scene - (fighting the urge for a Lorriman home-made Pimms maybe?)

Joanne (Curley) is very valiantly putting up with my rainbow guitar strap here - most noble!

Charlie the 'old dog' is shown here passing the hat to HG and his owner Mrs Dee (Charlie's owner that's to say).

Alex Stewart Clark had bussed in the audience from Romania apparently - anyhow, Mattie Dwyer and family enjoyed a lift back after he'd dropped off the theatre-going asylum seekers at the sanctuary


It was such fun and huge thanks too to all a hundred and something of you who turned up - those who weren't able to, I'm really sorry to say you missed a treat.


For which,


Molto Grazie Signore!

BIG thanks also to the following: Mary Darby, Alex Stuart Clark, Michael Robinson, Sarah Keith, Mark Banks, Ros and Tom Bennett, Emily Towner, Pia Padfield, Pauline Maher, John Baird, Stuart and Mary Reid, Andrew Childs, Shannon Mills, Christopher Pryse Hawkins and daughter Josephine and daughter's boyfriend, James, Anuli Igboaka, Lucy Britton and Miles Blackley, Mattie Dwyer, Neneh Dwyer(?) and Flora(?): lovely to see you all there. For once there was more than enough room for everyone!