Tuesday 7 December 2004

Gigs are going well, I'll not bore you with all the details every day but suffice to say they're going to form!
This time last year I was in Pantomime at the world famous City Varieties, Leeds. Though at the time it was the most draining and tiring thing I'd ever done, it was also the most rewarding experience of my professional life. We were performing Robin Hood and Babes In The Wood, 58 shows in 6 weeks! Plus two weeks of intensive rehearsals. The director was an ex child star and he was mean, but he got stuff from me that no-one else had ever managed, except the dancing. I didn't realise until last year that I can't actually dance! All those years on the floor shuffling to Ska, Northern Soul and New Wave and I'd been kidding myself, I can't dance!!! The cast were a great set of people and the theatre was a dream to work in. I can honestly say you've never known a feeling like going on stage at 10.00am to a bunch of evil little schoolkids. My co-star who played the evil Prince John was a consummate actor and whilst slightly distant I learned so much from him. Because it was so tiring and the fact that it ate into my lucrative Christmas gigs (yeah the ones I've been whinging about this last few days) I decided that I would only do panto every other year. I should know by the end of February where in the country it'll be. I Love panto, it's often a child's introduction to the theatre, it's got a real magical feel and I shall be going to see the production of Aladdin at Leeds City Varieties this year and yes, I know I shall be yearning to up there with the actors.
Read a really funny story in the paper yesterday, well, when I say funny, it was also quite tragic. Seemingly the BNP weren't too happy when a DJ they'd booked for a Christmas party turned out to be Black! An insider was said to quote "Well, he sounded White on the phone." It would be hilarious if it wasn't so fucking sad. It does put paid to the half arsed theory that the loathsome BNP are NOT a racist party, that they only believe in controlled immigration. "Well, he sounded White on the phone" says it all to me. It does actually reflect something I mentioned yesterday regarding the vagaries of taking direct bookings. I just hope the DJ took the White man's money in advance!
FTM!