Movies and Musicals

I have just about recovered from yesterday's Movies and Musicals extravaganza at the Apollo Victoria.   The concert was fabulous,, all went well and the audience seemed to enjoy them selves and received the evening most enthusiastically.   Looking out from the stage there were quite a few empty seats, but bearing in mind that the theatre holds 2,500 it was well over half full so I suppose there must have been well over twelve hundred there. 

We had some simply wonderful singers including the fabulous West End Gospel Choir, who must have changed their costumes at least four times! Louise Dearman, John Owen-Jones, Gareth Gates, and  Sarah Lark all sang songs for the shows including Defying Gravity, Unchained Melody, Beauty and the Beast, along with loads of numbers from Les Mis.   As well as accompanying the stars we played Star Wars, ET, Jurassic Park and a medley of tunes from Christmas films including  Home Alone and 34th Street.   Loads of Christmasy stuff, including "O Holy Night" John Owen-Jones' new single, in all there were around 30 pieces, all compered by Christopher Biggins.

I was more nervous about this gig than I have been for a long time, it took me right out of my comfort zone in so many ways, being on the stage at a major London Theatre, playing show music, being miked up, and all this while wearing a short skirt!  

For one reason and another what should have been a nice leisurely morning ended up being a bit of a rush, and in that rush I ended up leaving both my battery shaver and my trombone stand in the van in the station car park while I caught the train up too Victoria.   Despite my worries I got there in plenty of time, which just gave me more time to get nervous.   Once we got going though I soon relaxed and regained my self confidence, only to have it dashed again a little later when we went out for a bite to eat.

Four of us popped into the "Iron Duke" a bar in the station, three or four time while ordering the barman called me "Sir", I am sure he was trying to be polite, but bearing in mind that I was wearing a denim miniskirt, and "pirate" boots and was fully made up including bright crimson nail polish this hit me harder than I wanted to admit at the time.   However the acceptance of all the other performers (not just the orchestra) did help me get back to normal, and that LBD always builds me up a bit.

Given that we had a 11:00 a.m. band call and that I didn't leave the after show party till half past eleven, just in time to miss my train home this all meant a satisfying, but very long, very tiring day.