Freelance Mode (in falsetto)
October has ended up being a real taste of the freelance life - the variety of which I really miss when on a full time show (although full disclosure: I obviously miss full time work whilst freelancing, so there’s a definite “grass is always greener” mentality playing out here!). The month began with promo work for my next main show - still under wraps, but the photo above offers you an extremely cryptic clue!
Meanwhile, I have now taken over full time at Falsettos, running at The Other Palace until later this month. It’s one of the most physically demanding scores I have played, and by the sounds of it the performers get quite the vocal & acting workout as well. Thankfully the audiences remain fantastically supportive, and the ovations at the end are a treat and feel well-deserved. Whilst personally it is a demanding show to play, the music is gorgeous and beautifully written for piano, so it is a real joy to sit down at 7:30pm each night (plus the matinees, of course!) and get to accompany some of our best musical theatre performers around at the moment. My merry band made up of Rich on drums, Guy on woodwind and of course Josh on keyboard are an equal delight. I’m thoroughly enjoying making sweet music with them of an evening!
I’ve had a bit of a blast from the past, working on rehearsals for international versions of both Matilda & Chicago. My role was simply as rehearsal pianist, but it was lovely to metaphorically poke my head in the room and check back in on both of these wonderful musicals. There was also a bit of looking into the future as I had the opportunity to work alongside the original creatives of Be More Chill, a Broadway musical that has its UK premiere next year. They flew over to audition performers for its West End run, and from what I saw in the room this promises to be a very exciting show! The premise is unapologetically bonkers and the music is loads of fun.
November is dominated by the last few weeks of the run of Falsettos, as well as prep for my next to-be-announced show. Keeping busy, as ever!