Working The Fingers

The last complete month of this first Matilda UK Tour is done. The show completed its run in Southampton and is now residing at its final venue on this long road, the Theatre Royal, Norwich. The smallest of the theatres we have played, but some of the most welcoming audiences of our entire tour! This Norfolk city sparkles in the warm summer sunshine, with incredible buildings around every corner. There are so many churches here that my digs are actually in one, converted into a lovely modern flat!

I turned 37 at midnight on Press Night, so I was “treated” to a rendition of Happy Birthday from most of the company (thanks guys!). The following day, a few of us (including the whole orchestra) headed out onto the pitch & putt and crazy golf courses of Eaton Park for a day of golf competition. Suffice to say I didn’t win…!

Also this month, a week’s holiday between venues were well-timed enough for me to head back up north for my traditional visit to the Manchester am-dram circuit, helping out with their annual charity Showcase at the Lowry. Always a top fun day seeing old faces, and a great workout for my fingers to play songs from such hits as Miss Saigon, Little Shop of Horrors, Heathers & Everybody’s Talking About Jamie.

Talking of that final show, I decided to pop and see ETAJamie’s West End run as I didn’t know the show too well. A really lovely story, well performed, I was intrigued enough to dig out the old BBC documentary on iPlayer that it was based on!

With just over two weeks to go, thoughts turn both to giving this show the amazing send-off it thoroughly deserves, as well as to what is to come post-Matilda. For me, I’m looking forward to getting started on Falsettos, which is currently in rehearsal, as their Associate Musical Director. It’s my first time back in London working on a show since I was Associate Conductor on Jersey Boys almost three years ago, so it’s high time I show my face in the capital once more! That runs until November, and I hope to be able to share news with you next month about a show I will be MD-ing through 2020! Stay tuned…