Back on the Road

After the full-on fun that was Girl From The North Country in Dublin, August was a far more sedate affair with just one week of performances in Canterbury. The Marlowe has had a near-100% redesign since I last played there way back in 2005, so I had to explore the venue (and most of the city) as though it was my first time once again! The theatre and surrounding area are stunning, made all the better by fine weather. The show adapted well after its first move, with a built-in rake now on tour with us, and a rather clever fully-working ‘prop’ piano that replaces the real one that we hired when over in Dublin.

Before and after the week of performances, there was a chance to rest and recoup at home in Cheshire (while it was boiling hot yet again), catch up with plenty of London folk, see a couple of shows (Moulin Rouge and Beauty & The Beast, if you must know) and generally get sorted ready for life on the road proper.

A few months back, knowing we had a designated ‘holiday’ week in place, I booked a 10-years-later trip to New York City, having first visited when I had just turned 30. This was a chance to revisit landmarks, explore new parts of the metropolis and, of course, catch a Broadway Show or four (A Strange Loop, Beetlejuice, Hadestown and Into The Woods, since you asked). Again it was boiling hot out there and I even made myself sit in the sun watching US Open Tennis at Flushing Meadows for a full day - and I bloomin’ loved it!

It feels like we finally start the tour proper in a few days - crazy when you think that we started rehearsals for this show in mid-May - as we begin our first of nine venues in a row over the next nine weeks, starting with York’s Theatre Royal. I suppose I should get back to unpacking from New York and repacking for ‘Old’ York!