Looping
Caesar’s Well, near Bromley. This is the source of the River Ravensbourne, along the route of the London Loop
When I moved to my new place near Barnet in April, I spotted signs for the London Loop, which turns out to be a 150-mile walk around the edge of London, largely where suburbia meets green belt. A friend of mine had already started it, so I thought I would use my free time while working in Central London to try and complete it myself. Using my Sundays off to start with, before moving to daytimes when I had one-show days once rehearsals had calmed down, I am already 6 (out of 24) stages in, having covered an area from Erith, on the south bank of the Thames Estuary near Dartford, round to Banstead near Sutton. I have even bumped into two other people doing the walk, and had a lovely stroll getting to know them both! It’s just great to get out in fresh air, move my legs, and see parts of Greater London I wouldn’t otherwise get to see. Who knows, maybe I’ll move to one of these area one day…?
Crazy For You is nicely settled now, with busy shows each and every day. I had the wonderful pleasure of my 4-year-old niece watching me conduct a performance in August, and she was very well behaved and laughed a lot at the physical comedy! She also loved the dancing and recognised some of the songs as her mum often sings Gershwin as lullabies. We have completed understudy rehearsals, timed well with our first understudies going on for their roles and doing excellent jobs. We’re still busy, though, as we worked towards a very special appearance on This Morning (in the original Studio 1 at Television Centre).
I have been present at every performance so far, either playing keyboard, conducting, or watching performances. Tomorrow, though, I have my first long weekend away - a chance to visit family in North West England, have a bit of a sort-out and generally have some R&R. When I return, I start a six-week stint conducting most performances, as the MD Alan Williams heads off to set up our neighbouring show, Sunset Boulevard. I will, of course, be punctuating that time in the theatre with more stages of the fabulous London Loop!