And I Can Tell You How It Began (New Column!)

Over the preceding months I have, amongst other things, written about my (personal) essential musicals and a handful of essential performers. Today’s column is a little different in that it features an essential performer and an essential musical. The reason for this is that the two are so inextricably linked that it would be impossible to separate the two.

So who is my essential performer? Well to give a clue she has been a West End leading lady since 1964 and last appeared in a leading west end role just a couple of years ago. So firstly lets go back to the beginning. Born in Cricklewood in 1944 , after appearing in “Stop The World I Want To Get Off” in 1963, Marti Webb got her big break, at nineteen, playing Ann opposite Tommy Steele in David Heneker’s “Half A Sixpence”. The show was a big hit, in fact one of the all time great British musicals, but sadly, when Steele took it to Broadway Marti did not get to join him. However when she also lost out on the film role to Julia Foster she discovered that every cloud has a silver lining when she was asked to dub Foster’s vocals. The next notable role for Marti was in 1967 when she played Nancy in the first major revival of Oliver opposite Barry Humphries as Fagin. The early seventies saw a string of leading roles for her. In 1971 she was one of the stars of Stephen Schwartz’s “Godspell” alongside three other performers who were to become big stars in the future - Julie Covington, Jeremy Irons and, Jesus himself, David Essex. Tony Hatch’s musical version of “The Card” at the Queens Theatre followed, where she starred opposite Jim Dale and sang the lovely “I Could Be The One”. Next stop was Her Majesty’s in 1974’s stage version of “The Good Companions”, with music by Andre Previn. Amongst her co-stars were Christopher Gable, John Mills and Judi Dench and the production was notable in being the last to feature lyrics by the legendary Johnny Mercer So for over ten years Marti had been a major player in the West End, not only playing leading roles but originating them. Possibly however her biggest break came in a show where she wasn’t strictly the star. When “Evita” opened to great fanfare in 1978 it was Elaine Paige who was cast in the title role. However Webb was cast as the alternate in this particularly demanding role, and when Paige moved on it was Webb who took over the role. The roles somewhat wordy score suited Marti’s talents perfectly and it was around this time that, the shows composer, Andrew Lloyd Webber took particular notice of Webb, and paid her the ultimate compliment by asking her to work on his next project

So this brings me to my essential musical! “Tell Me On A Sunday”, with lyrics by Don Black, is a song cycle telling the story of an English girl in America, and the men that come in and out of her life. Although a little work had been started on the show when Webb came aboard the majority of the songs were written with her in mind. Initially conceived as a one woman show for the BBC and an album it proved to be a huge hit. Both the album and the single “Take That Look Off Your Face” climbed high up the charts and Marti Webb seemed to become a household name overnight, a regular face on television for the next decade or so, and even having her own BBC2 show. Listening to the original album now it has some lovely songs, and Marti’s rendition of “Nothing Like You’ve Ever Known” is quite beautiful. Where Marti truly excels, however, are in the pieces dramatic numbers such as “Let Me Finish” and “Let’s Talk About You” proving that she is one of the best singing actresses in musical theatre. So “Tell Me” was a hit record, and you may think that this should be enough, but hot on the heels of “Evita” and “Cat”s Andrew Lloyd Webber was looking for a new project for the theatre. “Tell Me On A Sunda”y seemed like a ready made hit but it was felt that it was too short. The answer was there all the time however. The solution was to pair the show with Andrew Lloyd Webber’s previously written “Variations” project. Originally conceived as a classical piece for his brother, cellist, Julian it was felt that, slightly restructured, it could be developed into ballet. As the first act, “Tell Me On A Sunday” once again starred Marti . New songs were added, for instance the stunning “The Last Man In My Life” and the entertaining “Married Man”. The lyrics were worked on as well to make it work better for the theatre, and the drama was heightened in many numbers, particularly the reworked title song. A little more humour was added to the show too, particularly in the “Letter Home To England” numbers. All in all the show proved to be an absolute tour-de-force for Webb. As our un-named heroine she took us through an emotional journey that ran the gamut as the original cast recording will testify. The second act saw dance take centre stage with Anthony Van Laast’s ballet inspired by the “Variations” album. The piece featured most forms of modern dance so Ballet, Jazz and tap all had a part to play. The principal dancer was Wayne Sleep, at the height of his powers and popularity and fresh from Cats. Bringing the evening of the show to a close was a finale with Wayne joining Marti in singing “When You Want To Fall In love” and Marti dancing! The show opened at the Palace theatre in 1982 where, as “Song And Dance”, it ran for over 700 performances. Marti was succeeded in the show by Liz Robertson, Gemma Craven and Lulu but even after the show had ended it’s West End run it continued to develop. 1984 saw the show, in it’s entirety, being video recorded and shown on BBCtv. Wayne Sleep reprised his role but Marti was succeeded by Sarah Brightman. It was for this version of the show that “The Last Man In My Life” was replaced by, what many consider to be one of Lloyd Webber’s greatest songs, “Unexpected Son”g. Shortly after the show was revised yet again for Broadway, seeing new songs and radical changes to many of the lyrics with the assistance of lyricist Richard Maltby. An attempt was also made to make the two halves of the show a more coherent whole by giving the lead character a name, Emma and making her a hat designer! Also the dancer of the second half was supposed to be one of Emma’s lovers. The show lead to a Tony award for best actress Bernadette Peters who apparently gave an amazing performance. Certainly her version of the song “Tell Me On A Sunday” is heart breaking but, I feel, much of Broadway cast album is spoiled by her dreadful London accent!

So this takes the development of “Tell Me On A Sunday” up to the mid eighties. Now this isn’t the end of the story but it’s time to go back to Miss Webb and see what she was doing! As well as a couple of stints in “Cats” as Grizabella, Marti also did panto for the first time when she starred in “Babes In The Wood” at The Palladium. Since the success of “Tell Me On A Sunday” much of the rest of the decade was taken up as a recording artist. “Won’t Change Places”, featured a mix of pop songs and show tunes with a couple of brand new Lloyd Webber/Black compositions thrown in for good measure. This was followed by “I’m Not That Kind Of Girl” in 1982. 1985 saw one of Marti’s biggest hits with the single “Ben” released in conjunction with TV’s “That’s Life” as a fund raiser for their Ben Hardwick campaign. This was swiftly followed up by the album “Encore”. It wasn’t long before she returned to the top ten again with “Always There” a vocal version of the theme from hit eighties drama “Howards Way”. An album of the same name followed, featuring a collection of small screen themes, and this was followed by 1987’s “Gershwin” released to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the composers death. Her last album of the eighties saw a return to familiar territory with the release of “Performance” a collection of show tunes. Then, as the decade drew to a close Marti was once again imploring us to take that look off our face as she and Wayne Sleep toured again with “Song And Dance”, which enjoyed a season at the Shaftesbury Theatre.

The early nineties saw Marti begin her first tour of “The Magic Of Musicals” a production which she continued to participate in sporadically over the next decade or so. “Evita” also beckoned again as she undertook a major national tour in 1995-1996. Other highlights included the tours of “Annie” and “The Goodbye Girl”, and “Divorce Me Darling” at Chichester. “The Magic Of The Musicals” and “Divorce Me Darling” were both released on CD as was a budget Songs From Evita collection in the mid nineties. The new millennium has been a particularly productive period for Marti, kicking off with the national tour of the Palladium production of “The King And I.” Around the same time Marti returned to the recording studio for her “Limelight” album which included new material as well as re-recordings of previous hits - Notably a long overdue recording of “As Long As He Needs Me” which she performed in “Oliver” more than thirty years before. Now this brings us almost up to date for Marti so it’s a good time as ever to go back to developments on the “Tell Me On A Sunday”.

2003 saw “Tell Me On A Sunda”y (on this occasion minus “Variations”) return to the west end as a vehicle for actress and television personality Denise Van Outen. New songs were written yet again, and lyrics were yet again adapted to allow for a younger central character and also the changes in society in the twenty years that had passed since the original. The show once again struck a chord with the public and had a successful run at the Gielgud Theatre and went on to have a successful national tour.

Now this in turn brings us back to Marti Webb . After a break of many years she was back in the West End playing the alternate Mrs Mears in “Thoroughly Modern Millie” when the call came for her to return to her defining role. So Marti was back where she belonged, in a lead role in the west end and what’s more, in “Tell Me On A Sunda”y the show that had been written for her back in 1980.

Of course the story continues and she went on to do several tour dates of “Tell Me On A Sunday” and, more recently, has starred in “Hot Flush!” I am hard pressed to think of any other musical theatre leading lady, with a career spanning over forty years, who has been active in the West End for such a long period. My only wish for Marti would be that she would get to tackle some more roles that her would provide the same challenges that “Evita” and “Song And Dance” did for her. As one of our finest singing actresses she excels with wordy literate songs bringing real wit and drama to them. I have always thought she would be wonderful in some of the great Sondheim roles such as Mrs Lovett and Phyliss Rodgers Stone. I can only hope!

Recommendations

Tell Me On A Sunday – as a record the original album by Marti is great, but the show really came into it’s own with the London Cast Recording of “Song And Dance”. In my opinion it’s the musical at its absolute best in every way – musically, lyrically and of course actressly! It’s the absolute marriage of great theatre with a performer at the top of their game with an amazingly witty, dramatic and heart wrenching piece of the theatre. The Bernadette Peters version isn’t nearly as successful for me, sadly the faux London accent can be incredibly distracting and for every number such as her stunning “Tell Me On A Sunday” there is another which sounds terrible! I do have an old LP of the German version too with Angelika Milster. Bless her! Very German! The most recent version with Denise Van Outen is also worth a listen, she sings the score beautifully, particularly on the newly written songs but, for me, she lacks the drama of Marti Webb’s performance that really makes the piece work. So given a choice go for the live “Song And Dance” but they all have their merits! Whichever one you may choose you at least get top hear this wonderful musical theatre score!

n.b The Sarah Brightman version is also due to be released on CD for the first time very shortly.

Marti Webb - Many of her recordings are no longer available or have never been released on CD. We can only hope that the London “Godspell” someday gets a release as it really is excellent, but “Half A Sixpence” and “The Card” are both available and both worth exploring as British musicals. Of her solo works, “Tell Me On A Sunday” is out of print and sells for upwards of forty pounds on ebay. “Gershwin” is also out of print but its an album containing some real gems if you should come across it. You can still get her “Evita" collection which isn’t the best recording ever but does give a taste of what she brought to the role, and I believe “Performance” is still widely available.

New Column 14/6 I Love Paris in The Springtime!

Above sees me reflected in the odd mirrors at The louvre, below are views of The Petit palais

Well for those of you who have been reading my column for a while you will be aware already that I love Paris in the fall. So following last weeks column, where I told you about seeing “Cabaret” at the Folies Bergere, I thought I would tell you of a few more highlights from my trip. After all, I love Paris in the springtime too!

Well my hotel can hardly be considered a highlight, I really did go for the cheap as pommes frites option whilst remaining relatively central. Yes, my hotel was decidedly grotty – clean but definitely grotty! However, being located just two minutes from the metro station at Place De Clichy was a definite plus. The Place De Clichy is a very busy area too, and full of hustle and bustle well into the early hours of the morning which was fun. I was also just a couple of seconds walk from a gorgeous statued square with lots of greenery. I have always liked greenery. In fact if you were to look at my photo albums you would find pictures of inordinate numbers of trees, not to mention lots of ceilings. More of the ceilings later. I was also a stones throw from the Moulin Rouge and only ten minutes or so walk from Montmartre which was nice as this is an area of Paris I am particularly fond of. I didn’t climb the hill to the tourist trap of the Place De Tertre on this visit though, limiting myself instead to the foot of the hill.

One of the joys of Paris is how easily accessible the metro is. Unlike the tube, it’s very cheap and you rarely have to wait for more than two minutes for a train. Much like it’s London relation it is also populated by buskers galore. It seems you are lucky if you go for more than two or three journeys without hearing an accordionist. Anyway, on this visit there were two particular brushes with buskers that will stick in my memory. Firstly at St Michel metro station, in the heart of the Latin Quarter, I witnessed what must be the best ever. Nine of them in total, all Russian, with everything from a guitar and accordion to a cello and double bass. All playing, all singing beautiful rousing harmonies in Russian, the acoustics of the labyrinthine tunnels of the metro station making them sound absolutely stunning. Sadly, however, not all Parisian buskers are quite so accomplished. On a metro train later on the same day I was witness to possibly the worst ever. Basically they played loud dance music on a ghetto blaster, accompanying it with a few rather odd jerky dance moves. As they danced people grimaced at the loud music and tried not to laugh at their dancing, then when they came round with a cup almost everyone averted their gaze.

Of course buskers are just part of what Paris has to offer. If you have any interest in the arts then there are so many things to enjoy, and the wealth of museums and galleries provide much to feast your senses on, so I always try to visit at least a couple when I am there.

On my last visit I had made an unsuccessful attempt to visit Musee de la Mode at Costume Palais Galleria , the fashion museum. As Paris is often considered the worlds fashion capital I had thought it would be fascinating to see their collection. This time I was more successful – it was open at least! Sadly the entire exhibit – other than one small room with old military costumes and suits of armour – was made up of the work of one designer – Jean Charley de Castelbajac. This really was fashion at its least accessible. Clothes that you may see on the catwalk but never in the real world. I have to admit that some of the outfits were quite inventive however and I did chuckle a little at a faux fur coat made entirely out of teddy bears But all in all I gave the museum nil points!

Similarly I was disappointed with the Musee d’Art Naif Max Fourny, which normally houses a collection of naïve art, instead the entire museum was given over to some Indian batik wall hangings and some rather odd statues. However as its located at the foot of Sacre Couer, a hundred yards or so from the carousel, it was a good excuse to enjoy some time in this particularly pretty area of the city.

However, on the museum front, all was not lost. I had previously visited the vast collection of the Louvre in 1992 and been distinctly unimpressed. Generally speaking the periods of art that it contained held little appeal for me. As far as paintings go I tend to prefer the impressionists and later, whilst not particularly enjoying the renaissance and the religious iconography which seems to be the subject of so much of the preceding years’ ouevre. However, about five years ago, I visited the stunning Musee Rodin, and was mesmerised by the sculptures. Although the interior of the museum is relatively plain, the gardens are stunning and to see works such as the Burghers of Calais, the Gates Of Hell, and The Thinker in such a natural setting (greenery again!) was a wonderful experience. Because of my visit to the Rodin, I thought that it was time to re-explore the Louvre and take in their collection of French and Italian sculptures. I planned a visit based on the areas of their collection that held the most appeal and set off! It was indubitably the first part of the collection I saw that provided the highlight for me. The beauty of the French sculptures was breathtaking, and covered over a thousand years of history. The light streamed, multi levelled, gallery provided a particularly beguiling setting for the works which showed them off to great advantage. The craftsmanship it must have taken to accomplish these works is astonishing – how skilled must the sculptors have been to create such great art with only a block of stone and a chisel? Currently the museum is doing another exhibit alongside the regular exhibition called contrapoint which places contemporary art alongside the more antiquated pieces. Sometimes this can jar, but at others it is really provocative in making you perceive the art in a different way. It was particularly effective in a gallery containing Islamic murals. They had placed an enormous arced mirror in this gallery – and I really do mean enormous – which reflected and distorted the murals, along with the people looking at them of course. I was absolutely fascinated by this, particularly because as you walked towards it there was a certain point where it just flipped your reflection upside down – very odd! After spending a good hour or so enjoying the French sculptures I took the opportunity to have a fruit juice and pain aux raisin at the Louvre’s terrace café, which was a lovely way to enjoy the warm spring morning and absorb what I had just seen. Anyway, after feeling sufficiently refreshed I did think I should at least give the paintings a go, the Mona Lisa was as unimpressive as I remembered it and, along with the Venus De Milo, surrounded by crowds who just had to see it! Even though the majority of the Louvre’s paintings don’t necessarily appeal to me I couldn’t fail but be impressed by the scale and drama of Velasquez’s The Raft Of The Medusa, and particularly liked Jeune Homme Nu Assis Au Bord De La Mer –Etude (1836) by Hippolyte Flandrin. The last part of my visit was the Italian sculptures which, although very beautiful, didn’t really match the French sculptures for me. By the time I had seen these the crowds were beginning to feel a little oppressive so, after my fifth experience of being physically pushed out of the way by a tour guide, I decided it was time to move on………….. To truly appreciate art a little calm definitely helps more than a crowd!

The highlight of my museum visiting was to come the day before I left. I awoke to a baking hot balmy day where I had no definite plans and as I ate my continental breakfast in my grotty, little, hotel I flipped through my eye witness guide to see if anything caught my eye. Even though the guide book was not particularly inspiring about it I decided upon the Petit Palais, as it said they had a few impressionist paintings. After all I had never been so thought I would give it a shot. Situated near the rond pointe of the Champs Elysees and just round the corner from the Theatre Du Rond Pointe where I had seen “ Les Cabaret Des Hommes Perdu” (starring “Lord Of The Rings”’ Jerome Pradon) last autumn are both the Grand Palais and the Petit Palais. Built in 1900 for the Paris World Exposition these are two very impressive buildings. The Grand Palais is now a location for temporary exhibitions, whilst the Petit Palais has a permanent exhibit. It has to be said that the contents of the museum are eclectic to say the least. Art from many different periods, as well as religious iconography, some sculptures and some beautiful decorative arts such as pottery etc. It takes a novel approach in displaying the works by positioning them in complimentary arrangements rather than by period. This may mean that a gallery contains a couple of paintings, a few vases or plates and a sculpture. It really isn’t as hap hazard as it may sound however and proves to be a very effective concept. Paintings by well known artists such as Monet feature as well as names less familiar to me such as Edmond Aman-Jean and George Clavin, and some exquisite ceramics. The best thing about the museum though has to be the building itself. I think it’s possibly the most beautiful building I have ever been into. Very bright and airy with huge windows that provide perfect lighting for the exhibits on the ground floor . It also has a central courtyard containing lovely gardens, where I was able to have little walk and enjoy the sunshine, complete with ornamental ponds. The real highlight of the Petit Palais though has to be the ceilings. I have never seen such perfectly executed ceiling murals as those contained at the Palais. What makes them so stunning? Well, not really the subject matter as it’s the usual pastoral scenes and the ubiquitous cherubs familiar to most ceiling murals. However, as they were painted in 1900 – a much later period than most - they seem to have used a more impressionistic palette, and the favoured colours work beautifully. Delightfully, one vast gallery is just given over to a few judiciously angled mirrors mounted on tables so I was able to examine, at least a handful of, the murals in detail.

As usual a large part of the rest of my visit consisted of trolling round the shops, and of course wandering the city and enjoying it’s ambience! As a non tea drinker quite why I bought a tea pot shaped like a pig I don’t know, but I really do like it a lot. It’s kind of not what you expect! As is my wont I also managed to get a few DVDs of French movies that haven’t been released here (with subtitles of course) and almost accidentally picked up three titles directed by Cedric Klapisch who is best known here for “Pot Luck” and its sequel “Russian Dolls”. Two of these (“Peut Etre”, “Le Peril Jeune” ) featured actor Romain Duris currently very much on the ascendant since appearing in the acclaimed “The Beat My Heart Skipped”. Klapisch seems to be very much a director for the new millennium and has quite an off beat style which makes all of his movies interesting. I will definitely seek out more of his work in future. Whilst you may not be able to get a copy of “Peut Etre” over here I can definitely recommend the movies I mention above!

If any of you are wondering, yes I did make Joe Allen’s my regular haunt yet again. I have given up trying to find alternative restaurants. Why wander round trying to find somewhere I like the look of when I know I can go there, know what I am getting, and get looked after. It’s quite nice to return to a place and be recognized too, I was even asked this time if I wanted my table habituelle! Eating at Joe Allen’s is very much part of the Paris experience for me now so I make no apologies.

I think this was either my seventh or eighth visit to Paris and by now I have got to know the city very well. I know where the bargains are, to look out for V.O. movies at the city’s proliferate cinemas and to buy Pariscope on a Wednesday. Sadly, I still can’t navigate the maze that is Les Halles though, and frequently get lost. This apart, I always feel very at home in the city and know it won’t be long before I am there again. Of course, as I left Paris the sun was blazing and it was like a hot summer day, perfect in fact, without much humidity. As the Eurostar emerged from the channel tunnel, after speeding through the north of France, England greeted me with grey skies and rain. My holiday was well and truly over! However, maybe I will manage a second visit of the year for Christmas shopping! Bonne Idee!

"Cabaret" Aux Folies Bergere

When I knew that I would be visiting Paris again I knew that the opportunity to see Kander and Ebb’s ‘Cabare’t at the Folies Bergere was too delicious to miss. Although he did present a version at the Donmar Warehouse, in 1993, the Sam Mendes Broadway production has never made it to London, so I was pleased to finally get the chance to see it. Albeit in Paris. Albeit in French.

The Folies Bergere is to Paris what the Palladium is to London and the Palace to New York. The home of variety. In it’s 130 year history it has played host to many of the great French and international stars. The legendary Maurice Chevalier, Anna Pavlova, Josephine Baker and Mistinguett are just a few, not to mention the Palladium’s own Tiller Girls. As French “variety” often leant towards cabaret performers, “Les Folies” is a perfect location for ‘Cabaret’, if not it’s spiritual home. I was, however, concerned that the setting would be too glamorous for the shows second rate cabaret bar setting, but the fact that the fascia of the theatre could do with a little sprucing up, and there is the odd bit of internal paintwork that needs administering to, works very much in it’s favour.

Upon entering I discovered a massive, and opulent, foyer painted in aqua with the most enormous brass chandelier I have ever seen, along with two magnificent carousel-style horses. The grandiosity of the foyer made it seem like an “event” even before I had entered the auditorium, and the venue seemed to echo with the ghosts of the past, all adding to the experience. Also the way the auditorium has been transformed for this production is no less spectacular than the front of house. The stalls area had been set out with chairs and tables, with a lamp on each, to give the ambience of a cabaret bar. As walk ways went into the house at circle level it was difficult to work out exactly where the Folies ended and the stage set began. It seemed to slip so seamlessly from one to the other. The sign for the Kit Kat Klub seemed particularly appropriate for Paris as it is reminiscent of Guimaud’s art nouveau metro stations. All in all the design, along with the real life features, were amazingly evocative of what a down at heel Berlin cabaret bar would be like.

Shortly before the show was due to start a discordant violinist took to the stage, to be joined by a Chicago-esque male cast member clad in a dark trousers and an open waistcoat. Kit Kat Klub girls and musicians (for they were often one and the same) all came forward as the band members began to tune up. As one guy stretched another pinched his bum and one of the girls engaged in her own rather provocative stretches, all giving a foretaste of the ambiguity that was to come. As the mood began to set it was evident that I was in for a very good night’s entertainment. And this was still ten minutes before the show was actually due to commence.

As I looked around the audience I noticed many male/male couplings, proving that even though musical theatre is less popular in France than the UK and USA, it does prove to be a draw for gay society – although given the nature of this production it’s hardly surprising. I also noticed the strange “aisle” seats that they have which fold out from the end of rows to maximise potential numbers. Of course these also serve to prevent people nipping out to the loo, and they would no doubt fall foul of London fire regulations!

So to the piece itself. It of course begins with the multilingual ‘Wilkomme’n , performed by the Emcee along with the chorus giving a raunchy foretaste of what’s to come. We get our first sighting of, American writer, Cliff Brayshaw as he meets the enigmatic Ernst Ludwig on the train to Berlin, and it’s Ludwig’s suggestion that he seek out Fraulein Schneider’s boarding house. Schneider is asking for more for the room than Cliff can afford but in the end she decides it’s of little consequence and lets him have the room ‘Qu’importe’ (‘So What’). What follows are two of the “performance” songs from the Kit Kat Klub that pepper the evening and sometimes comment on the action in a subtle– or not so subtle - way. ‘Ne Dites Rien A Mama’n (‘Don’t Tell Mama’) is followed by (written for the movie) Mein Herr. It’s not long before Cliff finally meets the Kit Kat’s star turn, Sally Bowles, who shortly after they meet turns up at his flat claiming to be destitute. So begins the romance (and co-habitation) between Sally and the bisexual Cliff. All in all it’s ‘Les Plus Merveilleux Des Bonheurs’ (‘Perfectly Marvellous’). A sub plot develops between Schneider and another tenant, fruit shop owner, Herr Schultz. Schultz offers her the delicacy of ‘Un Ananas’ (‘It Couldn’t Please Me More (Pineapple)’) and a romance develops. Cliff becomes involved in helping Ludwig learn English and, inadvertently, in some rather dubious financial dealings (‘Mone’y) . Later Cliff becomes aware of Ludwig’s Nazi leanings as, at the Schneider/Schultz engagement party, he informs Schneider that an engagement would be foolish as Schultz is a Jew – ‘Demain N’Appartient Qu’a Moi’ (‘Tommorrow Belongs To Me’) . In the meantime Sally enjoys life in her own merry oblivion, not realising what’s occurring around her. As the shows second act continues our characters begin to face some stark decisions. Shortly after Schultz has a brick thrown through his window, Fraulein Schneider makes a difficult decision about their future together. When Sally discovers she is pregnant Cliff offers to take her back to America with him to raise their child away from the horrors that are unfolding in front of them. Sally, forever naïve, fails to see how politics should stop them having the fun life they have in Berlin as she truly does believe that life is a ‘Cabaret’ . Behind Cliffs back, Sally makes a big decision about her pregnancy which succeeds in terminating her relationship with Cliff. Cliff leaves for Paris, with Sally remaining in Berlin. The evening closes as it begins with the Emcee singing ‘Wilkommen’.

Well obviously I have only given an outline of the plot, and a handful of the musical numbers, but I will mention a few personal highlights. The whole Schneider/Schultz sub plot is beautifully done and gives a real heart to the piece. I loved (understudy) Sylvie Neyraut as Schneider who looked a little like Glenn Close and evoked Edith Piaf for me. In a perfectly balanced performance she managed to convey the dilemmas her character faced quite touchingly. ‘Un Ananas’ was great fun – so touching that something , now so commonplace as a pineapple, was once considered exotic enough to be a romantic gift. Also the word Ananas is so much more musical than the pineapple so musically the French lyric improves upon the song. Delphine Grandsart was wonderful as, a brazenly teutonic, Fritzie Klost with an apt mixture of vulgarity and bawdiness – looking astonishingly like British actress Sarah Parish. As Sally, Claire Perot was the perfect balance of vulnerability and pizzazz that the role requires, shining in ‘Peut-Etre’ Bien’ (‘Maybe This Time’) as well as with the Kit Kat girls in ‘Mein Herr’. Her static version of the title song worked brilliantly as well, and really did stop the show. The only part of the show that I felt was overshadowed by the movie was ‘Mone’y, solely because the film version of this is an iconic moment in movie musicals and very hard to forget – even though the stage version was staged brilliantly. As the Emcee David Alexis (also an understudy) was brilliant from the outset, with just the right touch of the sinister, also managing to convey the characters ambiguity in a very sexualised performance without resorting to all out campery. In this production the Emcee rightly takes the final bow as, although he is a spectator to the main action, he comments on the proceedings in a way that lends definition to them. As ‘Cabaret’ goes this has to be the definitive version and it’s no surprise that it ran for almost six years in its Broadway production. It manages to effectively tell of a particular time and place in history when the decadence of the Weimar Republic began to fade to be replaced by the austerity and horrors of the Third Reich. All in all this production of the show manages to entertain and provoke in equal measure, Mendes’ vision subtly conveys the horror of the oncoming war without ever resorting to prurience. He leaves the raucousness and obviousness for the Kit Kat Klub production numbers and deals with the rest of the piece on a very human level. The show is at it’s most powerful at it’s stunning finale. I am not going to describe this in depth, but for the moment when the Emcee introduces the band during the reprise of ‘Wilkommen’ only to discover that the music is playing but the band isn’t there. Nothing hits the pieces message home more than this incident, which reflects the real story of how many bands and orchestras found their numbers depleted while the largely Jewish musicians vanished from sight.

Well Paris isn’t Berlin. However, as I left the theatre and headed into the night I passed a kosher butchers on the street at the side of the Folies, and within moments passed a group of orthodox Jews, leaving me to ponder how different life would have been there sixty five years ago. To view a show such as ‘Cabaret’ in a city that was under Nazi occupation during the war gives it a whole added dimension. How many similar stories played out there , for real, in the war years? Was there a real life Sally Bowles at the Folies Bergere perhaps, and indeed how many of the performers there suffered in the same way we were lead to believe that the Kit Kat Klubs musicians did? It was with these thoughts that I returned to my hotel after seeing not only a marvellous production of a classic musical, but possibly one of the best productions I have ever seen of any musical.

Recommendations

The movie of ‘Cabaret’ tells the same story in a different way and with some different characters, yet it is none the less effective and rightly considered to be one of the all time great screen musicals. Buy the DVD and the CD – both worth a listen. Should you be looking for a recording you could of course get the Paris recording which is now available, but failing that the Broadway version with Alan Cumming and Natasha Richardson is pretty definitive. Of the many other recordings we do of course have Dame Judi Dench as the West End’s first Sally Bowles on the original London cast album. Judi isn’t nearly as vocally effective in this role as she was in “A Little Night Music” however, although her version of “Don’t Tell Mama” is wonderful. In the nineties JAY/TER recordings issued a “complete” version with Jonathan Pryce and Maria Friedman. Both perform well but the highlight has to be, in her return to the piece, the afore mentioned Judi Dench. This time she takes on the role of Fraulein Schneider and her rendition of ‘So What?’ Is as good as it gets.

From the point of view of the Nazi Occupation of Paris I would recommend Irene Nemirovsky’s wonderful novel , ‘Suite Francaise’ – which (although it only contains the first two parts of an uncompleted five part sequence) gives a chillingly evocative impression of the period. I truly believe that you could not imagine these events unless you were actually there. Nemirovsky was there in fact and sadly did not survive the war following her internment. .

I would also mention the French movie, Andre Techine’s ‘Strayed’ (‘Les Egares’) starring Emmanuelle Beart and Gaspard Ulliel. Like ‘Suite Francaise’ it deals with the plight of the Parisians as the fled their homes because of the imminent arrival of the Germans. Well worth seeing!

Glitter And Be Gay - A Profile of Barbara Cook

It was back in 1986 that I saw this weeks essential performer live in concert for the first time. I had seen Barbara Cook in the BBC’s Arena special “Follies In Concert”, a documentary taking us behind the scenes of the historic all-star concert version of Stephen Sondheim’s classic 1971 musical “Follies” at New York’s Avery fisher Hall (at The Lincoln Centre). A few months later whilst I was working front of house on “La Cage Aux Folles” I had the opportunity to see Miss Cook live in person as part of the Donmar Warehouse’s Show People season.

So what did I think of her? In short, from the moment she began singing her oft opening number “Sing A Song With M”e I was mesmerised by the natural charm and style she possessed. At sixteen/seventeen a soprano like Barbara was not the sort of voice I would normally enjoy, but she was (and is) so much more than just a soprano. She possessed the ability to sing almost anything, it seemed, from traditional Broadway songs and standards to more recent “pop” tunes with her natural style and charm she made everything work. The stories and anecdotes between the songs added to the experience immensely as well, and you couldn’t fail to be touched by the warmth radiating from the stage.

Of course the story did not begin there for Miss Cook, as she had already been performing for over thirty years, so before I meander along with my personal remembrances of her I feel we should venture back to the early fifties and her first stage appearances.

It was in 1951, some fifty six years ago, that she made her Broadway debut in the whimsical Fain/Harburg musical “Flahooley”. Now “Flahooley” was by no means a big hit, but Barbara’s solo’s were enough to get her noticed and the rest of the decade saw her become Broadway’s favourite ingénue. She followed this by playing Ado Annie in a revival of “Oklahoma” followed by a tour of the same show. Her performance as Carrie Pipperidge in a revival of “Carousel” was followed by her next major role, as Hilda, in the hit musical “Plain And Fancy” (Composed, incidentally, by Albert Hague the TV “Fame’s” Shorofsky!) focussing on America’s Amish community. 1955 saw Barbara as the first to sing the vocally astonishing “Glitter And Be Gay” when she portrayed Cunegonde in Leonard Bernstein’s, then unsuccessful, “Candide”. In later years this show has, very much, become part of the operatic repertoire and Cooks performance on the original cast recording has no doubt influenced the continuing ongoing interest in the piece. 1957 saw a bona fide block buster when she was cast as Marian, the librarian, in Meredith Wilson’s “The Music Man” where she introduced “Till There Was You” later to become the only show tune to be covered by The Beatles. The fifties were rounded out by Barbara’s first solo recordings. “Songs Of Perfect Priority” was an experimental album of Dorothy Parker poems set to music (the only of her solo albums never to have a CD release) and “From the Heart” (recently re-released by DRG) is a collection of songs by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart. I would describe the arrangements on this recording as both quaint and antiquated but it’s well worth a listen to hear a youthful Barbara Cook at the height of her Broadway career.

As the sixties came, the Broadway musical was still very much a part of Barbara’s life as she starred in 1961’s “The Gay Lif”e and 1964’s “Something More”, but it was the 1963 show “She Loves Me” which provided her with, possibly, the best role of her career. As Amalia Balash a shop assistant in Budapest she performed (what were to become) signature numbers “Will He Like Me”, “Dear Friend” and the breathtaking “Ice Cream”. Barbara also played the lead roles in City Center revivals of both “The King And I” and “Carousel”. Sadly as the sixties rolled on the ingénue roles began to dry up and it wasn’t until 1971 that she starred in her last Broadway musical role to date in the short lived “The Grass Harp” based on a story by Truman Capote. During these years Cook experienced a number of personal problems however she re-emerged in the mid-seventies as a successful concert/cabaret performer aided and abetted by her long time accompanist/arranger Wally Harper.

It was in 1975 that Barbara was to make her concert debut at no less a venue that New York’s Carnegie Hall. This concert was such a resounding critical and popular success that an album was released proving my point that not only was Cook one of the finest exponents of show tunes and the standards but she could turn her hand to pop with equal success.

Pop music was more in evidence on her next album, 1977’s “As Of Toda”y where she included Janis Ian’s “Stars” as well as Carol Hall’s touching “Ain’t Love Easy”. “It’s Better With A Band” followed in 1981 capturing a triumphant return to Carnegie Hall and featuring new specially written material such as the stunning title song and the “The Ingenue” both written by Wally Harper and David Zippel. “The Ingenue” was a wonderful self parody and the lyrics touched on many of the roles she had played some twenty or more years before as well as “The movie roles you long to play they give to Shirley Jones to do”, noting her failure to get the role of Marian in “The Music Man” movie.

It was in 1985 that RCA decided that, as only a truncated version of the score had been released when the show had its Broadway run, they would record Stephen Sondheim’s “Follies” in it’s entirety – and Cook was signed to play Sally Durant Plummer giving voice to definitive versions of both “Losing My Mind” and “In Buddys Eyes”.

So this takes me back to where I began my story in the mid-eighties. The Donmar season was a huge hit receiving rave reviews and Barbara Cook became a regular presence on television over the following few years. Particular highlights of this period included an all star “Night Of A Hundred Star” at The Palladium where she brought the house down with her energetic performance of “Carolina In The Mornin”g, as well as the first of several Royal Variety Performances and appearances on the SWET (now Olivier) Awards as well as The Tonys. She returned to the recording studio to participate in a newly orchestrated version of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Carousel” where she played Julie Jordan, a new musical version of “The Secret Garden” and, delightfully, “The Disney Album”, a solo collection of songs from the golden age of Disney animation. Almost every year Barbara would also return to London for a concert or two and over the years she has played at the Barbican, The Royal Festival Hall, The Royal Albert Hall and The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. The late eighties also saw her triumphant return to Broadway with “A Concert For The Theatre”, and her last book musical to date. Sadly “Carrie” was not the most successful of experiences, despite great excitement at its announcement, it was felt at the time that she was miscast and its said that Barbara was unhappy in her role as Carrie’s mother. She stayed with the show for the duration of its run in Stratford Upon Avon, but did not perform in the short-lived Broadway run – that honour instead went to Betty Buckley.

The nineties saw a continuing concert and cabaret programme for Barbara, and London continued to be a big part of this, especially her seventieth birthday concert at The Royal Albert Hall where she was joined by guests including Elaine Stritch. 1993 saw the beginning of a her ongoing relationship with DRG records when she released “Close As Pages In A Boo”k a collection of songs with lyrics by Dorothy Fields. A spectacular season at London’s Sadlers Wells followed accompanied by one of her best recordings “Live From London”. Further studio sets followed with “All I Ask Of You”, and “Oscar Winners” which focussed on the lyrics of Oscar Hammerstein. Her Café Carlyle season in tribute to theatre legend Gower Champion (“The Champion Seaso”n) was also released on CD around this time. As the new millennium dawned there were no signs of the pace slowing down as she enjoyed a “Mostly Sondheim” season at Carnegie Hall (reprised at London’s Lyric Theatre) where she showcased a selection of Sondheim’s greatest works along with some songs that he wishes he had written. Happily for Barbara, one of Sondheim’s favourites was “Ice Cream” from “She Loves M”e so she got to re-visit that number as well as deliver her own take on “Send in The Clowns” which, for my money, ranks amongst the best versions. A double album of the concert was released along with a DVD version. Fascinatingly the DVD also contains a “master class” with Barbara passing on her wisdom to other performers – offering a fascinating insight into her gifts. Barbara followed this season with “Barbara Cook’s Broadway” a tribute to Broadways golden age where she featured many songs from the era she was a Broadway performer herself. Favouring longer runs rather than on off concert dates on her London visits these days, Barbara brought this show to The Gielgud for a season, but sadly this was curtailed due to ill health. It was shortly after a second season at The Theatre Royal, Haymarket that Barbara’s long time musical arranger, Wally Harper, died. Special tribute must be paid to Wally whose presence in Barbara’s concert was very important indeed. He was extremely simpatico to Barbara and has proved irreplaceable in his absence. However Barbara’s career continues without Wally and she has released a further studio album, “Tribute”, featuring songs new and familiar to her repertoire. 2006 saw Barbara make her solo debut at the Metropolitan Opera in New York the first non operatic female singer to hold this distinction. With Eric Stern conducting, and special guests Audra McDonald and Josh Groban this concert as well was released on CD. So what now for Barbara? Well a further album, “No One Is Alone” was released in the last few weeks based on her most recent Carnegie Hall concert, there can’t be many recording artists whose most prolific period was after they hit seventy! As for the future, she has a busy concert schedule, and although there are no further appearances planned for the UK we can only hope that she will return one more time so London audiences can experience the magic of Broadways greatest ingénue.

Recordings
Well, as I have mentioned, Cook has been nothing if not prolific, and most of her recordings are currently available on CD. Almost all of her great Broadway roles are now available on CD with the exception of “Something More” which was never recorded. There are even two versions of “Showboa”t on release as well as a lovely studio recording of “The King And I” – a role she played at The Lincoln Centre (Anna that is!) I would most recommend her recordings of “She Loves Me”, “Carousel” and “Follies”. Of her solo recordings she is at best when she sings live so her “Live From Carnegie Hall” is excellent, although possibly the best set has to be 1994’s “Live From London”. Then of course there is last years” Live At The Met” and 2001’s “Mostly Sondheim”. DRG, her current label, seem to be in the process of getting the rights to all the Barbara Cook recordings that are currently out of print and so far have re-released “From The Heart”, “As Of Toda”y, “It’s Better With A Band” and the cast albums to “Plain And Fancy”, “The Gay Life” and “Flahoole”y. Who knows, we may even be able to look forward to “Songs Of Perfect Priorit”y at some point. This year has also seen a “Broadway Legend” release from Sony featuring many of Cook’s performances from her Broadway years. Anyway I look forward to hearing the new release “No One Is Alone” with interest! I really must get down to play.com!

Perpetual Anticipation

Perpetual sunset is rather an unsettling thing. Well yes, I expect it is. Its often said that Scandinavia’s long summer days can drive people mad with there being so few hours of darkness. Not necessarily the most obvious choice of subject matter for a musical, but as suggested by the Ingmar Bergman film Smiles Of A Summer Night this did indeed become the subject matter for Stephen Sondheim’s 1973 Broadway musical A Little Night Music.

Liaisons what happened to them?

Described by its producer/director, Harold Prince, as “Whipped cream with knives” A Little Night Music is set somewhere around the turn of the last century in Sweden. It tells the story of amoral actress Desiree Armfeldt, her paramours and their spouses. As a well known actress Desiree was often off touring so was not able to spend much time with her daughter Frederika who was left in the charge of her grandmother, Madame Armfeldt, an aging courtesan. Desiree’s current beau was the Count Carl Magnus Malcolm who was married to the acerbic Charlotte. Now Charlotte was an acquaintance of Anne the new young wife of Fredrik Egerman, former lover of Ms Armfeldt. Along with Petra the maid and Henrik, Fredriks son this more or less takes care of the entire cast. Of course we do also have the novel addition of a vocal quintet often described as the Liebeslieder which comment musically on the action as a kind of Scandinavian Greek chorus as it were.

Is Hans Christian Anderson ever risqué?

It is in fact the quintet who launch the proceedings as they begin a sung overture which starts with them doing vocal exercises – in the manner of an orchestra tuning up – and flows into Night Waltz as the stage is filled by elegant couples dancing and giving a hint of the romantic twists and turns ahead. Madame Armfeldt then takes the stage with her granddaughter Fredrika, informing her that the summer night does indeed smile three times. “The first smile smiles at the young, who know nothing. The second at the fools, who know too little, like Desiree. And the third at the old, who know too much – like me!” The action then turns to the Egerman house as Fredrik, a lawyer, laments his woes at Now being married to a virgin. His son then makes a clumsy pass at Petra the maid, who tells him he may have the knack Later, and Anne promises that Soon she will be a true wife to Fredrik. The first appearance of Desiree occurs as she sings of The Glamorous Life that she leads in the theatre whilst Madame Armfeldt and Fredrika offer some rather bitter ripostes! That evening Fredrik takes Anne to the theatre where he is spotted in the audience by Desiree. Fredrik makes his excuses and seeks out Desiree’s digs where they have a bittersweet reunion after over a decade, and he advises her You Must Meet My Wife which judging from her rather dry response is not an opportunity she relishes. Interrupted (in flagrante) by her current beau, the dragoon, Carl-Magnus, they concoct a rather dubious story about Fredrik bringing some legal papers for her to sign and him falling into the bath! Carl-Magnus sends Fredrik away in his underwear and seriously doubts the story he has been told (In Praise Of Women) . The next morning Carl-Magnus sends his wife, Charlotte, to visit Anne and inform her of Fredrik’s adultery (Every Day A Little Death) Desiree then pays a long overdue visit to her mothers estate and begins to plan A Weekend In The Country with guests, the Egermans, and gate crashers, the Malcolms, also in attendance.

A weekend in the country, how amusing, how delightfully droll

As the curtain goes up on the second act , the guests arrive for the weekends shenanigans. There is the inevitable stand off between Egerman and Malcolm (It Would Have Been Wonderful) and a lavish dinner that ends in an argument and Henrik’s angry departure from the dinner table. As Anne and Fredrika begin to search for Henrik, Fredrik visits Desiree in her boudoir where she reveals that she hopes to rekindle their romance. Fredrik however is unwilling to give up his young bride and leaves Desiree contemplating that it’s a case of bad timing etc – Send In The Clowns. Without giving away the denouement, as the summer night finally draws to a close many more twists and turns occur - duels, unexpected couplings, flings, and more - before Madame Armfeldt tells Fredrika that the night has indeed smiled twice – for the young and for the fools - as the lovers waltz one last time and the night smiles for it’s third and last time.

Love takes time, entirely too much yet sublime

It’s often quoted that the score of A Little Night Music is entirely in ¾ (Waltz) time, but Sondheim himself is quick to correct this. Without a doubt though this show possibly does contain more waltzes than any other as the vocal quintet comment on the action, in song, many times during the evening. Certainly it is hard to find a more elegant sequence of songs in musical theatre as variations on love and romance colour almost every song. Chief amongst the scores highlights must be Sondheim’s most well known song – Send in The Clowns – written for original leading lady Glynis Johns. Ms Johns was not noted for her great vocal range so the song was written, according to legend, in the course of one evening when it was decided that despite her vocal limitations she did need a big number. A Weekend In The Country, with its tongue twisting lyrics, must count as one of the most rousing act one closers ever to be performed, and the wit of the lyrics throughout the show very much contain the “whipped cream and knives” that Prince described. Although less crucial to the main plot there are two further numbers that deserve very special mention. Firstly we have Madame Armfeldt as she reminisces on the Liaisons she enjoyed as a courtesan, and bemoans the lack of romance in contemporary society. Also, at eleven o’clock, we have Petra, the maid, fresh from a nocturnal assignation where she ponders the kind of man she may end, up with touching on everyone from The Millers Son to the Prince Of Wales.

Hi-ho the glamorous life?

The book to the show was written by Hugh Wheeler, and is perfectly in tune with the textures of the remarkable score. Along with the orchestrations of Jonathan Tunick, and stunning sets by Boris Aronson and Florence Klotz’ costume designs, the original Broadway run had all the elements that make for a great evening at the theatre. Opening at the Shubert Theatre in February 1973, A Little Night Music enjoyed the best reception so far for a Sondheim/Prince collaboration and enjoyed a successful run of 601 performances. Along with Glynis Johns the cast also featured the indefatigable Hermione Gingold (possibly best known for the film Gigi) as Madame Armfeldt, future “Sweeney Todd” Len Cariou as Fredrik and Laurence Guittard as the Count.

The hands on the clock turn, but don’t sing a nocturne just yet

It was two years later, in April 1975 that the Adelphi Theatre housed the London production of A Little Night Music. British born Hollywood star Jean Simmons lead the cast as Desiree and was joined by Broadways Madame Armfeldt, Hermione Gingold. Joss Ackland played Fredrik and also amongst the cast were well known names Liz Robertson, Maria Aitken and David Kernan. In the role of Petra was, rising star, Diane Langton. In the late eighties I was lucky enough to see Ms Langton reprise her stunning version of The Millers Son in a charity concert – and, for me, her rendition will always be definitive. 1978 saw the some what misconceived film version of the show. Many of the songs, including the show stopping Liaisons were excised from the score, and The Glamorous Life was totally rewritten as a gorgeous solo for Fredrika. Strangely the location for the story was transferred to Vienna, but the film did retain three of its original cast with Cariou, Gingold and Guittard. As Desiree was the, miscast, Elizabeth Taylor. Whilst as an actress her casting may seem spot on she didn’t manage to accomplish the style of either Glynis Johns or Jean Simmons vocally. The one performance that was a real highlight of this film – and indeed in itself is good reason for seeking it out – was Diana Rigg as the Countess. Bringing a cool brittle aloofness to the picture she makes Every Day A Little Death the films best moment for me.

I admit she’s endearing what’s one small shortcoming

Although never revived on Broadway the show has received two productions by the New York City Opera in 1990 and 2003 , the latter production featuring Juliet Stevenson, Jeremy Irons and Claire Bloom. There have been two major revivals in the West End both of which I have been lucky enough to see. Approximately fifteen years after its London debut a “chamber” version of the show with scaled down orchestrations played at the Piccadilly Theatre. The cast was lead by the late Dorothy Tutin as Desiree and featured Eric Flynn, Peter McEnery, an excellent Susan Hampshire as Charlotte Malcolm and a young Alexander Hanson as Henrik. However, it was in 1995 at the South Bank’s National Theatre that A Little Night Music enjoyed a critically lauded production. Dame Judi Dench was sublime as Desiree Armfeldt and her rendition of Send In The Clowns will always remain one of the greatest things I have ever witnessed and heard in the theatre. Almost everything about the production was exquisite, the sets, the lighting, the choreography…..for me the only jarring moment was The Glamorous Life which (misguidedly) combined both the film and stage versions and frankly was a bit of a mess. This aside it truly was magnificent and as well as leading to a well deserved Olivier Award for Dench it had an outstanding cast. As Henrik was, the Broadway and movie Carl-Magnus, Laurence Guittard – married to a perfectly annoying (for that is how she should be!) Joanna Riding. Sian Phillips was a convincing Madame Armfeldt despite being far too young, and Patricia Hodge brought all the right qualities to Charlotte opposite French actor Lambert Wilson’s dragoon! Around the same time a full radio production of the show was mounted on BBC2 starring Betty Buckley and Keith Michell in the principal roles.

So the summer night has smiled three times on London, and once on Broadway – but I am sure it’s only a matter of time before it smiles again on this further essential musical.

Recordings
To my knowledge there are five English language recordings of the score and I believe there has also been a Spanish one! The definitive one, for me, has to be the 1995 London Revival with Judi Dench which (with the exception of The Glamorous Life) is a stunning recreation of the score. However this was only in print for a short time and when it turns up on ebay it goes for over a hundred pounds so unless you already possess it then its pretty hard to get hold of! I haven’t heard the Spanish version of the show and the film is yet to get a cd release, but the Broadway version was beautifully re-mastered a decade ago and preserves a wonderful cast. Although not quite Judi Dench, Glynis Johns is excellent as Desiree and you also get the incomparable Gingold and the great voices of Cariou and Guittard. Soon is not generally considered one of the best numbers in the show but Victoria Mallory’s soaring performance of the number is absolutely stunning. This recording does also contain the bonus of the film version of The Glamorous Life. The 1975 London cast recording is a little disappointing, as Simmons lacks what Dench and Johns brought to the role, but Langton’s The Millers Son makes up for it. The earlier London revival lacks a cast recording but TER did record an album featuring some of the cast including Flynn and Hampshire. Of interest for this recording are, a future Madame Armfeldt, Sian Phillips as Desiree, Maria Friedman as Petra and the legendary Elisabeth Welch as a more delicate matriarch who makes Liaisons a touching showstopper.

P.S. For the very brave a region one DVD of the movie is released soon!

The Inspirations Project part 3

Matt Harrop as Riff Raff/Susan Egan As Sally Bowles (with Michael Hall)

“Discipline, Trust, Focus, Honesty, Passion, Being, Experiencing the birthing process of a theatrical living organism every night, Joy. Despair, Joy, again. The air we breathe.”

So Says Maureen McGovern as she describes what musical theatre means to her, and we begin the final instalment of The Inspirations Project (for now!)

After looking at the musicals that first got them interested in theatre, and then the performers and performances that inspired them later on we now move on to our groups own careers.

When we look at people who have inspired us it can quite often be those who we see from the audience, but for a performer it can often be someone with whom they share the stage.

Caroline Sheen” I have always thought Jenna Russell was the sort of actress I wanted to be. Her ability to create a sympathetic, lovable and moving character is brilliant. I worked with her at the Donmar (Warehouse) when I had only recently left college and she taught me so much. I am so pleased for her finally getting the appreciation she has deserved for so long. (Jenna Russell recently won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress In A Musical for the role of Dot/Marie in “Sunday In The Park With George”) She’s a top girl too!!!”

Maureen McGovern “George Rose was my theatre mentor. George played my papa, Major Stanley, in “Pirates of Penzance” on Broadway. He was extremely supportive to me as an actor and came to many of my concert performances as well. “

Susan Egan” Once I started working in the theatre I found inspiration in folks like Tommy Tune, Gary Beach, Beth Fowler, Fred Applegate and others. Folks who are immensely talented ... and also kind and enthusiastic about the art form. Many people become bitter, or are difficult to work with, or have forgotten why they entered the business in the first place. Not these ... they are joyous people, and it shows in their performances.”

Caroline “I have been very lucky to work with a lot of the top names in musical theatre – but I will always have the biggest soft spot for a certain Mr Michael Ball. He has the most incredible singing voice – instantly identifiable, and when he hits those ‘money’ notes it’s spine tingling. Working with him (on “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang”) was one of the funniest experiences of my life and I often do concerts with him now. He’s a great company leader and a fabulous leading man.”

Of course Maureen McGovern’s career has taken her into many other fields beside musical theatre so it’s unsurprising that a major influence on her was legendary vocalist Mel Torme.
Maureen “I have been a fan of Mel Torme since I was a teenager. What a thrill it was to not only work with Mel and share his friendship, but to have him as my mentor for most of my career. He was one of the greatest singers to ever grace this planet...a lesson in every breath.”

As I ask our septet to look to their own careers it only seems right that I should ask them if they have had any particular favourite roles.

Anne Kerry Ford “It was great fun being Grace Farrell in "Annie" on Broadway when I was only twenty-four. What could be better than being in a great musical with sold-out houses, a wonderful cast, your own dressing room, and your name on the marquee? Plus, I got to work with the wonderful choreographer, Peter Gennero.”

Susan “I enjoyed "Belle" (In “Beauty And The Beast”) simply because it allowed me to connect with so many children -- people now grown who still hold the memory of that show in their hearts. Sounds corny, but it's true. But professionally, I enjoyed Sally Bowles in “Cabare”t the most, because the production (directed by Sam Mendes) was exquisite. The character is tragic, but she doesn't know it. The time period resonates. I love the play and I loved that cast.”

Maureen mentions three roles that she particularly enjoyed “The Countess Aurelia: “Dear World” -- Jerry Herman's gorgeous musical version of “The Madwoman Of Chaillot.” Philip Himberg directed me in his production for the Sundance Theatre Institute. His belief in me, his artistic integrity and his compassion and creativity as a director made for a completely joyous stretch for me as an actor. I loved playing Aurelia. Eleanor Bridges: Paris Barclay's “Letters From ‘Nam.” To portray the actual mother of an American soldier in Viet Nam, whose young life was needlessly taken in a senseless war was humbling and heartbreaking to me. To honour the strength and courage of the families and the soldiers, who witnessed unspeakable horror and were expected to mainstream back into society with precious little help and mostly contempt from the country that sent them, was a wrong that needed to be righted. This wonderful healing piece of theatre celebrates life amid the inhumanity and futility of all war. Marmee: “ Little Women, The Musical.” It was a joy to return to Broadway as the matriarch of the legendary March family from Concord. I was re-united with my very first theatre director, Susan H. Schulman and was blessed to have exquisite songs to sing by Mindy Dickstein and Jason Howland”

With the works of Stephen Sondheim having cropped up so often in this piece it’s not surprising that both DC Anderson and Caroline Sheen particularly enjoyed working on his shows.

D.C “Buddy in” Follies” I like Buddy and Sally's story - their relationship as it's exposed in song...”

Caroline “(It) would have to be playing Philia in “A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum” at The National. She was so ridiculously dumb and funny. A Brilliantly written character and I used my native Welsh accent for it which was an extra bonus as I am very proud of being Welsh!”

Matt Harrop “I think having been in the business for 10 years, I have been lucky, but not as lucky as I have been in the last 8/9 months... I have a brilliant agent, and having landed the role of Riff Raff in “Rocky Horror Show” has been a real eye opener... So I would have to say that this part has given me the most enjoyment as it is my first big role, and the atmosphere on a Friday/Saturday night on this show is ELECTRIC!! And I love every moment of it...”

As the least experienced of our collaborators AJ O’Neill has less roles to choose from but has found things to enjoy none the less “With my heady experience of.. well two shows since college, I enjoyed playing Man 1 in “Songs For A New World” in Ireland because I got to sing some of my all time favourite songs. In “Chicago” it's not any particular role I enjoy but the challenge of doing different ones.

For Matt too his early roles made their mark! “I have to mention the beast that is “Les Miserables”, my first job and a show that I have a great love for... And I loved playing Grantaire , the drunken student, a lovely small dramatic part....”

Since, initially, asking this question AJ has performed in a leading role on the West End stage for the first time as Amos Hart in “Chicago” so I felt it only pertinent to ask him for a few words on this experience. “I had been looking forward to eventually playing Amos for a very long time but when I finally had the chance, I was more scared of screwing it up because I had been looking forward to it for so long than screwing it up because I didn't know what I was doing. It was the fear of doing something you know so backwards that you might be overconfident with it and mess up because of that. But it went great, and I really REALLY enjoyed being the centre of attention (shocking I know) and I am looking forward to doing more lead roles if they ever let me again. Preferably Amos not Mary Sunshine.. though that was a singular experience. I'm looking forward to playing Jamie in the Irish premiere of “The Last Five Years” but at the moment it's only a pipe dream. Have to have some time off first. But it would be a great follow-up to playing Man 1 in “Songs for a New World.””

Having established their past highlights I was curious to see what roles they would like to play in the future and who their dream co-star might be. I wasn’t particularly surprised with their answers though as so many of the shows – and indeed performers – have already been mentioned.

It seems that Anne would like to follow in the footsteps of her co-star from “The Threepenny Opera” – a certain Maureen McGovern when she says “I would love to play Anna in” The King and I” with anyone capable of inhabiting the role of the king! (All offers will be considered)” and DC chose “Sweeney Todd” as the demon barber himself, along side Victoria Clark.

And in my opinion Caroline would be the perfect choice for her own dream role when she requests “Clara in “The Light In The Piazza” opposite Hugh Jackman please!”

And for Maureen we have a non musical dream role (or maybe a musical yet to be written?) when she offers “”The Lion In Winter” with Russell Crowe......be still my heart!”

Hmmm I make that two Australian hunks as co-stars!

AJ “Dream role?, at the mo, Princeton/Rod in “Avenue Q”. Or “The Scarlet Pimpernel”. Oh ambition... Dream co-star is blatantly Joanna Lumley. Met her before working on a movie and was actually star struck. And she hugged me. So clearly we'd work well together.”

Hmm I don’t know about you but I can’t quite imagine Joanna Lumley as Lucy The Slut!

Matt “Heh, I don’t have a dream role really.... I want to be a good actor, and be adaptable, and let people find roles that I can do, I never thought I would be Riff Raff for example, but I hope I am doing a good job!”

Susan” I like new shows, originating a role and being allowed to collaborate with the writers, so my dream role has yet to be written! I'd love to work with Gary Beach in anything. Meryl Streep would be a dream come true - I admire her greatly. Anthony Hopkins is a favorite as well.”

Matt “Ok, if you push me, I would love to go back to “Les Miserables” as Javert one day.....”

Many musical theatre performers have parallel careers as concert and cabaret artists so I also asked how much musical theatre informs this work.

Anne “ It is completely the same thing for me. The lyric is a script. Of course, in a concert, you are singing the song out of the context of the show, so you may have to "set up" the song to the audience so that it makes sense. But singing the actual song, there is no difference. I am always acting the lyrics. In cabaret rooms, it is the same, except in smaller venues I may have to play more "extreme close-up" and bring the emotions to a more subtle level to be effective.”

Maureen “As a singer, I approach a song as a musical conversation. In theatre, we are story tellers. So, my concerts have given me an ease, an at-home feeling on stage, while theatre has taught me to trust the material and tell the story.”

DC “I think they feed each other. As a cabaret performer I am in the habit of telling stories with song as myself, I am comfortable in my own skin in front of an audience. As a musical theatre actor I am in the habit of entering another's world and telling their stories through dialogue and song, filtered through either my own experience or a combination of my experience and imagination”

AJ” I try not to be too cartoony in my musical theatre work and try and bring whatever realism I use in my MT work to my cabaret and concert work.”

Susan believes it informs her cabaret work “ in as much as it's where I draw the music from -- but my cabaret work is based on my life experiences -- I simply find songs in the musical theatre world that describe those personal experiences best -- they may not be from shows I've actually done.”

Susan’s answer leads neatly into a further question, when I asked if there were any songs that had particular meaning either personally or professionally. For Maureen it was “The Music And The Mirror” as she mentioned in an earlier question, and Caroline selected a song from “The Light In The Piazza.”

Susan “I always loved “Patterns” from “Baby” -- rather sad, but beautiful -- about a woman wondering how her life became what it is. I think Sondheim hits the core with “Children Will Listen.””

Anne “I love the song “Move On” from Sondheim's “ Sunday in the Park with George” because it totally sums up an artist's journey. I also think Sondheim articulated the pain and fear and trepidation of love and loneliness in the song “Being Alive” probably better than any other song I have ever heard. It is a joy to sing” Being Alive” because it is such a TRUE song. (By the way, I think Sondheim had so much guts to call a song, Being Alive! That's a pretty big topic, isn't it? And he completely nailed it!)

DC - “You Don't Know This Man” from “Parade” (by Jason Robert Brown) - a concise, perfect example of true dedication and devotion to a life partner “

Matt “Mmm a song.... Well I can definitely say that a composer I love is Jason Robert Brown, and the song I love of his at the moment is called,” What It Means To Be A Friend”, pure and simple genius! From his new musical, “13”, it’s a child's view of what friendship is, and although it is deliberately naive, written from a 13 year olds point of view, I think it pretty much sums up what friendship is all about.. and maybe love!”

AJ -“” Why” from” Tick Tick Boom” (by Jonathan Larson) . Whenever things are shit I think what would I rather be doing, and in the end it comes down to... I'd not prefer to be doing anything else. This is me, for better of worse, for the time being. It's good to admit to yourself that you are who you are, regardless of if you're in the mood to be you.”

But what if he, and all the others, were doing something else? What do they think they would be doing?

AJ “Probably journalism. I got into a course but went to dance college instead. I've always had an interest in journalism anyway, I figure I may do it later with a theatre slant. If I remember how to type!”

Maureen “A Photographic Journalist!”

Anne “Gosh, I don't know. Writing for a travel magazine would be fun. Coaching actors for auditions? Raising border collies, perhaps? Or I might make a good stylist.”

Matt “Erm, maybe teaching... I did want to be one when I was younger...”

Susan “Research science.”

DC “I would love to be a casting director - I love the theatre and I love actors and singers and am thrilled when I see the successful melding of an actor/singers talent and a role”

Caroline “Crying!”

Without a doubt, whatever the future holds, musical theatre will play a big part for my interviewees. So I asked them to sum up what musical theatre means to them. The results ranged from the poetic to the pragmatic. Interestingly the British were pragmatic but the Americans were poetic which provided me with some wonderful copy to begin each of these three parts. So we have already heard from Anne Kerry Ford, Susan Egan and Maureen McGovern on this question but it’s time to hear from everyone else!

AJ “I have devalued it slightly through college - I used to think it was the be-all and end-all, and college made me realise that it's a job like any other. Well, not like ANY other, but it's important to know that it's a job. When it's stressful, and it's usually stressful, it's important to remember that there's more important things in the world. Like... most things. :-)”

DC “ It's a combination of all that I love - all that moves me - music, movement, story-telling”

Matt “ Oh Lord! Easy Question! To me, it means so much, my life has been defined by it, and sometimes it drives me absolutely crazy.... Well that’s the business side of it I guess, and the trials that producers and casting directors put us poor actors through! But I couldn't not have musical theatre in my life, I drive my friends crazy cause I still play musical theatre tunes all the time, and have playlists dedicated to it on my Ipod!”

But maybe Caroline finds the perfect balance between pragmaticism and poeticism when she says “Energy, excitement, fun and hard work!”

Well that’s almost it, but as AJ is just starting out I thought it only fair that I should ask our more seasoned performers what words of wisdom they may be able to offer him.

DC “Enjoy yourself - know the story and dedicate yourself fully to telling your part of it every night - avoid any temptation to leave the world of the play for your own or your cast mates' entertainment.”

Anne “Work as hard as you possibly can on your craft EVERY single time you go out onstage. It keeps the work fresh and keeps you from getting bored in a long run. Also, be nice to absolutely everybody, always be on time, and have fun. You have earned the right to have lots of fun.”

Susan “Don't get caught up in the politics or dramas backstage -- keep your joy and focus on the performance and the audience. It's easy to become submerged in other people's energy, especially if it is negative -- and there are plenty of those folks in the business. I find that staying light keeps me happy, focused, working at my highest level ... and you can help create a marvelous environment for your coworkers. This is not brain surgery -- we have to keep our senses of humour! AND don't believe your own press! The rave reviews or the horrible ones -- disregard them all.”

Caroline “Enjoy yourself, have fun, be disciplined – but above all don’t take yourself too seriously “

Matt “I wouldn't presume to know anything, except to say enjoy it, try not to stay in one show forever, move on and find more challenges for yourself after getting everything you can out of your present job..”

Maureen “Remember to BREATHE! I frequently tell this to myself when working on any new role.”

Now I inadvertently sent this question to AJ himself who, humorously, offered himself the following advice! “Always wear a clean jockstrap, you never know when you'll be hit by a bus. Or a flying female chorus member.”

And Matt actually asks AJ “Could he teach me how to do the splits?”

Well some questions it seems are to remain forever unanswered! All that remains are our customary handy household hints, and for me to say a few words of thanks. I am sure all of my readers will wish to thank AJ O’Neill, Matt Harrop, Caroline Sheen, DC Anderson, Anne Kerry Ford, Maureen McGovern and last but not least Susan Egan. How on earth she found time to answer my emails while caring for a two month old baby is beyond me! Hopefully, however, this is not the end of The Inspirations Project and it is just the beginning. My intention is to get together a much larger group of performers and see where their input leads me. So watch this space!

But In the Meantime………

Susan “Get rid of as much as you can! Donate or throw away things on a regular basis -- keeps your home from becoming deluged and it keeps new things coming in -- creates a great flow!”

AJ “The recycling bin doesn't smell. That's how you know the difference. In case you're so stupid you can't notice from first glance. This is at me, not anyone else.”

The Inspirations Project Part Two!

“It's a vehicle to communicate. It might be a way to make someone forget their worries, laugh and hum a few bars. It might be a way to get someone to think about an issue. You can do things and say things with music and dance that you can't say with text alone”. (Susan Egan)

Last week we touched upon the shows and performers that first got our contributors interested in musical theatre. As we enter our second week of The Inspirations Project we look at who, in the theatre world, has influenced them and the theatrical experiences that have most moved them as members of the audience.

To begin I simply asked which performers they have drawn inspiration from

DC Anderson responded equally simply, “Patty Duke, Robert Preston, Jo Henderson (US regional theatre actress), Barbara Cook,”

Matt Harrop” I wouldn't say that performers as such have inspired me in a fundamental way, more that pieces of theatre have done so... Although thinking about people that I admire in musical theatre, I guess I would have to mention Barbara Cook as one, I wish I could have seen her perform when she was younger, as I saw her at Drury Lane in about 97, and she totally blew me away then...”

Anne Kerry Ford “There are so many, it is hard to choose. I adore Bernadette Peters for her confidence and panache. She is simply masterful, and can also be so extremely simple. She is breathtaking when she just stands with her arms to her side and delivers a song, so real, so personal. Watching her is like taking a master class in musical theatre. I adore Patti LuPone for the same reasons. They are both fearless.”

Susan Egan “I loved Bernadette Peters growing up. She played all the roles I loved. Patti LuPone as well. The ones who inspire me the most, though are probably Carol Burnett and Julie Andrews.”

Maureen McGovern “Gertrude Lawrence, Elaine Stritch, Victoria Clark & Kelli O’Hara (Light In The Piazza) and Christine Ebersole (Grey Gardens)”

D.C. “Victoria Clark -I saw her as the ditsy matron in 'Titanic' on a Sunday afternoon and the following Tuesday evening she was Fraulein Kost in 'Cabaret' at Studio 54 - two distinctively different characters both played with depth and honesty.. Barbra Streisand in 'Funny Girl' on screen - a dynamic combination of exquisite comedy and drama in one performance,”

Anne “Kristen Chenowith inspires me vocally, as she is in such command of her voice. It impresses me when someone like that, at the pinnacle of their vocal power, uses the voice with such nuance that you can tell they are in complete control of their technique. Actually, sometimes Chenoweth simply throws her head back and lets it rip with bravado, like she did with Glitter and Be Gay, a sensational performance. Thrilling! Also, I love Kevin Kline because he creates broad and colourful characters (such as the Pirate King in Pirates of Penzance) and inhabits them fully. He doesn't apologize for being a ham, and that kind of joy is infectious. Actually, all of those performers look like they have such a good time onstage too, which is a good reminder to enjoy the work”

As our youngest contributor it’s no real surprise that A.J. O’Neill draws inspiration from the new generation of Broadway leading men, but first also a fellow Irishman “Years ago Colm Wilkinson, parental influence again, then as time went on I found what I liked myself, Anthony Rapp, Norbert Leo Butz, Raul Esparza, I saw Neil Patrick Harris in Tick Tick Boom and was stunned... and not just cause he winked at me... My reasons for admiring people have changed but I'm still really impressed by a great voice and a humorous attitude towards characterisation. I really admire versatility. Linda Eder owns it. OWNS IT. Yer man who plays Princeton (Jon Robyns) in Avenue Q, but purely cause I wanna be him. And he was great. And hot. lol. I shouldn't be writing this where it can be read.”

Of course being a musical theatre performer doesn’t mean you can’t be inspired by non musical performers….Maureen McGovern almost seems to be ready to burst into a chorus of “There Is Nothin’ Like A Dame” as she cites “Dame Maggie Smith, Dame Diana Rigg, Lynn Redgrave, Vanessa Redgrave, Dame Helen Mirren, and Dame Judi Dench” for instance.

The inclusion of Dench is borne out by Matt who says “If I had to pinpoint anyone else I think I would be Judi Dench, a performer of great natural talent. When I had the opportunity to meet her, she was so self deprecating, and generous, that I realized that is what an actor (and generally people) should be like, not, how many people can be in this business, full of self confidence and arrogance... hate it, hate it, hate it!!” But for Matt it’s not just the performers that move him,” I think I am a fan of directors! I had the great luck to work briefly with Trevor Nunn when I was in Les Miserables, and we moved the show from the Palace Theatre to the Queens Theatre... He came in to work with us for a week or so, and it was truly wonderful to spend some time with him.... I was lucky also as I was playing the part of Bamatabois, who attacks Fantine in the Lovely Ladies scene, as the guy who played it usually was on holiday, and although we didn't talk much about the character to have him watch me do that, and be accepting of my performance was a real thrill for me, and something I wont forget..”
D.C. also gives a special mention to producer/director “Harold Prince - because of the respect and trust he has for actors.”
Caroline Sheen” I get inspiration from a lot of people, I love how Nick Hytner is running The National Theatre. I love going to see a Shakespeare play done brilliantly. I recently Saw Henry VI Part I in Stratford. Inspiring Stuff! I don’t understand how some people who work on stage shy away from going to the theatre. It baffles me.”

Anne Kerry Ford “Of course, I am inspired by the great songwriters. I love Leonard Bernstein's music (so soulful), and Kurt Weill's music, too. And Sondheim. None of them try to emulate someone else; they are presenting their own wholehearted expression, therefore they inspire me to find my own unique expression as well, which takes courage. I also really adore Oscar Hammerstein's gorgeous lyrics. He was such a master story teller. He never, ever "cheated" a lyric or stuck something in as a handy rhyme. That guy slaved to make every word count, make every lyric carry the song forward as an emotional piece. I also find Agnes DeMille's choreography in the film "Carousel" to be absolutely brilliant because she understood the characters so well that every move in the dream ballet has the truth of emotion in it and tells the story so beautifully.”


So, moving on, what of the actual shows?

AJ has already touched upon “Les Miserables” and Colm Wilkinson, so it’s not surprising that the Les Mis’ experience affected another of our group
Anne “I saw the original cast of Les Miserables on Broadway and thought I had died and gone to musical theatre heaven. I just loved it. Colm Wilkinson singing Bring Him Home -had to be one of the shining moments in musical theatre history”.

Matt “OK, well I think that two of my greatest theatrical memories have been at the National Theatre, firstly seeing Guys and Dolls there, and the number of encores for Sit Down Your Rocking The Boat. I will never forget that, a brilliant night at the theatre, SO entertaining, the best version I have ever seen, and also I saw the last night of A Little Night Music there, again amazing, Judi Dench just wonderful in the lead, and a generally stunning cast and production.. Oh and Sondheim was there and came onstage at the end... the audience of course went crazy!!”

Maureen McGovern seems to be a Sondheim fan too as also mentions A Little Night Music, along with Sweeney Todd and Sunday In The Park With George (particularly the first act!) along with more recent ( non Sondheim) works Grey Gardens and The Light In The Piazza. The latter seems destined to be a future classic as it was also mentioned by D.C.Anderson who gave a special mention to Victoria Clark’s performance. British performer Caroline Sheen must be especially pleased to be working on Adam Guettel’s earlier work Myths And Hymns given that Piazza also had an impact on her.

Caroline” I recently saw The Light In The Piazza in New York and thought it to be the most touching sensitive piece of musical theatre. Stunning music, wonderful performances and a heart warming story – who could ask for anything more?”

And AJ? Well, he’s not about to forget that wink from Neil Patrick Harris! “My favourite trip to the theatre would be Tick Tick Boom which was on at the Menier Chocolate Factory. I was taken as a birthday present by my friend Robbie. We both loved the music and I came away feeling great about life, musical theatre, people... I felt like it really affected me, and I was really glad to be doing what I was doing even though college was not enjoyable at the time. Nearly danced down the street :-)”

For our stateside contingent many of their highlights have been non-musical productions, and it’s a testament to British Theatre that, with the exception of DC mentioning Angels In America at The Mark Taper Forum in Los ANgeles, all of their choices have been UK productions. DC also enjoyed Medea (with Fiona Shaw), as did Maureen - but in her case with Dame Diana Rigg. Now we have already established that Maureen has a thing about dames! Can there be anything else I wonder?
Maureen – “Bed Among The Lentils (a filmed monologue) with Dame Maggie Smith….anything with Dame Maggie Smith in it!”

Susan- “Nicholas Nickelby -- all 8 hours -- performed by the RSC. I received a student ticket for free and ate up the whole thing. Loved it.”

Anne” There was also a production of Pygmalion with the Royal Shakespeare Company that must have been over three hours long (good old G. B. Shaw!), yet I was riveted to every single moment of the stellar production. In particular, there was a scene where Eliza, the street urchin, is forced to take the first bath of her entire life and she is terrified of the water and is screaming and kicking and crying as she is thrown naked into the tub, and then, magically, the scene changes, and the scenery starts to shift, and in the next scene she is dressed in a long, flowing kimono, and her hair is wet and slicked down flat, and she enters running down this very long flight of stairs with her arms stretched out, and the kimono is billowing behind her, and, without her saying anything, simply by the way she runs in like a butterfly, you can FEEL (so poignantly) how wonderfully CLEAN she is for the first time ever, and how good she feels. I started to cry like a baby. I still get chills thinking about it. It was an unforgettable theatrical moment.”

Before we leave this epic second instalment of The Inspirations Project I also asked who in the world beyond musical theatre has inspired our contributors. Many of the responses to this were still very much Theatre centred so the responses are covered above and some of them were very personal in that they deal with working relationships. As next week we will be looking at our groups own careers I will include these then. However, there are a few exceptions (unsurprisingly many of which still have a show biz bent!) which I will conclude with now!


Anne” I admire artists who don't copy other people, but create something which is truly and uniquely their own. For that reason, I love the modern dance choreographer Mark Morris because he is brilliant and original. I am inspired by the poetry of Pablo Neruda, e.e. cummings and Wislava Symborska, all unique and inspired wordsmiths. Because they love language so much and play with it so masterfully, they inspire me to love language and to see the emotional possibility and power in great lyrics. I am inspired by the paintings of Monet, Van Gogh, Matisse and Georgia O'Keefe because of the passion and fearlessness in their canvases. They inspire me to have the willingness to look closer at my own world and see things through my own eyes. I am very inspired by the late, great Eva Cassidy, who was simply (in my opinion) the most soulful singer, and yet so simple, so emotionally raw. Andrea Marcovicci, the cabaret singer, inspires me with her ability to wrap an audience around her finger. She weaves a magic spell on people... it's amazing!”

DC “Cheryl Wheeler - folk performer, Christine Lavin - folk singer, producer Both highly creative women who have devoted their lives to storytelling. In Christine's case - to bringing creative people together also.”

Anne “I am inspired by Meryl Streep throwing herself completely into her roles so that you don't recognize her...what commitment to the work she has! She inspires me to work very hard and dig beneath the layers of a song, to explore the song whole-heartedly, like she does with the roles she inhabits. I am also inspired by Martin Short... there is always room for humour.”

Susan “I am inspired by the people who don't forget where they came from. People who understand their good fortune and give back. Paul Newman, Oprah Winfrey, Bill Gates, Audrey Hepburn.”

AJ “My parents. Some of my teachers. My friends. I take most of my world view from my parents and their friends that I've become close to and respect. My mother dying meant that I re-evaluated a lot of my life and I've realised who I learned all that I value from - and mostly it was her and my dad. She wanted me to do this, and always saw me being successful, even though I didn't. Turns out she was right, to a point. I work towards hopefully proving her right in the long term.”

What better way to end this chapter than AJ’s poignant words? Well maybe it’s not a better way but we can’t go without a further handy household hint or two!

DC “As I look at the disaster that is my apartment - I realize I have no hints - unless I could suggest that picking up after oneself has its rewards. When I think of how long it takes me to find my keys on a daily basis.......”

Anne “Well, I don't know if it's a "household hint", but a good feng-shui tip is to keep your slippers at the FOOT of the bed, down where your feet are. I got that one from a Taoist feng-sui master!”