So, this is Christmas....

...And what have we done? Well folks, what haven't we done? We've produced a stunning show which has received more feedback from the audiences than I have remembered in a long time! We have broken with the more traditional CAST panto, but provided a feel-good show with ups and downs which made our audiences laugh and made them cry. Every single person who I spoke to who came to see it said they left the hall with a warm Christmassy feeling, which is just how we planned it.
First time Director really pulled together a fab show (coupled with great performances by a magnificent and talented cast of course)and also did a grand job on sound as well, so a big pat on the back to you Director Scrooge!

I do also have to say that it was a pleasure being part of this cast, we had a lot of laughs, some tears (coupled with a lot of snot) and a real sense of camaraderie and friendship. Our newbies did really well (except when it came to set strike, but that's another story), Twainie was brilliant as always, Dickie really pulled it off as a first timer with a lead role and of course, I couldn't gush about the performers without mentioning the main man (and MY main man) - Scroogie. A wonderful performance by you, well done, your talents know no end x x x.

Thanks must also go to Gordie/Old Joe for hosting the after show party, you'll probably never offer that again! To all the Backstage Boys (weren't they a band?) and everyone who helped out over the last 3 months. Without you we couldn't have done it.

So, this IS Christmas.

We move on to the next one, suffering the post show blues for a few weeks until we're back for "No Sex Please We're British" or NSPWB as it will be shortened to from now on. We have a slight dilemma though, what do we call the blog? I'm sure that if it was allaboutsex we might get a few people not quite expecting a blog about a play, perhaps we'd get a few more readers, hmm worth considering maybe? Scroogie also thinks that he should be called Director Sex which would mean I would be Producer Sex, I did say no but it's growing on me...

Bad bad blogger.............................

Dear All, I have neglected my duties as a regular blogger, for that I apologise and will attempt to redress the balance that Producer herbug has so aptly written on this blog.

Well 1 weekend down, 1 to go... what can we say about this show apart from I feel a Bit Jane Austen about it...Pride, (what a cast we have! what audience reaction!) and Prejudice ( we have the most fabulous-est and bestest CAST I have ever had the privilege to work with, that and 1st time Director Scrooge is beside herself with happiness and contentment).

Friday opening night went marvellously , even with a hiccup or two which Scroogie passed off wondrously. Saturday saw us carry off two shows with aplomb , OR a ahumbug, whatever you prefer. Clapping, cheering, stand up applause and calls for more....and that was just the light and sound team. As for Sunday, an experiment that went successfully, as we had never had a Sunday audience before, the youngsters in the audience were thoroughly in raptures about it, all giggling at the right parts and respectful silence at the sombre and really emotional parts. The whole of the Cratcits were in tears, except for Peter, cruel heartless teenager that he is , which made for lumps in larynx's both onstage and offstage.

So with another break from tradition ( for a traditional Christmas play this ain't half broke alot of traditions.....loads of newbies, Sunday shows, and shock horror, CAST curry on a Sunday, dum dum dummmmmmmm!). Lucky not too much alcohol was imbibed, taken, sozzled, drunk as that pleasure falls to Old Joe/Banker Mr Mills to provide the after show party on Saturday night ( ahhh little does he know what he is letting himself in for!!!).

Yesterday Director Scrooge and your truly took some quality time off dodging rain in Maidenhead and Uxbridge buying gifts for .....well never you mind, as people might be reading this that will be recipients of our gifts.

So dear reader ( or readers) onward and upward to the crescendo that is final weekend and hope that if you have not yet come, why ever not ! and for those of you that have come, come again or better still come again with a friend or two, its the best est show you will see this year, and if you leave the theatre with not a bit of Christmas spirit in your heart, then Bahhh Humbug.

A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to one and all

Yours deliciously

Producer Himbug.

Build-up Begins, not starring Christian Bale (unfortunately)

When someone asks you to produce a show for them, it's flattering. It's because they admire your organisational skills, can see that they can trust you to get on with things and know you'll do a good job (or they live with you and think they can have more control that way). Then, once you've accepted, you start having ideas about what you can do for this show, if you're lucky (which I have been on both occasions)the Directors enthusiasm and passion for the show will rub off and you'll get excited and look forward to pulling things together. It's only when you get closer to the show do things get a little bit hectic. Those things you've been putting off start jumping up and demanding attention, which is what's starting to happen now! I can also remember, when we get to this stage, why I said last time "I'm not doing that again!", yet here we are.

Anyway, enough of the trials and tribulations of being Producer Herbug, the show is going to be awesome. We ran through it again on Monday, with Director Scrooge not giving notes but rerunning scenes if they were sufficiently poo. We only had to do two things twice, so all in all pretty damn good actually. We had two audience members in who thought it was "really really really good", except I'm not actually satisfied with "good". "Good" is not "great". But we have two weeks to turn that "Good" into "wow, that was fabulous!" and we will.

Scroogie's coat is complete but for the sewing of the frogs onto the front (which are the decorative fastenings, not the real Kermit variety, it would just look silly with real frogs)which I will do this week, although Wardrobe Mistress and I have been scheming about short cuts for Scroogie. It's probably the most ambitious project I have undertaken and I think it looks pretty good actually, even if I do say so myself.

Other things of note:

Titanic has risen and is bigger than I thought - who knew?
Twainie continues to think that he looks young enough to be called "boy" - er yes, of course you do Twainie!
Dickie seems to have given a biscuit to his "dog".
The newbie Clara has been superb and knows all her words and dances (better than some others I couldn't possibly mention).
I'm very much looking forward to seeing Fred clean shaven.
I have a husband once again, as Cratchie has been to the last two rehearsals, although he did mess up his lines of our song, I'm sure he'll have them sewn into his costume somewhere....

All that is left now is to sell, sell, sell those tickets. Hassle everyone about coming. My colleague laughed at me the other day because with everyone I spoke to, my closing line was - "so, are you coming to see my show?" Practise it every day and if you ask 100 people 1 is bound to say yes - aren't they?

So, are you coming to see my show?

A pizza the action on Sunday

Set build Sunday - what fun!

Wardrobe mistress and I were forced out of the hall as Twainie wanted all available space (god, you're selfish, me, me, me). So we spent our time in room 1 cutting out fabric and sewing stuff together, then unpicking what we'd sewn together as we'd done it wrong - ahem....

Scroogie's coat is coming along nicely though, I must say I am quite pleased although it does seem to be taking ages!

Charity Worker now has two costumes that fit around her boobs, so another worry off the WM's mind. This seems to be a cast of larger boobed ladies, what more reason could you need for coming to see the show?!?!

It was also Charity Worker's birthday on Sunday, there was cake and singing and she went to the pub! Happy birthday again CW!

Scroogie and I went to see another production of Scrooge on Saturday in Worthing that was directed by a friend and featured my cousin and her lovely husband. It was truly fabulous and we felt freshly inspired about our show. I now have the task of seeing whether I can steal their prize turkey....

Other things of note:

The stage is up so we get three weeks of full run throughs with the space we will actually have, that's great for us.
We didn't get enough fabric for the Ghost of Christmas Present's costume - bum!
Dickie was going to get nailed under the stage - lucky him!
A ridiculous comment made me chuckle, quite uncontrollably, at lunch.
Much thanks must go to the people not in the cast who also came down to help out - it is much appreciated!
A production meeting was held in Pizza Express over 4 pizza's for £20 a pretty good deal I think!

Smile please!

Well now readers what a fantastic rehearsal we had on Thursday, the cast outdid themselves and Director Scrooge was very happy - perhaps it was the promise of an early night that spurred us on to produce a great run through of Act 2!

Security Man was there also to take on another persona - photo guy - and we all loved the camera - dahling! Although Scroogie needs his picture redone as none of them were quite "Scroogie" enough?!?

Twainie and Dickie were rather pleased with themselves - show offs, although there was some rather disturbing discussions around their exit from the stage, it's too rude for me to even tell you what was said, but please feel free to leave your details as a comment and I will explain further....

Director Scrooge, Producer Himbug and yours truly had our pictures taken and in the true spirit of the show, there was much "goose" frivolity, well it did get us smiling!

Scroogie took a prompt, just one mind and then proceeded to beat himself up about taking it. He's such a perfectionist! Scroogie, we have 3 weeks to go - you took 1 prompt, which when you consider how many lines you have, that's quite an accomplishment so stop chastising yourself, you know you're brilliant (and that has nothing to do with the fact that you're mine!).

We were Cratchie-less again on Thursday, I'm beginning to feel like a widow, I can't remember what it's like to have my husband with me! Come back Bob, I can change....

Other things of note:

There was much, much rudeness - too much to report and I for one am shocked!
We had an audience of 1 and she loved it - sell tickets please?!?
Gordy tried to use his head to open a locked door - this can only lead to disaster and much lumpage and bruising! Not wise!

Bonfire Night - A Few Rules to Learn from November 5th

Good Day, blog followers , blogites, blogettes ?

Well we learned a few things about Bonfire Night and the Fireworks that go with it didn't we ?

So this is the Fireworks Code for CAST;

1. Plan your firework display to make it safe and enjoyable.- alcohol is good but in moderation
2. Keep fireworks in a closed box and use them one at a time - as more than 1 firework in an evening can be detrimental to your performance
3. Light the firework at arm's length with a taper and stand well back- say and do the wrong thing and watch the sparks fly
4. Never return to a firework once it has been lit - let it cool down and eventually burn itself out, we all know that now don't we?
5. Direct any rocket fireworks well away from spectators - unless they don't perform as they should and then direct carefully but with no malice
6. Never use paraffin or petrol on a bonfire - once the bonfire is out, leave it and move on to greater things.
7. Make sure that the fire is out and surroundings are made safe before leaving - and the hall is locked up and the security code entered into the system.

For those of you that do not understand this, you weren't there!

And so we're back, from Af-ri-ca,

Jambo readers!

The question is, can I remember anything I have learned from the last few weeks as I tipped out my brain to lay by a pool in the African sunshine.

What is it I remember?

I remember dancing with Twainie and being given a very Len Goodman 7, I remember Dickie being rather disparaging about the fine dancing as well. There shall be words I tell you!

I remember Cratchie still not having booked his holiday, although he has taken the time off work aparently.

I remember Tiny Tim doing some dancing which, as a cripple, they probably wouldn't have been able to do....

I remember Scroogie knowing loads of his lines (good boy).

I remember Dickie offering me cookies (was that right?)

Also, from what I hear, Scroogie and I were lucky to be out of the country and not caught up in the general lurginess being bandied around at rehearsals!

I must say that I am rather looking forward to seeing everyone again tonight and wonder if Mrs Cratchit will be okay with a sun tan!

Catch you all later dahlinks!