Elephant in the room...

Week 7 - 396 days to opening night

More set design. And yeah, that's an Elephant there. Yep, elephant. Can't have a parade without an elephant, can you? No, take it from me, you can't. 

And how are we going to build and stage this elephant? (**whispers** no, friggin idea) - but the elephant isn't going to be the 'money shot' of the scene - have had a rather genius staging idea about this scene which if we can pull it off might be one of the (many I hope) things people remember about the show....but that's not for this blog. Have to hold back some surprises for the actual show now, don't we....

Neil

Just wanting to chat

Week 7 - 400 (only 400?) days to opening night

As Neil said we've just spent the weekend doing some gigs using the music from Sandbag.... it was lovely to to sing those songs again and brought back happy memories of the show... still... on to the next one which is actually opens 4 weeks tonight OMG..... i'm stressed to say the least! I know it's going to be fab and I have every confidence in my team and cast! AAAAHHHHHH.... think my head is so full of ideas for everything its nearly exploding but then isnt it great to have something to look forward to!

 

Neils done an amazing job on the graphics etc so far........... and i am loving the directors chairs... can we have real ones??? Seriously tho Neil thanks for working so hard for us, as you know it is much appreciated but you are a trooper and I do hope you weren't actually sick at your desk the other day (he says it wasnt a hangover but um..... there we go!)

 

Thats it really just wanted a chat............ bye for now.............. :) 

Georgina

It's all in the training....

Week 6 - 403 days to opening night

I'd just like to thank Jerry Herman and Micheal Stewart for writing one scene of M&M on the back of train - not in the train, oh no, but on the back. And then one in the train. Thanks, guys. **Mutter-bloody -mumble**

It's fairly easy to do in principal - have a cut out of the trains back and biff baff boff job's done. Ah, but the trouble is it looks pretty piss-poor. Professional theatres usually have the wing space for storing large scenery, but unfortunately there aint any at the Regent - so it'll have to be a combination of digital and free standing scenery to give the illusion. I'll figure it out at some point. Probably after the last night of the show. 

HCP are singing with Swing Unlimited Big Band this weekend doing songs from the last show I directed 'Happy As A Sandbag' - unfortunately I can't make the gigs but it's nice to know that stuff we did almost a year ago still has some legs....

Neil

Doing my tables

Week 6 - 406 days to opening night

**sound of heart attack**

Oh...w**k. Just re-a-lised how little time I have free between now and the HCP summer show to get all the table graphics etc done. I should be able to, but it's going to be blimmin' tight. Ah, well. Did some of it tonight even though I feel rough as a badgers arse (...strange saying)..... Yes, yes I am a 'trooper', aren't I.

Neil

Aw, it's so, so very sad...

Week 5 - 410 days to opening night

**cue rousing music** Tiiiyme heeeels everythiiing, choooos-dayh, fuuuursssday, Tiiiyme heeeels everythiiing... 

**music continues underneath**

Aw, here's the sad-and-yet-oh-so-meaningful-song that always appears somewhere in the second half of every musical. In this case it's set in front of a departing ocean liner near midnight.

More exploratory set design, I'm afraid. This is a case of how the **expletive deleted** am I going to do that. The liner, sea, clouds and moon are going to be digital (so they all can be animated) and we'll double project (yeah you read that right)  water reflections on certain parts of the set - should look oh sooooo pur-dy. But the gangway is a problem - can't store it in the wings, can fly it in from the grid (I don't think) and it needs to be out of the way  for the big tap number that immediately follows. Will have to think about it.

**music swells** Soooo make the moooments fly, oooortumn, weeeenterrrr...etc etc

Neil

Speaking of Choreography....

Week 5 - 410 days to opening night

Well much like everyone else on this planet I have been up to my eyes in it... chasing my tail and disapppearing up i dont know where!!! ... never enough hours in the day and i long to say the words my children do of 'i'm bored'.... oh no... not me.. I still havent had a chance to go thro the stuff Mr Mathieson has sent me and am planning to do that this weekend (in amongst a 9 yr old birthday party and taking my 6 yr old to ngiht at the museum 2) ... he has sent some stuff thro which may be of use on the choreography side of things and particularly relevant to my last blog.
 
Speaking as the choreographer and also Chairman of the society (oooh that sounds funny) I am really thrilled we have the license for this and as Neil so rightly says i'm sure there will be objections from some areas but i believe it is a show we can cast and do well and I hope that everyone will share our enthusiasm and want to be a part of what i know will be a fantastic experience.
 
Thats it for now folks ......... sure there will be much more to talk about once the cats out the bag!! 

Georgina

Getting my balls rollin'

Week 5 - 414 days to opening night

Gah! Rum'n'flip. And gosh-darn-it. Had a bit of an issue with the posters and publicity today, but we think we've got it sorted.  Still, it's all part of the fun and games, eh?

Been updating the HCP website, with the view for it going up on Saturday evening, and then sending out an email on the Sunday or one of the next few days informing people in the area about the show...get the giant ball rollin'. So, within a week it's all official. I'm sure people will complain about the choice - it's usually the way here on 'Planet Luvvy'.

Ah, but then (**whispers**) they don't know what we're planning. Mwah ha ha haaaaaa. **Twirls comedy evil moustache, then stops because frankly it's stupid** 

Neil

Rome wasn't built in a day. Just an afternoon.

Week 4 - 417 days to opening night

Euent Romanus domus...er..film seticus designium. (Yeah, I think I may have got away with that)

It's been an afternoon of 'starting' set design. Thought I'd start with the Roman Set scene - a scene which ends in a custard pie fight. At the moment all film sets in the show will be in black and white, as will the 'film actors' costumes. The problem with this scene is that it doesn't come at the end of Act 1 but two-thirds the way through, which means there could be a lot, and I'll repeat that for emphasis, a LOT of custard everywhere (potentially slipping up dancers and bringing on a lawsuit). So to get over this there is a big cloth on the floor to catch most of the mess  and an arc cyc to catch any flying too far. There will be people with mops in the next scene to tidy up any missed.

Oh, and upon my signal unleash hell.

Maximus (Neil)

Licence to thrill (At Last)

Week 4 - 418 days to opening night

Eureka! the Licence for Mack & Mabel arrived this morning! 

Enclosed with the Licence there is a notice which we need to use for the poster for St. Mark's - 'All producers of Mack and Mabel must give credit to the Authors of the Work in all programmes dstributed in connection with peformances of the Work, and in all instances in which the title of the Work appears for purposes of advertising, publicising or otherwise exploiting a production thereof: including, without limitation, programmes, souvenir books and playbills. The names of the Authors must also appear as set forth, immediately following the title of the Work: MACK AND MABEL Book by Music and Lyrics by Michael Stewart Jerry Herman Revised by Francine Pascal Original New York Production Directed and Choreographed by Gower Champion'

Sue

Musical Director

Week 4 - 418 days to opening night

Headline of the day is that Ian Carter is now on board as our Musical Director - huzzah! So that completes the top tier of the production team. Then it's onto costumes, props, sound, lighting...

We're like the A-team, except we kill people (and if you are under thirty you won't get that reference - quite frankly I can't be arsed to explain...)

Neil