Theatre Tour, Chequer Mead, East Grinstead

Thursday 18^th, Chequer Mead, East Grinstead.

Here it is!! Final Day!!

Mixed emotions in the camp. We have a superb friendly team and this is our last time together for at least 3 months. Some of the cast may move on, as that's how this business is. Hopefully not, and we will re-group in February for rehearsals for Memory Lane.

Today is also Fay's birthday. We wont mention how old she is, but it aint 21. Jenni had already made two cakes which had been consumed over the past two days, but today is official birthday and Fay is greeted with a few cards and presents along with the customary rendition of 'Happy birthday to you'.

Steve, bless him, has already done all of his Christmas shopping and proceeds to hand out presents to all of the cast, and Bill Bill of course.

So with all of the formalities out of the way, the cast get ready for the 2.00pm show, only to find out at 1.55pm that the show is in fact a 2.30pm start. Long story!!! We wait the extra 30 mins, get on with the show and before you know it we are singing 'Thank you for the Music' for the last time. Erika can barely hold back the tears, and then she doesn't hold em back when Colin and Marie say their final thank you as the tabs close for the last time this season.

The van is packed for the last time, and another journey up the M1 for the last time. Bill drops Fay and Erika in Yorkshire, before taking Natalie home with him. Her car is sitting at his house ready for her to make another 3 hour journey home. Jenni and Marie share the driving as far as the M18 before Marie jumps in the van to join Steve and Colin on the last leg to Durham. With Steve dropped at home the van is parked up for the last time before being emptied and re-fitted with the new props/costumes for Memory Lane.

So, what a season. Nobody got sacked. Nobody left. Ticket sales were exceptional considering there is a recession. A lot more friends were made, and now everyone is off to do their own thing for a few months. Natalie back to Cheshire to unwind, then work. Erika to be a Gnome or Elf or something as well as doing a Tribute show in between. Fay is doing quite a few Corporate Events, while Lily is back to London to fill in her time over Christmas. Steve is booked to do a series of shows at the Reebok Stadium in Bolton, while Jenni is doing a lot of Solo shows until February. Marie and Colin will be locked in the office doing all of the tasks that need doing for the next show. Mailing lists, leaflets, posters, as well as looking for other opportunities to promote the 'Timeless' shows. Bill Bill will keep forever occupied, and still do his twice a week eight mile jog.

Maisy the greyhound will be delighted that there are to be no more nights spent in kennels until touring starts next year.

So thats it folks!! To all our readers we thank you for your continued support and we wish you a happy and healthy 2011. The tour dates will soon be on the website, and we look forward to seeing you all next year.

Theatre Tour, Broadway Theatre, Catford

Wednesday 17^th October, Broadway Theatre, Catford.

The journey to London last night was not such a bad one, apart from a detour around the Birmingham area which Jenni kindly routed. Problems on the M6 caused this one, but adding only 20 minutes to our journey wasn't too bad after all. We stay in London City Airport Travelodge, which happens to have a bar and restaurant, and it would be wrong of course not to utilise the facilities provided for us. Meeting point the bar, and a good couple of hours chat before sloping off to bed.

Although relatively new to us, Catford is becoming a favourite. Expecting almost 700 in the audience we are still the second best selling matinee show there, beaten only by Val Doonican. One of these days Mr Doonican we are going to beat your ticket sales.

Back to having props on stage means a full get in, but with a round of bacon sarni's to keep us going, the world is not a bad place.

The show goes like a dream, and soon we are sitting in the local Chinese Cafe looking at the noodle menu. The portions are so big that even Steve (two bellies) struggles to finish off some very tasty food indeed.

Just an hours drive to Gatwick tonight, and so with Chinese food in belly we depart for our final show tomorrow. Arriving at the hotel is a nice surprise, as they also have a bar. For the boys this is a bonus as the England v France match is on TV tonight. Boys in the bar, and when the girls find out, they join the party. Jen and Marie being almost tea total, skip the bar and watch 'The Apprentice' instead. England get beaten 2-0 but at least it occupied a few hours and gave the boys something to curse about.

Theatre Tour, Dudley Concert Hall

Dudley Concert Hall. Tuesday 16^th October.

Unbelievable. The last week of touring is here. Just three more days of travelling, ironing, setting up and performing. From a company point of view the last few weeks have been amazing, with ticket sales for almost all of the shows hitting much higher figures than expected.

So, to today. Dudley. A very early start from home, and 7.00am is not a time that singers/dancers enjoy being out of their warm beds. As ever there are delays on the M1, and we are late arriving. Nothing unusual in this for our trip to Dudley. We always end up being late. Still no big deal as the get in is way easier than normal. As there are no tabs (Curtains), we are unable to use any of the stage props, and that means only the sound and lights to set, and then on with the ironing.

A massive 500 in the audience means that the atmosphere is great, and before we know it, we are stuck in more traffic as we travel to London ready for the show at Catford tomorrow.

Theatre Tour. Friday 12th November, Penistone Paramount.

Friday 12^th November, Penistone Paramount.

Fay decides to stay at home last night, instead of the Travelodge. Living just a short drive away, this makes sense as she is plotting to make a feast for the cast between shows. Yes, today is one of those 'two shows' days. Matinee and Evening.

Marie leaves Durham by train at 8.00am, and eventually gets to the theatre at 12.00 when the set up is complete. Today we also have Jenni's dad Jim with us. Jim likes to help Bill backstage at Penistone, and it is always a pleasure to see him. His guitar skills came in useful too as he helps Colin pick out some difficult chords for one of the songs in the show.

In between shows the cast and Jim head to Fay's house for the feast. A feast it was too. A choice of two pasta bakes, or sausage and bean casserole. Great stuff. Fay's boyfriend Dan helps with the hosting, and her two dogs Jack and Mia have great fun with the guests.

Two excellent shows, largely down to the fact that between Fay and Erika who both live locally, there must be around 100 friends and family in the audience.

Only a short two hour drive home for most of the cast, and a few days off before the last run next week.

Theatre Tour. Thursday 11th November, Pavilion Theatre, Felixstowe.

Thursday 11^th November, Pavilion Theatre, Felixstowe.

Not the sort of place you want to be arriving with gale force winds and torrential rain, but that's what we got. Last time we arrived here there were folk on the beach with buckets and spades. Not today!!!

We travelled the day before, except for Lily, due to the 5 hour journey from home, and so just a short ride from Ipswich gets us nicely on time to do the get in.

A minor panic when we get a phone call from Lily to say that her train from London has been stopped, and a major delay is expected. With some juggling of replacement trains, and the help of Roger the stage manager, we get her collected by car, and all is saved from having to re-block the show till a dancer arrived.

Marie is out of this one, but is driving to Penistone for tomorrows show.

All in all a good day, and we set off for the 5 hour drive to Barnsley.  

Barnfield Theatre Exeter

4th November, Barnfield Theatre, Exeter.

Who can believe that not only has this week flown by, but now we are looking at just two weeks left of the UK tour. Frightening, it has only just started.

So, two shows today, and then a Travelodge, followed by a 6 hour journey home to Durham, Cheshire, London, Hull and a few other obscure places where the cast hideout while not working.

Fay is back with us this week showing off her tan from Spain. A great time was had by all out there, and she even beat her boyfriend Dan at crazy golf. Gemma has gone back to London, and has even embarked on a Event Management course in preparation for her retirement from dancing in a few years time. Good luck Gemma

We now also discover that Lily holds the record for the fastest clothes rail builder. Boy the cast must be bored now if they are timing each other as to how quickly they can build a metal clothes rail.

The Barnfield Theatre is another of our favourites. A small theatre, but with a great atmosphere. Jenni is the popular one today with one friend coming to the matinee that she last seen 16 years ago, and another two coming to the evening show. Must be nice to be popular.

The only downside to Exeter is the lack of space in the wings to store props. Tiny. The stage is quite small too, and so not all of the props are used. With one of the stage monitors going off just before showtime, the first half is a bit of a struggle, but the repair happens at the interval and normal service resumes.

Our customary drink with the staff at the end of the show ends a good days work, and then it is off to Taunton Travelodge for the night. Lily is getting the train back to London in the morning while the rest of the cast head north.

Next week comes Felixstowe and Penistone and getting ever closer to the end of the run.

The Brindley, Runcorn

1st/2nd/3rd November. The Brindley, Runcorn.

Yes, three days at the same venue. Bliss!!!! Only one get in and get out in three days. Some early nights and late mornings to look forward to, and more important, only having to iron the costumes once in three days.

A 2.00pm show rather than 2.30pm means an earlier start than normal, and a 10.30 arrival at the venue. Within minutes we are made welcome by Graham, Jim, and Pete our good tech friends. Within only another five minutes Graham bangs his head against the top of the van while loading, and is soon getting staples in a deep cut. Not the  sort of start that everyone had hoped for. The other boys take delight in reminding Colin, Steve and Bill that Sunderland did in fact get beaten by Newcastle by 5 goals to 1, and some rather blue language starts filling the theatre. Just as well the public are not in yet.

One of the first familiar faces we see is Alex. Alex is Graham's girlfriend and was our dance captain for more than 2 years. This is our first season without her and it seems very strange to be talking to her, without her actually being in the show. She looks so well, and is enjoying her new job of teaching dancing.

This afternoon we are also looking forward to seeing Jamie Rae and Danielle Sharp. Jamie was with us for almost two years, and only recently left to work for a large management group in Blackpool. His workload is vast, but he finds time to come to see us, and it is great to see him again. While talking in the dressing room we get a call from Danielle to say that she has broken down and is not going to make it. Danielle was Marie's understudy for quite a while, and although we are disappointed, she promises to try to make it tomorrow.

Natalie is receiving plenty of praise today as she learned how to put up a clothes rail for the first time. Only two weeks to go of the tour and .......well, at least she knows now!! Todays major howler that nobody knew about belonged to Jenni. After our Seekers section, she gets dressed into her Irish costume which is a massive cape. Well, she should get dressed into the cape..........but didn't. Then she heard the music over which she should be singing, and proceeded to put the cape over very little, well nothing in the way of clothing. If only the audience knew.

Only an afternoon on the first day, and so we get back to the Travelodge, dump our cases, and head to the pub over the road. Jamie joins everyone, and we all tuck into a Toby carvery for a fiver.



Day 2. Two shows, matinee and evening.


Danielle makes it and it is fantastic to see her. She sits out front and enjoys the matinee show. Enjoying that is until the last five minutes when things went very pear-shaped. After Colins solo comes the second half finale starting with Jive Talking. All was good until Jenni, Steve and Colin were in front of the tabs singing Banner Man, and then the music went off, and started at Jive Talking again. OK, so it is blind panic, but we cant let the audience see that it is blind panic. We know what has happened but now we have to correct it. Jenni does a fantastic job of talking to the audience while Colin nips backstage to sort the problem. Within 30 seconds we are  back to Banner Man, and the world is wonderful.

Day 3, Matinee only then off to Devon.


So our last day of luxury before setting off to Devon. Over 1200 people have been to see the show, and it doesn't seem like two minutes since we arrived. The cast have had a nice break from early mornings and late nights. The dancers have found Morrisons to get the odd bottle of relaxing juice. Not Erika of course, she just headed for the cake section. Bill and Steve got plenty of chill time, and Colin taught Jen a little more in the art of poker. Neither won the free entry tournament, but Jen gained a bit more experience.

Show over and we head for Devon. 3 hours says the sat nav, and it is only just past 10pm when we get there. Two shows tomorrow in Exeter, but for now thank you Runcorn for a great 3 days of shows, rest and no ironing.

Garrick Playhouse, Altrincham

Saturday 30th October. Garrick Playhouse, Altrincham.

One day off doesn't seem a lot, and before long we are back in the car and the van, heading across the M62 towards Altrincham, near Manchester.

Gemma is with us for the last time today, as Fay returns from her holiday today, and will come back into the show on Monday at Runcorn.

We get a visit from Mike Palmer and his girlfriend Jenny Furness. Mike and Jenny did a ship contract for us a few years ago, and are working nearby. Good to see some friendly faces again.

This is one of the 'there and back in a day' venues, and although it is a long day, it means that there are no Travelodges to find at midnight. Two good shows and it is off home. Tonight is Jenni's last night staying with Colin and Marie before making her way home to Hull. Lily and Erika are off to stay with Natalie tonight, and have a glass or two of relaxing juice. Both Natalie and Erika have family in the audiences today, which is always good for the nervous system.

Four days to look forward to next week, but for now its a day off. The boys are looking forward to the local derby match between Sunderland and Newcastle, while Marie and Colin need to head to Whitby to do some research for a possible Goth show. Yes, you read it correctly. More to follow as it happens.

Arts Guild Theatre, Greenock

Thursday 28th October.

As we fast approach our day off, we head for two shows at Greenock. Amazing ticket sales mean that we are playing to two full houses, over 800 people. Superb!! This theatre is about to be replaced with a purpose built building in a year or so, and we wish them every success in the new venture. We are looking forward to being part of the new chapter.

Jenni knows where to get great bacon sarni's here, and so takes the rest of the cast to share her local knowledge. Naturally Gemma is still with us and has done a fantastic job filling in for Fay. Marie is still out of the show, and still busy doing lots of work in the office with Joanne.

In-between shows Jenni takes up Colins normal position of lying down in the van for an hour. Signs of tiredness are creeping into the cast. Not surprising with 6 shows in 3 days. Then just to make life even more tiring there is a three hour drive home after the show tonight. Arrival time at home around 2.00am. Both Steve and Colin and showing signs of voice fatigue after both suffering colds recently. Jenni also copped for the cold bug but vocally is coping better than the two boys. No comments on that one please.

Excellent audiences and a good days work by all. Both Steve and Colin last out, and have a chance to let the vocal chords recover tomorrow before two shows at Altrincham on Saturday.

Whitehall Theatre Dundee

Wednesday 27th October. Whitehall Theatre Dundee.

Less than an hours drive from Travelodge to theatre, and sure enough Raymond is at the door ready to meet us. Raymond is our Theatre Stage Manager who we have known for quite a few years now. Rapidly approaching a decent age, and announces that this could be his last show with us. I hope not. One of the great characters in the theatre world and very good at his job. Ben assists, and within no time we are in and set up. For our regular readers, you may recall that Dundee is the home of Clark's bakery. There is no better bakery in the world. Open 24 hours and to be used by the cast on at least 3 occasions during the day. Breakfast, in-between shows, and then after the show on the way to the next Travelodge.

Steve's two stomachs are gonna love this place. So will Erika when she sees the amount of cakes they have.

Two excellent audiences, and three trips to Clarks make it a good day. Ben does a superb job on lighting, and before we know it, we are heading back to Dumbarton to find the Travelodge.

Rutherglen Town Hall

Tuesday 26th October. Rutherglen Town Hall

Back in Scotland yet again. A 7.30am start from home gets us to Rutherglen bang on time at 11.00am for what should be a very easy get in. Rutherglen is a typical town hall venue which does pose us some problems. There are no wings as such which means we cant get any props on stage at all. Hey ho, not the end of the world, but with the added complication of stage exit only on stage right, a lot of thinking needs to be done as we go through the show.

Fay our dance captain is now enjoying some sunshine in Spain, and therefore we bring in Gemma Edmundson. Gemma has done quite a few contracts with us, but more recently has become more involved with choreography. It is a pleasure to see her when we arrive, and straight away the girls set down to work, going over some of the routines with Gemma.

Bill Bill our stage manager has a very easy time of it, being that there are no props to sort, and before long the show is up and running in front of two sold out houses.

Fortunately Colin re checks which Travelodge we are going to tonight and finds that we are not going where we originally thought. That saved at least an hour in travelling.

So the first day of a busy week is over as we arrive at our Travelodge at 1.00am. Eight shows in four days is a tough stint, and it is an early rise tomorrow to get to Dundee.