OK, so I am misquoting the song in My Fair Lady, You Did It. But I DID!!!!! I sang in front of people for the first time in my life, sort of properly. The first time I did it, was actually for the first song in the show, Why Can't The English, and I had had singing class not long before and came out of that buzzing. We have a terrifically supportive MD called David Young, or DY, and his 2nd in command, Johnathan, equally supportive and like me new to musicals. He has a background in opera, whereas my background of singing in public really ISN'T! As I left that class I asked when he thought might be singing for the first time in front of my fellow cast members, 38 of them I think!, and crew. DY suggested next Thursday probably..... well, 20 mins later we ripped off that Band Aid. The people in the room were all so supportive and sweet. It went quite well first time, a bit better second, but by the end, around my 6th time, I was knackered, and my voice was suffering, and my adrenaline was overworking, and I couldn't hear the piano, so I was out of time as well as trying to remember my moves... Wow. It wasn't so good. But if I learn to listen more and watch for DY's hands I will be better. I have to be. But boy was that fun!!!.
As I say a terrific cast and crew. There are so many, I can't name them all, but every single one has helped me so far and it seems a very co-operative experience. I have been lucky enough to have a zoom with Julie Andrews, alongside Claire Lyon, (Eliza) and then again with the whole cast on our first morning. Bloody Hell. Legend. Mary Effing Poppins!!!! Maria!!!!! Whatshername from Princess Diaries!!!! Claire is a natural-born Eliza. SO elegant and dammit off the book already! We've got the marvellous Tony Llewellyn-Jones as Pickering, who couldn't be more Pickering if he tried. Every time we get to meet on stage is a bonus! Reg Livermore made us fall about in the read thru'. And Robyn Nevin, who I watched being totally brilliant in a TV show last night btw, is my mother. She is extraordinary. Witty, sincere and "Bloody charming!" . So those are the principles, but there are more, and as I say, every one is being so welcoming and thoughtful, and tolerant of this incoming Brit. If any of you ever read this, thank you! That was a milestone of a day for me. I hope I can do this justice.
xx