Going Edwardian in the Hair Dresses!

Hello every-one I’m back at my desk after a busy weekend of filming. If you have been following me you will know these last few weeks have been taken up with endless dress fittings as Judi my dressmaker has been working especially hard to get all my costumes ready for camera. I was pleased everything came together for Sundays shoot as an awful lot of work goes into the preparation of these things. Not only with the costumes but with the colour combinations too. On Sunday I was filming my forth showreel in the series as I get ever closer to making that final cut

Angela Hard at Work on My Hair!

which will show the whole spectrum of music I sing from Opera to Rock and Roll in one film.

Getting ready for camera takes a lot of thought and work. On Friday I called in for a spray tan to make sure I would be an even colour all over. I’m naturally very white so on camera even when I have a spray tan my colour looks normal, I also spent all day Saturday in the hairdressers with Angela having my hair put up in an Edwardian style which makes such a difference.

I was lucky that this weekend Paul was able to join me on set as my sound engineer and I worked really hard and sung my way through a variety of tunes from Opera to Music Hall. It’s a big sing as on this occasion I was singing in both Italian and English while performing in Victorian/Edwardian costume. This showreel is going to take a little longer to film and I’ve allowed myself three

Backstage at the Limelight Theater!

On Set with Film Maker David!

recording sessions at the Limelight Theater in Aylesbury to complete it.

Some of the costumes take a little longer for me to get into with all the petticoats and buttons I have to wear and do up. Sunday’s session was a little more exhausting than the periods I had filmed before as I was wearing a corset and although only a light one it does restrict the breathing when you are singing and jumping about the stage.  I also wore three different bustles. Most of my costumes I was able to pull from stock as I have quite a collection. Some of these costumes date back to the late 80s and early 90s which I had made during my am dram days and I’m pleased to say I can still wear them with a little help from Judi. For example my red Edwardian swim suit and white evening gown which were made for me when I played Gigi in 1989 and my white leg-of- mutton sleeved day dress with the Tartan trim which was made in 1990 when I played Eliza Doolittle in “Pygmalion”.

The Pygmalion dress has been a good working costume as I choose my fabrics very carefully and it’s one of those gowns I can just

Backstage in my Pink Bustle Gown!

through in the washing machine as and when needed. However on this occasion I was short of one costume and I asked Judi to make me a new day outfit for the song “Honeysuckle and the Bee”. You may have caught in my last blog I took my inspiration from some of the costumes Nicole Kidman wore in the film Moulin Rouge. For Honeysucke I asked Judi to make me a new floral brocade jacket to go over the gown. This dress will also double up and be the base to my Lakme’ costume which will have interchangeable Indian boleros.

When I design a costume I often like it to have interchangeable features although sadly I’m not sure how often

I will have the opportunity of wearing these costumes again. Music Hall has rather fallen from favor in recent years and although I think we are going to have lots of

My New Costume for Honeysuckle and the Bee!

enquirers in 2018 with the commemoration of the end of WW1 after that I think the moment will have passed. The general public don’t seem to connect with Victorian and Edwardian music unless it’s Opera and even then only in small doses.

So I guess you might be wondering why I would go to all this trouble to make an Operatic Music Hall showreel when I don’t see a future in it. I supose the answers simple. I want to leave behind a legacy and a documented visual and audio record of my work before I get too much older. Also it will makes up a very important part to my finished major showreel which needs to show all my musical styles. I’ve also enjoyed bringing out some of my old costumes which as bustled evening gowns haven’t been suitable for me to wear at day time events in the past. For my next filming session on the 5th Feb I shall be moving things  forward to WW1, swapping my bustle and

I Do Like To Be Beside The Seaside!

replacing it with a hobble skirt as I sing “It’s a Long Way to Tipperary” and more.

On that note that’s all my news for now as I carry on with my paperwork and contracts while planning the year. So far I’ve sold 84 shows and I’m looking forward to sharing with you my new 1940s & 50s showreel which will be coming out very soon. Keep Watching and I will keep you posted.

Toodle Pip and Bye for Now! 😉

Getting Ready to Film Vilia!

A Selfie at Furzton!

Hello every-one and I’m so sorry I haven’t been able to blog as frequently as I would have liked this January. But since the start of this year I have been snowed under with paper work and I’m only just getting ship shape. For those of you who have been following me will know last weekend was my accounts weekend. This is where I book myself into a hotel and work solidly on my accounts with-out the distractions of home. It’s a great way of getting the most boring job in the world done and this year I booked into the Premier Inn at Furzon Lake in Milton Keynes. I’ve learn’t from experience it’s important to

Outside my Hotel!

stay somewhere close to home as I always forget something. Usually it’s something really stupid like a hole punch or red pen so when the inevitable happens it’s not too much of an inconvenience to pop on home. However despite that the reason why I choose Furzon this year is because of it’s wonderful lake which always gives me somewhere interesting to run in the mornings before starting on my accounts

Of course some of you will have seen I got a new mobile phone for Christmas. I confess I don’t know what I’m doing with it and over the weekend I used up all my data as I didn’t understand I needed to use the hotels Wi Fi. To be honest I’m not really sure what Wi Fi actually is! I thought if someone face timed me it didn’t count – only DRAT, it seems like it does! It’s odd not having buttons and there is so much I need to learn but slowly I will get there or be it later than sooner!

Design Inspiration!

All I Need to Make a Pill Box!

Apart from paper work I’ve been working really hard to get everything ready for filming this Sunday. This will be the forth part to my major showreel as I set about creating the Operatic and Music Hall section. Judi my dress maker has been working really hard on my costumes and I have designed a new dress which will be three costumes in one. Much of my inspiration this time has come from Nicole Kidman’s costumes in Moulin Rouge.

For the Flower duet from Lakme’ I have taken my inspiration from Nicole’s Hindirehearsai Dress which will have a change of bolero as I sing both Lakme’ and Mallika to split screen. The same dress will be used for “Honeysuckle and the Bee” and I’ve had a beautiful jacket made to go over the dress in brocade. I’m a wonderful walking advertisement for home furnishings and I think the fabrics will look fantastic on camera. I’m also needing to make a pill box hat in the next few days to go with my “Goodbye Dolly Grey” uniform and dress my ostrieage feathers for my hair. Fortunately I was able to reuse one of my crinoline dresses and turn it into a bustle for “Hands Knees and Boomps a Daisy”. For this

Shuttleworth House!

showreel I will have three different types of bustles to wear along with WW1 dresses, swimsuits and more. So Keep Watching!

Talking about showreels I signed off my 1940s and 50s one on Tuesday so I hope it wont be too long now before I have some new videos to share with you all. My new 40s and 50s showreel is really colorful as I was thinking along the lines of Hollywood Musicals and Technicolor. So as soon as it is up loaded I will let you know.

This week I have had a lot of running about. Connie went in for her service on Wednesday

Behind the Scenes at Kim’s Salon!

while I had my yearly eye check. I was with Kim in the evening having my roots done and tomorrow I’m being spray tanned ready to film on Sunday. Today I was over in Old Warden and had lunch at  Shuttleworth after visiting the house. So with that I will leave it hear tonight. I doubt I will get another chance to blog before the weekend as I have so many costumes to sort out and check over.

Keep Watching, Toodle Pip and Bye for Now! 😉

Trying Out my New Phone at EE!

Cory and I try out a Selfy on the 5c

Hello every-one it’s been a busy week in the office. I’ve been working really hard to get my contracts out for 17 before I head off this Friday for my annual accounts weekend. If you have been following my blogs over the last few years you will know I do this every January. Check myself into a Premier Inn and I spend the time quietly sorting out my receipts and finances before I present them to my account. I find it’s a good time to clear my head and it gives me some valuable time away to get my feathers straight before I embark on the new year.

This week I’ve also been back in the gym and out running every day getting into shape for 2017. It’s very important with my diabetes I excersize every day and even when I’m busy I always make sure I do my 8 minute abs work-out with-out fail. When I’m away I will make sure I’m out running every-day which will put me in the right frame of mind before I sit down and write my accounts. It’s a boring job at the best of times so staying over in a hotel makes it much more palatable.

On Tuesday I made my way over to Aylesbury and to the EE shop as I made my first steps towards joining the 21st century. For Christmas Paul very kindly gave me his iphone 5c which might mean something to you readers out there! Up to now I’ve been using something similar to a motor roller although I’m not quite sure what model. What can I say, I like old things and for those of you who know me will know I live in a different century to every-one else. Tuesday was a fresh and new experience visiting a modern EE shop full of gadgets.  Thank-you to Cory who very kindly sorted me out with a sim and showed me how to use the phone although I still have much to learn. I couldn’t believe how small the sim was  as Cory kept unwrapping it from it’s packaging like a Russian doll. Still onward and upwards as I now face 2017 with a modern phone.

That’s about all my news for now as I head off on Friday to my hotel to get on with my accounts. The following weekend I will be back at the Limelight theatre filming the next stage in my showreels but I shall tell you more on that in my next blog

Keep Watching and Toodle Pip!

Happy New Year!

Paul and I at The Pavilion Bournemouth!

Over to Swanage For New Years Day!

It’s here 2017 and a Happy New Year to you all! I’m sorry I’ve not blogged these last few weeks but if you have been following me on facebook you will know I’ve not stopped. I gave 36 performances in December alone and performed a total of 267 shows in 2016. So as you might imagine I’m looking forward to having a little bit of a rest from the norm when I go away for my accounts weekend later this month. But before I do that I’d like to wish you all a very happy new year and thank all my customers who engaged me to perform at their events in 2016 a wonderful 2017!

Since returning home from celebrating the New Year with Paul in Bournemouth I’ve had a mountain of paperwork to get through. I’ve already sold 70 shows for 2017 so if you are still one of those people waiting for your contracts don’t worry I’m on the case. I should get my contracts to you in this next coming week as I work my way through your e-mails and messages.

I got back home on the 2nd but I was straight into the recording studio on the Tuesday in preparation for my next film shoot which I have all lined up for the end of this month and the beginning of February. In hind sight I’m not sure how wise it was to be recording so soon after a busy Christmas season, but as with all these things it’s fitting everything in in the time, and grabbing people when they are available. If I’m honest listening to my voice on play back it seems a little tired and in an ideal world I could have done with a rest before recording. For my next shoot I’m concentrating on Opera to Music Hall, music from the 1880s – 1920s which is involving lots of wonderful costumes. I’ve decided to leave the filming of The Flower duet from Lakme until a little later as it will be to split screen as I

Out and About in Swanage!

sing both parts to camera. It had been my intention to included it while filming the Music Hall songs but it’s going to require more work to get it just right and for me to get back up to speed with the French on the alto part when I’m so use to singing the soprano part.

Talking of filming I hope it wont be too much longer before I will be able to share with you three new videos. I signed off today on my “Burlington Bertie” and “Evette the Spivette” showreels. We still have a little more work to do on my 1940s & 50s showreel but we are very nearly there. We had a few lighting issues with Bertie and Evette due to the fact I’m wearing black and working against a black backdrop. We’ve had to lighten the films and in long short all is well but when we go to close up my body shape was getting lost due to the fact we were missing a very important over head light. Of course much depends on your computer screen but we have done the best we can

Back in the Recording Studio!

with the light we had on the day so I think all will be well in the end.

This new year was something of a treat as I wasn’t working. Instead Paul and I enjoyed the Dinner Dance at the Pavilion Ballroom in Bournemouth while spending a couple of nights in town at The Best Western Hotel. On new years day we made it over to Swanage on the chain ferry which has been one of those things we have been meaning to do for ages. Sadly the day turned a little wet and wind swept but then what do you expect for January!

It’s now time for me to sail into 2017 and look forward to a great year. I think 17 is going to be an interesting one with lots of changes. I’ve already been investing in new music and moving things on into the early 70s musically which will be fun. I haven’t as yet invested into a sequined boob tube and glitter boots but anythings possible.

Keep Watching and Toodle pip!

Springing into Christmas!

Me with Rabbi Yitzchak Schochet!

I’m afraid once again I’m in a bit of a dash writing my blog for you this week. I wanted to make sure I didn’t miss you all and I was keen to post a blog before the big day. I’m between shows as I’ve been out performing two shows daily all this week and I’ve rather lost count. I think I may well be up to 31 shows this month so far out of 36 or is it 38 – I’ve forgotten!

It’s been an interesting week as I’ve been performing both “Rocking Around the Christmas Tree” shows with “Chanukah” the Jewish festival of lights. The Jewish calendar is taken from the lunar cicale which is why Easter constantly changes in date due to the fact it revolves around the Pass over feast which is marked by the Jewish calendar.  This year is a special year as both Christmas Eve and Chanukah fall together which is quite unusual and it’s being celebrated from the 24th December through to the 1st January.

I have to confess that when I took the booking I wasn’t quite up to speed with the history behind the celebration so for those of you who are curious to learn more here is a brief description.  Hanukkah (Hebrew: חנוכה‎, alt. Chanukah), also known as the Festival of Lights, is an eight-day Jewish holiday commemorating the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem at the time of the Maccabean Revolt of the 2nd century BCE. Hanukkah is observed for eight nights, starting on the 25th day of Kislev according to the Hebrew calendar, and may occur from late November to late December on the Gregorian calendar.

The festival is observed by the kindling of the lights of a special candelabrum, the Menorah or Hanukiah, one light on each night of the holiday, progressing to eight on the final night. An extra light called a shamash, (Hebrew: “guard” or “servant”) is also lit each night, and is given a distinct location, usually higher or lower than the others. The purpose of the extra light is to adhere to the prohibition, specified in the Talmud (Tracate Shabbat 21b-23a), against using the Hanukkah lights for anything other than publicizing and meditating on the Hanukkah story. (The shamash is used to light the other lights.)

Hanukkah is mentioned in the deuterocanonical or apocrypha books of 1 Maccabees and 2 Maccabees. 1 Maccabees states: “For eight days they celebrated the rededication of the altar. Then Judah and his brothers and the entire congregation of Israel decreed that the days of the rededication…should be observed…every year…for eight days. (1 Mac.4:56-59)” According to 2 Maccabees, “the Jews celebrated joyfully for eight days as on the feast of Booths.”

After reading the above description of Chanukah I expect many of you may be wondering how many songs I have in my repertoire date back to the 2nd Century and are about light. Well none of course and I’m not sure if any songs survived from that time anyway although moving things forward I was asked to perform my American WAC 1940s “Stars and Stripes show” as much of the music comes from the Great American Song Book.  If you know your music you will know the five greats were all Jewish, Berlin, Porter, Gershwin, Rodgers and Kern. Of course it easy to forget the other two Mercer and Styne but they were just as great in there own way. Mixed in with Glenn Miller and Andrews Sister arrangements the show proved to be a real hit with the audience and made a pleasant change from singing “Rocking Around the Christmas Tree” and “White Christmas”.

Dinner and Coffee with Lynda!

On this occasion I was booked to perform for the Mill Hill Jacs club which always give you a wonderful welcome and excellent hospitality. After my show Rabbi Yitzchak Schochet delivered a wonderful routine in Jewish stand up which made me laugh. Apparently Jewish people aren’t very good at DIY  which must be true as all the ladies were laughing and prodding their husbands when he said it. Thinking about it I’ve never come across a Jewish building firm but that doesn’t mean there isn’t one somewhere. I’m looking forward very much to returning to Mill Hill Jacs next year with my 20th Century Show.  Next time I will be performing 100 years of popular music from 1900 to 2000 which I know the club will really enjoy as I will do singing the songs. Afterwards I caught up with my friend Lynda in Finchley over dinner and enjoyed a good girly natter which is always fun!

I’ve just got back from my second show today and I’m now back at my desk it’s time to bring my blog to a close. Tomorrow I’m in Marlow and I hope very much to make it back in time for Midnight Mass. So I guess all that’s left for me to do is to Wish you all a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Thank you for following and I look forward to catching up with you in the New Year when I return home from Bournmouth.

Toodle Pip and Best Wishes for the Season!

Me with The Nutcracker Ballet!

A Christmas Tree Gift from Ali!

Hello every-one I’m sorry I’ve not blogged this last week but as you might imagine I’ve been busy performing Christmas shows which are taking me here there and every-where. I’ve been performing two shows daily for much of this week and I will continue to do so right up until Christmas Day it’s self. Rather unusually I have Christmas day off this year so I will be enjoying Christmas at home with my family before I get ready to step out for the new year as I head down to Emsworth and then onto Bournemouth.

Last Sunday Paul and I were in Aylesbury. I had been booked to perform for the Aylesbury Council a Nutcracker Christmas in Friars Square. This job  was much more fun than usual as I was working with elves, stilt walkers, circus entertainers and ballet dancers as we all worked together to create that magical Nutcracker theme for the Aylesbury audience. They also had lots of creative events for the children to join in with and one little boy named Ali very kindly made me a Christmas decoration for my tree which I thought was very kind.

My brief was simple to perform 4 x 30 minute sets of Music Hall and Christmas songs which

Stilt Walking in Aylesbury’s Friars Square!

was extremely enjoyable as the council provided the rig and sound engineer while Paul loaded my music. It’s been ages since I was last in the heart of Aylesbury from the point of view of a shopper and it’s amazing to see just how much the center has changed. Friars Square is indoors which made my job so much more enjoyable. A few years ago I was performing out doors a Dickensian Christmas in Rochester which was jolly cold. I also came down with flue at the time but this was so much warmer and so much nicer to do. So thank-you Aylesbury Council for inviting me. It was lovely to sing for you all and meet the Mayor.

Of-course when it comes to show business you never know what’s going to happen and what might be around the corner. On Thursday I had two shows back to back. The first was a 2.15 pm performance in Beaconsfield and for my second show I was due to step out on stage at 5 pm in Holmer Green.  Well no sooner did I set up my rig and Holmer Green was hit by a power cut as the whole

Paul and I meet the Nutcracker!

village was thrown into complete darkness.  Not a problem! The audience lit the stage for me with their mobile phones and I performed material from my old stand-up one woman show routine, poems and sketches while I talked about my life in show business. What can I say the show must go on – even if it was a little different from what was originally advertised! Power was restored ten minutes before the end and I finished the show with a good old fashioned sing-along as every-one joined in with “White Christmas”.

Tomorrow I’ve another two shows back to back which is the case for the rest of the week, so if I don’t get the chance to blog again before Christmas please let me take this opportunity to wish you all a very M

Between Christmas Shows on Saturday!

erry Christmas and thank-you for following me through 2016. As for 2017 I will have more on that in the new year as I continue with my filming. I saw the cut of my 1940s and 50s show-reel last night which is coming along nicely and I’m looking forward to sharing that with you in the new year.

In the meantime have a lovely Christmas and Toodle Pip! 😉

Kim and I with Father Christmas!

I’m afraid once again I wont have too much time tonight to write my blog as I’m busy doing show plans and getting myself ship shape for the Christmas season. I still have my cards to do and one or two more presents to wrap although I was able to get quite a few away today as I braved the post office. I now have shows everyday for the rest of the month so I may not be able to do two blogs a week but I shall certainly keep you posted with one at least and through my facebook pages.

Saturdays show went well at Quainton Village Hall as I worked with my good friend and most glamorous sound engineer in the business Kim. For this show I was asked to mix in plenty of bright tunes from the 40s, 50s, 60s and I even included some Opera and Abba which went down really well with the audience as they came in as special requests.

All Set for a Victorian Christmas!

Most of my work at this time of year revolves around private parties although if you happen to be in the town of Aylesbury on Sunday 11th you can catch me on stage performing for the council “A Victorian Nutcracker Christmas”. I’ve just been finishing off my show plans tonight and I will be performing 4 x 30 minute shows daily at 11.15am, 12.45pm, 2.15pm and at 3.30pm. So see you there in Friars Square, although reading through my notes I may well be working both stages, that’s Fiars and Market Square combined. I shall let you know more about that in due course.

I shall leave my blog here tonight and no doubt catch up with you all next week. Do keep watching my Facebook pages as I post out-fit of the week and Video of the Week too.

Keep Watching and Toodle Pip! 😉

What a Day!

I’m afraid I wont have too long tonight to spend on my blog only to say it’s full steam ahead with Christmas shows as I White Christmas, Jingle Bell Rock and Sleigh Ride my way through the month of December. I performed my first Christmas show on Thursday and after a quick rehearsal at home and refresh I’m pleased to say I remembered all my words after a break of 11 months from singing my Christmas repertoire. In my job I’m out performing most days and when I return home I have to catch up on my paper work, which can be hard when I’m tired and often means I’m late to bed. So tonight I have a couple of show plans to finish off which I want to get done before it gets too late. Tomorrow I have a Private Party show booked in at Quainton Village Hall which is to have a bit of a Swinging Rock and Roll Christmas feel where the following week for Aylesbury Town Council I’ve been asked to give my shows more of a Victorian flavor.

Today I had a day off from shows so I took my mother to Milton Keynes and helped her with her big Christmas food shop in Marks and Spencers. My mother also wanted a new coat which has been something of a quest. Being short and a larger size my mother finds it hard to find anything to fit. She has been looking for a smart long button up black coat for ages but I think we may have found just what she was looking for in Debenhams today.

Now once upon a time I use to work for John Lewis and as some of you may already know I worked in display as a window dresser before I decided to pursue a career on the stage. However before I transferred to display I worked on the shop floor and one thing I always tried to do was give good customer service, something which seems to be very rare in shops these days. I know my mother and I don’t get out much and mix in the modern world that often but when we do, and approach an assistant in a store you sort of kind of expect that the assistant will know the stock. It seems if you go into a shop these days you have to serve yourself and magically order on line knowing exactly what to do if the store doesn’t have your size. There’s nothing I hate more than when I ask an assistant for assistants and they say “It’s over there” while walking off in the opposite direction.  Today in Debenhams the first lady I spoke to didn’t know her makes and the sizes the clothes went up to while the other lady didn’t understand what short fitting was. Although the 2nd lady did place the order for my mother in the end she wanted my mother to do it herself which my mother or I couldn’t have done on our own without assistants. Fingers crossed that when the coat arrives it fits!

That’s all my news for now. Keep Watching and Toodle Pip!